Chapter Sixteen
The Fitzwilliam family had just begun the second course of a family dinner when Lady Rebecca Fitzwilliam, Countess of Matlock, stopped mid-motion as she was passing her daughter the carrots and turned to the rest of her family.
"I almost forgot. Well, I did forget but I have now remembered, so is that truly forgetting?"
"Mother!" her eldest son, Walker Fitzwilliam, Viscount Westerleigh, exclaimed in an attempt to get her back on track.
"Oh, where was I, right, yes. Madeline told me during her call this morning that she was expecting our Jane to arrive in Gracechurch Street this afternoon. She received an express yesterday to request permission to stay." All of the others at the table were exchanging looks of concern as the mistress of the house continued, "Well, of course she wrote straight back saying that it would be her pleasure but she is very curious as to why the request was only for Jane, and I dare say I am scarcely less so. It would be most unlike the girls to have had so serious a falling out."
"So you do not know the reason for the unexpected visit then, Mother?" asked Helena Fitzwilliam, a petite, blonde haired girl of seventeen years and the youngest of the Fitzwilliam children.
"I do not, but we shall call on them tomorrow, if you wish to accompany me, and hopefully Jane can satisfy our curiosity."
"I would like to join you also, if you do not mind my tagging along?" asked Walker.
"And I," added Richard.
"Of course not. If your father wishes to come also we must hope the children are at their lessons or we may not all fit into the Gardiner's drawing room. Though I am sure that Maddie should not mind the tight squeeze if we do not." She said with a smile.
"No need for that my dear, I should likely hear about it upon your return whether I go with you or not." Lady Rebecca feigned offence but everybody present knew she enjoyed her husband's teasing nature.
The next afternoon, therefore, the Fitzwilliam carriage conveyed four occupants in search of answers from Grosvenor Square to Gracechurch Street. Ladies Rebecca and Helena had been anticipated but the addition of the gentlemen was a welcome surprise to the waiting Madeline Gardiner and Jane Bennet.
As the tea was being handed around Jane turned to Richard and said, "How pleasant it is to see you again so soon, Cousin. Your journey back from Hertfordshire was uneventful I hope."
"It was." He replied, "Though I am more curious about your journey from Hertfordshire. Or more specifically, the purpose behind its undertaking. It is lovely to have you in London, Janie, do not mistake me, but it is unusual and unexpected."
"I should have known you would cut to the heart of the matter quickly." She replied with a sigh, "Well, the sum of it is that Mrs Bennet and I were unable to remain occupants of the same household, so for the time being I shall reside here with my aunt and uncle."
"I am confused," confessed Walker, "of you and Lizzie, I would have placed my wager on it being your sister who would be the one to offend Mrs Bennet enough to be forced to flee – not you, sweet Jane who sees only the good in people."
Jane laughed for what felt like the first time in weeks, "I am sure Lizzie would have made the same bet not long ago. It was a combination of things, I suppose, which led us to this point. I rejected an offer of marriage from Longbourn's heir, who then became engaged to one of our neighbours; Charlotte Lucas, I have spoken of her before I am sure, Lizzie has for certain. She also blames me for chasing Mr Bingley away from Mary, though I am unsure how I actually accomplished that one."
"From Lizzie's letter, which she sent with Jane, Mrs Bennet had become unbearably cruel towards our dear girl here." Added Mrs Gardiner, "Lizzie swears another week and the woman may very well have started beating her!"
"If she is capable of such violence, why has Elizabeth not come to Town also?" Lady Rebecca queried.
"Lizzie exaggerates, I am sure. Papa would not permit both of us to be gone for an indeterminate amount of time. He says he cannot spare the witty conversation in a house with so many silly females."
"Oh, how rude!" exclaimed Helena.
"And how are you coping with all of this upheaval, my dear?" her Aunt Rebecca asked Jane as she took a firm hold of one of her hands.
"It is strange to be without Lizzie, but I shall accustom myself to it. I must, for I am more scare to think what her reaction would be, than my step-mothers, if I were to return to Longbourn before Mrs Bennet's temper has cooled."
"Well you need not return at all, Jane. I have told you, you are most welcome here as long as you like." Madeline put in.
"Yes, and when you miss your sister terribly, you shall come to Matlock House and I shall try to fill the void," Helena offered, "I always wished for a sister. Brothers and cousins are fine, but sisters look more fun."
That evening, once everyone else had retired for the night, Walker and Richard sat up together in the billiards room of Matlock House and reviewed the news they had learnt earlier in the day.
"Has Darcy told you anything," Walker began once he had poured himself and his brother a drink, "about their sudden arrival to Town?"
"I have only seen him the once and all he said was something had occurred to hasten his return. I saw Bingley at our club the other day but he changed the subject whenever I brought up Hertfordshire."
"Do you think Jane is right, that it has something to do with her?"
"Brother," Richard paused to get Walker's complete attention, "I suppose it is possible. Bingley and Jane had been showing an interest in each other when I visited, and from what I was told Mrs Bennet was not fond of that fact. However, that does not equate to Jane's being responsible for the household's departure."
"Was it serious between them?" Walker could not help but ask.
Richard sighed. It had been clear to him for years that his elder brother had fallen in love with the charming and sweet tempered Jane. Whenever Walker called her his cousin his ears would go pink, to call her simply a cousin was a lie in his mind; he thought of her as more. Richard had even noticed that his brother no longer called her such in her presence, presumably in case Jane queried him on it.
"You should tell her how you feel, Walk."
"I cannot. If her heart belongs to another, and he would make her happy, then I cannot. I will not farther confuse an already complicated situation by declaring myself."
"You are a better man than I am. I still think you are making a mistake though." Richard was unsure how to phrase it to his brother but he was not certain Jane's heart had been pining for Bingley during their call. During Richard's time at Netherfield the pair had shown each other plenty of attention, enough as to make him feel like he was in some way betraying his brother by not separating them. Earlier, however, Jane seemed, to him at least, to be more heartbroken about leaving her sister behind than having had her lover run away.
The following afternoon Walker and Richard went to their club where, not entirely by chance, they happened upon Bingley and Darcy. Walker was impatient to see the two gentlemen's reactions to his news, so after their initial greetings, he quickly followed up with, "I am sure you should be surprised to learn that you are not the only recent arrivals from Hertfordshire amongst our acquaintances. One of the Miss Bennet's turned up at her aunt's house, with very little notice, a few days ago."
Both Darcy and Bingley perked up in interest at the revelation, which inspired mixed emotions in the Viscount.
"You were right, Richard." One brother said to the other, "Darce here is more than a smidgeon taken with our little Lizzie. Therefore, he will probably be disappointed when I tell him that it is Janie, and Janie alone, that has graced us with her presence in Town."
Walker was correct, Darcy was disappointed. He had been away from Elizabeth for less than a fortnight and he was beginning to think he should return to Meryton and make his intentions known. If she was willing to face her father's reaction he would apply for permission to claim her hand there and then, and if not, he would – well he was not quite sure what he would do but at least he would have seen her. Been near to her.
"Is this a new thing?" Richard asked Darcy whilst waving a hand in front of his face, "Every time her name is mentioned, will you fade into a daydream like a lovesick pup?"
'Quite possibly' Darcy thought to himself before answering, "That is not what I was doing. I was simply wondering what could bring one sister to London without the other. They are too devoted to one another for it to be a falling out between the two of them."
"Mother made the same supposition, and you are both correct. Mrs Bennet, it seems, has made our cousin's life rather miserable and so she has sought refuge here."
"What could have happened in such a short period of time?" The clueless Bingley asked, "The dynamic appeared peaceful, if slightly dysfunctional, when we left. She was due to be engaged the last we heard."
"Miss Bennet declined the offer from Mr Collins." Mr Darcy's inference was confirmed when both brothers nodded their heads.
"This was the sign I was looking for, Darcy! We should call and welcome Miss Bennet to Town."
Darcy had, in recent weeks, become increasingly familiar with the feeling of jealousy; especially where a young lady was concerned. His experience, however, paled in comparison to the emotion he saw briefly play across his eldest cousin's face. The two of them had never seriously discussed settling down before, both were more inclined to avoid the ladies than pursue them. It became apparent to Darcy in that moment though that Walker's reasons may not have been the same as his own. Where Darcy had spent years avoiding any woman, and any sort of commitment, the Viscount was simply waiting for the right woman to become available and had been avoiding those who were not her.
"Let us not be too hasty, my friend." Darcy said to Bingley, "Allow the young lady time to settle first. I am sure that she will call on your sister when she is ready, if she is inclined to continue the connection."
Ten days after learning of her arrival in London, Bingley had dropped so many hints and reminders of the obligation he felt to visit Miss Bennet that Darcy invited him along when he, Lady Matlock, Helena and his sister Georgiana were expected at Gracechurch Street. After initial greetings were exchanged, the younger occupants of the drawing room were encouraged to go out for a walk to a nearby park. As a consequence, Jane led the group, for she knew the way, with Mr Bingley at her side and the three remaining members of the party followed closely behind.
"Is Miss Bingley in good health, sir?" Jane asked as they rounded a corner and passed through the iron gates of the park.
"She is very well, Miss Bennet, thank you. I am sure she will be happy to accompany me on a visit to you in the future, if you so desire it. I have not told her of your being in Town as yet, for I did not know if you were settled and ready to receive callers."
"You do not need to inform her, Mr Bingley. I called on her myself last week. I only ask because I had been anticipating her return call and was beginning to worry she may have taken ill."
Bingley was unsure how to respond to such a statement. It was perplexing to him that Caroline had seen Miss Bennet in Town but failed to mention it to him, particularly given that she was aware that he had a soft spot for the lady.
By the end of the afternoon Jane had come to realise that Mr Bingley had not in fact had any pressing business which had called him to London from Netherfield and there must have been another reason for his abrupt departure. She contemplated how much of Mrs Bennet's theory could have been correct and wondered if it had been her doing. However, if that was true he would not have paid her so much attention as they walked; surely a man could not be that fickle and changeable.
Over the course of several visits, some with the Fitzwilliam's or Darcy's, twice with Miss Bingley and on one occasion Mr Bingley alone, Jane managed to piece together the reason for Mr Bingley's Hertfordshire exit. Whilst Mr Darcy did have a genuine matter which had required his return to Town (the exact nature of such business still eluded her), Mr Bingley had taken the opportunity to give in to his own insecurities and leave also. Jane may once have considered such self-doubt to have been endearing and worthy of sympathy. However the method of his retreat (being rude and unconsidered) coupled with her new found self-assurance and willingness to take control of her own future, led Jane to the realisation that Mr Bingley was not a man who would make her happy in the long term.
So it was that when, on a walk with the Fitzwilliam's and Darcy's one afternoon in January, Mr Bingley started to steer their conversation in the direction of seeking permission to court her, Jane remember her sister's words of advice from when she had had to let down Mr Collins.
"I am a woman in a fortunate position of choice, Mr Bingley." She began, "As such, I feel it prudent of me to indicate to you that, whilst I have enjoyed our conversations and walks tremendously, should you proceed along this line of conversation, my choice would be to decline."
When Mr Bingley shared his disappointment with his friends later that evening, he was the only one not to notice the large sigh of relief exhaled by the Viscount.