Chapter 30
A thoroughly chastened but newly determined Bingley left Gardiner House and made his way home, leaving behind a somewhat divided group.
Mrs Gardiner and Jane appeared sad but resigned, Darcy confused, Deveril thoughtful, Mary stoic, while Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth both bore determined expressions.
‘Will someone please explain what just happened?’ demanded Darcy, looking at Elizabeth as if he had never seen her before.
She sighed but answered readily enough. ‘Mary came to talk to me after she heard that story, being very troubled indeed. I confess to wanting to commit mayhem on Mr Bingley by the time she finished her recitation.’ Elizabeth grimaced in distaste.
‘I did not get much sleep that night thinking about the poor young woman. Since a walk always makes me feel better, I went to Hyde Park at first light where I chanced to encounter Colonel Fitzwilliam. Thinking that he might have more information, I told him the story Mary had related to me, wondering why no one had ever stopped that… Lothario.’
Richard shrugged as he took up the story.
‘Darcy, you know that I have never particularly liked your puppy, but I confess I had thought him fairly harmless. At least I did so until I heard that story. After my conversation with Miss Elizabeth, I made some enquiries. You know how the men at the clubs like to gossip. I learnt of a number of young women who either vanished from society soon after Bingley turned his attention elsewhere, or who married to no great advantage, despite the high hopes the parents had previously.’
‘When Colonel Fitzwilliam reported his findings to me, he and I, and to a certain extent Mary, agreed that Mr Bingley had to be stopped from further depredations.’ She turned up her hands. ‘I thought to wait until he returned to town and then speak to him, explaining his culpability.’
‘I disagreed, since I felt certain that dear Caroline would override any scruples Bingley might develop. Last night’s ball was an opportunity too good to miss.
Langford is an old friend and he easily fell into my scheme of giving the Bingleys enough rope to hang themselves…
particularly since he has a granddaughter about to come out into society. ’
Deveril added quietly, ‘Lady Penelope could be Jane’s younger sister in looks.’
‘Precisely.’ Richard nodded. ‘But I have a bone to pick with Miss Elizabeth, claiming that she had a hand in Bingley’s debacle. She did not even know that I had arranged for the Bingleys to be invited… until after they departed.’
‘My apologies, Colonel. I was carried away by righteous anger and I had agreed to your scheme in principle. I simply did not know the timing.’
‘Lizzy, it would be better if you let the Colonel take the credit for routing the enemy,’ Deveril suggested quietly.
Elizabeth looked mulish for a moment but eventually agreed.
Jane spoke up for the first time since Bingley’s departure. ‘Why did you not tell me about this?’
‘Because of your kind heart. What we considered was not… nice.’
‘Lizzy, I am your older sister. You do not have to always protect me,’ Jane admonished.
A contrite Elizabeth said quietly, ‘I apologise, I will attempt not to protect you again.’
That statement seemed utterly ridiculous to most of the company and had the effect of lightening the mood.
~T~
After that draining confrontation, everyone agreed that they would feel better for a walk in the park.
Darcy was walking with Elizabeth and was grateful for the privacy to ask quietly, ‘Did you have to be so cruel to Bingley? Practically accusing him of murder?’
‘I was angry with Mr Bingley. All those poor girls. The one who died was younger than I am.’ Elizabeth shook her head and then asked, ‘But the pertinent question is why did you not stop Mr Bingley? He is your friend, and you must have seen what he was doing.’
Darcy sighed. ‘Like Fitzwilliam, I thought that he was harmless. Immature of course but not malicious and not a rake. I confess I may have been blinded to his faults because I admired the ease with which he made friends and was even a little jealous at how effortlessly he conversed with ladies. Gifts which I do not possess.’
Elizabeth reflected that to a man who did not make friends easily and who relied on the few friends like Bingley to ease his interactions with society, he must have simply looked at how friendly and naturally his friend acted with ladies and consequently had not contemplated the potential pitfalls.
He shrugged as he considered his words. ‘Bingley also spent more time in town than I did, since I eschewed socialising as much as I could. When I was in town, I also avoided the clubs or at least the company of men who would gossip about the misfortunes of others as I despise malicious gossip.’ He hesitated before he asked a question of his own.
‘But why did you not come to me with this story. I could have spoken to Bingley.’
‘I only found out about the full extent of his depredations quite recently and we had so many things happening seemingly all at once. I was going to speak to you once things had settled down a little and when Mr Bingley came back to town.’ She sighed and looked up at Darcy.
‘I did not know he was back until I saw him last night, at which point it was too late to warn you. And after he left… I may be selfish, but I was not going to ruin the evening by speaking about such things at a ball.’
To Darcy’s surprise his shoulders relaxed. He had not realised that he had tensed up while waiting for Elizabeth to reassure him. He had unconsciously wondered if she had kept secrets because she did not trust him.
‘Aside from those considerations, it would have been difficult to speak privately.’ He nodded in understanding. ‘I suppose Bingley came back early because Richard arranged for that invitation. I feel like a fool, overlooking Bingley’s behaviour just because he was my friend.’
‘We often overlook faults in our family and friends which we would abhor in strangers,’ Elizabeth reassured him, giving his arm a little squeeze.’
‘I wonder how he is dealing with his sister,’ Darcy murmured absently.
They walked in silence for a while, both relieved to have cleared the air before misconceptions could take hold, until the sight of two squabbling birds prompted Elizabeth to laugh. After which they were content speaking of lighter topics.
~T~
The lady in question was having a bad morning after an excruciating night spent reviewing all the things which had gone so mortifyingly wrong.
She had had such high hopes about the Langford ball. She had thought that at last, she would be recognised and taking her rightful place in society.
Instead, she was foiled at every turn.
How could those insignificant Bennets be so highly connected? And why had they not claimed their place in society? Caroline would not have dismissed them if she had known their true worth.
Even though Jane had claimed she had found Charles too immature from the beginning... surely, she could have prevailed on the lady to consider her brother as a potential husband. After all, Jane had always seemed to be so sweet and pliable.
But even worse was seeing Mr Darcy dance with that Eliza Bennet. And when she commented on her only being tolerable, Mr Darcy had defended that… lady.
At that point, jealousy had driven Caroline. She could not have stopped herself from speaking even if she had wanted to. Seeing her dreams of being mistress of Pemberley come crashing down around her.
In retrospect, she thought that seeing that satisfied smirk on the face of Colonel Fitzwilliam contributed to her losing all reason. Now she was certain that he was the architect of her downfall. He had set a trap for her, and she had rushed in.
The Countess of Matlock had rung the final death knell on her ambitions by repudiating Caroline’s slander against the Bennets and casting her out of society. The society which Caroline had worked and schemed for years to enter.
Miss Caroline Bingley would never again attend a function in London.
All her dreams were in ashes.
~T~
Miss Bingley’s day became even worse when she came downstairs and found her brother waiting for her.
He handed her a newspaper which was opened to the society pages. Caroline’s eyes bulged as she read the article to which her brother pointed.
Jane had not lied when she had claimed to have had tea with the Queen.
She was startled when her brother said, ‘The Mr Gardiner who is mentioned as meeting the Queen is Mr Edward Gardiner of Gardiner Enterprises. You know… that ghastly uncle in trade.’
It shook Caroline’s view of the world to discover that the handsome, elegant, and well-connected man she had seen at Gunter’s with Jane Bennet was that tradesman whom she had disparaged.
She was still looking at the page when the name Jane Bennet caught her eye again in the notice which confirmed that she would indeed be marrying the son of that duchess who had given her the dressing down.
‘Miss Bennet is to marry Lord James Deveril,’ Caroline said through gritted teeth as she looked up at her brother.
‘I know. She will make a wonderful duchess,’ said Bingley in a resigned tone of voice.
On his way from Gardiner House, he had thought of everything the ladies had said and come to realise that they had valid points.
While it would take him some time to completely come to grips with their opinion of him, he had already accepted that he had lost Miss Bennet… to a better man.
‘How can Miss Bennet become a duchess. Lord Deveril is the second son,’ Caroline corrected him.
‘True, but his older brother has no children, making Deveril the heir presumptive.’
Caroline made sound somewhere between a huff and a mirthless chuckle. ‘What is it about that woman that everything I want comes to her without effort?’
‘Perhaps because she is a better person than you.’
‘If only Mr Darcy –‘
She was interrupted by her brother, ‘Give up any ideas you still harbour about Darcy. From what I have seen, he has made his choice, and it is not you. It is Miss Elizabeth Bennet.’
‘How can that be?’ Caroline wailed. While she had suspected that might be the case last night, she did not want Bingley to confirm her suspicion. ‘He said that she was only tolerable.’
‘He said that because he was in a foul mood because I insisted that he should dance at that assembly which he only attended because he would not risk being in a house alone with you.’
‘But I would have been perfect for him!’
‘No, you would not. I would not wish you on my worst enemy,’ he said in a tired voice.
‘How dare you,’ cried Miss Bingley and would have berated her brother but when he held up his hand she stopped in surprise.
‘Caroline, for once you will listen and pay attention.’ That forceful tone stopped the incipient tantrum.
‘I would like to say that your abysmal behaviour has cost me the good opinion of my friends and society, but that would be giving you too much credit because much of what happened was my own fault. I should have made you behave with consideration. I should never have allowed you to abuse everyone around you.’
He grimaced with distaste and resignation.
‘I hate confrontations and I allowed you to rule the roost because I did not want to deal with your tantrums. But that is finished. Neither of us is welcome in polite society anymore. I have made mistakes with which I must live, and you must live with the consequences of your actions.’
Caroline opened her mouth as if to object, but Bingley only gave her a hard stare as he continued.
‘Tomorrow I will see my solicitor and release your dowry to you. I concur with Lady Matlock’s advice that you should find a different town to live in.
Pick a town and I will help to get you settled.
After that you are on your own. Then whatever you do, I will not be around to watch you do it.
I am going back to Scarborough and do what I am good at… help Uncle Arthur run the business.’
Bingley sighed again and with a final comment, ‘I suggest that you start packing,’ left the room.
~T~
When Caroline Bingley entered the dining room that evening, a most peculiar sight greeted her.
In her usual place at the table, a plate had already been placed and on it resided her newest bonnet.
Ranged in the centre of the table were half a dozen sauce boats, each containing a different sauce.
Bingley was leaning back in his chair and gestured for her to take her place.
‘What is all this? What is going on here?’
‘I asked the cook to make several sauces since I am not familiar with which sauce is the best accompaniment for a bonnet.’
‘Why would I wish to eat a bonnet?’ Caroline asked although with this prompt, her memory replayed a conversation she had had with Charles weeks earlier.
‘Because Miss Bennet’s uncle, Mr Edward Gardiner is forty years of age, and you swore he could not be a day over five and thirty.’
He gestured towards the bonnet. ‘Bon appetite.’
That was the last straw. All the pent-up frustration of the last day found an outlet at last. Caroline picked up a sauce boat and threw it at her brother before dashing out of the dining room and up to her bedroom where she threw herself onto her bed and cried like she had not done since she was a child.
~T~