Darcy's Passions (11 page)

 

Darcy left the dance floor in an agitated state; his performance left him wanting to say so much more to Elizabeth Bennet. He moved about the room oblivious to the civilities being offered on his behalf. He stood along the rim of a cluster of partygoers, pretending to be interested in their tales when the bow of the same pudgy clergyman who tormented Elizabeth with his “lightness of foot” interrupted his thoughts. Darcy could not comprehend the man's affront at first. Collins made him a low bow. “Mr. Darcy, I learned by a singular accident you are indeed the nephew of my esteemed patroness Lady Catherine de Bourgh; I wanted to assure you her ladyship was quite well yesterday sennight.” This unsolicited address astonished him, and Darcy eyed the man with unrestrained wonder; and when at last Mr. Collins allowed him time to speak, he replied with an air of distant civility. Mr. Collins, however, set about an equally pompous second speech, which increased Darcy's contempt. Finally, he made the imbecile a slight bow and moved
away. He thanked providence he was wise enough to not make a permanent alliance with Elizabeth Bennet. It seemed she possessed no shortage of poor connections. All he wanted at that moment was for the ball to come to a close so he could be rid of his promise to Bingley and to his time in Hertfordshire.

 

He moved with the others to take supper. Unfortunately, he found himself in close proximity to Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Lucas. In an energized manner, Mrs. Bennet confided to Mrs. Lucas, “Mr. Bingley so honors our Jane with his attentions. He singles her out above all others. We expect a wedding at Netherfield very, very soon, and when Jane is so well placed, I told Mr. Bennet, we may cosign our other daughters to Jane's care in hopes of likewise excellent matches.”

He watched while Elizabeth, realizing Darcy sat opposite them, tried to stifle her mother's enthusiasm and tone down her mother's voice. He felt sympathy for Elizabeth being plagued by such a family, but he found her mother's incivility intolerable.“What do I care what Mr. Darcy thinks, Lizzy. He is nothing to me.” The absolute disdain he felt for her mother overrode his sympathy for Elizabeth. Finally, Mrs. Bennet said no more on the matter. Darcy hoped some sense of decorum might now return to the dining hall. Bingley, as the host, when the supper finished, called for singing and entertainment.

Darcy watched as Mary Bennet prepared to oblige the company. Mary Bennet's voice was weak and her manner affected. Darcy remained grave, but he witnessed the agony in which Elizabeth found herself. Elizabeth's eyes pleaded with her father to do something. Mary would not leave the pianoforte until someone forced her to do so. Mr. Bennet took his daughter's hint. As Mary finished her second song, he approached her at the instrument and closed the keys' door.Then he said loudly,“Mary, dearest, you have delighted Mr. Bingley's guests long enough; it is time to allow the other young ladies a chance to perform.” Darcy sat in a state of astonishment while Elizabeth's countenance colored.The mortification
she tried to stop with her father's intervention turned out worse than Mary's musical offerings. His bluntness with his daughter embarrassed all who witnessed it.

Mr. Collins then began to extol too loudly upon his own lack of musical ability. “If I were so fortunate as to be able to sing, I should have great pleasure, I am sure, in obliging the company with an air; for I consider music as a very innocent diversion, and perfectly compatible with the profession of a clergyman.” He directed his speech toward Darcy for some unexplained reason. Darcy observed Mr. Bennet being openly amused by their cousin's silliness while Mrs. Bennet praised Mr. Collins for his ability to know his own talents. Darcy's indignant contempt changed to his usual formal hauteur. His silent contempt of the displays of Elizabeth's family could not be hidden from her or from anyone else.

He stood within a very short distance of Elizabeth, quietly disengaged from what he observed. He never came near enough to speak to her again. He replayed the whole evening in his head. Darcy saw her beauty and the thrill of escorting her onto the dance floor vividly, but those were doused by images of Mr. Collins's affront, Mrs. Bennet's allusions, Kitty's and Lydia's flirtations with the officers, Mary's poor performance, and Mr. Bennet's impropriety.The negatives of such a connection greatly outweighed the positives.

Bingley and Jane Bennet caught Darcy's attention. They were absorbed in their own conversations. They knew nothing of the spectacle Jane Bennet's family had become. Darcy knew he could save himself from such associations, but he realized he must also save his friend. He could not, in all conscience, leave Bingley to his own devices when it came to Jane Bennet. He must prepare himself to separate the two permanently.

The morning after the Netherfield Ball found Fitzwilliam Darcy pacing the bedchamber. The decision he made the previous evening would impact both his and Bingley's lives forever; it was not one to be taken lightly.The two gentlemen came to a country neighborhood, and both became infatuated with sisters. Darcy knew he could withstand Elizabeth's allurements by putting distance and time between them. Getting Bingley to likewise divorce himself from the situation might prove more difficult. Bingley wore his heart on his sleeve. He was more impetuous than Darcy, but he did trust Darcy's opinions implicitly; and he would use that influence to save his friend.

Luckily, Bingley left for London this very morning for a short business trip; this gave Darcy time to put his plan in action. It would mean a secretive alliance with Bingley's sisters, something to which he did not look forward, but his friend would thank them all later.Thinking so, Darcy left his chambers to speak to Caroline and Louisa.

 

“Ah, Mr. Darcy, you seem rested this morning,” Caroline looked up from her morning meal.

“I am, thank you, Miss Bingley,” he began, “but there is something about which I wish to speak to you.”

 

The Bingley sisters held similar concerns regarding the attentions their brother showed Jane Bennet.They agreed Miss Bennet was a
congenial young lady, and they were willing to have her as an acquaintance. Yet, the possibility of her becoming an intimate member of their family created a different story.They ridiculed the rest of the Bennet family's lack of civilities during the ball, but Darcy remained silent. He could not place Elizabeth among the offenders. Other than Miss Bingley loosely confiding Elizabeth ignored her warnings about Wickham's character during the evening, little was said against Elizabeth directly. Louisa even commented that “poor Elizabeth” appeared mortified with the actions of her family. Darcy was thankful they did not attack Elizabeth directly; he was still too vulnerable to her charms to allow that to happen.

 

“So, we are agreed. We will quit Netherfield immediately and follow your brother to town.There we will do whatever we must do to save Bingley from his own folly.”

Louisa added, “It is of the utmost importance that we distract Charles from this recklessness. We must divert his thoughts from this woman by exposing him to society comprised of his equals or his superiors, thus eliminating those beneath him.”

 

His sisters and Darcy's approach in his London hotel surprised Charles Bingley. He expected not to see them until the following day when he returned to Netherfield. Lying, Darcy reminded Bingley he too postponed business until after the ball. Of course, he could not leave Bingley's sisters at Netherfield unattended.

Bingley's sisters chimed in with excuses of many preparations to address before the Festive Season. They begged Bingley to stay in London for the holidays where they could enjoy the festivities at Darcy's London home.

“I told Miss Bennet I would be at Netherfield for the Festive Season,” he protested. “I was to have dinner at Longbourn at the end of the week.”

“But, Charles,” Louisa inserted her voice,“you would not want to disappoint Georgiana. Mr. Darcy cannot spend the season at
Netherfield and neglect his sister. We have been their guests at Kensington Place since your friendship began. We cannot desert our friends now; it is tradition.”

“I already sent Miss Bennet our regrets about the dinner invitation, and I indicated we will be spending Christmas in London.” Caroline reassured him. “Miss Bennet's family circle will demand all her attention during the celebrations, would you not think?”

“You would not want to disappoint Georgiana, would you, Charles?” Darcy added.“She so loves your company.You are one of the few people who are able to draw her out of her shyness. She has practiced some special songs for a private concert. It is only for a few weeks.”

“Of course, I would not want to disappoint Georgiana. I also suppose Miss Bennet's Festive Season is already planned with her own family traditions. It is only a few weeks, as you say.”

“Good, you will stay as my guest at Kensington Place,” Darcy added quickly.“I can bring Georgiana there sooner than I expected with both of us available to escort her to festive gatherings. She will be so pleased.”

 

Once Darcy, Caroline, and Louisa had Bingley sequestered in London, they began their erosion of Bingley's feelings for Jane Bennet. Bingley, being young, was easy to convince. First, his sisters made casual comments about how women make fools of men by using feminine charms. Each “way” they ridiculed was a characteristic Jane Bennet possessed. Then Darcy added his concerns about whether Miss Bennet
really
cared for Bingley. “Bingley, she listens attentively to you, but I observed her doing the same in other conversations. What I did not observe,” Darcy insinuated, “was an exclusive feeling in your respect. I believe she would accept your proposals; it would benefit Miss Bennet substantially, but you always said you would prefer a relationship which includes mutual affection.”

“I do,” Bingley added uncertainly, “but I thought she returned my regard.”

“I have more experience than you, Bingley,” Darcy continued, “in dealing with mothers trying to wed off their daughters to the first eligible bachelor who comes along. Miss Bennet appears to be
schooled
in such manners.You saw Mrs. Bennet's behavior. Do you suppose Mr. Bennet, a landed gentleman, would make such an inappropriate match if Mrs. Bennet at one time or another did not know how to rein in her enthusiasm and seem to be a genial young woman? Now, look at how Mrs. Bennet's behavior makes the Bennet family the laughingstock of the county. Their vulgar actions at your ball were a warning as to what you may expect if you align yourself with such a family. It is not acceptable to align oneself with a family whose poor connections affect others; you are not just making a choice for yourself, Charles; you are bringing all the Bennets into your family.Your family members are not used to such censure as what you may expect in this case.”

 

Bingley became resigned to what he heard; he could have misjudged Jane Bennet's attentions. Although Bingley agreed with Darcy and his sisters, he did not welcome the news, and Darcy noted Bingley, when others were not looking, stared off and seemed to be elsewhere in his mind. Darcy knew Bingley's position well; he found himself ruminating over Elizabeth on more than one occasion. He replayed her accusations about Wickham; she only knew Wickham for a few days when she had known Darcy for nearly two months. Yes, Wickham had his charms, but how could she not see through to his character? Darcy was a man of standing.
I do not get on at all. I hear such different accounts of you as puzzle me exceedingly.
It did not take her so long to survey Wickham's attributes! She used Darcy ill, deserted and disappointed him; and worse, she showed a weakness in her own character, which upon reflection he could not endure. She gave him up to oblige others. She allowed herself to be persuaded by Wickham's “tales of woe.”
How could she?
But Darcy would master his feelings for this auburn-haired miss; however, even in doing so, he would feel no triumph—only the pity at having loved and lost would remain.

The Festive Season in London never held the inducements for Darcy as those spent at Pemberley, but since the deaths of both of his parents, he could no longer bear to be at Pemberley at Christmas time. So, for the past five years, he and Georgiana spent their time at Kensington Place. This year, besides missing his parents, Darcy pined for Elizabeth Bennet. Even having Georgiana with him did not appease the emptiness he felt since leaving Netherfield, and try as he may, nothing erased the memory of her countenance.

After the Christmas celebrations, Darcy forced himself back into society. He still spent many evenings with Bingley and his sisters, but where he once thought of Caroline's civilities as refined, he now found them affected and boring. Darcy also made an effort to encounter other eligible young women in town, often calling on acquaintances and accepting more invitations than he was known to do. He once found a Miss Donnelly attractive, but then he was told her given name was “Elizabeth,” and he was lost once again into a revelry of depression. Georgiana's company gave him some relief, but even she could not engage his attention with any degree of success. He finally gave up his pursuit of new social connections, allowing he just needed more time to find the solace he sought.