~MoL~

Impunity and Invasion

Virtually everyone in the Meryton area slept late the following morning.

Two of the exceptions met accidentally on Oakham Mount.

'Good morning, Mr Darcy. I had not expected to see anyone this early,' Elizabeth exclaimed when she crested the top of the hill, only to find it already occupied.

'Good morning, Miss Elizabeth. I believe I mentioned before that I always rise early, except on the rare occasions when I have been ill.'

'I am pleased that those occasions have been rare. I dislike intensely being confined to the house at any time, but when feeling ill it is doubly frustrating.'

'In that case, I am pleased to say that you appear in excellent health today. The exercise of a brisk walk has brightened the sparkle in your eyes.'

'And the wind has blown my hair into an untidy mess,' she laughed and took a seat on her favourite rock near Darcy.

'How does Hertfordshire compare with Derbyshire?' Elizabeth asked, nodding at the view.

'Hertfordshire is lovely with its rolling hills, but I must confess that I prefer the rugged beauty of the Peaks District,' Darcy replied and glanced sideways at Elizabeth. 'I would love to show you my favourite sights.'

'You may have that opportunity earlier than you might suppose. My Aunt and Uncle Gardiner have invited me on a tour of the Lakes District next summer.' She grinned as she added, 'And my aunt is determined to show me the place where she spent much of her youth. She always waxes lyrical whenever Derbyshire is mentioned.'

'She is quite correct in her assessment in general, but where in particular did she spend her time?'

'In a place called Lambton, which I believe is not far from your home.'

'A mere five miles. But perhaps instead of your aunt showing you the beauties of the area, you might be the one to show her places she has not yet seen,' Darcy said with a suggestive smile.

Elizabeth returned the smile and replied, 'Perhaps. Tell me, what are your favourite places?'

They chatted pleasantly until it was time for Elizabeth to return to Longbourn.

~MoL~

Later in the morning, after the other residents of Netherfield rose and broke their fast, Caroline Bingley suggested a walk in the garden to Henry. As they were planning to remain in sight of the house, her siblings opted to stay inside.

Once warmly attired and outside, Henry offered his arm to Caroline. They set off in a pensive mood.

Soon Caroline sighed and asked, 'May I speak frankly?'

'That would be helpful to ensure there are no misunderstandings,' Henry replied with a grateful smile.

'About last night. I am grateful for your defence. That miscreant took me completely by surprise and I do not know what I could have done without your assistance.'

'Colonel Forster was also part of this rescue.'

'Yes, but still… Your assertion that we are engaged prevented any further claims by that man.' Caroline paused a moment. 'You have had time to consider this supposed engagement. Do you still wish to continue with it, or have you come to your senses?'

'Are you saying that you wish to break our engagement?'

'Not necessarily. But coward that I am, I first wish to know how you feel about this situation.'

Henry could not resist giving her his most impish smile. 'I confess that the more I think about it, the more I like our engagement.' His smile widened as he said, 'I quite like you as well. You may therefore speak with impunity.'

Caroline glanced up at his face from the corner of her eye before she took a deep breath. 'For some time now, I have considered you as a potential husband. I rather like you and I admit that I like your parents' rank. What can I say, I am a social climber.'

That wry comment caused her companion to chuckle. 'No surprise there. Go on.'

'I confess that I briefly considered your cousin, until I discovered the true extent of the duties of a mistress of an estate. To make matters worse, I could not bear to spend most of the year in the country. But if you follow through with your plans to become a barrister, you will spend most of your time in town, which I find much more to my liking.'

She gave a small shrug and glanced at Henry again. Seeing no censure in his expression, she continued, 'I am a social creature and excel at arranging functions. This I believe you would find helpful in your profession. In addition, I have a dowry of twenty thousand pounds, which provides an income of at least eight hundred per year. I believe that would balance our difference in rank, because as a third son your expectations are minimal.'

Henry nodded and said, 'Well reasoned.'

Caroline hesitated before plunging into the heart of the matter. 'The main uncertainty I have is that you seem to be rather flighty. I realise that is probably due to your age, but I prefer not to be made a laughingstock due to a succession of mistresses. Therefore, would you consider a long engagement?'

'You do not wish to rush me to the altar? What if in six months I change my mind?'

'I shall not stand in your way. But in return for not making a fuss, I would expect you and your family to be generous with invitations to functions.' Now it was Caroline's turn to smile mischievously. 'I wish to marry well, but I do not wish to be in the power of a man who despises me. Such a man could make my life miserable. In that case I would prefer to remain single… after all, I can support myself in comfort, if not luxury.'

When Caroline finished speaking, Henry smiled widely. 'My dearest fiancée, I believe that we are very well suited indeed.'

~MoL~

Three days later, after a flurry of letters between Netherfield and London, the estate was invaded by the Fitzwilliam clan.

The Earl and Countess of Matlock, Viscount Fanshaw, and Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam all arrived and, with the exception of the last, came ready to make their displeasure known.

After a brief introduction to their hosts, the earl and viscount did not even bother to wash off the dust of travel before cornering the youngest Fitzwilliam in Bingley's study.

''Have you taken complete leave of your senses?' Thundered the earl as soon as the door was securely closed. 'What the devil were you thinking about when you suggested tying yourself to that social climbing and mercenary virago?'

Fanshaw reclined against the mantelpiece and drawled, 'I believe that he was thinking with the wrong head.' Turning to address his younger brother he said, 'Just because you cannot keep it in your breeches, does not mean that you have to marry the chit.'

'Andrew is right, I am certain that we can buy her off. After all, if she makes a fuss, she will be ruined while you can shrug it off.' The earl gave a sardonic bark. 'You are not the first young fool to dally with a merchant's daughter. No one in our circles will hold that against you.'

'Have we taught you nothing? Can you not stick to professionals or at least pick on merry widows. At least they do not expect anything other than money or a few trinkets,' Andrew Fitzwilliam added.

The two older Fitzwilliams glared at Henry who was lounging in a comfortable chair by the fire, watching his elders with an amused mien.

'Have you nothing to say? You should be taking this seriously,' the earl took up the diatribe.

Henry shrugged and said with a lazy smile, 'I am just waiting for you to run out of steam. After all, you taught me not to interrupt my elders.'

'You little fool. You are not taking this seriously.'

'You already said that.' Henry said with a negligent wave of his hand. 'Since you are starting to repeat yourself, can I presume that it is my turn to speak now?'

The earl dropped heavily into another chair. 'Although I cannot believe that you have anything sensible to say at this point, I would like to hear how you can possibly justify your actions,' he growled.

Henry slowly straightened up. 'Very well. First of all, you owe my fiancée and myself an apology for suggesting that we have anticipated our vows. Unlike many so-called ladies of the ton, Miss Bingley has morals.'

That statement was met with a disbelieving huff by the others. Unperturbed, Henry continued, 'Secondly, Miss Bingley has given me every opportunity to retract my proposal.'

'That shows that at least one of you has sense,' the earl declared with satisfaction. 'How much did she want to let you off the hook?'

'You owe her yet another apology. She has not asked for a farthing. She is simply not convinced that I am ready for marriage. Which was my third point.'

'If she is willing to let you off, why do you persist in this ridiculous charade?' This time it was the viscount who interjected.

'Because I actually want to marry her.'

'You want to marry her?' gasped the earl.

'Indeed. She is intelligent, accomplished and has a dowry of twenty thousand. And to top it off, I like her.'

'But why?'

'I suppose that with her I do not have to pretend to be better than I am. She sees me for what I am, which is why she has requested a long engagement.' Henry gave his father an unrepentant grin. 'She wants me to grow up before she marries me.'

There was a long pause. 'Perhaps the girl has more sense than I gave her credit for,' muttered the earl at last.

~MoL~

The countess went to her rooms to refresh herself before tackling the other half of the problem.

Once she had changed into a clean dress, she requested that Miss Bingley should attend her in the sitting room of her suite.

Her hostess arrived, accompanied by a maid carrying a tea tray.

'I thought that you could use some refreshments while we speak,' Miss Bingley said as she fixed the tea for both of them.

The countess raised a brow but could not fault the hospitality.

Unwilling to be on the back foot, Caroline asked, 'I presume that you are here to evaluate if I should make a suitable wife for your son.'

'I am pleased that you are aware that questions will be raised once your engagement becomes known.' The countess took a sip of tea as she considered the best approach. 'Since you appear to be sensible, you cannot be surprised that we have reservations about your background.'

'Since my brother and your son have been friends for many years, I am certain you know about my family. Yes, our father made his fortune in trade, but my brother is in a position to buy an estate. Even if he does not, he can live the life of a gentleman from the interest of his fortune. An income, may I say, which is greater than many titled families can boast. As for myself, I have been educated in all the accomplishments required for a lady.'

'That is all well and good, but we had expected Henry to choose a wife from our circles.'

'Apart from who my parents were, what makes me different from all those other young women in search of a husband? Do not all ladies want to marry well?'

'I want what is best for my sons. I do not want some unsophisticated social climber.'

'Lady Matlock, forgive me for saying so, but Mr Henry Fitzwilliam is a third son who will have to earn his own living. I understand that you wish him to become a barrister, but it will be several years before he achieves that position. How is he to live in the meantime? I realise that it is crass to speak about money, but I have a dowry which will provide an income of at least eight hundred pounds per year.'

Lady Matlock's brows shot up. 'That must be a significant dowry. I had not realised that your family was that well off.'

'Our father was very success in his business.' Suddenly Caroline grinned. 'I understand that Colonel Fitzwilliam is in search of an heiress as well. Since you have two sons in need of a rich wife, can you really afford to be so choosy? How many of your titled friends can afford to provide such dowries?'

'Careful, Miss Bingley. Your roots in trade are showing. Financial negotiations are usually the purview of gentlemen.'

'But it is mothers who care more about the wellbeing of their children. I simply wanted you to understand all that I have to offer.' Caroline hesitated a moment before she added quietly, 'I also happen to like your son a great deal… and I suspect that I will like him even better once he grows up.'

That last statement caught the countess unprepared. She gave Caroline a searching look. 'That is the way it is? Hmm…. Perhaps we can work on that.'

~MoL~

~MoL~

Master of Longbourn (working title) by Sydney Salier, Copyright © 2023