Chapter 25 #2
“He mentioned divorce,” Jane informed him in a pained whisper, not wishing the servants to overhear.
“He is serious indeed,” he frowned, looking after the man.
∞∞∞
The funeral was as solemn as any such occasion is want to be, though it was only attended by Darcy, Hurst, and Yates, wearing black armbands, and the footmen Darcy had tasked with transporting the coffin.
In the end, Jane’s soft heart won out, and he was buried in Pemberley’s cemetery while the ladies prepared a small but delicious luncheon upon their return.
Jane was glad that there were no neighbors to commiserate, nor gossips to placate, for she was unsure how she could play her part in the farce with so much anger in her heart.
Kitty’s words had given her such a disgust of her husband that she nearly choked with the gall of it!
To demand her eternal grief and fidelity, especially after his own faithlessness.
.. her nostrils flared as she thought of it.
“It is done,” Darcy announced as he led Yates, Hurst, and the pastor, Mr. David Kirby, who he had invited to join them, into the room. “How like Bingley to find such a permanent solution to remove him from the consequences of his own actions.”
“Hah!” Jane released a bray of inappropriate laughter, then colored in mortification. “I apologize for my lack of control, I believe I am tired.”
“Of course you are,” Elizabeth smirked, patting her hand.
“After we eat, I believe I shall begin my travels,” Hurst announced as he dropped into a seat. “I mean to go to London to confer with my solicitors. Might I assist with anything at the Bingley townhouse?”
“I have asked my aunt to pack up the house and send it all north,” Jane told him.
“I plan to sell the house, unless Charles changed his will, of course. If he decided to leave the house to Caroline and Louisa I would understand. I shall likely never set foot in the capitol again, so it matters little to me.”
“I doubt he bothered,” Hurst grumbled. “He likely would not have written one at all but your uncles forced him to as part of your marriage settlements.”
Jane sighed in resignation and nodded, looking away.
“Jane,” he said, surprising her with his familiarity.
“Do not entertain Caroline and Louisa’s demands.
If they approach you with some tale of woah, I wanted you to be informed of my reasons so that you would not be drawn in.
They do not deserve your daughter’s inheritance just because they were sisters with her father.
They each received their own inheritance, of course, and the fact that Caroline’s is now gone is her own fault, well, and Bingley’s, as she has been overspending for years and Bingley just kept covering the costs as the amounts piled up.
Likely she has spent at least ￡30,000 since she came out six years ago. ”
“What?” Jane gasped. “How could she possibly?”
“She redecorated her rooms every year as well as bought entirely new wardrobes for every change of the seasons and has an enormous collection of jewelry. Not to mention the multiple redecorations she insisted on doing on the London house, Netherfield, and Ivy Well; all with the most ostentatious, overpriced things she could find.”
“I can see how that would add up, my uncle has been selling off the worst of it and has recouped nearly ￡8000.” She shook her head in disbelief.
Hurst snorted in agreement. “I do believe the entire Bingley family is just unable to grasp the expectations and manners of polite society. The fact that Caroline expects to make a match in the first circles is just another instance of her lack of awareness when it comes to the reality of her position in the world.”
“It is your fault, you know,” Elizabeth declared with a grin. “You willingly married Louisa after all.”
Hurst laughed. “Had I met the sister beforehand I would have thought twice I assure you.”
“I too must leave, Mrs. Bingley,” Mr. Yates said, appearing at her side with a plate of food for her. “I will need to be on hand to answer any questions the tenants and servants may have in your absence. Do not hurry back, I shall see to things. You need the support of your family at this time.”
“Thank you for taking that worry from my shoulders, sir,” she replied, a relieved smile gracing her lips. “I plan to return in a fortnight or so.”
“Excellent.”
As her sisters were speaking with Hurst, and Jane to Mr. Yates, Mary peeped through her lashes at the tall, handsome rector.
She had met him the day before when he came to speak with Jane about the funeral and had found herself unable to look away from his bright blue eyes and kind smile.
When he looked about after retrieving a plate of his own and settled his eyes on her before coming her way, her heart nearly exploded in terror.
He asked permission to sit beside her, and she hardly knew how she answered as her brains had turned to mush, but he smiled as he settled onto the sofa, so she must not have stumbled too badly.
“I am glad to see that Mrs. Bingley is not too downtrodden,” he said, leaning close so as not to be overheard. “Sometimes, I do not believe that the mourning customs we practice are healthy or wise for those left behind.”
Mary felt a flare of jealousy. Was he hinting that he had intentions toward her admittedly gorgeous sister she wondered, and warned him, “Yes, but she is too good a person to cut short her mourning, though she insisted that we only do so for three weeks. She will not be interested in another relationship until it is completed.”
He agreed with a nod. “I too felt the same when my wife died several years ago. I am sure when she is ready, she will find some lucky man to join her life to that will offer fulfillment and joy.”
Mary blinked, attempting to discover a deeper meaning in his words. “She is very deserving. I am certain that she will be very happy in the future. She has worked hard to learn all she needed to manage the estate and such, and she has gained the trust and affection of all her staff.”
He did not look away from her face, surprising her, “She is an excellent woman. Something I have noticed of all the Bennet girls.”
Mary blushed so deeply she felt that she might swoon just to escape the feeling. “I— I—”
“I did not mean to make you uncomfortable, Miss Bennet,” he murmured earnestly.
“No, I—” She tried again, “I was only surprised by the— compliment. I thought we were speaking of my sister.”
He fought a grin, “While your sister is everything lovely, I often find my eye will be drawn in another direction entirely.”
“eep” she squeaked.
He chuckled quietly under his breath. “Kindness and intelligence are alluring qualities in a woman.”
“But I am plain!” Mary wailed, drawing the attention of the room.
“Mary Rebecca Bennet!” Jane cried, turning away from her companion. “You are not plain! Your looks are understated, perhaps, but you are lovely.”
Mary’s blush returned with a vengeance and she shook her head, silently pleading with them not to continue. Her sisters allowed her her privacy and went back to their conversations, but Mr. Kirby was not so willing to let it stand.
“My first wife was a beautiful woman,” he informed her, quietly. “Nearly as handsome as Mrs. Bingley, at least in appearance. I had married for attraction, after all, and regretted it every day as she was a frivolous and expensive woman, and we had little in common.”
Mary did not know why his admittance hurt as it did; she was not beautiful after all and knew it. She looked down at her hands, which were clenched tightly and attempted to soften their grip as she listened.
“When I first saw you, I will admit that I noticed that you were not as handsome as your sister, but what caught my attention was your willing heart and kind words. Your intelligence, too, was noticed, and I enjoyed speaking of scripture and human nature with you. And the more we spoke, the easier it was to see beneath the armor that you wear. You, Miss Bennet, are indeed an attractive woman, just more demure in your dress that your sisters who I have only seen dressed as best becomes them. Why is that, Miss Bennet? Why do you hide your light under a bushel?”
Her cheeks flamed and she fell back into her sermonizing under such discomfort, quoting Fordyce’s. “So you see, women ought to be modest in their speech, actions, and attire and no false adornment ought to be sought.”
“Indeed, that was written, and is a good sentiment, but the scriptures teach us, in Ephesians, that we are the handiwork of God, and just as all of his creations were given us to beautify the earth, so was man. Should we cut down forests and raze the mountains to hide their beauty? Or do they, in their very essence, glorify their creator through that beauty?”
Mary was stuck silent as she pondered his words.
“I must return home. I do not like to leave my son to dine alone. I know that you, like your sister, will follow mourning customs, but I hope to take tea with you all while you are in Derbyshire?”
She could only nod in agreement as his pleased smile was nearly dazzling. She watched as he bid farewell to the others before bowing once more over her hand and promising to see her soon. She sat, her chin dropping in surprise, as she watched him stride from the room.
“You look quite disturbed, Mary,” Kitty teased. “Did he say something shocking? Shall we send William to berate him?”
Mary nearly choked as she shook her head in panic. “No! No, he said nothing of the sort, it is only, I—”
Her response drew Jane to her side. “Mary, are you well? I thought you were enjoying your conversation. I am sorry if you were discomposed. We shall return to Ivy Well soon, though, so you need to speak with him again if you do not wish it.”
“He informed me that he intends to visit often,” she blurted, covering her cheeks with her shaking hands.
“But Mary!” Kitty crowed, “That is excellent! We have always said that you would make a wonderful parson’s wife!”
“Oh, but he is so handsome!” Mary cried, beginning to shake. “What could he want with me?”
“You are a wonderful young lady, Mary!” Jane growled, pulling her hands down and giving them a shake.
“You are letting Mama’s cutting words tear you down.
I am sorry that I never spoke up to counter them.
I thought that if I ignored them, so would you, and I was very wrong!
You are lovely, and talented, and so I shall tell her if she ever speaks so again in my presence! ”
“You have become quite fierce, Jane!” Elizabeth smiled proudly.
“I am no longer blind to the injustices of the world,” she replied. “Everything is not moonbeams and roses and I should not assume that it is. Horrible things happen every day and it is not kind, nor compassionate, of me to pretend otherwise.”
“Excellent,” Mr. Hurst declared with a clap of his hands. “I shall bid you all farewell then. Please write if you need my assistance, Mrs. Bingley.”
He bid his hosts farewell and went to change into his traveling clothes while his carriage was called.