Chapter 25
Louisa accepted the black-edged missive from the butler at Greymere, her husband’s estate.
It had seemed well enough until she had seen Pemberley, then the estate had faded into a paltry country house in her mind, and she had been dissatisfied ever since.
Caroline nursed a cup of tea beside her at the breakfast table and reached over, attempting to snatch the letter from her hand.
“I shall expect you to behave, Caroline,” she snapped, holding it out of her reach. “This is my house and I would thank you to allow me to manage it. If you insist on acting like that, you ought to have had Lady Arabella take you back to London with her instead of bringing you here!”
Caroline pouted and turned away with a sniff. “I just wanted to know who had died, is it even to you? Or is it addressed to your drunken sot of a husband.”
“That is your host, Caroline!” Louisa snapped, nearly finished with her sister’s vicious tongue.
Hurst put aside his paper and stared hard at them both. “You are free to return to London, Caroline,” he drawled. “You would not be missed.”
“Mr. Hurst!” Louisa cried, immediately switching sides in the argument.
“Give me the letter, Louisa,” he demanded, holding out his hand. She flipped it across the table where it slid to a stop beneath the edge of his plate.
He raised his brow in displeasure and reached for it, glancing first at the sender. His eyes widened, “It is from Pemberley!”
“WHAT!” screamed Caroline joyously, jumping to her feet. “That Miss Eliza has done the world a favor and died and I am certain that Darcy is sending me a message!” She began to dance about.
“Do not celebrate too soon, it is not to you at all,” Hurst replied with a smirk. “Perhaps it was Darcy who kicked the bucket and you have lost your chance forever.”
“Do NOT tempt fate with such statements!” Caroline screeched.
Hurst’s brow furrowed as he began to read, his wife losing patience first, “What does it say? Who has died?”
“Your brother,” he answered at last, running a hand over his face. He did not care for the man, personally, but he had enjoyed the advantages of a wealthy brother-in-law. Now he would be required to pay for his own food and drink. And Louisa’s clothes, he groaned aloud.
“Wha…” Louisa’s mouth hung wide.
“NO!” Caroline’s outraged scream made them both wince.
“I am certain that Jane has hired someone to kill him! After all, look what she did to me, with no provocation!” She covered her healing scratches with a hand.
“We must see her prosecuted and see that our estate is returned to the family where it belongs!”
Louisa went to her and patted her hand as tears dripped down her face, but Hurst gave them both a sardonic look.
“If you truly believed that she would hire someone to kill her husband, would you not be terrified that she would do the same to you in order to prevent just such a thing?”
Caroline glared at him. “Shut up, you… you loutish drunk!”
“I would be careful how you speak to me, Caroline, as you will now be relying on Louisa and me for your respectability. I have little desire to support you.”
Caroline’s cheeks burned hotly and she turned to her sister, “Are you going to let him speak to me that way, Louisa?”
“Please, we must be united if we are to succeed in returning my father’s legacy to its rightful family!
” Louisa declared, wiping at her eyes. “Think of how much is at stake! Ivy Well is at least twice as large as Greymere and brings in ￡5000 a year! There must have been at least ￡40,000 in funds as well. We must decide the best way to approach Jane so that she will return it all to us, for I can guarantee that Caroline’s tormenting has not left her in sympathy with the family. ”
“How was I to know that she would change from her mousy, spineless self?” Caroline pouted. “She was so absolutely complying in every interaction in the past. Surely, she could not withhold our birthright from us!”
“You might have had a chance in persuading her if she had not had her daughter,” Hurst rolled his eyes. “An heir always trumps siblings, as you should well know.”
“I nearly had that brat in my grasp,” Caroline pouted.
“You tried to harm her child?!” Louisa gasped.
“Well, there wouldn’t have been a question of an heir then, now would there!” Caroline grumbled.
“You have lost your bloody mind!” Hurst cried, rising to his feet at last. “Get out of my house this instant!”
“Gerald, she was not serious, surely—” Louisa hurried to protect her sister.
“You believe that if it comforts you,” he replied. “You are welcome to join her, perhaps your aunt or uncle in Scarborough might take you both in.”
He stomped away and called for the housekeeper to pack up the ladies for an extended trip, before writing detailed letters to both the Darcys and their Aunt Gertrude in Scarborough, who he was certain would inform the rest of the family within a day.
“Gerald,” Louisa cajoled as she interrupted his writings. “Caroline did only what she thought was best for all of us. Surely you do not wish to supply all of our needs only on the income of Greymere? You cannot blame her for thinking of what was best for all of us—”
“That is quite enough, Mrs. Hurst!” he snarled, whipping about to face her.
“Do you hear yourself? Caroline attempted to murder your niece, or at least threatened to, and you are justifying her actions as understandable? I believe I shall have them pack all of your things, your personal things, I shall use your jewelry to pay for our divorce.”
“Gerald! You cannot! I shall be ruined!”
“Do you think I want one such as you to be the mother of my future children?” he demanded. “I will never allow it!” He bellowed for the housekeeper and gave her further instructions as his sobbing, terrified wife ran from the room.
Her actions had solidified his determination and Hurst watched with a scowl as the women were pushed into a small, decrepit rental coach with only two old nags to pull it, ridden by a postilion.
Caroline’s outrage could be heard for miles.
They would be even more horrified when they arrived in Scarborough and were not at all welcomed but were told that they would be allowed to live with their aunt as her companions, which would provide them with at least a roof over their heads and food in their bellies.
Hurst’s carriage was brought round and he climbed in, making for Pemberley with all haste to represent his family at the funeral despite the banishment of his wife and her sister. He arrived late in the evening, the day before the funeral was to take place, much to the shock of his sister-in-law.
“Mr. Hurst!” Jane exclaimed as the butler announced him. She searched behind him, her misgiving obvious on her pale face.
“Mrs. Bingley, hello. Mrs. Darcy, Miss Darcy, Miss Bennet, Miss Catherine,” he bowed stiffly, sore from the jostling of the carriage for so many hours together.
Elizabeth rose to her feet and curtsied politely. “Did your wife and her sister not accompany you?”
Her lack of pleasure made him smile, “No, ma’am. Louisa and her harridan of a sister have retired to stay with family in Scarborough… indefinitely.”
Jane relaxed immediately and rose to offer her hands in greeting, the crinkling of her stiff, black crinoline dress making her feel like a crone. He took them and bowed low, much lower than usual, and she gave him a look of confusion.
“In her displeasure, Caroline was rather more forthcoming about her visit to Ivy Well then she had been at her arrival and I happily banished her from Greymere. Louisa’s attempts to convince me otherwise bought her a seat in the same carriage.”
“I am so sorry, Mr. Hurst.”
“I am the one who ought to apologize,” he assured her, releasing her hand.
“We all knew how horrid Caroline was behaving and none of us stepped in to stop her. Louisa fiddled with her bracelets and I drank myself deaf to avoid her piercing whine, and as for Bingley, I have never been so disappointed in him.”
“Thank you,” Jane whispered softly, her eyes burning in gratitude. “I hope you are not treated to such scenes again when Louisa returns.”
“Well, as to that,” he coughed and looked away in embarrassment. “I have given a great deal of thought to petitioning for divorce—”
There was a chorus of gasps from the ladies.
“— It is not as if the Ton would not understand after such embarrassment as Bingley and Caroline brought to their name. In fact, I should probably shock them more should I not petition the courts.” He chuckled weakly.
“I—” Jane trailed away, unsure what to say.
“Hurst,” Darcy called, hurrying into the sitting room. “Welcome to Pemberley. We did not think that you would be able to make it. You must have left soon after the express arrived.”
“Within the hour,” he agreed with a bow.
“Are you hungry?” Elizabeth asked suddenly, remembering her duty as hostess.
His stomach growled angrily, making him wince. “Starving. We have not stopped since Barlow.”
“You were in a hurry!” Elizabeth rang the bell. “Would you like a tray here with us or would you prefer to retire to your rooms?”
“I believe I should like to retire,” he admitted, “If you would allow it. It has been a very long day.”
“Of course!” Elizabeth gave the order for a hearty tray to be prepared and sent him with a maid to show him to his room and the waiting bath she was sure that Mrs. Reynolds had ordered as soon as his carriage had been sighted.
“Are you finished with your steward?” she turned to her husband once their guest had gone.
“Yes, the rest can wait until tomorrow.” He placed a quick kiss on her brow. “The footman could not tell me if Bingley’s sisters had arrived with him or not and I dashed away to protect you all in case they had.”
“My valiant knight,” Elizabeth teased, making their sisters smile. “Your gallantry is wasted as the duo has already been banished by Mr. Hurst!”
“Have they indeed?” He raised a brow in disbelief.