Designed for Each Other Page 4

  Chapter 7

  Most Truly the Gentleman

  Colonel Fitzwilliam set out early that morning on the path to the parsonage house. He might have waited for his cousin and Rosings’ newest guest, Charles Bingley, but he had his own purposes in mind. Never had he been so happily diverted when in Kent, and he had the lovely Miss Elizabeth Bennet to thank for that. He likened her to a welcome breath of fresh air in an otherwise stifling situation. It was not that he did not enjoy his aunt Lady Catherine and his cousin Anne’s company, but more often than not time spent with them meant witnessing the not so subtle ministrations on his relations’ parts to persuade Darcy to do what the family expected of him—to offer his hand in marriage to Anne.

  Time in Miss Elizabeth’s company was a welcome diversion, indeed.

  Although Darcy would not say, I certainly hope Miss Bennet is very much like her younger sister. If so, I am certain to enjoy double the pleasure and double the fun.

  Colonel Fitzwilliam stepped up his pace in eager anticipation of being the first person from Rosings to welcome the Collinses’ houseguest. Some thought that her being there was solely for the purpose of reuniting her with young Charles Bingley did cross his mind, but not so much that he would deny himself a chance for felicity for the remainder of his time in Kent.

  Surely if she is half as much in love with Bingley as my cousin Darcy has been led to believe, then my presence should not hinder the long-anticipated reunion one bit. If, on the other hand, Darcy was right all along in suspecting that the lady’s attachment is not so strong, then I might as well bask in her lovely smiles as anyone else.

  * * *

  Elizabeth, who had been waiting by the window watching for Mr. Darcy to arrive with the love of her sister’s life, Mr. Bingley, in tow, hardly knew what to think or how to feel upon seeing the colonel enter the gate alone.

  Where is Mr. Darcy? Where is Mr. Bingley?

  She had scarcely time to ponder the answer to her own question before the colonel’s approach was announced by the door-bell, and shortly afterward, he entered the room. Elizabeth could rightly say she was more disappointed on behalf of her sister than for herself. She always liked Colonel Fitzwilliam. At about thirty years of age, he was not so handsome as his younger cousin, but in person and address, he was most truly the gentleman. Of course, his propensity for gossiping had caused her a fair amount of grief of late, but she was given to consider that he truly meant to honor his cousin—not expose him to her or anyone else for ridicule or censure. How could she not forgive him, especially when she had forgiven Mr. Darcy?

  Charlotte, being the lady of the house, was the first to greet the new guest, even though it was plain for everyone in the room to see that the colonel only had eyes for Jane. When at last Jane and the colonel were introduced, he entered into conversation with her with the readiness and ease of a well-bred man and talked very pleasantly—a little too pleasantly so far as Elizabeth was concerned.

  Seeing her sister Jane so intimately involved in what was fast becoming a private tête-à-tête with the colonel, Elizabeth went to her sister’s side. Placing her hand in the fold of her sister’s arm, she said, “Pardon me, but I require your assistance.” She looked at the colonel. “I am sure you will not mind if I steal my sister away for a few moments to garner her aid in a rather delicate matter.”

  The colonel indicated that he did not, and with that, Jane and Elizabeth quit the parlor. When they were alone in another room, Elizabeth looked aggravated and ill at ease.

  Jane said, “Pardon me, Lizzy, but you do not look very well. You said you needed my help with a delicate matter. How can I be of assistance?”

  “Jane, what exactly were you about with the colonel just now in the parlor?”

  “I am simply enjoying making his acquaintance. I do not know when I have ever met a more charming gentleman.”

  Elizabeth cried, “Have you no concern for Mr. Bingley?”

  Her countenance clouded, Jane replied, “Look around, Lizzy. Do you see Mr. Bingley about? There is no reason I should not enjoy the company of another man, especially one who is so amiable as Colonel Fitzwilliam.”

  “I suppose you do have a right, but it is incumbent upon me to warn you against forming any sort of serious attachment to him. The colonel is the second son of an earl—specifically the Earl of Matlock.”

  “So, what are you saying, Lizzy? Are you suggesting that I am beneath the notice of the son of an earl?”

  “Of course that is not what I am saying. I believe any man in England would be lucky to have you. It is just that in the colonel’s case he has told me that he needs a wife with her own fortune in order for him to maintain the manner of living to which he has grown accustomed. Indeed, a fortune of fifty thousand pounds, at the very least, was cited.”

  Jane shrugged. “Then, it is a very good thing that I am not in want of a husband, is it not?”

  “Pray do not let our mother hear you speak that way, else you will be as low in her esteem as I am.” The nagging image of her mother orating her favorite refrain for the past several months since Elizabeth refused Mr. Collins’s hand in marriage flashed through Elizabeth’s mind.

  Stubborn, headstrong girl. I declare I shall never speak to you again, and do not think for one moment that I intend to find another unsuspecting gentleman who will be inclined to take you off my hands.

  Elizabeth shuddered in recollection. She surely did not desire such a fate for her dearest sister.

  “Then, it is a good thing that my mother is nowhere around. Now, if you will excuse me, I believe I shall return to the parlor and resume my conversation with the colonel. He is very pleasant; do you not agree?”

  Jane headed towards the door and then paused and turned to face her sister. “I am beginning to wonder why you are so concerned. I do not recall my spirits ever being so high as they are at this moment. I think this visit is just what I have needed after so long a period of feeling sorry for myself. Can you not be happy that I am happy?”

  Elizabeth nodded. “Indeed, I can. I simply wanted you to be aware of what you are about.”

  “Oh, do not worry in that regard. I know exactly what I am about.”

  Chapter 8

  A Capricious Nature

  The colonel was engaged in discussion with Mr. and Mrs. Collins when Jane and Elizabeth returned to the parlor. The sisters each went to different parts of the room, which suited Jane’s purposes perfectly well, for it gave her time to gather herself, as well as to reflect on her sister’s odd behavior in the other room.

  Why would Lizzy, of all people, question my desire to get acquainted with the colonel? How many times did she write to me in her letters about the gentleman being here with his cousin Mr. Darcy? How many times did she express how amiable he is and what a delightful person he is? I am quite at a loss to understand why she would object to my seeing and admiring those same traits in the gentleman.

  I know her too well to suspect jealously on her part. What on earth is my sister about?

  Jane’s silent questions were quickly answered the moment two new additions to their party were shown into the room: Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley.

  Her battered heart banged against her chest and the tiny flicker of hope that even she could not deny threatened to burst into flames… until she remembered herself.

  Why, just five minutes ago, I told my sister that I would meet Mr. Bingley as an indifferent acquaintance. While he may very well boast of having a capricious nature, I most certainly shall not ascribe such a fickle attribute to myself.

  The gentleman seemed just as surprised by her being there as she was surprised by his being there. She would have had to be blind not to have noticed the way Mr. Bingley looked at her. It was as if she were the only person in the room.

  Indeed, the way he stared reminded her of exactly the way he looked at her when they were last together at the Netherfield ball. The same ball all her family, her friends, and her neighbors liked to suppose had been give
n in her honor.

  I shall not be dissuaded from my purpose one bit. I am utterly indifferent to him. Completely unaffected.

  In time, Mr. Bingley finally quit the spot he had claimed for himself since walking into the room, and he took the seat directly beside her.

  “Miss Bennet,” he began, “mere words can hardly express my pleasure in seeing you here. It has been a long time.”

  Jane nodded. She smiled, but not too much. Not like before when his nearness made it almost impossible for her not to beam like a smitten schoolgirl.

  I can, and I shall resist him. So long as I have the colonel to divert me, I shall have no problem at all keeping my resolve.

  A discussion centering on threadbare topics then ensued as though he had not abandoned her with little more than a deceitfully crafted letter from his younger sister, Miss Caroline Bingley.

  Is this his way of making amends? By pretending that everything that has unfolded since his departure from Hertfordshire is without consequence?

  Perhaps I assume too much. Perchance I only supposed Mr. Bingley was in love with me. In the wake of his leave-taking, did I not harbor the tiniest suspicion he never cared for me at all? Not in that same manner I had taught myself to believe that I cared for him.

  Even if it is his intention to make amends, what difference does it make now?

  Some thought of her recent encounter with his sister in town was absolutely unavoidable. Never in her life had she been so cold-heartedly dismissed and made to feel so inconsequential. Jane did not like to think about the essence of the young lady’s visit for too long, because it forced her to dwell in a place she did not particularly enjoy. A place infused with regret, recrimination, doubt, and dejection. Suffice it to say, Miss Bingley had made it clear that she and her relations wanted nothing more to do with her and that all earlier affections, whether real or imagined, were at an end.

  Why would I want to be acquainted with a man whose relations think so poorly of me?

  After a lull in the conversation among the various members of the party, Charlotte announced, “It is a perfectly fine day. Indeed, it is too nice of a day for everyone to be inside.”

  Bingley quickly responded, “Oh yes, I agree.” He threw a quick glance about the room. “What say you all that we take a walk? I only arrived last night, and I am most anxious to view Lady Catherine’s gardens. Darcy always says his aunt’s gardens are some of the most beautiful in all of England.”

  There was something in Charlotte’s voice that gave Jane to consider that her being at the parsonage at the same time that Mr. Bingley was a guest at Rosings might possibly be more than merely coincidental.

  If that were so, she undoubtedly had her sister to credit for such a circumstance, but now she suspected that Charlotte may have had a part in the scheme as well.

  Did my dearest sister speak to Charlotte of my heartbreak and pain as a consequence of Mr. Bingley’s defection? Did she tell Charlotte those things that I confided in her about my disappointment, my despair: feelings that I would only speak of with Lizzy alone?

  Jane always knew Elizabeth and Charlotte were intimate friends. She liked Charlotte too, very much indeed. As much as she loved her sister, Jane would be lying to herself if she did not admit to feeling a bit envious of Elizabeth and Charlotte’s closeness.

  She sighed. Of course, I am too good to suffer such sentiments, as Lizzy is wont to say. I am not quite so perfect as she supposes and yet she refuses to allow for such a possibility.

  If I had my own intimate friend, someone like Charlotte, then my friend would see me as the person that I am. Not the person she needs me to be. Why would I not want that? Someone who would not judge me regardless of my flaws. Someone like Charlotte to call my very own.

  Jane glanced at her sister who, by now, was standing directly beside Mr. Darcy. She looked at Charlotte, who was staring at Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy standing next to each other. Jane always considered Elizabeth and Charlotte to be as thick as thieves. Even Charlotte’s doing the unthinkable of accepting Mr. Collins’s proposal of marriage on the heel of Elizabeth’s rejection of the pompous man had not been enough to diminish the strength of their mutual affection.

  Now, I must consider that the two of them asked for Mr. Darcy’s aid in throwing Mr. Bingley and me into each other’s paths. My question is why he would take the trouble of agreeing to such a scheme. I always knew him to be an honorable man, but this is going above and beyond the bounds of loyalty to his friend—that is unless.

  Jane gasped.

  Did Lizzy share my most heartfelt secrets with Mr. Darcy too? How embarrassing!

  At that moment, her eyes met Elizabeth’s which were brightened with hope no doubt because of what she had done on Jane’s behalf.

  I suppose my sister only has my best interests at heart. Indeed, I know she does, and thus I shall not be upset with her. However, if Lizzy supposes for one second that I can be so easily swayed to forgive the man who has been the means of breaking my heart and exposing me to ridicule by my friends and neighbors and even his pernicious sister, whom I wish never to see ever again, then she does not know me at all.

  Chapter 9

  Sense and Education

  As the guests were preparing to quit the parsonage house, Elizabeth hurried to Charlotte’s side and tugged on her friend’s arm. Speaking in a hushed tone, she said, “Oh, Charlotte, please say you will accompany us on our walk so that our party might be evenly arranged.”

  “I am not opposed to joining you, but surely Mr. Collins would wish to walk with us as well. That would surely defeat the purpose of my being there, will it not?”

  “I suppose, but what am I to do about this situation?”

  “This situation? What do you mean?”

  “The colonel, of course. He does not seem the least bit inclined to abandon Jane’s side.”

  “Is that really a bad thing? Jane’s spirits have increased one hundred-fold since her arrival yesterday.”

  “That is what Jane said—well in so many words. That is not the point.”

  “Pray what is the point?”

  “Charlotte, you know very well that I mean for Jane and Mr. Bingley to renew their acquaintance while they are both here. What chance does a man with Mr. Bingley’s temperament stand in the face of a man like Colonel Fitzwilliam?”

  She looked puzzled. “A man like Colonel Fitzwilliam?”

  “You know very well that the colonel is an unabashed flirt. He is a man of sense and education who has done things and seen things. Mr. Bingley, albeit very amiable, is nowhere near so worldly.”

  “Dearest Eliza, I know you did not ask for my advice, but it is incumbent upon me to offer it just the same.”

  Elizabeth said nothing, which was enough encouragement for Charlotte to continue. “I believe you would be far wiser to let Jane navigate her own love life, for lack of a better word, while you concentrate on yours.”

  “Why do I have a feeling you are speaking of Mr. Darcy and me?”

  “Because the two of you are exactly of whom I speak. It is all well and good for you to wish to do everything in your power to bring about a reunion between Jane and Mr. Bingley. But you must not do so at the expense of your relationship with Mr. Darcy. A man such as Mr. Darcy is not one to be neglected.”

  Both ladies glanced over in Mr. Darcy’s direction in unison. As if he sensed their staring, he turned. Despite being married, Charlotte was not blind. What a sight the gentleman was to behold: tall and handsome.

  Mr. Darcy indeed has all the best parts of beauty. What in heavens is wrong with my dear friend Eliza?

  He only had eyes for Elizabeth, and no sooner than their eyes met, Elizabeth turned away.

  “Mr. Darcy knows how important it is to me to see my sister and Mr. Bingley reunited.”

  “No doubt, else he would not have gone to the trouble of setting things in motion. But that is not to say that he will sit idly by and watch you place all your focus on your sister at his expense,
despite what he may have suggested. He does not strike me as a man who is accustomed to playing second fiddle to anyone.”

  Elizabeth scoffed. “I take it you do not plan to accompany us then?” she asked, her retort accentuated with a shrug.

  The older woman shook her head. “What say you that we let Jane enjoy this time in whatever way she deems best. She is a grown woman—she knows what she is about. My question is do you?”

  Charlotte had spoken nothing but the truth to her friend. Now alone in her own particular parlor having tea, she reflected on the changes in Jane since they were all together in Hertfordshire. Dear, sweet Jane. So shy and demure, especially when in Mr. Bingley’s presence.

  The Jane whom she had witnessed that morning was spirited, charming, and engaging. I dared not confess it to my friend Eliza, but she does have a point about the colonel. While I believe Colonel Fitzwilliam is everything a gentleman ought to be, Mr. Bingley had better act above and beyond accordance with his true nature if he expects Jane to forget the thoughtless manner in which he abandoned her last November.

  * * *

  Five people walking side-by-side along the lane—as awkward as it was, Elizabeth much preferred it that way.

  “Mr. Bingley, it is such a pleasure to be in company with you after such a long absence,” said Elizabeth in an attempt to draw him out. Never had she known him to be so shy in company. His openness and easy manner were but two of the things all her friends and acquaintances in Hertfordshire liked most about him.