The next morning, Elizabeth was sitting alone in the house, writing a letter to Jane. Mrs. Collins and Maria had gone into the village when Elizabeth suddenly heard the doorbell.
She had not heard a carriage arrive, so she immediately thought it might be Lady Catherine.
Worried that Lady Catherine would question her about everything, Elizabeth quickly put away her unfinished letter.
But when the door opened, she was extremely surprised to see Mr. Darcy standing there alone.
Darcy looked just as surprised to find her by herself.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, Miss Bennet. I thought all the ladies would be here.”
Elizabeth invited him to sit down.
She asked how things were at Rosings, and Darcy answered politely.
After that, neither of them seemed to know what to say.
The silence became so uncomfortable that Elizabeth finally decided to bring up something they had in common.
“How suddenly you all left Netherfield last November, Mr. Darcy. It must have been a pleasant surprise for Mr. Bingley to see you arrive in London so soon after him.”
“If I remember correctly, he left only the day before you did. I hope he and his sisters were well when you left London?”
“They were perfectly well, thank you.”
That was all Darcy said.
After a short silence, Elizabeth tried again.
“I believe Mr. Bingley has no intention of returning to Netherfield?”
“I have never heard him say that. But I think he may spend very little time there in the future. He has many friends, and as people get older, their friendships and social commitments usually increase.”
“If he plans to spend so little time at Netherfield, perhaps he should give up the house completely. Then someone who actually lives there might take it.”
Elizabeth paused.
“But perhaps Mr. Bingley rented Netherfield for his own convenience rather than for the benefit of the neighborhood. If so, he will decide whether to keep it or leave it according to what suits him.”
“I would not be surprised if he gave it up as soon as he found another suitable property to buy.”
Elizabeth said nothing.
She was afraid that if she continued talking about Bingley, she might say too much.
Since she could think of nothing else, she decided to leave the next subject to Darcy.
He seemed to understand the hint.
“This is a very comfortable house,” he said. “Lady Catherine must have done quite a lot to improve it when Mr. Collins first came here.”
“I believe she did. And I’m sure she could not have found anyone more grateful for her kindness.”
“Mr. Collins seems very fortunate to have found such a wife.”
“Yes, indeed. His friends should be very happy that he managed to find one of the few sensible women who would agree to marry him.”
Elizabeth smiled.
“My friend Charlotte is very sensible, although I am not sure marrying Mr. Collins was the wisest decision she ever made. She seems completely happy, though. And from a practical point of view, it was certainly a good marriage for her.”
“It must be pleasant for her to live so close to her own family and friends.”
“Do you really call it close? It is almost fifty miles away.”
“Fifty miles on a good road is not very far. It would take little more than half a day. I would certainly call that close.”
“I would never have considered the distance one of the advantages of the marriage,” Elizabeth replied. “I would hardly say that Mrs. Collins lives near her family.”
“That only shows how attached you are to Hertfordshire. I suppose anything farther than Longbourn must seem very far away to you.”
There was a slight smile on Darcy’s face.
Elizabeth suspected that he was thinking about Jane and Bingley.
She felt herself blush.
“I do not mean that a woman cannot live too close to her family. What counts as near or far depends on the circumstances.”
“If someone has enough money, the cost of traveling does not matter much, so distance is not really a problem. But that is not the situation here. Mr. and Mrs. Collins have a comfortable income, but they cannot afford to travel frequently.”
“I am sure my friend would not consider herself close to her family unless she lived at least half as far away as she does now.”
Darcy moved his chair slightly closer to her.
“You cannot be that strongly attached to one particular place. You have not spent your entire life at Longbourn.”
Elizabeth looked at him in surprise.
Darcy seemed to notice her reaction. His expression changed, and he moved his chair back.
He picked up a newspaper from the table and glanced through it.
His voice became noticeably colder.
“Do you like Kent?”
Elizabeth and Darcy exchanged a few calm comments about the countryside.
Their conversation soon ended when Charlotte and Maria returned from their walk.
They were surprised to find Elizabeth alone with Darcy.
Darcy explained that he had mistakenly believed all the ladies were at home.
He stayed for a few more minutes, said very little, and then left.
As soon as he was gone, Charlotte looked at Elizabeth.
“What could this mean?”
She smiled.
“My dear Eliza, he must be in love with you. Why else would he come here alone like this?”
Elizabeth laughed.
“But he hardly said a word.”
After hearing that, even Charlotte found it difficult to believe that Darcy’s visit was romantic.
They discussed several possibilities, but eventually decided that he probably came simply because he had nothing better to do.
It was that time of year when all the outdoor sports were finished.
At Rosings, there were books, Lady Catherine, and a billiard table, but even gentlemen could not stay indoors all day.
The Parsonage was nearby, and the walk was pleasant.
Perhaps that was enough to bring Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam there so often.
From then on, the two cousins visited almost every day.
Sometimes they came separately, sometimes together, and sometimes Lady Catherine came with them.
It was obvious that Colonel Fitzwilliam genuinely enjoyed spending time with the Collins family.
That made Elizabeth like him even more.
She also noticed that he seemed to admire her.
His attention reminded her of Wickham, whom she had once liked so much.
Still, there was something different about Colonel Fitzwilliam.
He did not have Wickham’s effortless charm, but Elizabeth thought he might have a much stronger and better-educated mind.
Darcy, however, was much harder to understand.
Elizabeth could not imagine that he came to the Parsonage because he enjoyed their company.
He could sit there for ten minutes without saying a single word.
And when he finally spoke, it often seemed as though he was talking only because politeness required it.
He rarely looked relaxed or truly interested in anything.
Charlotte had no idea what to make of him.
Sometimes Colonel Fitzwilliam laughed at Darcy for being so quiet and awkward.
That made Charlotte realize that Darcy was not normally like this.
She began to wonder if love was the reason for his strange behavior—and whether Elizabeth might be the woman he loved.
So Charlotte started watching him carefully whenever they were at Rosings or whenever Darcy visited Hunsford.
But she could not reach any definite conclusion.
Darcy certainly looked at Elizabeth often.
The problem was that Charlotte could not tell what those looks meant.
His gaze was serious and steady.
Sometimes it seemed full of admiration.
At other times, it looked as though he was simply lost in thought.
Once or twice, Charlotte hinted to Elizabeth that Darcy might have feelings for her.
Elizabeth always laughed at the suggestion.
Charlotte did not want to push the subject.
She was afraid of giving Elizabeth false hope, especially since she knew how strongly Elizabeth disliked Darcy.
Still, Charlotte believed that if Elizabeth ever thought she had some influence over Darcy, much of her dislike for him might disappear.
Charlotte also sometimes imagined Elizabeth marrying Colonel Fitzwilliam.
He was clearly the more pleasant of the two men.
He seemed to admire Elizabeth, and his position in life was very respectable.
Darcy had one important advantage, however.
He had considerable influence in the church through his family connections.
Colonel Fitzwilliam had no such power or influence.
So, as Charlotte considered the two possibilities, she found that each man had his own advantages.