Netherfield Park Quarantined

NETHERFIELD PARK QUARANTINED
MELANIE SCHERTZ

 

Copyright © 2014 Melanie Schertz

 

 

Chapter 1

The neighborhood was all abuzz with talk of occupants of Netherfield Park.
After their attendance at the Meryton Assembly, the new family was invited to all
the gatherings in all the finest homes of the area.

Mr Charles Bingley had impressed everyone with his kind and pleasant
nature, but it was obvious, to all who had eyes, that the man’s heart had become
attached quickly since the assembly. From the moment the man was introduced
to local beauty, Jane Bennet, he was smitten.

Having taken the lease on Netherfield, Mr Bingley was making his first foray
into becoming a member of the landed gentry. He brought with him his eldest
sister, Louisa, and her husband, Gilbert Hurst, as well as his other sister, Miss
Caroline Bingley. Also joining the party at Netherfield was Bingley’s closest friend,
Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley, in Derbyshire. Darcy had been the master of
his own estate for more than five years and had been training for the position all
of his life. Bingley had asked his friend to join him, begging advice from Darcy, as
the Bingley fortune was derived from trade.

While Bingley made a wonderful impression on the neighbors, the rest of
his party did not. His sisters were of the opinion that nothing in the
neighborhood was worthy of their time, especially the people. They turned up
their noses at the fashions the ladies wore, the dances at the assembly, the
people in general. Mr Hurst was the sort to eat, drink, and think of hunting. Most
of the time he was in public, he was intoxicated.

The worst opinion was of Mr Darcy. At the assembly, the man made it clear
that he was not pleased to be there. He stood around, refusing to even converse
with any of the people. Bingley pleaded with Darcy to dance, even suggesting that
his friend consider dancing with the sister of Miss Bennet. Without even turning
to look at the young lady in question, Mr Darcy declared her not handsome
enough to tempt him and that he would not give consequence to young ladies
who were slighted by other men. Unknown to him, Mr Darcy’s words were
overheard by the lady in question, Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Embarrassed at first,
Elizabeth quickly placed a smile on her face. Unfortunately she was not the only
one to overhear Darcy. Several of the ladies from the community were appalled
by his comments. Whispers raced through the assembly, and soon it was known
throughout the neighborhood that Darcy thought himself far too good to even
dance with one of their finest young ladies.

Elizabeth and Jane Bennet were considered the jewels of the
neighborhood. Both young ladies were pretty; Jane was blonde with blue eyes
and a pleasant appearance which projected her sweet disposition. Jane was
thought to be the most kind and gentle of young ladies, one who never thought
badly of anyone. Elizabeth was dark haired with dark brown eyes. She was as
intelligent as she was pretty, and was well known for her generous heart. Though
her mother was always quoted saying that Jane was the most beautiful, many
would debate that both sisters were equal in their appearance. They were both
favorites at any gatherings in the neighborhood, especially as dance partners.

Elizabeth was a lively young lady who had a great fondness for the
outdoors. Jane was more sedate, preferring spending time in the drawing room
with her stitch work. Elizabeth was well read, and had been educated as if she
were a son to the Bennets. This was a bone of contention between Mr and Mrs
Bennet. While Mr Bennet had no difficulty with his daughter’s thirst for learning,
Mrs Bennet felt that their daughters should work on attracting eligible young
men. With no sons, and the estate entailed to a distant cousin, Mrs Bennet’s
greatest fear was of her husband’s early demise, leaving his widow and children
destitute.

~~ ** ~~

That evening was to be a dinner at Lucas Lodge. Though Elizabeth knew
that Mr Darcy and the Bingley sisters would be there, she would not allow them
to spoil her fun. And watching Mr Bingley in his obvious infatuation with her
dearest sister was thrilling to the second eldest Bennet sister. Being at Lucas
Lodge, Elizabeth was also guaranteed spending time with her closest friend, after
Jane, Miss Charlotte Lucas. Charlotte was five years older than Jane, and never
married. This made Miss Lucas nearly desperate to secure a husband and a home
of her own. Though a good natured and kind lady, Charlotte was not nearly as
pretty as the Bennet sisters. Being a practical person, she also did not expect a
love match in her marriage, and would be happy being settled in a marriage of
convenience. This had brought about many debates between Charlotte and
Elizabeth, who refused to think of marrying anyone for less than a strong and
abiding love.

The ladies were all ready for the dinner and waiting for their mother to join
them. She had attempted to persuade Mr Bennet in allowing their youngest two
daughters to attend. Lydia, who was only fourteen, and Kitty, only a year older
than her baby sister, were far too silly to be out in society and Mr Bennet had
refused to allow them to attend. Lydia was, by far, her mother’s favorite and had
thrown a tantrum at being left home. Fortunately for the elder sisters, as well as
all the others in attendance at Lucas Lodge, Mr Bennet had stayed strong to his
decision. The few times he had allowed his two youngest, they had returned with
such tales of their exploits that made him highly embarrassed.

Finally giving up on her quest to persuade her husband, Mrs Bennet made
her way down to meet her daughters at the foyer. “Lydia, Kitty, you will have to
remain here. Your father could not be budged from his decision. I told you that
you were foolish to carry on so at the assembly, you knew that he would receive
word of your behavior. You have no one but yourselves to blame for this.”

Lydia began a fit to beat all of her previous behaviors. “It is not fair. Denny
was to be there and so was Saunders. They had hoped that I would dance with
them.”

“You should not be speaking so with officers, Lydia.” Elizabeth said. “You
are much to forward with them and they will get the wrong idea of the sort of
young lady you are. Do you want them to think that you are loose?”

“Oh, la, you are such a bore, Lizzy. And you are jealous that they like me
better than you.”

“You are too young to behave in such a manner. If you are not careful, you
will ruin your reputation as a young gentlewoman.” Jane said. She was all that
was proper in behavior.

“You are too perfect, Jane.” Kitty said as she pouted. “It is not fair that we
cannot have fun, just because you have not secured a husband for yourself. Why
should we be punished for your failure?”

“Now girls, go up to your rooms. Mrs Hill will have your dinner brought up
to you. And no waiting up for our return, your father was adamant that you need
to go to bed by ten each night so that you will be able to rise in the morning
before noon.”

This news brought another round of wails from the girls. Finally, Mrs
Bennet and her three eldest daughters made their way to Lucas Lodge.

They arrived just after the carriage from Netherfield had left its passengers
at the door. Hearing the noise of the Bennet carriage stop, Bingley, who had yet
to enter Lucas Lodge, stepped to the carriage to hand the ladies out. Darcy had
been near his friend and decided to be useful as well. After Bingley had handed
out Mrs Bennet and Jane, he turned to his friend. Darcy stepped forward to assist
Mary out, then turned to Elizabeth. This was shocking to her, as she would never
have thought the proud Mr Darcy to aid a country miss from her carriage.
Reluctantly, Elizabeth took hold of his hand and allowed his assistance. Once her
feet were on the ground, Mr Darcy surprised the young lady further by offering
his arm to escort her inside. She could not find it in her to be rude to the man,
even though he had insulted her at the assembly. No, she would be polite and
show him that she was brought up as a gentlewoman.

Once inside, and having greeted their hosts, the Bennet ladies made
themselves comfortable, each moving to speak to different members of their
neighborhood.

Elizabeth was speaking with Mr Hale, the physician who lived in Meryton.
“I heard that Mrs Long’s niece was ill recently. How is she?”

“Quite ill, as she has a sore throat, headache and fever. She just returned
from Town, so she must have taken ill there. I am sure that she will be well soon
enough.”

“If there is anything that I can do to be of assistance, you know you only
need ask.” Elizabeth said with a smile.

“You have always been the best of nurses, Lizzy. I appreciate your offer,
but I think that all will be fine. Mrs Long and her housekeeper are taking good
care of Miss Jordan.”

Darcy was standing nearby, listening to the conversation. He could not
help but speak up. “Miss Elizabeth, you are well versed in tending to the sick and
injured?”

Mr Hale spoke up before Elizabeth could. “This young lady is a wonderful
nurse. She had even spent time studying with me a few years ago. We had quite
a few people in the community who came down with influenza. I was unable to
take care of them all, so Lizzy was kind enough to volunteer to assist. She made
the roads between four estates, tending to those who were ill. Her knowledge of
herbs and medicines is amazing.”

“Ah, a lady with many talents; it is a pleasure to know that I can call on Miss
Elizabeth in case I take ill.” Darcy said with a smile.

 

This surprised Elizabeth. “I would think that you would send to London for
the finest physician you could hire, Mr Darcy.”

“Sometimes the best care comes from the most unexpected places, Miss
Elizabeth. Never underestimate the value of something just because it is not
found in the most fashionable places in Town.”

“I am surprised at your response, Mr Darcy. I had thought you had little use
for our neighborhood, and would not approve of anything we have here.”

“I find the neighborhood to be similar to that surrounding my estate in
Derbyshire. The village nearby is similar to Meryton.” Darcy was beginning to
enjoy his banter with the second eldest Bennet sister.

“And what is the name of the village?” Elizabeth asked.

“Lambton. It is only five miles from Pemberley and I spent much time there
as a child, especially during chestnut season, as there was a fine old tree that was
always brimming with chestnuts. I loved to climb the tree and assist in the
harvesting. And we went to all the local gatherings.”

“You said Lambton? My aunt was born in Lambton, and lived there until she
met my uncle while visiting Town.” Elizabeth was shocked that she spoke so
openly. “My uncle owns a warehouse in Cheapside, where he runs his business.
Their house is nearby.”

“What was your aunt’s family name?” Darcy asked curiously.

“Thompson. Her father owned the bookshop in Lambton.” Elizabeth
watched him carefully for any sign of distaste, she knew he would have looked
down on her aunt’s family, as he would her own family having members in trade.

“She is Mr Oliver Thompson’s daughter? It is a small world, indeed, as I
spent many an hour in her father’s shop when I was younger. I was very fond of
Mr Thompson, as he spent a great deal of time debating with me on many
subjects. He was a kind and generous man, donating books to children for them
to improve their reading skills. It was a sad day for all when Mr Thompson died.
Is your aunt’s mother still living? I remember she was planning to live with her
son, your aunt’s brother.”

“Yes, Mrs Thompson is still living with Aunt Helen’s brother, Joshua. They
live in Town, not far for Aunt Helen and Uncle Edwin. I enjoy visiting the
Thompsons whenever I am in Town.”

“If I might be bold as to inquire, could you possibly give me their address? I
would like, very much, to send a gift and letter to Mrs Thompson. She was very
kind to me when I was a child. When she knew I was coming to the shop, she
would make the most delicious biscuits for me. A truly kind woman, she is.”