Hurst House
London
Charles Bingley glanced at his pocket watch and moaned in exasperation. He had spent the night at Hurst House and wished to speak to his sister Louisa before departing for Darcy's home. He picked up his fork and took a bite of his eggs, chewed, swallowed, and then leaned back and closed his eyes in weary exasperation.
What was he to do with Caroline? He had, of course, threatened to release her dowry to her and cut her off from his own wealth, but could he truly do that? His mother had, before her death, asked him to look after his younger sister. Would he not be dishonoring Mrs. Bingley's memory if he abandoned Caroline entirely? Moreover, if he did release her money and turned his back on her, the Lord only knew what she would do! She had always been stubborn and selfish, but for some reason she absolutely loathed Elizabeth Bennet and was likely to cause a scandal if he did not take her in hand.
His immediate inclination was to rush back to Darcy House and ask for his friend's advice, but he really ought to manage this situation on his own; it was his sister, after all. Moreover, he was afraid that if he left the house, he would find reasons to stay away for at least a week. No, he had best stay here and determine what to do.
The door opened at this juncture, and Louisa Hurst swept in, her expression stormy, which in turn made Bingley feel even more anxious and apprehensive.
"What is wrong, Louisa?" he demanded.
"What is wrong? What is wrong? Caroline has caused a scandal, that is what is wrong! We have already received two notes this morning uninviting us from society events!"
Bingley moaned and ran his hand across his forehead. "This is terrible!"
"It is," the lady replied, her brown eyes snapping. "Obviously the rumors of Caroline's horrific behavior are spreading far and wide. You must take her out of Town!"
This was, without a doubt, a most attractive suggestion, and Bingley perked up hopefully. "Do you truly think so?"
"Of course I do," Mrs. Hurst returned, striding over to the buffet and hastily gathering toast and eggs.
"I can take her to Netherfield," Bingley said eagerly. "It will only take a few hours..."
"Netherfield?" Louisa interrupted. "That will not do at all, Brother. Netherfield is far too close to London! She must be packed off to Scarborough to live with Aunt Houston!"
Bingley blinked at this statement, considered, and then nodded his head. "That is an excellent idea, Louisa! She will not be able to cause any trouble that far north. I will arrange for outriders and several manservants to accompany her north, and I think we should plan for her to depart as soon as..."
He stopped at the disapproving look on his elder sister's face. "What is wrong?"
"You need to take her to Yorkshire, Charles," Louisa said. "It is not at all fair for you to send Caroline, who will be in a rare temper, to our aunt without going with her."
"I cannot leave Town! I am courting Miss Bennet."
Louisa waved a hand and said, "You will not be gone for much more than a week, Brother, so long as you do not linger in Scarborough. Hurst and I would go ourselves but," and here a smile filled her face, "I am quite confident that I am with child now and am not feeling particularly well. I do not wish to be away from my physician in London."
Bingley stared, first in surprise, and then in delight. "My dear sister, many congratulations to you and Hurst!"
"Thank you," Louisa Hurst replied, her eyes soft with joy. "We are very happy!"
/
Longbourn
Pencils scratched across paper. Sophia Adler sat shoulder to shoulder with Kitty Bennet, both of them facing out the window. The ambient sunlight illuminated two sketches across two pads of paper, one more skilled, and one less, but both very obviously of the same tree, which stood some fifteen feet away from the house, its evergreen needles shining in the sun.
Sophia glanced down at her pupil's drawing in approval. Kitty was not an expert by any means, but she had a certain amount of natural talent and plainly loved drawing, and her pictures were improving visibly. She was requiring a certain amount of reassurance after each one as she was not content with her own skills. Sophia would praise her after each completed drawing, pointing out where she had improved until Kitty had started to see for herself.
Strains of Mozart drifted through the wall from the music room. Mary sat at the pianoforte in the next room over, practicing a new score. No singing today, but her playing was growing ever more adept under Phoebe's careful tutelage. Now she was not only pleasant to listen to, but positively delightful, and Sophia enjoyed the music for some minutes.
A snore from behind her drew her attention, and she turned to observe Mrs. Bennet sitting in the chair closest to the fire, her mouth hanging open a little as she dozed. Sophia smiled slightly and glanced around the room in contentment. Mrs. Bennet was not the most refined of employers, being loud, vulgar, and with an unfortunate tendency towards gossip, but she was remarkably nice to the two governesses who had arrived on her doorstep with so little warning. She did not deny them any necessities or even creature comforts, had welcomed them to her table, and was as polite to them as she was to those around her. Considering the rudeness and deep unkindness shown by their former employers, Sophia was sincerely grateful.
It was wonderful, also, to find a position with her twin in the same house. The two sisters had always been close growing up, though they had not been able to remain in close contact throughout their adulthood, the necessities of their jobs pulling them apart. To be dwelling under the same roof – in the same room! – was blissful.
Sophia's gaze settled on Lydia Bennet, curled up in a chair across from her mother, with a novel drooping from her limp hand as she gazed sullenly into the fire The governess studied her young charge thoughtfully for several minutes.
Lydia had been unusually quiet since her interrupted clandestine trip to Meryton. Phoebe had marched the girl straight into Mr. Bennet's library upon their return with Sophia trailing in their wake, and thus both twins had been privy to the unusual scene which followed; she had not known their indolent employer was even capable of such anger. He had been truly furious, berating his youngest daughter on her foolishness and confining her to the house unless firmly escorted, under threat of losing her allowance. Lydia had cried out in indignation, tears standing in her eyes at this perceived cruelty, before quailing before her father's visage and subsiding with a rebellious mutter.
The housekeeper and butler had both been instructed to tell the under-servants to keep an eye on Lydia, lest she attempt once more to slip away without anyone noticing. Mrs. Bennet, stung by this gross injustice towards her favorite daughter, had braved her husband's inner sanctum but had backed down quickly, awed by the sternness with which he had refused her entreaties.
Lydia spent much of her time in her room now, sullen and silent and rarely emerging. Longbourn had been blessedly quiet for some days, which in turn had been an unprecedented opportunity for Mary and Kitty to flower without having to compete with Lydia for attention. But watching the youngest Bennet daughter now, Sophia could not help her feeling of unease. Lydia would not remain this compliant for long.
/
Matlock House
London
The Next Day
Fitzwilliam Darcy ran lightly up the steps and tapped the great wooden door of the Matlock mansion. The door opened promptly to reveal, to Darcy's surprise, his cousin Richard, though the butler and two footmen were hovering behind him.
"Thank you for coming so promptly," the colonel said, stepping out of the way so that Darcy could enter.
"I came immediately upon receiving your message," Darcy replied, stepping into the tiled vestibule and handing over his hat, coat, and cane to a footmen, "whatever is the matter?"
Richard waved the servants off and gestured for his cousin to accompany him down the hall. "Nothing is the matter," he said as the pair made their way toward the drawing room. "The Misses Bennet are visiting, and since you are better acquainted with them than I am, I wanted you here."
Darcy stopped in his tracks and turned an incredulous look on his cousin. "The Misses Bennet..."
"Are here," Richard said, pasting an innocent expression on his face, "along with Lady Appleby, of course. They are in the drawing room with my mother, Rachel, and Georgiana."
Darcy frowned at his cousin. His first thought, that Richard was deliberately tormenting him by forcing him to spend time with his love, was quickly set aside. Richard did enjoy teasing, but he would never deliberately harm him.
The other, more likely scenario, and one that he much preferred, was that Richard was plotting to bring Miss Elizabeth and Darcy together.
It was difficult to hope that the lady, one of the most esteemed heiresses of the Season, would choose him, but his heart could not help but long for such a glorious result.
/
Miss Darcy was indeed, as Colonel Fitzwilliam had told her, shy.
Lieutenant George Wickham had claimed that the girl was proud and above her company, but she knew Mr. Wickham was indisputably a liar. Elizabeth had known not to trust his account of the only daughter of Pemberley, but given that Mr. Darcy was both acute and unembarrassed in company, Elizabeth had expected Miss Darcy to have at least some similar traits. Instead, the girl had trouble speaking even so much as a syllable, and spent a great deal of time staring at the floor.
Fortunately for the success of the visit, Miss Rachel Fitzwilliam, younger sister of the colonel and youngest daughter of Lord and Lady Matlock, was a cheerful and exuberant soul. She chattered on at length about various parties and delights of Town, with occasional assistance from Lady Matlock, who apparently was disposed to look upon Elizabeth kindly. Moreover, when Lady Appleby rose to take leave, Lady Matlock insisted that they stay longer, declaring, "My son will be along shortly, and I am certain wishes to see you all."
This provoked Elizabeth to flush a little, and she found herself wondering if she had been too encouraging toward the colonel, whom she did not pretend to know well yet. It was peculiar to be in this situation, to be wealthy, to no longer have to hope for a good offer, but to be confident that if she wished to marry, she would doubtless have her pick of men.
Again, she thought of Mr. Darcy, who had been a prime prize on the Marriage Mart for nearly a decade. It was, perhaps, no great surprise that the gentleman viewed the world through a cynical lens. He still ought not to be rude, of course, but she understood his behavior in Hertfordshire far better than she had before.
The door opened at this juncture, and to her astonishment, Mr. Darcy appeared and entered the room with Colonel Fitzwilliam at his heels.
There was a soft cry of pleasure, and Georgiana Darcy leaped up and hurried over to her brother, her pretty face alight with pleasure, and exclaimed, "Brother, I did not hope to see you today!"
Elizabeth, watching the interaction between brother and sister, was startled and moved at the obvious fondness on Darcy's countenance. In their past interactions, the master of Pemberley had always spoken affectionately of his much younger sister, but words were not as powerful as actions where brotherly affection was concerned. It was apparent in Miss Darcy's expression that she adored her brother, and was confident of his devotion in return.
"Lady Appleby, Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth," Richard Fitzwilliam said, "I hope I find you well after a long night?"
"We are very well, thank you," Jane said with a smile. "I confess I am relieved that we are not intending to any parties tonight, however; I am not quite used to Town hours yet!"
"I much prefer country hours myself," Darcy remarked, guiding Georgiana over to a settee where both siblings sat down.
"I find it very peculiar when I wake up late," Elizabeth agreed, turning to face Darcy. "I felt as if I had wasted the entire day when I rose slightly before noon today, and yet the ball lasted until very late, and thus it was quite reasonable to break my fast at noon!"
"Oh, I adore staying up late," Rachel Fitzwilliam said with laughing glance at her mother. "I have always preferred to stay up late and get up later. My poor governess used to struggle to push me out of bed in the morning!"
"And well I remember that," Lady Matlock remarked cheerfully.
"Miss Darcy, am I correct that you have not yet come out?" Elizabeth asked.
Georgiana, who was sitting very close to her brother, opened her blue eyes and shook her head. "No, I am only sixteen and do not wish to come out for at least two more years."
"And I, in turn, am very ready to wait," Darcy remarked, placing an affectionate arm around the girl. "I still struggle to believe that my sister is almost grown up now. It seems only last year that she was a child running around on Pemberley's lawn chasing setter puppies!"
Georgiana blushed and looked down, smiling, and Elizabeth said, "Do you like dogs then, Miss Darcy?"
"Oh yes, and horses. I ride often at Pemberley," the girl replied. Elizabeth noted that, now that her brother was here, she was more willing to speak entire sentences.
"Now I am not particularly fond of riding horses, I confess, though they are majestic animals," Elizabeth remarked. "Jane is an excellent rider, but I prefer to march around on my own two feet."
"My brother told me that you once walked three miles through the mud to bring comfort to your sister when she fell ill," Georgiana remarked, which caused Elizabeth to lift surprised eyebrows and turn to regard Darcy with amusement.
"Your brother has given you a very pretty notion of me, Miss Darcy. Indeed, Mr. Darcy, it is very ungenerous in you to mention my windblown ways here in London, where I hope to pass myself off with some degree of credit."
"Oh, but my brother was greatly impressed with your kindness toward Miss Bennet!" Georgiana exclaimed in alarm, turning to gaze worriedly at Darcy.
Darcy smiled at her reassuringly and then turned to Elizabeth. "Indeed, Miss Elizabeth, I was delighted to observe your affection for your sister, which provoked you to walk such a long distance in poor weather."
"I could do nothing less for my dear Jane," Elizabeth replied, glancing over at her sister, who was speaking cheerfully with Richard and Rachel Fitzwilliam. "But Miss Darcy, do tell me about Derbyshire and Pemberley. I expect the topography is very different than London and Hertfordshire?"
"Oh yes," Georgiana said. "It is marvelous, truly, with peaks and lakes…"
The resulting discussion between Elizabeth and the Darcys was enjoyable to all three, and all were rather sorry when Lady Appleby signaled that it was time for them to leave.
It was not until they were in their carriage and on the way back to Half Moon Street that Elizabeth realized that she had not exchanged more than a few words with Colonel Fitzwilliam.