Darcy and Elizabeth: The Language of the Fan Read online

  “She rested her fan on her left cheek.”

  “But the left cheek means ‘no.”

  “Maybe, it was the right cheek. With all of this opening and closing and fanning quickly or fanning slowly, I get confused.”

  “Then we shall practice,” Darcy offered. “If it is your intention to communicate by the language of the fan, then you had better know what you are doing or you could have unintended consequences. You might end up becoming betrothed to one of the younger Bennet sisters rather than to the eldest.”

  As she inched her way forward, Lizzy was back on all fours. Even at the risk of discovery, this was something she would not miss, and she wanted an unobstructed view of the gentlemen.

  Darcy removed twin fans from the cabinet. The beautiful black-lace fans had been presented to the Darlingtons by the mayor of Cadiz, and Darcy handed one to Bingley. Even though Mr. Bingley already knew that carrying a fan in one’s left hand meant the lady wished to become acquainted, Darcy demonstrated the motion.

  “However, if Miss Bennet carries the fan in her right hand, she thinks you are being too forward.” Darcy could hardly fathom Bingley being too forward, but his friend needed to memorize all of the signals. “On the other hand, pun intended, if she closes it, that means she does want to talk to you, but if she twirls it in her left hand, then she wishes to get rid of you. Twirling it in the right hand…”

  Bingley, who had been trying to perform the motions, collapsed into a chair. “It is hopeless, Darcy. I won’t remember any of this. I shall end up thinking Mrs. Bennet wants a rendezvous while her daughter tells me she loves another.”

  “You are conceding defeat too easily. Love is like a game of chess. All moves must be planned and executed at exactly the right moment. Move, check, and checkmate. Because Miss Bennet is rather reserved, we can eliminate some of those signals she would never use,” and he put the handle of the fan to his lips, “which means kiss me.” After seeing Bingley’s defeated expression, he added, “It is not that she will never want you to kiss her; it is just that she would never make such a gesture in public. We can also omit fanning slowly, ‘I am married,’ and fanning fast, ‘I am engaged.’ Nor can I imagine such a sweet lady drawing the fan across her hand which means that she hates you. I think her incapable of disliking, no less hating, anyone.”

  What a nice thing to say, Lizzy thought. Despite Mr. Darcy having guessed wrongly about Jane’s interest in Mr. Bingley, he was rather good at appraising her character. And although it was true Jane was reserved in public, it was equally true she was incapable of being unkind, and Lizzy applauded Mr. Darcy for recognizing her sister’s manifest qualities. I must give credit where credit is due.

  “Bingley, there is another problem. The fact is, I do not think Miss Bennet would send you any signal with her fan. To do so requires something in a lady’s nature that is lacking in Miss Bennet. I can easily imagine her sister, Elizabeth, doing such a thing, but as for Jane Bennet…”

  Lizzy’s was all ears. Am I being complimented or censured? Is Mr. Darcy implying that I am too forward, which would definitely not be a compliment, or is he saying that I possess a confidence lacking in Jane, which would be?

  “Are you saying Miss Elizabeth would signal you with her fan to indicate she is interested in you?” Charles asked. “Because if that is the case, I think you have got it very wrong.”

  “Why? Are you saying I have offended the lady?”

  Bingley started to laugh in loud guffaws. “At the assembly, you said within her hearing that she was merely tolerable and not handsome enough to tempt you to dance, and although gentlemen were scarce, you chose to dance only with Caroline and Louisa, and more than one young lady was sitting down in want of a partner.”

  Until this moment, Darcy was unaware that Elizabeth had overhead his unfortunate comment, one that had been made in an overheated assembly hall packed to the rafters with people from every strata of society; the combined scents of cheap perfume, sweat, and alcohol had been overpowering. He had regretted his words as soon as they had left his lips, and now he was appalled to learn Elizabeth had heard them. As for not asking her to dance at the assembly, he was guilty of that as well. He had tried to atone for his rudeness by asking her to dance at Lucas Lodge, but she had refused him!

  “It is true I should have acted differently,” Darcy answered defensively, “but I am ill qualified to recommend myself to strangers. I certainly have not the talent which some people possess of conversing easily with those I have never seen before. I cannot catch their tone of conversation or appear interested in their concerns as I have often seen done.”

  “A man of sense and education and who has lived in the world is ill qualified to recommend himself to strangers? Really? Come on, Darcy. Admit it. It is because you will not give yourself the trouble.”

  “Well, possibly. But if there is anything to be learned from Miss Elizabeth’s stay here at Netherfield, it is that she does not like me. Since I now know the reason for her enmity, I am sure she is irrevocably prejudiced against me, so it does not matter.”

  “But if she did like you, what signals would you hope she would send to you?” Charles asked, prodding his friend into admitting he was interested in Miss Bennet’s sister. Although the verbal exchanges between the two in the drawing room at Netherfield had been sharp, Charles was convinced there was something going on underneath the surface. Caroline had certainly picked up on it.

  Bringing the handle of the fan to his lips, Darcy demonstrated a signal he would never see from Elizabeth Bennet: kiss me.

  “Bingley, of course, I am teasing. If Miss Elizabeth were to send me a signal it would be to twirl her fan in her left hand.” He showed Charles the proper movement required to get rid of someone. “I would be content if she closed her fan, indicating she wished to speak to me. But you have heard enough of our conversations to know the lady can barely tolerate being in the same room with me and that is why she keeps to her sister’s bedchamber.”

  “Oh, I thought it was because she cannot tolerate Louisa and Caroline’s company.”

  “You have noticed it as well,” Darcy said. “Miss Elizabeth will not be put down—not by anybody. She is fearless and will stand her ground. You heard our discussion about pride versus vanity, which concluded with her accusing me of having a propensity to hate everybody. You know that is not true.”

  “Of course, I know it is untrue, but she does not know you as I do. She does not understand the criticism you endured when you befriended me, and I know, I know, you do not wish me to speak of it. But it was an example of your excellent character. If she saw you with Georgiana or Miss de Bourgh or knew of your kindness to Colonel Fitzwilliam in providing him with an allowance, she would think differently.”

  This last statement caused Darcy to raise his eyebrows.

  “Fitzwilliam told me,” Bingley explained. “He also told me that you buy back all the Fitzwilliam heirlooms from Christie’s Auction House that your cousin, Lord Fitzwilliam, tries to sell to settle his debts. And shall I mention all your visits to your aunt, Lady Catherine, who requires the patience of Job just to stay in the same room with her?”

  “Next time I have my portrait done, I shall insist on having a halo painted above my head, and I shall carry a harp and grow wings,” Darcy responded. “But as to the matter at hand, if you wish to know Miss Bennet’s feelings, I think you will have to be more forthright than trying to decipher the language of the fan. Gauge her reaction when you tell her your father’s legacy demands that you build a great estate, something that will require a woman’s touch.”

  “That is a sore subject with me at the moment. Although my brothers and sisters are urging me to begin construction on a great manor house, I have no desire to do so. Without a wife, what would be the point?”

  Darcy suddenly turned away from Charles and looked in the direction of the door leading to the foyer. “I hear your sisters,” Darcy said, raising his hand to indicate that Charles should say
no more, and it was but a moment before the two ladies came into the library.

  “Have you seen Miss Eliza Bennet?” Louisa asked as soon as she entered the room.

  “No, I assumed she was with her sister,” her brother answered.

  “No, she is not. We have just come from Miss Bennet’s room, and she is asking for her sister,” Caroline answered, her annoyance clearly evident in her voice. “I thought she might be in here. Although she professes that she is not a great reader, she is always carrying a book. Eliza Bennet is one of those young ladies who seek to recommend themselves to the other sex by undervaluing their own, and with many men, I daresay, it succeeds. But, in my opinion, it is a paltry device, a very mean art.”

  “There is meanness in all the arts which ladies sometimes condescend to employ for captivation,” Darcy said. “Whatever bears affinity to cunning is despicable.”

  Oh, that was very good, Mr. Darcy. Excellent putdown. My father would approve.

  “Of course, Mr. Darcy, I agree,” Caroline quickly added, “but where is she? Even as great a walker as Miss Elizabeth is, she cannot be out of doors on such a day, so she is hidden somewhere in the house. Is her disappearance not another attempt to draw attention to herself?”

  “Perhaps, she is in the nursery,” Charles suggested.

  “In the nursery!” the Bingley sisters said in unison. “Do not be ridiculous, Charles.”

  “I am serious. Miss Elizabeth was a friend of the Darlington daughters and mentioned what fond memories she had of her visits to Netherfield with her sister and how they would have tea parties in the nursery. And as you stated, the lady does like to walk, and perhaps she is taking her exercise on the second floor so as not to disturb her sister.”

  “Well, I am not climbing up all those stairs,” Louisa said emphatically. Mrs. Hurst was not opposed to others taking exercise, but, personally, she saw no benefit in moving about just for the sake of moving about, and she had the girth to prove it.

  “I shall go,” Charles volunteered.

  “And I shall go with you,” Darcy said, immediately offering to join his friend, and he held the door open so the ladies might go ahead of them.

  As soon as Lizzy heard the door close behind them, she was up, out the door, and climbing the back stairs to the nursery. By this route, she would easily reach it before them. After entering the room, she immediately went to the window and adopted a pensive pose as she watched the raindrops splashing into the fountain and listened for the footfalls in the hall. By the time she had fixed her curls so they might cover the growing knot on her forehead, Mr. Bingley was outside the door.

  .

  Drawing the fan across cheek – I love you

  Drawing through hand – I hate you

  “Ah, there you are, Miss Bennet. Just as I thought,” Charles said, joining Lizzy at the window.

  “Were you looking for me, Mr. Bingley?” Lizzy asked with an innocent expression.

  “Yes, your sister is asking for you, but Louisa and Caroline have gone to her bedchamber to see if they can provide any assistance.”

  “I must confess I felt a bit cooped up in the room and decided to take some exercise.” Lizzy was not telling a lie as running up the backstairs definitely required exertion.

  “Well, I shall tell my sisters you have been found.” Bingley said, squeezing past Darcy who remained standing in the doorway.

  “You may come in, Mr. Darcy. I do not bite,” Lizzy said, giving him a look that said she just might.

  “From some of our conversations, I would say that although you do not bite, you do making biting comments,” Darcy answered, returning the look.

  “I cannot dispute your statement as I have been accused of being overzealous in trying to make my opinions known. If I have offended, I apologize.”

  “No apology is necessary. Neither of us performed to strangers.” As their eyes met, they knew a truce had been reached.

  “I have been told that you and the Darlington children would have tea up here,” Darcy said, looking around at a room that was probably little different from when Elizabeth had come here as a child. Although the toys were all stored away in cupboards, little tables and chairs were ready for the next generation of children, and framed drawings made by the Darlington children and their friends of bunnies, squirrels, horses, and one very familiar bear decorated the walls.

  “Yes, Jane and I were close friends of Thea and Elspeth, the two youngest Darlingtons, and we were frequently invited for tea parties. It wasn’t until we were adults that we learned the tea set we had been using was actually a valuable coffee set trimmed with gold and made in Arabia. It had been presented to the Darlingtons by a sheik and is now in one of the cabinets in the library.”

  “I was in the library earlier, and I noticed they have some very fine pieces.”

  “I am sure you have also noticed that none of their treasures are locked away, but there is a reason why they are not. Sir John first met Lady Darlington in Ceylon. He was employed by a company based in London, and shortly after they had married, he was reassigned to the London office. The newlyweds were caught in a fierce storm off the Cape, and the ship broke up on the rocks. Fortunately, there was no loss of life, but a good deal of Lady Darlington’s personal possessions was lost. But she said that having survived such an event had changed her. ‘Knickknacks can be replaced; people cannot.’

  “And I know of only one instance of someone breaking into the house, and a silver plate was taken. The servants were greatly distressed, but Sir John and Lady Darlington said the intruder must have needed the money more than they needed the plate. The Darlingtons are excellent examples of Christian charity. They are lovably eccentric and loved by everyone, and posterity will remember them with great affection.”

  “That puts me in mind of something my father once told me,” Darcy said. “If it can be written on your tombstone that you were loved by your family, respected by your neighbors, and admired by your friends, then you have lived a good life.”

  “An admirable sentiment, Mr. Darcy,” and then she chuckled to herself and felt the need to explain. “It is a custom of my father to walk through graveyards in search of unique inscriptions. Your comment put me in mind of something Papa has suggested to my mother on many occasions; that is, after he dies, she should advertise for a second husband in the same way as the wife of Mr. John Barnes of Sussex did. On his tombstone, she had engraved. ‘His comely widow, aged twenty-three, has many qualifications of a good wife, and yearns to be comforted.’*

  “That is actually carved on the tombstone?” Darcy asked, and he started to laugh.

  “Yes, but Papa’s favorite is from a graveyard near Salisbury. ‘Tears cannot bring her back. So I weep freely.’”

  When they were finally able to stop laughing, Darcy noticed the lump on Lizzy’s forehead that was only partially hidden by her hair.

  “I see you have bumped your head,” he said, resisting the urge to brush aside her tresses and touch it.

  “I was fumbling around in the dark, and I walked into a door,” Lizzy said as she felt the growing knot. “I am a bit clumsy.”

  “Perhaps, in the future, you might consider lighting a candle before moving about a dark room,” Darcy offered.

  “Excellent advice. Why did I not think of that?”

  Feeling better that the tension that had existed between them since the beginning of their acquaintance had dissipated, Lizzy said she needed to return to Jane.

  “Miss Elizabeth, are you not forgetting something?”

  Looking around, Lizzy shook her head ‘no.’

  “Your shoes?”

  Lizzy looked down at her unshod feet and realized her slippers remained in the library. “Yes, my shoes. Actually, they are… not here. Didn’t want to wake Jane, so I tiptoed out of the room. But as you can see, I am wearing thick woolen stockings,” and she wiggled her toes to prove it. “So I shall see you at supper then,” and she made a quick exit.

  Twirling t
he fan in right hand – I love another

  Closing it – I wish to speak to you

  Upon entering Jane’s room, Lizzy found Caroline and Louisa doing their best to entertain her sister and were relieved when Lizzy entered so that they might leave.

  “Jane, I left something in the library, and I will be right back.” After kissing her sister on her brow, she ran back into the hallway, quickly retraced her steps, and collected her shoes from the library, but before she could make good her escape, Mr. Darcy entered the room.

  Good grief! Not again. And she took up the same position behind the chair, and from her perch, she watched as the gentleman picked up the Spanish fans and returned them to the cabinet. How very thoughtful of you, sir. Now please leave!

  But instead, Mr. Darcy opened a second glass door and took out a coffee cup from a set of four, the very one Lizzy had mentioned during their conversation in the nursery.