CHAPTER 35 Drawing Room Confrontation
Unfortunately, about an hour into their meal, the dining room doors flew open to reveal Caroline Bingley standing in front of the butler.
“I told you I did not need an introduction!” she said angrily, turning back towards him. “I am, after all, the mistress of this house.
“Caroline, what are you doing here?” asked Bingley, rising from his seat. “I did not even inform you that I would be coming to Netherfield.”
She stared at the assembly of people for a few silent seconds before answering, “A mutual acquaintance informed me…” She frowned, then took a breath. “I heard that you were here…with guests…and thought that you might need a hostess.”
“But I do not need a hostess because Lady Catherine was kind enough to act as one.”
“Lady Catherine…” repeated Caroline, glancing towards the head of the table.
“Yes,” said Bingley, looking towards that lady with a slightly panicked expression. For he knew that he could not introduce a person of lower rank to a person of higher one unless the latter first requested an introduction.
Thankfully, Lady Catherine did make the request - on behalf of the entire company - and Bingley quickly performed the introductions.
“So will you join us or not, Miss Bingley?” asked Lady Catherine.
“Should I not change first? It shall not take long…”
“We will be done by then, Miss Bingley,” said Lady Catherine with asperity, “so you had better take a seat.”
After a place was set for her, Miss Bingley sat awkwardly between Anne and Diana, the latter beginning to engage her in conversation.
However, as the evening wore on, Miss Bingley’s confidence grew, and with it, her impudence.
This became even more pronounced when they moved into the drawing room three quarters of an hour later.
“I am surprised that you are so easy among company such as the Bennets,” she said to Diana, “for I have never known them to attend a Season, and you can have nothing in common.”
“What do you mean, Miss Bingley?” Elizabeth heard Diana say. “Anne and I have become great friends with Elizabeth and Jane and find them to be truly gracious ladies.”
“Really…” said Miss Bingley, eying Elizabeth disdainfully as she approached the group. “And where can you have met them?”
“We all met at Rosings, Miss Bingley,” said Anne as if speaking to a child, “my mother’s estate in Kent.”
“And what were they doing at Rosings?”
“We were actually visiting my friend Charlotte,” said Elizabeth, speaking for the first time, “who was lately married to Mr. Collins, Lady Catherine’s parson.” She decided not to mention her recent illness as it would probably add more fuel to the fire.
“Ah, yes, I understand now,” said Miss Bingley. “Your cousin, the parson, must have introduced you.”
“Not at all, Miss Bingley,” said Anne, “it was Darcy who introduced us.”
“Mr. Darcy! Was he there too?”
“Yes, did I not mention it before?” She smiled pleasantly at Miss Bingley. “We often called at the parsonage while Darcy was there and had pleasant times in one another’s company. Did we not, Elizabeth?”
“Yes, very pleasant.”
“So you were socialising with the likes of Miss de Bourgh, Lady Diana and Mr. Darcy, eh, Eliza? How very convenient for you.”
“Convenient? What do you mean?”
“I mean, since you do not move in the same circles, it was fortunate that you happened to visit your parson of a cousin while Mr. Darcy was there.”
“I was not visiting my cousin, Miss Bingley, but his wife.”
Miss Bingley gave a dismissive gesture and said, “It really does not make a difference whom you were visiting. Only that your visit coincided fortuitously with Mr. Darcy’s.”
“Yes,” murmured Elizabeth, suddenly thinking of Darcy’s proposal, “I suppose it was fortuitous.”
“And you, Miss Bingley?” asked Diana, now looking at Miss Bingley with unfeigned animosity. “How came you to be here? As your brother says, he never informed you of his presence at Netherfield.”
“It was a friend of mine, Miss Simkins, who informed me. You are familiar with Miss Simkins, are you not?”
Diana shrugged, apparently not choosing to answer her question. “And how, pray, did Miss Simkins find out about Mr. Bingley’s being here?”
Caroline’s usually pale face began to turn a little pink. “It was, ah…not actually my brother’s presence that she told me of but his…guests.”
“Miss Simkins found out about some…guests your brother was to have at Netherfield?” asked Diana with cold precision. And Elizabeth was almost reminded of a barrister at court, questioning a witness. “Any guests in particular?”
Miss Bingley was silent for a few seconds before finally admitting, “She had heard that your family was coming here at the request of Mr. Darcy.”
“Oh! I see,” said Diana, her expression softening.
Miss Bingley seemed to sense a reprieve and relaxed somewhat.
But then Diana asked, “But where would she hear such a thing? For we never told anyone about it.”
Miss Bingley’s eyes grew wide, and Elizabeth noticed that more and more of the guests were looking at her.
“What was that?” asked Lady Catherine, whose voice suddenly rang out from across the room. “What was it you asked Miss Bingley, Diana?”
“I was just asking Miss Bingley how she heard that my family was coming to Netherfield at the behest of Mr. Darcy. Or rather how her friend, Miss Simkins, heard.”
“Is that why you came to Netherfield, Caroline?” asked Bingley. “Because you knew that Darcy and the Matlocks would be here?”
Miss Bingley stared at her brother for a while, then looked away from him. Eventually, her gaze landed on Diana and she said, “Miss Simkins was in front of your house…in London…”
“Yes? And?”
“And I suppose she overheard your coachman speaking to your footman about it. She paid a call on me later that day - today, I mean - and told me.”
Everyone stared at her until Jane - all goodness that she was - said, “Was that not kind of your sister, Charles, to come when she did as soon as she discovered that you were in want of a hostess?”
Bingley, who had been looking sternly at his sister, now turned to Jane, his expression softening. “You could look at it that way, I suppose.”
Elizabeth exhaled, thankful that a possibly calamitous scene had been averted by her sister.
Her eyes met Darcy’s who now came forward to stand beside her.
She was so thankful, at that moment, for his presence in her life, that she could not help but lightly brush her fingertips against his. They shared a smile.
Unfortunately, Miss Bingley seemed to notice this, for she now looked even more hostile than before. And Elizabeth had a strange feeling that a dam was about to burst. She stifled a grimace and hoped it would not be as bad as she thought. It was worse.
“Do you not see,” said Miss Bingley in a loud voice, addressing herself once more to Diana, “how coarse your supposed new friends can be? How forward the two eldest are - Miss Bennet for calling my brother by his given name and Miss Eliza for throwing herself at your cousin?”
Mrs Bennet gasped while Kitty and Mary looked on with stricken faces.
But Miss Bingley was not done. “Indeed, look at them! Notice their drab attire despite being in such elevated company. Even my own travelling clothes are more appropriate for such an event. And they probably did not even inform you of their ties to trade - that they have an uncle who lives in Cheapside.” She turned slowly around apparently to ensure that everyone heard.
“And, if that was not bad enough, their youngest sister has lately run off with the son of Mr. Darcy’s steward! ”
Everyone stared at her in stunned silence.
Even Lady Catherine who was sitting next to Mrs. Bennet could not find any words.
The Matlocks on the other hand (who were sitting with Mr. Gardiner and the Philipses) both looked on with disgust. And Charles, who had been inching closer and closer to his sister, came forward and began to pull at her.
Was he trying to bodily remove her from this company? But it was Darcy who finally spoke.
“Miss Bingley.”
She turned abruptly to him. “Yes, Mr. Darcy?”
His voice was low but, because of the general silence, no one could miss anything that he said.
“You may not be aware of this, but Miss Elizabeth is engaged to me, and Miss Bennet is engaged to your brother. Their father passed away the day before yesterday and they have not yet had a chance to obtain mourning clothes. And Mr. Gardiner there, who sits beside Lord Matlock, is their uncle from London who has come for the funeral. Finally, Miss Lydia is engaged to marry George Wickham and I plan on attending their wedding in a few weeks.” He turned to Mrs. Bennet, who was now openly weeping, and said, “I am so sorry, ma’am, that you had to be subjected to such cruelty and at such a trying time. ”
He walked to Mrs. Bennet, knelt at her feet then handed her a fresh handkerchief before returning once more to Elizabeth’s side.
“I apologise as well,” said Bingley. “To everyone. Most of all to my new family. Thank you, Mrs. Bennet, for bearing this with such graciousness.” He turned to Jane.
“And thank you, my love, for attempting to salvage my sister’s dignity; though it was ultimately for naught as she has once more brought shame upon herself.
But I wish for you to know that she will never again be welcome in our home; not unless she apologises for her contemptible behaviour.
Come Caroline, I will show you to your room where you will spend the night.
But at dawn tomorrow, you will depart. Your dowry shall be released to you and you can make your home with our sister from now on.
Or perhaps you can set up your own establishment. I truly no longer care.”
Miss Bingley, who had not spoken for a while, only looked at her brother, and muttered, “I knew we should never have come to this insignificant, backwards community. Go ahead and marry into this family, Charles, but know that they will only bring you down.”
“No, you are the only one who has brought me down.”
Bingley pulled her more forcibly towards the door, gave one final apologetic look to Jane, then guided his sister out of the room.