Page 10 of Till Death Us Do Part
Elizabeth did not very much like the tone of the question, so she looked at Jane with some suspicion for the first time in her life and wondered if she was just becoming a cynical old crone in only a few days. That led to her wondering how bad she would be after a few years of an unwanted marriage, but she did not wish to chase her mind down that rabbit hole.
She cautiously answered, “Go on.”
Jane took a deep breath. “You need to put away your childish things. These temper tantrums are doing nobody any good. I think Mr Darcy is not nearly as bad as you make him out to be,and if you would just let go of your prejudice, you might find yourself content.”
Elizabeth was not particularly surprised by the latter part of the remark, because Jane was a woman born to be abused by the first person who happened along with the inclination. She always thought the best of everyone and had never really been tested in their small society. So far in her life, Jane had been lucky. Nothing had ever challenged her rosy view of the world, or at least nothing that Elizabeth had not protected her from.
Trying to keep her mind on track, Elizabeth replied, “Good, bad or indifferent, Jane, I do not wish to marry him.”
“Do you truly think it is your choice to make?”
Wondering what her formerly favourite but sinking fast sister was getting at, she asked, “What do you mean?”
“I mean that your recalcitrance is having a material impact on the rest of us. It was bad enough that you spent the last six weeks being rude to Mr Darcy. Now, when he is in your hands, you want to throw it all away. You make no sense.”
Elizabeth just stared open-mouthed, fuming, and finally asked, “You think I should accept him because it is convenient for the rest of you?”
“I mean, you brought your troubles on yourself. You could never meet the man without needling him. You should have either refrained from quarrelling during the dance or refrained from eloping to that corner. It was far from proper to accuse him about Mr Wickham. Even Lydia would not do such a thing! You dug your own hole, so you should quit complaining about it. That bruise you keep going on and on about was certainly not deliberate. If he wanted to hurt you, that is not how it would happen.”
Stunned, Elizabeth snapped, “Aha, so you are asserting when I helped you disengage from Mr Freeman, I was in error?”
Jane at least had the grace to look embarrassed. “That was different.”
“How?”
“He was a cruel and violent man in fact, not just in theory, all the time instead of under duress—but Mother would have forced me on him anyway.”
“And you know for a fact that Mr Darcy is not?”
“Mr Bingley would not be his friend if he were. You just do not like him because he made a few unfortunate remarks and what Mr Wickham said.”
Elizabeth chewed on that logic for a minute. “So then, you are certain Mr Bingley is genuine, and not just a wolf in sheep’s clothing? You are certain he was sincere in his regard for you, and not just a rich man fishing in the country streams for a few months; as many have done before he came, and many will do after he leaves?”
“Yes, I am, and if you had not ruined it, I might be engaged to him by now.”
Elizabeth asked curiously, “So, you were ready to marry him. Did you love him?”
Jane looked sheepish. “Not really, but I liked him well enough. He is not a serious man, but he is kind, has a good income, is accustomed to being directed by women, and I should like to be mistress of an estate so close to the home I have always known.”
Elizabeth frowned at how closely Jane’s attitude mirrored her mothers and asked suspiciously, “And you think your outside chance with the man you were so subtle about that even Charlotte Lucas could not tell you were enamoured, is worthmespendingmylife with Mr Darcy?”
“As I said, he is not so bad.”
“Suppose I fix it right up! Rumours are easy to change, so long as we spread them right andsomeonegets married. Howabout if I substitute you for me at the wedding? You could be one of the richest women in England, and I doubt Mr Darcy would notice, or care if he did. He is only doing this for his family’s reputation, and he could salvage that by marryinganyBennet. He could repair the gossip in London, and our neighbours would forget the whole thing in six months, so long as the family honour is restored with a ring. Nobody outside of our family can distinguish one Bennet from another anyway. Give it a fortnight, and everyone will believe it wasyouat the ball all along. It sounds like the perfect solution!”
Jane gasped at the idea, and Elizabeth was not surprised to see her tense up in fear. She was not surprised, but she was disappointed to see her favourite sister exposing the same ideas as Mary and her mother.
“Let me be certain I am not misrepresenting you, Jane. You thinkIshould sacrifice for the family, but not you?”
Jane looked embarrassed but did not negate the assertion. “You underestimate yourself, Lizzy. You can tame the lion, but I cannot. Responsibility falls to the one who can bear the load.”
“And you would condemn me to this fate to save your own?”
“Not mine alone. You have four sisters if you recall correctly, and a mother who is likely to live two or three more decades. Are you willing to allowallof them to suffer just because you are too lazy to mould Mr Darcy into a worthy husband? After all, it wasyour actionsthat drove away Mr Bingley.”
Elizabeth sighed and let go of the very last of her childish preconceptions. “Jane, you did not see him. You did not see the anger and loathing in his eyes. You did not hear the half-hour of shouting between our father and that so-called gentleman.”
Jane was staring at the ground, so Elizabeth reached over and forced her to look up.
