The joy with which Charles Bingley received his friend's letter was hampered by the fact that he knew his sister Caroline would not take kindly to the news of the impending nuptials. She had fancied herself a contender for Mr. Darcy's affections, although at no time did he ever encourage or return her attention. She had misunderstood his tendency to stay close to those he knew to mean he esteemed her. Charles knew that nothing could be farther from the truth. Fortunately, or not, Miss Bingley was residing at his London house at present, and could be heard playing a rather complicated song on his pianoforte in the music room.
"Better to get it over with", he said aloud. He felt trepidation rising as he walked the twenty or so steps towards the lilting melody. As soon as he stepped in the room, Caroline stopped playing.
"Charles, darling, there you are, be a dear and call the carriage for me, I wish to go to the dress shop. I understand the newest fashions from France have come". All this said in one long breath, Miss Bingley looked expectantly at her brother, usually amiable, but at present wearing a concerned look on his face and not smiling.
"Brother, what ever is it"? It worried her some for his mood was usually light and it most certainly was not now. Had someone died?
"I have received the most extraordinary news today, Caroline". He waved the letter in front of her, but held it away from her grasping fingers. "Mr. Darcy is to be married".
Caroline Bingley prided herself on her ability to remain calm, or to appear to others as doing so; when faced with any sort of news that she would deem disturbing. She did not disappoint herself now, either.
"What is it to me"? She asked, nonchalantly.
"He marries Miss Elizabeth Bennet".
Caroline had to clench her teeth in order not to gasp audibly.
"It's strikes me as rather peculiar, really", Charles continued, "For I do not remember him paying her any sort of extra attention when we were in Hertfordshire last fall. Do you"?
Actually she quite did. All the more reason that she continually brought up the impropriety of all the Bennet's to him; and convinced him that Charles was being played the fool by Miss Jane Bennet. Mr. Darcy believed her reasons to be strictly on the side of her brother; that Jane did not return Charles' feelings; that the Bennet family and especially Jane were beneath them. Truth was, Jane was so gullible and amiable that she served no threat to Caroline's place in the family—she knew she could use the good nature of the girl to her advantage if need be and so would lose nothing if she married Charles. No, she had seen the looks that Mr. Darcy gave Miss Elizabeth and she had not liked it. For all the years she had known him, he never once looked at her the way he looked at Miss Bennet. All her endeavors to interest him; all her known accomplishments; and he had never noticed her that way. She had known his one weakness however, his dislike for insistent mothers intent on his interest in their daughters at whatever cost. And Mrs. Bennet played into that so well, Caroline merely had to point her obvious character flaws to him once or twice to get him to agree that this indeed was not a good match for Charles.
Now somehow that had unraveled. She could not imagine how Elizabeth had finally snared him. Did he not know that his family most certainly would look down on this? Charles was speaking again, and Caroline had to strain to catch up with whatever she had missed.
"so I think I will leave tomorrow, if I can get my business settled".
"What? Where are you going"?
"To Netherfield of course, haven't you been listening? Mr. Darcy wants me to stand up with him, and surely I shall". He was smiling. "Of course, I will be able to call on Miss Jane Bennet too. I can't decide which I should look forward to more"!
Caroline congratulated herself later for her great show of restraint while Charles was still in front of her; for when he finally excused herself, a lovely glass vase that had sat for ages unknown on top of the pianoforte somehow found itself being hurled across the room at amazing speed, stopping at the wall where it broke into what seemed, a million pieces.