Chapter 15
Later that morning, Darcy and the Fitzwilliams were breaking their fasts when Bingley, Miss Bingley, and the Hursts entered the breakfast parlour in travelling clothes. Even when travelling, Miss Bingley looked like an orange monstrosity.
“I did not know you intended to depart today, Bingley,” Darcy stated.
“My sisters prefer to go to Town,” Bingley replied, not able to look his friend in the eye.
“Let me see if I understand you correctly, Mr. Bingley,” Lady Matlock declared.
“You invited my nephew to be your guest to teach you estate management, then you invited my sons, and then very graciously included my husband and me, and now with no prior notice to your guests you are ready to leave on a whim?”
“It is not a whim!” Miss Bingley replied with asperity, forgetting who she was addressing. “We can no longer abide the lowborn fortune hunters in this neighbourhood!”
“Then if that be the case, you should leave with alacrity, as I am sure, Mr. Bingley, the neighbourhood will be relieved to hear you have removed this lowborn fortune hunter,” Lady Matlock gestured at Caroline Bingley so there would be no confusion as to whom she referred.
“Me? I am a wealthy and well-educated lady!” Miss Bingley screeched.
“Wealthy, possibly. Well educated, absolutely not! A lady most certainly not! You are the farthest thing from a lady I have ever beheld,” Lord Matlock announced as he stared down the shaking woman.
“I have never been insulted so in my life!” Miss Bingley was flabbergasted.
“Do you know your sister attempted to compromise me after the ball, Bingley? How many times have I told you even if she succeeded, I would not offer for her?” Darcy retorted angrily.
Miss Bingley was shaken to her core. He had to be guessing as he had not been there, so she decided to bluster. “What a vile lie! Do you take me for one of those Bennets that I would sink so low?”
“Miss Bingley, any of the Bennet daughters have more class and gentility in one of their fingers than you have! First, you were seen as I had footmen on duty in the hallway outside my chambers.” When Mr. Darcy mentioned the footmen, Miss Bingley almost cast up her accounts.
“But you were heard planning it at the ball. You ranted about your intentions in the hearing of someone who warned me. Why do you think I was not in my bed when you climbed into it?” Darcy asked.
“How did you know…” Miss Bingley clamped her jaw shut, realising she had just made an admission.
“Because, as I said, I had two footmen stationed as added protection. They were singularly unimpressed by what they saw,” Darcy twisted the knife.
Miss Bingley collapsed into a chair, finally starting to see her dreams turn to dust. When she looked around the room, there was no mistaking the disdain clearly written on the countenances of the Fitzwilliams and Mr. Darcy.
“Mr. Bingley, William tells me you have family in Scarborough, and I believe your estate, Winsdale, is in Yorkshire, Mr. Hurst?” the Countess asked.
Both men allowed it was so. “Town will not be an option for some years for anyone named Bingley, as expresses are on their way to Lady Jersey and the other patronesses regarding Miss Bingley’s despicable behaviour, and your apparent inability or lack of desire to check her, Mr. Bingley.
That being said, I cannot tell you where to go, but I would strongly recommend Scarborough.
“Mrs. Hurst, you have the advantage of no longer carrying the Bingley name. I do, however, recommend you remain in Yorkshire for this season.” As the Countess finished speaking, a footman entered the dining room with a note for Mr. Darcy.
When he opened it, to her horror, Caroline recognised her own writing. “That is mine, Mr. Darcy! I do not give you permission to read my private correspondence,” Miss Bingley attempted to lie.
“Are you out of your senses, Madam!” Darcy thundered.
“William, is that from Longbourn? Is Gigi well?” Richard asked out of concern. It was then Miss Bingley realised where Miss Darcy was, and her pallor took on a sickly cream colour.
“No, Gigi is well, but her reputation would have been damaged had the pack of lies this harridan wrote to Miss Bennet ever been known!” Darcy looked at Miss Bingley with something akin to hatred.
Bingley was silent as he did not know what to say or do. It was bad enough his sister had sunk so low as to try and compromise his friend, but now she had sent a note to Miss Bennet full of lies that somehow involved Miss Darcy. “What did you do?” Bingley asked when he found his voice.
“Read this drivel,” Darcy commanded as he passed the note to a footman to hand to Bingley.
As Bingley read his face went from white to red with anger.
“Caroline, how could you write this? You told me you would tell Miss Bennet we would be returning and wished to keep the connection. Instead, you tell her I have designs on Darcy’s sister.
A girl of fifteen I have always seen as a younger sister and nothing more! ”
Mrs Hurst let out a gasp as she read the disgusting missive.
She finally realised the price of always appeasing their younger sister was a cost none of them could afford to pay.
“Caroline, how could you have fallen so far? I cannot support you any longer; you are on your own in all of this,” Mrs. Hurst stated with sadness.
“We will depart for Scarborough today. What about the lease on Netherfield?” Bingley asked.
“I will write a statement that you are giving up the lease and have you sign it. I will take the lease until the end of the year term so you will not be penalised,” Darcy offered.
Bingley and Darcy hied to the study while Mrs. Hurst led a catatonic Miss Bingley to their coach.
When Darcy returned, he had the signed document in hand.
“Bingley, I hope you finally take your sister in hand. I like you, but I will never permit Miss Bingley in my company or that of my sister again. If you are unable or unwilling to separate yourself from her, then I am afraid we are at the end of our friendship. The choice is yours.” Darcy offered his friend his hand and they shook, neither knowing if they would see one another again.
“Now what, William?” Andrew asked.
“I will take this document to Mr. Phillips, the local solicitor you met at the ball and uncle to the Miss Bennets, who is the leasing agent for this estate and transfer the lease to my name. Then I will be off to Longbourn,” Darcy informed his family.
Richard and Andrew volunteered to join their cousin on his errands and their parents said they would call on Longbourn in an hour. Lord Matlock wanted to test Mr. Bennet’s chess prowess again. He had to gain his revenge; few could beat him, but Bennet had.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
After Collins consumed his breakfast at his normal fast pace, he made for Rosings Park to see his patroness, walking just as quickly as he was able.
Rosings’ butler showed the profusely sweating parson into Lady Catherine’s preferred drawing room, where she was seated on her raised throne-like chair.
It was the only comfortable chair in the room by design. Lady Catherine did not want her guests feeling too comfortable. She made sure she was higher and could look down on them, and they had to look up at her.
Mr. Collins genuflected as one would for the King. “Mr. Collins, what is the meaning of your presence here? Were you not to return on the morrow with the new Mrs. Collins? What is the meaning of you lying to me?” Lady Catherine demanded.
Already sweating profusely, he was suddenly bathed in it as his revered patroness berated him. “My sincerest, most contrite apology, your beneficence,” Collins bowed and scraped again, and would have been gratified to kiss the great lady’s feet were he allowed such an honour.
Lady Catherine preened at his deference, which she knew was naught but her due. “Explain why you are early and why you are not here with your wife! When will I meet her?”
“You remember I wrote to you telling you that after my cousins disrespected you, I could never take one of them as my wife. Therefore, I offered for the daughter of the local parson who would have been the ideal clergyman’s wife.” Collins replied.
“Yes, what about it?” the imperious lady demanded.
“The same dastardly cousins, after pleading with me to take one of them as my bride, in their jealousy told my betrothed all manner of lies. As her father, Mr. Dudley, is beholden to my cousin who owns Longbourn until I claim my inheritance, he withdrew his consent for me to marry his sweet daughter, because Mr. Bennet demanded it. She was devastated, but her negligent father cared not for her wishes. My cousin then evicted me from my future estate,” Collins told his patroness.
He cared little that nothing in his story was fact, as long as Lady Catherine acquitted him of disobeying her. “In that case, I will go thither and make sure this cousin of yours is put in his place,” Lady Catherine decided.
Mr. Collins turned a sickly colour of puce.
If Lady Catherine went to Longbourn, she would discover the truth and he could not have that now.
It would cost him much more than a possible bride.
“A-as much a-as I appreciate your condescension and willingness to reverse the wrongs perpetrated against me, your Ladyship, I beg you do nothing for now. My betrothed, who worships the ground I walk on as if we were formed for one another, requested time to work on her father. If she fails, I will inform you forthwith, and then bow to your way of dealing with my cousin.”
Lady Catherine considered her clergyman's words. It cost her nothing to wait, so she agreed and dismissed the relieved man with a wave of her wrist. Remembering Lady Catherine had not mentioned his letter, the senseless parson said “Before I leave . . .”
“What is it, Mr. Collins, as you know I am a very busy woman!” Lady Catherine returned impatiently.