Page 4 of Darcy's Guarded Heart
Darcy could think of no reason to decline. After all, he had agreed to spend time here at Netherfield and the surrounding area to ensure Bingley made a wise investment. And if time at the assembly meant that he could assure himself that Meryton was indeed better than he currently imagined, then he ought to take that chance. Perhaps he had been hasty, and the town would prove to be on par with Lambton.
“Upon my word, Darcy, look!” Bingley called, and Darcy looked up to see the cause for his friend’s excitement. There, at the side of the road, stood a cart. It had half come off the road and now stood akimbo with one wheel evidently broken. A tall, dark-haired young man stood beside it, hands on his hips, shaking his head, evidently vexed by whatever it was he saw before him.
“Excuse me,” Bingley called and drove the horse forward, ready to help as always. “May we assist?”
The young man looked up, a small smile on his lips. “Good morning, gentlemen, I do not think that you can. It appears the wheel has broken. I shall have to take the horse back and fetch some men to come and aid me.”
“Do you hail from Meryton?” Bingley asked.
“Yes, well, Longbourn, which is just one mile outside of Meryton.”
“Ah, yes, I recall it. A charming little village. Do you not recall, Darcy? I pointed it out to you as we passed. Very quaint. Is it your home?” he asked, directing his attention back to the man.
“I live there, yes,” he said. “Thomas Bennet. You must be Mr Bingley?”
“Oh, I see news of my arrival has spread,” Bingley said and extended his hand. “Indeed, I am he. This is my good friend Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy.”
“How do you do?” Darcy asked, shaking the man’s hand. It was large, and his grip firm, but he noted the calluses on his hands that spoke of a farmhand more so than the son of a gentleman.
“Aside from this debacle, quite well, Mr Darcy. Well, I shall not keep you,” he said and set out to detach the horse from the vehicle when Bingley spoke up again.
“Nonsense. You need not ride all the way to Longbourn. Come with us. We are just returning to Netherfield. My men can aid you and make a repair, I am sure. Bring your horse and ride it to Netherfield, and we will see that it is fed and watered while we wait,” Bingley said. For a moment, Darcy hoped the young man would decline the aid, though he wasn’t sure why he felt that way. However, instead he nodded and gave a grateful smile.
“I appreciate it, Mr Bingley, very much.”
“One must be neighbourly, mustn’t one?” Bingley said and helped him detach the horse while Darcy looked on without dismounting.
As the three rode towards Netherfield, the two young men fell into easy conversation, one Darcy found difficult to take part in. He had never made friends with great ease, always taking his time to get to know people—unlike Bingley, who never knew a stranger. The same appeared to be true for Mr Bennet, who was as affable as Bingley, at least on first inspection.
“And you, Mr Darcy? Will you come to the assembly?” Mr Bennet asked after the topic of the dance came up.
“Darcy despises socialising. Indeed, he does not enjoy sudden locomotion,” Bingley said and laughed. The friends frequently teased one another, but he was not used to Bingley making such jests around others.
Especially strangers.
“I simply prefer to know the company I will be keeping,” Darcy replied tersely.
“I can assure you, the company you will keep will be most excellent, Mr Darcy,” Bennet assured him. “There are a great many fine ladies in Meryton and the surrounding area. Longbourn alone has five charming young ladies.”
“Indeed?” Bingley said. “Five sisters in the home? You must be exhausted all the time. I have but two, and one is already married, but I often feel rather perplexed by the fancies of young ladies.”
“The Bennet girls are very well-behaved for the most part,” he replied. “Jane is especially refined and kind, as is Elizabeth. Indeed, they all have lovely qualities.”
He was trying to find husbands for his sisters, Darcy realised. If he didn’t know better, he’d have assumed the meeting was by design rather than accident, but that would be silly to believe—not with the cart in the state it was in. Still, Mr Bennet lost no time in advertising his sisters’ virtues and accomplishments. “…and Mary plays the pianoforte rather well. Of course, there are a great number of lovely ladies, as I said. You will have no shortage of dance partners. And your sisters? They will attend?”
“Mine will be present,” Bingley said, though the question appeared to have been addressed to them both. “Darcy’s sister is not joining us for another fortnight, isn’t that correct?”
“Indeed, my sister is in London for the time being, but she will join us shortly. Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst will attend the assembly with us,” Darcy said, and the young man nodded.
“We shall have to introduce the ladies to one another. I am certain your sisters will enjoy having local friends, Mr Bingley.”
“I know they will. I certainly had hoped to make connections,” Bingley said with enthusiasm. “Pray, what does one do for leisure here, other than ride and hunt?”
“Ah well, there is fishing. There is a lake about four miles out with splendid fish. I have a boat, I will be glad to take you. Then there’s shooting, of course, and one can always have inspiring conversations down at the inn,” Bennet said.
While Darcy did not dislike shooting, fishing, or hunting—in fact, he was fond of them all—he could not see himself or Bingley at an inn, rubbing shoulders with the locals. To his dismay, however, Bingley apparently could.
“Well, that is grand, do you not think so? I’ve always fancied the idea of visiting a country inn. And fishing on a charming little lake sounds like a wonderful time,” he said.
