Friends Indeed

The Bingley sisters learned all of the wrong lessons in their private ladies seminary. What if another pair of sisters had been there at the right time for a timely intervention or two? Friends in need are friends indeed.

My thanks to Marinette68 for the suggestion

note: For the purposes of this story Louisa is one year older than Jane and Caroline is one year older than Elizabeth, but the Bennet girls began school a year earlier than the Bingleys

The Ladies Premiere Finishing Seminary of London, 1803

Louisa Bingley had to fight a groan of dismay when she met her roommate, Miss Jane Bennet. Not because the girl was monstrous or hideous, oh no! Jane Bennet was perhaps the most perfectly beautiful creature she had ever seen in person. But Louisa's experience thus far was that girls who were beautiful outside were most often very ugly within. That was why she remained skeptical when Miss Bennet gave her the most angelic smile of welcome.

Over the following weeks, however, Louisa came to learn that Jane was just as gorgeous inside as outside. Had it not been for her, the taunts and jibes of some of the other girls, all daughters of noblemen or landed gentlemen, would have been devastating to her. But even the worst of them found it difficult to be cruel to Jane, so Louisa felt the benefit of her close proximity to the girl's heavenly aura. Oh, Jane was just as human as the next person, but her kindness, her gentle smiles, even her gentle rebukes just made a person want to behave better.

It was therefore a much different and better Louisa who returned from her school on her holidays. Josiah Bingley was so impressed that he could not repine the expense. He resolved that he would send Caroline this next year in the hopes that he would see the same improvement from his most difficult daughter. His wife had been a beautiful woman until the day she passed, but her obsession with rising higher had skewed everything that she did herself or taught her daughters. If Louisa could improve so much, perhaps Caroline would too.

The Ladies Premiere Finishing Seminary of London, 1804

Caroline Bingley was incensed to learn that her roommate assignment had been changed from Lady Alice Thurgood to Miss Elizabeth Bennet. She had been held back from starting seminary on-time due to a stupid summer fever which lingered too long. Now she was starting two months than her fellow students and assigned to room with a country nobody instead of with the daughter of a peer.

"Jane and I begged Lady Penelope for the alteration, Caroline, and for good reason: Lady Alice is part of a group of really mean girls. We heard them scheming out a whole list of ways to prank and punish you for daring to come to their school. Believe me, you do not want to find yourself under her thumb. Miss Elizabeth may be the youngest here, but she is as kind as her sister and as smart as anyone I have met. She has already made friends at every level of this school and she seems to know how to get around those who are determined to be our enemies."

"But I am supposed to meet the most prominent girls so that I can meet their brothers and marry well! You know that is what Mother wanted!"

"And you will meet some girls from very prominent families. Lady Millicent Penrose is the daughter of a duke and Lady Penelope Fitzwilliam is the daughter of an earl. They are both truly nice girls... but if you act the sycophant with them using the methods that Mother taught us, they will withdraw their friendships quickly, trust me. If it weren't for dear Jane, I would have been a pariah after a month. Please, Caro, for just a little while forget what Mother told you. Open your eyes and ears and keep your mouth shut until you truly understand. And be nice to Elizabeth. She is frighteningly intelligent despite her big doe-eyes and pretty face."

"I do not find her pretty. She hardly has a regular feature in her face."

"Yet her features as a whole make a pleasing picture," Louisa scolded, her exasperation leaking into her tone, "Please, Caroline. For once, just listen to my advice?"

Caroline Bingley did not listen at first and soon found herself under the power of the nastiest bullies of the school. She was miserable, but she kept telling herself that she was attaining her and her mother's dream by associating with these noble girls. But in the wee hours of the night, she often wept silently.

Elizabeth Bennet, though the youngest girl in the school and from an insignificant country estate, quickly found her niche among those girls in the seminary who truly wished to learn and grow. Her friends spanned the gamut of the social circles because those things truly did not matter to her. Two of her dearest friends was Lady Millicent and Lady Penelope, or "Millie and Penny." They were both girls who loved to read and loved to learn. They took young Elizabeth under their wing and made it clear to one and all that any attempts to bully their friend would have catastrophic consequences for the bullies.

For her part, Elizabeth struggled in what to think about Caroline Bingley. As her roommate, she had to endure the girl's oh-so-superior attitude daily, but she saw how often the pretty redhead was the butt of her "friends'" jokes and pranks. She had also seen Caroline's shoulders shake with her silent sobs in the middle of the night. Finally Elizabeth spoke with her friends about the matter.

"We would honestly like to help her, Lizzie, but she is daft!" Lady Millie explained.

Lady Penny added, "She would not even listen when her own sister tried to tell her to stay away from Terrible Thurgood. I don't see how we can help her."

"But I am telling you, I heard Alice scheming with her friends. They mean to trick her into a compromising situation with Burt the stable boy! He's a good person, but he has the mind of a child. He will not know what to think and he will raise a ruckus. Caroline will be found and made the laughing stock. She may be difficult at times, but nobody deserves this! And poor Louisa will be just as humiliated."

The two friends shared a look and a nod, "We will see to it. But do not do anything on your own. Wait until we let you know."

Three days later Caroline was cajoled into following her friends down a dark hallway in the middle of the night. When she opened the last door, she was suddenly shoved inside. When she turned, the door was locked and she could hear her "friends" running away. Frightened, she looked around in the dark to find out what manner of evil was at play. There was nothing. She was alone in a dark room.

Lady Alice Thurgood and her closest minion, Lady Cassandra Farvor, laughed as they slipped into the room adjoining the one that they had shoved Caroline Bingley into. Any moment now either Caroline or the stable boy would raise a shout loud enough to raise the dead. It had been fun to torture the jumped-up shopkeeper's daughter, but she was too easy. Alice wanted a big finale to show her true power in the school. After that even Ladies Millicent and Penelope would not dare to oppose her.

It was Cassandra who began screaming first, when she bumped into the large, imposing bulk of the confused stable boy. He howled next, and both of them continued to exclaim loudly despite everything that Alice tried to do to stop them. Only a few minutes after it all began Lady Beth Marshall, the Proprietress of the seminary unlocked the door to the room and glared at the scene.

"Burt, be silent and go back to the stables. The next time one of these girls tries to get you to carry something in the middle of the night, you come speak to me. Unless I approve, you should never be in the dorm. Understood."

"Yes, milady. I don' un'erstand. I took the box to the room, jus' as they said, but then the door woul'n't open. Then she..." he pointed one large finger at Lady Cassandra, "... begint howlin' and I got scared."

"All is well, Burt. You go now and get some sleep," When the large man/boy departed, the proprietress turned her glare on the two girls, "I have had just about enough of this behavior, Ladies. Your father may have influence, but that does not give you the right to bully others. Pack your bags. Your fathers or someone they send will be collecting you in the morning."

"How dare you speak like that to me!" Alice barked, "My father is an Earl and he will..."

"He will do nothing. It seems that the Duke of _, Lady Millicent's father, made a visit to both of your fathers before coming to speak with me. It was they who sent for you. And if you do not want the story of you two girls locking yourselves in a closet with the handsome but childl-like stable boy to circulate, you would be wise to mind your tongues. You have made plenty of enemies at this school who will be happy to spread the tale."

Caroline Bingley had her own session with Lady Beth on the following morning, when she was scolded quite severely for not listening to the girls who tried to protect her, including her own sister. When Caroline returned to her room, it was to discover a cup of hot chocolate waiting for her on the nightstand next to her bed. It was the first of many kind gestures which finally touched her heart and started her on the road to becoming a different sort of person.

Meryton Assembly, 1811

The entire community seemed to be waiting for the entrance of the Netherfield party. Only a few of the men and even fewer ladies had met Mr. Bingley so far, and none had met the rest of his party which had only arrived earlier that same day. So when the fashionable group entered, most of the notables of Meryton were startled when the two eldest Bennet girls rushed forward to greet the two ladies of the group. When the very well-dressed ladies returned their greetings with equal enthusiasm, the locals realized that theirs must be a friendship of long standing.

"Louisa!" Jane exclaimed.

"Caroline!" Elizabeth with equal joy.

Mr. Charles Bingley watched the greetings with amusement, though his eyes quickly fixed upon his elder sister's ethereal friend. Miss Jane Bennet had been at the Louisa's wedding, as had Miss Elizabeth. He had definitely noticed the blond haired, blue eyed angel then. When he learned that Netherfield Park was only three miles away from the young woman's home, it made that estate the obvious choice to lease. The joy his sisters showed in greeting this pair only further supported his decision.

Jane Bennet made her curtsy to Louisa's handsome husband, the smiling Mr. Harris. She had met him at the wedding, of course, and thought him a very good man. Since the wedding Jane had read nothing but joy and happiness in her dear friend's letters. She looked forward to visiting with the man who made Louisa so content with her marriage. Unless she was mistaken, Louisa's normally trim middle seemed to press against her dress, suggesting that there might be even more joy to come.

But Jane's pleasure in seeing him was nothing to her secret thrill in seeing Mr. Bingley again. She gave the new master of Netherfield Park a curtsey, "Mr. Bingley, it is a pleasure to see you again."

Bingley cleared his throat and fought the urge to pull at his cravat, but he found his voice, "The pleasure is entirely mine, Miss Bennet... tell me... am I too late to ask for your first set?"

Blushing, but happy, Jane softly answered, "It has been held for you, Mr. Bingley." Her response made Bingley smile like a man lost.

Fitzwilliam Darcy, watching the exchange, frowned. It was obvious that the Bingley's had not told him everything they knew about this area. It seemed that the Bingleys knew these two handsome ladies quite well indeed. I hope that this means that they are respectable ladies. If they will be at Netherfield often, I need to know that Georgiana is safe with them.

Unfortunately, the introductions to the rest of the Bennet ladies did not help to give a good impression. In fact, the vulgarity of the matron and the youngest disgusted Darcy. He had seen the second one, Caroline's friend, flinch at the same scene, so at least one of them had the decency to recognize poor behavior... still...

-oOo-

"Your brother's friend seems to be displeased with his surroundings," Elizabeth teased Caroline, "Is he not the one you had your heart set on?"

Caroline sighed, "That will never happen. His family is too high and they have much greater hopes for him. But he is normally a good and kind man, if somewhat withdrawn in large public settings. Something must have happened in the family recently, because both he and his sister have been acting odd. Georgiana is also our guest, but she remained at Netherfield with her companion. She is sixteen and not yet out. She is a sweet girl, but shy like her brother. Oh, but she is a wonderful musician. She would play and sings all day long if her companion and her brother allowed her to ignore her other lessons."

"He is a handsome man," Elizabeth could not resist saying. In fact, she found it difficult to keep her eyes off of him. "Though he made no efforts to hide his disdain for my family after meeting my mother. I hope that she won't drive you away? She is truly a good person, just thoughtless at times."

Caroline hugged her friend's arms, "I am the last person to upbraid another for thoughtless words. Had it not been for the friendship of you, Penny, and Millie, I shudder to think what I might have become. Now those two have married, which leaves us to find husbands... and stop looking at Mr. Darcy. I doubt that either of us could meet his high expectations."

Caroline had to eat her words later that night as she very pointedly upbraided Mr. Darcy for his unkind words concerning her dearest friend, "Mr. Darcy, it may not be my place to scold my brother's guest, but your words about Elizabeth were very inappropriate and very unkind. I know of very few people as deserving of respect as her, and if you do not believe it, ask your cousin Lady Penelope Brockhurst. She also counts Elizabeth Bennet among her closest and dearest of friends."

Darcy did not appreciate being scolded, but he was also ashamed of his ungentlemanly words. He respected Bingley's sisters. Lousia Harris had married a landed gentleman and had settled well into her role as mistress of a prosperous estate. And although Caroline Bingley had shown interest in him at first, once he made his disinterest known, she had retreated and kept a proper distance. This was better than he could say for many ladies of the Ton who had four times the wealth and consequence. Had he felt anything for her other than polite friendliness, he might have even considered Caroline as a mate.

He nodded, "You are completely right to call me on my behavior. I had not meant for anyone to hear, only to discourage your brother from pressing me. It was ungentlemanly. Would you please introduce me to your friend now so that I may apologize?"

Over the next few months Caroline took great amusement in watching Mr. Darcy's struggle as he was quite obviously falling in love with her friend. Elizabeth had accepted the man's apology, but she was not making it easy for Darcy. The pair of them reminded her of the Bard's comedy, "Much ado about nothing." The two of them could not woo peacefully.

Caroline forgot to focus on her friend's love life when Sir Michael Westing paid a visit to her brother on his way north to make a tour of some of the factories he had invested in. She knew that her brother had made friends with a man by that name, but this was the first time she met him. She was as impressed with him as he was with her. The northern tour was delayed in favor of a courtship.

By the time that Fitzwilliam Darcy finally persuaded Elizabeth Bennet to marry him, Charles had already married Jane and Caroline was preparing for her wedding to Sir Michael. Mrs. Bennet, despite her sometimes thoughtless vulgarity, had proven to be a kind woman and a gifted wedding planner, so Caroline asked for the woman's help. After all, she had no mother of her own to lean on. Mrs. Bennet was so deeply touched that she decided to forgive the young lady for stealing Sir Michael from one of her own girls.

In the many decades that followed Lady Caroline Westing brought her husband great joy, five children, and many prestigious connections. She often found it ironic that she married a knight who was cheerfully and very profitably engaged in the world of business. Some people occasionally scoffed at the woman who rose from trade to marry a knight, but never in Sir Michael's hearing. "I married Caroline for who she is inside, not for her connections, but she brought those to me as well."

The tight friendships formed in their seminary days remained solid throughout the remainder of their lives, no matter who rose and who fell in social consequence.

AN: There you go, Marinette68. I hope that this satisfies your request.