Miss Bingley Requests

by Judy McCrosky

  As it turned out, she did not have long to wonder. She and Louisa had barely had time to fetch their bonnets and ribbons, and seat themselves at the table the servants had covered with needles, threads, lace, and other necessities, when they heard the men’s voices out in the hallway, and realised the conversation must have been concluded. Satisfactorily, it appeared, for both men sounded jovial.

  After a short time of further talk, the gentlemen joined the ladies in the morning room. Before Caroline could open her mouth to ask if their business was of a nature that could be shared, they both fixed her with a cold stare. Mr Darcy’s was like his usual hauteur, but Charles, instead of regarding her with brotherly affection, clenched his jaw in anger. She shrank back in her chair, and all thoughts of asking anything vanished from her head.

  Mr Darcy sank into a chair and asked Charles, ‘I forgot to ask while we were discussing the matter, but does your lease on Netherfield Park still have time on it?’

  ‘Why, yes,’ Charles said. He turned away from Caroline. ‘There are several months remaining.’

  ‘I suggest you send a message to have the house prepared for its master’s return.’

  ‘I shall do so at once,’ Charles said with more than his usual show of enthusiasm.

  ‘Return to Netherfield Park?’ Caroline asked, rising to her feet. ‘What on earth for?’

  Charles glanced at Darcy before replying. ‘I have a matter of the utmost importance which must be dealt with.’

  ‘But can you not conclude your business from here? We are so comfortably situated at Pemberley.’ She approached her brother where he stood by the window and laid a hand on his arm. To her surprise he moved away from her, so her hand fell through empty air to rest again by her side. The movement was so abrupt she almost thought he’d purposely avoided her touch.

  ‘No, sister,’ he said, moving to the fireplace. ‘This business is of a personal nature, and can only be concluded in Hertfordshire.’

  A terrible thought grew in Caroline’s mind, and she reached behind her, groping to find the table and the back of her chair. She slowly sank down onto it, her eyes held by Louisa’s, who clearly was thinking the same thing. Still, she determined to try once more to deter him from this course of action. ‘You realise, of course, that to go to Netherfield is to find ourselves in the endless dreary company of Bennets. There are so many of them, after all, even with Lydia married, and all of them have no end of embarrassments to inflict on their betters. You must agree, Charles, that we will be much better off here, with the sort of company we prefer. Surely Hertfordshire has nothing to offer that cannot be found in Derbyshire.’

  Charles looked at her in silence for a moment, and then sighed. ‘Hertfordshire has many pleasant aspects that are found nowhere else, not even in the gracious home of our friend, Mr Darcy.’ Mr Darcy inclined his head to acknowledge the compliment, but Charles continued to speak without looking at his friend.

  ‘Caroline and Louisa, you have done me a great disservice, in hiding from me the knowledge that Miss Jane Bennet was in London while we also were there. How terribly rude she must have thought me, to not send her so much as a polite note.’ He paused, clearly in the grip of some strong emotion. ‘You could well have inflicted more damage on me than you could have imagined.’ He heaved a huge sigh. ‘Still, since Darcy was a part of this too, I cannot assign all the blame to you. And you know well my nature; I cannot long remain out of sorts. I have forgiven him and I will, in time, forgive you also. But please, if you wish to win back my affection in a timely fashion, desist from any talk that insults the Bennet family or the area they call home.’

  Caroline’s jaw dropped. Never before had her brother spoken so sternly to her. She was about to protest, to show him that, head of the family or not, he could not treat her like this, but she noticed that Mr Darcy’s dark eyes were fixed on her. And so, she merely inclined her head respectfully. ‘As you wish, Charles. Although, you must admit that some of the Bennet sisters’ behaviour has at times been reprehensible. Still, why you think we would insult Miss Jane Bennet, when she is our dear friend, is beyond me.’

  Charles held up a hand. ‘You would be better off, Caroline, if you had ceased speaking after your first sentence. Do not add to the burden of anger I carry.’

  Caroline turned to Louisa, whose countenance reflected the same hurt and astonishment Caroline felt, but neither tried to speak. They turned back to their bonnets, although as Caroline picked up a piece of pretty yellow ribbon to add to hers, she noticed it danced about in the air, because her hands were trembling.

  The gentlemen left them in peace shortly after Charles had delivered his cruel words, and Caroline and Louisa worked in silence for a time. After a while, Caroline heard voices outside, and went to the window to see the two men with several servants carrying their guns, and a pack of dogs, all of whose tails were wagging. ‘They have gone hunting,’ she said. ‘Now, Louisa, what do you make of this and what are we to do about it?’

  ‘Do you seek my thoughts on the fact that Charles clearly seems determined to run after Miss Bennet again, or that he spoke so terribly to us? And as for what to do about either, I have not the slightest idea. Indeed, I am still in shock. Please, call for some tea and refreshments. Even though it is early, I fear I will faint if I do not receive some sustenance.’

  Caroline rang for a servant, thinking hard. ‘About Charles treating us so abominably, all we can do is let time pass. As he said, he never can remain angry for long, and he will soon approach, begging our forgiveness. As for the other matter, it is far more serious. Can you imagine us with Lydia Wickham as a sister-in-law?’

  ‘Surely Charles would not allow that! Just think of how painful it would be for Mr Darcy to receive that man in his home!’

  The mention of Mr Darcy brought an even worse thought into her head, one she would no doubt have discovered immediately if she hadn’t been so shaken by Charles’ treatment of her. ‘Louisa,’ she gasped. ‘Did it not appear to you that Mr Darcy also intends to go to Netherfield Park? What if he sees Charles’ continuing interest in Jane as indicating he should continue to pursue Miss Elizabeth?’

  ‘Surely that cannot be!’ Louisa’s hands went to her mouth.

  ‘I know she has refused him, but I am told that some gentlemen take a refusal to be nothing more than an attempt to increase his ardour by increasing the challenge.’

  ‘Mr Darcy would not fall for such a ploy!’

  ‘No,’ Caroline said darkly, ‘but I wouldn’t put it past Eliza. Why else would she have refused him? A woman in her situation, turning down the position and wealth that would be hers if she became mistress of Pemberley? It is unthinkable.’

  Louisa nodded, and then reached out eagerly as a tray of tea and cakes was brought to them. Caroline picked up her bonnet, but the item, the height of fashion in town, held little allure. ‘I feel a headache coming on,’ she told her sister. ‘Please forgive me if I leave you, but I need to lie down.’

  ‘Of course,’ Louisa said, a cake already halfway to her mouth. ‘I hope that you are soon recovered.’

  ‘I hope so too,’ Caroline said, but the thought of Mr Darcy in the same area as Miss Elizabeth did not permit the ache to depart.

  * * *

  Charles’ pique had vanished by the time the evening meal was served, and he spoke as ever he did, enthusing over the hunt they’d had that day, and where he planned to fish on the morrow. While he did not beg her forgiveness, or so much as hint at an apology, Caroline decided to allow the matter to drop, for she had larger matters to occupy her mind.

  Over the next several days, Mr Darcy continued to be the affable and gentlemanly host he always was but Caroline, after much close observation, became convinced that he was different. Although he appeared relaxed, there was something of a coiled spring about him. Even when he sat still, reading or listening as his sister played at the pianoforte, Caroline felt as if he was holding himself back from something. She had no idea what the thing m
ight be, and did not mention her theory to Louisa or Charles, not wanting to appear foolish. She could not overcome the sense that Mr Darcy was longing to surge into action, but for some reason was holding himself back.

  One afternoon Charles sought out his sisters as they sat in the music room, Louisa turning pages as Caroline played. Georgiana was with her music tutor and Mrs Annesley, using the smaller instrument in her rooms.

  ‘Louisa, Caroline,’ Charles said, waving a letter in the air. ‘We have been invited by our friends the Restons in Scarborough to visit them for a few weeks. I have informed them that I will be unable to take advantage of their kind invitation, but that you and Mr Hurst will be happy to see them.’

  ‘I beg your pardon?’ Even as she spoke, Caroline’s thoughts spun. He wishes to ensure that I will not be in Hertfordshire to interfere with his plans. Oh! Foolish man. Never before has he so needed his sisters.

  ‘I believe I spoke clearly,’ he said, sitting down and placing both hands flat on his knees, the letter dangling from one corner. ‘It has been some time since you have seen your school friend, Emily Reston. Are you not happy to think of being with her again?’

  ‘Of course I am,’ Caroline answered automatically. ‘But will you not need a hostess while you are in Hertfordshire?’

  Charles raised an eyebrow, and for a moment looked uncannily like Mr Darcy. ‘I would think that you’d welcome this opportunity to not have to be in the same county as the Bennet family. Has your attitude towards them changed for the better?’

  Caroline hesitated, unsure of how to respond. She had no wish to again anger her brother, but she was incapable of lying. She chose to avoid the question. ‘And what of Georgiana? Are we to leave her all alone? Or does she travel with you and Mr Darcy to Netherfield?’

  Mr Darcy walked into the room at this point, and clearly had heard her question. ‘Georgiana will remain here, as she has her companion, her lessons, and her work about the estate to occupy her. And I will be able to stay in Hertfordshire only long enough to see Charles settled, as I need to spend some days in town; Georgiana will, if she wishes, join me there. So you can see that your concern, while reflecting admirably upon your character, is not necessary.’

  Had he just paid her a compliment? Caroline had no time to wonder. The danger of allowing Charles, alone and undefended, to become prey to Miss Bennet was unthinkable. She must find a way to be with him, so she could protect him from making a disastrous decision. The fact that Mr Darcy would stay only briefly gave her some solace, for clearly he was not intending to renew his suit with Elizabeth, but Charles was the one she must consider now.

  ‘My dear brother. Louisa and I cannot bear to think of being parted from you. If we must leave Pemberley, at least permit us to be all together.’

  ‘Mr Hurst was delighted by the news, when I told him,’ Charles said dryly. ‘I assumed he spoke for Mrs Hurst also.’ He turned a questioning gaze on Louisa. Caroline didn’t bother turning to look at her sister. She knew she would never disagree with her husband so publicly. She realised, also, that if she protested too much, Charles’ suspicions would be raised, and that might make him act in whatever manner he knew was least like what she wanted for him. Very well, she would go to Scarborough, but would plan to cut the visit short, and travel to Netherfield as soon as possible.

  When the time came to leave, Caroline looked back at Pemberley, its warm pinkish-brown stone glowing in the early morning sunlight and wondered if the next time she saw it, she would arrive as its mistress. Somehow, that seemed a very forlorn hope. Sighing, she turned to face forward as the carriage crunched over the gravel drive, ignoring Georgiana, who stood on the front steps waving goodbye.

  * * *

  Delightful as it was to see her friend Emily, Caroline found the time in Scarborough moved forward so slowly that sometimes she wondered if she should do what she’d been told prisoners locked away in tiny cells tended to do, which was carve a mark into the wall to mark each passing day. At least if she did that, she would see actual proof that the days were passing by.

  Good manners required that she stay at least some weeks, and indeed it was pleasant to see Emily again, but each day seemed the same, for her thoughts were the same—wondering what was happening in Hertfordshire. The only thing that changed was her increasing desperation. Finally, after more than three weeks had passed, the news she’d dreaded arrived in the form of a letter, announcing that Charles was engaged to Jane.

  She read the letter through several more times, but found no mention of another engagement. Did that mean Mr Darcy was no longer interested in Elizabeth? Or, was it that they were engaged also, but Charles felt he should permit Mr Darcy to pass on the news?

  It was only on the fifth perusal of the letter that she noticed Charles had said he had joined Mr Darcy in town and expected to remain there for a few more days before they both returned to Hertfordshire.

  ‘We must return to London as quickly as possible,’ she told Louisa after handing her the letter.

  They went in search of their hostess, finding her in the nursery dandling her first child, a fat and rather ugly baby of eleven months, on her knee. Emily, although naturally disappointed her guests were leaving so soon, understood completely that of course they needed to be in town so as to help arrange the wedding.

  Three days later they were in town, and were invited to dine with the Darcys that evening. Mr Darcy, Caroline thought, had seemed surprised to learn they had left Scarborough, but not displeased. Georgiana, who’d arrived from Pemberley only the previous day, was her usual shy yet gracious self.

  If Charles was effervescent during most of his life, now he was positively bouncy. ‘While it does my heart good,’ Caroline whispered to Louisa, ‘to see our brother so happy, I wish his engagement brought joy to the rest of us.’ Louisa had no opportunity to respond, for Charles seized her by her waist and waltzed her around the room.

  During the meal and the card game that followed, Caroline studied Mr Darcy carefully, yet circumspectly. He showed no sign of unrequited love. Perhaps her hopes were realised, and he truly had no further interest in Elizabeth.

  She was still concerned, though, and voiced her misgivings to her sister once they had arrived back at the Hurst’s house on Grosvenor Street. Louisa listened sympathetically, but had nothing particularly useful to say.

  The next morning, Louisa entered Caroline’s bedchamber. Caroline, still fatigued from the journey, lingered in her bed, sipping a cup of tea, and she languidly raised an eyebrow at her sister.

  ‘It’s perfect!’ Louisa declared. ‘It’s the only way to bring him to his senses!’

  Caroline watched her sister pace the room, seemingly too excited to stay still. She nibbled the toast Genney had brought, and drank more tea, content for now to wait to learn what Louisa was on about.

  Louisa spun away from the window and practically threw herself down on Caroline’s bed. Caroline winced as her teacup was violently shaken in her hand, causing the liquid inside to slosh onto its saucer.

  ‘How can you sit so calmly?’ Louisa demanded.

  ‘For one thing,’ Caroline said, somewhat impatiently, ‘you are displaying enough energy for both of us. And there is one other thing—I have not the faintest idea of what you speak.’

  Louisa laughed and then, taking the cup and putting it on the breakfast tray, took Caroline’s hands in her own. ‘I told you we would find a way to bring Mr Darcy to his senses, show him he cannot possibly think of making Eliza Bennett mistress of Pemberley.’

  Despite herself, Caroline felt a small frisson of excitement shiver down her spine. ‘And how, might I ask, will we bring about this miracle?’

  Louisa smiled, mischief flashing in her eyes the way it had when they had still been in the nursery and she was planning some new escapade that would be fun for herself and her sister, and could be blamed on Charles. ‘It’s very simple. We write a letter.’

  Caroline’s impatience grew, but she decided to play alon
g, since Louisa was so clearly enjoying herself. ‘To whom?’

  ‘His aunt,’ Louisa said, putting a space between each word. ‘Lady Catherine de Bourgh.’

  Caroline sat back against the pillows Genney had arranged, as the true genius of this idea soaked into her head. ‘Louisa,’ she breathed, ‘you have outdone yourself. Lady Catherine is determined that he marry her daughter, Anne. She will not for one second permit him to so much as think about a person such as Eliza.’

  Louisa nodded. ‘And he is equally determined not to marry his cousin. But Lady Catherine will do a thorough job of pointing out all the reasons an alliance with Miss Bennet would be a disaster. Once he is again rational, he will forget about Eliza. When he considers Anne, he will realise there is a much more palatable choice for him to make. Who better than the sister of his closest friend?’

  Caroline clapped her hands, and then wrapped her arms about Louisa. Louisa melted for a moment into the hug, but then pulled free, her cheeks a trifle pink, for the Bingleys were not much given to such displays of affection. Caroline pushed her bedclothes away, and stood, calling for Genney. ‘I will dress immediately, and we shall compose this letter at once!’

  * * *

  They did not have long to wait to discover the results of their letter for, as luck would have it, they were spending the afternoon, a few days after it had been sent, at Darcy’s house.

  Caroline was sitting in one of the sitting rooms that faced the front of the house. A carriage arrived, and Lady Catherine descended, her head held high, her blue eyes glinting in the sunshine with an icy glare sharper than the point of an icicle.

  She swept into the house the moment the door was opened, ignoring Davenport’s polite offer to take her cloak, pushing Molly aside with a swipe of her arm when the parlour maid asked her to wait until she’d been announced to the master.