Checkmate, Mr Darcy Chapter 9, a pride and prejudice fanfic

Dear impatient readers – better late than never… 😉

~O~

Chapter 9

Since Bingley and his aunt were staying at the hotel, Mrs Gardiner had invited them to dinner.

When they arrived, Bingley was overjoyed to discover that Fitzwilliam was also there, and even more so when he found out the reason. The Colonel had a standing invitation to join the family any time he was free, to give him and Elizabeth a chance to get to know each other better.

'You are calling on Miss Elizabeth? That is wonderful. She will certainly keep you on your toes,' Bingley cried in delight. After a moment of thought he added with a malicious chuckle, 'It is too bad for Caroline that she destroyed her chance to boast of a connection to an earl.'

While the Bennet sisters and the Gardiners were keen to discover what had happened that day, they restrained themselves admirably from asking potentially awkward questions.

Knowing that the sisters had a vested interest in the happenings, the Colonel was the first to put them out of their misery.

'I suppose you are refraining from asking how my mother took the revelation of Georgiana's imminent engagement, because you heard her screams of outrage all the way from Mayfair,' he said with twinkling eyes and an innocent smile.

'Lady Matlock was not quite loud enough for us to hear her, but I imagine that she was displeased,' Elizabeth countered.

'That is an understatement.' Fitzwilliam grinned as he related. 'I was fortunate as I caught her just before she was going out to a dinner last evening and explained the situation to her.'

He turned to Jane, 'My thanks for keeping that letter safe and providing it to me yesterday. While my mother would have believed the story without it, it was good to have proof of Miss Bingley's perfidy.'

'I gather she was just as horrified as I that Miss Bingley was trying to foist her brother off on Miss Darcy without her consent,' Elizabeth asked, forgetting that said brother was listening and nodding in agreement.

'That was part of her anger, although the main reason was that Miss Bingley had the unmitigated gall to claim that our family was in favour of the match. Even though mother is not as great a stickler for maintaining the distinction of rank as Lady Catherine, she did not look kindly on the suggestion that Georgiana would marry the son of a tradesman. No offence intended to you, Mr and Mrs Gardiner. The main objection was to the potential sister-by-marriage.'

'She certainly is objectionable,' muttered Elizabeth under her breath. A moment later she blushed as Mrs Bingley chuckled.

'I could not have said it better myself,' that lady commented with a reassuring smile .

'I too shall not take offence, Fitzwilliam,' Bingley said with a bland smile.

The Colonel was unfazed. 'I keep forgetting that you two have the same parents.' He gave a small shrug and said to the company at large, 'Be that as it may, mother started her campaign last night by informing her cronies that Miss Bingley had attempted to slander the family.'

He grinned. 'That story could have been a bit awkward if it had come out as a rumour, but the pre-emptive strike from mother worked to our advantage and made Miss Bingley's name mud.'

'How does that affect you, Mr Bingley?' Jane asked with a concerned expression.

'Not at all, since the Countess most graciously absolved me from any involvement,' Bingley reassured her.

Mrs Bingley looked just as relieved as Jane. 'I am pleased that her chickens have come home to roost at last, Charles. But you promised to tell us what happened today. I know you said that you were going to close all of her accounts this morning…'

'I did just that. Then this afternoon, Lady Matlock and the Colonel met with me to confront Caroline. Fitzwilliam also thought to bring along a few large footmen in case I needed them to control our servants since I was uncertain if they were loyal to me or to Caroline.'

Bingley fidgeted a little in embarrassment. 'I hoped to get additional proof of Caroline's interference. To that end, we entered my house quietly and were fortunate that Caroline and the Hursts were in the drawing room awaiting callers. I gave orders not to admit anyone else and to keep our presence quiet. I then searched Caroline's room. In her writing desk I found a number of letters which should not have been in her possession.'

'Was it not unwise of your sister to keep incriminating evidence where anyone might find it?' Elizabeth asked perplexedly.

'Those letters were in a secret drawer. But since I had given the desk to her about about eight years ago, I was fairly certain where to look for things.'

'You gave her that desk?'

'I was going through a period where I was enamoured with novels dealing with intrigue and derring-do, as well as secret compartments and such. It seemed the perfect present,' Bingley explained as his ears turned an interesting shade of scarlet.

Fitzwilliam laughed. 'Do not worry too much about this. Most boys go through such a phase.'

'Be that as it may,' Bingley deflected the topic. 'I now think it was the best use of my pocket money at the time, since I knew where to find the evidence. I discovered the letters which I wrote before my departure for Scarborough, as well as several others which are not relevant to the current happenings. After that, it was quite simple and straightforward.'

Bingley, ably assisted by Fitzwilliam described the confrontations to their rapt audience.

At last Mrs Bingley said, 'It may have been simple and straight forward, yet it cannot have been easy standing up to both your older sisters after a lifetime of them ordering you about.'

Bingley gave a small shrug and a deprecating smile. 'Spending all those months in charge of the business taught me to stand up for myself and for people I care about,' he said with a brief glance at Jane.

'But while you were in Scarborough, were you not concerned that you did not hear from Mr Bennet?' asked Mr Gardiner.

Bingley looked uncomfortable when he said, 'Mr Bennet does have a reputation for being an indifferent correspondent. Also, with winter and the roads being uncertain, mail has been known to get lost… and… ah… I realised that there was a chance that Mr Bennet had thought my letter presumptuous…' He took a deep breath and gathered his composure. 'I had time to reflect that when I wrote the letter, I did not consider how it might be received. I was hoping to speak to him on my return.'

Having caught up on the news, Mrs Gardiner announced that dinner was ready and conversation during the meal was confined to pleasant subjects.

~O~

After dinner, the party split into three groups. The Gardiners were pleased to converse with Mrs Bingley, while the two couples found seats as far separated as possible from everyone else in the room.

As Fitzwilliam talked with Elizabeth, he could not help but think that he was grateful that his cousin had behaved in his usual fashion towards the lady. He was even more pleased that Elizabeth was not inclined to overlook Darcy's behaviour despite his wealth, a situation which caused Richard to respect her even more. As a consequence, he was hoping she would be ready for the next step.

'Bingley's very timely return hopefully will provide me with an opportunity,' Richard said a little nervously.

'And what opportunity is that?'

'To spend more time in your company when you return to your home… if you will allow me to court you.'

Despite him speaking quietly, there was an intensity in his gaze which caused a swarm of butterflies in Elizabeth's stomach to take wing and play havoc with her equilibrium.

'Are you quite certain? Your family…'

'My mother loves you already and my father is looking forward to meeting you.' He gave her his best crooked smile. 'I know that an old soldier is not the greatest catch, particularly for a lady with your connections, but I have come to care for you a great deal even in the short time we have known each other.'

'You care for me?'

'Yes, I do,' he said simply but firmly.

That quiet statement was more convincing to Elizabeth than flowery speeches would have been. Her smile softened as she answered, 'I would be delighted and honoured to have you court me.'

In a change of mood, she suddenly grinned and said, 'I must warn you though. My father will be eager to have another opponent with whom to play chess.'

'As long as I will have enough opportunity to spend time with you, and he only wishes to play chess but no other games, I shall be delighted to provide him with sport.' That answer was rewarded by a happy smile from Elizabeth.

~O~

Jane was pleased as well to have an opportunity to speak privately to Bingley, a feeling which was wholly reciprocated.

'Miss Bennet, please allow me to apologise for the events of the last several months.'

'I believe that apart from your presumption in regard to the marriage contract you have done no wrong.'

'I was wrong to trust my sister. I could have stopped at Longbourn on my way north. I could have–'

'Mr Bingley, stop. It is only natural that you would trust your sisters. As for everything else, you were concerned for your family, which is a sentiment which I can understand and respect. I quite understand that your anxiety for them would have been foremost in your mind.' Jane gave him a small smile. 'It reflects well on you that you had enough presence of mind to write those letters to ensure all would be well. It is not your fault that your wishes were ignored.'

'I am still sorry that you were made to think ill of me. May I hope that you will give me another chance? I must also tell you that I have changed over the last few months. You may not like that change. Perhaps we could get to know each other again? May I court you… officially?' The words came out in a rush.

'I would be pleased to get to know the new and improved you,' Jane replied with pleasure. At last Mr Bingley had officially acknowledged his intentions. The nervousness he had displayed had not done him any harm either, reassuring Jane that he was not taking her for granted.

'Thank you, Miss Bennet.' Bingley breathed a sigh of relief. While Jane's reaction the previous day had been encouraging, until now he could not be certain that she would be willing to consider his suit.

'Under the circumstances, will you return to Netherfield?'

'That is what I was planning. But as the house has been closed, I do not know the exact date. I sent a letter to Mrs Nicholls today enclosing the old letter, explaining that it had gone astray and asking her to re-open the house. Hopefully I will hear from her soon to say that all is in readiness.'

'Perhaps your return will coincide with ours. We are scheduled to go home at the end of next weeks.'

'Even if the situation is not perfect, I am sure that Mrs Nicholls will be able to accommodate us in reasonable comfort.' Glancing across the room, he added, 'Perhaps I should invite Colonel Fitzwilliam to accompany us?'

Jane's smile was dazzling as she said, 'You will have not only Lizzy's gratitude, but seeing her happy makes me happy too.'

'It is settled then. I would do anything to make you happy.'

~O~

While they were waiting for Netherfield to be readies, Bingley and his aunt took up residence in his house once Caroline had been dispatched to York in a rented carriage. Another pleasing result of her departure was that suddenly Mr Hurst remained mostly sober as he made preparations to leave town.

The days flew by as the Gardiner household was the destination of daily visits by Fitzwilliam and Bingley, and almost before they knew it, the day of the planned dinner at Matlock House arrived.

During that time, both couples had enjoyed the opportunity to become better acquainted. Having been informed of the attachment and being pleased with Bingley's assistance in dealing with Caroline, Lady Matlock included the Bingleys in the invitation.

The guests were warmly welcomed by the hosts. Lord Matlock in particular seemed pleased to make Elizabeth's acquaintance. 'Richard tells me that your father taught you how to play chess,' he commented once the introductions were completed.

'He has indeed,' replied Elizabeth. 'He claims that while it is interesting playing chess by mail, he missed the excitement of a game played in person. While he tried to teach all my sisters, I was the only one who enjoyed the game as much as he.'

'In that case, I hope you will indulge me with a game after dinner. I would like to see how well he did as a teacher.' To which Elizabeth agreed with a polite smile.

Elizabeth and the Gardiners were pleased to discover that the Duke of Barrington had been invited to even out the numbers.

Mrs Bingley was initially a little nervous to be in such exalted company, but the Duke soon put her at ease, especially when they discussed her husband. 'I am sorry for your loss, but I am pleased to see that you put your grief aside to support your nephew.'

'Life goes on and my husband did not believe in the artificial rules of society when it comes to mourning. After all, many marriages are arranged and the couple are barely on speaking terms after the wife produces the heir and a spare. It seems hypocritical to wear mourning for a spouse whom one could barely tolerate.' Mrs Bingley gave a rueful smile. 'While I actually loved my husband and mourn his passing, I can do so privately and without wearing widow's weeds which I despise.'

'Brava. I admire your attitude. I have always felt that many ladies simply like an opportunity to buy a whole new wardrobe… twice,' Barrington laughed.

'I have a better use for my money,' agreed Mrs Bingley with some asperity.

~O~

Dinner conversation was pleasant, and Lord Matlock was pleased to find Mr Gardiner to be exceptional company.

'I cannot understand my nephew, he commented during the separation of the sexes after dinner, during which the men all agreed to informal address. 'That boy is intelligent in many areas, but he has an unreasoning disgust of people in trade.'

'And yet he has been a good friend to me for years,' Bingley interjected in confusion.

'Perhaps it is only Miss Elizabeth's family to whom he objects,' the Colonel posited.

Gardiner gave him a penetrating look. 'Why would he care?'

'Because he does,' was the cryptic reply. 'I suspect that was also the main reason he advocated against Miss Bennet.'

Matlock thought about that statement and snorted in disgust. 'I told Darcy for years that his pride and arrogance would be his downfall. His loss is our gain. I like Miss Elizabeth a great deal.'

An hour later, Lord Matlock was not so sure.

When the men returned to the drawing room, a chessboard had been set up to one side of the room.

'Excellent,' Matlock exclaimed. 'Are you ready to do battle, Miss Elizabeth?'

After a quick glance at the Colonel, Elizabeth agreed.

The Earl saw the glance but misinterpreted it. 'Richard, since you can enjoy the lady's company in Hertfordshire, you will have to step aside for your decrepit father tonight.'

The combatants took their seats and the Earl reassured Elizabeth, 'Do not be afraid, Miss Elizabeth. I shall go easy on you. I shall even allow you a pawn advantage.'

'As this is just a friendly game, that will not be necessary, sir,' Elizabeth demurred.

Matlock graciously accepted her refusal but was determined not to embarrass her too much.

Fifteen minutes later, he dismissed the idea of going easy on his opponent. Yet despite his best efforts for the latter part of the game, half an hour later, Elizabeth was able to say, 'Checkmate, Lord Matlock.'

The Earl gave Richard a venomous look for laughing at the outcome, as he muttered, 'What is it about those Bennets.'

~O~