7. Chapter 7

June 4, 21014 - Again, a lot of JA in this chapter. As I said last chapter, feel guiltless if you decide to skim. Slowly but surely working our way through the time at Netherfield. I'm at the point now of trying to respond to every new signed review. They are in your PM Inbox if you haven't found them yet. Oh, and I got some good writing in today on another story that I have been working on - about time!

Chapter 7

Before heading down to dinner, Georgiana stopped to see if Elizabeth would be joining them. She was not surprised when Elizabeth asked her to express her regrets but promised to come down later if Jane was sleeping peacefully. As she made her way down to dinner she had a footman alert the housekeeper that Miss Elizabeth indeed would be needing a tray sent up to her.

When she entered the dining room she informed the party that Elizabeth would not be joining them. She was unsurprised when Miss Bingley conveniently forgot to promptly inform the kitchen for the need for dinner to be sent upstairs. Georgiana was surprised to see the look of regret that flashed across the face of her brother at this news. She would have to watch him whenever Elizabeth was around.

After the second course had been served Miss Bingley finally seemed to recall her forgotten guest upstairs.

"Dear me, I have quite forgotten about Miss Eliza! See that something is sent up to her room," she commanded a servant.

Georgiana decided it would be wise not to tell her that she had already seen to it earlier.

The meal proceeded peacefully from then on. Miss Bingley was no fool. She could see that Georgiana obviously held Eliza Bennet in high regard. It was best not to speak ill of the upstart in front of her "dear" friend. Instead she would concentrate her campaign against Eliza Bennet with Mr. Darcy.

Eventually the sexes separated and Miss Bingley led the women into the parlor. Once there she planned an evening of cards with her sister.

"You must partner Charles, Georgiana."

"I would rather not play, Miss Bingley."

"Nonsense, my dear. I always play with Mr. Darcy and Charles needs a partner if he is to join us."

"Very well."

Not too long after the men had rejoined the ladies Elizabeth came down to give a report on Jane.

"And how is Miss Bennet feeling?" Mr. Bingley anxiously asked.

"I believe she is feeling a little better. She was sleeping comfortably when I left her."

"Then you must stay for a while and keep us company!" Bingley pleaded.

Elizabeth nodded her consent and picked a book to read.

"Miss Bennet, you may take my place with Miss Darcy if you like."

Suspecting them to be playing high, she declined it, and making her sister the excuse, said she would amuse herself for the short time she could stay below, with a book. Mr. Hurst looked at her with astonishment.

"Do you prefer reading to cards?" said he, "that is rather singular."

"Miss Eliza Bennet," said Miss Bingley, "despises cards. She is a great reader, and has no pleasure in anything else."

"I deserve neither such praise nor such censure," cried Elizabeth, "I am not a great reader, and I have pleasure in many things."

"Is your cousin Lady Helena much grown since the spring Mr. Darcy?" said Miss Bingley, "will she be as tall as I am?"

"I think she will. She is now about Miss Elizabeth Bennet's height, or rather taller."

"How I long to see her again! I never met with anybody who delighted me so much. Such a countenance, such manners! And so extremely accomplished for her age! Her performance on the pianoforte is exquisite, as is Georgiana's."

"It is amazing to me," said Bingley, "how young ladies can have patience to be so very accomplished as they all are."

"All young ladies accomplished! My dear Charles, what do you mean?"

"Yes, all of them, I think. They all paint tables, cover screens, and net purses. I scarcely know any one who cannot do all this, and I am sure I never heard a young lady spoken of for the first time, without being informed that she was very accomplished."

"Your list of the common extent of accomplishments," said Darcy, "has too much truth. The word is applied to many a woman who deserves it no otherwise than by netting a purse or covering a screen. But I am very far from agreeing with you in your estimation of ladies in general. I cannot boast of knowing more than half a dozen, in the whole range of my acquaintance, that are really accomplished."

"Nor I, I am sure," said Miss Bingley.

"Then," observed Elizabeth, "you must comprehend a great deal in your idea of an accomplished woman."

"Yes, I do comprehend a great deal in it."

"Oh! Certainly," cried his faithful assistant, "no one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved."

"All this she must possess," added Darcy, "and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading."

"I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women. I rather wonder now at your knowing any, other than Georgiana of course."

Georgiana blushed under this praise.

"Are you so severe upon your own sex as to doubt the possibility of all this?"

"I never saw such a woman, other than Miss Darcy." Again she smiled at her blushing friend. "I never saw such capacity, and taste, and application, and elegance, as you describe united in anyone but her."

Miss Bingley was tempted to cry out against the injustice of her implied doubt, and protesting that she knew many women who answered this description, but thought better of it for the present since the praise showed Georgiana in such a favorable light. Mr. Hurst called them to order, with bitter complaints of their inattention to what was going forward. As all conversation was thereby at an end, Elizabeth soon afterwards left the room.

"Eliza Bennet," said Miss Bingley, when the door was closed on her, "is one of those young ladies who seek to recommend themselves to the other sex by undervaluing their own; and with many men, I dare say, it succeeds. But, in my opinion, it is a paltry device, a very mean art."

"Undoubtedly," replied Darcy, to whom this remark was chiefly addressed, "there is meanness in all the arts which ladies sometimes condescend to employ for captivation. Whatever bears affinity to cunning is despicable."

Miss Bingley was not so entirely satisfied with this reply as to continue the subject and remembered her resolve not to abuse Miss Eliza in Georgiana's presence.

The next day Jane had improved but was still in no shape to leave for home. Mrs. Bennet visited her and found her in no present danger. Before she left with her three youngest daughters, Lydia had managed to get Mr. Bingley to agree to hold his long promised ball. Satisfied, Mrs. Bennet left behind her now mortified second eldest to look after her dear Jane.

"Elizabeth, do not distress yourself. You have not met my aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourg. Next to her any woman is a pleasant lady. Not that I am saying anything against your mother that is."

"Thank you, I think Jane will be well enough for me to leave her again for a little while this afternoon. Would you like to join me in the gardens then?"

"It would be lovely to join you, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth was surprised to find Mr. Darcy apparently ready to join them again for their outing.

"It is all right, Elizabeth. He begged me to let him join us."

"Can we hurry out, please!" Mr. Darcy whispered.

Elizabeth laughed to herself as they made their way to the safety of the shrubbery.

"Thank you for your understanding, Miss Bennet. I promise once again to give you and Georgiana your privacy. I found I needed an excuse to escape Miss Bingley. I told her I had promised to walk with Georgiana this afternoon. I just neglected to tell her we would not be alone."

"Mr. Darcy, I think you can imagine, growing up in a house such as I did, the need for some occasional privacy."

"Then I shall leave the two of you to talk. I will await you here."

Elizabeth led Georgiana further into the garden.

"I feel sorry for your brother. He has few friends in this house."

"But while you are here he has one more person he counts as a friend."

"I think you exaggerate his opinion of me. I am not sure he would call me more than an acquaintance."

"I think you underestimate the respect he holds for you."

They talked of the upcoming ball. Georgiana knew she would not be allowed to dance but looked forward to the evening.

"I thought you did not care for such events, Georgiana?"

"As I told you before, when there are people I know I do not feel so uncomfortable. There will be many people I have met there and I am sure Fitzwilliam will not allow me to be unattended at any time."

"Yes," She laughed merrily, "I can see him doing that very thing. Especially if it gives him the excuse not to have to dance much!"

Darcy was glad to see the ladies return. He had not been entirely truthful in his reasons for accompanying them. He wanted to see her again, even if only for a few minutes. His look of pleasure upon seeing them did not escape his sister again, especially since his eyes were turned to her friend, and not to her.

"Did you miss us, Fitzwilliam?"

"I always am glad to be in your company, Georgiana." Darcy deflected.

'He avoided answering my question,' Georgiana thought as they headed back toward the house.

That evening Jane felt well enough to join the party downstairs. Mr. Bingley was overjoyed to see his angel and spent considerable time making sure she was comfortable next to the fire. They became engrossed in a hushed conversation. Darcy, Elizabeth and Georgiana were content to find a book to read. Miss Bingley also chose a book, but only because it was the second volume to the one Darcy was reading. Finally in frustration she threw down the book and began walking about the room. Darcy studious avoided looking up.

On a whim she asked Georgiana and Elizabeth to join her.

"Miss Eliza Bennet, dear Georgiana, let me persuade you to follow my example, and take a turn about the room. I assure you it is very refreshing after sitting so long."

Elizabeth was surprised, but agreed to it immediately. Miss Bingley succeeded no less in the real object of her civility… Mr. Darcy looked up. He was as much awake to the novelty of attention in that quarter as Elizabeth herself could be, and unconsciously closed his book. He was directly invited to join their party, but he declined it, observing that he could imagine but two motives for their choosing to walk up and down the room together, with either of which motives his joining them would interfere. What could he mean? Miss Bingley was dying to know what could be his meaning and asked Georgiana whether she could at all understand him?

"Not at all," was her answer, "but depend upon it, he means to be severe on us, and our surest way of disappointing him will be to ask nothing about it."

Miss Bingley, however, was incapable of disappointing Mr. Darcy in anything, and persevered, therefore, in requiring an explanation of his two motives.

"I have not the smallest objection to explaining them," said he, as soon as she allowed him to speak. "You either chose this method of passing the evening because you are in each other's confidence, and have secret affairs to discuss, or because you are conscious that your figures appear to the greatest advantage in walking; if the first, I should be completely in your way, and if the second, I can admire you much better as I sit by the fire."

"Oh! Shocking!" cried Miss Bingley. "I never heard anything so abominable. How shall we punish him for such a speech?"

"Nothing so easy, if you have but the inclination," said Elizabeth. "We can all plague and punish one another. Tease him, laugh at him. Intimate as you are, you must know how it is to be done."

"But upon my honor I do not. I do assure you that my intimacy has not yet taught me that." Georgiana rolled her eyes. "Tease calmness of temper and presence of mind! No, no I feel he may defy us there. And as to laughter, we will not expose ourselves, if you please, by attempting to laugh without a subject. Mr. Darcy may hug himself."

"Mr. Darcy is not to be laughed at!" cried Elizabeth. "That is an uncommon advantage, and uncommon I hope it will continue, for it would be a great loss to me to have many such acquaintance. I dearly love a laugh."

"Miss Bingley," said he, "has given me credit for more than can be. The wisest and the best of men, nay, the wisest and best of their actions may be rendered ridiculous by a person whose first object in life is a joke."

"Certainly," replied Elizabeth "there are such people, but I hope I am not one of them. I hope I never ridicule what is wise or good. Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies, do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can. But these, I suppose, are precisely what you are without. Of this Georgiana assures me!"

"Perhaps that is not possible for any one. But it has been the study of my life to avoid those weaknesses which often expose a strong understanding to ridicule," Darcy played along.

"Such as vanity and pride."

"Yes, vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation."

Elizabeth turned away to hide a smile.

"Your examination of Mr. Darcy is over, I presume," said Miss Bingley, "and pray what is the result?"

"I am perfectly convinced by it that Mr. Darcy has no defect. He owns it himself without disguise."

"No," said Darcy turning serious, "I have made no such pretension. I have faults enough, but they are not, I hope, of understanding. My temper I dare not vouch for. It is, I believe, too little yielding certainly too little for the convenience of the world. I cannot forget the follies and vices of others so soon as I ought, nor their offences against myself. My feelings are not puffed about with every attempt to move them. My temper would perhaps be called resentful. My good opinion once lost is lost for ever."

"That is a failing indeed!" cried Elizabeth. "Implacable resentment is a shade in a character. But you have chosen your fault well. I really cannot laugh at it. You are safe from me."

"There is, I believe, in every disposition a tendency to some particular evil - a natural defect, which not even the best education can overcome."

"And your defect is a propensity to hate everybody," she teased.

"And yours," he replied, with a smile, "is willfully to misunderstand them."

"Do let us have a little music," cried Miss Bingley, tired of a conversation in which she had no share. "Louisa, you will not mind my waking Mr. Hurst."

Her sister made not the smallest objection, and the pianoforte was opened; and Darcy, after a few moments' recollection, was not sorry for it. He began to feel the danger of paying Elizabeth too much attention. Yet he could not avoid watching her when she took her turn at the pianoforte. Once again, his sister noticed this and she became more and more convinced that her brother admired her friend.

The next day Jane was much improved and wanted to go home. Elizabeth knew her mother would not send the carriage for another few days so she decided to ask Mr. Bingley if he would provide his. At this he protested that they could not leave yet. Finally Elizabeth consented to remain one more day but insisted that they leave after the Sunday morning services.

Darcy was of two minds regarding their departure. Part of him wished they would remain so he could see more of Miss Elizabeth. The other part worried about the danger of being around her too much. He could tell he was beginning to fall under her spell but he knew that he owed it to his family to make an equal match. Miss Elizabeth Bennet was definitely below him. He resigned himself to admire from afar and to take her own advice to not show her any partiality.