二重の結婚式

プライドと偏見 - 第12章

Pride and Prejudice - Chapter 12

冬が過ぎる。ビングリーと彼の姉妹たちは突然ネザーフィールドを去り、ロンドンへ向かう。戻ってくる気配はない。ジェーンは、ビングリーが本当に自分を愛していなかったのだと思い、打ちのめされる。

Winter passed quietly at Longbourn. The Bennet sisters saw little of the Bingleys, as they had returned to London for the season. Jane was disappointed but tried to be hopeful.

エリザベスは、ビングリーの姉妹とダーシーが共謀して、ジェーンの家柄がふさわしくないとして、ビングリーをジェーンから引き離したのだと疑う。

In January, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, Mrs. Bennet's brother and his wife, came to visit. They were sensible, kind people, and they were fond of their nieces.

Mrs. Gardiner noticed that Jane was unhappy and invited her to come to London for a stay. Jane accepted eagerly, hoping that she might see Bingley there.

Elizabeth was invited as well, but she declined. She wanted to stay with her family, and she was not interested in pursuing a relationship with any man in London.

"I am happy here," she told her aunt. "And I do not think London would agree with me."

After Jane left for London, Elizabeth and her younger sisters continued their quiet life. They read books, visited neighbours, and waited for news from Jane.

But the news from London was disappointing. Jane wrote that she had seen the Bingley sisters but not Bingley himself. She had called on Caroline Bingley, who had received her politely but had not invited her to return.

"She is being deliberately cruel," Elizabeth said when she read the letter. "She wants to separate you from Bingley."

But Jane refused to believe ill of Caroline. "She was just busy," she insisted. "I am sure she did not mean to be unkind."

Elizabeth disagreed. She was certain that the Bingley sisters were trying to prevent any relationship between Jane and Bingley. But she could do nothing about it from Longbourn.

Meanwhile, Mr. Wickham continued to be a frequent visitor at Longbourn. He was charming and friendly, and he seemed genuinely fond of Elizabeth.

"I wish I had more time to spend with you," he told her. "But my duties keep me busy."

Elizabeth enjoyed his company and found herself growing more attracted to him. He was everything Darcy was not—friendly, open, without pride or pretension.

But Elizabeth did not know that Wickham was not all he seemed. He had a past that would eventually come to light, and it would change everything.