Jane checks her emails and once again there is nothing from Bingley. Jane closes her lap top and stares out the window. Tears well-up in her eyes. She doesn’t understand his silence. It has been nearly six months since Caroline’s last email. She has tried to call and also write but there have been no answers. Resting her head in her hand, staring out the window each day seems to pass one into another but the hoping never ends.
Liz walks into her sister’s room looking for a book that she has misplaced somewhere around their apartment. “Jane, you need to get out and enjoy the day. Sitting around every day wishing to hear from Bingley isn’t going to change a thing. You need to find something to distract you so you can think about something else.”
“What if I don’t want to think about anything else? I’m sure that he wants to hear from me. Everything was fine the last time I saw him. I don’t understand what went wrong. I keep rehearsing everything that happened, everything that we said to each other. I just don’t understand why he doesn’t care about me anymore” sorrowfully explains Jane hoping that Liz can give her some new insight that somehow hasn’t been mentioned before in the many times the questions have been repeated.
Liz doesn’t know how to respond any more. From everything she could tell Bingley liked Jane too. He lit up every time Jane came into the room. All of his attention was focused on her. Everyone seemed to acknowledge they were a couple without anything necessarily being said. They were always together.
As many memories come flooding in, Liz feels a deep pang in her heart. Even Darcy had offered to share his music with her and then unexpectedly drove off without saying a word. He’s made no effort to contact her either. Still missing him even though Liz will not admit it to Jane. Life is so unfair sometimes.
“Do you think I’ll ever see Bingley again?” mournfully asks Jane “Do you think he’ll remember me? Do you think he’ll talk to me?”
“Of course he remembers you. You are difficult to forget. I’m sure there is a very good reason why you haven’t heard from him yet, I just don’t know what it is but he’ll probably let you know what happened” reassures Liz hoping that this will somehow happen soon so that her sister is no longer sad.
“Do you think they’ll come back this summer? I really hope so. Bingley promised me he would. Do you think he’s changed his mind?” anxiously asks Jane.
“I heard from our uncle and aunt today and they’ve invited us to come for a visit. I can’t go right now because of my job, but I can meet you there in a month for Charlotte’s wedding at Crestwood. I hear Collins is doing quite well there. Netherfield isn’t that far away and you might run into him” suggests Liz “then you can find out what’s happened and either be with him or get on with your life”.
“Really? I would love to go! When are they expecting us? How soon can I leave?” asks Jane excited at the potential of seeing Bingley again.
“They said that you can come anytime, they have a guest room waiting for each of us” explains Liz hoping that everything will turn out all right for her sister one way or another.
“I’m going to start packing. I need to buy some new clothes. I’ve got to call in my vacation. I have four weeks coming. I can hardly wait!” exclaims Jane.
It is the happiest Liz has seen Jane in six months. Seeing Jane smile again is more exciting for Liz than the trip. Liz hates to see her sister sad since she is one of the most giving people she knows. “I’ll help you do laundry and pack” offers Liz digging in the storage closet to find a large suitcase.
“I’m going to send a quick email to Caroline to let her know I’m coming. Maybe we can all meet together for lunch or something!” dreams Jane.
The next day while loading the car, Jane notices that she has a message on her phone from her email box. “Liz! It’s Caroline! She’s already written back to me!”
“What does it say? Read it out load, my hands are full” suggests Liz not wanting to disrupt her routine of packing the car.
Jane picks up her phone and begins to read out loud, “Nice to hear from you. So surprised to hear you are coming. I’ve been spending most of my time with Anna Darcy. We are the best of friends. Bingley is very busy and so am I. Glad you are coming and will try to see you, but not sure if it will be possible. Darcy, Anna, Bingley and I are often together but have previous plans while you are in town. A fifth wheel doesn’t usually have much fun, but I may find a way to talk them into bringing you along. Talk to you later.”
“Typical Caroline – not very nice or friendly” remarks Liz not surprised but a little hurt that Darcy is spending so much time with Caroline.
“What do you mean Liz? Caroline says that I’m invited as well to come along too. She’s going to call me later” counters Jane with wishful thinking.
Liz smiles at her and decides not to say anything to make Jane feel any other way but happy at the moment. It has been such a long time since she has been in such a good mood and she would like Jane to be back to her old self. What does she know? Maybe Bingley will realize how much he misses Jane too and show up to see her.
“Well, I think you are all packed Jane. Call me when you get there and keep me up to date on what’s happening. I’m going to miss you but I’ll see you in a month” states Liz giving her sister a hug before shutting the car door “I want to hear all the latest news about our friends!”
Liz sighs as she sees Jane drive off down the street. ‘Friends’ seem like a rather strange word to use after not hearing from them for so long. But even so, Liz misses Darcy’s company even though she will not admit it to anyone. She thinks of him every day. Feeling dejected, Liz quietly whispers to herself out loud, “I need to forget about him and move on. He probably doesn’t even remember who I am!”
As time passes, Liz hears from Jane every day. Caroline has returned her calls once or twice but always claims that she is too busy to meet that day but “things should be opening up on the schedule soon”. Liz wonders if Bingley might have a new girlfriend, perhaps even Anna Darcy but Caroline hasn’t mentioned their dating so it is probably not likely since Caroline would be bragging about it.
One morning, Liz opens her email to find a status that reads “Met with Caroline”. Liz hurries to open it. Evidently, Caroline made arrangements to finally see Jane over lunch. But Bingley, Darcy, and Anna did not come. According to Caroline that had a tennis match instead that was more pressing. Caroline explained that Bingley was no longer interested in Jane and that he had become interested in “someone else” recently. She was a great girl and more of his equal with similar interests and friends. Caroline never mentioned the girl’s name but Jane thought it might be Anna Darcy.
As Liz reads Jane’s note, her heart sinks. Jane explains that she is sorry to give her more bad news, but it appears that Caroline might be dating Darcy as well. She mentions several places they have been together and showed her some photos that Caroline had taken on her phone of the four of them together. Jane although hurt that he is dating Anna is pleased to see updated photos of Bingley even if it only makes her heart ache more.
Liz growls as she reads the letter, “I wonder what Caroline did to make Bingley change his mind about Jane?” gruffly to herself.
The letter continues that since that last meeting with Caroline, Jane has not heard from her even after repeated texts and a few phone calls. It is as if she has disappeared off the face of the earth. Bingley’s phone number has changed yet again. It changed the day after they left and Caroline gave her his new number at lunch, but it appears he must not have wanted Jane to have it.
Jane asks Liz if she how things are going with Wickham. When Jane left, Wickham was calling every day and seemed to be very interested in Liz.
Jane finishes the letter by stating that she is glad and relieved to hear that Bingley is doing well even if he has found someone else. She resolutely states that she feels that it is time to move on with her life. Liz can read through each word and know that it is going to be a very difficult thing for her sister to do because she is still in love with Bingley.
“Why do men have to be such idiots?” scowls Liz “Bingley ought to know his own feelings and not let Caroline tell him how he feels about Jane”.
Liz rereads the line that explains about Caroline spending so much time with Darcy. Feelings of jealousy reach the surface which Liz tries to suppress. Liz rationalizes to herself “I have no right to be jealous. He never liked me. It was all in my head. I’m not his type anyway. He said so from the first day I met him” but the feelings of wishing that Darcy felt differently about her remain and refuse to go away.
Jane’s last line asks Liz if she will be coming next week. Liz knows that she cannot miss her best friend’s wedding. At least Charlotte warned her that there was a possibility Darcy might attend. “There are a few days to prepare my mind so that I won’t care about him when I see him” Liz resolutely states out load to make it seem more permanent, but her heart does not believe her.
Liz takes a moment to write back to Jane. Liz explains in a return email that she was never interested in Wickham, he was just fun to hang out with and they are still good friends. He is dating Brittany King now and they seem to be getting quickly serious. She has quite a bit of money and good connections. Liz reassures Jane not to worry about her. She actually feels relieved that Wickham has found someone else to be with. He was a little too on the edge for her and really not her type any way. He seems content with Brittany. However, Lydia is disappointed.
Liz finishes her email by writing “I’m coming. Jane, we are going to have a good time at the wedding! I’ll see you this weekend!”
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