Chapter Twelve
THE NEXT MORNING, Neithern, Houseman, and Elizabeth all met on the path halfway between Barralds and Neith Abbey, but another person was present, listening.
Caroline Bingley was there, but hidden, just listening, out of sight.
This had come about because Caroline had seen Miss Darcy go up to her room in a flood of tears, and Caroline had seen all three of them—both the Darcys and Elizabeth—get out of a carriage bound from somewhere. Caroline knew not where.
Caroline was in a position of some desperation at this point in her life.
She had, foolishly, she now realized, devoted herself to a future between herself and Mr. Darcy.
She had devoted herself so whole-heartedly to it that she had never considered it wouldn’t come to pass, unfortunately.
When Jane Bennet appeared and her brother took such an interest in the girl, Caroline had done everything she could to get her brother away from the influence of that girl and back to London.
When Mr. Darcy had assisted her, she had taken this as confirmation that he wished for Charles to marry Georgiana.
If he could desire a union between the families of matrimony, then she must be good enough for him, she thought. He must want her as she wanted him. She believed it.
Now, having her hopes dashed, she was in a state of constant agitation, unsure of what she could do or what her future might be. She was desperate to marry, desperate in a way that made her behave in ways she might not have otherwise just a few months ago.
Though it might seem that her behavior contradicted this on occasion, Caroline did have her scruples.
She knew that following people about and listening to their private conversations was not strictly upright behavior.
And using the information gleaned in those conversations was obviously not particularly moral either.
But at this point, she simply couldn’t help herself.
She had attempted to charm every man at this gathering, and they all seemed to be laughing at her behind her back—or even in front of her face.
She had become a joke to everyone, and she attempted to smooth this over by being as complimentary as she possibly could to everyone, but this only seemed to make it worse.
The minute she gave out one compliment, men started leering and snickering.
They tried to hide it, but she could see it.
She had seen it with Mr. Houseman and now they were all behaving the same way.
Mr. Houseman would not have been Caroline’s first choice as a husband, but he would do, she thought. He didn’t seem to like her, of course, however, which was rather a barrier to the entire idea of it all.
At any rate, Caroline was looking for a distraction from the desperate and pathetic reality of her life when she saw Miss Darcy go upstairs, sobbing, and then she saw Elizabeth, only a few moments later, dash up the stairs as if she was in a state of some anxiety also.
Caroline watched Elizabeth’s door and saw her maid bring her rags for her bleeding, which explained it all and in such a way that Caroline was about to go and spy on Miss Darcy instead, but then a servant came and went in and spoke to Elizabeth.
Then Elizabeth left the room, looked about as if worried someone might see her, and crept off all alone on a walk. Caroline could not help but follow her.
Then, she heard the entire conversation with Neithern.
Most of it made little sense to her, but she heard that the duke was illegitimate and that Elizabeth was…
well, she was struggling to make sense of it, but Elizabeth was the daughter of the late Duke of Neithern?
That was maddening, of course, because Caroline did not wish this woman to have any more advantages in life.
It seemed that Elizabeth had more than her fair share.
At any rate, Caroline could not help but come to spy again the next morning. She hid herself behind several trees, off the path, and she listened and watched and none of the three parties there even noticed her.
When they all approached, the first thing that happened was that Neithern and Houseman shook hands. Then Houseman seemed to break and he pulled Neithern into an embrace. “I hear you know the truth now, little brother,” he whispered.
Wait, what?
Caroline was quite beside herself. Certainly, everyone had noticed the resemblance between Neithern and Houseman, but no one knew what to make of it.
She had heard some theories that Houseman must be the by-blow of Neithern’s father, but no one had suspected this—that Neithern was not really of the blood of the Neithern family.
Neithern pulled back, eyes shining. “You are my brother?”
“I am,” said Houseman. “I remember when you were born. I was older and I did not think I could care for a baby, not all by myself, not without our mother. I was still grieving her when the Frenchman came and said he would take you off to live some grand and beautiful life as the heir to a dukedom.”
Elizabeth spoke up. “So Larilane knew you were there, that you were left behind as well?”
“I don’t know if he knew I was the older brother,” said Houseman.
“He wanted the baby. I did not know what to do, so I let him take you.” He shook his head at Neithern.
“I have never known if I did the right thing. But I have always known where you were, and I have always missed you and wished that I had something—anything—left of our mother, and you were all that was left.”
“What was she like?” said Neithern, his lower lip trembling.
“She was beautiful,” said Houseman, and his eyes were shining, too.
“She had a voice like a songbird. She would sing me to sleep at night, and she would always make sure I had enough to eat, even if she had to go without. She was kind and sweet and good, but she was small, delicate. It isn’t surprising she didn’t survive bringing you into the world, I think.
She and I, we were both hungry at that point. ”
“Oh, God, I am sorry,” said Neithern.
“It’s not your fault.”
“I think I killed her.”
“No, no,” said Houseman. “She would have died a thousand times if she would have known it would give her boys a better life, and it did, I suppose.”
“How for you?” said Neithern. “How have you become this?”
“I ended up getting a job as a chimney sweep,” said Houseman, “and I got lucky, I suppose. Some woman one day saw three of us there, all walking together, covered in soot, and she insisted that she be allowed to send us all to school instead.”
“A woman?” said Elizabeth. “What woman?”
“She was a courtesan, as it turned out,” said Houseman.
“She was, however, associated at that time with a very wealthy man, and she was quite independent, having invested widely in a number of various businesses with what money she had. She also owned an inn in London, though this wasn’t common knowledge, it seemed, or the place would have been considered something of a place of ill repute.
At any rate, she took the three of us in, sent us to school, and she taught us about money, about how to make it and how to keep it and how to behave as if we belonged amongst people of the upper classes. ”
“That is incredibly kind,” said Elizabeth.
“Yes,” said Houseman, “but it turns out it was a bet she had going with her paramour at the time. He believed that there was something in the blood, that you could not take urchins off the street and turn them into respectable men.”
“And you proved them wrong,” whispered Neithern.
“Well, I suppose I did, but the other two of my little company, my fellow chimney sweeps, they both drank too much, gambled too much, stole things, and got themselves killed—one in a duel, one strung up for horse thievery, before they were seventeen years old. I was the only one who was successful. And you know why I think it was?”
“Obviously we don’t,” said Elizabeth.
“Because of me,” said Neithern. “If I could deceive everyone I was a duke, you could do the same.”
“You weren’t a duke yet. Your father was still alive,” said Houseman.
“And it was more that I wished to see you again, and I couldn’t do that if I couldn’t be accepted into your society.
I had to have enough money that such a thing was conceivable, which was not an easy task, you know.
I had to make quite a great deal of money. ”
“But you didn’t,” said Neithern. “You have avoided me.”
“Ah, yes,” said Houseman, sighing. “Well, I suppose there’s another wrinkle this story, that I shall share with you at this point. After all, there is no point in concealing it any longer.”
“What is it?” said Neithern.
“It’s to do with your uncle,” said Houseman. “Bishop Sulles. The Right Reverend Sulles, we may call him, I suppose.”
Neithern furrowed his brow. “I’ve not spent much time with him, truthfully. My grandmother always said it was better to limit my time with him.”
“He saw me and suspected something,” said Houseman.
“As many have noticed, we look alike. And that was when I realized that what I was doing to you was no favor. I was ruining you. I had already built this house, however, and I…” He groaned.
“I do like to watch you, to see you from afar, I suppose?”
“How were you ruining me?” said Neithern.
“Well, if I were to show myself, to come into your life and tell you the truth of yourself, it would only harm you. If anyone else discovered the truth, you would be stripped of your title and your place in society. I had no wish to do that to you.”
Neithern nodded slowly.
“Bishop Sulles knows?” said Elizabeth.