October 15, 2014 – Another short chapter, I'm afraid. Fortunately, you will all live despite it.
Chapter 27
Darcy sent Anne to Longbourn the next morning without him. They had talked late into the night and both agreed that a removal to Rosings, with the Bennets as their guests, was in the best interest of the entire Bennet clan. As appealing as this was to Anne and Darcy, he knew that there were others who would be disappointed with the revelation that they were leaving the country before Bingley's blasted ball.
The gentleman of the party had planned to go shooting and Darcy accepted his host's invitation to accompany them. That he had not joined them in the sport once since he had arrived in Hertfordshire added incentive for his agreement to the scheme. Thus Bingley, Hurst, Sir John and Darcy set out with the servant and hound in search of an elusive covey. They went on foot; horses would only spook the birds before the men were ready to fire. Darcy decided to use the time spent in transit to inform Bingley of their departure a week hence.
"But you have only just arrived!" exclaimed Bingley. "If I did not know you any better, I would swear you were trying to escape my company."
"Bingley, you forget I told you we were going back to Surrey for the christening of Anne's and my godson."
"At the end of the month. Why leave so soon?"
"You do remember that we first left because of unexpected business in Kent."
"Yes, yes. Mrs. Bennet turned out to be a long lost cousin or something."
"Yes, well, we left before we had a chance to…"
"To what?"
"To spend enough time to get to know them better."
Darcy saw Bingley glance over, looking speculatively at him and then frowned.
"Does this mean you will be asking the Bennets to join you, again?"
"If the purpose of the trip is to further our acquaintance with that family, of course. Do you object to it, or just the removal of one member of the family?"
"I am planning to have a ball on the 26th of November."
It was Darcy's turn to look at his friend – but this time he rolled his eyes.
"We will be back in time for your ball Bingley, Bennets included. And then we will stay until it is time to return to Pemberley. Will this satisfy you?"
"There is no reason to be so damned patronizing, Darcy." Bingley said with a petulance that reminded Darcy of a little boy. He wanted to laugh at his friend, but thought that it would be a good time to bring up Jane Bennet. Bingley was on the defensive and Darcy would get some answers for Anne.
"Maybe you should solicit Miss Bennet for the first two dances before we leave?"
Bingley brightened.
"The cards are not yet ready, but I suppose I could issue a special invitation in person. That would give me the opportunity."
"You do that and you will have all but declared your preference for Miss Bennet. Are you prepared to raise such expectations? You barely know the woman."
"Come now, she is an angel."
"That might be, but the question then is, what kind – heavenly or fallen." Darcy watched Bingley's face grew an angry shade of red. Darcy knew his friend well enough to see his rather pithy inferences had reaped the desired effect. Bingley's reply confirmed, in Darcy's mind, his preference for the eldest Miss Bennet.
"She is your wife's cousin, how could you say such a thing!"
Darcy held back a smile of triumph, and quickly set to change the tenor of the conversation. They were on the way to shoot, after all.
"Jane Bennet appears to be well-bred young lady. Yes, we are related through marriage, but we know little of her true character. Frankly, I am more concerned for her than I am for you. You do not have the greatest record for constancy in your infatuations. If Miss Bennet is the angel you believe, then I would not want to see her hurt."
Bingley stopped walking.
"Are you warning me away from her? You are not her father, or her brother. You have no right. If this was Georgiana we were speaking of, I could understand your protectiveness, but this is not."
If you only knew.
"Bingley, calm down and listen to me. Miss Bennet is my family and I will not have her trifled with…" Bingley made to speak, but Darcy raised his hand, "intentionally or not. Take care, my friend, with your feelings and hers. Do not raise any expectations you are not prepared to fulfill. And ask Miss Bennet to save you the sets in private or wait until they return. No one will have a chance to secure any if she is in Kent with us."
"Unless you did."
Darcy threw his head back and laughed. He clapped his hand on Bingley's shoulder.
"Do you honestly think my wife would ever forgive me for asking someone other than her? No sir, I will not risk Anne's wrath."
~~~/~~~
On the way back to Netherfield, Darcy set about to complete the second half of his mission. He and Sir John followed Bingley and Hurst back to the house after a successful morning of sport.
Darcy would have to take a different approach to his companion that he had with Bingley. Sir John was older, wiser, and a former suitor of his wife. Darcy reflected that he really would do anything for Anne if he were undertaking this particular commission.
Darcy was searching for ways to bring the conversation to the point. So far they had only discussed the day's shooting.
"I hope Mrs. and Miss Darcy enjoyed their visit to Longbourn," Sir John remarked.
"My wife takes great delight in getting to know the Bennets better."
"Mrs. Darcy is such an engaging woman that I doubt that there are few places she goes, or people she meets that she does not take pleasure in forming new acquaintances."
"You know my wife well. But what of you, this is the first morning you have not accompanied us to see our cousins."
Sir John laughed heartily. "If our host could tear himself away from the lovely Miss Bennet for one day, how could I decline his invitation for a day of sport? No today we were intended to be outdoors."
"You do not regret seeing your Miss Bennet?" Darcy finally asked.
Sir John glanced up at his companion and continued to walk, not speaking for several minutes. Finally he spoke.
"Darcy, I am not Bingley."
"I never said you were, and what does Bingley have to do with you and me."
"I do not look to you for advice on matters of the heart. I am my own man, and act accordingly. If you are asking me if I am interested in Mary Bennet, then yes, I am."
"But after so short an acquaintance? What do you know of her, other than she is Anne's cousin?"
"If you are so concerned about her suitability, they why do you continue to call on the family. Your wife and sister are visiting even as we speak."
"I grant you the point, but our circumstances are different; one cannot choose their family, but one may choose their friends. She has next to no dowry, or connections besides Anne's family. The Bennet's closer connections are a decided step down in the eyes of society; an attorney in Meryton and a tradesmen in Town."
"You forget Mr. Bennet is a gentleman. Many a member of the aristocracy are poorer than he."
"There are other women more suitable as a spouse."
Sir John sighed. "Darcy, I do appreciate your intent. You do not wish to see your cousin hurt."
"Or you honor bound to a woman you may come to regret." Darcy found himself walking alone; his companion had stopped. "Are you coming?" he said over his shoulder.
Sir John took several steps to rejoin Darcy – albeit Darcy would have taken fewer strides to cover the same distance.
"Darcy, have you ever seen pearls harvested? The oyster itself is a very unappealing creature when you see the closed shell. All it takes in a well-place knife to pry open the shell. And then once open, you must move away more of the tissue until the prize is finally revealed.
I am not insinuating that Mary Bennet is some precious jewel, but I do think there is great beauty to be found within if a man is willing to probe the depths of her character. She hides behind a façade of piety, but I believe she is just as loyal and loving as your wife, sir. She may not be the woman for me, but I intend to find out if she is – and a meager dowry is not enough to drive me away.
I am nearly the same age as you; I want a wife; I need a wife; and I would be obliged if you would leave this alone. You may tower over me, but I am every bit your equal, Darcy. You would do well to remember that."
~~~/~~~
Lord Perryton's visit to Suffolk had netted him nothing other than a pleasant evening with the Hedges family. Old Mr. Hedges did not join them for supper; a rather normal circumstance the earl learned. The gentleman in question most often had a tray delivered to his room where his faithful manservant saw to his needs.
Now that his lordship had returned to London, it was time to seek out the next person on the list of possible conspirators he had compiled. The midwife, a Mrs. Auten, had worked mainly in Town until she had passed away six years ago. The time of her death matched closely enough with Mrs. Stuart's recollection to not cast more doubt on the veracity of her information. The man the earl had commissioned to find the people Mrs. Stuart declared were involved in Anne's arrival at Rosings had given Lord Perryton directions to her Mrs. Auten's establishment.
It was a shock to the sensibilities of the genteel man that was Lord Perryton to enter into one of the plethora of undistinguishable poor London neighborhoods. His driver located the house number. The drab building was little different for all the others around it. The earl shuddered to think of what would happen if fire ever broke out here. The wooden structures built so close to each other that it was hard to tell where one ended and the next begun.
The earl left the safety of his carriage – the one without his crest – and made his way inside. He was told to ask for a Mrs. Dunn and the woman met him in the shabby little parlor he had been escorted to.
A woman he guessed to be at least forty soon entered and curtseyed rather awkwardly.
"Your lordship asked to see me?"
"Yes, do sit down."
"Would ye like some tea?"
Uncertain how clean the teacups would not be, Lord Perryton replied, "No thank you, but you are very kind to offer. I would like to get down to the purpose for my visit, if you do not mind."
"Not at all, how may I help you? It's not one of me tenants?"
"Not a current one. I have learned that a woman, a midwife by the name of Auten used to live here."
"Why yes! But Suzy's been dead and buried these oh… six years now."
"So I had heard. How long did she stay with you?"
Mrs. Dunn leaned back and tapped her cheek in thought.
"Well, I think she came shortly after me and Marcus was married. Marcus were me late husband, God rest his soul. This house belonged to me family and Marcus was a tenant. We decided to get married not to long after he moved in. I think Mrs. Auten came not too long after that. She were just a new widow, still in her weeds."
"When was this?"
"Oh, 1786 I suppose, or maybe the year after. A midwife was a good thing to have handy, but she got visitors at all hours. Used to annoy Marcus to no end, until it was me time with our children, then he was glad to have a midwife so nearby."
"You were close with Mrs. Auten?"
"Yes, we lived in the same house for many years."
"Did she ever mention any … unusual circumstances in the women she delivered?"
"Suzy Auten didn't talk too much about her work other than the humorous times. I asked once if she had held any deep dark secrets and she told me to mind me own business. She must have had them, but she wasn't talking about em, if you know what I mean, milord."
"I do. And I…"
"Not sure this has anything to do with you, but there were times when she must have helped the quality. She'd come and pay her rent a year in advance, once she even paid for us to see one of those fancy plays at a theatre. A real nice one too."
"When was this?"
"Oh, about twenty years ago. We left the babies with their grandparents and had a grand night out. Never forget it. When I asked the occasion, Suzy just smiled and said she had helped deliver a baby to a mother who was very appreciative of her help."
Lord Perryton had no doubt this was Anne, but instead asked. "Did she have any family?"
"No. She had no children and if there was anyone else a brother or a sister, I don't know about it. Suzy lived a pretty quiet and lonely life."
They chatted for a few more minutes but the earl was satisfied that he had learned all he could that day. He only thanked his hostess for her time. On the way out he passed a banknote to the woman.
"Why not follow your old friend's example and do something special? Oh, and if asked, I was never here. Do we have an understanding?" The shocked woman looked down at the paper stuck in her hand, and then back to the man standing next to her. Looking to and fro to determine no one had seen them, she nodded quickly.
"I will see myself out. Good day, madam."
Back in his carriage and on the way to the mews behind Afton House, Lord Perryton sighed; another dead end. He was no closer to discovering anything that was in conflict with the stories of Maggie Stuart or his sister Catherine. He would have to try to find another of the servants involved.
The earl isn't having much success, but don't you just love Sir John?!