She looked at him; their eyes met and held. He moved toward her, one step. He reached for her hand as if mesmerised. She let him take it. They stood like that for a long moment, her hand in his, eyes exchanging words that could not be said.
“Darcy! Come again soon,” Mr. Bennet was suddenly at his side.
Mr. Darcy returned to his senses; he dropped Miss Elizabeth’s hand as if it burned him. Turning to Mr. Bennet, he made a polite comment about future chess matches. When he turned back, Miss Elizabeth was gone.
Mr. Bennet was left to wonder if he had done the right thing in interrupting that tender moment. He believed that Mr. Darcyand Elizabeth would be an excellent match; he also believed that Mr. Darcy would never see sense and offer for her, so there was no point in allowing Elizabeth to have hopes.
Chapter Forty-Six
It was finally over. Jane and Mr. Bingley were gone to Netherfield. The guests had all left, including Mr. Darcy. Mrs. Bennet insisted on everyone sitting in the drawing room to talk over her triumph. “It was at least as good as Mary’s wedding, was it not, brother?” she began.
Mr. Gardiner smiled. “It was every bit as good; no one could doubt it.”
“For Mr. Bingley is a very wealthy man, and things must be done right!” Mrs. Bennet continued.
“There could be no complaint about the arrangements,” Mrs. Gardiner put in. “And Jane looked positively angelic!”
“Did you see his face as she approached him? Mr. Bingley’s, I mean!”
Kitty and Lydia could have no interest in such a conversation; they left to go upstairs. Elizabeth very much wished she could do the same, but it would be rude to abandon the Gardiners.The conversation went on and on, with Mrs. Bennet soliciting compliments from everyone present.
Mrs. Bennet was finally satisfied, and the dialogue could become more general. Elizabeth heard little of it, until she heard her name.
“What shall you do now, Lizzy? Do you wish to come back to London with us?”
She looked up. “I am grateful for the invitation, Aunt, but I think not. I am to visit Mary in just a few weeks, and that will content me for entertainment.”
“Oh! You must write to tell me of her arrangements, Lizzy. I am most curious to learn about her life as a parson’s wife, subject to the whims of that – what was her name?”
“Lady Catherine de Bourgh.”
“Yes, that was it. I imagine she is a rather difficult patron.”
“Mary has proven to be an excellent correspondent, and she says that she is quite content in her situation, so I am certain that I shall have only good news to impart to you.”
“I am glad to hear it. She made a rational decision when she accepted Mr. Collins. It was not a love match, of course, which would have been preferable, but it was very sensible, and she obliged the whole family by doing so.”
“Yes; sensible and rational,” Elizabeth agreed, thinking that she could learn to hate those words.
***
The Gardiners left soon after, and with their departure, Longbourn felt dark and dismal. With the wedding over and Jane gone, it seemed there was little now to anticipate; indeed,the house seemed positively funereal after the excitement of the wedding.
Happily, Jane and Mr. Bingley visited two days after the wedding. They were vastly content, there could be no doubt; both their faces positively glowed. The newlyweds sat together, hand-in-hand, beaming at one another.
Jane hugged Elizabeth, saying, “Oh! Marriage is wonderful, Lizzy!” She laughed as she spoke.
Elizabeth laughed with her. “It certainly seems to agree with you, Jane.”
“And with me as well, sister Elizabeth!” Mr. Bingley enthused.
Elizabeth made a determined effort to shut down her envy. She loved Jane, of course, and would in no way want to diminish her joy; she only wished she might someday have that for herself. She had always hoped to marry for love; nay, she believed that she would. She knew herself to be capable of a deep, abiding love, but she had never expected to experience such a love and have it destined to remain forever unrequited and unfulfilled.
She needed guidance, or at least someone to talk with about this. It could not be Jane, of course; such a discussion could only make Jane feel guilty for her own happiness. Not her parents, not her younger sisters. Perhaps Charlotte?
***
“Have you given up on him entirely, Eliza?”
