“Then go to it.”

With these words, Mr Darcy left his friend free to pursue his own heart. He had felt it necessary for him to accompany his friend to Hertfordshire, if only to determine for himself the truth of the matter between Bingley and Miss Bennet. During the two visits he had lately made there, he had observed them both most carefully, and had found nothing wanting in their preference for each other. He had further evidence during dinner on Tuesday, that Miss Bennet did indeed, have a particular regard for his friend; and as for Bingley, it was impossible that his regard could be for anyone else in the room.

Having allowed himself to be convinced that Miss Bennet was not indifferent to him, as he had previously thought, it needed only the communication of this to Bingley, to persuade him to pursue the object of his affection; that is, her hand in marriage, the application of which, Darcy had not the slightest doubt of its being accepted. Last evening, he had confessed to Bingley his part in separating him from Miss Bennet, including that he had purposely concealed her being in town for three months last winter. He stated his belief that his interference had been formed from the assumption of her being indifferent, to which he was now convinced was false. Darcy apologised for his presumption, saying that it had been wrong of him interfere where he had no right, and hoped he would be forgiven for his intervention.

Bingley had been understandably offended, but it was to his credit that his anger had lasted no longer than he remained in any doubt of Miss Bennet’s sentiments. Bingley’s esteem and reliance on Darcy’s good judgement was such that it was not difficult to convince him of this, and his amiable and generous nature found it easy to for him to forgive his friend. Knowing his friend as well as he did, Darcy could easily guess where Bingley’s thoughts now lay; and to where, in all probability, he would now be heading, and could not repress a small smile. For his part, the confession last night had relieved him of one burden that had been troubling him ever since Elizabeth’s accusations to him last April.

He sighed expressively and rubbed his temples. Would that his own affairs could be so agreeably resolved. The other reason he had travelled to Netherfield was to ascertain the heart of one in particular, and judge whether he dared entertain the hope of making her love him. It had been four months since he had proposed and been rejected, yet despite all his efforts, he could not entirely dismiss her from his thoughts, and the meeting at Pemberley had only reawakened his admiration and passion for her, emotions which he thought he had conquered.

Before the unfortunate incident, which had necessitated her sudden departure from Lambton, Miss Bennet had not seemed wholly averse to his company, an impression that had influenced to his decision to accompany Bingley to Netherfield. Their unexpected encounter at Pemberley had surprised him greatly; it was the last place he had expected to meet her, and she had seemed just as disconcerted as he on finding her there. His surprise was such, that he had hardly been master of his own thoughts to attend fully to what was said between them, and it had only been afterwards that he had first entertained the idea that he might still win her affection. It was solely with this thought in mind, that he had rejoined the group and gone out of his way to engage her relations in conversation.

His intention then, had been to earn her forgiveness and show her by every courtesy available to him, that he was not so mean as to resent the past. He had hoped that by doing this, he could lessen her ill opinion of him, but as to how far that had gone, he was ignorant. Elizabeth had willingly and enthusiastically agreed to his suggestion to allow him to introduce her to his sister, but it was her generous and unselfish behaviour to Georgiana the following morning, when the subject of the –shire militia being gone from Meryton had been raised, that had greatly increased his esteem of her. Her behaviour at the time told him that she felt his sister’s consternation keenly and wished to alleviate her distress; and, did he dare hope, his own discomfort of the whole affair? It had occurred to him, that it could merely have been that her affection for Georgiana was such that she would not wish to see her so distressed, however, the look of perfect understanding that had passed between them at the time, had implied that she had not been thinking solely of his sister. It was this unselfish display of generosity, which had confirmed in his own mind that there was hope for him after all.

It also spoke of a change of heart concerning that gentleman, for, if she had discredited the whole of his letter, she would not have scrupled to defend him to Miss Bingley. After her accusations of injustice to him last April, had she still believed them to be true, she would not have hesitated to assert it. Through careful and discreet inquiry with Fitzwilliam, he knew that she had not spoken to him on the subject. Dare he believe that to mean that she had cleared him of all guilt on the subject? He could only hope it was so.

He sighed in remembrance. A more perfect morning he could not have imagined, however it was not to last the day. She had quitted Lambton before he had had a chance to thank her for her kindness to Georgiana, and it was irony itself that the very matter which had precluded her staying a day longer, had also revealed to her Wickham’s true nature, had she doubted it before. His whole character was brought into question and everything that he had said must likewise be re-examined. She must at least doubt whatever account of himself that Wickham had imparted. The one good thing that had come from that sorry affair was that, whatever the general conception of him in Hertfordshire, at least she was not insensible to the true nature of Mr Wickham’s character.

The chaise rattled on towards London, yet his eyes saw nothing of the scenery before him, he thought only of Elizabeth. What had caused her sudden change of countenance? She had been so serious, so grave when they met at Longbourn, that he could not tell which way her thoughts lay, and so consumed was he, by the desire of his seeing her again, that, he could not consider himself to be a good judge of her demeanour. He could suppose some of her solemnity arose from shame of her sister’s situation; perhaps she regretted his knowing the whole of the matter. Once or twice, she had glanced his way, but her expression was such, that he could not detect a renewal of the regard she had begun to show him at Pemberley.

The evening Bingley and he had dined at Longbourn had proved no better. Elizabeth was all politeness and civility, yet she had barely spoken to him other than to inquire after his sister, which was more than he could say for Mrs. Bennet. She had made it plain that she did not welcome his presence, that he was merely tolerated for his friend’s sake. Her total want of propriety and discretion over the marriage of her youngest daughter was almost more than he could bear. It seemed that not even the disgrace her elopement had brought to her family could check her behaviour, as one would suppose it would; and added to the officious attention shown to Bingley, he was in no doubt of her total lack of propriety. Her only thought was the fortune of Bingley, and that one of her daughters might be mistress of Netherfield was all that concerned her, though it was some consolation that Miss Bennet’s attention for his friend stemmed from a genuine affection for him, rather than material concerns.

At one point during the course of that evening, he had the occasion of conversing with Elizabeth, but his awkward unease in social situations such as these, the company of ladies that surrounded her, and his uncertainty as to his reception by Miss Bennet had driven him to seek solitude for comfort. He cursed his lack of ease in society, which he had frequently been wanting since he first met her, that caused him to remove himself. The moment had been lost, and no amount of wishing would bring it back. Had the opportunity re-presented itself, had she not been surrounded by ladies who wanted nothing of him, or her mother not appealed for him to make up a party at cards, he should have taken up the opportunity in an instant.

He rubbed his temples again, and stared distractedly out of the window.

‘Elizabeth,’ he thought, ‘if only you knew how often my thoughts turned to you.’

It seemed the whole world conspired to separate them, first Wickham, now this. He had known before he left London that he would only be in Hertfordshire a few days; he could not delay his business in town for more than that, however much he might wish it, yet already he anguished over having spent so little time there. Perhaps it was for the best; perhaps it was foolish for him to continue pining over a woman, whose regard he had no assurances of obtaining. Yet he could not help thinking that if only he had found the courage to speak with her, if only he had not had to leave so soon after coming to Netherfield; had so many things worked out differently, he would have more peace of mind than he did now.

The chaise rattled on towards London, carrying the tortured thoughts of a man violently in love, who knew not whether that love may ever be reciprocated.

Charlotte’s letter from Maria

When the post arrived that morning, Mrs. Collins was surprised to find a second letter from Maria so soon after her last. Maria was not a frequent writer, and though she had much improved since her visit to Rosings, this letter was something of a surprise, so it was with some apprehension that she opened it. She settled herself in the drawing room, safe in the knowledge that she would not be disturbed for some time, as her husband was attending to his parishioners this morning, and was not due back for an hour or so. The first half of the letter was dated over a week ago.

My dearest Charlotte,

I hope this letter finds you and Mr Collins well, as we all are. You may seem surprised to hear from me so soon after my last letter, but I have such news for you, that you will be both surprised and pleased on hearing it. The news I have is of no great importance, other than that it relates to the sad affairs of the Bennets. Be not alarmed, they are all well, however I shall not hold you in suspense any longer.

It came to our knowledge a few days ago, that a certain gentleman and his friend have returned to Netherfield. I am sure you can guess to whom I am referring. They did not bring any ladies with them, for it was just to be a hunting party, which disappointed Kitty and I, but papa called on them yesterday, and today they returned the visit. Mr Bingley was all charm and politeness, but Mr Darcy scarcely said a word to anyone, and stood around looking all awkwardness and unease. He scares me as much as he ever did at Rosings. Kitty said she thinks he only came to feel superior over everyone else and cannot imagine why he came, or why he inflicts himself on society, if he will not take the trouble to converse with anyone. She dislikes Mr Darcy more than I do, and says he is like none of the officers in the –shire militia, but her mother says they must tolerate him for Bingley’s sake, however much they dislike him. They both dined at Longbourn yesterday, since Bingley had promised to dine there before he quit Netherfield a twelve-month ago. From what Kitty told me, the evening went well. It is obvious, she says, that Mr Bingley fancies Jane, for he hardly talked to anyone else all evening, however Mr Darcy was much the same and said hardly a word.

The next part of Maria’s letter was dated last Thursday:

What do you think, but I have had the most good news today! I did not managed to finish my letter before, but now I am glad that I did not, for I would have to write you another. You will never guess what it is! What do you think, but Mr Bingley and Miss Bennet are to marry! I know you will feel just as pleased as I do at their sudden good fortune, and here we were all thinking that the Bennets had suffered such grievous misfortune, as to never expect such a match. We have heard rumours of it since yesterday morning, but this morning Mrs Bennet and Kitty called on us to confirm it. The whole town is talking of it; what a good match it is for them both, and how fortunate Mrs Bennet is, to have two of her daughters married. Mrs Bennet said that she cannot help feeling that with her youngest and eldest married so close, the marriage of her other daughters cannot be far off, and that Jane’s marriage to Bingley will throw them into the way of other such men. Kitty declares Mary will not be next, and, since the militia has gone to Brighton, there is no one in particular that she fancies, so it must be up to Lizzy. She thinks it would be a great joke for Darcy and Lizzy to marry, with he not wanting to dance with her, and she disliking him so, and fancies he only came because of her. It is not too improbable, I suppose, as he did call often while she was at Hunsford, and dance with her at the Netherfield ball, but I would not wish him on anyone who did not want him, and I do not think she would marry him, if he did ask.

It is to be supposed that the happy couple will remain at Netherfield, which will be such good fortune for us, as his sisters will visit often, and there will be balls aplenty for Kitty and I to attend, I only hope Mr Darcy does not come unless he means to dance, for, without the militia in Meryton, we shall be scarce on gentlemen, but I will say no more on that and leave you here. Yours &c.

Maria Lucas

Charlotte was pleased to hear of Jane and Bingley’s engagement; indeed, it could not have come too soon for Mrs Bennet’s satisfaction. It was no great secret that she had intended Jane to marry Mr Bingley from the moment he took the residence at Netherfield, and he and Jane were well-suited for each other, so she was pleased that things had turned out well for them. She re-read the letter again, but frowned when she came to Mr Darcy. What could he have intended by coming thither? It could not be solely out of support for Bingley that he came, since it made no sense that he came for the sole purpose of supporting his friend, yet left so soon afterwards. Darcy could hardly be ignorant of the general sentiment of the neighbourhood towards him, so it was not for their society that he came. Perhaps he came seeking the society of one in particular?

She had been surprised, those many months ago, at the attention Mr Darcy had shown to Elizabeth while she had stayed with them at Hunsford. Mr Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam had called on them unexpectedly, indeed the very day they had arrived at Rosings - something she was sure would not have occurred had Elizabeth not been staying with them; yet Elizabeth had always laughed at the notion that Mr Darcy could have a particular regard of her. Both gentlemen had called often, sometimes together, sometimes not. Colonel Fitzwilliam’s manners were open and easy, and it was plain that he enjoyed their society, yet Darcy’s reasons for coming were disputable. When he spoke, it seemed out of necessity rather than choice, and he seldom appeared animated. Colonel Fitzwilliam had given them to know that the Darcy he knew was generally different, giving rise in her mind that his change in countenance was due to his partiality for Elizabeth. She had observed them closely after that, yet had concluded that his regard held no admiration that she could see. Eventually she had conceded that Elizabeth’s belief that the frequent visits paid to them would, in all probability, be due to the lack of anything better to occupy them.

In light of this new information, though, perhaps her suspicions were not so far from the truth after all. Kitty had thought the idea amusing, but she had not had the benefit of seeing them at Hunsford and at their engagements at Rosings. He had paid her particular attention then, and she and Maria had surprised them alone at Hunsford one morning. Was there more to this that she was not seeing? Lady Catherine had commented the evening after the gentlemen had left, that Mr Darcy in particular, had seemed greatly out of spirits when he left. She had claimed it stemmed from his love of Rosings, but could it not also be attributed to his leaving Elizabeth’s society? Elizabeth had made no secret of her dislike of him, but surely, that would be nothing if he truly loved her. With his friend being married to Jane, and Jane being Elizabeth’s sister, it was not unreasonable to suppose that they would see much of each other.

However, it was all speculation at this point, and she did not want to stir where she had no right. Possibly what bothered her more, was Maria’s continual reference to Kitty. It would seem that they saw each other often, and Maria’s continual reliance on her opinion, rather than her own common sense was worrying. How much influence did Kitty have? Maria was young and easily influenced, and Kitty being Lydia’s sister, was not the sort on influence she would wish for her. Already she imagined she could see that some of Maria’s opinion’s had a different tone to them, especially with her references to the militia; she would never have talked of such things a few months ago, she would have to write to her about this.

Mr Collins returned at that point, and on noticing that the post had arrived, inquired after her family, which Charlotte readily assured him were all in good health. She related the good news of the forthcoming wedding at Longbourn, to which her husband was all congratulations and best wishes for the joy his cousin must be feeling at this moment. He went on for some time about the happiness she must feel at being married to such an agreeable man, the fortune of which was not inconsiderable given her family’s pitiable situation.

“One can only pray that her sisters will find equal felicity in marriage, as their youngest sister’s unhappy situation must have sorely damaged their material prospects in life. It will be a great comfort to them, that, if their sister can find such an amiable young gentleman, they may find another such man as Mr Bingley; who has a generous nature indeed, if he can overlook their unfortunate condition. Such affability and generosity as becomes a young gentleman of wealth and fortune, and with such a respectable gentleman, with connections such as his, Mrs Bennet will take great comfort that at least one of her daughters has not suffered their misfortune, and one can only hope that her other daughters will be equally favoured in their choice of husband.”

Charlotte merely smiled and nodded contentedly. She mentioned that it seemed the happy couple intended to remain on at Netherfield after their nuptials. “It will please Elizabeth to see so much of her sister, since she is very fond of Jane, and she of her. I dare say she will often walk to Netherfield while they are there.”

“Yes, it must be a great comfort for her family to be settled so near. I always think it must be of great advantage to both families that one be settled near ones relations, though,” he recollected that his wife was not so near as she might like, “it is good to see something other than one’s neighbourhood. Lady Catherine always says, and I agree most readily with her, that it gives one a most gratifying sense of achievement to know that one might enjoy the benefit of assisting others in advancing their general knowledge of the country. One cannot know too much of the world, she says, and I agree that nothing can be more delightful than in exploring a part of the country one has never seen before. Does Maria know when the happy event is to take place?”

“She does not say, she only writes that she is sorry that Mr Bingley did not bring any ladies with him this time, since it was just to be a hunting party, but she adds that, since Mr Bingley is to take up residence at Netherfield, it is not unreasonable to suppose his that sisters and Mr Darcy will be there often. Maria says Mrs Bennet is well pleased with the match, and feels it cannot be long before her other daughters are similarly married. She and Kitty call on each other often, it seems, and talk as much about the militia as they do the wedding and Mr Darcy, and seem to have fixed on Eliza as the next to marry.” She paused, and said almost absently, “They are close friends, and it would seem that they see each other frequently; I wonder if that is such a good thing.”

Mr Collins looked concerned at this, but for once, had nothing to say; he was too busy considering the implications of her remark. Charlotte had only meant to comment on Kitty and Maria’s close friendship, and had not the slightest notion of her words causing mischief. Had she realised that her innocent remark had been so misconstrued she would have set the matter straight at once, but she was far more concerned that her sister was being led astray, and relied entirely too much on what Kitty said. With such musings to distract her, and a letter to write to her mother, she did not notice that Mr Collins had lapsed into thoughtful silence, and when he declared a short time later, that it was his intention to go to Rosings this afternoon and inform Lady Catherine of his cousin’s good news, she thought nothing of it at all.