The Heiress

by Ldibo

Mr. Bennet had been married twice in his lifetime. His first marriage was not of his own choosing, and it was an unhappy one. His second marriage brought him much happiness, and he was deeply devoted to his wife. When Mr. Bennet passed away, to Jane's surprise, he chose Elizabeth as the heiress of Longbourn. This is a story about deception,betrayal and love. Unedited story. E&D J&B

24. Chapter 24

Note: This is the last part of the previous chapter.

PPP

After saying their goodbyes to the Bennet family, Mr. Holmes parted ways with Bingley and Darcy as he needed to meet some tenants. As they rode along, Bingley expressed his surprise, saying, "I was quite impressed with how knowledgeable Miss Elizabeth is in the administration of Longbourn. Didn't it seem strange to you, Darce?"

Darcy was not as surprised, since his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, had been involved in the administration of her estate, Rosings, for many years. So, he replied, "No, it did not surprise me because Mr. Bennet has no sons and his estate is not entailed to the male line. He is simply training his daughter to take over the estate when he passes away."

Bingley was visibly perplexed as he could not fathom why Mr. Bennet had chosen to train Miss Elizabeth instead of Miss Bennet, who was his eldest daughter. Perhaps Mr. Bennet was also training Miss Bennet, who could not attend the meeting because of her illness. "Yes, but Miss Jane Bennet is Mr. Bennet's eldest daughter, and she is the one who -"

Darcy interrupted him and added, "Bingley, if you had paid attention, you would have listened when Mr. Bennet commented that Miss Elizabeth is his heir!"

Bingley shook his head and responded in a low voice, "But both Mrs. Phillips and Miss Bennet herself told me that she was the heiress of Longbourn." It was evident he was struggling to reconcile the two conflicting statements.

Darcy's expression turned sour as he thought about Mrs. Phillips and Miss Bennet. He did not like Mrs. Phillips. She was vulgar and a fortune hunter, and he was suspicious of Miss Bennet. He could not forget the fateful conversation he overheard at the Meryton assembly. While it was true that Miss Bennet had not tried to flirt with him, Darcy had gone out of his way to avoid her company.

Taking a deep breath, Darcy spoke cautiously, "Charles, if I were you, I would not trust in what Mrs. Phillips or Miss Bennet say. Mr. Bennet himself has declared that Miss Elizabeth is his heir!"

Bingley let out a deep sigh while feeling sad. He had enough money to marry whoever he pleased, and genuinely enjoyed spending time with Miss Bennet. However, Darcy was right, the only explanation was that she had lied to him. Such a lie made Bingley question Miss Bennet's character. He began to wonder whether she was interested in him or just pretending.

For several minutes, the only sound were the soft clip-clop of the horses' hooves on the dirt road and the rustling of leaves in the breeze. Darcy was lost in thought, his mind replaying the image of Miss Elizabeth's sparkling eyes as she passionately defended her opinion. With each passing day, he was more impressed by Miss Elizabeth's intelligence, vivacity, and beautiful eyes. Her wit and charm captivated him, and he enjoyed their conversations. He realized that he had never been so interested in a woman and was in danger of falling in love with her. Meanwhile, Bingley remembered the many conversations he had shared with Miss Bennet and tried to decipher whether she was sincere.