Chapter 46 Bingley #2
Bingley examined the board closely again. "Oh, I see. You are keeping his memory alive this way."
Mr. Bennet had gotten to his feet as Lizzy explained. He now offered his hand to Bingley. "Exactly. Well, now that you have been initiated, welcome to the study, Mr. Bingley. I have heard much about you and it is good to finally meet you."
Bingley shook hands. "Thank you, Mr. Bennet. It is good to meet you as well. I feel like I must have passed some sort of trial coming in. Do all your guests have to do so on their first visit?"
"Only the ones I have heard are good-natured enough to accept it." Bennet said with a chuckle. "You come here very highly recommended indeed."
"Well, thank you…I think," Bingley replied.
"Come sit down. Sit down. We have a lot to discuss. You received Mr. Darcy's express on Friday, I hope." Bennet gestured to the chairs and reclaimed his own. Bingley and the other three all took seats.
"I did. And I passed on the messages for Mr. Gardiner and Miss Mary. Did Colonel Fitzwilliam and Miss Lucas marry on Saturday as you hoped?"
Darcy chuckled. "Yes, they were married Saturday morning and went to London using my carriage.
It arrived back here early this morning along with a note from Richard confirming they arrived safe and sound, although they did have to take it very slowly to avoid causing motion sickness to Mrs. Fitzwilliam.
I think I mentioned Wickham had given her a nasty blow to the head? "
"Yes, you did. What about Wickham? Has he been court-martialed? Is he still being held?"
Bennet responded to that question. "He is still being held.
I sent a man to confirm it just this morning.
Richard spoke with the officer who was deciding if an investigation and court-martial is warranted and is hopeful that it will go through despite some opposition from Wickham's commanding officer. "
"Why would the man oppose it? With so many witnesses, how could he doubt Wickham's guilt?"
"At this point, I do not think he does doubt it.
He is just being contrary on principle. I get the feeling Colonel Forster does not like being told what to do either by civilians or by members of the regular Army.
However, he is also smart enough to know that if Wickham escapes him or he fails to take our complaints seriously, he will be in danger of losing his own commission through a possible court-martial.
He will cooperate, but he will also make it as difficult as possible for us as he does. "
"That seems like a foolish waste of energy to me," Bingley observed.
"But I suppose, as long as Wickham does not escape justice, that is enough.
I never liked him much, not even at school.
He hung around, of course, and he had to be reasonably nice to me for fear Darcy would complain to his father, but he always treated me with contempt. "
"I had not realized that," Darcy said. "Did you ever mention it to me?"
Bingley shook his head. "No, there did not seem to be much point. He would have just been sneakier about it if I had gotten him into trouble."
"I am sorry I did not notice it myself," said Darcy, clearly troubled by his lack of perception.
"No need to worry about it. I could have defended myself more strongly if needed."
Lizzy decided it was time to change the subject. "How was Mary when you saw her last, Mr. Bingley? Have the Gardiners confirmed their plans to bring her back here?"
Bingley turned to face Lizzy, and the warmth of his expression caused everyone to smile in response. "Miss Mary is very well," he said. "I saw her just yesterday when I attended church with her and your other family members."
"May I take it that you intend to ask for a private interview later?" Bennet asked.
"What?" Bingley said in surprise and then recovered, "Oh, yes, sir. Definitely."
"Very good," Bennet said with a twinkle in his eye. "Please proceed with your answers to Lizzy."
"Right...yes...what did you ask?"
"Have the Gardiners confirmed their plans for bringing Mary back here?" Lizzy asked, with a smile reminiscent of her father's teasing look.
"Oh, right. Yes, they have. The Gardiners, along with Miss Mary, will be here on Thursday, although the Damasks and Lord and Lady Sheldon, along with the Cathcarts, are arriving tomorrow.
I saw Sir Barnaby in London and offered him house room.
He told me he had already arranged to stay with Sir William Lucas.
I think he is arriving tomorrow. I suppose that means just you and me to keep Caroline company tonight, Darcy, unless Sir Phillip wants to join us. "
Bingley's comment hit Darcy like a punch to the gut. He had forgotten that Bingley's arrival meant he would be leaving Longbourn to stay at Netherfield Park. Leaving Longbourn? Then an idea hit him to save him for at least one more night.
"Oh, Bingley, I really think I should stay here until your other guests arrive, and Sir Phillip as well. With just you and Miss Bingley in the house there is too much appearance of impropriety."
"Oh, Darcy! Be honest. You are perfectly happy here and just do not wish to leave yet," Bingley said cheerfully.
Darcy colored with embarrassment. "I...well, yes," he admitted.
"Oh, fine. I will expect you tomorrow evening when all the other guests arrive to give you protection from my dear sister. And what about you, Sir Phillip? Will you join us?"
"I appreciate the offer, Mr. Bingley, but I think I shall stay here," said Sir Phillip.
"Well, the offer is always open, even if you just want to join us for an evening if the wedding plans get too loud."
"I might take you up on that, Mr. Bingley," said Mr. Bennet with a wink.
"Of course, sir, anytime," Bingley replied. "By the way, we spoke of Wickham. What about that Collins fellow who was working with him? The one you were having watched?"
Darcy and Bennet looked at each other with identical wicked grins, and Lizzy chuckled slightly. Bennet answered the inquiry first.
"Oh, your friend Mr. Darcy came up with a solution to that problem. In fact, it is a better solution than any of the ideas Richard put forth."
Darcy acknowledged the compliment with a regal nod, having overcome his earlier embarrassment. He continued the response.
"It is not so much a permanent solution, but I did come up with a way to remove Collins for a time and prevent him from contacting Aunt Catherine or giving her notice of how her plans have failed."
"What did you do?" Bingley asked. "From the way you are all reacting it must be something sneaky."
The others all erupted into chuckles with an evil-sounding edge to them. Clearly the answer was a sneaky plan.
"I procured a little something from Mr. Jones, the local apothecary to keep Collins docile and somewhat confused.
I have had my two men hire a carriage and they are taking Collins off to Scotland on the pretense Wickham sent word that the woman who was to be the bride will be waiting for Collins at the border.
My men told him they had plans to go that way anyway and offered him a ride, along with providing sympathy for his debilitating bouts of carriage sickness. "
Bingley burst out laughing. Over his amusement, Darcy continued, "Of course, they will not be taking the most direct route.
In fact, it may take them several extra days to get there, but Collins will be kept so befuddled he will probably not notice.
The man should take no harm from the experience in the long run, but he will be incapacitated until they find a nice spot a good way over the border and leave him there. "
"Fitzwilliam Darcy! You are cruel!" Bingley gasped between laughs.
"Maybe so," Darcy replied, still grinning wickedly, "but I would have loved to have seen Richard's face when he read the express that I sent this morning detailing the plan, which we put into effect yesterday."
"On a Sunday?" Bingley asked.
"I know, but Saturday afternoon I got a message from my man Polson that they were having a great deal of trouble keeping Collins from contacting my aunt or coming here and doing something stupid.
I was nearly at my wit's end when suddenly it came to me.
He was expecting to be married secretly.
Where else do you do that except in Scotland?
" Darcy declared. "Then the rest of the plan came to me.
I rode off to see Mr. Jones and then carried the powders he provided off to the inn where I gave them to Polson with enough money for the carriage and everything else they would need for the next few weeks.
, I received a message from him early this morning that the first day of travel had gone according to plan with a drugged Collins childishly believing every word they told him. "
"If all continues well, we will not have to worry about the poor young man for a month at least," Bennet said. "That will see Jane married and the rest of our plans, once we think of them, all set in motion."
"Well, count me in, whatever the plans may be," Bingley said.
"Good man," replied Bennet. "Well, to start, if my wife has not already done so, allow me to invite you and your sister to dinner here tonight. That big house you have leased is a lonely place for just two people and if you have dinner here, we can have our little chat before or after it."
"Thank you, sir," said Bingley. "I suppose I had better go tell Caroline before your wife asks and my sister finds an excuse to turn her down."
"You run along and do that. I am sure whatever topic drove you all from the parlor should have passed on by now." Bennet waved them off.
"It was lace, Papa," said Lizzy, standing.
"Oh, my. Well, see if you can turn the conversation by mentioning dinner. Off you all go now. I have thinking to do."
"Napping to do," Lizzy whispered to Mr. Darcy, who nodded.
"I heard that, missy," her father said. "Be gone!"
Laughing softly, the small group left Bennet to his "thinking" and went off to face Mrs. Bennet again.