Chapter 23
The next morning, after only a cup of coffee to break his fast, Bingley was escorted out of the house and given the reins of his mount before the front door was shut and audibly locked behind him.
He was so angry by the time the horse left the park, that he nearly could not see straight, luckily his long-suffering steed stayed to the path.
He kicked the horse into a gallop, though he responded just a bit slower than he usually would have, due to his misuse over the last several days.
They had just crossed onto Pemberley land when a rabbit burst from the verge, escaping a fox and the horse shied to the left and scraped his flank on sharp branch which sent him tearing down the path to escape from the pain.
Bingley’s lack of attention lost him the reins in the sudden burst of speed, and he could do nothing but yell as he scrambled for purchase in the horse’s mane.
The speed of their wild sprint ripped away his hat and blinded him with tears.
Terrified, he began to cry out to the heavens for relief, and for a moment he thought they had listened.
The horse began to slow, and he cheered that he was saved but the horse still had not stopped, no matter the demands which streamed from his lips.
“Then I shall be fine without you!” He cried out, cursing the Lord once more.
Just as they neared the edge of the wood, a low hanging branch caught him across the face and knocked him from the saddle, and his last thought, as he flew over the horse’s rump and plummeted toward the rocky ground, was ‘now Jane will be sorry that she sent me off!’
∞∞∞
Jane jerked awake from a deep sleep, her mind a mire of terror and sleep induced paralysis.
She listened for her daughter’s cries as her heartbeat returned to its usual pattern, hearing nothing but the distant murmurs of conversation in the adjoining sitting room.
The curtains of the bed had been shut tight against any possible light, so she was forced to climb out of her warm cocoon and open the curtains to check the time on the ormolu clock which stood on the mantle.
It was after eleven, she was surprised that she had been able to sleep at all knowing that her husband was skulking about somewhere within the house.
She paused, contemplating why that would be.
The only thing she could imagine was trust. She had surrounded herself with a houseful of people who she knew she could trust implicitly.
None of them, from Mr. Yates to the youngest kitchen maid, would allow anyone to remove Ellie from the house, and even through her terrified imaginings which had brought such sleeplessness, in her heart, she knew that she could trust all of them to care for and protect her.
The discovery brought a wide smile to her face, and she nearly skipped to the door to see who was about.
Her eyes widened and her heart melted as she entered the room to the deep baritone of Mr. Yates, singing to her daughter who was staring up at him with bright inquisitive eyes while she sucked on her fingers between sweet coo’s of contentedness.
She must have made a noise, because Mr. Yates stopped and rose to face her, bowing his head in greeting.
“I did not mean to interrupt,” Jane smiled, tears welling that she could not imagine her own husband in such an attitude and it hurt her heart that Ellie would miss out on such sweet moments with her Papa. “Is she ready for her morning rest?”
“Yes, we were just discussing her determination to wait until she had greeted her mama,” he teased, tickling the wee girl under her chin and earning a gummy grin and a burble of saliva.
Jane giggled and stepped forward to accept the babe. “I must look a fright,” she winced as she looked down at her likely ruined dress; there was no removing such wrinkles.
“Not at all,” he assured her, quietly admiring her long blond curls which hung to her waist. “I shall go clean up myself and return.”
“No, please, rest for as long as you need. You have likely been up all night.”
He admitted that it was so, “I shall rest for an hour or two. I do not wish to become too used to such idleness.”
She laughed and settled into the rocking chair. “I do not imagine that you could become an idle gentleman should you be forced too. You are much too much of an active sort.”
“You are most likely correct. I shall see you this afternoon. Send a groom for me if you need me before I return.”
Her smile fell at the reminder of the tempestuous encounter the night before, and she nodded solemnly.
“Thank you. I could never have rested without the knowledge that you were acting as a shield for my Ellie. I could only doze before Mr. Bingley appeared, but after, knowing that even my husband could not budge you from your oath, I slept deeply and well.”
“I am glad, ma’am.” He bowed in farewell and left her to settle Ellie for her nap.
When they spoke again the next morning, soon after breakfast, both were more traditionally attired.
Jane asked him to join her and Mary in the sitting room, as they had several questions about her options going forward.
He agreed easily and they stopped at the library to fetch her sister on the way.
They spoke about Mary’s newest studies as they awaited the tea tray but once it was delivered and the door closed, Jane unpacked the heavy worries they carried.
“I know that legally, I can make decisions for the estate, so long as the men about me agree to allow it,” Jane said, Mary snorting in agreement.
“But I have no legal standing as a person. Should Mr. Bingley decide to drag me off, he is within his rights. Should he wish to press about the funds in the bank, I am certain that he would eventually find a man who agreed with him and allowed his access to the account, which is partially why I invested so heavily with my Uncle Gardiner. He will never allow him to touch that investment. Honestly, until he arrived yesterday, I had not thought about how precarious my position still remained. He truly has all of the power. What can I do should he decide to wield it?”
Mr. Yates did not dismiss her concerns by quickly assuring her that things would be well.
Instead, he slowly enjoyed several biscuits as he pondered her worries.
“I can understand your position,” he began, pausing for a sip of tea.
“But I do not feel that you are taking into account your husband’s character.
I do not believe, at least at this time, that he is strong enough to withstand the combined strength of Darcy, your uncles, and myself.
If needed, I could enlist my father to your aid, as I am quite the favorite son he has, and he has never faltered in supporting me.
Even should that harridan that I saw you dispatch with such energy wear him down, I do not believe, when it came down to it, that he would follow through. ”
Jane and Mary shared a look of relief. “You are likely correct in that. Perhaps I am only borrowing trouble, but the real question is, how will he live if not here? Who will support his habits if not me? My uncle left him with ￡300 and from his complaints, he had spent it within a day! As he grows more and more desperate to do as his sister demands, will he not find the strength? I suppose he could sell the London house and live on the proceeds, but I cannot imagine that it would last them a year complete.”
“No, you are correct. Desperation can induce a man to do many things in contradiction of his character.” He looked off as he thought.
“What if you offer him an allowance to remain in London?” Mary offered hesitantly. “Essentially paying him to remain apart from you?”
“That is a thought,” Jane exclaimed, looking to Mr. Yates for his thoughts.
“It would likely be less than he preferred.” He nodded slowly. “It could work. We would need to have him sign a contract of some kind, stating that he would lose the funds if he ever arrived at the estate without your agreement, or attempted to defraud you in any way…”
Jane looked hopeful. “Would it work do you think?”
“I believe it would, especially if we asked Darcy to approach him on your behalf. He may balk if you or I did so; refusing to agree just to be contrary. He took the path toward Pemberley this morning, so he is likely there now, or at least nearby. Let us come up with a number and send a letter to Darcy asking him to make the offer.”
“I should not like to burden the estate, but I also do not wish to use the ready funds to prop up their bloated spending.” Jane nibbled her lip.
“I would think that if you offered to pay for the house in London, with a spending stipend of ￡1000 a year, it could be managed. It is likely nearly what he would have spent on his own for the bills in town, and it will still allow you to save for the future and cover any emergencies on the estate without using your savings.”
“But what of his sisters?” Mary reminded them
“They shall have to shift for themselves with their own fortunes.” Jane had never looked so resolute.
“Louisa has a husband with an estate of his own. They must live within his income rather than bleed her brother dry. As for Caroline, her dowry brings in an amount of nearly ￡800. A generous amount for most families, let alone a single woman without the need to house herself. She will live within it or end up spending the principal. If she wants more, then she should lower her sights to a man actually willing to marry her, not just accept her favors in exchange for invitations.”
Mary’s eyes widened comically, as she had not been informed of that kernel of truth.
“I apologize, Mary,” Jane wrinkled her nose in regret. “I momentarily forgot myself. I ought never to have exposed that information to you.”
“I just did not imagine… well, if I think of it, I would not put it past her.” She grinned. “And I am not so innocent that I am unaware of how many are forced to earn their bread. It is the oldest profession in the world for a reason.”
Jane covered her burning cheeks with her hands. “I believe I shall write that note.”
∞∞∞
It had not been until early that morning that Bingley was found, as his horse, unfamiliar with the area, had wandered off without direction.
A gardener who had been assigned to assess the undergrowth near the track came across the bruised and bleeding man and judging him a toff, because of his clothes, ran to the big house to fetch assistance.
Darcy sent out men with a wagon to carry the injured man to the house, and he and Elizabeth waited word from the butler.
“Mr. and Mrs. Darcy,” Forbush bowed, “I believe that the man may be Mr. Bingley. It is difficult to tell as he has been struck in the face, causing a great deal of swelling.”
“I did not hit him that hard,” Darcy exclaimed, looking at his wife.
“He has suffered some other calamity I believe,” the butler allowed the slightest smile to break at the corners of his mouth. “Perhaps he landed on his face when he fell? It is all speculation. I have had him carried to the sick room near the kitchens and sent for Dr. Worton.”
“Thank you, Forbush.” Darcy assisted his wife to her feet. “Send a rider to Ivy Well. We shall sit with him until the doctor arrives.”
They hurried to the rear of the house and entered the room where a maid sat quietly beside the man on the bed.
Though his coat and breaches were ripped and stained and his boots scuffed beyond saving, they were able to recognize the clothes as the ones which Bingley had worn on his last visit.
Elizabeth shook her head in exasperation.
It was just like him to cause some harm to himself when he did not get his way.
“Do you think he did this apurpose?” she asked once the maid had left them.
Darcy just sighed. “Idiot.”
When the doctor arrived, Elizabeth left them to evaluate the patient while she went to inform Kitty and Georgiana of the issue.
Darcy assisted the doctor in removing Bingley’s clothes to check for wounds while a footman waited with cloths and warm water to clean away the dirt and blood.
His entire torso was mottled with bruises, in addition to his swollen and bloody face and Darcy winced when the man moaned pitifully as the doctor pushed at his dark, distended belly.
“I am very sorry to tell you that I do not believe that your friend will long survive. By the bruising on his stomach, I believe that he has suffered some sort of internal injuries and the bleeding has continued unabated,” the doctor announced.
“How long does he have?” Darcy croaked.
“I doubt he will last the night. If he regains consciousness, I would be free with the laudanum. Hopefully his family can arrive in time to bid him farewell.”
“A messenger was sent to Staffordshire, so they should arrive sometime this evening, I hope.”
“We will pray that that is soon enough.”
The man gratefully accepted the offer of some breakfast while Darcy went in search of the ladies. He found them in the nursery, playing with the twins as they awaited further news.
“What did he say?” Elizabeth asked, hurrying to his side to offer comfort to the obviously perturbed man.
“He is not long for the world,” he replied, earning horrified gasps from the young ladies. “He is bleeding internally, likely from where he landed as the gardener said he was lying in an area of stones when he came across him.”
“Oh, Wills, I am so sorry,” Elizabeth wrapped her arms about him. “I know we are all angry with him at the moment, but he did not deserve this. And he has been your close friend for so long.”
“I have been struggling with feelings of affection and disillusionment. He has always been such a pleasant, entertaining sort of person, but lately he is not a man that I wish to know. I— I am torn.”
Georgiana’s soft heart could not stand it all and she broke down into tears, turning to Kitty for comfort before trading her arms for the stronger ones of her brother.
Elizabeth asked him to see his sister to her rooms while she and Kitty sat with their brother-in-law until Jane arrived, hopefully within a few hours now.