Chapter 36
Elizabeth was incensed, angry tears burned her eyes as she packed her things to depart Willowmere at the earliest. Her aunt had questioned both her conduct and her judgement.
As Elizabeth thought about the unreasonableness of such an accusation, her youngest sister was engaged in similar reflections in Brighton.
To Lydia it seemed that the world was conspiring to take away all joy from her life.
She had been hoodwinking her mother, meeting Mr. Wickham with Mrs. Forster’s help, but for the past couple of days her friend had been avoiding her, to the extent that she had left the house today without even letting her know.
Lydia cursed her luck anew, she was in this beautiful seaside town filled with officers, only to be confined to the house.
Her mother was bent on destroying all her happiness and her friend who had been her only hope had also deserted her.
She hoped that at least Mr. Bingley would call.
He was a cheerful man who never failed to make her laugh even if he did not flirt with her.
Bingley for his part was busy arranging a footman to keep guard on the Forsters’ home.
He had only intended to distract Wickham from Lydia and sow some doubt in the mind of the Colonel.
He knew from Darcy that Wickham was not to be trusted among young ladies.
The officers’ growing resentment towards Wickham made it clear that his true character was slowly becoming known.
Bingley knew that no other officer would have been brazen enough to trifle with a guest in his Colonel’s household.
Thus Bingley had mentioned the fortune of Mrs. Forster, thinking that Wickham would be distracted by an even easier mark.
Mrs. Forster may not have her dowry in her control, but she would no doubt have access to much more ready funds than Lydia Bennet.
Another advantage, as Bingley saw it, was that Mrs. Forster, as a married lady, would not easily be taken in by Wickham; he expected that the lady may enjoy some flirtation but would put an end to any more nefarious motives on Wickham’s part.
What Bingley had not accounted for was Wickham’s desperation to run away from Brighton; he was in enough debt to fear for his well-being and escape was his only solution.
Any officer with even a modicum of self-preservation would have refrained from any entanglement with his own Colonel’s wife, but Wickham had always had an inflated sense of his own intelligence.
Colonel Forster was not the brightest, but he was not stupid and Bingley had been subtle in raising his suspicion.
He had only once mentioned meeting Mrs. Forster in Wickham’s company, but would casually mention about Wickham calling on the Bennet ladies whenever he would cross paths with the Colonel, making the Colonel suspicious of his officer.
Denny was the closest friend Wickham had in the militia and the Colonel had persuaded him to keep an eye on his wayward lieutenant.
It was a testament to Wickham’s dubious personality that his so-called friend was quick to jump at the opportunity to betray him.
Mrs. Bennet was most satisfied with the turn of events.
With Harriet Forster engaged in her own clandestine outings, Lydia was easier to manage and could even be persuaded to accompany her mother on her various outings.
Mrs. Bennet had dreamt of the sea breeze calming her nerves and finally her vacation was turning into what she had anticipated.
Her only concern was Mr. Bingley’s presence in Brighton.
While the gentleman was as amiable and cheerful as always, she would have much preferred if his charm was on display in her oldest daughter’s presence.
Jane was still in London and she wished that Bingley would now hurry back to town.
The more Bingley lingered, the more worried she became of his affection being diverted to some other fashionable lady visiting the sea-side town.
Unaware of her mother’s anxiousness on her behalf, Jane was not the least bit concerned over Bingley’s departure.
She was for the first time secure in his affections and his intentions and knew that the gentleman would be back once all was sorted.
It was not to say that she did not miss him, for she did yearn for his presence every day but she took consolation in the fact that he had departed to bring peace to her troubled mind.
Caroline Bingley had visited her a few times with her sister Mrs. Hurst and that had kept Jane amused for a while.
The ladies, it seemed, were aware of the interest that the Matlock family had taken in Jane and were much more polite in their behaviour than ever before.
It was during one of these visits by the Bingley sisters that Colonel Fitzwilliam had called with Miss Georgiana Darcy.
The young girl had received a few letters from her brother when he had resided in Hertfordshire, mentioning a Miss Elizabeth Bennet in the most flattering of terms. When he had again written about her from Kent, her curiosity was aroused, but now he was in Hampshire and every missive that he had sent had been half-filled with the mention of the lady.
Georgiana had been considering rushing off to Hampshire herself to meet this paragon when Richard had informed her of Miss Elizabeth’s sister’s presence in town.
She had thus entreated him to introduce her, hoping to gain some understanding of the famed Miss Elizabeth from her sister.
The Bingley ladies had been shocked by the arrival of young Miss Darcy in Gracechurch Street but could not garner many details. Miss Darcy had mentioned Miss Elizabeth’s presence in Hampshire and that had been enough to send Miss Bingley into horrified shock.
“I understand that we are family in a roundabout sort of way, and since my brother seems to hold your sister in high esteem I thought to make your acquaintance,” Miss Darcy stared at the floor, her courage had deserted her once she had been introduced to this angelic Miss Bennet.
“Yes, it was a surprise to us also. We had no idea that Mr. Hardwicke was a cousin to you and Mr. Darcy.”
“You are related to the Darcys!” Miss Bingley had blurted.
“Yes, though it is a distant connection. My aunt, my father’s half sister, was married to Mr. Hardwicke, Mr. Darcy’s cousin. She has been recently widowed, necessitating Lizzy’s travel to her. It was there that she met Mr. Darcy, and we understood the connection,” Jane elaborated.
Miss Bingley was shocked by this unfortunate turn of fate; she knew Mr. Darcy enough to understand that family loyalty had always been important to him.
Now that he was related to the Bennets no matter how distantly, he would never hold them in contempt.
Finding herself unequal to any further conversation, she had taken her leave and departed before she spoke or did something irreparable.
She was aware of Mr. Darcy’s fascination with the second eldest Miss Bennet and though she still considered it an unlikely match, the familial bond did give her pause.
Jane had been unperturbed by the departure of the Bingley sisters and had concentrated all her efforts in knowing why the shy Miss Darcy was so eager to make her acquaintance.
She had been curious about Mr. Darcy’s sister after all the praise that the Bingley ladies had heaped on her, and when Miss Bingley had written about an attachment between her and Mr. Bingley, but she had been unprepared for this timid creature.
Miss Darcy was a sweet girl who gained Jane’s approbation almost instantly.
It was clear to Jane that the young girl suspected an attachment between her brother and Elizabeth and had come to Gracechurch Street to satisfy her curiosity.
She asked a number of questions regarding Elizabeth and then invited Jane to visit her for tea in two days’ time.
Jane had finally understood the reason for the Matlock and Darcy families’ curious behaviour.
It seemed that Mr. Darcy had been in the habit of mentioning Elizabeth in his letters.
Jane had suspected that he may have come to admire her in Kent and was now certain that the gentleman was courting her.
He must be quite decided in his preference for her, from what she saw of his family’s preoccupation with the Bennets.
While the other members of the Matlock and Darcy family had been interested in the Bennet family’s connection and situation, Miss Darcy only wished to know about Elizabeth.
Her questions ranged from asking after Elizabeth’s looks, to her accomplishments and her nature.
She occasionally mentioned something or the other her brother had said about the lady and Jane would be amazed anew at Mr. Darcy’s deep understanding of Elizabeth’s character.
Jane hoped with all her heart that Elizabeth was at least aware of being courted; for all her intelligence, her sister could sometimes be quite dense.