“Mr. Darcy?”
“Yes.”
“Quite handsome, indeed! But not very sociable, I fear, since he is not fond of dancing.”
“And too good-looking for me, of course. I always hoped to be a clergyman’s wife, Jane.”
“You would be perfect as a clergyman’s wife, Mary!” said loyal Jane.
“But Mr. James is already married…”
“And with a child, let us not forget,” Jane added, smiling.
“So there is no hope for me there. And we never go anywhere or meet anyone; does Papa not understand our situation?”
Jane could not answer; she and her sisters had had this conversation many times over the years, and they were no closer to an answer now than they were when they first understood the position that the entail on their father’s estate put them in. Longbourn was entailed to male heirs only, and thus it could no longer be their home when Papa passed on.
“There is Mama’s money,” Jane said, hesitantly.
“Only four thousand pounds! We have done these calculations again and again, Jane, and the numbers do not lie. We would not starve if we all lived together under one roof, but it would not be a life that any of us would wish for.”
Jane put her arms around Mary and the two sisters sat together, giving each other silent comfort.
***
Dear Lizzy,
You will recall that I wrote and told you that we were expecting a Mr. Bingley, a single man of good fortune. We now understand that Mr. Bingley broke his leg – of all the bad luck! – and he sent his man of business to sign the lease and take the keys. This has been a great disappointment to all the young ladies of the neighbourhood, as you may well imagine.
In any case, the man of business, a Mr. Darcy, came for dinner last night. He is a tall, handsome man, and would catch the eye of many a female, but of course he is not wealthy enough for me, Kitty, or Lydia (according to Mama) and so has been assigned to Mary. Mama sat the two beside each other at dinner; his manners were perfect, and he did attempt to converse with his dinner partner, but Mary stared at her plate a good deal of the time. Poor Mary! She knows that she is not socially adept,and Mama’s constant reiteration of that fact just makes everything worse.
Come home, Lizzy! We all miss you dreadfully!
All my love,
Your Jane
Chapter Seven
The next day, Mr. Darcy found a message from Mr. Bingley at the breakfast table. The staff did not bother to employ the silver salvers that were normally used to convey mail to household members and guests; the message was simply placed on the table cloth. You are a man of business and nothing more, Mr. Darcy reminded himself.
Darcy,
It relieves my mind mightily to know that you approve my choice of Netherfield! I was sorely tempted to have you look at it before agreeing to lease it, but I did not like to drag you so far south until I was certain.
I expect to be at Netherfield the first week of November. I hope you will not leave before that, as I would very much like to tour the estate with you and have the benefit of your knowledge and experience.
I need not add, I suppose, that Caroline also very much hopes that you will stay with us for some time, though I suspect her motives are rather different from mine!
Bingley
Darcy scowled at that last sentence. Caroline Bingley! He recalled how she had clawed at his arm the last time they were in company. No, he would make certain to depart by the end of October; but he would leave copious notes for Bingley.
That decided, Mr. Darcy returned to Longbourn for the game of chess he had promised Mr. Bennet. Mr. Bennet welcomed him gladly, and the men retreated at once to the safety and sanctity of Mr. Bennet’s study.
“No one will disturb us here,” Mr. Bennet promised.
“I take it you are often in need of such sanctuary?” Mr. Darcy enquired.
