Chapter 22 Conversations
Charles Bingley enjoyed a quiet breakfast undisturbed by chatter, as his only company was his brother-in-law, who was as usual more interested in his food than conversation.
Mrs Hurst was indisposed due to her delicate condition and Miss Bingley had claimed to have a headache. The headache had been brought on the previous evening when Caroline perused the gossip section of the newspaper.
Her initial reaction was to laugh at the buffoons who had made such fools of themselves until she worked out that the article referred to herself and Mr Darcy.
While under normal circumstances she would have been delighted to see her name, or at least her initials, mentioned in an article connected with Mr Darcy, the snippet she read portrayed both of them in a humiliating light.
When she had related her outrageous experiences in Hertfordshire to Miss Grantly, she had expected society to condemn the actions of those country mushrooms and show sympathy and support for herself and Mr Darcy for being used so very ill.
Instead, the story had the potential to make her the laughingstock of London
Claiming a headache, she removed herself to her rooms with the offending article, where she remained well into the morning to plan how to counteract this potential fiasco.
Mr Bingley, not having seen the gossip pages, was enjoying a quiet and leisurely meal until the butler delivered a letter from his uncle in Scarborough, demanding his urgent attendance to discuss an issue with the Bingley business.
‘Damn,’ Bingley exclaimed, unconcerned about his language since only Hurst was present.
Since such expressions rarely passed Bingley’s lips, Hurst looked up from his devilled kidneys and asked, ‘Is something the matter?’
‘Yes. Uncle Arthur needs my help in smoothing over a dispute which is threatening to get out of hand.’
‘So, he is sending for the one person in the family who can charm just about anyone,’ Hurst asked with an amused grin.
He was aware that most members of the Bingley family were similar in nature to Caroline, which was why the senior Bingleys were prepared to recompense Charles quite handsomely for his talent to smooth the waters or ruffled feathers.
‘I am afraid that is the case. But I had planned to see Darcy today to find out where to find Miss Bennet.
‘So, you are still pining after that particular angel,’ Hurst commented with a shake of his head. ‘You know that Caroline will never allow you to marry her, even if the lady should prove willing.’
‘We were most cruelly separated and despite that, I cannot tear her from my heart. I have come to believe in the saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Since it is happening to me, I can only presume that Miss Bennet must be similarly affected.’
‘What will you do?’
Bingley stared at the missive as if it were a particularly repugnant reptile but after a minute his shoulders slumped, and he sighed.
‘I promised Uncle Arthur to come when he called. I suppose that another week or two of separation will only inflame our love even more. I will send a note to Darcy and if you could inform my sisters of the reason for my absence, I would be much obliged.’
‘Consider it done,’ Hurst agreed and almost as an afterthought before he applied himself to his meal again, he said, ‘I hope you have a successful journey.’
~T~
After an extended visit, during which everyone agreed to meet again two days hence for a visit to the museum, Darcy and Fitzwilliam eventually walked back to the former’s house.
Richard had thoroughly enjoyed his conversation with Mary but due to his profession had learnt to maintain some awareness of his surroundings and had therefore noticed Darcy’s interaction with Elizabeth. ‘What do you think of the ladies now?’ he asked.
Darcy glared at him as he said, ‘There is no need to rub it in how much of a fool I have been.’
‘Since you are usually so very controlled, I do not have many chances to tease you. I must make the most of the opportunities with which I am presented.’ Richard grinned. ‘But you have not answered my question.’
‘I must confess that I was amazed by Miss Bennet’s reaction to Deveril’s revelation.
Most women would have been overjoyed to be courted by a future duke.
’ Darcy sidestepped answering the question in which his cousin was really interested.
He was not going to admit that he had been bowled over by Miss Elizabeth.
The more he conversed with her the more he appreciated her intelligence and wit.
It had been an utter delight that the lady did not always agree with him and was unafraid to voice her own opinions.
He wondered if sometimes she did not profess opinions which were not her own, simply to extend the debate.
He was most certainly not going to admit that the way her eyes sparkled with good humour when she disagreed with him had captured his interest. Fortunately, she had the most captivating eyes on which to focus otherwise he would have been utterly distracted by her luscious lips.
Even though he did not answer the question which most interested Richard, the soft smile Fitzwilliam noticed on his cousin’s lips was more eloquent than Darcy imagined.
~T~
As soon as they arrived at his home, Darcy’s butler handed him a note which was addressed in an unmistakable handwriting.
‘I wonder what Bingley wants,’ Darcy murmured before inviting Richard to join him in his study, where he opened the missive.
Thankfully the letter was short, and he managed to make out the gist amongst the blotches. ‘It seems that Bingley had to leave for Scarborough,’ he informed his cousin.
Richard’s eyes lit up. ‘Oh, what a shame. We will be unable to inform him about Miss Bennet’s relationship to the gentleman with whom Miss Bingley saw her,’ he said facetiously. ‘But it does not matter. After all, Miss Bingley would never spread unsubstantiated rumours. Now, would she?’
‘Richard, you are a very bad man,’ Darcy said in a censorious tone of voice, although he was unsure whether he should frown or grin.
~T~
The lady in question was displeased when Hurst informed her of her brother’s absence.
She had planned for him to call on Mr Darcy so that she could accompany him and get that gentleman’s assistance in ensuring that Charles would stay away from that hussy. After all, a man with Mr Darcy’s strict morals would not countenance his friend associating with a fallen woman.
And of course, she was also hoping to spend time with the gentleman herself to continue her campaign to win the position of Mistress of Pemberley.
Since that was not an option, Caroline decided to visit her friends and ensure that when her brother returned, his angel’s reputation would be in tatters. By the time she was finished with Miss Bennet, even her forgiving brother would not wish to ever see her again.
Then Caroline could focus on her own future.
~T~
After all the shocks they had within the last day, the ladies residing in Gardiner House decided to have a quiet day to recover.
Naturally the main topic of discussion amongst themselves were the gentlemen who had visited earlier.
‘That appeared to be quite an intense discussion you had with Lord James earlier,’ prompted Elizabeth. ‘Would you be prepared to share with us?’
Jane smiled fleetingly as she wrapped her arms about herself and considered all they had discussed. One item stood out above all others. ‘He all but asked me to marry him,’ she confided to her aunt and sisters.
Elizabeth tilted her head. ‘The way you say that… I am not certain whether to congratulate you or commiserate with you.’
‘I believe that congratulations are more appropriate. I am simply stunned by the rapidity with which this relationship has progressed.’
’Lord James certainly seems to be a man who knows what he wants. It seems that he wants you. The big question is, what do you want? You appeared quite distressed when you discovered his horrible secret.’
‘I like him. I like him a great deal.’ A soft smile settled on Jane’s features as she considered her official unofficial suitor.
‘He is everything I had wished for in a husband. He is intelligent without being overly conceited. I feel that I can talk to him about anything, and he will not judge me. He listens to what I have to say and if he does not agree with me, he explains why. Whenever that is the case, we can discuss it.’
She paused and sighed in contentment. ‘I feel that I can be myself and he accepts me as I am. He likes me for being me.’
‘What about the fact that you could end up being a duchess?’ Aunt Madeline asked, as she was still concerned about Jane’s reaction earlier.
Jane turned her hands up. ‘I suppose that no one is perfect. He told me that his mother wants to meet me and is willing to help me. So, I expect that I will just have to take the bad with the good.’
Mary burst out laughing at that statement. ‘You my dear, must be the only woman in the whole country who would consider becoming a duchess as a penance for getting the perfect man.’
‘What can I say. I like the man, not the title.’
Elizabeth was curious. ‘So, how long will you make him wait?’
‘I suspect it will not be very long, but I want to be certain that he is sure. I do not want him to rush into something which he might regret later.’
Feeling that she had confided enough, Jane asked her sisters, ‘What about you two. I did notice that each of you were both quite engrossed in conversation with your respective gentlemen.’
Elizabeth and Mary looked at each other and Mary indicated for her sister to speak. ‘I too found my conversation quite enlightening. Now that Mr Darcy has left behind his irritating arrogance, he is quite growing on me.’
‘Hopefully not like mould,’ laughed Jane, remembering her less than kind words all those weeks ago.
‘Not at all. In many ways he and Lord James could be brothers. He too listens to what I say. While he may not agree with me, he respects my opinion. I find that I am quite happy to assist in his rehabilitation. After all it is a rare pleasure to be able to debate with an intelligent and well-read man.’
Again, it was Mrs Gardiner who asked a pertinent question. ‘It sounds as if you have quite forgiven him for his insult.’
‘I believe that I have. Yes, he should not have said what he did, but I also remember how he looked when he arrived at that assembly. I thought he was stoic, and he was there only because he had no other choice.’
Elizabeth shrugged. ‘What can I say. As I told Mary, nobody is perfect, and I am surprised that she has not yet quoted scripture at me… about people in glass houses not throwing stones.’
‘You confuse Chaucer with the bible. I believe that you were thinking of John 8:7 He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.’ Mary grinned and added, ‘But I commend you for getting the right idea, even if the actual quote is different.’
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. ‘I should have known better than to mention scripture around you.’ In the next moment she grinned and said, ‘But Jane mentioned that you too were having an engrossing conversation. Come to think of it, you have had several conversations with the good Colonel… every time we are in company, as a matter of fact,’ Elizabeth could not resist but tease.
‘I enjoy conversing with the Colonel,’ Mary admitted and subtly changed the subject. ‘I do not know whether it is that gentlemen in London are different from the ones in Hertfordshire or it is only that particular group of friends, but they all seem to have a respect for people in common.’
‘Perhaps they are friends because they share similar attitudes and values?’
The sisters were diverted into discussing their friends in Meryton and comparing their attitudes amongst different groups.
Mrs Gardiner sat back and listened, even as she thought, well done, Mary.
~T~
The following day, Amelia Carleton paid a visit to Gardiner House.
‘How was your dinner with the Fitzwilliams’?’ she asked as soon as she was settled with the ladies. Since she had deliberately arrived early to avoid other visitors, she hoped to be made privy to all the details.
‘I am not certain that I should indulge your curiosity, since you allowed us to be taken in by an impostor without a warning,’ Mrs Gardiner accused their guest, while maintaining a straight face.
‘An impostor? I know of no such,’ cried their cousin in alarm.
‘You introduced us to one whom we mistook for a gentleman,’ Elizabeth continued her aunt’s teasing. ‘Jane was most distraught when she discovered his true identity.’
‘Of whom are you speaking? Surely no one to whom I introduced you would be less than a gentleman,’ Mrs Carleton defended herself.
‘The problem is not that he is less than a gentleman, rather than that he is more.’ This time it was Jane who spoke up.
When Amelia looked from one to the other of the ladies, Mrs Gardiner took pity on the confused lady. ‘Why did you not introduce Lord James properly?’
Understanding at last flitted across Amelia’s countenance. ‘Oh. I beg your pardon. He does not want people to fuss, so the family has almost forgotten about his circumstances. How did you find out?’
‘He confessed all,’ Madeline informed her friend. ‘Before you ask, he did so because he is courting Jane.’
‘So, the rumour I have heard is true.’ The lady smiled hugely but she simply had to know the truth, and therefore she addressed Jane. ‘Was his confession the reason you accepted his courtship?’
‘On the contrary. I almost broke it off when I found out yesterday,’ Jane said with some asperity at being thought to be mercenary.
‘Yesterday? How wonderful. Cousin Isabella will be so very pleased that her son has made a love match.’
‘We are courting… not engaged,’ Jane reminded her.
Amelia tilted her head as she examined Jane. Eventually she said with a fond smile, ‘Surely it is just a matter of time.’
When Jane refused to commit herself, they changed the subject and discussed Darcy’s apology and their plans to rescue his reputation.
‘I am pleased that you have discovered that he is not such a villain after all,’ Amelia exclaimed in pleasure since she had a soft spot for the gentleman. As a woman without marriageable daughters, he had been more relaxed and therefore more sociable around her.
When Amelia found out about the outing to the museum, she insisted on being included. ‘To keep Madeline company while the young people are too busy to pay you any attention,’ she claimed.
To which Mrs Gardiner responded with some asperity, ‘I will have you know that I am not yet old and decrepit.’
~T~