Chapter Nineteen
Gracechurch Street
D earest Mama, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia ,
Upon receiving this letter, you will already be in great anticipation, we have no doubt. Mr. Bingley, so particularly desirous of calling upon Papa, was kind enough to carry this very special parcel to Longbourn. It is fortunate, perhaps, that Mr. Bingley elected to travel in his carriage rather than upon his poor horse, for we feel it would not have travelled half so well upon Ladybird. Mr. Bingley assures us that she is his favourite mount and that she is the second most delightful female he has ever encountered.
Have you guessed yet, in whose direction he looked when he informed us of this? But I must start at the beginning, must I not? I, Elizabeth, have taken the pen to act as scribe, Jane stands over my shoulder blushing charmingly, and Aunt Gardiner sits across the room with poor Ned who is trying to bring forth a tooth by sheer effort of chewing everything in sight. Aunt Gardiner will, she informs me, interject as she deems fit .
I hope that Mr. Bingley remembered to request that you delay opening the box until the appropriate moment in this letter. We have planned, with great frivolity and amusement, the moment at which one of you (probably Lydia) will reach forth to raise the lid, and we mean to savour the amazement we imagine you will feel. Please open it now and perhaps Mary or Kitty will take up the task of narration .
We have two delightful things to inform you of and will do so in order of importance. Mr. Bingley, our obliging box carrier, is the most fortunate young man in all the world and is even now, we hope, enclosed with Papa in his bookroom asking for the hand of the eldest Miss Bennet of Longbourn, of good lineage, blessed with beauty, good character, and an equal part share in a fortune of fifty thousand pounds .
You see now, do you not, why such a joyous occasion warrants the most extravagant gift we could send you? We thought that Mama might like to display this pineapple to her closest friends in Meryton, those select few who enjoy the benefit of intimacy with the mother of the bride. When the time comes to eat the pineapple, Jane will very likely have returned home to share it. I will likely be in Hunsford by then, and now make my request that I should receive a letter from each of you, relating with exquisite detail how delicious this exotic fruit is. I will likely enjoy your letters just as much if you all dislike it as much as Mary dislikes pears, so on no account must you feel the need to be polite .
I have now been urged by both of my epistolary advisors that I have teased quite enough and must now attempt to tell you the tale of our grand adventure in London. It has been a remarkable stay here in Gracechurch Street, and its culmination came at Mrs. Lambeth's soiree that we attended a few nights ago .
As you will know, we called upon Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst soon after our arrival because Jane felt it was the civil thing to do. I knew, rather than felt, that the polite thing ought to be done and went with her. Mr. Bingley's sisters made it plain that our call did not bring them any extraordinary delight, and it was some time before Miss Bingley returned the call, leaving only her card. You might easily guess, I suppose, that Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley did not tell their brother that they had seen us, perhaps relying on their belief that our circles must be vastly different from theirs and thus their concealment would not be exposed. Had events been different, they might well have been right and Jane would have endured, perhaps for ever, an injured heart .
Happily, we encountered Mr. Hurst in the park one day and he, being ignorant, we suppose, of the collusion between his wife and his sister-in-law, introduced us very civilly to his companions, who were particularly interested in sitting down to play cards with the eldest Miss Bennet. Retrospectively, our entrance into the higher circles of society stemmed from that point in time. Mrs. Gardiner now insists that I own to having wheedled my way in by hints and stratagems, but I admit to no such thing. Is it wrong to boast of our sister's skill at cards? I deny that it can be. If foolish gamblers find the prospect of playing against an undefeated beauty an irresistible challenge, what has that to do with me? It is all a happy accident, is it not ?
You will guess, I suppose, how matters fell after that. We have all felt the same relief that Jane declines to take our pocket allowance from us after we have pitted our limited skills against her. A little money to begin with soon grew into a modest sum, and by the time we attended Mrs. Lambeth's soiree, Jane carried with her a goodly sum. That sum was staked, grew again, and after a shockingly high game of vingt-et-un, Miss Jane Bennet rose from the table with vowels that amounted to a little more than fifty thousand pounds. Those promises have now been fulfilled by a stream of gentlemen and a few ladies. It is a matter of some considerable importance here to settle such debts of honour as soon as possible .
It was a blessed evening for Jane. She will never forget it, for aside from this extraordinary sum of money, Mr. Bingley also attended that evening, with Mr. Hurst, and it was notable, to our aunt at least, that his preference for Jane was strong. I must also add, she says, that she is rarely wrong when it comes to fathoming out young men and their liking for her nieces. An oblique remark that I assume is intended to demonstrate the depths of her auntly wisdom.
Mr. Bingley conveyed us home to Gracechurch Street, promising to call the next day. I was not privy to his conversation with Jane as I was occupied at the pianoforte with his friend. If I am to take any credit for Jane's engagement, which I am willing to, it is that I demonstrated sisterly devotion by suffering a long conversation with Mr. Darcy, thus enabling Mr. Bingley to waste little time in declaring himself. I was largely oblivious — you must forgive me, for it was not until Mr. Darcy drew my attention to the fact that his friend had seen fit to sink to his knees that I became aware that Jane's smile was one of greater elation than it had ever been the night before. As to the particulars, I will leave you to seek them out yourself when Jane returns. It is part of the happiness of an engaged woman, I believe, to impart further joy by being the one to share how her happiness came about .
We will, instead, divulge to you what is to happen with The Fortune. It is, you will understand, essentially Jane's money, given that she is the one who won it and also that she has attained her majority. She protests this, as strongly as Jane protests anything, but I do not wish to cross it out as I have thus far written a very neat page indeed .
Jane is adamant that her fifty thousand pounds ought to be used to the benefit of as many of her family as possible. She also, quite rightly, points out that there is nothing amiss with Papa's provision for us and thus we can have no direct need for so large a sum. The money is to be invested, for a return of five hundred pounds a year to each Miss Bennet who has attained her majority. After a period of ten years the capital may be withdrawn, or reinvested if that is what is desired. The interest gained after each two years have passed will increase by a percent which (Jane informs me) means an additional hundred pounds for each of us. Thus, when Lydia turns twenty-one years old, she may expect to receive an annual income of eight hundred pounds, which will increase for the last time when the interest we earn reaches ten percent .
It means that our mother and our father have the peace of knowing that our futures are secure, regardless of entail or any of us remaining unwed. It brings us happiness to know that Mama's greatest fear — that we will be poor and uncared for — can now be a distant memory .
It also means that every advantage may be afforded to us and should Papa wish Mary, Kitty, and Lydia to attend the most select finishing school in the country as parlour boarders, they may do so with ease. That, of course, is not our decision to make.
If you will look once again in the box, you will see that there are four very fine paisley shawls, which we have selected for you with great care. We are certain that you will all look well in the colours we have chosen .
We look forward to seeing you all as soon as may be. Jane desires that you should all be very kind to Mr. Bingley, and if Mama will invite him to a family dinner that would please her above anything. I myself recommend that you serve partridges, Mama. In all the time we have been in London I have not had the equal of the ones we eat at Longbourn .
With our love ,
Jane and Lizzy.
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“Louisa! Charles has been acting very oddly. I have scarcely seen him for three days and now the housekeeper has just now informed me that he has gone off for a few days. The housekeeper. Not even a nod of farewell to his own sisters.”
Mrs. Hurst looked up from the fashion plate she had been examining. “Where has he gone? It is unlike him but I suppose he is grown up enough to go where he pleases now. Perhaps there is a house party at one of his friends' country seats, or he may have gone to the races.”
“Newmarket? At this time of year? Do not be absurd.” Caroline frowned and went to the fire. “If he has gone to a house party, he certainly ought to have informed me or taken me with him. ”
“If it was a gentlemen's house party,” Louisa said reasonably, “he could not possibly take his sister with him.”
“Then he ought not go. He is supposed to be in town to escort us. It is selfish of him not to inform us where he is going.”
“Perhaps Mr. Hurst will know,” soothed Louisa. “He will likely come in soon. He said he might not leave for his club until later this evening.”
“I do not mean to speak ill of your husband, Louisa, but I hardly think Mr. Hurst knows much of anything, save his sport and his drink.”
Her sister was silent but returned her attention to the ladies' magazine with a moue.
“If you do not mean to speak ill of me, Caroline, it might be better if you remain silent.” Mr. Hurst had inevitably overheard his sister-in-law's remark as he entered the room. He watched as she gave a careless shrug and moved from the fire to a chair near Louisa .
Louisa held out her hand to her husband. “Ah, you have not yet gone out, Mr. Hurst. Do you know where Charles has taken himself off to? It is not like him to cause us worry.”
“As it happens,” he replied, sitting down beside her and quite ready to enjoy himself, “I do know where he has gone. I suppose you have not been kept abreast of the happenings at Mrs. Lambeth's soiree the other night, as you were at the opera.”
“Of course we know what happened. The very next morning Mrs. Houghton herself called to tell us.” Caroline straightened her shawl. “It is an honour, you know, for her to carry the latest gossip to us — we must be well on the way to becoming favourites of hers.”
Mr. Hurst's soft snort indicated he was not so impressed as Caroline judged he ought to be .
Louisa was watching her husband with a quizzical expression. “I do not see what the white ghosts have to do with Charles, Mr. Hurst.”
“Is that what she called them?” Another snort, this time amused, was issued .
“It is what everyone calls them, Mr. Hurst. I have not yet encountered them myself, but they are becoming all the rage — always dressed in white silk and seen in the very best homes. I had hoped they might attend the opera, because I should have liked to have seen if they are as beautiful as some of our friends say they are, but unfortunately they went to Mrs. Lambeth's instead. Perhaps Louisa and I will see them tonight. Lady Matlock has invited us to a ball. We cannot very well attend without an escort, however, so you will need to go to your club later.”
“Cannot be done.” Her brother-in-law's tone was cheerful. “I promised a few of my friends I would see them there, and broken promises are not the thing, y'know, Caroline.”
Seeing that her sister was about to retort sharply, Louisa intervened. “Of course you must go to your club, Mr. Hurst — we should not dream of imposing. It is only that Caroline had depended upon Charles escorting us, so she is disappointed. You still have not told us what Charles has to do with the white ghosts. Did he make their acquaintance the other evening? Why has he been here so little and left so suddenly?”
“You might have heard that one of our white ghosts is a fine card player, as fine as I have ever seen in fact. A cool head and an uncanny way of deciding her hand — not a flicker do you see on her face either. Told Eckworth myself that she was the best I have seen and he said…”
“Yes, of course we have heard that! Do make your point, if you please. If you will not oblige us by taking us to Lady Matlock's ball, I must find someone else who will.”
“The thing is, Bingley met the ghost and sat down beside her at the table. Think he was quite bowled over to have encountered her.”
Caroline smiled. “But this is excellent. It is a connection that will benefit us all. Did she like him? I heard she won thousands of pounds that evening. She must be a wealthy woman.”
He hesitated. “Yes, I would say she liked him. He sat beside her for a long time and even played a few rounds of cards with her.”
Cautiously, Mrs. Hurst asked, “I suppose Charles lost? It is to be expected. Did he lose very badly, Mr. Hurst? Is that why he has gone away?”
“Aye, he lost badly. Took it like a gentleman, however, as did Sutton who was also a heavy loser that night. Fifty thousand pounds, you know — I certainly have not witnessed a game like it before.”
There was a momentary pause before both Caroline and Louisa gave a shriek .
Mrs. Hurst seemed rooted to her seat and unable to move, but Caroline was instantly on her feet. “ Fifty thousand pounds! Do not tell us that Charles lost so much as that. That fool !”
“Well, it is not so bad as that.” Mr. Hurst shook his head reassuringly. “It was only twenty thousand he lost.”
“Twenty thousand pounds is the whole of my dowry!” Miss Bingley's tone of voice was not modulated — it could in fact be described as shrill. “He will not touch my own money, will he, Louisa? ”
Mr. Hurst smiled. “I daresay he might not, but really, with a debt of honour he could do as he pleases, given you are not yet of age. I am sure it will not come to that, however furious he might be with you.”
Caroline's face reddened with anger. “What right has he to be furious? There can be nothing to warrant it. I am sure you are only sowing the seeds of division for your own amusement. It is not amusing, sir. In fact, I am not altogether sure that this is not a piece of nonsense to rile us. Louisa, you must make him go away to his club. I am sure there can be no benefit to his staying.”
He rose, quite willing to oblige her. Mrs. Hurst took his hand and he glanced at it briefly in surprise before giving her his attention. “Yes, m'dear?”
“There is no need for you to go, Mr. Hurst — I wish you would explain to us where Charles is and why you think he might be furious.”
“Ah, well now. That has been dismissed as falsehood by your sister, m'dear. Not a lot of need for me to tell you a thing if it cannot be believed. ”
“Caroline was only funning, were you not, Caroline? We would not dream of accusing you of lying, would we, sister?”
Mr. Hurst patiently waited for Caroline to nod stiffly, her mind evidently a whirl, and to sit down. He pondered for a moment, waiting yet longer for an apology from her but determined that it was not worth the time .
“He is angry with the pair of you, in truth. Oddly enough, on the grounds of deceit — he found out, y'see, that Miss Bennet was in town and that you had kept it from him. Mr. Darcy, too, realised that you had lied to his face about Miss Elizabeth being in town, and if you will take my advice, Caroline, you would avoid that ball that his aunt is hosting tonight. I daresay you will do as you please regardless, but that is quite your affair.”
Once red, Caroline now paled and looked at Louisa again. “Mr. Darcy agreed that Charles should not know that Miss Bennet is in town. He cannot hold against me if I, with equally good motive, kept her sister's presence from him.”
“But were you quite serious about the money, Mr. Hurst?” Louisa drew in a deep breath. “If Charles is cross with us, I am sure I am very sorry for it, but that at least is easier to recover than such a vast sum of money!”
“Is it? I am sure you are right, m'dear,” said he, sounding anything but. “He has already settled the money and is now calling upon Mr. Bennet in Hertfordshire. I gather there has been something of a reunion with his eldest daughter. I daresay you will wish him very happy when he returns to town.” He released his wife's hand and stood. “Well, this has been a pleasant interlude with you, but I had much better head to my club. There is something of a wager in the book about which of the white ghosts will be taken off the marriage market first, and I am in a great hurry to place an entry.”