Chapter 22 #2
Richard lifted the ring from the box, took Mary’s left hand, and slid it onto her ring finger.
After replacing the box in his pocket, Richard captured his betrothed’s head in his hands and lowered his head once more.
His Mary responded as passionately as he had suspected she might; her emotions ran deep though they were hidden below the surface.
Both felt themselves slipping toward losing control as her hands roamed over his upper torso. When she raked her fingers across his chest, his groan brought them both back to awareness, both fighting for the breath their racing hearts would grant.
“I think I need to go to your father, my love,” Richard stated once he had managed to calm enough not to betray his need of her.
“Yes, Richard, I believe you do,” Mary agreed. After a kiss on each of his betrothed’s cheeks, Richard took a step back and made sure his shirt was tucked in as it should be.
The two entered the drawing room at almost the same time as Jane, who also sought her father. Jane and Mary spied the rings on one another’s fingers simultaneously and fell into each other’s arms. As they were hugging, their soon to be parents-in-law were shown into the drawing room.
“It seems we are just in time, Reggie,” Lady Elaine drawled, “I do love the rings Jane and Mary are wearing.”
“Come, Richard, let us join your brother in the study; we may as well kill two birds with one stone,” Bennet invited. He and Richard departed the drawing room.
“My sons have always considered you a brother, William,” Lord Reggie told his nephew as they waited for Bennet to make the official announcement. “Now you will be brothers indeed.”
It was not too many minutes later when Bennet returned with the Fitzwilliam brothers in tow, each sporting a huge grin. He motioned for Jane and Mary to join their betrotheds. “It is my great pleasure to announce the betrothal of Jane to Andrew and Mary to Richard.” Bennet announced.
Although everyone had anticipated the news, it did not diminish the exclamations of joy and well wishes.
The two newly betrothed couples had agreed on a joint wedding, to be celebrated on the eighth day of February 1811, the second Friday of the month, and one month after the date chosen by Elizabeth and William.
Part of the consideration was to allow the then newlywed Darcys time to return from Seaview Cottage, where they planned to stay for three weeks after their nuptials.
It was quite late when the Netherfield party returned to that estate.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
After they returned to Netherfield Park, Nichols handed the master a black edged letter in a script he did not recognise. Darcy broke the seal—the Bingley seal—in the drawing room; he hoped nothing had befallen his friend.
He read the note to all:
11 December 1810
Bingley Place
Scarborough, Yorkshire
Darcy:
Louisa is writing this for me so you will be able to read what is written.
Caroline is no longer in the land of the living. She went outside in intemperate weather and slipped, hitting her head. We only found her body two days later as there was no visibility on the day she went missing. Even though she was close to the house, we did not see her.
May God bless you,
Charles Bingley
“I will write and send our condolences,” Darcy stated. He knew he should feel sorrow for Miss Bingley’s passing, but he could not. He hoped she was finally at peace.
“As she is no longer with us, I will notify my friends to take no action regarding the Bingleys,” Lady Elaine decided. She could not justify making the brother pay for the crimes of his later sister. Yes, he should have taken her in hand, but that was moot now.
“I think that is appropriate, Aunt. I only pray Bingley will grow up and start to take responsibility for his life,” Darcy opined.
“As much as I hate to speak ill of the dead, and as much as my friend will feel sorrow for losing his sister when she was so young, in some ways it will be a relief for him not to have to live with her constant dissatisfaction and manipulation. When enough time has passed, if I find out he has matured and taken responsibility for his own decisions, I will invite him to enter my circle of friends again.”
Darcy’s speech did not meet with any disagreement from his family members.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The next day when the three betrothed men arrived at Longbourn, they shared the sad news with its residents.
Though Caroline Bingley was universally disliked, no one would have wished such a death on her.
“I will send a note from all of us Bennets to Mr. Bingley, if you will provide me with his direction, William,” Charlotte decided.
With the information in hand, Charlotte sat at the escritoire to write the missive.
“Was she always the way we knew her?” Elizabeth asked after everyone had seated themselves in the drawing room.
“From the time I knew her, yes,” Darcy replied after some cogitation.
“I do remember one day after she set her cap for me; Bingley explained to me her whole character had changed at the seminary.
Being the youngest of the three siblings, she had always been indulged by her parents.
During her first year at the school, they lost both parents in a carriage accident.
“From what Bingley told me, rather than learn how not to behave from the way she and Louisa were treated by daughters of the Ton at the seminary, Miss Bingley began to emulate them.”
“That explains her pathological need to climb the rungs of society and believe herself above most others,” Charlotte realised.
“You have the right of it, Mrs. Bennet,” Andrew agreed. “I will not lionise her now that she had passed. I did not want this to happen to her, however. I was not sorry when she left Netherfield Park and I knew she would never be admitted to polite society again.”
None of those in the drawing room wanted to dispute what Andrew had stated, as they all agreed with him. It was the final time any of them discussed Miss Caroline Bingley.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
As the days and weeks passed, the time to celebrate Christmastide approached.
In addition to the Gardiners and the Netherfield party, the whole of the Phillips, Lucas, and Dudley families would be present for the celebration at Longbourn.
In a most pleasant surprise, Dr. Starkey had pronounced Anne de Bourgh improved enough to travel, so four days prior to Christmas Eve Andrew and Richard Fitzwilliam arrived at Rosings Park to collect their cousin.
To make it easier for Anne, they would overnight at Hilldale House in London and depart for Hertfordshire in the morning.