Chapter 14 Unexpected Visitor
“Mrs Darcy, Miss Bingley has asked if you are available to take her call.”
Quite to her own surprise, Elizabeth said, “Yes, I will be happy to receive her.”
“She is in the Green Parlour, madam.”
Elizabeth was happy it was not the yellow one, so she followed the butler, surprised to find herself looking forward to the encounter for some reason she could not fathom.
Was she lonely for the company of people somewhat matching her station in life, aside from the local gentlemen she spent considerable time with at the bookshop?
Was she secretly wondering if the lady would have news of Hertfordshire or London of interest?
Could Miss Bingley have news about her husband, and if so, did she want to hear it?
Did Mrs Darcy want to gloat over the loser of the supposed contest for the title?
Mrs Darcy’s internal ruminations were quite the mess, and she had not even begun to sort them out when Jennings led her into the parlour, where she found herself standing in front of Caroline Bingley, who was looking nervous, as if she were not even remotely sure of herself.
Elizabeth found it refreshing to see the lady in that state, as she had never seen anything save brash confidence in Hertfordshire.
“Miss Bingley, welcome to Pemberley,” she said, with a much bigger smile than she might have intended.
“Mrs Darcy, I hope you will pardon my intrusion. Mr Jennings says you were in mourning and not taking callers, but I hoped you would take pity on me, since we are known to each other.”
“Think nothing of it. I am happy to receive you, though I fear I cannot offer you hospitality for the night.”
“That is of no concern. I am on my way to Manchester, so I can only stop for an hour or two anyway. My lodgings for the night are already arranged.”
“Pray, have a seat, and I shall ring for refreshments. I confess I am famished.”
Elizabeth asked Jennings, who had hovered near the door, to order refreshments, which marked the very first time she had asked him for refreshments for a guest. In fact, it was the first time she had ever asked him for such for anyone.
Most of the time, she just had Molly bring her whatever she wanted, or Molly anticipated her need, or if she was desperate, she wandered the halls to pick the first maid or footman she happened to see.
The whole encounter felt odd—both familiar and strange at the same time.
She had of course examined all the parlours and selected the ones she might someday use for each purpose, but without any guests, she usually found it easier and more comfortable to stay in the library or near her suite.
It was as if she was waiting for something—some sign of some sort—before she really laid claim as mistress or took up too many of the mistress’ habits.
When Jennings left, Elizabeth continued, “Would you believe I have been here nearly five months, and you are my first real visitor?” she asked, still seething about the Matlocks.
“Would it be impertinent to ask why?” Caroline asked, though Elizabeth saw some hint of something in her countenance that she could not put her finger on.
With a smile, Elizabeth replied, “Yes, it would indeed be impertinent—but I am the last one to say impertinence is bad. If it were, I would be in trouble, as it may well be my worst failing and most noticeable personality trait.”
Miss Bingley looked thoughtful for the first time within Elizabeth’s experience. “All the same, asking such a personal question was probably ill-advised—but I am still curious.”
Elizabeth pondered a moment. “Before I answer you, might we stipulate that we did not like each other very much in Meryton and get it out of the way?”
“So stipulated,” the lady answered, which Elizabeth found amusing. It was the way a barrister would speak, and hardly what she would expect from another lady. Most of the women Elizabeth knew would have asked what ‘stipulate’ meant, so she was already intrigued by her guest.
“If I may be so bold as to venture a guess, your—” and she paused for a moment.
Caroline helpfully added, “Are you trying to think of a polite way to say overt hostility?”
Elizabeth laughed. “Yes, that was exactly it.”
“May I address that?”
“Be my guest.”
Caroline, having come this far, seemed at a loss as to where to continue, so Elizabeth interrupted her.
“Before you start, might we agree that this is a private conversation, not to be repeated to anyone, including any or all of our siblings, spouses, and so forth? I will trust you if you trust me.”
“Of course,” Caroline said, and then added, “and that is not just a flippant answer. As you probably surmised, I did not just accidentally land here at Pemberley on my way to Manchester.”
Elizabeth chuckled. “I suspected as much.”
Caroline thought a moment, and finally said, “I do not think we ever really had a chance to know each other… back then. As you surmised, I hated Meryton right from the first moment I stepped foot there, so I looked for fault in every direction. You just happened to be in the way.”
Curious, Elizabeth asked, “Yes, I could see that, but I always assumed you were either high in the instep, hunting Mr Darcy, or both,” with a shrug accompanied by a puzzled expression.
“I admit to both. Then of course, walking into that assembly that my brother just had to attend before we knew a single soul, thus ensuring that we would be stared at and gossiped about like pigs on the way to market, did not help.”
Getting into the spirit of the thing, Elizabeth said, “And I imagine you must have heard my mother and all her cronies screeching about your five thousand, or ten thousand, or what have you, did not improve your disposition.”
“Your mother lacks subtlety, but I do have to applaud her for audacity.”
Elizabeth frowned. “Alas, I cannot.”
Caroline leaned forward in surprise, though whether it was real or feigned was anybody’s guess, but decided not to address that issue.
“Then of course, there was my brother and your sister—” at which point she tapered off, as if unsure how far to push her luck.
With a half-hearted shrug, Elizabeth stared at the ground and murmured, “You were right, you know. Jane liked him well enough, and she would have married him had he asked; but she never really loved him or even thought all that well of him aside from his general amiability and the practical concerns.”
Caroline started at that revelation. She was obviously not all that surprised by the facts of the assertion, since she believed that love hardly ever entered the equation in marriage; but she was quite surprised that Mrs Darcy would state it aloud.
Elizabeth saw her confusion. “Be not alarmed, Miss Bingley. You are my first guest because my husband, who is away somewhere doing something that I know nothing about, has forbidden me from entertaining, and—”
She stopped mid-word and said suddenly, “I must be quite starved for company. I am surprised I said all of that to—” before tapering off in confusion again.
Caroline helpfully suggested, “Someone you dislike? Someone you distrust? A notorious gossip and parvenu?” with an arched eyebrow.
Elizabeth laughed. “Any or all of them, I suppose.”
Caroline drew in a deep breath. “Perhaps I can even the score, since I believe I can finish that sentence for you.”
“Go on,” Elizabeth said, not entirely certain she wanted to hear the rest.
“Have you ever been going somewhere in your house, just minding your own business and going your own way, when you happened to, entirely by accident, overhear a conversation not meant for your ears?”
Elizabeth thought back to the time only a fortnight previously when she did exactly that with the Matlocks. “Accidentally and unavoidably, of course.”
“Of course,” Caroline half-giggled. “Though I should admit I sometimes accidentally have my ear against a wall with a glass.”
Elizabeth laughed along with the jest, so Caroline continued.
“I happened to overhear a conversation between your husband and my brother. I would have to say that it was not auspicious. They talked about his intended, Miss de Bourgh.” Then she paused, stared at Elizabeth and continued, “And they talked about you, at some length.”
Not liking the sound of it, but unable to look away, Elizabeth replied, “Go on.”
“Your husband was not in the least happy about the way things played out. In fact, I heard some words that could pass for cursing during the dialogue. He was most assuredly unhappy with the situation.”
“Yes, he made that abundantly clear. Pray, continue,” she said, not entirely certain she wanted to hear the rest.
Caroline took a deep breath and blew it out nervously.
“Before I finish, may I suggest we have something in common.”
“You may need to be more specific. We have several things in common.”
Caroline took a sip of cold tea, ate a biscuit, and took another sip while Elizabeth waited for her to gather her courage.
“Specifically, we are both in the power of a man who does not like us, and never has,” she said, then looked at her companion before adding, “Though in your case it may not be entirely hopeless. I suspect your husband likes you more than he will admit, even to himself. His pride, as you well know, is iron-clad, but he did ask you to dance—thrice, by my count.”
Curious, Elizabeth left the discussion of her husband to the side. “Tell me about your nemesis. I think we both know about mine, and I am unwilling to speculate on his state of mind: past, present, or future.