The Diary: A Pride and Prejudice Variation Page 5

  “Oh, Mr. Darcy, I can comprehend why you despise to dance at an assembly such as this. It was intolerable but I could not decline Mr. Robinson’s request in case you might wish to dance with me later, but it is infinitely preferred to be at a ball with the quality in town. Oh, how marvellous your aunt’s parties are and you must dearly miss being with the best of society.” She glowered at the woman who had been standing too close to Mr. Darcy. “His aunt is a countess, did you know?”

  Elizabeth nearly laughed out loudly to see Mr. Darcy discreetly roll his eyes, then she curtsied at the crass woman as Mr. Darcy spoke, “Please allow me to make introductions. Mr. Hurst, Mrs. Hurst, Miss Bingley, who are sisters and brother by law to Mr. Bingley; this is Miss Elizabeth Bennet, sister to the lady with whom your brother just ended his dance and a friend of Miss Darcy.” He met her eyes and continued amicably, “I plan on sending Georgiana a letter tomorrow of your location so that you can reconnect immediately.”

  Elizabeth smiled broadly and nodded her thanks to the gentleman. She responded to Miss Bingley, “Mr. Robinson is a very amiable neighbour and enjoys meeting new ladies. I did not know of Mr. Darcy’s connections but of course, balls in town must be incomparable to our meagre town assemblies. I do hope you will enjoy the rest of the evening. Welcome to Hertfordshire.” She was then approached by her friend Charlotte Lucas and turned to converse with her while the Netherfield party walked to the other side of the room to join Mr. Bingley and to meet several other residents in the area.

  “Mr. Darcy is very handsome, Eliza,” Charlotte commented, “and he nearly seemed to smile when he was speaking with you. He appears to be a very proper gentleman and is rumoured to be extremely wealthy, with an earl for an uncle and is descended from royalty, I have heard.”

  “I was just notified of that exact information, Charlotte!” Elizabeth replied with a sparkle in her eyes. “Miss Bingley let me know of it as soon as she saw me standing next to Mr. Darcy.”

  “It is no wonder Miss Bingley is so eager to keep him from speaking with any other ladies and guards him as if to stake her claim for herself.” Charlotte laughed, “I am sure we know no one of whom such a gentleman would marry, since he must be destined for an heiress or nobility, but I see that Mr. Bingley has already taken a liking to Jane. Perhaps your mother’s dream of Jane marrying a rich gentleman will finally come true!”

  Elizabeth laughed with her dear friend who was seven years her elder and spoke of Jane’s dance with the cheerful gentleman. Jane did appear to be pleased but she showed so little of her emotions and it was far too early to see if Mr. Bingley would be worthy of her dearest sister’s affections.

  ~*~

  Elizabeth returned to her journal to write of her evening and in meeting Mr. Darcy again, and although not as affable as Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy had been pleasant towards her this time during the assembly. He had thanked her for her services for saving his horse the other morning and also for being a friend to his sister, but remembering the man who had made Mrs. Younge destitute, she was determined to dislike him but failing miserably. She shook her head with a smile when she realised that she had been thinking of how handsome he looked for the past several minutes and knew that it was a silly girl’s dream to be captured by such a great man, then turned the page of her diary to continue her writing. Suddenly, black ink arose from the page for Anne to communicate with her once again.

  Elizabeth, you will walk to Oakham Mount in the morning and find a sealed envelope addressed to a person but the letter does not belong to her. Keep this safe and do not open it under any circumstances. Hold this letter until you find a gentleman carrying the same emblem as the wax seal on his pocket watch. Do not fail me. You have done well so far.

  Elizabeth was curious how this would save someone and wrote in return:

  Are you able to tell the future, Anne? Can you tell me if my sister will marry Mr. Bingley?

  She waited only a moment until the writing was absorbed and Anne’s words reappeared.

  I am no fortune teller. Jane will marry one who will deserve her. I see the past and the present and the future at once.

  Elizabeth quirked her brow, as the diary answered like a conjurer but to order her about to change the future. She wrote once again:

  How do I know you are doing good for the world? How do I trust you?

  The diary replied:

  I will care for my family until my soul is at peace.

  The words disappeared and Elizabeth was curious as to what other bidding and how long she was to continue these tasks. It was one thing to save a life or someone from a serious injury, but she could not understand what great deed she would be performing by finding a letter and returning it to its rightful owner. She tried to see if there were further instructions but Anne was not cooperating and Elizabeth gave up to retire for the night, waking up early feeling refreshed, not realising that she had dreamt of a certain gentleman’s fine eyes and how he had held her around her waist more than once, and in her dream, that he leaned down to almost meet her lips with his.

  Chapter 6

  The next morning at Oakham Mount, Elizabeth did indeed find a sealed letter that had flown away and landed against the tree trunk. It was a well-worn letter which was folded in thirds, as if it had been carried in a pocket for many years past but never opened. She was shocked to see that the letter was addressed to ‘Anne’ and wondered if it was addressed to the same apparition of her journal. She could not understand how this letter and her diary could be connected and was tempted to open it to see who had written it, but kept her promise to herself that she would respect Anne’s wishes and left it unopened.

  She recognised the wax seal immediately from her many years of historical studies, which was stamped with an intricate five-petal flower with another flower and a circle in the centre of it, and she wondered how such a lavish emblem was chosen for the seal. It was more common to see an initial or a simple decoration instead, as she herself had used one with a large ‘E’ that her father had gifted her when she turned eighteen. She pondered if it could be Mr. Darcy’s letter, as she knew very few who could afford such a distinctive stamp, and the brief inspection of Mr. Bingley’s character last night did not reveal the younger man to be a great writer, as he himself had confessed that he was not a good reader, even though he could read.

  She placed the letter between the pages of the book that she had brought along and enjoyed reading her newest volume of Wordsworth, then soon returned home to see to her duties. There were tenant visits to be made and heaps of sewing that had been neglected due to the assembly. There was also to be a dinner party at Lucas Lodge next week and Elizabeth was determined to see if Mr. Darcy’s pocket watch might have the same design on it in order to complete her latest assignment. She also looked forward to Jane’s reunion with Mr. Bingley, as her dear sister could not cease speaking of how wonderful it had been to dance with the good-natured young man.

  ~*~

  Charlotte Lucas cheerfully conversed with Elizabeth during the dinner party, “You must be relieved that my brother is still in town, Eliza. I keep telling him to let you be but he is nearly as obstinate you and refuses to listen. He is a good brother but only misguided and I can only pray he learns his place in life and someday be worthy of your hand. I would love to have you as my sister if you ever change your mind about marrying him, if he can change his ways. My only wish is to marry for comfort and safety, and if I am fortunate enough to tolerate my husband, it would be a great blessing. Mr. Bingley has certainly taken a liking to Jane, though,” they eyed the couple speaking quietly at a short distance, “and if your mother had been the way she was before, she would be shopping for Jane’s trousseau by now.”

  Elizabeth laughed, “Your mother believes that your brother, heir to Lucas Lodge and her favourite son, deserves the most beautiful heiress and has argued with my mother for years that I am too headstrong to become a Lucas. I value affection over comfort and you will not see me change my mind about hi
m, Charlotte, but I am definitely in agreement with you about my mother’s change in disposition. Any hint of encouragement would have been taken as a proposal and she would have been planning a wedding before Christmas if she had been like before, but she now understands us better and will not press Jane for more than she feels. My sister has not stopped speaking of Mr. Bingley with me in private, though, and I have a feeling she is half in love with him already.”

  “But his sisters give him no encouragement,” Charlotte replied as she looked behind to see the Bingley sisters chatting with each other, “and they seem displeased with the company here.”

  “They told me how much they miss the high society in London and Miss Bingley’s first words to me were that Mr. Darcy’s aunt was a countess. I do not see Mr. Darcy giving Mr. Bingley any encouragement, either, and he appears stern yet again. You were correct, Charlotte,” Elizabeth watched the austere gentleman stop to speak with Sir William, “that he does not smile and I cannot imagine what kind of a friend he must be to Mr. Bingley.”

  Charlotte nodded, “He seems a severe man but he looks at you a great deal, Eliza. Perhaps it is due to your friendship with his sister.”

  “That must be it, since I cannot think of why else he would look at me, unless it is because I am dressed like a lady and not covered in mud!” The ladies laughed together. “Georgiana Darcy is a wonderful girl and I finally received her letter today. She was so apologetic that she had not received my previous letters but explained that she attended her cousin’s wife’s confinement in Somerset and that she will be begging her brother to join him in Hertfordshire to see me again. I do hope she will come and visit us soon. You will like her very much, Charlotte.”

  The two ladies saw Lydia Bennet dancing and loudly giggling with the officers and Elizabeth sighed, “I should go and speak with my sister before she exposes us all to ridicule. She knows better but forgets herself with these handsome officers nearby. If only she behaved more like Miss Darcy, I would not have to be so stern with her!” Charlotte smiled in understanding and Elizabeth walked towards her sisters, only to be stopped by Sir William Lucas who had been conversing with Mr. Darcy.

  “...capital, capital! Oh, Miss Eliza!” Sir William stopped her in her tracks, “Why are you not dancing?” He turned her to face Mr. Darcy, “Please allow me to present you to Mr. Darcy. Sir, this is Miss Eliza, the gem of our county and my own daughter’s dear friend. She will be a very desirable partner and you cannot refuse to dance when so much beauty is before you.”

  Elizabeth blushed, “I have not the least intention of dancing and did not come this way to beg for a partner, Sir William.” She lifted her face to meet Mr. Darcy’s eyes, “Certainly Mr. Darcy dreads dancing in such a place and rather wishes he were attending grand balls in town instead.”

  Mr. Darcy stepped forward slightly without any emotions on his face, “I would be very pleased if you would dance with me, Miss Bennet.”

  “You are too kind but I will decline all the same, Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth quirked her brow, “I am not inclined to dance tonight but would like to ask if you can tell me the time.” She hoped to take a peek at his pocket watch.

  Mr. Darcy, instead, turned his head towards the mantle and responded, “It is half past nine, Miss Bennet. Do you require anything else?”

  “No, thank you, Mr. Darcy. I will speak with my sister now.” Elizabeth quickly turned away in disappointment that she had yet to find the owner of the mysterious letter that she had been keeping for several days now.

  Elizabeth spoke delicately to Lydia as soon as the chance presented itself, “Lydia, I know you to be a lively young girl but please remember that you are in larger company and to behave properly with these officers. Mr. Bingley is very interested in Jane and you do not wish to ruin her chances with him, do you?”

  Lydia softly whined, “But I am only having a bit of fun, Lizzy!”

  “Lydia, look at Mr. Bingley’s sisters behind me,” Elizabeth discreetly turned her body to show Mr. and Mrs. Hurst sitting silently with disdain on their faces, with Miss Bingley strutting towards Mr. Darcy as if she were of noble descent. “They look at everyone with a critical eye and do not approve of the low society they find here, even if Sir William is a knight. It is not that you should perform for others, to be someone other than who you are, but I must ask you to remember yourself so that you are not behaving badly for the sake of the officers. These men might be handsome in their regimentals but you are still too young to marry and they might misunderstand your liveliness to consider you unladylike.”

  Lydia stood up taller with new confidence, “I want to be a lady and I had forgotten, Lizzy, but I will behave better. Mama explained to me what kind of a man I will attract depending on my behaviour and I do not want a silly husband who will toss me aside if I am not respectable.” She grabbed Kitty, her older sister by two years, and hissed, “Kitty! We are supposed to be ladies, remember? We will be elegant ladies so that only those worthy of our attentions will be tempted by us.”

  Elizabeth laughed quietly into her hands with her sister’s change in attitude. They had discussed several times of how Miss Darcy had presented herself and how silly girls drew the attentions of silly men without honour, who saw women as amusement and would not be good husbands. With Kitty and Lydia returning to their dance with more decorum, Elizabeth went to her mother’s side to report to her of the good lessons she had been teaching all her daughters, only to notice Miss Bingley glaring down at her with contempt in her eyes after stepping away from Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth knew not why the lady appeared indignant with her but she ignored the strange woman and continued to converse with her friends and several officers for the remainder of the evening.

  She noticed Mr. Darcy in deep conversation in the corner with Colonel Forster, the leader of the local militia, with a stoic expression on his face and appearing to make several comments to the highly-ranked officer in return. Elizabeth wondered if they had a previous acquaintance, as Mr. Darcy had arrived in Hertfordshire a week ago and the militia had begun their encampment only two days prior. She thought to ask her father about it at a later time and was about to look away, when her eyes met Mr. Darcy’s and she could have sworn his expressions softened before she turned away first.

  ~*~

  “She cannot possibly go on horseback!” Elizabeth exclaimed to her mother a few days later. “It will rain and she will become ill.”

  Mrs. Bennet responded, “She will be well enough, Lizzy! It is only a light rain and the carriage is needing repairs this week. It would have been kind for Miss Bingley to have sent her the carriage but one cannot think of everything, I suppose. Even if Mr. Bingley will be dining with the officers tonight, it would do well for Jane to accept Miss Bingley’s invitation to dinner and become better acquainted with the ladies at Netherfield, since word is that they have not had anyone calling on them since their arrival and are being seen as too snobbish by our friends here. We must take the first steps to be examples to the others and accept their invitation for our dearest Jane. Although I would venture to guess that it is likely due to Mr. Bingley’s interest, since I have no doubt that he finds her very beautiful.”

  Elizabeth reluctantly agreed, praying that Jane would not become ill, as she had already been feeling under the weather these past few days.

  It was of little surprise, then, when Elizabeth received a letter later that night, that Jane, indeed, became ill after being caught in the rain on the ride over to Netherfield, and although being treated very well by their neighbour, that she had a fever with chills and wished for Elizabeth to attend her during her illness.

  Early next morning, Elizabeth rushed to walk the three miles to Netherfield and entered the breakfast room to greet the residents who had not been expecting a visitor in the early morning.

  “Goodness gracious, Miss Eliza,” Caroline Bingley exclaimed in surprise, “did you walk all the way here? How ghastly you appear before us to care for your sister when she has just a little
cold!” She took a sip of her tea with disgust on her face.

  Elizabeth looked around the room and hoped to find a friendly face, her shoulders relaxing in relief when Mr. Bingley quickly declared, “I am very happy to have you here to care for your sister, Miss Elizabeth. We did have a maid stay with her through the night but she will certainly be pleased to have her favourite sister here now.” He scowled at his sisters for their rude manners.

  “I apologise for my early appearance, but I would like to see my sister. Could someone take me to her?” Elizabeth asked with a flushed face from Miss Bingley’s comment, thankful for Mr. Bingley’s kindness but wishing to escape the unpleasant company to care for Jane.

  Surprisingly, Mr. Darcy walked towards her to answer her and led her out of the room, “I will take you to her, Miss Bennet. I am all done in any case,” and quickly guided her up the stairs.

  Elizabeth wrung her handkerchief as they walked the hallway, “I know I must look dreadful but I am anxious to see Jane. She had not been feeling well and I just knew she would become ill.”

  “Are you a fortune teller?” Mr. Darcy quirked his brow, “You seem to be much more alert to what will happen in the future than anyone else I have met before, Miss Elizabeth.” Elizabeth could have sworn she saw him smile but it was gone when she lifted her eyes to look at him as they headed towards the guest wing. “I have seen you under much worse circumstances and your hem now in six inches of mud is nothing compared to the other morning.” He pulled out his pocket watch and continued, “It is already half past eight and not too early. Here is your sister. Please let the maid know if you need anything further.”

  Elizabeth nodded her thanks and took a deep breath as she closed the door after entering her sister’s room. She had seen the same emblem on his pocket watch as the wax seal and was now certain that the letter inside her book belonged to Mr. Darcy. She knew not when she would be able to return it to him but concentrated on caring for her sister for now and to see if her fever would abate with continuous cool cloths applied to her forehead.