Chapter 18 #2
In hushed tones, Biggs related for whom they worked and why they had the little Miss with them.
Hill stood back and asked the men to take Miss Lydia up to the third floor where she would be locked in the nursery.
Biggs and Johns inspected the room; there was a window but no way to climb down without falling to one’s death.
As an added level of safety, they broke the latch on the window making it impossible to open.
Miss Lydia’s gag was removed, and the men exited before she began to loose a stream of invective laced profanity. Peters was posted outside of the locked door, just in case.
When the family returned, they were treated to the noise emanating from the third floor.
Mr Hill related to the master that Miss Lydia had been caught sneaking out, but no more than that.
Regardless of his wife’s objections and without telling her why, Bennet issued orders that his youngest was to remain in the nursery until further notice.
Back in Meryton, Billington watched as Mr Wickham groaned and sat up. The man rubbed his head and then suddenly realised his purse was gone.
“Damn!” Wickham exclaimed. “What bad luck! After I had relieved Denny and some of the other officers of the coin they carelessly left in their quarters. Now it is all gone! I will have to just find some more to make up for it.” He spoke aloud confident he was alone.
Billington had the urge to hit the man again, but he would do as instructed—keep watch until the master and mistress arrived.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Netherfield Park, a little after sunup
“I say, Darce, I did not know you would be departing for Town as well. I thought you were to remain until just before Christmastide?” Bingley wondered as he prepared to have his trunk loaded onto the roof of his coach.
“There are reasons I too need to be in London,” Darcy stated.
He hated disguise, and what he had said was not a prevarication, just not the whole truth.
“I suggest we take my coach, that way your sisters and Hurst will not be without a conveyance. When you need to return, I will make my carriage available to you.”
Just then, much to the surprise of both men, Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley appeared. They claimed they had come to farewell their brother.
“Are you also seeing Charles off, Mr Darcy?” Mrs Hurst asked.
“No, Darcy must go to Town as well. I will leave my coach for you until I return,” Bingley responded.
Although he was suspicious by the looks of glee on the sisters’ faces, Darcy said nothing. Based on the pursuit of him as a husband for Miss Bingley, Darcy had expected them to attempt to convince him to remain with them until Bingley returned.
“It is good you are leaving your coach here, Charles,” Miss Bingley said pleasantly. “Please give our regards to dear Georgiana.”
Darcy knew he should tell Miss Bingley she was not permitted to address his sister in that familiar way, but he was too pleased to be making his escape without the sisters trying to interfere with his plans.
In less than an hour, the Darcy coach was on its way to London.
As soon as the conveyance was out of their sight, the Bingley sisters made their way inside and began to issue orders to close the house.
Hurst was not well pleased to be rousted from his bed so early, but after much groaning, he got dressed. They broke their fasts in the dining parlour, and by eleven that morning, they were ready to depart.
“We will not be back, none of us, that is,” Mrs Hurst told the housekeeper as she and her sister sailed out of the house. Before she boarded the coach, Mrs Hurst handed a letter and a few shillings to a Netherfield Park footman with instructions to deliver it to Longbourn in about an hour.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Longbourn, Morning meal, the day after the ball:
About halfway through the meal, an epistle was delivered to a glowing Jane. Mr Bingley had told her he was to travel to London for business this very morning, but he would return by the end of the week.
She recognised the writing as that of her friend, Caroline Bingley.
It was the same script as the invitation she had received from Caroline inviting her to dine at Netherfield Park.
Jane guessed that with their brother away, Louisa and Caroline were lonely and were requesting her company. She broke the seal with anticipation.
As she read, her smile vanished. By the end of the letter, she dropped it, and with tears running down her cheeks, she bolted from the dining parlour at the same moment Maddie and Edward Gardiner were shown in.
“Lizzy, what ails Jane?” Maddie asked. Fanny was sitting, her mouth hanging open with no clue as to what had just occurred.
“It was because of this missive.” Elizabeth picked it up. She and Jane had no secrets between them, so she was sure her older sister would not object to her reading it. Elizabeth smoothed the paper and began to read.
27 November 1811
Netherfield Park
Miss Jane Bennet:
I do not pretend to regret anything I shall leave in Hertfordshire. The society is too low, and almost non-existent, so there is nothing to keep us here any longer.
When my brother left us this morning, he imagined that the business which took him to London might be concluded in three or four days; but as we are certain it cannot be so, and at the same time convinced that when Charles gets to town he will be in no hurry to leave it again, we have determined on following him thither for the reasons stated above.
That way, he will not be obliged to spend his vacant hours in an empty house.
Many of our acquaintances are already there for the winter. Unfortunately, they are far above your level of society so there is no chance we will see you again, even if you are being hosted by the tradesman in Cheapside.
I sincerely hope your Christmas in Hertfordshire may abound in the gaieties which that season generally brings, and that your beaus at your own level of society will be so numerous as to prevent your feeling the loss of our superior company.
Mr Darcy is impatient to see his sister; and, to confess the truth, we are scarcely less eager to meet her again.
I really do not think Georgiana Darcy has her equal for beauty, elegance, and accomplishments; and the affection she inspires in Louisa and myself is heightened into something still more interesting, from the hope we dare entertain of her being hereafter our sister.
I do not know whether I ever before mentioned to you my feelings on this subject; but I will not leave the country without confiding them, and I trust you will not esteem them unreasonable. My brother admires dear Georgiana greatly already; in fact, they are in an unofficial courtship.
Charles will have frequent opportunities now of seeing her on the most intimate footing.
We do not think it will be long before the courtship becomes official.
As we are of their level of society, her relations all wish the connection as much as his own.
I do not believe that a sister’s partiality is misleading me, I think, when I call Charles most capable of engaging any woman’s heart.
With all these circumstances to favour an attachment, and nothing to prevent it, am I wrong, Miss Bennet, in indulging the hope of an event which will secure the happiness of so many?
I am sure his flirtatious ways did not give rise to any expectations, as I am certain you understand Charles meant nothing by it.
Caroline Bingley
Elizabeth knew it was all lies. This was the supercilious sisters’ and Mr Darcy’s wishes, not Mr Bingley’s. She was certain that Mr Bingley was as much in love with Jane as she was with him.
Other than what Mr Wickham said, she knew nothing of Miss Darcy, but that Mr Darcy was willing to break Jane’s heart so that he could have Mr Bingley for his sister…that was even worse than all of the terrible things she had heard about him! The man had no heart.
“May I?” Maddie requested.
Wordlessly, Elizabeth handed the disgusting letter to her aunt. “When you read this you will see Mr Darcy’s hand in hurting Janey,” she claimed. “It is evident by this,” added she, “that Mr Bingley comes back no more this winter, or ever.”
“It is only evident that Miss Bingley does not mean that he should,” Maddie opined after she read.
“Lizzy, before you blame others, it must be this Mr Bingley’s doing.
Is he not his own master? Do you know all?
You are far too quick to throw daggers at Mr Darcy’s door, to hear you he is the devil incarnate. ”
“But he is!” Elizabeth insisted.
“What happened to Jane? Miss Lizzy, did you do something to chase Mr Bingley away?” Fanny demanded.
Bennet had enough, he made for his study, Gardiner following in his wake.
“Lizzy, you are wrong about so much, and Fanny, you are being nonsensical,” Maddie stated firmly.
Both Fanny and Lizzy looked outraged for different reasons.
“Fanny, do you know why your favourite is locked in the nursery? Because I do. We need to speak. Now,” Maddie commanded.
“But I need to address, Cousin Elizabeth,” Collins protested.
“You need her father’s permission, and I believe my brother and husband are speaking, so Mr Collins, you will have to wait,” Maddie returned. She saw Fanny was about to protest, so she gave Edward’s younger sister a quelling look. Fanny said nothing and the corpulent parson looked churlish.
When her mother and Aunt Maddie left the room, Elizabeth felt a little bit of a reprieve. She made her way up to Jane’s chamber to comfort her.