Chapter XIV
Morning visits were meant to be cordial affairs, a chance for neighbors to exchange pleasantries and engage in social intercourse designed to foster good relations.
They could also be mere performances, especially among those who feigned cordiality while secretly loathing their hosts.
Caroline Bingley, however, fit neither of these categories.
While Caroline detested the Bennets and wished to have nothing to do with them, there was nothing of hidden disdain in her manner—rather, she appeared ready to display it for all to see.
Hurst saw this long before the carriage reached Longbourn, and he knew the rest of the party did as well.
The question was what Caroline hoped to accomplish by offending the Bennets.
She was a curious woman, to be certain, Hurst mused as he kept an ear attuned to Caroline’s continued ranting as the carriage approached Longbourn.
There was nothing new in her denunciation of the family, so Hurst did not feel obligated to pay attention to her.
Most women would have desisted when they did not receive the response they wished, but Caroline seemed to believe she could wear them down with ceaseless comments about how dull, provincial, and improper they were.
If Hurst were to guess, he thought it likely that Caroline hoped to offend the Bennets enough that Miss Bennet would send Bingley away.
Given Miss Bennet possessed the patience of a saint and an angelic disposition, Hurst gave her one chance in ten of success if that was indeed her aim.
There was no other explanation for her behavior that he could think of, though Caroline’s mind was even more of a mystery than most women.
Hurst did not dwell on it. That day would see the end of any pretense of friendship and any misunderstanding regarding Caroline’s true opinions.
Today, the Bennets would see what sort of woman his wife’s sister was.
With Mrs. Bennet’s penchant for gossip, Hurst suspected that Caroline’s behavior would spread to the entire neighborhood within days.
Caroline would brush it off as unimportant, but she would learn by experience that it was hard to live in a society when others look on you with pity, judgment, or derision.
That last would be the worst for Caroline, for she abhorred others laughing at her.
“Oh, leave off, Caroline,” said Bingley as they were approaching Longbourn’s gates. Bingley had clung to his patience longer than expected.
Caroline eyed him, her manner all displeasure. “It seems I must persist, since you are intent upon treating these people as if they matter.”
That provoked Bingley’s anger. “They are people, Caroline, so that makes them ‘matter’ to anyone of decency. Furthermore, they are our closest neighbors, and I enjoy their company. I do not care for your opinion, so I suggest you be silent if you do not wish to provoke me.”
Rage flared in Caroline’s eyes, but she swallowed her retort.
If Hurst were to guess, he thought her brother’s displeasure was beyond anything she had yet experienced.
That would come later. For Hurst’s part, he was on the verge of confining her to the carriage and sending it back to Netherfield with her still inside—he and Bingley could ride back to Netherfield with Darcy and his sister if necessary.
The Darcys were already waiting by the time Bingley’s carriage pulled to a stop on the drive.
Hurst and Bingley stepped down, then Bingley turned in an almost perfunctory manner to assist his sister, a detail the woman did not miss.
Then they applied to the housekeeper and entered, greeting a surprised Bennet family within.
“Mr. Bingley,” said Mrs. Bennet in her usual flighty tone, “we did not know your dear sister had joined you at Netherfield.”
“Caroline appeared without warning yesterday,” said Bingley. Caroline’s eyes shot to him in instant displeasure.
Mrs. Bennet saw nothing of this, instead welcoming them all and calling for tea.
Bingley took up his position next to Miss Bennet while Georgiana joined the younger girls.
Darcy, in a brazen act designed, Hurst thought, to challenge Caroline, went at once to Miss Elizabeth and began to speak to her; Miss Elizabeth understood his actions at once but did not object to them, if her grin was any indication.
For Caroline’s part, she remained a little separate, studying the company, ignoring Darcy’s interest in Miss Elizabeth.
“It appears the cat is now among the pigeons,” said Bennet when Hurst joined him.
“Perhaps,” replied Hurst. “If you consider Caroline to be the cat.”
Bennet turned to him, not bothering to hide his amusement. “Do you?”
“No. I consider her a squawking hen, to own the truth.”
“Might I assume discovering you were all here displeased her?”
Hurst’s snort confirmed Bennet’s conjecture. “Considering her schemes to keep Bingley from your eldest daughter, you cannot expect otherwise. Caroline has always thought she controlled her brother—discovering she was mistaken was not at all palatable.”
The comment got Bennet’s attention as Hurst knew it would.
He turned his attention to Bingley and Miss Bennet, watching as Bingley was as animated as ever, but he noticed, as Hurst did, that Bingley continued to observe his sister.
Caroline, having chosen her target, had moved to speak with Mrs. Bennet, the innocence in her features a window into her intentions.
“Is she?”
“If you had seen Bingley yesterday, you would not doubt it.” Hurst shrugged. “Bingley will never be an authoritarian, but he is beyond tolerating his sister’s excesses. I hope she will provoke Bingley to act against her if I am honest.”
“She is of age, is she not?”
Hurst bared his teeth, though he supposed his response was more feral than a mere grin. “She is. But Caroline looks only to the short term, ignoring the potential consequences of her actions.”
Bennet nodded but did not look away from Caroline. “Then he has options. If I read your sister-in-law, she believes there is only one option.”
“A symptom of her delusion.”
“Very well,” replied Bennet. “We shall allow her to implement her own downfall, though I will act if she goes too far.”
“That may be for the best. Then again, if you throw her from the house, Bingley will realize he must do something, especially after your warning the day he arrived.”
Bennet nodded but changed the subject. “Your wife did not accompany her?”
Hurst’s eyes bored into his wife’s sister.
“We received an express from Louisa before Caroline arrived. Caroline was most . . . abusive toward Louisa and offended her. I responded and told her to stay there for the moment—I do not think it will be long before Caroline wears out her welcome at Netherfield.”
“Yes, that is for the best.”
Nothing further passed between them, their focus resting on the company and on Caroline above all others.
From the frown gracing Mrs. Bennet’s face, Hurst expected she was already beginning her campaign of offense.
Hurst did not know if she would go so far that she would provoke Bennet, but he would enjoy her downfall, no matter what form it took.
JANE BENNET PAID CLOSE attention to Miss Bingley—even the name was a departure, for Jane had always called her “friend” by her first name.
Now that it was clear Caroline was and had never been a friend, Jane could no longer think of her in such intimate terms. If Charles proposed and Jane accepted, she would consider her future relationship with her, but for the moment, formality was far easier.
“I apologize for my sister, Miss Bennet.”
Turning, Jane regarded the man by her side. The question of whether she loved him no longer lingered—Jane knew she did, that she would spend the rest of her life with him in joy if circumstances allowed. What remained uncertain was whether she could trust him.
“I had hoped that she would remain in London a little longer, though I knew her coming was inevitable in the end.”
That was not what Jane wanted to hear. The way Mr. Bingley spoke, he had thought to avoid his sister—the situation had moved beyond simple avoidance into the realm of needing decided action, steps that only he could take.
Once again, Jane wondered if Mr. Bingley had the fortitude to stand up to his sister and demand her good behavior.
The next few days, she suspected, would tell her whether she could accept him.
There was no time like the present to begin that discovery.
“Did you wish to avoid her, Mr. Bingley?”
The way Mr. Bingley regarded her, Jane thought he had caught something of her unspoken meaning.
“Any rational person wishes to avoid Caroline,” said he with a slight undercurrent of humor.
“She is my sister, Miss Bennet—I love her, but to own the truth, I do not always like her. There was never any question that she would be part of my life, but I must own that I had hoped for more time in your company before I needed to deal with her interference.”
The response was a little more encouraging. “What if she refuses to accept me?”
“Then she will reap the reward of her intransigence.” Mr. Bingley smiled and took Jane’s hand in his own. “Let me be clear, Miss Bennet. You will always have my allegiance and my support—should I gain your acceptance, you will deserve no less as my wife.”
“And Miss Bingley’s intentions for Mr. Darcy?”
This time, Mr. Bingley did not bother to hide his derision. “Darcy has no interest in her, which he made clear to me before Caroline arrived. Should she overstep, Darcy will not hesitate to put her in her place.”
Jane softened. “That will not be your responsibility, but it is good to hear.”
Mr. Bingley regarded her curiously. “To own the truth, I had not thought your sister disposed toward him. Has that changed?”