Chapter 18

M r Jones entered the study after he had seen to the injured man in the sickroom. He had not thought he would be back at Netherfield Park to attend to another so soon after his former patient's passing.

"Will Mr Wickham survive?" Bingley asked.

"Unless an uncontrollable infection sets in, he should, but he will never have the use of his left eye again," Jones replied. "He is sedated and is sleeping."

"Did you examine his wife?" Bingley enquired.

"As much as she would allow me. It is just as well she is restrained, even after Mrs Hurst ordered her nails to be cut. The way they were before, they were lethal weapons, as Lieutenant Wickham discovered to his detriment." Jones paused as he considered his next words carefully.

"What is it?" Bingley queried.

"Before he was administered laudanum, Mr Wickham was demanding you come see him, or the magistrate was to be called. Unless you intercede, he intends to have his wife arrested and tried for attempted murder. I will leave the next steps up to you as her brother," Jones revealed.

"Is there anything else?" Bingley wondered as he showed no emotion regarding what he had been told.

"No, the maids caring for the Lieutenant have instructions about his care, and if I am needed, you only need to send a note to me," Jones responded. "They have laudanum to administer, and I have explained how many drops to use each time. It will be, in my estimation, about a sennight before the pain will be at a bearable level which will not necessitate his being sedated."

"I need to ask you something, and I need as honest an answer as you are able to provide. If my sister is not tried and sentenced to hang for attempting to end the life of her miscreant of a husband, is she, in your medical opinion, insane?"

"Her sister mentioned the delusions which have ruled Miss Bingley's life, and the way she snapped when she was able to see that none of her desires would be gratified. Based on my own observations, added to what I have been told, yes, Mr Bingley, I believe your sister belongs in a sanatorium for the mentally insane."

"Thank you, Mr Jones." Bingley stood, extended his hand and then paid the man's fee, adding a hefty gratuity. Mr Jones left the study and Bingley had the butler ask Mr Darcy and both Hursts to join him.

Once the three were seated, Bingley related all that had been discussed with Mr Jones. "I am not surprised that Mr Jones is questioning Caroline's sanity," Mrs Hurst shook her head sadly. "If only I had seen it sooner. Well, I suppose I did, but decided to do what I did far too often in the past. I kept my thoughts to myself to maintain the status quo with our sister."

"I think Caroline's descent into madness began when she went to that seminary where Father agreed to send her. I do not believe she was ready for the nasty and cruel treatment she was subjected to by daughters of the Ton . That being said, she is an adult, and when either of us attempted to redirect her over the years, she rebuffed every single effort," Bingley articulated. He turned to face Darcy. "Regarding what Mr Jones related about the libertine wanting to see me, or he will summon the magistrate, is that just an attempt by him to extort money from me?"

"In my opinion, it can be nothing else," Darcy averred. " Even as he is, injured and blind in one eye, all he can think about is how he will acquire wealth without expending his own sweat to reach his aim."

"What will you do, Bingley?" Hurst enquired.

"He will receive nothing from me. Not even the fifty pounds per annum Caroline is due. The way the document governing her dowry is written, the money will only be paid to Caroline, married or not," Bingley declared.

"And if he has her arrested?" Mrs Hurst questioned.

"That is his right," Bingley responded succinctly. "However, it will be made very clear to him that we will make sure the judge and jury are aware of the mitigating circumstances of his lies which were the only reason she agreed to marry him."

"I think you are correct, Bingley," Darcy opined, "That profligate wastrel will not want it spread far and wide how he lies to seduce women and girls. Once he understands he will receive nothing from you, he will back off."

"And, if he does go ahead and have Caroline arrested, other than offering testimony regarding his perfidy, I will not assist. She will have to live with the consequences of her actions," Bingley decided. "As far as I know, a doctor thinking one insane is not an accepted defence in court."

"Actually Bingley, I remember hearing of a trial where the man who attempted to assassinate King George III was found not guilty thanks to the Criminal Lunatics act of 1800," Darcy mused. "I am not sure if it would apply to your sister."

"As angry as I am with her, I will ask Mr Phillips to make some enquiries regarding its application if, in fact, Caroline is tried," Bingley relented. "She is my flesh and blood after all. But I will do no more than that."

There was a knock on the door and when bade to, the butler entered bearing a silver salver with a note on it. Bingley did not recognise the writing, but he nevertheless opened it .

29 October 1810

23 Gracechurch Street

London

Mr Bingley,

I am writing on behalf of my niece Elizabeth, who for obvious reasons cannot write to an unmarried man who is not related to her.

Elizabeth and her next younger sister, Mary, will be departing with us on the morrow to be hosted by us at the above address for the foreseeable future. She will be welcome to remain with us for as long as she needs to. She feels, for reasons which with I believe you are familiar, that she cannot live at Longbourn, at least for now.

Given your connection to our late niece, and the warmth Elizabeth has felt from you and your party (excluding the one no longer residing with you) she requested me to write on her behalf to inform you of her plans. She did not want you to attribute her failure to call upon you as a desire to break the acquaintance.

When you are in London, feel free to call on us. Mr Darcy knows the way if you are not sure how to find us.

Yours,

Edward Gardiner

After reading the missive to himself, Bingley read it aloud for the benefit of his friend and family.

Darcy could understand Miss Bennet's need to get away from her parents. He was more than aware they were culpable in the event which led up to and caused the late Miss Bennet to be ill and pass away. As such, he knew in the same situation he was certain, he too would not be able to face those who were responsible for the passing of someone as close to him as her late sister and Miss Bennet were.

He was aware she intended to mourn for a full year. He only hoped she would want to see him when the year was complete. He took it as a good sign she had Gardiner send the information so they would all know where Miss Bennet could be found.

The midday meal was called which pulled the four out of the study.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

The goodbyes with Kitty and Lydia were long and teary. The Gardiners assured them they would be welcome to come to London and visit their sisters from time to time. Their father stood and watched them depart, but Elizabeth appreciated that he never attempted to talk her out of leaving.

Elizabeth loved her home, especially the many pathways, which she knew so intimately, and enjoyed rambling over. She was not getting away from Longbourn, only the master and mistress.

It was hard enough being reminded of Janey everywhere she looked in the house. At the dining table, her eyes were always drawn to Janey's empty chair, the sampler basket which still remained in the drawing room, and most especially, the still room.

Janey loved to work in that room making scents for herself and her sisters—far more for others than herself—and she was rather good at making tinctures with plants and herbs to help those who needed the healing properties they possessed. The only time, since Janey's passing, Elizabeth had walked into the still room, she had quickly lost her composure and began to cry when she saw Janey's apron still hanging on the peg she had placed it on the last time she had worked in the room before that day. Elizabeth had found three bottles of the lavender scent Janey used to prepare for her. Those were now among her most prized possessions.

A walk in the park would bring memories flooding back like an unstoppable wave. The swing suspended below the ancient oak caused Elizabeth to see her and Jane pushing one another the first time after the head gardener hung it up for them. Jane was six, and she was four. Mary was still in the nursery.

No fewer memories were evoked on seeing the flower beds or the herb garden. Janey loved spending time caring for the flowers and herbs. Also, she had a knack for making the most attractive flower arrangements.

The stables and Nellie were worst of all. Not because Elizabeth blamed the mare, even in the smallest measure. The once or twice she had entered the stables, Elizabeth had felt Janey's presence heavy in the air. It was easy to visualise her sister rubbing Nellie's nose or feeding her a carrot.

As the lead Gardiner coach she was travelling in put more distance between her and Longbourn, Elizabeth knew she had made the correct decision. She would never begin to heal there.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Not long after the conveyances disappeared from sight, Bennet returned inside the house. His inclination was to make for his study and lose himself in a book, but he knew that would not do. He had promised himself he would never again neglect his family, and he was determined not to lie to himself.

He put his head in the drawing room and saw his two youngest within, looking understandably forlorn at their two older sisters' departure. Unsurprisingly, his wife was not present as she had been instructed to be.

Rather than go to his wife's chamber to remonstrate with her at that moment, Bennet entered the room. Both of his daughters looked up not attempting to hide their shock at seeing their father out and about other than during a meal. There was no reason to chastise Kitty and Lydia. It had been his choice, not theirs, for him to sequester himself in his private domain for many years .

"Yes, girls, it is truly me here to see you," Bennet quipped.

"Have you come to tell us how silly we are, Papa?" Lydia, always the brash one, asked.

"No Lydia, I have not," Bennet responded. "Let me begin by begging your pardon. I called you names but never took the time to make sure you were being educated like your older sisters were. In hindsight, I own they learnt to behave with propriety and decorum from your Aunt Maddie. That is something I should have demanded be taught to all of you in this house."

Both girls were flabbergasted their father was talking to them like they were rational beings and not silly little girls. More than that, he was apologising for what he had not done.

"I know we are no longer out, but what does this mean? Are you going to educate us?" Kitty enquired.

"As needed, I will be involved in your education," Bennet replied. "First, I will be employing a companion for you two, but one who has experience as a governess as well. I should have employed one as soon as your late sister was old enough to begin lessons. I made the mistake, like I did the day Jane was sent out to ride in the rain, of not standing firm against your mother. It was not her fault, but mine, if I had taken the trouble to do what I needed to do, which included insisting your mother pay heed to what my late mother attempted to teach her, all of our lives would have been infinitely better, and," his voice choked up some, "there is a better than good chance your eldest sister would have still been alive." Bennet paused. "Just like it will not be easy for me to make all the changes I need to, so it will not be the work of a day for you two to begin to learn how to be creditable gentleladies. In the end, it will be well worth it.

"For me to tell you that you were back in and needed to improve your minds without giving you the tools to do so was monumentally unfair of me. I intend to write to your Aunt Madeline and request she assist me in finding some suitable candidates to educate you."

"Will we only learn boring subjects?" Lydia queried.

"I will not prevaricate, Lydia, you may find some not very stimulating. However, with the companion we will all discover where your talents lie, and they shall be developed as accomplishments," Bennet informed his daughters. As they had no more questions, Bennet made his way up the stairs.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

After he had given a perfunctory knock, Bennet entered his wife's chambers. She was lying in her bed sniffing and waving one of her lace handkerchiefs about in the air. Seeing him only increased the speed at which she was doing so.

"Mrs Bennet, did we, or did we not agree, starting today you would no longer be hiding in your bedchamber, but return to your family and take up your duties once again," Bennet demanded. "You have always been so proud to flaunt the fact you are the mistress of this estate to one and all, but here you are not fulfilling the role you boast about so openly."

"You just want to vex me," Fanny cried. "When that wilful girl spoke to us in that disrespectful manner, you did nothing!"

"Please tell me one thing Lizzy said which was false? Did you, or did you not order Jane to ride out on Nellie when we all knew it was to rain? Did I or did I not do nothing to override your order? Did Lizzy or did she not warn us of the danger to Jane because of the damage to her lungs from when she had influenza? Please, Mrs Bennet, I invite you to refute a single one of the accusations Lizzy flung at our door. As much as I would like to, I know I am not able to do so without lying to myself," Bennet revealed.

"But what if ladies from the neighbourhood come to remonstrate with me like Hattie, Lady Lucas, and some of those I thought were my friends did the day of the funeral?" Fanny wailed. "How am I to face them again?"

"Like I do," Bennet averred tersely. "I do not cower before our neighbours. I do however, own to them I have erred which blunts most of the animus directed at me. If you took responsibility for your actions instead of attempting to blame Lizzy, who is blameless, you will weather this. For a while there will be few callers, which is proper during mourning in any event. It is my belief, however, once word is spread you are truly remorseful and did not intend Jane any harm, talk will go away. There is always something new for the harpies in the town to harp about."

"Of course, I never desired Jane would get sick, never mind that she would lose her life!" Fanny sobbed. The tears were coming in waves now. "I thought I was helping her to catch Mr Bingley, but I was so wrong…"

Bennet had never seen his wife so overset with sorrow and remorse before. He sat on the bed and pulled her into a hug. "It will not be easy, but we all need to change, myself especially," he told his wife gently. "In the meanwhile, as hard as it may be, we need to give our two eldest daughters time and space to work out their grief and whatever else they feel they need to do. It will be counter to our inclinations, but we must allow them to come back of their own free wills, if that is what they choose to do. If we do anything else, we will push them away permanently."

"Do you think Lizzy will ever forgive me?" Fanny wondered.

"For myself, I have to believe she will do so if we are sincere and honest in our apologies, and not only to her." Bennet saw the look of confusion on his wife's face. "In her presence, we will need to beg Jane's forgiveness."

"Things will never be the same again, will they?" It was more of a statement than a question from Fanny.

"No, Fanny, they will not, and we should not want them to be. With your assistance we will move forward." Bennet leaned over and did something he had not for years. He kissed his wife's forehead. He stood and held out his hand to his wife. "Come Fanny, there is no time like the present to begin."

Fanny allowed her husband to lead her from her bed before she rang for her maid.