Caroline Bingley looked down at the pale, fragile figure of Jane Bennet with genuine pity, pleased that she and Louisa could do their duty of caring for her without having to spend time with her shrew of a sister. Contrary to what darling Eliza might think, Caroline was not without a heart. She freely acknowledged Jane to be a sweet girl worth knowing—at least in the wilds of Hertfordshire. Her company was pleasant enough, and there were worse ways to pass an evening than socializing with her.
However, just because she found the girl to be an acceptable diversion did not mean that she believed her to be a suitable wife for her brother. Fortunately, dear Mr. Darcy felt the same way and would be a powerful ally in keeping Charles from making the worst mistake of his life. Both of them agreed that, while Miss Bennet's manners were all that was pleasing, the rest of her family's were less so. When one factored in the connections to trade and low dowry…
"What is on your mind, Sister?" Louisa asked pensively from her seat by the window.
"I was just thinking about dear Jane—and our brother, of course."
"Of course. One cannot help but think of Charles in this trying time."
"And beyond."
"Beyond?"
"Yes. We must look to the future, Louisa. Should Jane recover and awaken, our brother will surely do something foolish and throw himself away on her. If she never wakes up, he may insist on pining away for her, paying for her continued care, and not focusing on the important decisions in life. And if she passes away..."
"He may pine away for her anyway," Louisa finished.
"Exactly. We need to begin persuading Charles to withdraw his affections from her before anything else comes to pass. That way, he will be able to do what is necessary when the time comes."
"What do you have in mind, Sister?"
"Mr. Darcy and I are in accord: We are going to try our hardest to make Charles believe that Jane is not in love with him. Were he to be persuaded of her indifference, perhaps he could also be convinced to be reasonable himself."
"Are you sure that would work? How do you know he would not simply insist on staying at Netherfield as long as necessary to win Jane's regard and hand?"
"Since when has Charles ever been able to stand up to Mr. Darcy and me? No, Louisa, I am quite certain that, if we do our level best to dig the claws of the Bennets out of Charles, we will soon prevail—and be rid of these superstitious, backwards savages for good."
"I do so long to return to Town," Louisa agreed.
A sudden longing welled up within Caroline as she imagined participating in the myriad diversions London had to offer. Although Town was only 20 or so miles from Meryton, she lamented that it may as well have been 200 for all that they were free to go there.
"Were it not for darling Jane, perhaps we would have already been able to convince Charles to abandon this unsuitable county for one much more appealing," she complained.
"Like Derbyshire?" Louisa asked with a knowing smirk.
"Derbyshire is lovely, and I do hope to spend the rest of my life there, as you well know."
"Have you made any progress on that front?"
Caroline seethed inwardly as she remembered some of the potent stares she had noticed Mr. Darcy casting towards the most unworthy Eliza Bennet. Were she not certain of Mr. Darcy's regard for herself, she would have been concerned that the man was in danger of falling prey to Eliza's arts and allurements.
"Well, we did have quite a lovely talk earlier today after the Bennets had left. We found much common ground and a shared sense of purpose."
Malicious glee caused her to grin most unpleasantly at Louisa as she began to relate—and, of course, embellish—some of the details of their discussion. She had never felt closer to Mr. Darcy than she had earlier today, and she looked forward to having many more intimate interludes with him once she became Mistress of Pemberley. Soon, Eliza Bennet and the rest of these country bumpkins would be nothing but unpleasant memories and subjects of occasional jokes.
AN: Thanks for all the reviews, faves, follows, kudos, etc. I enjoy reading your takes, hopes, and predictions, some of which have made me laugh while imagining reactions to future occurrences. Speaking of future occurrences, I'm off to write the proposal/Hunsford moment scenes; what could possibly go wrong?
