Sudden Awakenings (The Other Paths Collection)

Chapter 6

Elizabeth, oblivious to Mr. Darcy’s growing feelings for her, felt that his elitist views on marriage only furthered her dislike of him. How pretentious of him, to claim that happiness in marriage could only exist between two equal parties!

She repeated her conversation to her friend the next day when Charlotte called again at Longbourn, expressing her strong dislike for Mr. Darcy. “He is the most arrogant man I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting. You were a beast to leave me with him, Charlotte!”

“I give you leave to dislike him, Eliza,” Charlotte said. “But perhaps you misunderstand his motives in debating you.”

“What motive could he have had, except to communicate that he does not think my family and I are of the same class as him? It is clear he does not think us suitable for his friend Mr. Bingley. His remarks on disparity of fortune can only be referring to the gulf between his friend’s fortune and ours. But no matter; I do not think we shall ever get on well.”

“But will you not be forced into his company frequently if your sister marries Mr. Bingley? They are great friends, after all.”

“That is true enough, I suppose,” Elizabeth conceded. “But I could endure it for her sake. It would be my dearest wish to see her happily married to him in due course. ”

“Yes, I am sure that is your mother's dearest wish also,” Charlotte replied, her eyebrows raised in amusement.

“Indeed! But there would be no one more deserving of him than Jane. Such a good creature she is! I believe her to be much in love with him already.”

“Is she?” Charlotte asked. “Only I have not seen it. There is a coolness in her interactions with him that belies the warmth of affection you describe.”

“That is because Jane is modest. She does not wish to make a fool of herself in public like my sisters do. She is slow and cautious to reveal her innermost feelings.”

Charlotte, however, remained unconvinced. “That he admires her is certain, but whether he can discern her feelings for him is another matter altogether. A man may feel many things but might not act on them without the proper encouragement. Jane ought to do all she can to promote herself and to make her feelings known to him. Once she is secure of him, there will be time enough to fall in love whenever she chooses.”

“If nothing was in question but the desire of being well married, then your plan would be a good one. But I am sure Jane does not wish to rush into marriage after such a short acquaintance. They have only seen each other four times.”

“Yes, four times is not long,” Charlotte said. “But remember that they have not only been in each other's company four times but also dined together two evenings, and two evenings may do a great deal. Proposals have been made and accepted on a shorter acquaintance, you know!”

Elizabeth laughed heartily over this statement. “Two evenings may tell them whether they prefer Vingt-un over Commerce, but I am sure Jane would wish to know more about the man than his card preferences, before accepting an offer of marriage! ”

“Would she? In my opinion, it is better to know as little as possible about the deficiencies of one’s partner prior to marriage.”

“Nonsense, Charlotte! What foolishness! You know that you would never act this way. You are too sensible.”

“On the contrary, it is my being sensible that makes it all the more likely that I would accept a marriage of convenience. Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If a man of Mr. Bingley’s station, with four or five thousand a year, were to offer for me on a whim, I would accept him without a second thought.”

“What if he were known to be a rake, or a drunkard? Suppose he is abusive?”

“If I were aware of such significant defects before marriage, then certainly, I would decline, but I am convinced that a twelvemonth of courtship could pass without a person learning the real character of the other, and such propensities are not likely to arise during the courtship period, now are they? Besides, there are plenty of people who have married after a brief courtship into a marriage of convenience, and are perfectly content with it. Consider your sister Mary, for example.”

Elizabeth fell silent. Her views on Mary’s marriage were known, yet none could dispute that Mary appeared content with her choice.

Mrs. Bennet entered, apologizing profusely that there was nothing to be had for tea,“For somebody has eaten up all the cakes and muffins in the larder,” she complained, “and I do not know who it was, but my suspicions lie with little Timmy.”

She hurried off to tell Mrs. Hill to quickly bake up a batch of biscuits.

Charlotte turned to Elizabeth with a smile.

“It was she who ate the sweets, was it not? ”

“I am afraid it is likely so,” Elizabeth said. “Whenever things go missing in the larder, nine times out of ten, it is Mamma's fault. But she will never admit it was her!”

“No, how could she? It might make her subconscious appear to be a glutton. Far easier to blame the hall boy!”

Elizabeth joined Charlotte’s laughter. Her own troubles with sleepwalking were far more concerning to her.

Two nights prior, she had arisen during the night and in her sleep attempted to light a candle from the dying embers of the fireplace . Were it not for Kitty, who grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her awake, the whole house might have caught on fire. Elizabeth worried that her sleepwalking episodes were growing more frequent and her activity more dangerous. Who knew what else she might do whilst in such a state?

S

Mrs. Bennet shared Charlotte’s concerns about Jane’s subdued demeanor, and took a quiet moment to address it with her daughter one afternoon, while the others were occupied with other pursuits.

“Jane, my dear,” she said with maternal concern, “I sometimes fear your modesty might obscure your feelings from Mr. Bingley. If he cannot perceive your regard for him, how will he know to act? You must be a bit more forthright, my dear, so that he might understand and return your affections.”

Jane said, “I have observed the way my younger sisters carry on when they are in company, and their flirtations have earned them scorn from our neighbors. I have also deduced that Mr. Bingley is not the sort of man who likes a coquette, but prefers a shy, demure woman; therefore that is the role I am playing. If I appear too eager, then that gentleman will be put off by my behavior. Instead, by making myself difficult to obtain, I increase his love by this manner of suspense.”

“Ah, my dear, you are wiser than I thought!” Mrs. Bennet said, thoroughly pleased. “Still, you must be careful to temper it, lest you appear too distant, and he concludes you do not like him. Show a little more affection. A word here, a wink there, a toss of your hair– so he may feel confident that you do, indeed, wish for him to pursue you.”

“Yes, Mamma,” Jane answered obediently.

“Having heard your proposition, I am concocting a plan that may assist you in all of this,” Mrs. Bennet said, the wheels of her mind turning as she spoke.

Only that morning, Jane had received an invitation to dine at Netherfield Park with Caroline Bingley and Mrs. Hurst. The gentlemen were to dine out with the officers and would not be there. But this did not dissuade Mrs. Bennet in the slightest, and she readily communicated her plan to Jane.

The skies that day were gray, foreboding. Rain was surely imminent. But still, the horses were needed on the farm and could not be spared to draw the carriage. Such exactly suited Mrs. Bennet's purpose. She sent Jane off towards Netherfield, riding atop Nellie, a mare too old and weak to be used on the farm anymore and kept solely to convey any of the Bennet daughters wherever they wished. By the time Jane arrived at Netherfield Park, the skies had already opened, and the clouds began to drizzle. Mrs. Bennet clapped her hands when she saw the rain.

“Now she will have to stay the night,” she exclaimed with glee.

S

The following morning, a note arrived from Netherfield informing them Jane had contracted a cold and been sent to bed. The apothecary had seen her and pronounced that she could not possibly be moved until she had recovered, and her kind friends would not hear of her leaving, either.

“This is what comes of sending your daughter on horseback,” Mr. Bennet chided Mrs. Bennet when he heard the news.

“On the contrary, this is providential,” Mrs. Bennet replied. “For now she must stay until she is recovered, and Mr. Bingley will surely fall in love with her!”

“Well, Mamma,” said Elizabeth with spirit, “if Jane should die, I suppose it will be a comfort to know it was in pursuit of Mr. Bingley.”

“People do not die of trifling little colds,” Mrs. Bennet scoffed, “All will be well.”

But Elizabeth’s concern for her sister made her determined to see her for herself. As the carriage was still unavailable to her, she set off on foot, taking a shortcut through the muddy fields rather than keeping to the lane, until she reached Netherfield Park. The rain had slowed to a gentle mist, but by keeping in motion, Elizabeth remained warm enough not to feel cold by it.

S

The residents of Netherfield were alarmed upon seeing Miss Elizabeth and inquired why she came by foot in such weather. She explained the situation and asked to see her sister at once. Caroline Bingley obliged and ordered a servant to take her upstairs directly.

Miss Elizabeth had barely left the room, when Miss Bingley turned to her sister and exclaimed, “How wild Miss Elizabeth looked this morning. Did you see her hair? So windswept, one might almost think she had worn no bonnet! ”

Mrs. Hurst nodded. “I quite agree with you. She looked positively medieval. Her hem was nigh on six inches deep in mud. Did she pass through a pigsty on her way here?”

“ Your sister would certainly never make such an exhibition, Mr. Darcy,” Caroline said.

“Certainly not,” Mr. Darcy agreed. But then, his sister had always been a timid girl who did as she was told, unlike Miss Elizabeth, who reminded him at times of an unbroken mare.

“I have never before seen such a creature as Elizabeth Bennet. Imagine coming three miles on foot in this weather!” Caroline added.

Their comments were intended to dissuade Mr. Darcy, but in fact, they did the opposite. Elizabeth's unkempt appearance touched his heart and reminded him of their first meeting on the lane. Those dark, lustrous eyes, which he first noticed at the assembly, seemed all the more brightened by the exercise, and her flushed cheeks looked thoroughly becoming.

Her loving concern for her sister, too, aroused his sentiments; her urgency in coming directly without a care for her appearance was the mark of a woman who would do anything for those she loved.

S

Elizabeth was not out of earshot when Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst began their criticism of her. Hearing their remarks only confirmed her suspicion of their low opinions of her. Mr. Darcy must concur, she supposed, for him to countenance such gossip behind her back. Well, no matter, she need not care what he might think of her! Her only concern was for Jane.

She found Jane reclining on the bed in an upstairs room.

“How are you, my dear?” Elizabeth asked as she entered the room .

“Oh, Lizzy, I feel simply terrible! I have had a headache since last night, and a fever too; though it is gone for the present.” A series of coughs prevented Jane from saying more.

“Goodness! You are ill! But, as you are in no great danger of dying, let us ask our hosts if they might lend us their carriage to convey you home. You will rest better in your own bed.”

Jane’s eyes widened. “No! I mean, Mr. Jones insisted I am not to be moved. He feared I would be in danger of growing worse in this cold weather, if I were to move.”

“Much as I respect our good apothecary’s opinion, there are times when I feel his judgment is lacking. At home you shall have Mamma and your sisters to care for you. I do not think Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst shall be so attentive.”

“Then you must stay with me, Lizzy, for I fear I cannot return home yet. I am far too ill.” A sneeze came, followed by another string of coughs, causing Elizabeth to wonder if perhaps she had underestimated the extent of her sister's illness.

Elizabeth called for Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst to come.

“It pains me to impose on your good graces, but I am afraid my sister is unable to return home with me as I had hoped,” she said.

“We wouldn’t think of her returning home until she has recovered!” Mrs. Hurst replied graciously.

“I know it is much to ask, but I wondered if I might further impose on you to allow me to remain with Jane while she recovers. I am convinced she would benefit from my care.”

“Certainly!” Miss Bingley said, though there was a hint of vexation in her voice. “You must not think of leaving.”

Elizabeth said, “I hope you are not too put out by my presence.”

“Not at all.” Miss Bingley forced a smile. “Shall I send someone to Longbourn to inform your family and request your belongings? ”

“Yes, thank you, that would be most helpful,” Elizabeth answered.

Elizabeth recalled her recent sleepwalking episode and the danger she could have posed to herself and her family. She dreaded the notion that a similar incident could occur while she was a guest at Netherfield. But concern for her sister outweighed her fears to the extent that, at last, Elizabeth resigned herself to the idea of staying there. She trusted she would be able to lock her door at night and hopefully prevent herself from any dangerous or embarrassing episodes during her stay.