Chapter XXI

" W

ell, it is fortunate that trial is now in the past," said Miss Bingley the moment the party gathered after their return from Longbourn.

Darcy regarded her, wondering what she was about. They had traveled in different carriages for the visit to Longbourn, welcome in Darcy's opinion as he had no wish to endure her in the close confines of a carriage. Before they had departed Longbourn, however, and as Miss Elizabeth was walking Darcy to the carriage, he had seen her direct several glances at them, her sneer at Miss Elizabeth all that was abhorrent and knowing. What Miss Bingley was planning Darcy could not say, but it seemed obvious she had come across some means she was certain would detach them all from the Bennets and return them to where she thought they belonged.

"It is interesting to hear you call it a ‘trial,' Miss Bingley," said Anne, appearing more than amused. "It was a lovely morning visit with people I esteem."

Anne turned to Bingley and Darcy and, with an exaggerated show of interest, asked: "Are there others in the neighborhood who are as interesting as the Bennets?"

"The Bennets are the best of the district," said Bingley, the way he regarded his sister seemed to warn her to behave. "But you may accuse me of bias for obvious reasons."

"I concur," said Darcy before Miss Bingley could insert herself into the conversation. "There are good people here, though none of them are what we might call sophisticated, given their distance from so-called polite society in London."

"In many ways," said Bingley, "I consider that a benefit."

That he intended his words as a subtle dig at his sister was no mystery to Darcy, though he may be the only one who understood Bingley well enough to apprehend it. Miss Bingley, however, clearly understood his inference, for she ground her teeth together in frustration.

"Then you must introduce them to me, Mr. Bingley," said Anne.

"At the first available opportunity," promised Bingley.

"Charles, there is no one worth knowing in this place." Miss Bingley sniffed with disdain, a credible imitation of a duchess. "Even the Bennet family, who you upheld as the ‘best of the district' are people who would attract no attention in London." Miss Bingley paused, and a malevolent grin adorned her face. "Then again, I cannot but suppose they would attract much attention, though none of it would be good."

"You are welcome to your opinion, Caroline," said Bingley, unaffected by his sister's poor manners. "Just as I will hold to mine."

Miss Bingley regarded her brother with some asperity before she addressed the entire company. "If we wish to spend the summer in the country, why do we not repair to Pemberley? As I recall, it is divine in the summer, and more than a match for this paltry estate."

"If you recall," said Bingley, "I already said that I am fixed here for the summer. If you did not understand me, please allow me to state my intentions clearly: I mean to pay court to Miss Bennet, and I shall not depart Netherfield until I have her consent to an engagement. Even then, I doubt there is anything that can pull me away from here until I meet her at the altar."

"Oh, Charles," said Miss Bingley, shaking her head. "I cannot understand what you see in that woman. She is pretty, to be certain, but she is also insipid, and possesses not a hint of fashion."

"Insipidity, my dear Caroline, is what you see in her. I cannot call Miss Bennet anything other than lovely and engaging, and I will thank you not to disparage her. She is to be your sister."

"I too am grateful for Bingley's presence," said Darcy while Miss Bingley was summoning a response. Perhaps it was a little daring of him, but he meant to ensure she understood him. "It allows me to stay here too. I also find myself with unfinished business demanding my attention."

The way Miss Bingley regarded him suggested anger beyond anything he had ever seen from her—or at least directed at him. Lady Catherine appeared no more pleased, though a glance at Anne prevented her from inserting her opinion. Lady Catherine would not like his pursuit of Miss Elizabeth, though her anger now would be a pale imitation of the scenes that would ensue had Anne not asserted her independence. Still, Darcy was certain she entertained some notion of pairing him with a woman high in society to improve the family position.

"I apologize, Mr. Darcy," said Miss Bingley, her disdain again on full display, "but I am afraid I cannot agree with my brother's mad design to pursue Miss Bennet, and I think the notion of you finding Miss Elizabeth agreeable is equally repellant."

"Then, Miss Bingley," said Darcy, "it is fortunate you will not need to live with the consequences."

"And I care little for your opinion, Caroline."

Miss Bingley turned a scowl at her brother. "Do you not comprehend that any action of yours affects and reflects on me?"

"Yes, Caroline, I understand it." Bingley's eyes bored into his sister's, and he was not at all friendly. "So, I recall, do your actions reflect upon me , especially when you sever an acquaintance I do not mean to sever, and treat the best of women with contempt. As you still cannot see the error of your ways, I am uncertain I will allow you to associate with my future wife."

"Given your uncertainty," growled Miss Bingley, "I might wonder that you feel you need to protect her from your own sister. Imagine what actions you must take to protect her from society."

"Had I any doubt for her abilities, your words might mean something. As it is, I have no compunction about ignoring you."

Miss Bingley sniffed, pulling back from the spat between siblings. "You should not be so hasty, Charles, for when you hear what I learned today, I am certain you will judge matters differently."

"Is that so?" asked Bingley, an unmistakable note of amused disbelief in his voice. "Have you uncovered some dark secret of the Bennets that make them unsuitable? Is there some undiscovered ancestor involved in secret rebellion against the virgin queen? Or perhaps they are highwaymen disguised as gentlefolk? Are they Catholics in secret, flouting church doctrine with their heretical ways?"

The woman was practically seething at her brother's baiting. "Do not be ridiculous, Charles. Whatever their true situation, it appears they have owned their pitiful estate for many years. But I discovered a secret that will render them completely unsuitable, even if everything else we know of them has failed to move you."

"Very well, Caroline," said Bingley. "Astonish us."

"The family has a fallen member," said Miss Bingley as if the matter was nothing more than a passing interest. "Do you wish to risk the possibility of that being discovered in society?"

"Fallen how?" said Bingley.

"I had it from the chit's own mouth," retorted Miss Bingley, her manner triumphant. "Do you know that Miss Lydia Bennet, she of the shrieking laughter and propensity to chase after redcoats, attempted to run off with an officer?"

Bingley was taken aback, as was the rest of the company who had knowledge of the events from two days before. It appeared Lydia Bennet had said something incautious on the subject, and Miss Bingley had misconstrued it to mean the girl had spoken of herself. Lady Catherine was shaking her head with dismay, while Fitzwilliam regarded Miss Bingley with something akin to contempt. Anne, however, was silent, her unflinching stare fixed on Miss Bingley as if she could see through her. Unfortunately for Miss Bingley, she misunderstood the reason for her brother's sudden consternation, for her looks held nothing but triumph.

"I see that little tidbit has pierced your confidence, Brother," crowed she. "It is gratifying that you understand now what an error it would be to connect yourself with the Bennets, for they are wholly unsuitable.

"When word of her escapade escapes this insignificant community, the Bennets will no doubt reap what they have sown. And do not assume that it will not, for gossip such as this has a way of proliferating far beyond any expectation. It should not surprise me if the details make their way to London before the season."

Included in her diatribe was the insinuation that Miss Bingley would be among those perpetuating the story in London. Miss Bingley sneered, her expression truly unpleasant, as she added: "Of course, the gossip will not persist long, for the Bennets are truly of no consequence. But it will forever stain them, even if they should someday make their way to a more cultured society."

How they might respond to this attack Darcy could not be certain, and he could see the others hesitating while Miss Bingley basked in her assumed victory. For obvious reasons they could not speak of Anne's actions, for Darcy did not trust Miss Bingley to remain silent, though perhaps they could mitigate that with the direct influence of the earl. Perhaps a simple assurance that Lydia Bennet had done nothing would suffice, though Darcy suspected Miss Bingley would not believe. In the end, the response came from a surprising source, and the content of her rebuttal was beyond anything Darcy expected.

"That is most amusing, Miss Bingley," said Anne. "Unfortunately, in your haste to stain the Bennets in our eyes, you got most of the facts incorrect."

"I am as certain as I can be," said Miss Bingley, her tone full of syrup.

"Then that calls your acumen into question," was Anne's hard reply. "Miss Lydia did not elope with an officer. The girl is too lively and incautious for her own good and she speaks when she should remain silent, but she did not do as you charge. I did."

"Anne!" exclaimed an aghast Lady Catherine.

Anne, however, only waved her off, keeping her attention on Miss Bingley. Flummoxed was hardly a word to describe her, for she appeared incapable of making a response. Anne gave her a thin smile before she tore Miss Bingley apart piece by piece.

"You planned to harm that family's reputation if your brother did not accede to your demands, did you not?" Miss Bingley was incapable of answering. "It is no shock to anyone in the room, for we all understand your character. To threaten to ruin the reputation of a family who has never done you harm for no more purpose than to prevent your brother from following his heart shows a remarkable lack of honor. Indeed, I may say that it is despicable.

"There is little reason for you to continue in this mad design of yours, so you may as well cease. For reasons you do not deserve to know, I attempted an elopement. Mine is the guilt you so gleefully reported for your selfish reasons."

"You?" squeaked Miss Bingley. "I am beyond shocked that a woman of your pedigree would own to such things."

"This assumption that those of high society are without fault would be amusing if it were not so very pathetic. No one is free of error, Miss Bingley. Do you suppose the rumors of the prince regent are complete fabrications? I am a woman the same as any other, possessing the same frailties.

"One other fact you should know is that it was Miss Elizabeth Bennet who persuaded me to reconsider. I owe much to that young woman, and by association, to all her family. I care little for what you say about me, for it is obvious you possess not an ounce of integrity. But I shall not allow you to spread unfounded rumors about people of whom I possess the highest opinion."

Silence reigned in the room with Anne's harsh denunciation. Had Miss Bingley been any less reprehensible, Darcy might have pitied her for enduring such a set-down. Her lust to enter the first circles and the accompanying standing and wealth, however, rendered her reprehensible, even more because, as Anne had so eloquently stated, she planned to use illicit knowledge to ensure she got her way.

"I wish you had not spoken of such things, Anne," said Lady Catherine at length. Her contemptuous glare at Miss Bingley left no question about her feelings for that lady. "We cannot be sure of this... person's ability to hold her tongue. Would you wish to hear of this from the mouth of every clucking hen in society?"

"Do not concern yourself, Lady Catherine," said Bingley, finally finding his voice. "Caroline will not speak a word of this to anyone, least of all anyone in London. If she puts even a toe out of line, I shall send her to Scarborough to live with our aunt."

Miss Bingley glared at her brother, but he was impervious to her displeasure. Darcy had heard enough of the Scarborough aunt to know that banishment to her house would be a most acute punishment for a woman of Miss Bingley's character. Moreso because Bingley would likely, at that point, wash his hands of her forever.

"Thank you, Mr. Bingley," said Lady Catherine with feeling.

Then she turned her attention back to Miss Bingley. "I add my voice to Anne's. It is beyond contemptible to use such information for personal gain. I am ashamed of you. If you presume to speak even one word of this matter where anyone can overhear, I will know where it originates. Do not doubt the influence my family wields in society, for one word from my brother will see you a pariah forever. I shall refrain for the moment, for your brother has proven his honor."

Miss Bingley made no response, contenting herself with remaining silent after her chastisement. Soon thereafter, the company separated, much subdued given what had just taken place. Where Miss Bingley went or what she did Darcy could not say, but he hoped very much that she would keep to herself for the rest of her stay. If he had been determined to avoid enduring her when he left London, he was now doubly so. She was everything he despised about society. Should the occasion demand it, Darcy was determined to inform her of it himself.

"Oh, Louisa, I am so distressed!"

Caroline was beyond distressed, for Louisa knew she was humiliated, mortified, uncertain, and determined all at once. Louisa might have worried about Mr. Darcy had she not had the firmest sense of the gentleman's understanding. He would not relax his guard now, especially since Caroline had shown her character for them all to see.

Louisa sighed, considering the disaster that had come of Caroline's ambitions. In all honesty, Louisa was not innocent of the ambition that so marked her sister's character—in her case, it was not nearly so blatant. That she had accepted Hurst was a consequence of the circumstances in which they had found themselves. Hurst, whatever else he was, could claim the title of gentleman, though his estate was smaller even than Netherfield. The Hursts had never had much of a presence in town, though they were not unknown. At the time she had accepted him, however, she had determined it would be a step up for the Bingley family, give them some credibility in a society that valued a family's history besides its wealth. The Bingley family history was a detriment to most of higher society, while their wealth was acceptable, though far less than what most of the highest could claim.

That had all changed with Charles's acquaintance with Mr. Darcy, and when Louisa looked back on the past three years, she did not think it was for the better, given Caroline's all-consuming ambition. Had Charles not made Mr. Darcy's acquaintance, Caroline might have been content to marry a man of Hurst's consequence, and Louisa knew she would be happier for it.

Now, however, Caroline would not see reason. When Caroline had embarked on this campaign, Louisa had been her confederate, eager to ensure their family rose from its origins to become a consequential name in society. Yet, while Caroline stubbornly clung to her belief that Mr. Darcy would eventually surrender and make her one of the leading lights of society, Louisa could now see how the man maintained his distance. Mr. Darcy's detachment had gradually grown to a guarded disinterest, and finally, of late, it had progressed to disdain.

Now that she considered it, suspecting what she did of the gentleman's current interests, that last change had taken hold about the time of their stay in Hertfordshire the previous autumn. The chances Mr. Darcy might offer for Caroline, never great, had dissipated entirely. When the Darcys had last visited Charles's house for dinner before his disastrous eavesdropping, Louisa had noted Mr. Darcy's increased inability to tolerate Caroline and had seen the exact moment when he had determined he did not wish to subject himself to her airs any longer. Louisa had continued to humor her sister, but she had known at that moment any possibility of Caroline capturing him was gone.

The last few days until Caroline convinced Hurst to go to Hertfordshire, Louisa had attempted to steer Caroline away from her doomed pursuit of the gentleman. Several men had expressed an interest in Caroline in previous seasons, and as the situations of a few were fortunate, the chances of Caroline catching some man of a lower sphere appeared to be much better. Yet Caroline would hear nothing of it, would berate Louisa if she even mentioned such a possibility, and nothing she said had made any difference to her sister. Caroline was determined to capture Mr. Darcy—no other man would do.

Now they had reached this end, thought Louisa as Caroline's wild gesticulations accompanied her continued tirade. This was a side of her that Mr. Darcy had never seen, that Caroline never betrayed to anyone other than Louisa. Caroline had a petulant streak that manifested itself whenever she did not get her way. She did not descend to violence, hurling items around the room in a desperate need for destruction—for this, Louisa was grateful, for she had no notion of how she would endure a violent Caroline.

The question now was what Louisa could do to pull her sister back from the brink. She had seen the expressions of their guests when Caroline made her attempt to blacken the Bennets' good name. Disdain was the most benign feeling betrayed by the family, and Louisa had thought Lady Catherine might denounce her right there, promising to ruin her in society. That she had promised to do just that should Caroline breathe a word of the matter to anyone was the least that could have happened.

How Anne de Bourgh of all people had wound up in such a predicament Louisa could not say. Louisa knew better than to push a family of the prominence of the Earl of Matlock to retaliate. Hopefully, Caroline understood how she could ruin the family with one ill-conceived comment in the wrong ears. Louisa had no wish for Charles to marry Miss Bennet, though she was a good sort of girl. She would accept Charles's choice a thousand times over rather than risk vengeance from the earl's family.

"Louisa," snapped Caroline, drawing her attention back to her sister. "You must not be so dull while we decide what is to be done. Why, I dare say you heard not one word in ten!"

One word in twenty, more like , thought Louisa to herself.

"It does not seem there is much to be done," said Louisa, suddenly tired of the whole affair. "If Mr. Darcy's response does not prove his disinterest, I do not know what will."

"That is unacceptable," snapped her sister. "I have invested three years of my life into this effort to provoke a proposal from Mr. Darcy. I shall not surrender now when I was so close to success."

"Oh, Caroline," said Louisa, "I cannot understand what you see when you look at Mr. Darcy. Have you ever looked at him and attempted to comprehend him? Has he ever given the impression of a man who saw you as anything other than the sister of his friend?"

"I have no notion of your meaning," said Caroline with a frown. That was an improvement on what Louisa had expected, for she had thought her sister would respond with angry words and denunciations. "What have you seen?"

Louisa knew Caroline had asked her so that she could better plan what she must do to change his opinion. To Louisa, this was a chance to persuade her sister away from what was becoming a disastrous failure.

"Mr. Darcy does not see you as a woman he is considering for his wife, for he displays none of the appreciation of a man interested in a woman. He pays you the precise degree of civility due to the sister of a friend and not a jot more, and his ability to discern exactly what deference he owes you is frankly astonishing. Did you not notice his abrupt departure when he dined with us last week?"

Caroline frowned. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is how he was speaking with you, and suddenly he turned to Georgiana and announced their departure. I know it did not escape your attention, Caroline, for I saw you watching him after, wondering what he was about."

"I did notice something of it," said Caroline, her speech the slow cadence of deep thought.

"Well?" asked Louisa when Caroline did not elaborate. "Have you any notion of what provoked him? Of what were you speaking?"

Caroline's mien darkened, informing Louisa that she had recalled. "We were speaking of Miss Elizabeth. If you recall, he spoke of meeting her in Kent—that was when he informed me."

"Did you say anything to give him offense? That conversation led to his swift retreat."

"I do not remember," muttered a sullen Caroline. "It may have been something about her situation and her unfortunate failure to capture Mr. Collins for a husband."

"That is nonsensical, Caroline," said Louisa, shaking her head in dismay. "My feelings for Miss Elizabeth are not much friendlier than yours, but I can see how a marriage between her and the ridiculous parson that attended our ball would be a most uneven marriage."

"With her disadvantages, it was foolish for her to allow the opportunity to pass her by," insisted Caroline.

There was no reasoning with Caroline, though Louisa needed to attempt it. "Why can you not see the futility of your designs? Mr. Darcy's comments about her in the autumn, his meeting with her in Kent, and his recent behavior toward her all suggest he considers her a potential bride. He has never paid a tenth as much attention to you."

Caroline's eyes blazed with anger. "I shall not allow it," hissed she. "Losing to Eliza Bennet is more than I can endure."

"There may not be a choice, Caroline," said Louisa. "If Mr. Darcy wants her, then he will have her. What he does not want is you ."

"Then perhaps it is time to change my strategy," mused Caroline, already forgetting about Miss Elizabeth.

"What do you mean?" asked Louisa, alarmed. "Surely you do not mean to attempt a compromise. Do not be foolish, Caroline!"

"Of course not!" rejoined Caroline. "I seriously doubt it would move him, even if I could engineer a success."

"Then what are you suggesting?" demanded Louisa.

"This situation with Anne de Bourgh might provide an opportunity," said Caroline. "I wonder if there is any way of using it to force Mr. Darcy to offer for me."

"Caroline!" barked Louisa, terrified her sister would end all for which they had struggled. "Do not be foolish! Did you not hear Lady Catherine's threat? Do you suppose she will not act on it?"

Caroline muttered but did not answer, and Louisa, who knew her sister better than anyone, recognized the mutinous set to her jaw. While Louisa did not think her sister would do anything reprehensible, she could not be certain. It was time to discuss the situation with Charles, for it appeared Louisa's influence over her sister was insufficient to pull her back from the edge of disaster.