Chapter 14
Rosings
Kent
Lady Catherine de Bourgh, mistress of Rosings in Kent, leaned back in her favorite wingback chair and read her nephew Darcy’s letter for a second time.
Lady Catherine,
Thank you for your inquiries in your recent letter, and I am pleased to report that Georgiana and I are well.
The crops are growing apace, and if the weather continues to favor us, the harvests will be good this year.
I purchased a farm from a neighboring estate a year ago and discovered that two of the fields require the installment of extensive drainage.
That process required much expenditure and labor, but the yields should be excellent this season.
I regret exceedingly that I was unable to travel to Rosings last March, but my duties at Pemberley required that I stay in Derbyshire.
Possibly next spring I will be able to spend a few weeks at Rosings, perhaps with Colonel Fitzwilliam.
Regrettably, I will not be able to visit this year; at the moment, we have visitors in the form of my old friend Mr. Bingley, his new wife and a variety of relations.
This winter, I intend to spend some time in London.
Perhaps you and Anne will journey to London, and we will be able to meet there.
Please give my respects to Anne, and I pray that this letter finds you well.
God bless you,
Fitzwilliam Darcy
Lady Catherine stared down at the letter and huffed indignantly.
“Is Darcy coming to Rosings soon?” a voice inquired timidly from her right.
Lady Catherine turned and glowered at her daughter, Miss Anne de Bourgh, who was, in spite of the warm weather, well wrapped in shawls. The young woman shrank a little at her mother’s fearsome gaze and looked down at the floor.
“Gracious, Anne, how you startled me!” the lady exclaimed indignantly. “What did you mean by creeping in so quietly?”
Anne winced and said apologetically, “I am sorry, Mother. I did not mean to surprise you. I did not wish to disturb you while you were reading Darcy’s letter.”
“That was courteous of you, at any rate,” Lady Catherine said, mollified.
“As to your question – no, Darcy declares that he will not visit Rosings until next spring at the earliest, as he is far too absorbed entertaining his friend, Mr. Bingley, and the man’s numerous plebian relations.
Really, my nephew is far too congenial with the lower classes!
One would think that he prefers the company of a tradesman’s son over his own relations! ”
Anne thought, privately, that Darcy certainly did prefer Mr. Bingley’s companionship to that of her mother, who was autocratic, imperious, and often rude, but naturally she did not say so.
“Mr. Bingley is married to Miss Elizabeth Bennet’s sister, is he not?”
“That is correct,” Lady Catherine agreed, turning back to read the letter.
“I have not met Mrs. Bingley, but I understand her to be a remarkably handsome woman. I suppose a man like Bingley would require nothing else in a bride; certainly the new Mrs. Bingley brings neither fortune nor connections into the marriage!”
“She is, at least, a gentleman’s daughter,” Anne pointed out meekly.
“Yes, a gentleman whose estate is entailed to my own parson!” her mother said.
“I have been informed that the girls will bring less than one hundred pounds a year into marriage, which is quite absurd. Well, it is hardly my concern whom Mr. Bingley decided to marry, though if I had been able to advise him, I would have strongly suggested that he look for more than a mere pretty face.”
Anne had no doubt of that; her mother adored giving advice to everyone about everything under the sun, regardless of whether she was asked for her opinion or even had any knowledge of the situation in question.
Lady Catherine read through the letter for a third time, and when she was finished, she put down the foolscap paper and turned to peer at her daughter.
“Anne, it is imperative that you and Darcy see one another before next spring. You will be five and twenty soon, and Darcy is nearly thirty! It is long past time for you to marry. If your cousin refuses to come to Kent, we must go to Derbyshire in either July or August.”
Anne was always pale, but her face grew even whiter at this announcement. “Oh, Mother, no! You know how much I dislike traveling, and Pemberley is so far away!”
Lady Catherine compressed her lips and said, “Nonsense! You know that our carriage is the very best that money can buy, and everything will be done to make the journey as comfortable as possible. Indeed, Derbyshire will be cooler than Kent, and Pemberley is a lovely estate.”
Anne opened her mouth to protest, then closed it. Her mother never listened to her; there was no point in additional argument on the matter.
“I will determine when would be most convenient for us to be away from Rosings,” Lady Catherine continued, “and inform Darcy soon of our plans.”
“Yes, Mother.”
/
Pemberley
“That is why I feel the need to address my younger sister’s behavior,” Bingley explained.
“It is not fair to my wife or her sister to overlook Caroline’s reprehensible conduct toward them both.
I know this is a great deal to ask, but do you have any suggestions about how best to manage her condescending remarks and sneering outbursts? ”
Not for the first time in the last week, Darcy found himself astonished and impressed by the changes in his friend.
He had long valued Bingley, but the man had always been an affable soul with a profound antipathy for any kind of conflict.
Bingley had ignored both Miss Bingley’s haughty speeches and her relentless, inappropriate pursuit of the master of Pemberley.
It seemed that Bingley had acquired a spine along with a wife.
“Allow me a minute to think,” Darcy requested, looking around to be certain that no one was in earshot.
It was an overly cautious movement since the two gentlemen were out on the morning ride, this time through the Home Farm, and the only individuals in sight were two servant girls hunting for eggs some fifty yards away.
After the requisite cogitation, he turned to look directly at Bingley and asked, “Are you truly serious about this, my friend? Miss Bingley will not be inclined to alter her ways after so many years of acting as she wishes.”
“I am determined,” Bingley pledged.
“Very well, firstly, what is the situation regarding Miss Bingley’s money?”
“She has a dowry of twenty thousand pounds, and has a yearly allowance based off the interest of that money.”
“So eight hundred pounds, which is a significant sum given that she lives with you. Is she able to access the principal?”
“No. She is but two and twenty, and my father’s will dictates that the money will be released to her when she turns five and twenty, or to her husband after she marries, whichever comes first.”
“Does she stay within her income?”
Bingley shook his head unhappily. “No, she often overspends, and I cover her extra bills.”
Darcy tightened his lips at these words and Bingley threw up a hand.
“I know, Darcy, I know. I have been too lenient with Caroline and, to a lesser degree, Louisa. I dislike conflict, as you well know, but I had an epiphany last night. My primary loyalty must be to Jane and our future children. Jane herself is too gentle a soul to combat my waspish sister, so it falls to me, especially since I, as husband and brother, have the responsibility.”
“Am I correct that Miss Bennet has a more impassioned character?”
Bingley laughed and said, “You are entirely correct! Elizabeth combines great intelligence with an acerbic wit and passionate love for her family in general and Jane in particular.”
“I have observed how close Mrs. Bingley and Miss Bennet are. It is a beautiful thing.”
“It is,” Bingley agreed fervently. “Nor has Elizabeth ever so much as hinted at any resentment over our marriage. Jane is her dearest friend, and it could be argued that I took her away, but Elizabeth has always been supportive of our relationship.”
Darcy thought, cynically, that Miss Bennet was far too intelligent a woman to regret her elder sister’s marriage to a rich man.
A moment later, he took himself to task for such unkind thoughts.
Miss Bennet was an affectionate woman who obviously adored her sister.
For all that the Bennets had benefited from the marriage, they no doubt missed the presence of the beautiful, charming Jane at Longbourn.
What would it be like when Georgiana married and left Pemberley? He had never thought about it before; indeed, his primary fear was that she would never be normal enough to marry anyone. But he would miss her. Oh, how he would miss his dear Georgiana.
“Darcy?” Bingley asked in a puzzled tone.
His friend shook his head and said, “My apologies, I was woolgathering. Regarding your sister – it is very much your decision on how to proceed, but I do have an idea…”
/
Brighton
Sussex
George Wickham, militia lieutenant, felt entirely satisfied with the world as he strode briskly along North Street.
In spite of the sun beating down upon him, the temperature was comfortable due to the cool breezes flowing in from the endless ocean.
It was an hour before noon and the road was not extremely busy, but he was satisfied at the nods and smiles of the various women walking in the opposite direction.
He knew he cut a very fine figure in his red coat; in fact, he had it on the authority of more than one young woman that he was the most handsome lieutenant in all of Brighton!