Page 32 of Eavesdroppers Never Hear
Jane took her turn to think about her response for some time. “I suppose there are things about him I liked… perhaps more than was prudent.”
“Hah!” Elizabeth laughed. “I am being courted by a man I could not stand when I got up yesterday, so I may not be your best choice for a confidant to discuss prudence.”
“Yes, I can see that… but you happen to be the one I have right now, and this is not a discussion I plan to have with anyone else. I can just barely have it with you.”
“I understand.”
They wandered a bit more before Jane said, “I suppose, in some ways, it comes down to Mr Bingley. We have no idea what he thinks. For all we know, he has lost interest entirely.”
“If that be the case, then the problem is already solved.”
“Yes, I suppose so, and it is not an outcome I would be overly distraught over. He would not be the first man that went sour on me.”
“Since that one is so easy, let us suppose he is interested in… something. What would you think?”
They wandered some more, with Jane obviously deep in thought.
“I suppose Mr Bingley needs to decide if he is a boy or a man. I liked the boy, but not enough to bind myself to him. I may or may not like the man he might become someday.”
“Well said.”
Both sisters decided they had discussed Mr Bingley enough. He would return, or he would not. He would call, or he would not. He would apologise, or he would not. He would try to dig himself out of the grave his friend and sisters dug for him, or he would not. If he did, he would succeed or fail. For all contingencies, there was little point in wandering freezing to death trying to work it out.
~~~~~
“What did you and Mr Darcy find so funny, Lizzy?” Lydia asked with faux innocence just after they sat down to the dinner table.
“You would have to have been there to understand,” she returned nonchalantly.
Elizabeth was not one to be easily riled by her younger sister, and she thought she would have to accustom herself to either avoiding or answering questions about the gentleman, since there was a short limit on how long she could keep her courtship secret. So far, the only thing keeping it unnoticed was how vehemently she had railed against him before Netherfield, but that cover would not last long. It would only take one or two more calls with the gentleman speaking exclusively to her for the news of the courtship to escape.
In all honesty, Elizabeth was looking forward to being courted properly and publicly. She thought it would be a goodtest of whether she had the mettle for the position of Mrs Darcy. However, to get to a public courtship, she would have to notify her mother and younger sisters. She desperately wanted a couple more quiet meetings with the gentleman before that happened, as she doubted that she would get much peace afterward.
As talk swirled around the table, Elizabeth thought about what she would face as Mrs Darcy. The gentleman was doing his best to prepare her for the trials she might endure, but he probably had no idea how vicious London society was going to be for her. He would obviously protect her as well as he could, but Elizabeth knew full well that in London society, Caroline Bingley was a minnow, and she would be opposed by sharks. Many a disappointed rich gentry or peer, who had set their sights on Darcy over the last decade (along with their mothers), would have the claws out looking for her first misstep, real or imagined. It gave her pause, and she spent most of the meal ignoring the nonsense spoken at the table in favour of her own musings.
Mr Bennet, in an uncharacteristic lapse of his usual custom, left her to her own thinking, and even deflected his wife and younger daughters several times to give Elizabeth time to ruminate on the possibilities. He had a good idea of what she must be thinking, but he felt no compulsion to offer guidance when it was not requested.
Of course, he could allow his daughter her thoughts because he had his own hidden source of amusement, which he deployed near the end of lunch.
“I hope, my dear, that you have ordered a good dinner today, because I have reason to expect an addition to our family party.”
“Who do you mean, my dear? I know of nobody that is coming, I am sure, unless Charlotte Lucas should happen to callin—and I hope my dinners are good enough for her. I do not believe she often sees such at home.”
“The person of whom I speak is a gentleman, and a stranger.”
Thus began a good five minutes of what to him was the greatest amusement as everyone at the table (with the notable exception of Elizabeth) tried to guess, or to pry out the name and situation of the visitor. He reckoned she was either busy with her own thoughts, or more likely, was on to his tricks and knew she would learn the identity of the visitor in his time regardless of what anyone else said or did.
When his amusement had run its course, he finally answered.
“About a month ago I received this letter; and about a fortnight ago I answered it, for I thought it a case of some delicacy, and requiring early attention. It is from my cousin, Mr Collins, who, when I am dead, may turn you all out of this house as soon as he pleases.”
This caused yet another cacophony among the residents, and yet another attempt by Jane to explain the entail to Mrs Bennet. Once again, Elizabeth abstained, but she at least paid attention.
With glee, Mr Bennet read Mr Collins’s letter, and everyone (even Mary) thought he sounded like quite an odd character. For example, why did he need to explain that, as a parson he would perform the accustomed duties of a parson? A coachman need not specify that he cared for horses. Why should anyone care what his patroness, had to say about his schedule? More to the point, what was an olive-branch? It obviously made sense for the man to learn about the estate he would inherit, but there seemed to be many better ways to go about it.
Eventually, the discussion wound down.
“At four o’clock, therefore, we may expect this peace-making gentleman,” said Mr Bennet, as he folded up the letter. “He seems to be a most conscientious and polite young man, uponmy word, and I doubt not will prove a valuable acquaintance, especially if Lady Catherine should be so indulgent as to let him come to us again.”
