The Art of Apology (Happiness in Marriage)

Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

T he incident involving Mrs Best and Mr Darcy was much talked of by the Bennets when they sat together in the parlour after returning from Lucas Lodge. Kitty and Lydia’s agitation at what might easily turn into a scandal—by local standards—had the benefit of preventing them from complaining about everything they had not been able to do, chiefly dancing and monopolising the attention of the young soldiers in attendance. Elizabeth sat in a chair next to her father close to the fire. He said nothing while listening to the pair go on and on about the exchange between Mrs Best and Mr Darcy, despite not having witnessed it since they were at the other end of the room when it took place. What Mrs Best had said and then what Mr Darcy had, his tone of voice, his looks, the manner in which he had walked away from the lady and Mr Best all deserved comment. Somehow, Mr Best had become almost a villain to her sisters; Elizabeth had no notion how their minds had made such a leap. Mrs Bennet also had many complaints about Mrs Best—how dare she say such things about her girls and husband! And she had not stopped there, certainly not, she had also besmirched Mrs Bennet herself and their dear friends the Lucases; the affront, the ignorance, she had never liked her, and as for her son, there never was a stupider, more oafish boy known to man, she had said it was how he would turn out the day she first met him when he was an infant, and time had proved her correct…

“It was exceedingly kind of Mr Darcy to speak of us so generously,” Jane said. “Mr Bingley was right to praise his friend, even if his goodness was not as evident as it might have been before now.”

“Papa, is it true that you know one of his cousins?” Mary asked.

He nodded and said, “If I recall correctly, my old friend was his late father’s cousin. It must be twenty or more years since we exchanged letters. I believe I last wrote to inform him of Jane’s birth, and he told me that he had lately married.”

There was more chatter amongst them, mostly about subjects other than Mrs Best and Mr Darcy. Soon Lydia and Kitty announced they were going to their chambers.

“Only five minutes of giggling together, if you please, then to your separate bedrooms and to sleep,” Mr Bennet said. “Good night, my darling girls.”

Kitty kissed him on the cheek, but Lydia was less willing to accept his current propensity to limit her activities and only granted her mother such a favour.

“I shall ensure they do as you requested,” Jane said before she too left the room. Mary went with her .

“Well, Mr Bennet, I hope you intend to have a serious discussion with Mr Best tomorrow,” her mother said when only the three of them remained. “I do not know how I shall ever be able to say a civil word to Mrs Best again!” She sniffed loudly.

“I shall indeed call on him,” he assured her. “I could hardly do less, given how I acted when Mr Darcy insulted our Lizzy.”

“But you were wrong about Mr Darcy. I always said we did not know the entire story, and Mrs Long told my sister that she heard Mr Darcy say he was in a foul mood at the assembly, which must be his excuse. I am sure something particular happened to cause it. I could tell just by looking at him that he is as fine a gentleman as I have ever met. So handsome and rich. And he is Mr Bingley’s particular friend. Why, they are as good as brothers, I expect, which means when Mr Bingley and Jane?—”

“ If Mr Bingley and Jane are ever anything more than acquaintances, then we shall concern ourselves with his connexion to Mr Darcy. Remember what we spoke of, my dear,” he said gently. “We must allow Jane to know this young man—and him to know her, though I am less worried about his impression of her. Only a fool would fail to recognise her exceptional quality.”

“Oh yes, yes. Very well,” her mother said, waving her hand in a gesture meant to suggest he did not need to go on. Elizabeth presumed they had discussed the matter, though she had not known it previously. “But I am telling you, he is half in love with her already, and I know my girl. The more he shows that he likes her, the more she will be unable to stop herself from liking him. They will be married before we know it. I am going to my apartment. I suppose you and Lizzy have been waiting for me to leave so that you can finally talk without the rest of us here to intrude.”

To Elizabeth’s surprise, her father only laughed. “Not at all. I do have something I wish to say to our daughter, but then I shall seek my chamber. Shall I say good night to you then, my dear?”

Her mother adjusted her shawl and shrugged. “I suppose. If you like. Sleep well, Lizzy.”

Elizabeth stood to kiss her cheek, only returning to her chair once her mother had left the parlour.

“It was certainly an eventful evening,” her father said. “How early do you suppose Lady Lucas will be here to talk it over with your mother? Shall we have to wait until after breakfast?”

Elizabeth laughed. “That will depend on how late she keeps Charlotte awake to discuss it tonight!”

He chuckled and patted her hand. “I own I was surprised to hear of Mr Darcy’s actions. If anyone other than you had reported it to me, I doubt I would have believed it. What is your opinion? Have we been too severe on him?”

Elizabeth shook her head. “I do not trust him. The next time we meet, he might once again be his arrogant, disagreeable self. I shall continue to believe my first impression of him was right.”

“You seem to delight in hating him,” her father observed.

Once again, she laughed. “What if I do? Besides, I do not agree. You know how I like to study characters. I am confident I have a good understanding of his.”

“On so little acquaintance?”

“Papa, you are in a strange mood, and I am too tired to puzzle it out. I shall retire.” She began to stand, but he stopped her with a light touch on her arm.

“I shall not keep you, but before you do, I wish to leave you with a piece of wisdom I have acquired over the years. Do not rush to decide people’s goodness or lack of it, and avoid stubbornly clinging to opinions that might bear to be re-examined.”

Her brow furrowed and she stared at him. “Are you suggesting I am mistaken about Mr Darcy?”

He pursed his lips, and there was a short silence before he said, “I do not know him well enough to say for certain. Upon further acquaintance, I might decide we should forgive him—or that he will never deserve it due to some fundamental character defect. My observation was more general than that. You never know when your first impressions might lead you astray—either approving of someone you should not or disapproving of someone you should. I recommend both you and Jane practise a little more care in that regard.”

“She is too prone to like everyone, and I am too prone to hate them?”

In answer, he kissed her hand and wished her a restful sleep.

Darcy was pleased the party at Lucas Lodge had provided him with an opportunity to speak in praise of the Bennets and to attempt to demonstrate his desire to be on better terms with Bingley’s new neighbours. Having given more thought to his recent conversations with Bingley and everything that had happened since he had come to Netherfield, he had been forced to admit that his behaviour towards others was worsening, and if he was not careful, it would soon deserve even more severe censure than he had recently received from his friend and Mr Bennet. He had never been particularly comfortable amongst strangers, and this tendency had become worse after his father’s death, when he had increasingly been the subject of gossip and speculation, chiefly regarding when and whom he should marry. With his breeding, connexions, and wealth, he was viewed as an extremely eligible match. On the one hand, it was an enviable position to be in; few ladies would refuse an offer from him, and when he found the woman he wanted to marry, he was confident he would succeed in securing her. On the other hand, it was natural that he wanted to be valued for the man he was, not for the size of his fortune or who his parents had been.

In that light, should he not ensure people saw in him a character who deserved praise for his affability and goodness? He was a good person; he was confident that his servants, tenants, and friends would agree—even Bingley, despite his recent unhappiness with him. But he was also judged on how he treated others, and by those not dependent on him or who liked him based on their history or because they were his relations. He recollected an important lesson his father had imparted to him: if you find you have made a mistake, the gentlemanly response is to set about correcting it as soon as possible. It might be too late for him to significantly improve Miss Elizabeth’s view of him, to say nothing of Mr Bennet and his other recent acquaintances, but he should make the effort nevertheless, if only because it would please Bingley. And, admittedly, Darcy was bound to feel a sense of pride in himself for undertaking the task, which would be agreeable, given how low he had been since the summer.

The morning after the Lucases’ party, Darcy had accompanied the Bingleys and Hursts to St Albans, which they had wanted to visit, given the tie to the late Mrs Bingley. They had remained several days, and Bingley had managed to discover a handful of residents who recalled his mother’s family. At times, Darcy had felt like an intruder and wished he had remained at Netherfield Park or returned to London. Bingley and his sisters had spoken of their parents a great deal, and Darcy believed it had affected the ladies such that they had gained an appreciation for why Bingley was determined to fulfil his father’s wish for them to have a connexion to the county. Privately, his friend had told him that he hoped it meant his sisters would make more of an effort to establish friendships in Meryton.

“You might say the neighbourhood is not fashionable enough, but I like it,” Bingley had said to him. “I might like to settle there. For good, I mean.”

“Choosing an estate based on fashion would be a dangerous proposition,” Darcy had replied, wondering whether he had ever disparaged Meryton in such a manner. “If you would be happy living there, there is no reason you should not.”

The morning after returning to Netherfield, Darcy decided to take a ride. It had been a few days since he had last seen Miss Elizabeth. She was much in his thoughts, which was natural since he would not accomplish his goal of reconciling himself with Bingley, the people he had lately met, and especially his conscience, until he had succeeded in apologising to her.

“Which will surely be such an easy matter,” he muttered sarcastically.

Riding was a favourite pastime, and, possibly, he would meet the lady, as he had previously. If he did, he would attempt to speak to her again. As far as he knew, Mr Bennet had not rescinded his ban on her talking to him, but she might be willing to overlook it, especially after his behaviour at Lucas Lodge. He did not know how else to go about his task; it would be impossible if she kept avoiding him. If only he could convince her to listen to him for a minute or two, he might persuade her to agree that he was attempting to do as she and her father had requested and apologise.

Today, he had managed to coax his lazy oaf of a dog to accompany him. Glancing down at the creature, Darcy wondered whether perhaps he ought to hope he did not meet Miss Elizabeth. She might despise him for his unfashionable choice of canine companion. Was she that sort of lady? He did not believe so, but he hardly knew her—which was why she had said he could not truly regret his remarks at the assembly.

“Come on,” he grumbled. “Can you not go any faster?” His horse—as fine a specimen as any in the country—whinnied, almost as if he had taken Darcy’s words as an insult. He patted the long, brown neck, and said, “I was not speaking of you but rather of?—”

Suddenly, off ran the dog, showing more energy than he ever had in his life, leaving Darcy to chase after him.

“Budge, where are you going?” he cried, alarmed when he ran through undergrowth that was impossible for Darcy to cross. “Bud, you maddening thing! If you get lost, I-I…” There was no way to end the threat; the truth was, he would continue to search until there was no reason to keep doing so. His sister would be heartbroken if anything happened to Budge, and there was nothing Darcy would not do to keep his sister from sorrow, especially after her ill-fated sojourn to Ramsgate the summer past.

A few minutes later, a single bark provided Darcy with the clue he needed to find his dog. “Stay exactly where you are, Budge, or you will be sent to your bed without dinner for a week!”

Rounding a tall stand of vegetation as he spoke, Darcy almost fell from his horse at the combined sensation of surprise and deep embarrassment.