Chapter 14
Darcy’s Bedchamber
Netherfield
Midnight
According to the mantel clock, which was dimly lit by the low-burning fire below it, Darcy had climbed into bed almost an hour previously, and yet sleep continued to elude him.
His mind was full of thoughts of Elizabeth Bennet.
The moment that Caroline had announced the end of their engagement at Longbourn kept repeating over and over in his mind.
He had been watching Miss Elizabeth, trying to guess at her feelings on the matter. Was she indifferent? Pleased? Excited?
Darcy felt lighter than he ever had. It was as though he had been burdened by a weight he had never perceived, and now that it was lifted from his shoulders, he felt as free as air.
Being married to Caroline Bingley would not have been a catastrophe precisely, but to be master of his own decisions and future induced a heady, relieved feeling.
He was genuinely surprised by the force of his own euphoria.
After all, it had been some two years since Caroline had privately told him that she did not wish for the engagement and would call it off on her one and twentieth birthday.
More than once, she had reminded him of this intention.
It had, in hindsight, been an odd sort of limbo, being formally and publicly engaged to a woman who had declared that she had no intentions of marrying him.
It was not within his power to call off the engagement, and thus he had depended entirely on her holding to a resolve formed, or at least first announced, when she was nineteen.
If Darcy were being completely honest with himself, he was not sure that he had ever truly been convinced that Caroline would actually spurn their betrothal when the time came.
It was one thing for a young woman to express a desire to choose her own husband, but it was quite another for the young lady to reject a marriage to, without exaggeration, one of the most eligible men in England and certainly the most eligible she could reasonably expect to marry.
Even if she did not desire the match, Caroline was a woman of considerable sense, and practical considerations demanded she marry as well as possible.
All of that aside, Lady Bingley was not a woman easily gainsaid, and Darcy found himself impressed with his former betrothed.
Caroline’s fortitude under her mother’s anger was impressive, and Darcy would support her in her decision, come what may.
Caroline deserved, within the confines of God’s Will, to be the mistress of her own fate and life.
Darcy pondered the scene that had been waiting for them when the party had returned from Lucas Lodge.
Charles Bingley had never been a terribly assertive man, always more easy-going than his mother and his younger sister, yet Lady Bingley’s departure told another story.
It seemed almost certain that Bingley had put his foot down and escorted her from the premises.
When Bingley returned to Netherfield, Darcy would indicate his wholehearted approval of his friend’s course of action.
He turned over in bed, pulling the blankets up higher.
At the thought of his future, a new image had risen in his mind, or rather, one that was becoming quite familiar.
He thought perhaps that Miss Elizabeth had smiled after being told of the end of the engagement.
It was on that pleasant thought that he fell asleep.
***
Breakfast Parlor
Netherfield Hall
The Next Morning
29th December, 1811
Caroline had enjoyed many superb breakfasts in her life, but this one was especially blissful.
She munched her way through a piece of toast smeared liberally with some of the best marmalade she had ever tasted, following it with a sip of truly excellent tea, and then sampled eggs that surely must be the freshest ever scrambled.
She almost laughed at herself and her own fancies.
She knew that it was not really the food.
The cook was outstanding, and consequently the breakfast was too, but it was no more skillfully prepared than the previous morning.
Her own buoyant spirits leant savor to her food, her joy at the twofold blessings that colored her whole world with gladness.
She was no longer engaged and no longer faced her mother’s bitter haranguing.
Caroline took another bite of toast, thinking of Charles with wonder and gratitude.
She had not expected her brother to do anything but look mildly uncomfortable and escape the room any time Lady Bingley started to berate her about the end of her engagement to Darcy.
Charles was not firm of will, and though he was kindly, he had never willfully engaged in confrontation with their autocratic mother.
Perhaps now that was changing, and for the first time, she wondered what her brother had thought of her engagement to Darcy.
Had he disapproved? Certainly he had no real reason to do so, yet he had leapt to defend her in the face of Lady Bingley’s rage when Caroline had called off the betrothal.
Caroline sat back in her chair, sipping her tea as she pondered the recent turn of events.
Charles disliked confrontation and arguments, but Georgiana was actively afraid of raised voices and harsh words.
Perhaps she had asked her husband to send Lady Bingley away?
Or perhaps he had taken the initiative to do so, not wanting her to be subjected to Lady Bingley’s temper any further?
At any rate, Caroline felt that she was the primary beneficiary of her mother’s absence.
It was a wonderful thought, that she would not need to endure tempests and furies over her refusal to marry Darcy.
She was free to go about her business and spend time with her friends without having to ward off viperish words and constant nagging and screaming.
Of course, she would now need to spend more time caring for Louisa, as their mother had been helping to fulfill that role, but spending more time caring for her sister was no hardship.
Caroline glanced at the ceiling thoughtfully.
She wondered how Louisa was feeling about Lady Bingley being sent away.
It was quite possible that she would feel forlorn that the older woman, experienced with carrying and delivering children, was no longer available to be of assistance and comfort to her.
On the other hand, Caroline was unsure just how much comfort their mother truly was.
Lady Bingley was a genuinely acerbic sort of person most of the time, and though Louisa was generally phlegmatic, her pregnancy and illness had shortened her patience and caused her an unwonted restlessness of spirit.
Perhaps, Caroline thought, Lady Bingley’s departure would prove restful to all the inhabitants of the house, and thinking of the way their mother had behaved so arrogantly towards Mrs. Nicholls and the maids, she mentally included the servants in that.
The door opened, and she looked up as Darcy entered the room and pulled the door shut behind him.
“Good morning, Fitzwilliam,” she said with a smile. “I hope you slept well?”
“I did,” he said simply and walked over to gather food from the buffet set on a sideboard.
She was not insulted by this short response, as Darcy was quiet most of the time and even more so before he had his coffee.
Thus, she waited patiently for him to sit down next to her and even gave him five full minutes to eat and drink before she said, “So, are you happy to no longer be engaged to me?”
He looked up from his plate with a surprised expression. “Caroline, I am not certain it would be very kind of me to say yes.”
She grinned and said, “I am very happy to be single again, and I hope you are happy as well. Truly, Darcy, I care for you as I do my own brother, but the thought of marrying you! Well…”
She shivered dramatically, which provoked a reluctant smile, and Darcy said, “Well then, I confess that I am very pleased. I would have wed you as my honor required, of course, but I am in agreement that we are not well suited.”
“We are not,” Caroline said, took a sip of tea, and then continued, “but I rather think that you are very well suited with Elizabeth Bennet.”
This provoked Darcy to jerk in surprise and turn wide eyes on her. “What?”
“Elizabeth Bennet?” Caroline said, lifting her right eyebrow in a way which she knew he could not. “I have seen how often you look at her and how much you enjoy speaking with her.”
Her former fiancé stared at her for a long minute, and then his shoulders slumped a little.
“It is true enough that I admire Miss Elizabeth very much,” he agreed. “I feel badly that it was obvious when you and I were yet still engaged.”
Caroline cast her eyes heavenward and said, “I know you very well, Fitzwilliam. I doubt anyone else is aware of how much you admire the lady.”
“I am attracted to her,” Darcy said and blew out a breath. “In fact, it is something perilously close to love.”
“What is the problem with that?” Caroline demanded.
He deliberately cut a bite of ham, forked it into his mouth, and chewed it, before he said, “Firstly, I was engaged to you as of two days ago, and I cannot imagine Miss Elizabeth would be pleased if I started pursuing her within days of breaking off our engagement.”
Caroline considered this as she drank the rest of her tea, and then nodded, though reluctantly. “That is a reasonable point.”
“The other issue is that I … that is, now that I am no longer engaged to you, I wonder if I ought to look for a wife from the haut ton. I am confident my uncle Matlock and aunt de Bourgh would argue that I must.”
Caroline snorted inelegantly and reached out to touch Darcy on the sleeve. “Darcy, please do not marry based on connections and wealth. Please! I never wanted to be your wife, but I consider you a friend, and I know you well enough to recognize you would not be happy in a marriage of convenience.”
He stared at her, and smiled, and said, “Perhaps you are right.”
“Of course I am,” she said firmly. “But if you do decide to pursue Miss Elizabeth, take care not to be arrogant in your interactions with her. The Bennets are superior to the Bingleys in terms of birth, as Longbourn has been in the family for generations. Without a doubt, you could reach very high for a bride, and I expect your relatives will push you to do what they want, as my own mother did, but you must remember that you were prepared to marry me. You will be happier with a love match, but do not make the mistake of thinking that Elizabeth is yours for the asking.”
He looked genuinely startled at this and spent five minutes cogitating before he asked, “Do you think that Miss Elizabeth would … that is, with the estate entailed away, do you…”
“I believe,” Caroline interrupted firmly, “that Miss Elizabeth is a clever and intelligent lady, who likes you quite well but will not put up with pride and superiority from a suitor.”
“Hmmmm.”