Chapter 2
Caroline
Engaged, already!
Well, Caroline Bingley was not going to be stymied by a little thing like an official betrothal. She would merely have to hasten her plans a bit. The first step was to procure keys to the house from Mrs Nicholls.
As the housekeeper showed her to her room, Caroline said, “As mistress of the house, now that I am here, I will need a set of keys.”
“Actually, madam, the master has informed me that you will only have keys to your own rooms, until you are working on a particular project in an area that is generally kept locked. For example, if you decide to work in the still room, you will receive that key.”
Caroline drew herself up and stared at Mrs Nicholls through narrowed eyes.
Unfortunately, the woman did not seem to be intimidated.
“I must see to my guests’ comfort,” Caroline insisted. “Because of that, I will need the entire set.”
“You will have to ask Mr Bingley, madam. I do not have the authority to ignore his orders.”
“I am the mistress of the house!”
“And he is the master.”
The woman was clearly implacable, and Caroline relented. But she decided that, when she had learnt the way in which the entire household was run, she would let go the housekeeper—without a reference.
For now, however…. Caroline gave the housekeeper a brief, insincere smile and said, “Very well. I will speak to you later about menus.”
“Of course, madam.”
Caroline entered her rooms, barely noticing the elegant furnishings or the pleasing colour palette of the decorations.
She needed those keys, so she would execute two of her contingency plans.
She held up her bottle of Godfrey’s Cordial to the light to check the level, found her brass snuff box that had been hidden in a hatbox, and ensured that she had plenty of beeswax.
From the look of the keys on Mrs Nicholls’ ring, she would need twenty to twenty-five blocks of wax.
She would make the blocks of wax that very night. The next day would likely be the best time to dose Nicholls and take the impressions, and then she would have to send to London to have the keys made from the impressions. It all took time—time she barely had.
Her alternate plan was swifter but less reliable.
She had purchased a skeleton key she had been promised would unlock any door.
But in testing the key at the Hurst estate, she had discovered that it only opened some doors.
She would take advantage of a time when people were out of the house, hopefully the very next day, and test the skeleton key here at Netherfield.
In the meantime, Caroline decided to write some love letters. She took out two different weights of paper, two quill pens and bottles of ink, and two sticks of sealing wax. She felt almost gleeful as she sat down to begin working on yet another scheme.