Chapter 12
The following morning, most of the Bennets were still in bed when Lady Anne and Georgiana made a surprise call.
Elizabeth and Jane were sorry to say goodbye to their friends. Georgiana in particular hugged Elizabeth affectionately and wiped a tear or two from her sweet face.
Lady Anne seemed preoccupied with something, but she expressed an earnest desire to see them again whenever they visited London to see their relatives. Other than that, no further words were offered as evidence that they would ever see each other again.
Jane asked about Mr Bingley’s journey to town but Lady Anne seemed unaware of his plans. And as for Miss Bingley’s intentions, the lady seemed even less concerned.
Once the affectionate farewells were made and compliments to their mother expressed, the noble pair returned to Netherfield Park to start the journey for their Grosvenor Square town house.
A few days later, to Jane’s great surprise she received a letter from Miss Bingley that astonished her beyond belief.
Netherfield Park, November 29th 1811
Dearest Jane,
My brother has left a message for us to follow him into town. I am therefore inconsolable at the idea of leaving you, since I am cognisant that we may never meet again.
It would seem that Charles cannot part from Miss Darcy, for since her arrival in Town in the company of her family he has, so he writes, been almost entirely engaged with them.
He now finds himself wholly disinclined to quit her society for Hertfordshire, lest the tender understanding so lately established between them should cool through absence.
As you can imagine it is a connection that both families cherish and will guarantee the happiness of many.
And so we are closing Netherfield for good and it is unlikely we shall ever return to this part of England. But rest assured that your friendship shall remain a most precious memory that I have from our time here in Hertfordshire.
With my best wishes for your future,
Sincerely yours,
Caroline Bingley
Jane’s pallor was so extreme that Elizabeth had to hold her sister by the elbow afraid she would swoon, “Jane, dearest, what is the matter?”
Jane simply thrust the letter into Elizabeth’s hand and ran upstairs.
Elizabeth read the letter and stood rooted to the ground, without knowing what to think or what to do. Her sister was in such distress that her first inclination was to throttle Miss Bingley.
The letter was so ridiculous that once Elizabeth read it a second time, she felt like laughing. Nobody who had seen Mr Bingley and her sister’s interactions for the last six weeks could believe him in love with Miss Darcy.
Elizabeth mounted the steps and entered the room she shared with her sister. Jane was lying on the bed with her face down. Her whole body shook with the sobs she was desperately trying to stem.
“Jane,” Elizabeth touched her sister’s shoulder softly, “can you look at me, please?”
“I do not think I can be myself at the moment, Lizzy.” She said between sobs. “My heart is broken and I feel like dying in order to stop this pain.”
“Jane, this is a malicious letter. I am sure Mr Bingley had nothing to do with this travesty.”
“How could Miss Bingley be mistaken? She lived with both her brother and Miss Darcy under the same roof for six weeks. She ought to know.”
“The only thing she knows is how efficiently she can hurt you.”
“Lizzy…”
“Believe me Jane; Mr Bingley is in love with you. You can hardly credit that he would redirect his affections from you to a young woman who is not even out yet, after giving all the marks of an attachment to you.”
“How can he not be in love with her? Miss Darcy is the epitome of charm and propriety.”
“Yes, absolutely; but she is a child and do you think her mother and brother would approve such behaviour from a suitor? To court their very young charge while flirting with another woman, quite openly I might add, at every opportunity?”
With this reasoning, Jane lifted her head from the pillow and turned to look at her sister over her shoulder, looking a little more hopeful, “do you really believe so?”
“I most definitely do. Miss Bingley with this outrageous letter has only managed to show how despicable her character is. She is hoping to keep her brother in town and convince him that he is in love with Miss Darcy, in the hopes that one match with that family will lead to another.”
“Maybe you are right, Lizzy, but it is hard for me to understand how low Miss Bingley can go. I can only hope that she is mistaken instead of malicious.”
“Believe then that she is mistaken if you cannot abide thinking she is contemptible.”
“Very well, Lizzy, I will try to hold on to the slim hope that Mr Bingley will return soon.”
“Hopefully without his pernicious sisters,” Elizabeth retorted.
“In the mean time, let us keep this from Mama, please.” Jane begged.
“You have my word.”
A few days went by and two things of notice happened. One was the absence of the Netherfield party.
Word got around with tremendous rapidity that Mr Bingley had quitted the neighbourhood with all his friends and family, being unlikely to ever return.
Mrs Nichols, the housekeeper had hired the servants for the whole year and apparently was having difficulty dismissing some disgruntled maids, footmen and stable hands.
On hearing this disastrous news Mrs Bennet immediately started uttering a string of complaints and her fear of the hedgerows returned with a vengeance.
The second was the falling from grace of the Militia encamped in Meryton.
One officer in particular was arrested and taken to the Marshalsea. Apparently his debts had accumulated with alarming speed, while Mr Darcy had sent his man of business to buy all his notes, apart from the debts of honour which alone amounted to almost five hundred pounds.
Mr and Mrs Tucker felt very justified in mistrusting the officer and Mrs Phillips congratulated herself for not trusting his appearance of goodness and his handsome face.