24. Chapter 24 #2
Not long after Fitzwilliam took his leave, they had another visitor—Mr. Hadley!
Mary was quite encouraged by the fact that he did not wait long to call on her.
He was friendly and polite to them all while at the same time very attentive to Mary.
When they asked after Mr. Lindsey Hadley, he said his brother was currently visiting friends in the country.
After Mr. Hadley’s visit, Aunt Madeleine confessed that she and Uncle Edward had been planning to introduce the twins to them.
She also expressed what an amazing coincidence it was they had already met them.
Elizabeth liked Mr. Hadley very well, and she hoped things would progress smoothly between her sister and him.
Being so well acquainted with the gentleman and his family, Aunt Madeleine was delighted to learn there was a budding interest between the two.
She said it was an excellent prospect for Mary because Mr. Whitney Hadley was the elder twin and therefore master of his family’s prosperous estate.
This meant he had the freedom to choose a wife to suit himself.
Elizabeth and Jane both turned to Mary, who was clearly surprised by this news.
Looking at her with sisterly affection, they each took one of her hands and squeezed it in excitement.
As soon as Darcy entered the music room, Georgiana jumped up and ran to him.
“Brother! Your note said all was well. You were able to reassure Elizabeth?”
Knowing his sister and Fitz would be wondering if he was able to repair things with Elizabeth, Darcy had sent a brief note to Georgiana.
“I was. All is well. All is excellent. Elizabeth and I are courting,” he said, unable to hide his satisfaction.
“Oh, William, that is wonderful news!” She hugged him tightly, then pulled him to sit down on the couch beside her. “I know you must be relieved things went so well.”
Darcy blew out a breath. “Yes, relieved and thankful. I invited her to come spend the day with us tomorrow.”
“I am so glad you did! It will be delightful to have Elizabeth here! When will you introduce her to the rest of our family?”
“Soon. Perhaps while she is here, we can introduce her at Matlock House or they can come here." He paused. "However, I would like to keep this from Aunt Catherine for as long as possible.”
“Yes, of course," Georgiana quickly agreed. "But William, what should I do about Caroline Bingley? After the way she treated Elizabeth, I want nothing further to do with her. She behaved horribly, but she still had the nerve to call here today.”
“Did you receive her?” Darcy asked.
“No, I did not.”
“Miss Bingley will soon know that she is no longer welcome here,” Darcy explained.
“I am expecting Bingley at any moment. We have several things to discuss, including his sister’s vile behavior yesterday.
He will be sure to make her understand that she will be risking public humiliation should she seek you out.
Since Miss Bingley is so concerned with her social status, hopefully this will be a sufficient deterrent. ”
“Yes, hopefully!”
Darcy rose from his seat. He told his sister he would see her at dinner, then went to his study.
He sat down at his desk and decided to send a note to Matlock House, informing his aunt of his intention to call later that evening. Darcy had just finished sealing the note when Brandon came to inform him that Bingley had arrived. He asked him to send Bingley in and to have the note delivered.
Darcy stood and walked to the window, looking out at the comings and goings in Grosvenor Square. Bingley entered and closed the door.
“Bingley, thank you for coming.”
“Not at all, Darcy. I am glad for the opportunity to speak of what occurred yesterday.”
“Would you like a drink?” Darcy asked.
“Yes, thank you.”
Darcy poured them each a glass of port. They both sat and took a drink.
“Darcy, I apologize again for my sister’s terrible behavior. I hope Miss Elizabeth was not too upset by it.”
“She was most certainly offended, but not overly upset.”
“That is good. Frankly, I was surprised Caroline restrained so much of her venom. She has been in a particularly foul mood since witnessing your attentions to Miss Elizabeth at the ball. Then, after seeing you together yesterday, she practically lost her mind!” Bingley closed his eyes for a moment and rubbed his forehead.
“Darcy, not that my sister has any say in whom you show attention, but you did caution me against showing too much attention to Miss Bennet, did you not? Yet, you and your cousin have been showing quite a bit of attention to her and Miss Elizabeth. Does that same caution not apply to you and Fitzwilliam as well?”
“Of course it does. But Bingley, if you will recall, I did not caution you about merely showing her attention—I warned you about doing so to the point of singling her out and raising her expectations. I knew you admired her, but it would have been cruel for you to give her the impression that you had serious intentions towards her when, in fact, you were conflicted.”
Bingley looked away briefly, then looked again at Darcy. “You are right, of course. I would have likely hurt her, though it was the last thing I wanted to do. Still, you cannot tell me you and Fitzwilliam have serious intentions,” Bingley said, looking away in frustration.
“That is where you are wrong, and that is one reason why I asked you here today.”
Bingley frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Miss Elizabeth and I are courting,” Darcy said.
“Courting?” Bingley questioned, his eyes wide in obvious surprise.
“Yes,” Darcy said with a nod. “From the moment we first met, I was drawn to her. I did not mention my growing feelings while we were in Hertfordshire because I knew you were wishing you had the freedom to pursue her sister. It was clear you were struggling with the decision to put your family’s wants over your own.
I did not wish to make you feel worse by telling you of my plans. ”
Bingley appeared to absorb this information, then asked, “How long have you been courting her?”
“I asked her just this morning.”
“And what about Fitzwilliam?”
“What about him?” Darcy asked.
“He clearly has his eye on Miss Bennet,” Bingley said, irritation in his voice.
“He does. They have been getting to know one another.”
Bingley drank the rest of his port and set the glass down.
“Would you like another?”
“Yes,” Bingley said tersely.
Darcy grabbed the glass and refilled it. He set it back in front of Bingley, then seated himself in his chair.
“Bingley, I am sure you remember the conversation we had with Miss Elizabeth and her sister in the garden at Longbourn. Their aunt has many things planned for their stay in town. They will be attending numerous events. The Bennet sisters are lovely young ladies. If not Fitz, some other gentleman would soon be showing an interest in Miss Bennet. You know this.”
Bingley continued to look away.
“It is one of the reasons I did not hesitate to ask Miss Elizabeth for a courtship. I did not want to be in the position of having to compete for her. Especially since I already knew I wanted her.”
Bingley blew out a frustrated breath. “Yes, Darcy, logically I know this. That does not mean I am at peace with it. It is also irritatingly ironic that my family, whose background is in trade, looks down on the daughter of a gentleman as if she is nothing, yet the son of an earl does not find her lacking at all! A fact that only further confirms her worth, but they would not see it because they do not wish to see it.”
“The way you measure worth and the way your sisters do is as far apart as east and west,” Darcy added.
His friend only grunted in response.
“Bingley, your family’s desire to advance socially is understandable.
But perhaps you should ask yourself, how much advancement is necessary, and to what end?
Will it be worth giving up the things that are important to you?
For instance, will a marriage of convenience be worth forever losing out on having a loving relationship with a woman and a fulfilling marriage?
Of course, you must decide whether you will follow your father’s wishes to the letter or not, because you must live with the decision you make.
Just do not disregard all that you have done and continue to do in carrying out his wishes.
Did you not support your eldest sister in making a match?
Have you not done your best to influence your younger sister to make a wise choice, even though she refuses to comply?
You have also taken steps towards preparing yourself to enter the ranks of the landed gentry.
You have more than proven yourself to be a dutiful son, Bingley. ”
“I appreciate you saying so, Darcy. I have tried to do as I ought. You are correct that I do need to think seriously about what I want. When we left you yesterday, I told Caroline that she had until the end of this coming season to find a husband, or I will be setting her up in her own establishment. She proceeded to speak to me as if I am an idiot, like she normally does, but I simply looked her in the eye and said, ‘you have been warned’. Who knows if she will take me seriously or not. For her sake, I hope she does.”
Darcy nodded. “Speaking of your sister, Bingley, there is something I must tell you. I need you to make clear to her that all association between us is at an end. She is not welcome here, nor is she to contact my sister. If she attempts to speak to me, to Miss Elizabeth, or to any member of my family, she will be publicly humiliated.”
At first, Bingley appeared shocked, then resigned. Finally, he nodded.
“I understand, Darcy. She brought it all on herself. I know you have tolerated her for years because of our friendship. I will make sure she is clear where she stands with you,” Bingley said.
“Thank you, Bingley.”
Bingley wished Darcy well in his courtship, finished his drink, then took his leave.
After seeing his friend out, he wondered if Bingley would continue to hold his ground with his sister. Darcy certainly hoped he would.