Chapter 31

“Darcy, can you explain what on earth happened yesterday. Caroline will not stop wailing, Louisa seems to have been struck mute and Hurst is even more drunk than normal. I must tell you that I was happy to get your note last night but from what little I can discern there was an unfortunate incident yesterday afternoon.”

With that Charles Bingley was silent. He and Darcy were on horseback, although both steeds were walking slowly. Darcy was not ready to have this conversation but knew it was urgently needed. It was why they were in Hyde Park before the sun had even risen above the horizon. It would be painful and would take a while.

“Bingley, I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news but there is no way to avoid it.”

With that as an opening sentence Darcy proceeded to outline all that he had discovered in Kent. He produced the letters from the inner pocket of his riding coat and Bingley could see they were in his sister’s distinct script. The more details Darcy explained the more horrified he became.

“I know that you are innocent of any of the rubbish written by your sister but I am afraid you are tangled in the net she has woven. If the contents of these letters became widely known then it would ruin Georgiana, years before setting foot in society. It is unacceptable, something I can see you understand just from the look on your face. When Richard and I returned to London we told his mother, my aunt, and she was livid. She was going to give the cut direct to Miss Bingley. She also shared this fact with Lady Maria Leonard, her closest friend.

“This is where everything intersects yesterday afternoon. You know that your sister was unable to keep a civil tongue in her head whenever she was around Miss Elizabeth Bennet. She came across her while both were out shopping on New Bond Street. She was rude to Miss Bennet on three separate occasions within the space of a few minutes. Unfortunately, the last was within the hearing of Lady Maria. When she discovered your sister’s name she cut her direct. In public, and in the middle of New Bond Street. To make this sordid tale even worse Lady Maria was accompanied by her cousin, the Duke of Desmond.”

Bingley looked like he was about to fall off his horse.

“Please tell me it does not get any worse?”

“This morning in The Times there will be a notice by my uncle, The Earl of Matlock, announcing my engagement to Miss Elizabeth Bennet. I do not remember if Desmond referenced our engagement but he did describe Miss Bennet as a good friend while reinforcing Lady Maria’s cut.”

Bingley was relying on his horse to follow the trail as he sat there his face pale and his eyes closed. His voice, when he finally said anything, was nothing more than a whisper.

“I am ruined. The family is ruined.”

Darcy said nothing and continued beside him waiting for Bingley to at least partially recover.

“My sister insulted your fiancé in front of you?” A nod. “In public?” Another nod. “While the pair of you were walking with the Duke of Desmond and the oldest sister of the Duke of Richwood?”

Darcy pursed his lips but nodded again.

“And this is after she had the utter stupidity to write that I was about to become engaged to your 15 year old sister. A young lady still three years away from making her curtsey to the Queen.”

The silence lasted for close to a mile.

“I have no right to ask this, but it is not going to stop me. Do you have any idea what I should do?”

“I have been scrupulous in the past in not offering advice when it comes to your family.”

“I know Darcy, but I need to hear it, even if it is nothing more than confirming unpleasant truths. Please, for the sake of our friendship, even if it is now broken.”

It was Darcy’s turn to ride in silence but only for a few seconds.

“Mrs. Hurst was with your sister but it is the name Bingley that was the unfortunate centre of attention yesterday. She and her husband need to leave London, and immediately. Wherever you and your sister go, they need to go in the opposite direction. If you return to your home of Scarborough then they need to head to Devon or Cornwall. She needs to break the link with the Bingley name.

“As for you, and your sister, this is the most unpleasant. I have found your sister to be a trial in every social setting for close to two years. It is a reflection of our friendship that I have endured her company. And I use that word advisedly. Until today I would never ask someone to put friendship in front of family. If you do not disown your sister, release her dowry and set her up in her own establishment then you have no future in society. I am sorry to be so blunt but it is true. Do not dare breath a word of this but Miss Bennet saved the life of one of Richwood’s children. She can do no wrong with that family, and through them Desmond. Your sister will never be accepted in society again. Ever.

“I will not tell you what to do, merely explain that this is something that she cannot come back from. Unlike Mrs. Hurst, you still share a surname. If you publicly rid yourself of Miss Bingley then there is still hope for you. You will need to be absent from Town for at least a year but you can recover. You are renowned as amiable, a good dancer and an asset to any occasion. There will be some lingering snide comments but you can recover. I will maintain a friendship with you through correspondence with the view to re-establishing contact in ’14.

“But for Mr. Charles Bingley to survive and then be readmitted to society, you have to sacrifice your sister. I am sorry it has come to that, but it is the truth. No amount of ‘what-ifs’ or wishful thinking can change that.”

It was harsh, beyond harsh it was brutal, but it was the truth. And Charles Bingley knew it.

“Thank you for being honest, Darcy. I will take Caroline north to Scarborough and decide on the journey what I am going to do. The family business has interests in Liverpool and it will be where I base myself. You will only receive one final note from me, telling you of my decision. That decision will determine whether we still have a friendship. Even if I ultimately do not cut Caroline free, know that I have valued your friendship these last seven years. Farewell.”

And with that Charles Bingley wheeled his horse and cantered back to the eastern boundary of the park. Darcy followed in his wake but his horse slowly walked back to Darcy House.

--

“I am sorry that you had to go through that.”

“It was unavoidable my dear. Bingley has never been able to control his sister. We have talked about how Wickham was Georgie’s Achilles Heel, well Caroline Bingley is her brother’s.”

“Do you have any idea how he will act?”

“None at all. And it is a mature act to escape Town and think about the choice while travelling. As I think about it, that may be stacking the deck in favour of cutting her loose. Scarborough is close to a week of travel and I cannot imagine it will be a quiet trip. I will await Bingley’s letter. As of Monday at the latest, the four of them will be out of London for the foreseeable future.”

There had been no way to avoid the awkward conversation, but it was over. While he would be sad to never see Charles Bingley again, Darcy was pleased that Caroline Bingley was gone forever.

“Let us ignore the Bingleys. I was very taken by your words yesterday afternoon when we returned to Leonard House. Is it wrong of me to wish that you had gone ‘full Oxley’ on Miss Bingley?”

“My bad temper and poor manners has a name now does it? ‘Full Oxley’?”

Her impish smile was a constant temptation to Darcy’s title of gentleman.

“Like I said yesterday, there was a moment where I was tempted. It was the way she sneered ‘Miss Eliza Bennet’ but I resisted. What I did not say was that I had no wish to embarrass you, my new fiancé, the Duke or Lady Maria. A country nobody three miles from her home can be blunt in her responses to a jumped-up fortune hunter. Now I am known in society, and I have people that I wish to think well of me. You saw the way she acted, she was desperate, lost control of her tongue and as a result suffered the consequences. And even if she had been utterly appropriate, she still would have been cut because she was stupid enough to write lies about Georgiana in her letters. Again, she sabotaged herself, dragging innocents into her idiotic schemes to separate her brother from my sister.”

“You will tell her of what has happened to the Bingleys?”

“She inadvertently triggered the whole situation through those letters. I have reread the letters she has sent to me, and I think she was in love with the idea of Bingley rather than Mr. Bingley the person.”

“Can you explain?”

“Getting married represents freedom from Longbourn, getting out under the control of Mrs. Bennet. And she has just spent five weeks with Charlotte. The one letter she sent from Hunsford was full of praise for the parsonage.”

Darcy was silent for a moment and Elizabeth watched several emotions flit briefly across his face.

“I am thinking out loud, this may be ill advised. Should you suggest to your sister that she remain in London and not return to Hertfordshire?”

It was Elizabeth’s turn to ponder.

“I can see the merits to such a suggestion. Our uncle always moved in circles where Jane would have had the opportunity to meet more gentlemen than back at home. Those circles have only grown since his elevation.”

“Once we are married you are welcome to invite her to Pemberley. But I think that she will have many times more choice here than in northern Derbyshire.”

It was Darcy’s turn to almost be kissed.

“Thank you, William. You are right though, it would make much more sense to remain here. There is no confusion over roles, it has been more than three years since she was last in Town, and that was only for the weekend. I will talk to Uncle Gardiner before she arrives and get his opinion. The only issue I can see is that it may give Mrs. Bennet an excuse to arrive in London unannounced.”

She had a sudden thought.

“William, are you not likely to be bombarded with visitors after the announcement of our engagement. Have you abandoned your poor butler to say ‘Mr. Darcy is not at home’?”

“There is an element of that, I have no wish to deal with those that claim a connection. Anyone who really knows me will know to stay away. Georgiana is back with the Matlocks for 10 days to avoid any of the circus. What about here?”

“Lady Maria has already warned me that attending church on Sunday will be a trial and that we will have to be ‘at home’ on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to satisfy the curiosity of those members of the Ton with nothing better to do with their time.”

“Should I be in attendance?”

“Honestly, I have no idea. I will consult with Lady Maria and let you know.”

“Are you nervous?”

“Not in the slightest. Who is going to cast aspersions while I am sitting in the morning room of Leonard House with Lady Maria Leonard and the Countess of Matlock beside me. Lady Maria is also planning for her sister to attend one morning.”

That lady’s husband was an Earl and a member of the Cabinet; the President of the Board of Trade. If there were going to be snide comments by the disappointed female members of the Ton, it would not be while in Leonard House.

--

Jane Bennet hugged her sister before they went to their separate carriages. Other than worshipping at different churches, they had been in each other’s company throughout the weekend. Saturday had been spent sharing the news of Elizabeth’s engagement and life in London for the previous three months. When she returned after church the rest of the Sunday had been spent thinking and talking about their futures, and the rest of the family.

“If I was thinking only of myself then I can see how staying here with Uncle Gardiner is the most sensible action. But you have read Mary’s letters, she needs my help. Kitty has started to help with the tenant visits but they are still behind. And that is before dealing with Lydia. Sending her off to Brighton with the Colonel’s wife when the Militia decamp is madness even by the usual standards at Longbourn.

“As for our parents, I am not going to lie, but at the same time I am not going to endlessly answer every question from Mama. She will have as many questions about Uncle Edward as about your situation. Well maybe not that many, but I will use it as a distraction. And I have been charged by Charlotte to visit Lucas Lodge to inform them of how she has settled in Kent. I have a letter for Mariah that Charlotte does not want intercepted by their mother.”

“We will write every week, and if there is a way for you, Mary and Kitty to attend my wedding then hopefully we can discover it. I am sorry that it is not easy and normal but I do not want the day ruined by either of our parents.”

Jane Bennet did not scold her sister for her words. She knew the truth of them.

Half a day later and she was handed down from the Gardiner’s carriage back at Longbourn. Although Elizabeth’s return had been more than six months earlier there were eerie similarities to that day, not least her mother’s volume.

“Allow me to clean myself and remove the road dirt and then I will sit with you all. Mary, will you give me a hand please.”

Other than handing a letter from Elizabeth to her, Jane and Mary did not delay upstairs. Longer discussions could wait for the evening. Soon they were in the parlour with the other female members of the house. Of Mr. Bennet there was no sign.

“I had a very pleasant time in Kent with Charlotte, the five weeks passed quickly. The parsonage felt very like Lucas Lodge. Not in size but in the way it was maintained. There was a fresh smell and each room was immaculate. She has taken immense pride in her new establishment.”

Mrs. Bennet was not ready to hear praise about the woman who would supplant her as the Mistress of Longbourn. They had barely started talking and she was already being ‘sniffy’.

“That is as maybe, but I am sure they must talk about the day they will inherit Longbourn.”

“Charlotte never mentioned it once Mama, she is better mannered than that, especially with me as a guest of the house.”

It took a moment for Mrs. Bennet to realise what Jane was saying.

“But Mr. Collins is not silent on the matter, is he?”

Elizabeth had struck true with her jab about the 10 th Commandment. William Collins was a covetous man and there was rarely a week went by without him imagining himself as the Master of Longbourn. Even with Jane residing in the parsonage he had not curbed his tongue.

“No Mama, Mr. Collins talked of it several times.”

“I knew it. And there is Lizzie, now engaged to that disagreeable man, not a care for her family. We will be starving in the hedgerows because she would not do her duty and marry Mr. Collins. If my brother does not save us I do not know what we will do. Tell me about his new situation.”

“There has been little change since the start of the year. The house is unchanged from when you last visited all the way back in ’07. Cousin Edward just turned 18 last month, Angela is 12, Rebecca is 11 and Michael is 8.”

It was clear Mrs. Bennet did not care about her nephews and nieces, at least right at that moment.

“Are they thinking of moving? Has the house been redecorated? What is Agatha’s taste like? Is there new tableware and silverware? How is my brother marking his distinction?”

The questions were all material and mercenary, and asked in rapid succession. Jane gathered herself.

“I did not ask if they were moving”.

A truthful answer as she had been told of the move to Bryanston Square, but hardly a full and complete one.

“The house was redecorated last summer when Uncle Gardiner remarried. And according to Lizzie it was more of a refresh than a complete redecoration. He has always entertained and has appropriate silver and table ware. What was your last question? Oh yes, marking his distinction. I do not know that I am best placed to answer that. Perhaps it is better addressed to our uncle in your next letter.”

“You are telling me that little has changed in nearly a year, despite his elevation to a Baronetcy?”

Jane nodded happily. Her mother on the other hand was beside herself. An opportunity of a lifetime to shop for new everything and it had been squandered. Jane could only imagine what Mrs. Bennet’s next letter would be like.

“Did you hear Jane? I am to accompany Mrs. Forster when the Militia move to Brighton.”

Lydia was impatient to be the centre of attention, basking in the effusions of their mother, and lording it over her sisters, especially Kitty.

“I had heard it was being discussed. But no, I had not heard that Papa had agreed to the trip.”

“He has not yet, but I know that he will. It will be the most wonderful thing.”

As if following a script, Kitty bemoaned her fate and the unfairness of her younger sister getting to go to Brighton while she was stuck at Longbourn. Lydia mocked her and Mrs. Bennet told her off for upsetting her nerves. Everyone played their role.

It was not until dinner that Elizabeth’s wedding was discussed. It had been conspicuous by the lack of interest but Mr. Bennet raised the matter. He had greeted Jane upon her return but had immediately retreated to his study. Dinner was the first time she had spent any time with him. There was a recap of her time in Kent before Elizabeth was mentioned.

“Did you see Elizabeth while you were in London?”

“I did. I spent Saturday and Sunday with her.”

Jane said nothing more.

“And of what did you talk?”

“The last three months, my time in Kent with Charlotte, Uncle Gardiner’s new status, there was much to share.”

“And her engagement?”

“She talked of it, and of Mr. Darcy. It was lovely to see her so happy.”

“Jane, I require more fulsome answers. I do not wish to engage in 20 questions. What did she say of her engagement?”

“She did not share much. She only got engaged last Tuesday, it is less than a week old. You saw the announcement in The Times on Friday. She explained that she had met Mr. Darcy many times during the season and he requested a courtship. Their engagement was the end of that process.”

This was one of Elizabeth’s lies but it was consistent with the story told to others. Neither she nor Darcy were going to share that the courtship was obvious to all but the two central parties. Unless you had observed them, it was difficult to understand or believe. Mrs. Bennet piped up from the other end of the table.

“Which events? And how was she able to attend to so many events during the season?”

“We did not talk of those details Mama. She was happy with the outcome of the courting, we did not talk of the details of it.”

News, gossip and titbits were the currency of the local ladies. Mrs. Bennet did not have much additional information to share beyond what everyone had read in The Times. She huffed at her end of the table.

It was much later that Jane and Mary were finally able to talk freely. Jane shared all that she and Elizabeth had talked about that weekend.

“Her wedding is going to be small, intimate even. She doubts there will be 30 guests in total. She is upset that it is very likely you and I will be unable to attend. But neither Elizabeth nor I can see a way for the two of us to attend without causing issues with Mama and Papa.”

Mary sat and pondered the matter and realised they were right. Jane was of age but she was still under the control of her father.

“I have been away for more than five weeks, what have you not shared in your letters?”

“Let me group them into similar bundles. Let me start with Longbourn. I am behind in tenant visits but also time in the stillroom. And the two go together. Starting tomorrow we need to prepare additional remedies. It was not mentioned today but Kitty would now like to be known as Catherine, her birth name. It is proving to be a challenge for the rest of the house to accede to her basic wishes but if you and I are consistent then it will hopefully change. She has been a help, especially in the last fortnight ever since the idea of Lydia going to Brighton was proposed. We had to work to separate them before you went to Kent, now she is happy to be away from Lydia. I will come back to her in a moment.

“Mama was out of sorts while you were away. The exact issue you and Charlotte have mentioned to me. She desperately wants you to be married but does not seem prepared for that eventuality. Again, we will come back to the goings on at Lucas Lodge. Papa is ever more remote. He is up early, I occasionally broke my fast with him, but then he retires to his study and is rarely seen for the rest of the day. He has set aside Thursday as the one day he will ride the estate but even then, he is often back by lunchtime. And I do not believe he is maintaining the ledgers.”

“What about last year end?”

“Elizabeth did most of the work before she left. He was banishing her but shamelessly had her update them as much as possible before Twelfth Night. But since then?”

Mary shook her head.

“Catherine has informed me that since Charlotte’s departure things have been turbulent at Lucas Lodge. She gets her information from Mariah, who is most unhappy at present. Lady Lucas has thrust most of Charlotte’s duties upon her. Just as Mama would do to me if you were to marry and leave. Aunt Philips has been less than discreet as usual and is speculating that Sir William was taken aback at how much work Charlotte was shouldering.”

“I have a letter for Mariah that Charlotte does not want her mother to intercept and open. She has heard the same thing as Kit-, sorry Catherine. That will take a while to sink in. Anyway, Charlotte’s industry was shielding not just Lady Lucas. Now you mentioned there was news with Lydia?”

“It is probably the thing I am most conflicted about. From the outside she is unchanged, still prone to being impulsive and with an unhealthy obsession with officers. Then there is this new friendship with the wife of the Colonel of the regiment. What I am struggling to comprehend is the subtle change in the last two months. This is not the work of a few days or even weeks. We just did not discern it even before you left for Kent.

“Where she did not, and would not, listen to us, she has listened to Mrs. Forster. I do not know exactly how much that lady has shared about money, but she must have shared a lot. Lydia has dropped her interest in the younger and more junior officers. And it was almost an instant switch. One day it was all Captain Denny this and Captain Denny that, the next day she all but cut him in the street. Lydia might be impulsive and far too much of a flirt but she is also mercenary. Catherine overheard her mumbling that she will not settle for anything, or rather anyone, less than a Major. The only Major with the Militia is married and so I think she wants to go to Brighton with the purpose of husband shopping.”

This was more sense than she had exhibited in the last year. Jane spotted an issue however.

“How will she decide if they are honourable with their intentions?”

A question that two maidens could not answer, or ask their father.

“That is by far my biggest worry. We both know Papa will send her off without a word of warning or advice. He will abandon the responsibility of her onto the Colonel. And Mama will actively encourage her to do.” There was a distasteful pause. “Whatever is necessary to secure a husband. She will be prime fodder for a smooth-talking rake. Especially one who is only in Brighton for a short time.”

“You think there is no way we can dissuade Papa from allowing her to undertake this trip?

“None at all. If she is not allowed then both Lydia and our mother will make such a noise with their wailing and gnashing of teeth that, to mix biblical stories, the walls of Papa’s study will fall.”

“Is there anything we can do?”

“In a word, no. Uncle Gardiner cannot travel. Young Edward is needed at the business and is too young to deal with someone like Lydia. Uncle Philips has his own business and cannot spare the time. And our father will not stir himself for the estate never mind chaperoning his youngest daughter. Other than Michael who is only eight, that is every male in the family. Oh, other than Mr. Collins.”

“Would father hire a companion?”

“I doubt it, but it is an idea. We need someone similar to Lady Catherine de Bourgh, or at least the way you described her in your letters.”

The laughed, at both the description and its truth.

“How is Lizzie? You said she was happy. Is she truly?”

“I underplayed it at the dinner table. She is radiant. You know that Charlotte and I both thought of her as having a hard edge to her when she was here in the autumn? Well that hardness has gone. There was a calmness to her, and acceptance of her lot in life. It was really obvious to me and more than a little humbling. The last time I saw her was the morning after Twelfth Night and she was this combination of sad, angry and bitter, all encased in a hard shell. But I can now look back and understand. She has not been banished, at least technically. She is still a Bennet but.”

She paused and thought.

“She is still a Bennet but I do not think she acknowledges Mama and Papa as her parents. It is a reverse disownment. Such a thing does not exist legally but I think it is the best way to describe her outlook on Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. She did not name father when talking at the weekend but she did talk of Mrs. Bennet rather than Mama.”

“What of the future?”

Jane clasped Mary’s hand.

“She talked to me about just staying in London. She said there would be many opportunities for me to find a husband. She also said you and I were welcome to stay at Pemberley, we could have a home there. From what you have said, I am sure she would welcome Catherine as well. But she is not even 17 until the summer so is under Papa’s control for four more years. You still have two years until you reach your majority. That is the challenge I face, we face. How do we move on with our lives while leaving the younger to deal with Longbourn?”