Chapter 29
Changes
All of the residents of Netherfield Park were early risers, so when everyone gathered for breakfast, Richard told the story of their midnight visitor.
Fitzwilliam was astonished. “What did she intend to do?” he asked incredulously.
“She claimed she wanted to see Elizabeth,” Richard replied.
“I think she was out to compromise someone. She was searching bedchambers, and had she found you or George alone, she would have attempted to take advantage. While she could not force you to marry her, she likely thought she could come between you and Elizabeth.”
Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth looked at each other and grinned, as Jane would definitely not have found Fitzwilliam alone.
Depending on the time of her arrival at the door, she may have seen them sleeping or engaged in other nocturnal activities, either of which would result in an awkward scene.
Richard noticed the exchanged glances and discreetly kicked Fitzwilliam under the table, which caused both him and his wife to blush deeply.
“Well, it is fortunate that a servant heard her opening and closing doors and alerted you and some other servants to the intruder,” George said, having also noted the exchange.
Momentarily, he felt a pang of desire to experience what his brother had found.
However, his uncle had written that he discovered a titled heiress willing to marry him, though she wanted to see if he could convince the Regent to award the marquessate to the Darcys sooner rather than waiting until after the marriage.
George supposed that was because she could still withdraw from the engagement if his petition were denied, something she could not do if they were already married.
“Shall we all escort Miss Bennet to Netherfield?” George asked the group. “Perhaps bring a few maids to begin packing and send the lot to Scotland. After last night, I am tempted to put her on the same boat as George Wickham.”
Richard nodded his agreement. “It is tempting, but a woman aboard a ship like that would not fare well. I am not willing to condemn a woman, any woman, to that life.”
“Nonetheless, we need to ensure that Miss Bennet will not be able to return to England. Since we will unlikely return to Hertfordshire, I sincerely doubt she could find either Pemberley or Oakridge. She will not have the funds she would need to hire a carriage,” George replied.
“Richard, does the Earl still own that hunting lodge in the Outer Hebrides? Or was it the Orkney Islands?” Fitzwilliam asked.
“I had forgotten about his lodge there. It is near Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands. It is not overly fancy but surely sufficient for the Bennet family. Perhaps we can find a boat in London to take them north; it would make the journey easier in many ways,” Richard replied.
“Who will accompany them?” Fitzwilliam asked. “How can we be certain they will arrive?”
“My men will accompany them,” Richard replied. “We can hire a few to accompany them all the way there and then ensure they arrive at the lodge safely. They can also arrange for a servant or two and for their funds to be distributed appropriately.”
“The female contingent will not be happy about such a remote location. Bennet will not mind as long as he still has access to some books,” George stated.
“But it will make it nearly impossible for them to leave. We can circulate the story that they are there for their health, which might dissuade the residents from trying to reach them, especially if they believe they are unbalanced. If our men hire and we arrange to pay the servants, we can have them send us updates in case of any changes,” Fitzwilliam replied.
“Richard, do you have any men who would want to live in Scotland? Perhaps a married man whose wife would be willing to be a housekeeper and cook for the family.”
Richard seemed to consider this. “I will ask, but I am not certain. It would be good to know that whoever is in the house is someone we can trust. After Miss Bennet’s escapade last night, I am even less inclined to trust her. I wonder what her parents will think of her actions.”
That question was answered when the entire Darcy and Fitzwilliam families arrived at Longbourn.
The house was in an uproar—Jane was missing, Mr. Hill had notified Mr. Bennet that he and his wife would leave for another position in a month, and Kitty and Lydia were excited about their upcoming visit to Pemberley.
Jane’s absence did not seem to bother the two youngest girls, given her recent behaviour, and they even wondered if she had run away with that Wickham character hanging around Longbourn.
“La, what a good joke,” Lydia chortled at the breakfast table to Kitty when Mrs. Hill came in with the news.
Not long after, their guests arrived, bringing Jane with them.
When Mrs. Hill saw Jane in the party, she could not hide her surprise, and she glared at the girl darkly, wondering what mischief she had been up to.
“Miss Bennet, there you are? I must let Mr. Hill know you have been found and to stop searching for you. There was quite an uproar when the family realised you were not in your room and nowhere to be found,” she scolded.
Jane scowled at the housekeeper, but there was nothing she could say. Major Fitzwilliam quietly asked to be shown into the parlour and for Mr. and Mrs. Bennet to join them. With a curtsey, she rushed to do as she was bid.
The Darcy family and Richard settled themselves around the room.
Jane was encouraged to sit in an armchair, and Richard sat on one side and George on the other.
Both moved the chairs slightly away from Jane’s, as they were there to keep watch on her, not to show any interest in her.
Lady Anne sat next to her eldest son, again in a way so she could watch the young lady and continued to examine her closely.
She saw the way her eyes followed Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam and wondered what exactly the look in her eyes represented.
Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam had been inseparable since breakfast. Even before the night of the assembly, the couple were rarely apart, but now, there was an added closeness between them.
Lady Anne had wanted to speak to Elizabeth about her concerns regarding her momentary illness the other night, but she felt that Elizabeth had already drawn her own conclusions.
It could explain their heightened closeness if the young couple had discussed those suspicions.
Moreover, the recent attempt on Elizabeth’s life would bring them closer together.
Regardless of that, Lady Anne watched Jane’s reaction to their closeness.
They seated themselves on a settee somewhat closer than propriety would allow.
While a casual observer might not have noticed, to Lady Anne—and likely to Jane as well—it was apparent they were holding hands underneath Elizabeth’s skirt.
Lady Anne was pleased to see her son so obviously in love with his wife, but Jane, well, Lady Anne was not sure what the look on her face meant.
Mr. Bennet entered the room a moment later, and Mrs. Bennet came in looking harried a few minutes later.
“My darling Jane,” the matron cried when she entered, “where have you been? We were so worried about you. I was certain you had gone to marry that nice Mr. Wickham, but Mr. Bennet said it was impossible. Though”—she stopped and noticed the other in the room and looked at her daughter sitting between two gentlemen—“perhaps you have other news. Do you have an attachment to one of these gentlemen?”
Jane opened her mouth to speak but was immediately stopped.
“Stop now,” Richard barked. “Whatever you are thinking of saying, I suggest you not even attempt it. No one in this room would ever marry you, and you can make whatever claim you like, but neither your father nor mother could force my cousin or me to marry a girl like you. Even if you were a lady, I would certainly not fold in these circumstances, and I dare say my cousin would act the same way.”
“What is this?” Mrs. Bennet cried. “My daughter is a gentlewoman and should be treated with the respect due to her.”
“She has done nothing to deserve my respect, madam,” Richard retorted.
“Do you know where your daughter was last night? Because she was not in her bed. She sneaked into Netherfield late at night and had anyone discovered her, she would have been ruined. This is the second time her actions have nearly ruined your family, Mr. Bennet, and you have done absolutely nothing to censor her. She still believes she is deserving of the best. She was peeking into bedchambers at Netherfield, and only locked doors prevented her from attempting to seduce one of the three bachelors or one married man in residence. What would she have done had she made her way into an occupied room, sir? What will you do?”
Mr. Bennet sat there in shock and could not say a word.
Richard sighed in exasperation. “Mr. Bennet, yesterday I suggested you accompany your wife and daughter to Scotland.
I no longer think it is optional—you most certainly should accompany your wife and daughter.
Perhaps with fewer … distractions, you would find a way to pay more attention to what your family is doing.
With some time and attention, you might be able to persuade them to be more reasonable in their expectations, but if not, at least you will be aware of what they are doing.