Chapter 8 #2
Caroline checked her anger and cogitated on her sister’s words. Louisa was correct. It would not do to disagree with Mr Darcy. “Will Mr Darcy come to assist you to learn how to manage an estate as he once said?” She asked calmly.
“Yes, Darce will join us and remain for about six weeks to two months. He will teach me while he is with us,” Bingley responded. Seeing that there was no tantrum forthcoming, he felt a lot more confident about his sisters not chastising him on this subject.
“I will be the hostess, so Mr Darcy will be able to see my skill at running a great house,” Miss Bingley decided.
“Yes, my dear, you must take that role,” Mrs Hurst agreed.
Bingley was about to point out that Darcy had said that Louisa should take precedence as far as being the mistress of the estate, but as she and Caroline agreed, he decided to not introduce anything which may lead to conflict.
The last thing he needed was to be in the brown with both of his sisters.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Richard had been pleased when Darcy had agreed that Mrs Annesley was the right woman to be Anna’s companion. She was a widow, in the middle of her fifth decade, with impeccable characters.
All three ladies his Aunt Elaine had recommended had been unimpeachable, but there had been a motherly quality both Darcy and Richard believed Anna needed which had led to Darcy selecting the same lady that Richard had.
Darcy had appreciated that Richard had not made his preference known before the interviews.
That way, he had made a decision without any undue pressure.
In the almost two months since employing Mrs Hannah Annesley, the decision to choose her had been reaffirmed many times.
On the one hand, the companion provided Anna a sympathetic, motherly ear, while at the same time she was not afraid to point out the errors his sister had made.
Rather than Anna becoming a watering pot, as Darcy had worried she would, the truth was assisting her to recover far more quickly than telling her she had no fault in what had almost occurred.
At the beginning of September, Darcy had followed the Fitzwilliams to London.
Anna and Mrs Annesley were residing at Matlock House across the green from Darcy House in Grosvenor Square.
He had agreed with Aunt Elaine and Mrs Annesley that some more time with ladies would be advantageous to his sister.
On his second day in London, Darcy met with Bingley at White’s. Bingley related the day of departure to his friend. “You will travel with us, will you not?” He asked enthusiastically.
“No, Bingley, I will come that Friday, the final one in the month. I believe it is four days after you.” Darcy did not miss how his friend’s face fell.
No doubt he did not look forward to reporting back to his sisters.
Lambert’s opinion that Bingley was often like a puppy flashed in Darcy’s mind.
Seeing his friend before him now, he could not deny Lambert’s characterisation.
“It is only natural that you would need some time to set up the house to be ready to receive guests. Surely your sisters would not like to be seen in anything less than the best light?”
The friends went their separate ways soon enough.
Darcy made his way to Matlock House. The old retainer showed him to a drawing room where his aunt sat.
He could hear from the sounds of a pianoforte that Anna was playing.
That fact, in and of itself, was already an improvement.
She had shied away from the instrument for the first months after the almost debacle in Ramsgate.
“Yes, she is playing once again,” Lady Matlock confirmed. “She began about a sennight past. Mrs Annesley was playing and purposefully played some discordant notes. Anna went to correct her, and before she knew it, she was at the keyboard once again.”
“That is good news, Aunt Elaine.” Darcy inclined his head to her as he took a seat in an armchair opposite his aunt. “Do not ring for refreshments,” he said when he saw the Countess reach for the bell pull. “I was just at White’s.”
“Was it a social or business call?” Lady Matlock inquired.
“A little of both, I suppose,” Darcy replied. He told her who he had met and what they had discussed. “Aunt, do you honestly think it will be good for Anna if I go with Bingley as planned and not remain here close to her?”
“I assume Richard has informed you of the progress Anna is making?” Lady Matlock verified.
“He did,” Darcy responded succinctly.
“Both Mrs Annesley and I are of the opinion that some space from you will be good. Anna needs the time to consider everything without the feeling that you are always here watching over her. I suppose that means you have to put up with living in the same house as the two harpies?” Lady Matlock realised.
She, her husband, son, and daughter-in-law had all refused to be introduced to either Mrs Hurst or Miss Bingley. It was bad enough they traded on William’s name to garner invitations that they otherwise would not receive.
“Yes, that is the unfortunate consequence of my friendship with Bingley,” Darcy agreed.
“Does Miss Bingley know you will never offer for her and that you will refuse to gratify a compromise?” Lady Matlock asked. “No one deserves to be tied to that shrewish termagant for the rest of their lives.” She paused. “William, say the word and I will have those two shrews ejected from society.”
“I thank you, Aunt Elaine, but I could not do that to Bingley. As far as the questions you asked before, I have made that very clear to my friend. I hope that Bingley has told his sisters.” Darcy had his doubts, but that would not change the outcome if, with Mrs Hurst’s aid, Miss Bingley attempted to entrap him.
How many times had Richard and Lambert told him that he was wrong not to allow Bingley to feel the effects of his refusal to check his sisters? Darcy still clung to his stubborn reliance on his own judgement.
A little voice told him his employment of Mrs Younge proved his judgement was not infallible. He ignored the voice.
Lady Matlock had been told all about Mr Bingley’s character by her younger son, the only one in her immediate family to have met the Bingley fellow, so she was rather sceptical that the brother had said anything to the sisters.
Even when having them evicted from Pemberley, her husband had avoided being introduced to them.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“What do you mean Mr Darcy will not travel with me…us when we take up residence at that leased estate?” Miss Bingley demanded.
“Caroline, he has business, and I told you what he said about the time you will need to prepare the house, did I not? You do not want him to arrive and see that you do not have the house ready for him, do you?” Bingley stated.
“In that case, I will use the time to make the drawing rooms more fashionable.” Miss Bingley sniffed.
“Ehrm, you may not change the décor in the house,” Bingley squeaked.
“That is not to be borne!” Miss Bingley shrieked, her voice as shrill as it ever got.
“Charles, is that restriction in the lease?” Mrs Hurst questioned. She was determined to calm her younger sister down. She saw Charles nod. “You said Mr Darcy approved of the house. Did he seem displeased with the décor?”
“No, quite the opposite. He said it was in the style he preferred,” Bingley replied.
“There are two issues here, Caroline. Neither of them will impress Mr Darcy if you ignore the strictures,” Mrs Hurst conjectured slyly.
“If you force Charles to ignore the terms of his lease, and you change the style Mr Darcy approves of, he will not be sanguine. To sign a lease and then ignore the clauses of what may and may not be done, will be seen as ungentlemanly. You do not want to remind Mr Darcy of our roots, do you?”
Miss Bingley huffed. “I suppose I will leave things as they are.” She stood and swept out of the drawing room.
Bingley relaxed. Once again, he had escaped without a tantrum.