Chapter 19

Jane was surprised to receive a note from Miss Caroline Bingley. She could not understand why the woman would send it to her given the standoffish behaviour, not to mention the airs and graces Miss Bingley had displayed at the assembly past.

She had a suspicion concerning the genesis of the letter, but decided she would consult Lizzy’s opinion. Her younger sister had the ability to see past what people wanted her to see and divine the truth of the matter. Jane found Elizabeth playing a duet with Mary. There were many discordant notes and Jane could tell the two were doing so on purpose based on the giggling and chortling each time one of them pushed the incorrect key.

“Lizzy, as much as I am loathe to disturb your precise playing, I would like you to read this and give me your opinion,” Jane requested as she proffered her sister the missive.

“May I read over Lizzy’s shoulder?” Mary enquired.

Knowing Mary was also very intelligent and had a perspicacious nature, Jane had no objection to their next younger sister reading and providing her insight as well. She took a seat in a comfortable armchair while her sisters read.

Elizabeth held the sheet of pressed paper with the offensive smell of overly applied perfume at a distance where both she and Mary would be able to clearly see the words on the page.

25 July 1808

Netherfield Park

My dear Miss Bennet,

I would like to invite you to join my sister Louisa and me for the day. Our guests will be shooting birds. So, we shall be in danger of hating each other for the rest of our lives, for a whole day’s tête-à-tête between two sisters can never end without a quarrel. Come as soon as you can on receipt of this.

My brother has given his hearty permission for me to invite you and I am sure we will soon be the closest of intimates.

Miss Caroline Bingley

“This is a poorly disguised attempt to have you in her brother’s company,” Elizabeth opined.

“That is my opinion as well,” Mary agreed. “Did you note how she states the guests will be on the hunt? She would not have couched it in such terms if Mr. Bingley was to be with the men. I am sure he will cry off and remain at home.”

“Speak to Papa, Jane,” Elizabeth suggested. Jane looked at her questioningly. “I know it is usual that the man involved applies to Papa, but in my opinion, this is an extraordinary case. Unless he is completely dishonourable, it will thwart any of Mr. Bingley’s designs on you.”

“I have an additional suggestion,” Mary added. Both older sisters looked to Mary awaiting to hear her thoughts. “Lizzy and I will accompany you. We will make sure you are never alone with Mr. Bingley, if he is in fact not a man of honour.”

“That is an excellent idea, Mary,” Elizabeth enthused. “Jane, reply and say you will ride and you and your escorts should arrive in about an hour. That way you are not prevaricating as you are not defining who your escorts will be.”

“You both have excellent suggestions and that is what I will do,” Jane agreed. “Will you both accompany me to the study to speak to Papa?” Both younger Bennet sisters nodded their agreement.

It was the first day Bennet was back in his study. He was not ready to pay calls on anyone outside of Longbourn or receive those not in residence; although he would have welcomed his brothers-in-law had they needed to see him. He was confident, however, that he would be back to complete strength before his ridiculous cousin arrived.

He was poring over a ledger when there was a knock on the study door. “Enter,” he called out. The door opened and in walked Jane, followed by Lizzy and Mary. Bennet quirked his eyebrows on seeing his three eldest daughters enter the study. “To what do I owe the honour of three of my wonderful, intelligent daughters coming to see me?” Bennet sat back in his chair; he interlaced his fingers over his belly as he waited for his daughters—at least one of them—to speak.

“Papa, I know this is not the way it is done, but I need your permission to enter into an official courtship,” Jane managed before she dipped her head not able to look her father in the eye.

“Janey, you are of age. As such, you do not need my permission,” Bennet stated.

Jane explained what had occurred and her acceptance of Mr. Fitzwilliam’s request for a courtship. She added her pleasure at the prospect of being courted by him. She explained that, due to her desire to have her father’s consent and blessing they had not made the courtship public as yet. She related how she had told Mr. Fitzwilliam he needed to wait until he could be received by her father.

“What has occurred to spur you to apply to me as you have without waiting until I am able to meet with your suitor?” Bennet enquired.

With able assistance from Elizabeth and Mary, Jane shared her reasons with their father. “We do not want to take a chance with Jane’s reputation and assume Mr. Bingley will in fact do the honourable thing,” Mary added.

Bennet leaned forward and rested his elbows on the top of his heavy oak desk. He steepled his fingers, and placed his chin on them as he cogitated. After a while, he lifted his head and looked at his daughters. “You think Mr. Bingley will find a reason not to join the other men so he will not be part of the hunting party?” Bennet verified.

The three girls opposite him nodded vigorously in confirmation.

“If that be the case, first, Jane you have my blessing and permission to enter into an official courtship.” There was no missing the glow of pleasure on his eldest daughter’s face. “Second, on your way out of the door, send in Hill. I will write a note for him to give to a groom. Do you need the carriage or will you ride?”

The weather looks like it will hold, even if there are some grey clouds,” Jane averred, “We will ride, we do not intend to remain there very long.”

With everything agreed upon, Bennet received a kiss on his cheek from the three daughters before they exited the study.

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

“It is not like my brother-in-law to miss a hunt,” Hurst remarked just after he had brought down another pheasant.

“If he is being more diligent to his duties as master of the estate, that is not a bad thing,” William opined. “Although, he was not able to explain what was so pressing he needed to attend to it now and miss enjoying the hunt.”

Before any of the six men could shoot again, the huntsman approached them with his hat in hand. “Letter fir Mis’tr Fitzwilliam,” the man stated as he held out the missive in his gun oil stained hands. When he was thanked, the man bobbed his head and left the gentlemen to return to his position watching over the beaters.

Richard read the missive. The first part made him grin from ear to ear. As he continued to read his look turned to one of anger in an instant. “We need to return to the manor house, NOW!” Richard stated in a tone which told the others he would not be gainsaid.

“What did the note say?” William asked. Richard thrust the page into his cousin’s hand and he began to bark orders for their horses to be made ready. With the others crowding around him, William began to read.

25 July 1808

Longbourn

Mr. Fitzwilliam:

I will be well enough in the next day or two to receive you in person. You do not need to ask my permission to court Jane as she made me aware of your offer and her acceptance and I have granted my consent and blessing.

The reason she felt she needed to speak to me was due to an invitation from Miss Bingley inviting her to take tea and spend the rest of the day with her and her sister. In it she intimated Mr. Bingley would not be joining you for the hunt. Besides my sending you this so you are aware, Jane will not be alone as my next two eldest daughters will accompany her to Netherfield Park.

My suggestion is, if you and the gentlemen can abide by a shortened time hunting, you return to the house.

I look forward to meeting you in person as I know your father as an opponent at chess.

T Bennet

All William could do was shake his head. Bingley had not remained to take care of estate business. He was put out that he had not been able to dance a second set at the assembly with his angel while Richard had. This, on top of what Mrs. Hurst had related, caused William to question the wisdom of maintaining the connection with the very immature Bingley.

It was not long before the men were on their horses, galloping towards the manse.

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

For disparate reasons, Bingley and his younger sister had been greatly pleased by Miss Bennet’s positive response. The former was certain the angel would not be able to avoid his charms while the latter saw herself married to one of the men whose wealth and position she craved, in addition to a new wardrobe her brother would fund.

Even though he found the work of combing through ledgers, and most everything else connected to estate management, rather tedious, Bingley took himself to the study. He at least gave the impression he was doing some of the work he had claimed had kept him at home.

Miss Bingley made for her chambers to change for the third time so far that day. She had to be seen in an amazing outfit so that the country mushroom would be cowed by her magnificence.

As such, the siblings were unaware the men who were supposed to be hunting had returned to the house and were in their chambers bathing and making themselves ready to receive the guests who would soon arrive. Richard wanted Bingley to be left with no doubt that Miss Bennet was not available to him.

When the butler informed the master horses were approaching the drive, Bingley, after checking his jacket was buttoned and lint free, joined his younger sister on the veranda where the wide stone steps coming up from the drive ended.

Louisa Hurst was standing behind her younger siblings fighting to keep from laughing. It was due to the fact that she knew the men who her brother thought were on the hunt, had silently come to stand behind her, except for her husband whose arm was intertwined with her own.

“Charles, why are there three Bennets arriving on horseback? And why did they not take a carriage, like I, as a civilised member of the Ton, would?” Miss Bingley sneered.

“I thought you invited Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth?” Bingley verified.

“Of course I did!” Miss Bingley prevaricated.

When Louisa Hurst heard her sister’s exclamation, she almost lost her self-control and burst into a fit of giggles, but she fought to maintain silence and not allow her amusement to be heard by her bungling siblings.

Jamey leaned over to William and whispered, “It seems we are too uncivilised for Miss Bingley as we ride rather than travel in a coach as much as we are able.” Like Mrs. Hurst, William had to fight to maintain his silence.

Bingley was about to descend the stone steps to assist his angel from her mount when he was passed by none other than Fitzwilliam. His mood turned from one of anticipated pleasure—he was certain he would turn Miss Bennet’s head—to very sour in an instant. He heard sounds behind him and there stood all of the men who were supposed to be hunting. He was about to make his displeasure known when there was a crack of thunder which shook those waiting outside and rattled the windows.

The sky had turned from some distant grey clouds to a heavy curtain of low, roiling black clouds and the wind had picked up out of nowhere. William and Jamey joined Richard in assisting the Bennet sisters to dismount and they all made it inside the house just as the heavens opened up. Day had turned to night except for the flashes of lightning followed by claps of thunder which seemed to be all around the house. The rain was coming down in sheets obscuring anything more than a few feet distant.

“That was lucky,” Elizabeth exclaimed. “Had we arrived two minutes later we would have been soaked. I am thankful our horses will be out of this weather.”

As much as she did not want any Bennets in her house, Miss Bingley led them all into the drawing room knowing if she did not show hospitality it would not look good.

The moment they entered the drawing room, Richard decided to end Bingley’s delusions regarding Jane without delay as he approached her. “I was very pleased to receive your father’s note in which he sanctioned and blessed our courtship making it official.”

It felt to Bingley like he had been punched in the gut. How was it Fitzwilliam was courting the woman who was supposed to be his angel? She must be a fortune hunter to have granted Fitzwilliam a courtship on so short an acquaintance. “When did you have time to offer a courtship to one you only just met?” Bingley asked bitterly. “Your estate must have been a great inducement.”

“If I were you, I would be very careful what I insinuate,” Richard growled.

As one who hated confrontation Bingley was taken aback as there was no missing the anger in Fitzwilliam’s eyes. When he looked around the room, except for his younger sister who had a pinched look on her face, the rest all had looks aimed at himself ranging from anger to disdain, or a combination thereof.

“I beg your p-p-pardon,” Bingley stammered. “I was unaware of your courtship.”

“Not that it is your concern, but Miss Bennet and I met at my mother’s ball in the season of ‘06,” Richard explained. “As Mr. Bennet is recovering from a cold I had not had the opportunity to apply to him for his permission, however I received said consent at the same time I was appraised that Miss Bennet and some of her sisters would be visiting while you were supposedly working.”

Bingley had the decency to be embarrassed at being caught in a lie as the tips of his ears turned a shade of purple. Even if he were not afraid of Fitzwilliam’s anger, he was well aware Miss Bennet was now beyond his reach and he could do nothing to attempt to capture her affections.

“If this storm does not let up soon, not only will the Miss Bennets not be able to ride back to their estate, but the road will be impassable to carriages,” William opined as he watched the storm raging outside. “Excuse me, I need to go see how my sister fares, she does not enjoy storms.” With that William bowed to those in the drawing room and left.

The last thing Caroline Bingley wanted was a Bennet being hosted in her house, never mind three of them. However, she knew how it would look to the men if she did not extend an invitation. “There are plenty of chambers in this home unlike, I am sure, the small house you live in,” Miss Bingley stated nastily.

She missed the looks of disgust on the faces of the very men she was determined to impress. Richard, who had seen that Longbourn’s manor was not much smaller, if at all, than Netherfield Park’s was about to correct the shrew when his Jane shook her head.

Mrs. Nichols was called and asked to assign chambers for the three Bennet sisters. As she liked them as much as her sister Martha did, it was her pleasure to do so.

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

All during dinner and afterwards, the storm raged. Occasionally the sound of rending wood could be heard between claps of thunder as boughs were ripped from trees as one would tear paper. When the residents retired that night, there had been no let-up in the ferocity of the storm.

Another consequence of the horrendous weather was that Giana kept to her chambers so she and the Bennet sisters had yet to meet.

Before they went to bed, using night shifts borrowed from Mrs. Hurst, the sisters met in Mary’s bedchamber. “We cannot send a servant to Longbourn through this weather,” Jane stated. “I care not what Miss Bingley said, we will not endanger the life of a footman. Speaking of footmen, did you see the Carrington footman who is almost as large a man as John Biggs?” Her sisters nodded.

“If there is a break in the storm in the morning, we will request a groom take a message to Mama and Papa,” Elizabeth stated. “Let us hope we are not trapped in the same house with Miss Bingley longer than we have to be.”

Neither her older, nor her younger sister said a word in opposition to what Lizzy had stated.

Jane could not object to being close to her suitor, but like her sisters, she had no patience for the supercilious harridan, who was Miss Bingley. “It will be interesting to get to know Lord Rhys-Davies and Mr. Carrington.”

“Have you seen how much they look like the portrait of Papa as a young man?” Mary enquired.

Her sisters nodded. It would be something to think about on the morrow.