Chapter 1 A Spring Sentiment

Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley called the following day, and the two gentlemen agreed to a walk into Meryton with the two eldest Bennet sisters. Talk still had not died down about Mr. Wickham’s desertion from the militia, nor his abandoning Lydia, but Mr. Darcy had at least resolved the outstanding debts. As the couples walked, they ran into another new couple of Meryton, Mr. and Mrs. Collins.

For a moment, the three couples said nothing until Charlotte Collins broke the ice. “What a lovely gown, Lizzie! Green is a most becoming color on you. I’ve meant to call since I heard you were in town.”

Elizabeth smiled. “I would like that very much! So much has changed . . .”

“Indeed,” Charlotte responded.

Mr. Collins dared to look up and catch Mr. Darcy’s steely eye; the taller, more distinguished man had not forgotten the parson’s imposition on his Elizabeth. When Mr. Darcy refused to break his intimidating gaze, Mr. Collins became the first to look away and skitter to standing slightly behind his wife in an awkward display of cowardice.

“Have you settled well in your home?” Elizabeth’s voice lost volume as she struggled to say the words while thinking in her mind that Charlotte’s new home was her own, Longbourn.

“Mr. Collins,” Charlotte appeared flummoxed as she had to look practically behind herself to nod in the man’s direction, “has most generously brought me to look at new papers.” Charlotte’s smile faltered as she spied Jane and Elizabeth’s reactions. “But only for the closets, I should not dream to change the decor of the main rooms.”

When another icy silence descended, the ladies curtsied, but the men did not bow. Before further silent insult could harm, Charlotte and Mr. Collins moved on, and everyone breathed more easily.

Just as they reached the end of town, which was a much shorter walk from Elizabeth’s Aunt Philips’ home than her childhood home that was now owned by Mr. Collins, Mr. Darcy spoke in a low tone so that only Elizabeth could hear him. “I would prefer to be present when Mrs. Collins comes to call.”

“Charlotte? Oh, she’s been a dear friend for ages. I hardly think Mr. Collins will call as well,” Elizabeth gave a small laugh as her emotions still reeled from the confrontation of her mother’s replacement.

“Be that as it may, I shall attend you the next few days during the appropriate hours so that I may be a party.”

Elizabeth set her mouth and pursed her lips. Carefully weighing many responses, she devised a plan and very politely smiled at her Fitzwilliam. “As you wish, Mr. Darcy. Now, I believe we have arrived?”

The two couples entered the office of her Uncle Phillips to discuss a very serious matter: the future living accommodations for Mrs. Bennet and the remaining Bennet daughters.

“Gentlemen, gentlemen, come in!” Andrew Phillips greeted the two suitors most enthusiastically. Being the only solicitor in town, he was a jack of all trades; from real estate holdings to wills, Mr. Phillips handled it all.

Elizabeth and Jane mostly listened as the three properties were discussed in great detail. The Smith House had to be ruled out as a recent fire would require costly reparations, so there were only two acceptable domiciles left in the area to lease. It was to be either the old Winslow Manor, located on the far side of the woods next to Longbourn or Fenley Cottage, a smaller home with charming windows, closer to town. The clear favorite was the cottage with a cost savings of nearly two hundred pounds per annum.

“I’m not certain Mama will enjoy thinking of her home with the savings in mind,” Jane sweetly advised.

Mr. Bingley leaned back in his chair while her uncle leaned forward to pat her hand.

“Fanny hates any mention of economy, but it is what must be done. She cannot continue to live in the lifestyle she was accustomed to before your esteemed father passed.” Uncle Phillips’ compliment to their father helped ease the difficult subject of adjusting to his loss.

Jane frowned and looked at Elizabeth, who pretended to inspect an errant thread on her dress skirt. Neither sister sat ignorant of her mother’s ways, and the following day’s viewing of both properties would be quite the trial. They decided that the Bingley and Darcy carriages would be used to take the whole family for the outing.

Once they returned to the Phillips’ home, the gentlemen had to plead their absence at the request they remain for dinner. Elizabeth felt relieved as the table most evenings was already quite cramped with five Bennets squeezing in with two Phillipses.

“I will instruct Caroline to plan a dinner very soon. She is much fatigued from yesterday’s travel, but yes, I suspect before the week is out we shall all dine together at Netherfield!” Mr. Bingley offered, to the great delight of Mrs. Bennet.

While everyone remained distracted by the joyous raptures of her mother and the attention of Mr. Bingley, Elizabeth spoke to Mr. Darcy in a very low voice, much as he had employed earlier in Meryton.

“What is she doing here?”

Mr. Darcy did not look at Elizabeth, so none might know they were speaking, and instead pretended to mind the other conversation going on between Mr. Bingley and the Bennets. “I held no say in the matter; apparently Bingley failed to dissuade her insistence on returning.”

Elizabeth felt livid as a green, slithery monster by the name of jealousy writhed within her heart. She suddenly remembered that Mr. Darcy pledged to spend every afternoon with her, though that didn’t mean she was going to abandon her plans to teach him a lesson when Charlotte came calling. His company would keep him away from Miss Bingley and simultaneously grant her more time with Fitzwilliam. Elizabeth smiled.

“I shall send a note to Charlotte to visit next Monday. Would that be convenient for you?” she asked.

Mr. Darcy merely nodded. He and Charles were finally able to extricate themselves from the house with Mrs. Bennet seeing them to the door. There was no call for Elizabeth to see Mr. Darcy out, though memories of yesterday’s farewell brought an involuntary blush to her cheeks.

Her face rosy with love, Elizabeth locked eyes with Mr. Darcy as he donned his hat and quickly ducked out of the house. She hurried to the window to watch as he rode away.

Once her vigilance was satisfied, Elizabeth picked up her sewing basket and resumed stitching the initials E.D. and F.D. intertwined on a set of handkerchiefs she planned to give to Mr. Darcy in honor of their marriage. She didn’t realize she was humming until Lydia made such a racket to demand that she stop.