Chapter 3

L ady Catherine had taken her family's suggestions to heart regarding having Richard named the heir to the de Bourgh holdings and guardian of Anne, so her daughter would be protected from fortune hunters. As Anne was very frail, until he married, his Aunt was the mistress of the estate. When Anne had reached her birthday past, when she turned five and twenty, she could have assumed the role of mistress, but knowing her own limitations, Anne had been happy to allow her mother to continue in that role.

Thanks to his aunt, for the most part, leaving her imperiousness and pretentions in the past, Richard and Lady Catherine normally worked well together, except in one instance recently, she had overstepped.

While Richard had been away visiting his cousins in London, the vicar of Hunsford had died quite unexpectedly. As the master of the estate, it was his right to prefer a replacement rector to the living. With a remnant of her old behaviour asserting itself, Lady Catherine had not bothered her nephew with the information and had written to the local seminary and requested some names of newly ordained clergymen. Three men had been sent to meet with the Mistress of Rosings Park. She had chosen the one she believed was the most malleable, a Mr. William Collins who revered her rank and was someone who would accept her word as law.

When Richard had returned from Town, he had been furious, especially after he met the man who had been selected by his aunt. He had called a meeting at which he demanded his aunt and the sycophantic man attend .

When she had entered the drawing room, Lady Catherine had been rather surprised to see the Bishop of Kent and the two clergymen who assisted him in the drawing room. Mr. Collins had been shown into the room and had, as was now his wont, bowed low to Lady Catherine as if she were a deity. To say he was shocked when he was introduced to the master of the estate, the Bishop, and the two clergymen would have been a vast understatement.

Lady Catherine had been properly chastened when it was made clear by the bishop if Mr. Fitzwilliam chose to do so, the preferment would be invalidated. At first Mr. Collins had been flabbergasted that the great Lady Catherine de Bourgh had no power, and then when it dawned on him that he may be removed from the living, he had broken down in tears driven by his fears for his future.

In the end, Richard had agreed to a probation of up to one year. If Mr. Collins did not perform as was needed, was not up to the task, or continued his obsequious behaviour towards Lady Catherine or any other, he would be dismissed without a second warning. Seeing that the man had many gaps in his education, the Bishop decided Collins would be under his direct supervision for three months to round out his education. One of his clergymen assistants would remain at Hunsford in Mr. Collins's place. The one year's probation would begin from the time he returned to his pulpit at Hunsford.

At first Collins had not been able to absorb that Lady Catherine was not his patroness, but after a while the fact broke through the mist and he understood what the consequences would be if he did not change his ways. The final blow was when Lady Catherine had confirmed she lacked the authority to prefer him to the living and only her nephew could do so.

At the time Collins had placated himself with the knowledge that one day he would be the master of an estate in Hertfordshire.

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

"Which island should we sail to in the West Indies first on our family trip departing England in February of next year?" Bedford asked his family.

The Carringtons were present at Bedford House on Russell Square visiting the Rhys-Davies. Each year the two families, along with others, sailed to some exotic destination on The Rose , the Duke and Duchess of Bedford's private ship. The next one would be the fifteenth consecutive year of their family voyage. Usually they would sail in the summer months after the season, but given the huge storms called hurricanes which began in the late summer months in the area of the Caribbean Sea—the destination for this year's voyage, they would do so in winter as they approached spring.

Pirates were not a concern thanks to the three escort ships which accompanied them. The Rose was built on the frame of a forty gun frigate. Two of the escorts were actually warships, forty guns each, and the third was a four and seventy-gun ship. Unlike the other ones the Duke's shipyards built, the three escorts were owned by him and not the Royal Navy. Any pirate foolish enough to attempt to approach The Rose with even the slightest hostile intent would be faced by a total of more than one hundred and fifty cannon.

Jamey, Viscount Hadlock looked at his wife of four years. She nodded. "Ella and I would like to see Jamaica first," he stated.

Sed, the Marquess of Birchington, and his wife nodded their agreement. They and their son, who was four would be on board. Their daughter, who would not yet be two when they departed, would remain with her maternal grandparents. Little Adele was too young to appreciate such a journey.

Marie, the eldest Rhys-Davies daughter who had married Andrew Fitzwilliam, Viscount Hilldale, a little over a year ago looked a little sad as the family planned the holiday she would have loved to be with them on. "As much as Andrew and I desire to join you, as we have in the past, I recently felt the quickening, and given I will be close to my lying-in in February, we will have to remain in England, but we will be with you in our thoughts," Marie revealed.

"As will I be with you," Rose, the Duchess of Bedford insisted. "I was with Rebecca when she delivered little Sed and Adelle. So Marie, I will not miss being with you for your first delivery!"

"Rose, we can postpone the journey until next year," Edith, the Countess of Holder suggested. The rest in the room nodded.

"No, neither Marie," she looked to her older daughter who nodded, "nor I desire that all of you change your plans for this. Charity will remain with us as I am sure at her age spending more time with Anna will be more exciting to her." What remained unsaid was thanks to being ill every time she was on a ship, even when it was moored to the quay, an easy excuse for Charity not to join the rest of the family was expected.

"In that case, as long as Rose truly does not object," Bedford looked at his wife who silently communicated she did not, "except for my Rose, our two daughters, Andrew, and Adelle, the rest of us will depart England's shores in the first week of February 1811." Bedford was relieved such an easy solution for Charity had been found as he hated to see his youngest suffer the way she did whenever she was on board ship. He would miss his wife and daughters, not to mention his newest grandchild for about four months, but he loved being on the sea and looked forward to annual holidays greatly.

"Now I understand why the Fitzwilliams refused the invitation to join us," Lord Paul, the Earl of Holder stated. "It is good Marie will have both Rose and Elaine with her when it is her time. "

"Yes, Mother guessed the state I was in more than a month ago," Marie revealed. "It will be my pleasure to introduce you to our son or daughter when you return and regale us with stories of the West Indies."

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

Two Bingleys and two Hursts departed the latter's house in Curzon Street on Monday morning on their way to Hertfordshire. Bingley was in anticipation of finding an angel, blonde and blue eyed, of course. At the same time he was sure that in this little hamlet of Meryton he would not discover one who had the wealth he desired or could assist him and his family to rise in society.

His father had left him close to one hundred thousand pounds, but one thing Bingley had learnt from his late father was that there could never be too much money. His parents had wanted to see their family rise high in society, and they had not been able to realise that dream before they had both been called home. In striving for the pinnacle of society, Bingley told himself, he was merely bringing his late parents' dreams to life. He would not, could not, admit to himself that it was his own desire to rise to the heights of society, not his late parents'. The truth was his parents had only wanted him to enter the landed gentry by purchasing an estate, but not more than that. It was after the stories Caroline told from her time at the exclusive seminary she attended, that Bingley's aspiration to climb as high as possible in society were ignited.

How fortuitous had it been that in his first year at Cambridge he had come upon two blackguards attempting to rob Darcy. They had been willing to inflict grievous bodily harm on him to gain what they wanted. Bingley had interceded and between them they had run the two off, much worse for wear. He had supposedly not known he had saved a member of the first circles, and the grandson of a late earl and nephew to a current one until afterwards .

They were not at all alike, and not just socially. Bingley was more outgoing while Darcy was much more introverted, so a symbiotic friendship had begun and been cultivated. Bingley eased Darcy's way in social situations, the latter found awkward, while he was given an entrée to many members of the Ton . Without Darcy he would have been ignored and possibly cut once they termed him nouveau riche . Darcy had explained it took a few generations to lose that particular moniker, which was why the friendship between them was that much more important.

As he thought of a possible future wife, he did understand that any gentleman's daughter would be a step up for the son of a tradesman, but he aspired to more. He looked around the coach. As would be expected, Hurst was already snoring, Louisa was looking out of the window disinterestedly, playing with her bracelets as she sat lost in her own thoughts. Opposite him, sitting on the forward facing bench next to her older, married sister, was the youngest Bingley, Caroline.

Bingley could not understand how it was Caroline had seemingly given up her chase of Darcy. He would have to speak to her again, a match to his friend would raise them up to the first circles of society. It was a pity Darce's sister was not out yet. Not only was she of the first circles, she had a dowry of thirty thousand pounds. As far as he knew Darcy and Fitzwilliam would not bring her out for another two years at least, perhaps more as they had told him she would be eighteen at a minimum before they would even think about her debut in society. As such, Bingley was aware he would have to look elsewhere for a well dowered member of the first circles who would accept a proposal from him.

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

A little less than two hours after the rest break, the coach slowed as they turned past the gateposts of the estate Bingley was leasing. He did not love the country, but like his brother-in-law Hurst, Bingley did enjoy hunting. Also, an added advantage was the proximity of this estate to London.

When he had read over the clauses in the lease, Bingley had almost declined to sign it. In the end he had decided it was only for one year. What could happen in one year to cause the landlord, whoever that was—he had only met the agent—to evict him from the estate. As the coachman brought the equipage to a halt, Bingley was reminded of the fact it was a good looking rectangular, five storied house faced in beige and brown stone.

Seeing the fa?ade of the house reminded Bingley of Darcy crying off coming to view the estate with him two months prior. When he had pressed his friend as to why he could not join him to inspect the estate he was thinking of leasing, all Darcy had told him was, that it had been a private family matter. Although Bingley had no clue what it could have been, one thing he did know was when Darcy decided he would not do something, he would not. That meant if he tried to quiz his friend about the reasons for not coming with him, it would only lead to Darcy withdrawing into himself.

It had been Hurst who had accompanied Bingley to Netherfield Park in June to meet with Mr. Philips, the landlord's agent, and to inspect the estate. As such rather than ride his horse from London, they had taken a coach as Hurst had refused to ride three hours each way. As Hurst was the heir to his family's estate, Winsdale in Surrey, he had much more knowledge than Bingley.

The lease covered the manor house, park, and home farm. The tenant who was granted a lease had access to the rest of the estate, but no more than that, as the steward reported directly to the owner. Bingley was forbidden from bringing his own, or replacing, the staff and servants. The only ones he and his family would have purview over were their own personal servants. As the estate was close to London and Hurst had opined that everything was in good order, with the cost of the lease being fair, Bingley had signed and paid for a one year term.

Now as they arrived, he saw the butler and housekeeper, if he remembered correctly, a Mr. and Mrs. Nichols, waiting to welcome him and his party just outside of the open double front doors.

"It looks like a solid house," Miss Bingley opined as her brother handed her out of the coach.

"I agree, Caroline," Mrs. Hurst stated once her husband assisted her in alighting. "Are you sure you are sanguine with my taking on the role of Mistress here? If you would like to fill the position I would happily defer to you. However, if you prefer me to keep house for Charles, it will be my pleasure to teach you as much as you desire to learn."

"I will watch you and absorb your lessons," Miss Bingley stated.

Bingley was rather surprised. He had thought Caroline would jump at the chance to impress Darcy with her skills as a hostess. He shook his head from incomprehension as he led his sisters and Hurst to where the senior staff waited to meet them.

With the introductions between his sisters and the Nichols completed, Bingley allowed the housekeeper to lead them up to the family floor and their suites.