Fault or Virtue: An Imaginative Retelling of Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' (2 page)

Bingley was finally able to take hold of more of his surroundings than just Jane,
and he noticed their bonnets and shawls. “Were you going somewhere?”
“Just a morning walk,” Elizabeth assured him. She didn’t mind that Bingley
barely glanced her way, she rejoiced in the way he looked at Jane.
“You are more than welcome to join us,” Jane said timidly.
“That would be lovely!” Bingley said, all too eager, and then added, “wouldn’t it,
Darcy?”
Darcy bowed in response, but his face remained as stoic as ever.
A preferable fate
to being invited inside
, he thought. Elizabeth caught herself before she laughed at him.
Such a man would surely detest being laughed at, but what else was she to do?

It did not occur to Elizabeth until they began that it would be necessary for her to
accompany Mr. Darcy so that Jane and Bingley would have some time alone together.
Darcy seemed to realize what was to come at about the same time, for his expression
soured considerably. This amused Elizabeth, and she was actually glad of the occasion.
This gave her the opportunity of observing this horrid man up close, as well as the chance
to make him as uncomfortable as he had made her the night before.

“I hadn’t thought much past hunting, which I have yet to do,” he responded,
laughing.
“Well, you have only been here a number of days. Settling in takes up quite a bit
of time, wouldn’t you say?”
“Oh, I would.”
With Elizabeth’s practiced feet and Darcy’s long stride, they were soon well
ahead of Bingley and Jane, who continued talking and laughing as they meandered.
Elizabeth was thinking of a clever way of introducing the subject of his departure for
London, which was to take place in two days, according to Mr. Bingley. He had
mentioned this at the beginning of their walk, but the subject was dropped when Darcy
had nothing to add to Jane’s kind lamentations at his removal from town. Elizabeth was
glad to be rid of him, but she was thankful for the opportunity for conversation that his
departure afforded.
Surprisingly, it was Darcy, who had chosen to occupy himself with either
watching the progress of his own feet on the dirt path or of searching for something in the
trees, that spoke first. “Miss Elizabeth, it is quite a wonder that you are capable of a walk
after all the dancing you did last night. Miss Bingley was barely out of bed when we
departed, and she did not participate half as much as you.”
Elizabeth was completely taken aback.
Does he think my mind as plain as my
looks if he thought I would not perceive this as an insult?
She wondered.
“It is no wonder you are up and about, Mr. Darcy, as nothing could stir you into
the festivities,” she could not help adding, “not even the ladies left to the side because
there weren’t enough gentlemen partners.”
It was his turn to be taken aback.
Surely I disapproved of her participating in
nearly every dance, it was not very genteel, but I did not think my tone conveyed
criticism. Had it?
Surely this could not have provoked her into such a rage. For a rage it
certainly was. He glanced quickly towards her face and was surprised at what he saw.
She was angry, surely, but the mood added color to her face and a sparkle to her eyes he

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had not perceived last night when he had pronounced her “not pretty enough to tempt
him.” He was confused by this change in her looks just as much as he was confused by
her response.
Could this have been the same country girl I was introduced to only last
night?
Thoughts flitted back to his knowledge of her family. Her mother was an open
gossipmonger. Perhaps Elizabeth was prone to anger just as her mother was prone to
outbursts of scandal.

“Perhaps I misunderstand you, but if you mean to accuse me of being ungracious
to my hosts, I must assure you that I did not find dancing to be an appropriate use of my
time, especially as I was not acquainted with anyone in the room besides my own party.”

“I suppose your return to London will rid you of such egregious forms of
entertainment as well as the company you do not enjoy. I believe London balls must
boast the finest guests in the world if they are enough to
tempt
you,” she added due
emphasis on the last two words.

Her choice of words made him freeze, and he realized the source of her contempt.
Now it was his turn to be amused. It had been his comment!
A woman slighted!
He
should have known. Of course he knew the remark to have been harsh and unnecessary,
voiced at the height of his bad mood, but if it had caused all this trouble, he truly wished
he could take it back. Now that he knew the source of her anger, however, he could easily
see the situation mended. A careful apology and the assurance that he had been wrong,
which he now realized would be a true statement, and it would all be forgotten.

He stopped and fixed her with a solemn expression which she did not find to be
much different than his dour one.
“Miss Elizabeth, if this is at all due to the comment I made to Mr. Bingley last
night, I am truly sorry. It was inappropriate as well as not true. I was in a very ill
tempered mood and I made a hurried and regrettable attempt at convincing Bingley I did
not wish to participate in the festivities. I am truly sorry and had I known you or anyone
was within earshot, the comment would not have been made. I wish I could have
apologized earlier, I am embarrassed to have appeared so badly.”
“The only apology I need hear is one for your apparent dislike for my companions
and neighbors and your utter disregard for
their
feelings. Your comment, rude as it was,
does not warrant an explanation or an apology, for I do not rely on the positive opinions
of others to make me happy. Your disapproval of all at yesterday’s assembly went
unnoticed by few. Are you so proud and conceited as to think you, Mr. Darcy of
Pemberley, may act in any manner you please when amongst lesser people?”
He appeared as if he had been slapped, but recovered collected enough.
A trait of
the upper classes,
Elizabeth assumed.
“I do not pretend to understand you. But if you do not accept my apology, there is
a great deal rather less to say to one another.”
“You slighted all that attempted to welcome you, you showed no appreciation by
your brooding and your hiding amongst your own party, when you were encouraged to
dance by your friend, you declined outright, making it generally known that no one here
is worthy of your company. Your comment about me was not surprising, but rather a
continuation of your behavior, as is your sudden removal to London after a three-night
stay. Even if we are so contemptible a people, we’d appreciate a small kindness or at the
very least, a meager attempt at civility.”

Elizabeth finally glimpsed another side of Darcy other than unapproachable,
bored, or disapproving. Anger flashed across his face after he recovered from his
disbelief.
How dare she accuse me of impropriety and incivility? How was the country so
backwards? Never had such words been associated with his name. He was a gentleman,
and always behaved as such!

Why was this young woman so angry with him if not for the slight? He thought
back to his behavior the night before.
How could anything in my conduct warrant such a
reproach?
He
had
been in an extremely foul mood. A four-hour long coach ride with
Miss Bingley, for that is the only person he could remember of the ride as she never
stopped talking, had ruined any of his hopes of a relaxing escape to the country with his
friend. Choosing to even accompany Bingley had been agony in itself. He still did not
know whether leaving Georgiana was the right course of action. But, Mrs. Reynolds, his
trusted housekeeper, had been the one to suggest he give Georgiana some space, and Mrs.
Reynolds had yet to be wrong.

He closed his eyes tightly, banishing thoughts of Georgiana for the time being
before beginning. “I do not possess the disposition that my friend Mr. Bingley has of
enjoying himself no matter his prior mood or the lack of familiarity with his
surroundings. If this is, as you say, your opinion of me as well as that of the rest of the
Meryton, then I am very happy indeed with my choice to quit the area. If you appeared
any less stubborn I might venture to defend my reputation and character, but I don’t see
that your mind can be changed. It appears to me quite made up, and pleased with the
drawn conclusion.”

“Like you have at the assembly, Mr. Darcy, you have judged without what I
believe to be enough reason. Besides walking and dancing I very much fancy the
studying of character. To observe the alteration of one’s conduct for better is one of the
greatest pleasures in my life. It is a rarity and demands a command of character which
many do not possess.”

This girl’s company was less relaxing than that of Miss Bingley’s!
He thought, a
flicker of a smile running across his lips as he imagined Miss Bingley and Miss Elizabeth
in a coach together.
It would cause the driver to run off the road and the horses to bolt!

“It would remain to be seen, Mr. Darcy. But I suppose Meryton will never be able
to gain the acknowledgement of it.”
Was this a challenge? How is that she had a response to better me at every turn?
She is more pleasant than Miss Bingley
, he mused despite himself. She was nothing like
her elder sister; not in looks or personality, nor anyone Mr. Darcy had ever met before.
Angry though he was, he could not help enjoying this argument, it was far different than
what he had been expecting. He was surprised that he did not think her remotely
handsome last night, when now, in complete opposition of him, she appeared rather
beautiful.
If I was wrong about her looks, could I have been wrong about everything else
as well?
Surely he could not have been in the best state to form opinions after his being
cornered by Miss Bingley for hours in a coach, but he could never have behaved as
abominably as she made it out to be.
Perhaps the ton’s habit of exaggeration has just
reached Hertfordshire and Miss Bennet is doing her best to see that she practices it.
He
decided he would ask Bingley for a report on his conduct, just in case the man had
noticed anything but the pretty faces in the room. Bingley was always taken by some girl

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at a ball, but it had always been in London, where there were too many for him to focus
his attention on just one. Since there was only one lady with whom Bingley was smitten
in Hertfordshire, Darcy was beginning to consider that this might be a problem.

Elizabeth’s triumph was short lived, however, for upon their return to the house
Mrs. Bennet insisted that they take some tea. Bingley could make no argument, eager as
he was to continue his time with Jane, but Darcy, who had been so eager to quit the party
and make the necessary arrangements for his journey to London, was crushed. He could
not think of an excuse to leave his friend alone, however, so silently accepted the
invitation. Elizabeth was torn. As much as she was grateful for the time it allowed her
sister and Bingley to become acquainted, the setting of Longbourn risked her family’s
exposing of certain failings and embarrassments.

Luckily, Kitty and Lydia were still abed, too exhausted from their dancing and
flirting the night before. The observation of which had made Mary in too severe a mood
to pay attention to anything but a serious book that she hoped would work against such
memories. Therefore, only Mrs. Bennet could provide any resource of torture for
Elizabeth and Jane, and she did so admirably for being alone.

“Mr. Bingley, it is so good of you to call on us so soon after the ball! Such a
gentlemen!” Mr. Darcy was quite ignored, considered not to be a potential husband of
any of her daughters. Mrs. Bennet instead chose to throw Darcy frequent looks of
disdain.

“I had such a delightful time, Mrs. Bennet. In fact, the night was not long
enough.”
“Perhaps you might consider hosting a ball at Netherfield, Mr. Bingley. The place
would do it justice. A fine ball indeed! Would you tolerate such a thing, Mr. Darcy?”
If the suggestion of the ball hadn’t been painful enough, the unmasked allusion to
Mr. Darcy’s conduct the night before was agonizing. Elizabeth could not help but inhale
audibly and sharply. She was just about to make a response which she hoped would deter
her mother’s insinuation, but just then, Mr. Darcy made his own response.
“I regret to say that I will not have the pleasure of attending, Mrs. Bennet.
Business takes me to London the day after next.” As inappropriate as Mrs. Bennet’s
comment had been, it had echoed the opinion that Elizabeth voiced.
Had she been right?
Was this the generally held opinion of himself in Meryton?
Mrs. Bennet went into a panic lest Mr. Bingley should be affected. “Oh! I hope
this does not affect your plans in the country, Mr. Bingley!”
“I am pleased to say that I will remain here with my sister,” he answered soundly.
“What a relief. You great men are always about here and there, never quite
settling in one place. But you have no idea what a strain it causes on those you leave
behind, we would be sad to see you leave so quickly. You have not even had the
opportunity to dine with us!”

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“Yes, I only wish my friend was fortunate enough to stay, but he is much busier
than I.” Elizabeth thought this comment quite odd, as it occurred to her that though it
could be readily assumed that Darcy was leaving due to his unhappiness with the place,
that it didn’t appear he had said as much to his friend. Mr. Bingley did not possess the
countenance for lying, and his large eyes could not hide truth, therefore, he must truly
believe that his friend had business to attend. Which made another thing clear: Darcy had
not acknowledged to his friend that his reasons for leaving were his severe displeasure
with the place. Elizabeth did not know what to make of this. Was he lying to his friend so
as not to sway him from departing as well, or did he really embark on business? But if
that were the case, would he be returning?