Page 32 of Gold and Good Sense

At first, Elizabeth thought the young lady might be naturally empty-headed, for many of her comments made no sense. She often reminded Elizabeth of how her own mother reacted when Mr. Bennet tried to speak of the news.

This assumption was quickly corrected. At parties, she was friendly and pleasant to speak with. She could tell a tale with wit and enthusiasm. She could even discuss the newspaper as well as novels and even a few bits of more esoteric literature.

Elizabeth began to wonder if Miss Bingley and Mr. Darcy had some kind of understanding between them, and Miss Bingley’s interruptions were made out of a sense of possessiveness toward the gentleman. Try as she might, however, Elizabeth could not find any rumors to corroborate this idea, and Mr. Darcy himself did not seem to hold Miss Bingley in any particular regard.

As far as Elizabeth could tell, Miss Bingley did indeed feel some kind of possessiveness toward Mr. Darcy, but it was fueled by nothing more than the simple fact that Mr. Darcy was such close friends with her brother. This seemed to be the primary motivation for Miss Bingley’s odd behavior.

In the end, Elizabeth resolved to put up with the young lady’s behavior simply for the opportunity to enjoy Mr. Darcy’s company.

As the month wore on, Elizabeth began to believe that Jane’s feelings were becoming quite warm toward Mr. Bingley. No other man could elicit such smiles from Jane as Mr. Bingley could. In fact, she gradually began turning away any other suitor, either subtly through her lack of response to them or more directly by asking their father to keep them away.

By the end of April, Elizabeth was convinced that Jane would be the next of their sisters to go to the altar, and she was certain the gentleman who would take her there was Mr. Bingley.

One day, toward the end of April, Elizabeth attempted to verify her assumption. While they were sitting alone in the parlor one morning, she said to Jane, “I assume you are looking forward to Mr. Bingley proposing.”

Saying it in such a straightforward way seemed to shock Jane. She dropped her sewing and stared at Elizabeth with her mouth slightly open. When she could speak, she said, “Whatever gave you that idea, Lizzy?”

“Well, you certainly seem more cheerful in his company than in any other gentleman’s,” said Elizabeth.

“I suppose that is true, though I hadn’t really thought about it,” said Jane. “He is a pleasant, cheerful, even humorous young man.”

Elizabeth was certain there was more to Jane’s response to Mr. Bingley than she was letting on. It was just Jane’s way to keep her feelings to herself.

“And handsome as well,” said Elizabeth, teasing Jane. She was hoping to get a blush out of her older sister, but such hopes were disappointed.

In complete seriousness, Jane said, “He is, indeed. In fact, in most ways, he is just what a gentleman ought to be. His manners are excellent, his conversation lively, and his appearance is pleasing. I am certain he shall make a wonderful husband for some lady someday.”

Though Jane had not even hinted at a hope that the lady in question might be herself, Elizabeth interpreted her sister’s words as expressing a desire to marry Mr. Bingley, and she supported such an intention wholeheartedly. He would make an excellent addition to the family, and he was certain to take good care of Jane.

Surprisingly, it was in the week following this conversation that the gentleman suddenly stopped appearing.

The last week in April, he did not call at the Bennets’ home at all, nor did he appear at any of the parties they attended. At first, Elizabeth thought he must have been called out of town on business, but this assumption was challenged when she saw Miss Bingley at a dinner party in early May.

She didn’t get a chance to speak with Miss Bingley until the ladies retired to the drawing room after dinner, but once they were there, Elizabeth immediately made her way over to Miss Bingley.

“Good evening, Miss Bingley,” said Elizabeth. “I hope you have been well. It has been some time since we’ve seen each other.”

“Merely a week, Miss Elizabeth. No need to be so maudlin,” replied the lady with a bit of acid in her voice.

Elizabeth pushed through the lady’s resistance, however, and said, “I was certain you and your brother must be out of town. We’ve been so used to seeing him a few times a week. When neither of you called on us, I thought that would be the only explanation.”

“Perhaps we didn’t call because we didn’t wish to call,” said Miss Bingley with increased asperity.

“Of course, you have every right to call on whomever you choose to see,” said Elizabeth. She was certain she couldn’t make this conversation last for long with Miss Bingley’s clear reluctance to speak with her, but she was desperate to elicit some form of explanation. “I was only wondering if there was some specific reason you and your brother broke such a longstanding pattern of behavior.”

It was forward, nearly to the point of being rude, but Miss Bingley hadn’t exactly been polite, so Elizabeth tried not to feel overly guilty.

Miss Bingley just stared at Elizabeth for a few moments. Eventually, she spoke, and her answer shocked Elizabeth to her core. “A little more than a week ago, the very afternoon after our last call at your home, Mr. Darcy visited my brother. They were closeted away for over an hour, but when they emerged, my brother announced that he would no longer be calling on your sister.”

“Mr. Darcy,” said Elizabeth. Her voice came out breathy with shock, little more than a whisper. “Are you telling me that Mr. Darcy convinced your brother to stop courting my sister?”

“It certainly seems to be the case,” said Miss Bingley. “I suppose it is possible that Charles simply fell out of love with Miss Bennet. He has done so before easily enough with other young ladies. In this case, however, I think it highly unlikely.”

“I see,” said Elizabeth, severe disappointment making her unable to say anything else.

“Now, if you will excuse me, Miss Elizabeth,” said Miss Bingley, “I believe I would like to end this very uncomfortable conversation.”

Elizabeth watched in silence as Miss Bingley crossed the room to speak with someone else. As she gradually began to fully comprehend what had happened, her main emotion was sorrow for her sister’s inevitable heartbreak when she realized Mr. Bingley would never return to her side.