Chapter 12
"Thank you very much for coming, Uncle Benedict," said Mr. Bingley, and he approached his Uncle. He had asked him to meet at the club because he needed to discuss several matters related to Netherfield and more personal affairs. Mr. Bingley greatly esteemed his aunt's husband, who had also been his father's great friend and advisor. He was a thoughtful man whom he could trust.
"It is always a pleasure to talk to you, dear nephew. I imagine you want to talk about business matters, and that is why you asked me to meet here at the club," Mr. Lewis replied as he gave his nephew a firm handshake.
"Yes, uncle, you know Aunt Amanda does not like us discussing business at your home, and I do not want you to have problems with your wife," Mr. Bingley explained.
One of the club's servants served the gentlemen a glass of brandy, and Mr. Bingley told his Uncle what he had done in recent months about the estate he leased and his plans for the future. "My father always wanted me to be a landowner, and he worked hard all his life so I could fulfill his dream. I believe I should at least try to learn how to manage an estate. I need to know if it is what I desire to do for the rest of my life."
"I understand, boy. Certainly, your father wanted you to be the master of an estate, and he truly believed that was the best for you. So, it seems right that you try to fulfill your father's dream. But let me tell you that if you want to be a landowner or a merchant, you will have to be much more diligent if you want to be successful. I am aware of the immense fortune your father left you, Charles, but even the greatest fortune can be lost if it is not managed properly." Benedict greatly appreciated his nephew but believed Charles was impetuous and made very hasty decisions.
"I know, Uncle, and that is why I sent you all those documents to advise me. My friend Darcy has not responded to any of my letters, and he is the one who helps me when I need to make a difficult decision. I want to be honest with you. I am willing to make my own decisions and stop acting like a child, but I do not want to make another huge mistake."
"Charles, consulting others and listening to various opinions does not make you act like a child, but rather the opposite. Whenever you are unsure about something or need to learn about a specific topic, ask the right people, form an opinion on the topic, but make your own decisions," Benedict said, smiling. He had always felt very sorry for his nephew. Since he was a child, he had been very pampered by his parents. They had dedicated themselves to spoiling him in everything and making his life as easy and pleasant as possible.
"Thank you, Uncle, for your help and advice. Well, after reading my proposal to improve Netherfield administration, what do you think of my plan?"
"It seems to me that the contract you signed for the estate is quite reasonable, and it seems very good to me that you contacted the administrator to ensure the state of things there. You have enough money not to see your assets affected if things are not going well initially, but it is always good to be cautious with money."
"It is not just that, Uncle. I have realized that there are many families of tenants who depend on me, and I do not want to fail them."
"And when do you intend to return to Hertfordshire, or do you intend to manage everything from here?"
"Before returning, I must resolve a matter here. I have given myself one month, and after that, no matter what happens, I shall return to fulfill my obligations."
"The matter that keeps you in London is related to a lady, a new angel?" Benedict asked, smiling. He knew his nephew very well and his tendency to fall in love quickly.
"Yes, Uncle, but this time, I am sincerely in love and willing to do anything to win that lady's heart. But obviously, if she is not interested in me, I shall forget the matter forever, wishing her the best."
Mr. Bingley told his Uncle a little more about his story with Jane. He agreed that he should try to win Miss Bennet's heart but that regardless of the outcome, he should return and do his duty in Hertfordshire.
"I must say that your aunt is delighted with Miss Bennet. She says that besides being very beautiful, she has a very noble heart and is kind and considerate. If your sisters do not like her, you will have all the support you need from your aunt."
"I know, and I am so grateful to her. Since my parents died, Aunt Amanda has always supported me in everything, and well, she has also put me in my place when I have needed it," said Mr. Bingley with his natural sympathy.
"I know very well that Amanda does not like you to behave like a wealthy spoiled child, and whenever you do, she will tell you."
"I promise I shall do my best so she does not have reasons to do it again."
"Well, my dear nephew, I have an appointment with a very important client, and I must go now."
"I understand, Uncle, but before you go, I would like to ask you one last favor."
"Of course, tell me how I can help you."
"Could you give me lodging in your house? It will only be for a month, as you know; I shall leave for Netherfield after that.
"Of course, dear nephew. Your aunt will be delighted to have you with us. Since your cousins married and left home, she misses having company at home. I imagine you want to distance yourself from your sisters for a while."
"Yes, Uncle. Their permanent interference in my personal affairs is very bothersome."
"You do well, boy. Your parents would not like to know their children cannot get along."
"Thanks, Uncle. I shall go home to tell my valet to pack my belongings. I shall be at your house tomorrow.
Mr. Bingley hugged his Uncle and felt happy with all his decisions. The following day, after moving into the Lewis house, he planned to visit Jane Bennet and talk honestly about everything that had happened in his life in the last few months.
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"Good afternoon, Darcy. I imagine you are happy to see me. Today, I arrived very early. I came to make sure my little princess was well, and I went to rest. I have already apologized to the lady of the house, and she forgave me, so I hope you will not be angry at my lack of manners, but I needed to rest," Richard said cheerfully. Then he approached his cousin and gave him a good handshake.
"Do not worry, Fitzwilliam, you do not talk while you sleep, and that is always a relief to my ears," Mr. Darcy replied in the same amused tone.
"I cannot believe what you are saying, Darcy. Even if you wanted to, you cannot deny that you love receiving me into your home and feeding me," Richard laughed.
"Not only do I feed you, Fitzwilliam, do not forget that you make good use of my wine cellars, too. But that is not what I was referring to; no one has ever told you that you always repeat the same stories."
"Indeed? Are you trying to imply that I am repetitive? What do you say, Georgie?"
"Well, Richard, you are a bit repetitive," Georgiana said, laughing.
"My dear Mrs. Darcy, please do not believe anything my cousins say. I think they have colluded to make me look bad," Richard said with an innocent face.
"Do not worry, my dear Colonel. I also tend to be a little repetitive, but not because I want to, but because people do not always pay attention to what I say," replied Elizabeth, looking at Richard with a beautiful smile. She hoped that her husband would have heard what she said. She did not want Mr. Darcy to offer her money and luxurious clothes again.
"Very well said, Mrs. Darcy. See you two; it is your fault that I must repeat my stories more than once. Starting today, I want you to pay attention when I tell you my amusing anecdotes." Richard said, laughing.
Mr. Darcy did not miss how Richard and Elizabeth spoke with such familiarity as if they had known each other for a long time. That is why he could not help but wonder why Elizabeth was rather distant whenever she talked to him.
For her part, Elizabeth noticed that, with his cousin, Mr. Darcy was much more open and that their relationship was between equals. Apparently, he could also be witty and entertaining if he wanted to. Although she did not doubt that Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley were good friends, she always had the impression that Mr. Darcy greatly influenced his decisions. And so she always suspected he had something to do with Mr. Bingley not returning to Netherfield.
"Georgiana, I think it is time for you to rest. It will do you good to take a nap. You are still very weak and should not push yourself more than is appropriate," Elizabeth said and tucked Georgiana in.
Mr. Darcy and Richard kissed Georgiana on the forehead and promised they would return in a few hours to keep her company. When Georgiana finally fell asleep, Elizabeth decided to go for a walk, but as the day was too cold, she just walked through the garden for a few minutes and returned to the house.
Unfortunately, an emergency arose at Pemberley, and Mr. Darcy had to spend the entire afternoon resolving the situation with his steward and some tenants. When he returned home, it was already time for dinner.
That night, everyone had dinner in Georgiana's room and went to bed early because they were exhausted. Furthermore, Georgiana was still weak and could only stay awake for a few hours. Mr. Darcy wanted to talk to Elizabeth but thought it was best to do so after his cousin Fitzwilliam left Pemberley.
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"I am so glad you told Charles he is welcome in our home. Benedict, I am concerned about my nephew, but I am even more concerned about my two nieces," Amanda said as she poured her husband a cup of tea.
"I must tell you, Amanda, that I was surprised to see Charles so determined. It seems that the boy has matured much in recent months. Undoubtedly, it has been good for him to fall in love. But why do you say that you are worried about your nieces? " Mr. Lewis asked his wife.
"It is just that I see them so lost. They are so concerned trying to fit into society and have forgotten what is truly important."
"Well, my dear, your nieces have always been pretentious. But I think you are right, this time they went too far. Charles told me everything they had plotted to keep him away from Miss Bennet."
"Indeed, my dear. How is it possible that they are willing to hurt their brother to fulfill their dreams? No matter how hard they try, they will never belong to the first circle. I doubt they have not seen Charles's sadness in the last few months."
Aunt Amanda and her husband talked about Louisa and Caroline for several minutes, remembering their parents with great sadness. James Bingley and his wife had been good people who had given everything to their children so that they could become good people.
"Amanda, there is something I do not fully understand. From what you have told me, Louisa spends much time with her sister and entertaining friends. But what does her husband say about all this?"
"That is another matter that worries me, my dear. Louisa seems not to realize her husband is unhappy with the situation. It is like Louisa does not have space for Henry in her busy life. The last time I was at the Hurst house, Henry tried to invite Louisa to his parents' house, and Caroline intervened, saying that she could not because Louisa had an engagement with her and some friends."
"I imagine Henry must have been annoyed."
"He was furious, but he did not say anything. Henry will soon confront Caroline and probably ask her to leave his house. I do not know what she will do with her life because I doubt Charles wants to live with her after marrying Jane."
"Caroline is a pretty girl with a good dowry; she will surely find a husband soon."
"That would be a good solution, but I doubt Caroline would accept any man who does not have a good fortune and a large estate."
"I understand. My dear, let me tell you more about Charles' plans."
Benedict preferred not to continue talking about Louisa and Caroline to avoid making his wife sad. At least Charles's news was positive, and that filled them with hope that things would improve in the lives of the Bingley siblings.
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Elizabeth got up early and had breakfast with Georgiana. She knew that her husband was busy with state matters. For his part, Colonel Fitzwilliam received several messages that morning and was also busy reading and responding to them. After spending a few hours with her sister-in-law, and once she fell asleep, Elizabeth decided to go to the library to look for an exciting book to read. Unfortunately, the day was too cold to venture out, and it looked like a storm was approaching Pemberley.
When she arrived at the library, she looked for a book in the classics selection and sat reading by the fireplace. That was her favorite place in her new house, and she did not mind spending hours reading there without anyone interrupting her. Elizabeth was more nervous every day thinking about her future and the future of her marriage. For this reason, he preferred to read and forget about all her problems and concerns, even if it was only for a few hours."
Next to the library was Mr. Darcy's study. He spent much time working and resolving the affairs of the estate. Fortunately, he had no unforeseen problems that day, so he took advantage to converse with his cousin. He knew he had to answer some of his questions and explain his plans now that everything had changed. Richard was the person Mr. Darcy trusted most and whose advice he sought.
Mr. Darcy had informed Richard by letter that he had found a good candidate to be his wife, but he did not inform him that she was someone he had previously met. When he married Elizabeth, his head was plagued with problems, and he had neither the time nor the inclination to explain his complicated relationship with Elizabeth by letter.
"So you and Miss Bennet met in Hertfordshire in the months you spent with Bingley there. I remember you told me that the people in that place were quite insignificant, but your wife seems like a fascinating lady. She has a charm that is a mixture of intelligence with wit, certainly very peculiar in a young lady." the Colonel said to see his cousin's reaction.
"Elizabeth is very different from the people of Meryton and the rest of her family, Fitzwilliam."
"But if I am not wrong, she is a gentleman's daughter. Even though her father is not a wealthy gentleman, she is not socially inferior to you," Richard added to see what his cousin had to say.
"That is right, Fitzwilliam. My wife is a gentleman's daughter, but the Bennet family is quite peculiar."
"What do you mean by peculiar?" Richard sensed that his cousin probably had a negative opinion of his wife's family. Unfortunately, although Darcy was a good man, he often gave in to his rigid ideas about how people should behave.
After reading for almost an hour, Elizabeth estimated that Georgiana must be awake and decided to go to her bedroom to keep her company. She had noticed that when her sister-in-law spent long periods alone, she tended to get very depressed and blame herself for everything that had happened. Elizabeth was sure that in a few weeks, Georgina would regain her physical health. However, she was convinced that her emotional health would take a much longer time.
Elizabeth left the library and took the passage which led to the stairs to the second floor. As she walked outside Mr. Darcy's study, she heard her husband conversing with the Colonel, but when she heard the name Bennet, she decided to stop and pay attention to what they were saying.
"Mr. Bennet is a gentleman with a modest estate, which his daughters cannot inherit. Longbourn is entailed and cannot be inherited by his daughters but by a distant cousin. Besides, Mrs. Bennet is a vulgar woman with a tradesman brother who lives in Cheapside. But as if that were not enough, her youngest daughters behave atrociously and flirt shamelessly with any man in uniform. Also, Mrs. Bennet's sister is a gossipy woman, and her husband is the town solicitor. The Misses Bennet have neither dowry nor connections; they are only the daughters of a minor and unimportant gentleman with a foolish mother. I am sorry if I sound harsh, but you know me well, and I do not like to lie."
Elizabeth felt offended and furious. She knew her husband had a low opinion of her family, but hearing him talk about them with such contempt was more than she could tolerate. She could not continue listening because a servant was approaching from the other side, so she took a deep breath and continued walking. She did not want to cry, but she could not help but shed a few tears.
'I shall not let that man ruin my day. Georgiana needs me, Jane needs me, and for them, I have to be strong,' Elizabeth thought, and she ran up the stairs while several tears rolled down her cheeks.
P&P
Thanks to everyone who leaves comments and follows the story with enthusiasm. You inspire me to continue writing
As I told you, this story has three stages, and we are almost at the end of the first. This will be the longest of the three, about half the story. So be patient, please. I warn you that much more drama is coming!
In the next chapter, Mr. Darcy will implement his plan to resolve his life. Meanwhile, in London, Mr. Bingley will begin to change his life.
See you soon!
Saludos,
Yo