Chapter 24
The previous almost two years had been very difficult for Caroline Bingley.
There had been so many times she had wanted to drop the pretence and be herself, but it had not been the right time.
If things worked out like they were trending now, her time to gain that which she deserved was close at hand.
Charles, who had turned five and twenty some months past, had decided to lease an estate to begin his journey to becoming a landed gentleman. In her mind, as soon as he was master of an estate, even if it was not his own, she would be counted as a gentlelady.
When her brother found a property, she would make sure of two things: she would be the hostess, and he would invite Mr Darcy to assist him in learning how to manage the estate.
In addition, she would press her brother to invite Miss Darcy as well.
Even though she had heard the girl, who was not yet sixteen, was not out, she had decided that Charles would marry Miss Darcy, thereby making a union between herself and Mr Darcy much more likely.
Miss Bingley had to fight her own inclinations not to demand that her brother purchase her a new wardrobe. She had not thought his resolve would last so long, but he still demanded that she live using only the interest on her fortune and steadfastly refused to augment it.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Hurst, will you join Darcy and me when we go to see Netherfield Park?” Bingley requested.
“Sorry, Bingley, I am not able to leave London now, but as you know I have held a lease there so once you have seen it, if you have questions, please feel free to ask. Your sister will be able to give you the perspective of the mistress of the estate,” Hurst replied.
Of course, he could have left London had there been a need, but as he was the owner of the estate, he did not want to exert any undue influence on his brother-in-law.
It was why he would be willing to field questions after Bingley and Darcy had inspected the estate.
When Darcy had been at the estate prior to the double wedding, he had remarked that, from what he had seen, Netherfield Park was very well run.
He did not miss the way Darcy was looking at him quizzically. Rather than engage, Hurst pretended like he had not seen Darcy’s look. “Darcy, will you call on our friends when you are there?” he enquired to get Darcy to change his focus.
“Of course, I will,” Darcy responded. “It would be rather rude to be so close to Longbourn and not call on the Bennets.”
Bingley looked from one man to the other.
“They are Darcy’s cousins by marriage. Hilldale is married to the eldest Bennet daughter; remember the one who made your eyes open wide when you beheld her in London,” Hurst reminded his brother-in-law.
“Of course, Lady Hilldale’s family,” Bingley recalled.
“That was when I only looked at a lady’s physical attributes, and I was too immature to realise that the character of a lady is far more important,” he owned.
“When I was younger I was not even close to being ready to be thinking of taking a wife.”
“Speaking of which, Bingley, have you noticed Caroline’s hints for you to invite both Darcys when you lease an estate?
” Hurst saw Bingley shake his head. “I am afraid that your younger sister has not changed her ways as much as she would have us believe she has. I will wager that she intends to push you towards Miss Darcy, thinking that will make Darcy more likely to offer for her.”
“Miss Darcy is still not out! She is only fifteen!” Bingley exclaimed.
“I may be wrong, but I do not believe I am. If I have the right of it, this will demonstrate the depths of Caroline’s selfishness.
She cares not who suffers in furtherance of her aims. I doubted her sincerity from the start of her so-called change, but I hoped I was wrong.
I do not believe it is so. When she feels the time is right, she will show her true self.
” Hurst sat back in his chair; his fingers interlaced over his flat belly.
“What should I do?” Bingley wondered.
“Nothing for now. I may yet be wrong. In fairness, you need to wait until she shows her true colours. As long as we are all vigilant, she will do no damage, except perhaps to herself,” Hurst opined.
“I agree with Hurst. I hope she remembers I will never gratify a compromise,” Darcy declared.
“And I will never support her if she lowers herself to attempt one,” Bingley vowed. “With you or any other.”
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The day that the friends travelled into Hertfordshire to meet Mr Phillips at Netherfield Park was Monday, the twentieth day of May 1811. They departed Darcy House at half past three in the morning, just before the eastern sky began to throw off the dark of the night.
As he watched the sky lighten, when around ten after four the sun began to show its presence, Darcy remembered that time he had discovered Elizabeth on the summit of Oakham Mount.
He wondered if on this morning she had walked, or perhaps ridden Phoebe, to the hill and was even now sitting on the rock facing the east watching the sun begin to peek above the horizon.
Those thoughts brought an image into his head unbidden.
He could see himself and Elizabeth sitting atop their mounts at Pemberley on the summit of the hill behind the house, watching the sun rise above the eastern valley and then turning to admire the colours of the Peaks as the sun’s light began to illuminate the mountains.
Since the weddings, Gigi had kept a correspondence with not only Elizabeth but with her three younger sisters as well. Each time he had travelled south from Pemberley to London, Gigi had spent some weeks at Longbourn while he had carried on to Town.
Thinking of Gigi turned his thoughts to Mrs Jenkinson, who had accepted the position of Gigi’s companion.
She was not a young woman any longer, but she had been happy to go back into service, especially with a young lady who was a member of, as she called her, Miss Anne’s family.
It had worked out well for both of them.
Gigi was very happy with her companion, and Mrs Jenkinson liked her charge very much.
Soon, the swaying of his well-sprung travelling coach lulled Darcy to sleep.
Bingley had fallen asleep almost as soon as the conveyance pulled away from Darcy House. Part of his maturation was doing things he did not love to do when needed. Waking up early was one of them, but he had made sure he was ready at the time Darcy wanted to depart so there would be no delay.
The friends woke when the coachman turned into a coaching inn for a rest stop after about two hours. Not needing any refreshment yet, the two remained in the coach, which was back on the road within an hour.
The next time they woke, they were coming to a stop in the drive at Netherfield Park, a little after nine.
Phillips waited at the base of the stone steps leading up to the veranda before the front doors.
He remembered Darcy from Jane’s wedding, hence, he deduced the other man was Mr Bingley.
Hurst had instructed that Phillips was not to push Mr Bingley to rent the estate.
If his brother-in-law liked what he saw and wanted the estate, Phillips was to proceed.
Like he would not try and influence Bingley’s choice himself, Hurst did not want anyone to do so in his name.
The house was as solid as Darcy remembered. He recognised the butler, housekeeper, steward, and some of the servants from the last time he had been hosted here. He was very impressed that no one, from Elizabeth’s uncle on down, tried to do anything to sway Bingley’s opinion.
After inspecting the house, the friends found the steward waiting for them with two mounts so they could ride the estate and look at the fields, even though the lease only covered the mansion and the home farm.
That being said, as they rode, the steward made sure the potential lessee was aware he had access to all parts of the estate and that he and any of his friends, if he took the lease, could hunt to their hearts’ content.
Everything they saw only reinforced Darcy’s opinion that the estate would be a good one for Bingley to discover if the life of a landed gentleman was for him.
On their return from riding the estate, Phillips withdrew to allow the men to speak freely. “What do you think, Darce?” Bingley enquired. “Granted, I am not experienced in running an estate, but to me everything looked well maintained and in good order. Am I wrong?”
“No, Bingley, you are right. This would be a good estate on which to cut your teeth. That is only my opinion. Now, you must make the decision which works for you,” Darcy replied.
Rather than just blindly taking what Darcy said as his decision, Bingley cogitated, taking Darcy’s opinion into account but relying on his own needs and instincts. “I will take a lease. What is your opinion? Six months or a year complete? I need some guidance as far as the term goes.”
“If you genuinely want to learn, you should experience a full year’s cycle on an estate. That way you will see the planning for the spring planting and be involved in it and the autumn harvest as well,” Darcy suggested.
Seeing the logic behind Darcy’s words, Bingley settled on a one-year term. They then called for Mr Phillips and Bingley told him what his decision was.
“We can make for my offices and sign the contracts,” Phillips stated.
“I am not needed for that part, am I?” Darcy questioned. The reply was two shaken heads. “In that case, I will call on the Bennets at Longbourn.”
Phillips had to fight from grinning. He was well aware which Bennet Darcy was most interested in seeing; hence, he took no pleasure in disappointing the master of Pemberley.
“My brother and his family are not home. Along with my wife, they are at Hilldale. My eldest niece is nearing the end of her first confinement.”