The Man from Scarborough
Angus Bingley never had life easy, but his own determination and energy helped him to become the wealthy, successful man he was. When his wife died, he sent his children off to complete his wife's final dream while he boarded a ship. But when he meets his children again, he is less than pleased with what he finds.
AN: for the purposes of this tale, our story begins as canon in 1809 instead of 1811
AN2: Pablo M Portillo: I did not ignore your request, it just took me a while for the premise to bounce around in my empty head and produce a story. Hope you like it
Hertfordshire, 1809
Our story begins on the road from Meryton to Lucas Lodge, or Longbourn if a person walked just a mile further. Jane and Elizabeth Bennet, along with their dearest friend Charlotte Lucas, were enjoying an afternoon stroll to and from Meryton. It was five days after the Meryton Assembly. There was much to talk about, but the three friends chose instead to walk in comfortable silence.
They saw a horse and rider coming towards them and stepped to the side for the rider to pass. A man of above-medium height rode up and reined his mount to stop, "Pardon me, ladies," a pleasantly rough voice began, "But could you please point me in the direction of Netherfield Park? I have traveled this road from the town to that large hill in the distance and back, but have yet to see the marker I was looking for."
Charlotte, as the eldest of the group, spoke up first, saying, "That is because you are on the wrong road, Sir. When you get to town if you look to your immediate left, you will see a road which veers off diagonally, right next to the White Stag Inn. That road leads you to the turn-off for Netherfield a mile further."
The somewhat familiar looking man was in his middle years, but still quite fit and well-built, with the weathered face of a person who had spent his life out of doors. He smiled and that sense of familiarity became stronger. "You have my thanks. As beautiful as this area is, and as fetching as its residents might be, I would like to see my family once again."
Jane was the one who made the connection, "Then you must be Mr. Bingley!" The other two young women looked at Jane in confusion, then back to the mounted man.
He grinned, "Aye, that I am. Been on distant shores for some years and now it is time to check and see how my brood is faring. And if it would not breech propriety too terribly, might I ask your names?"
When the three were introduced, Elizabeth noticed that the man held Charlotte's eyes the longest. She also saw that Charlotte's gaze was just as intense. Then he recalled himself and said, "It is an honor to meet you all. I hope that I will see you again around the neighborhood. He then tipped his hat, revealing the same auburn hair as two of his children, and sped his mount on his way. Elizabeth prompted, "Jane, I thought that the Bingleys were orphans?"
Jane blinked, confused, "No, when Mr. Bingley and I walked in the garden two days ago he told me that his father took an extended journey to look into several of his investments in the Americas after his son graduated. He has been gone for three years but Mr. Bingley was hoping to see him again soon."
Charlotte said, "I also got the distinct impression from Miss Bingley that their father had passed on... though she never stated it directly. Odd."
Elizabeth shook her head, "Maybe not. Miss Bingley does not want anyone to see the "taint of trade" on their family. Having people believe that her father is dead provided a greater degree of separation."
"Oh no, Elizabeth! I am certain that Caroline would never do that!"
Elizabeth and Charlotte exchanged looks. Jane never wished to think the worst of anyone. Then Elizabeth teased, "Charlotte, did I witness a strong attraction between you and the elder Mr. Bingley?"
Charlotte blushed, something she had not done in years. Then she glared at her friend and boldly stated, "So what if there was, Eliza? He has all of his son's handsomeness seasoned by maturity and experience. I can still appreciate a good looking man even if I have given up any hope of marrying."
For the rest of their walk, the two Bennet sisters tried to reassure their friend that they believed that she still had hope. She ended her walk unconvinced, but when she slept that night she saw a handsome older man in her dreams.
~oOoOOoOo~
The reactions to the arrival of Angus Bingley at Netherfield Park were characteristic. Charles Bingley was as happy as a puppy to see his father again. Mrs. Hurst was also pleased, but wary. Mr. Hurst hoped that his late afternoon arrival would not delay dinner. And Miss Caroline Bingley was mortified. If her neighbors met her father, then all was lost! She would be thought of as a daughter of trade all over again and people would laugh behind their hands at her!
Mr. Darcy had met Angus Bingley several times over his son's Cambridge years. He quite liked the man, even if he was somewhat rough around the edges. He was a man's man, blunt-spoken and straight to the point without being overbearing and demanding like his own Aunt Catherine. Once Mr. Bingley had greeted his own children, the two men nodded to each other.
"I read what I could of your letters, Son. How by all that is heavenly did you manage to make it through Cambridge with such atrocious handwriting?" His words and tone were gruff, but his son only grinned. It was a standing joke between them. Angus Bingley's writing was also rather ham-fisted, but he had a better excuse: he did not learn to write until he was near adulthood.
As they all took their seats in the drawing room, Angus looked at his youngest daughter, "Caroline, I apologize if I kept you from departing for your event. I will not keep you if you need to leave."
Miss Bingley was still quite upset by her father's sudden reappearance but she knew better than to be sharp with him. "I was not going anywhere, Father."
"Then why are you dressed for a ball?" The question was delivered in an innocent manner, but Darcy had just taken a drink... which made a sudden exit. The twinkle in the older man's eye when he looked over at his son's friend told Darcy that "innocent" had no part in the question.
For the rest of that day and the next, Angus Bingley spent his time mostly silent, observing his adult children. He had been taught well in his early years, so he knew that fading into the shadows allowed people to relax and begin to display their true personalities and habits. A person can only keep up an act for so long. What he saw did not exactly please him.
~oOoOOoOo~
It should come as no surprise to my readers that when an invitation to a soiree at Lucas Lodge arrived on the second day, it included Mr. Bingley, Sr. on the invitation. Charlotte Lucas had not said a word about how attractive the man was, only that he was now in-residence. She cherished that information to herself. She was not the only older unmarried or widowed woman in the community and no man had captured her attention in the way that he did.
When the Bennets arrived at Lucas Lodge, Jane and Elizabeth immediately made their way over to their friend. "You look beautiful, Charlotte," Jane stated appreciatively. Elizabeth could not resist the tease, "I wonder if our friend dressed up to attract the attentions of anyone in particular?"
Charlotte blushed and quickly looked around to make certain that neither of her parents were in hearing range, "Hush, Eliza! You'll send Mother into action and the night will be ruined!"
Elizabeth gently squeezed her friend's hand, "I am sorry for teasing. And you know that I wish you nothing but the very best."
Charlotte nodded and would have replied, but just then the Netherfield Party arrived. Mr. Charles Bingley greeted his hosts at the door but then made an immediately dash for Jane Bennet. Before the others were even all in he had separated her from her sister and moved them to a corner where they could talk. The Hursts were next, with Mr. Hurst making his own dash... for the food and drink. Mrs. Hurst did not even notice him because she had turned back to focus on her scowling sister.
"Something has Miss Bingley upset. Perhaps she is not so happy to have her father back?" When no reply came, Elizabeth turned and saw that Charlotte was with her parents, greeting one guest in particular. You will not hide anything from your mother if you are that obvious, Charlotte. Subtle or not, Charlotte was soon walking with Mr. Bingley, Sr. around the room.
Elizabeth looked away from the pair and back to the door, where Mr. Darcy was looking as forbidding and handsome as ever. Handsome! Why did I think that? He is tolerable at best, but not handsome enough to tempt me! She only wished that her eyes would obey her mind, because she spent much of the evening knowing exactly where the man was at any given moment.
Three things stood out for Elizabeth that evening: First, though Mr. Bingley, Sr. spent much of the evening with Charlotte, the pair of them seemed to be looking around the room discussing various people, herself included. Second, Miss Bingley had clung like a limpet to Mr. Darcy during the assembly and during an obligatory visit to the local gentry, but tonight she was huddled in a corner with her sister. And third, Elizabeth realized that Mr. Darcy seemed to be looking at her as often as she was looking at him. What can he mean by it? He always frowns! I wish he would not come out in public if he means to always be so severe.
At one point, after teasing the leader of a visiting militia group about throwing a ball, Elizabeth became frustrated with Mr. Darcy's ceaseless perusal and asked, "Do you not think I expressed myself rather well just now, Mr. Darcy?" Her intention was to show that she knew he was listening in on her conversations... an impolite action if a person had no intention of joining in.
"Very well," Darcy answered, not put off in the slightest, "But then ladies are often eloquent when speaking about dancing."
"You mean to be severe on our sex, Mr. Darcy. Before today I have only heard you string together more than fifteen words at a time once, and that did you little credit." Elizabeth had not meant to snap, but the memory of his insult must persist in lingering.
Before Darcy could puzzle out a reply, Elizabeth's mother called her away.
"You do not know what she is speaking about, do you Mr. Darcy?" Darcy turned to find the elder Mr. Bingley regarding him. "Miss Lucas informs me that you insulted Miss Elizabeth's attraction at the quarterly assembly. That does not seem like the Mr. Darcy I knew."
Darcy was chagrined, "She heard me. I am a fool?" He drifted away, deep in thought.
Charlotte had gone to help her mother, but now she returned to Angus Bingley's side, "That appeared to be an interesting conversation."
"Just reminding the boy of the man he should be."
Charlotte found more and more to like about this man. It was a heady experience to be singled out for a man's attention, but she was past that now and beginning to appreciate all of the subtle nuances that made this supposedly blunt man function. As they walked about the large room she had slowly drawn his story out. He had risen from near-abject poverty, worked three jobs, saved every penny, and so impressed a warehouse owner that the man took him under his wing. From there he continued to work, study, scrimp, and save until he was able to launch his own venture.
His original benefactor had kept an eye on him. When he needed a trustworthy partner in his old age, he had recruited Angus. He liked the young man so much that he married his daughter to him. And when he passed away, he willed the entire control of his thriving little empire to Angus Bingley and his wife.
"Trouble is, I worked so long and hard to make the business grow that I left the raising of my children to my poor wife. She did her best, bless her heart, but she had some views about raising our status that I do not agree with."
Angsus saw Charlotte shoot a look over at his daughters and he grimaced, "Precisely. What they needed was some good common sense. I should have been there to give that to them. And then Sharon, died, but not before making me promise to set them up as gentlefolk. My children were all grown, so I gave Charles enough to set himself up with an estate and the girls enough to find respectable husbands. Problem is that the measure they use for finding those husbands does not match reality."
Charlotte allowed herself to be led on, "I have convinced myself the happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance... but perhaps the secret is in finding a partner who shares your own goals for what happiness is."
Angus Bingley glanced over at this woman beside him. She had nothing of the beauty of his first wife or the Bennet girls, but there was a maturity, a practicality, and a kindness that greatly drew him. And the more he came to know her, the more he saw her beauty as well. It was just more hidden than most.
They walked up to a scene where Sir William was trying to cajole Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth to dance. Angus could see that Elizabeth was prepared to refuse, so he chose to help. Laying a hand on the hand Charlotte had kept on his arm, he interceded, "Please dance? At the moment there are only young people on the floor. I would feel much better about asking Miss Lucas to join me on the floor if we were not the only more mature dancers?"
Elizabeth saw Charlotte's pleading eyes and found it impossible to refuse. Unclenching her teeth so that she could speak, she said, "Mr. Darcy, I would be honored to dance."
Charlotte and Angus were too far away to hear the other couple's conversation, but they saw Elizabeth stumble, words exchanged, and then... perhaps... a little more coordination in their steps. Charlotte looked at her partner admiringly, "He apologized for his insult. You set up the whole thing in just twenty minutes! You pretend to be blunt spoken, with no tolerance for fools. But you have a way with people."
"You do not build a trade empire by sitting in an office, Miss Lucas. You have to step out and speak to people; people of all circles in life."
~oOoOOoOo~
Angus Bingley watched and waited another week before he had reached his conclusions and made his decisions. "Charles, I would speak to you. Shall we go for a walk?" When he saw Darcy looking up from the estate books, he added, "I will most likely be removing Charles from your company for several hours, Mr. Darcy. So if you wish to ride or engage in other pursuits, now might be a convenient time."
Darcy nodded and closed the book. When he looked up again, the father and son were gone.
Angus led his son out to where their horses already waited. Angus thanked the groom and both men were soon away. Bingley knew from his father's mannerisms that his intent was serious, but he rode beside the older man in silence for several miles. He had learned in early childhood that his father preferred to gather his words together before speaking them. Though Charles had tried to emulate him, he was too much of a creature of the moment to succeed.
Finally they reached a very pretty spot where Netherfield met a bend in the river and several large boulders provided seating. Allowing their mounts to graze, father and son took seats on boulders facing each other. "Charles, I am afraid that I have done you a grave disservice. More than one in fact."
"What do you mean, Father? You have been an excellent father all of my life."
"It is good of you to say so, but not true. First of all, I pressed you to fulfill your mother's dream to become a landed gentleman, then I left for the Americas before you were established, placing the burden on your shoulders without clear direction.
"Second, as the only male, I placed you in the impossible position of being in charge of your elder sisters. It was unfair to both you and to them. They grew up as the older, wiser sisters and then were suddenly told that they and their dowries were under your control. It is perhaps only natural that they balked and used the habits formed in their youth to control you. Just as it was habit for you to submit to them."
Bingley blushed. Darcy often told him that he allowed his sisters too much control over him. He knew it was true, but it was a habit formed of a lifetime. "I can see what you mean, but I do not know how to repair the problem."
"My first inclination was to fix it all for you. But then that would make me no better than your sisters or your friend Mr. Darcy."
"Mr. Darcy?! How can you say that? He is the best of men and the best of friends."
"I will not argue his good qualities or his friendship. What I mean is this: he is in the habit of giving commands and being obeyed. You are in the habit of following commands and submitting your desires to those you consider above you. In Cambridge that might not have been too much of an issue, but here and now, at the age of five and twenty, you must be allowed to become your own man.
"But before we delve into that further, please allow me to make two points: First, I allowed Mr. Hurst to marry my daughter Louisa because he was a mature man, the owner of his own estate, and possessed of a reasonable yearly income. Yet I return to discover that he and your sister have left the management of his estate to others while they live off of you. Was this only a short visit of a month or two, that might be acceptable. As it stands, I understand that they have not even visited their property in over a year. It is high time that the Hursts live off of their own land and income, not yours. I will not send them away, that is your responsibility. But if you speak, I will support you fully.
"Second, your sister Caroline should have married by now. I have been able to piece together enough information to know that there have been offers, but she rejected them in the false belief that she would become the next Mrs. Darcy, Mistress of Pemberley. It is very clear that Mr. Darcy will never offer for her, but either you have not pointed out her false belief or she has ignored you. That needs to change now. With her dowry and her beauty, she should have been married by now."
"She desire power, wealth, and prestige, Father. None of her suitors offered that."
"And none in England shall... which is why I intend to take her off of your hands so that I can take her to a place where her ties to trade will not be the bane of her existence. You leave her in my hands. As of this moment I am taking back control of her dowry and allowance."
Bingley almost sighed with relief. Caroline was becoming the Gordian knot in his life. "Thank you, Father."
"One last matter: About Miss Bennet... Actually, I want you to answer me honestly and do not spare my feelings or worry about any desires that I or your mother expressed in the past. Do you enjoy learning how to run an estate?"
It was clear to Angus that his son was struggling with an answer. He waited, giving his son the respect he deserved. Finally Charles answered, "I would much rather run a business as you did. My favorite place as a child was with you as you made deals and took care of the day-to-day challenges of your trading house. I have great respect for men like Darcy, but it is not a life that appeals to me."
"As I suspected. Then it falls to you to discover whether or not Miss Bennet will accept you as a tradesman and not a gentleman. If you force yourself to be something you are not, then you will curse yourself with a lifetime of unhappiness. That will impact your wife and children as well. I did not fulfill your mother's dream because I knew that it would never suit me. You should not either. I believe that the age of the factory owner, the craftsman, and the tradesman is beginning. The supremacy of landed nobility is on the wane."
"So you think that I should speak to Ja... to Miss Bennet?"
"Is that not the respect she deserves if you wish her to be your wife?"
-oOo-
The next week saw many changes at Netherfield. Herbert and Louisa Hurst departed for their estate. Neither seemed pleased with the matter, but they did leave peacefully.
Mr. Bingley took a long walk with Miss Jane Bennet. When they returned, they were both smiling. For the first time Jane had abandoned propriety and spoken plainly, "I am falling in love with the man, not Netherfield. In fact, if we did marry, I would hope to put some distance between myself and my family... my sister Lizzie being the exception... most of the time at least."
Angus Bingley proposed to Charlotte Lucas and was accepted. She did not care one wit that he was almost old enough to be her father, or that he was unashamedly in-trade. She was also quite pleased with the idea that they would often travel.
Caroline Bingley was livid at first when her father took back control of her life by taking back control of her dowry and allowance. She was furious when he placed her on a ship with himself and his newlywed bride, that country upstart spinster Miss Lucas. And she was shocked when they crossed the Atlantic and made port in Boston.
But when she discovered how easily she was accepted into the upper-crust of the rapidly growing city of New York, and how many wealthy gentleman found her fascinating, she changed her tune. Six months after departing England's shores, Caroline surrendered her surname for that of a well-respected and very prominent man and joined the New York elite. It would be too much to suggest that her personality changed, but once she had the respect she craved, she did try to become a better person.
Angus Bingley signed over all of his enterprises in England to his son Charles. Charles in turn demonstrated that he had all of the skills in business that he lacked in estate management. He and Jane settled in Liverpool and had a long and happy life together.
As to Darcy, Angus did try to have a heart-to-heart with the man, just as Charlotte did with Elizabeth. Despite that, they followed their own tumultuous and rocky road to happiness. These two would never woo peaceably, but woo they did. Only four months after Jane changed her name to Bingley, Elizabeth changed hers to Darcy.
But this story is about Mr. Angus Binley... and his blushing bride. The hostilities between Great Britain and the United States resulted in a declaration of war only a few years after the elder Bingley brought his bride and his daughter over. By the time the conflict was over and peace reigned, the couple made a return visit with another son and daughter. They spent several months visiting friends and relatives, but then Angus and Charlotte were quite happy to take their children back to their home in the New World.