Chapter 3 #2
“Well, you are a good friend too,” Miss Caroline, the youngest Bingley, asserted.
“Caroline, I have known them for less time in the number of months than Hurst has been a friend of theirs for the numbers of years. Unlike us, he is not in trade; his father owns an estate in the West Riding of Yorkshire,” Charles explained.
“Do you know how embarrassing it was to try and inveigle an invite to the ceremony for my family, who had never met any of them?”
Miss Louisa Bingley, one and twenty and the eldest of the Bingley offspring, very much wanted to tell her mother and younger sister how ridiculous they were being, but she knew that nothing she said would be heeded, and when she was alone with her mother and Caroline, they would release their vitriol, aimed at herself.
As she always did, Mavis Bingley ignored what her son said about their family being in trade. “You should have…” She closed her mouth with a clack when her husband interjected.
“No, Mrs Bingley! This subject is closed, unless you would like to discuss the pretensions of the wife of a tradesman thinking it is her right to rub shoulders with members of the first circles and a peer of the realm. You claim to know all about high society, and yet you seem to forget that if those so far above us desire the connection, it is for them to seek it, not for you to force yourself and Caroline on them,” Bingley stated firmly.
“Your allowances will be withheld if I hear of either of you speaking of this again.”
As she knew that her husband would not make that particular threat without being willing to do what he said he would, Mavis accepted that it was time to say no more on the subject. Seeing that Caroline was about to object, Mavis pinched her favourite’s arm to garner her attention.
“How da…” Miss Caroline swallowed the words she wanted to say when she saw her mother had been the one to hurt her arm. Before she could ask why Mamma did so, she saw the emphatic shake of her mother’s head. She understood the order.
“If you had allowed me to tell you before you began to reproach me, you would know that Fitzwilliam, Darcy, and Hurst will join us for tea in an hour,” Charles shared.
“What a good son you are,” Mavis gushed, completely forgetting her pique from a few minutes ago. “Does that mean we will meet the Earl and Countess of Matlock, Viscount Hilldale, and Mr Darcy, the owner of Pemberley?”
“No, Mother. Only my friends will be here. The others have no reason to join them,” Charles clarified.
Just as she was about to begin to berate her son again, Mavis saw the look of warning on her husband’s countenance.
She pasted a fake smile on her face. “It will be an honour to meet your friends,” she managed as calmly as she could.
‘Why is it that Caroline is the only one in the family who understands how important it is to rise above our roots? I suppose it is better than meeting none of them,’ Mavis thought to placate herself.
‘Once they see how wealthy we are, I am sure we will meet the rest of their family.’
‘All I can do is pray that Mamma and Caro do not show these men how uncouth and vulgar they can be. Please God, do not allow either of them to ask about the estates’ incomes.’ Louisa had her eyes pointed towards heaven as she sent her plea to God Almighty.
Mamma was already using the term ‘old maid’ as if upon reaching her majority Louisa was on the shelf.
She and Caro both had dowries of twenty thousand pounds thanks to Papa’s carriage works being so successful.
She had attracted some interest in Scarborough, but no one who touched her heart, and unlike what her mother and younger sister spoke about, Louisa had no interest in a marriage of convenience.
Thanks to their mother’s inculcation, Caroline believed she would marry someone from the first circles, preferably a man with a title.
Louisa had never been sorry that rather than go to the seminary in London that her mother had wanted her to attend, Papa had supported her desire to attend a school for young ladies in Scarborough, close to their home and with girls that Louisa had known for many years.
Mamma had not been happy when Papa had not supported her against Louisa.
Her hope, and it may be a vain one, was that her father would take a stand when Mamma wanted to send Caro to Miss Hathaway’s School for Young Ladies in London after the youngest Bingley turned sixteen in April 1804.
One of the main deciding factors against the school in Town had been when her mother had taken Louisa to tour the place in her fifteenth year.
It had been easy to see that those connected to trade were treated with disdain by the daughters of gentlemen, and Louisa suspected, when there were no adults to see what they were about, it would be far worse than just disdain.
She was positive that her younger sister would have a supremely bad experience at Miss Hathaway’s.
Louisa was pulled out of her reverie by the arrival of three men in the private parlour her father had reserved for their tea. She stood as her father, mother, and sister did so as well.
Fitzwilliam was aware he could not call his friend ‘Bingley’ with his father present. “Charles, will you introduce your family to us?” Fitzwilliam requested.
“Fitzwilliam, Darcy, and Hurst, it is my honour to present to you my family, Mr and Mrs Bingley, Miss Bingley, and Miss Caroline. Family, the Honourable Mr Fitzwilliam, Master Darcy, and Master Hurst.” Charles Bingley was aware he could have mentioned the names of their estates and homes in London; however, he omitted that information by design.
Having read up about the families Charles had a connection with ahead of time, Caroline Bingley was aware that although Richard Fitzwilliam was the son of an earl, he was a poor second son.
About this man, Hurst, she had not read anything so she dismissed him as inconsequential.
That left Fitzwilliam Darcy, heir to one of the largest and richest estates in Derbyshire, not to mention a house in Town, one of the mansions around Grosvenor Square no less. He was the man for her.
Louisa saw the moment her sister fixated on Master Darcy. Before Caroline could make a cake of herself and embarrass the family, Louisa grabbed her by the elbow and led her indignant younger sister to the corner farthest from the guests.
“What are you about?” Caroline hissed as she tried to wrench her arm away from her sister.
“What am I about? I am stopping you from making a huge faux pas and more likely than not making sure Charles will lose his friends because of you,” Louisa returned in sotto voce.
“You think you know all about high society, but in society, a girl not yet out never approaches a gentleman, and even if she is out, she waits until he invites her company. Go sit and try and behave; otherwise, this will be a very short call.”
Harold had been doing what he liked to do, observing those around him.
He had not missed the way Darcy had tensed as soon as the red-headed young lady began to make a beeline for him.
However, he had been most impressed when Miss Bingley had intercepted her younger sister and taken her to a corner and spoken to her so no one could hear.
He had not missed how after the conversation the youngest Bingley had returned to her chair with no good cheer, pouting and sulking.
He looked at Miss Bingley. She was on the petite side and had strawberry-blonde hair, a very similar colour to Bingley’s, and her eye colour was fascinating.
It was almost grey. He could discern that Miss Bingley was intelligent, and unlike the mother and younger sister, she had no ambitions of climbing the social ladder.
As he watched Mrs Bingley pour tea, all the while fawning over Fitzwilliam and Darcy, Harold had not noticed Miss Bingley’s approach with a cup of tea in hand.
“Mr Fitzwilliam told us your preference for tea,” Louisa said as she handed the cup to Master Hurst. “Pardon me if I speak out of turn, but I get the idea that you observe everything around you.”
That she had noted his eyes taking everything in made Miss Bingley someone who was cognisant of her surroundings, and it seemed she had the ability to notice things others may miss.
He looked at his friends. He could see that Fitzwilliam was amused at Mrs Bingley’s attention, while Darcy looked uncomfortable.
Harold was sure that had it not been so very rude—given such a small group for tea—Darcy would be standing staring out of the window, arms behind his back, which would have faced those in the room.
“I can see my mother is making Master Darcy uncomfortable; I am sorry for that,” Louisa said softly.
“Miss Bingley, you already stopped your sister from making a rather bad error, and besides, your manners are flawless so you have no reason to apologise for the actions of another,” Harold replied. “May I ask if you will be returning to Scarborough after Cambridge?”
“Indeed, we are to depart in the morning,” Louisa confirmed.
“Like the Fitzwilliams; that is, except for my friend who is to join the army, and the Darcys, I too will travel north. I must go to London first and then along with my parents, I will be at my father’s estate for part of the summer.
From Winsdale, it is a little more than five and forty miles to Scarborough.
I know this may sound precipitous, but may I call on you if I decide to come to your town to be by the ocean for part of the summer?
” Harold enquired. “If it is too soon, please say so.”
Louisa wondered if this man had read her mind. She had just been thinking about how nice it would be to get to know him better. “On the contrary, I would be happy to have you call on me. I have reached my majority, but if…when…you call, we can inform my father.”
This was the first lady who had ever excited any interest in him. It was early days yet, but he suspected this may be the woman he could love.
After tea, when Mrs Bingley’s excuses for them to remain longer were exhausted, the three men took their leave. No sooner did the door close than Miss Caroline turned on her sister in anger.
“Why did you stop me speaking to Mr Darcy?” Caroline demanded.
“You have just forgone one quarter’s allowance,” Bingley stated firmly. “I saw what you were going to do, and I thank goodness your sister diverted you before you made us a laughingstock.” He saw his youngest was about to protest. “Not a word, or I will withhold a second quarter’s allowance.”
Miss Caroline swallowed her words, especially when she saw Mamma would not risk her own allowance and support her. She stamped her foot and huffed all the way back up to the suite she was sharing with Louisa.
Said sister cared not for her younger sister’s tantrum. Her mind was engaged in a much more pleasant pursuit as she thought about the man she had just met.