Chapter 3
Drawing Room
Netherfield Hall
The Next Day
Lady Bingley, upon entering the drawing room at Netherfield for the first time, had looked about with palpable distaste and declared it sadly old-fashioned and outdated.
Caroline, as she so often did, silently but vehemently disagreed.
She liked the room, large as it was, with its windows well-placed in tight casements and a hearth large enough to support a fire sufficient to warm the entire space, which was especially welcome on a cool day like this.
The furniture was perhaps outdated, but it was still sturdy, still comfortable, and not even threadbare.
It would be wasteful to redo the room and foolish in the extreme, since there was only a year-long lease on the estate.
It was entirely possible that Charles and Georgiana would find Netherfield not to their tastes and decide to move at the end of their lease rather than choosing to stay on.
In light of that, it would be absurd to sink such a cost as would be required to refurnish the house.
Nonetheless, Lady Bingley had lost no time in nagging at her son to update the furnishings in her room, in the drawing room, in his new bride’s room, saying, “Dear Georgiana deserves only the best, do you not think, Charles?”
Charles was adept, by now, at brushing off his mother’s nagging or escaping out of the room away from Lady Bingley when she could not be brushed off.
Caroline had no such freedom, and her mother’s animadversions annoyed her endlessly.
Not that they were surprising, of course; Lady Bingley’s ambitions were well known to her family.
Her concern for an updated house had far less to do with her timid young daughter-in-law’s comfort and far more to do with how modish she wished her son to be in the establishment he kept.
“I am sorry,” Louisa Hurst said suddenly, distracting Caroline from her contemplation, “but I am not feeling well. Do you mind if I retire to my chamber?”
“No, of course not,” Caroline said instantly. “Shall I accompany you upstairs and have a servant fetch tea and toast for you?”
Louisa smiled wanly and rose to her feet. “Yes, please. That would be very kind.”
Caroline took her elder sister’s arm and guided her out of the room and then, concerned, assisted her up the stairs as well. Poor Louisa, while overjoyed by her first pregnancy, was having rather a wretched time of it.
Ten minutes later, Caroline had settled Louisa in her bed with her personal maid in attendance and another servant collecting tea and toast, and Caroline hurried back down to the drawing room.
Her young sister-in-law found Lady Bingley rather overpowering, and Caroline did not like leaving the pair alone.
“My dear Georgiana,” her mother was saying as Caroline re-entered the room, “I well understand that you have little experience in managing a household, and it will be my great pleasure to assist you as needed, especially regarding ordering meals.”
Caroline sat down, picked up her embroidery, and cast an irritated look on her mother. “Mamma, I expect that Georgiana knows quite a bit about managing a household. After all, she spent many years learning under the guidance of Mrs. Reynolds at Pemberley.
“Mrs. Reynolds is most skilled,” Lady Bingley said with a supercilious smile, “but she is a mere servant, of course. In any case, Pemberley, as marvelous as it is, has been quiet since dear Lady Anne’s death, while you will doubtless be hosting large parties in London soon enough.”
Georgiana turned pale at these words and looked beseechingly at her sister-in-law.
Poor Georgiana was very shy, and Caroline, suppressing her exasperation, said, “Mamma, since Charles and Georgiana do not even have a house in London, I think it far more likely that Fitzwilliam and I will be the ones hosting parties next year in Town.”
This had the desirable effect of pulling Lady Bingley’s attention toward her daughter as opposed to her daughter-in-law.
“You are quite right, Caroline,” she agreed with a smile.
“Indeed, we really must settle down and begin making specific plans for your wedding. St. George’s in Hanover Square for the ceremony, of course, and a marvelous wedding breakfast afterwards at Darcy House.
I have not yet met Lord and Lady Matlock, but I presume that they will attend both the wedding and the breakfast? ”
“I am confident that they have every intention of attending Darcy’s wedding, yes,” Caroline replied.
She did not like to openly lie to her mother, and thus had grown accustomed to choosing her words carefully when discussing her wedding.
Darcy would doubtless eventually marry someone, and when he did, the Matlocks would almost certainly attend.
She was merely determined that she would not be Darcy’s bride at the altar.
The door opened at this moment to reveal the butler, a Mr. Sidmon, who stepped in with a group of four ladies in his wake.
Caroline rose to her feet with pleasure as the butler announced, “Mrs. Bennet and the Misses Bennet.”
She looked forward to knowing the ladies from Longbourn better, and in any case, almost anything was to be preferred over discussing her theoretical upcoming wedding with her incredibly ambitious mother.
“Mother, Georgiana,” she said, “I am not certain whether you have met all of the Bennet ladies. May I please introduce you to Mrs. Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, and Miss Mary. Ladies, my mother, Lady Bingley, and sister-in-law, Mrs. Bingley.”
The ladies from Longbourn curtsied, and then Mrs. Bennet said, “May I please introduce my eldest daughter, Miss Jane Bennet.”
Caroline smiled at the woman, who was in fact the angelic creature she had spied at the assembly.
In the light of day, Miss Bennet was even more glorious, with blue eyes the color of the sky, rosebud lips, a straight nose, and blonde hair, which was braided into a crown on the top of her lovely head.
It was surprising, really, that the lady was not yet married, but then again, there had been a shortage of gentlemen at the assembly the previous night, and Caroline also had no idea whether the young ladies were dowered.
“Miss Bennet,” she said aloud, “it is an honor to meet you. Will you not sit down?”
The ladies obeyed, and young Mrs. Bingley remembered to ring the bell, and when a maid appeared, she asked for tea to be served. This was, Caroline thought, very well done of Georgiana, and she was determined to carry most of the conversation so as to protect her young sister by marriage.
“Mrs. Bennet,” she said, turning a cheerful face on the matron, “I hope you will tell us about the neighborhood. I was most impressed with the assembly last night. We felt very welcome!”
“Oh, we are so very pleased to have your company here, I assure you. We are a most welcoming community, truly, and there are four and twenty families in the area with whom we dine on occasion. Not all at once, of course; Longbourn is large, but not that large! But in any case, we are gratified at your arrival and look forward to knowing you better.”
Caroline smiled in return at these words, though she could not help but cast a worried look toward her mother, who was sitting nearby looking disapproving. She did hope her mother would not…
“I daresay that four and twenty families seems like a large society to you, Mrs. Bennet,” Lady Bingley said in a supercilious tone, “but it is nothing compared to the haut ton of London, of course.”
Caroline winced at the sight of indignation on Mrs. Bennet’s face, but Miss Elizabeth promptly said, “Indeed, that is true. There are aspects to country life that are wonderful, in that we are able to know our neighbors in a way that is not possible in London, but certainly Town has its own charms, with so many amusements and people.”
“I presume you and your older sister, at least, have had a Season?” Lady Bingley asked with a haughty lift of her nose.
“We have not,” Miss Elizabeth replied coolly. “It is not common for the local ladies to have a Season in London.”
“What a great pity,” Lady Bingley said condescendingly. “I declare that there is no better place to find a suitable husband than in London during the Season. That is where my elder daughter met and married her husband, you know.”
“Did you meet Mr. Darcy in Town?” Miss Bennet asked, turning toward Caroline, who shook her head and said, “The Darcys and the Bingleys have known each other for many years, and I have been Fitzwilliam’s friend since I was twelve years old.”
“Yes, our families are very close indeed,” Lady Bingley said proudly. “My dear son is married to the only daughter of Pemberley, and Caroline is engaged to the owner and son of the estate.”
“Where is Pemberley?” Miss Kitty asked curiously.
“It is in Derbyshire,” Lady Bingley said, “and the most incredible estate in the entire county, I assure you, with an income of ten thousand pounds a year!”
This provoked a gasp of awe from Mrs. Bennet, while Georgiana flushed bright red from embarrassment at this boastful statement.
The door opened at this juncture to reveal two maids with tea service, and just behind them, to Caroline’s profound relief, were the gentlemen of the house.
She rose to her feet and performed the necessary introductions and was amused when Colonel Fitzwilliam’s eyes fixed immediately on Miss Bennet’s lovely countenance.
It was no surprise given the lady’s beauty.
Indeed, it was more surprising that neither Darcy nor Bingley gave the lady a second glance.
Bingley was married, of course, but Darcy was merely involved in a fake engagement.
Then again, her supposed fiancé was a cerebral man and not given to falling in love with a pretty face.