Notes: To make the story flow better, I'm going to change the order of chapters 45 and 46 when I post chapter 47.
Many thanks to my wonderful beta reader and co-author Sam. H.
Part IV
Mid – Late December 1812
Bingley was exhausted. Days of caring for his niece, after the intense weeks in London, have left him utterly drained. He would need to rest and get back his energy before tackling the next hurdle of Hurst and his Goddaughter.
Seeing Lucy was finally resting peacefully, he left the nurses to figure out their rotation to rest and went outside for a walk in the fresh air. He cannot believe it has been less than a week since he bounded up the stairs to reach a wailing Lucy. Taking a path leading to a less formal part of the garden he thought over the last several days.
As soon as he arrived at Hurst's estate, Bingley visited the nursery and found Mrs. Shaw comforting Lucy. His goddaughter was crying and looked ill. Mrs. Shaw exclaimed, "Mr. Bingley, thank goodness you are here!"
Concerned, Bingley asked, "Why is she crying?"
"Miss Hurst has been running a fever for two days. Despite our best efforts, we have not been able to bring it down. The doctor examined her yesterday, and diagnosed her with an infection. We are doing everything we can to help her, but have to wait and pray for a miracle to happen and for her to recover."
Bingley's face turned pale, tears filling his eyes. He could not lose his little goddaughter; she is all he had left of his sisters. Desperately, he asked, "Can I hold her?"
Mrs. Shaw gently handed him the girl. The wet nurse discreetly left the room and Ms. Shaw sat in a chair in the corner to give Mr. Bingley privacy.
Bingley looked at his goddaughter tenderly and gently caressed her cheek. In a whisper he said, "I love you so much my little angel. I do not know what will become of my life if you leave me too." Bingley had long since stopped believing in God, but at that moment, he fervently prayed for his goddaughter's health.
The following two days were a cycle of prayer and fear while they nursed Lucy through the worst of her illness. All during that time Hurst never once visited to check on his daughter. When her fever finally broke, Bingley almost cried in relief. The doctor confirmed she was finally out of danger, but would require extra care and proper nourishment to fully recover.
Bingley returned to the house and bathed and rested, all the while thinking of how he would implement his plan in regards to Hurst, Lucy and his life in general.
The next morning, he sent a note with a servant asking to meet Hurst in his study after breakfast.
"Hurst, you will be pleased to hear your daughter is doing better, if you even care." Bingley was going on the offensive and would not stop until he had what he wanted.
Hurst protested, "I do not understand why you are upset. The girl has two wetnurses, and Mrs. Shaw takes good care of her. She pulled through!"
Bingley shouted indignantly, "Your daughter almost died! You did not even bother to visit her, or ask about her well-being!"
"Mrs. Shaw was with her and I called the doctor to examine her. There was nothing else I could do."
Bingley looked at Hurst for a long time, his own face expressionless. He knew his brother-in-law felt absolutely nothing for Lucy. To confirm his suspicions, Bingley asked, "Tell me the truth, Hurst, do you love your daughter?"
After an awkward silence, Hurst finally admitted, "No, I do not. I never loved Louisa and I am moving on with my life. The girl looks too much like your sister and my wife and I are due very soon to have our own babe." He slowly shook his head, never taking his eyes off his former brother. "You know my marriage to Louisa was one of convenience, and we were never happy together. In fact, I was deeply unhappy with her. I know it is not the girl's fault, but it is almost impossible for me to feel any affection towards her. I just want to move forward with my new life. I am finally happy."
Bingley was saddened, but not surprised by Hurst's response and the room fell into an uncomfortable silence. Finally, with a determined tone, Bingley said, "I love my goddaughter, and I want to raise her as my own."
Hurst's expression shifted to one of surprise, and not putting up much of a fight, readily gave Bingley his consent and signed guardianship of Lucy over to Bingley. From that day forward, until she marries, she would be known as Lucy Bingley.
Bingley left the Hurst estate a couple of days later with both wetnurses and Mrs. Shaw, traveling to Scarborough. He rode his horse for some of the trip and sat in the coach holding his daughter the other times. Looking down into her beautiful face Bingley swore he would never let her down. To that effect, he resolved to make changes in his life, for their future happiness.
He would become a man his daughter might be proud of. It didn't matter if he was a gentleman or in trade, as long as he could hold his head high in assurance that he was a good, kind and loving man.
A week after Bingley left with Lucy to Scarborough, Hurst received an unexpected visit from a stranger, named Mr. Thornton. The man was inquiring about Bingley's whereabouts and had no prior acquaintance with him.
Intrigued by Mr. Thornton's motives, Hurst invited him to his study, and stated, "My brother-in-law was at my estate for over a week. He came to visit his goddaughter, Lucy. He has since departed with her -as per our agreement - and will be in Scarborough already. Why you are looking for him?"
"I am investigating Sir Frederick's murder, and I would like to ask him a few questions."
Hurst's mind raced with confusion. There is no possibility Bingley could be involved in murder. He was a friendly and harmless man. However, Bingley did have good reason to hate Sir Frederick. After hesitating for a second, he stood tall and pulled down his waistcoat. "You do not know Bingley, but I can assure you he is one of the most harmless men I have ever known. I have no doubt he had nothing to do with Sir Frederick's murder."
"Are you quite sure of this character testimony? Would you be willing to make that statement in court?"
"Yes, to both questions and anyone who knows Bingley will say the same. Besides, he was not in London at the time of the murder."
Thornton thanked Hurst for his time and after receiving Bingley's address in Scarborough, left to continue his journey. He was for Scarborough, to ask Bingley some questions face to face.
Sir Frederick is being revealed as a despicable man, but he is the victim and it was Thornton's duty to find the culprit. However little Sir F deserved it.
PPP
A few days later, Mr. Thornton arrived to Scarborough. Bingley did not know him but he knew him to be one of the best in the Kingdom. For the sake of his daughter, Bingley needed to convince Mr. Thornton he was nowhere near London on the day of the incident.
They met in Bingley's study and after being offered a drink and refusing, both took a seat, Bingley sat behind his desk, while Thornton took a chair directly facing him.
"I have heard the rumors of Sir Frederick seducing your younger sister and then abandoning her with child. Could you tell me if those rumors are true?"
Bingley blinked. "Mr. Thornton, my younger sister is dead. Out of respect for her memory, I do not want to speak of her passing."
"Sir." Thorton replied in a hard tone. "I am afraid that, given the rumors and Sir Frederick's murder, you have become one of the prime suspects."
Bingley met his gaze, "I can understand why you might think that. While I have no sympathy whatsoever for Sir Frederick's demise, I had nothing to do with his murder. In fact, I was not even in London on the day it occurred."
"If you are lying, and one of the witnesses can testify it was you, the consequences will be quite severe," Mr. Thornton said sternly.
"I am not lying. I swear. I repeat, I swear, I did not kill Sir Frederick." Bingley placed both his hands flat down on the desk in front of him, "Mr. Thornton, I have a daughter, whom I love more than my own life, and now her future falls solely on me. I would never commit a crime, which would see me hung and my child abandoned, with no one to care for her."
The room was engulfed by a heavy silence for a long time. Mr. Thornton pressed his fingers together at the tips, "Please enlighten me as to your whereabouts on that particular day?"
"I was on my way to my brother-in-law's estate, where my goddaughter was residing. My brother-in-law got married a few months back, and I wanted to ensure she was doing well. It turns out she was not and as a consequence, together with a number of other reasons, she is now my daughter.
After questioning him further, from different angles, Mr. Thornton had to conclude there was no evidence proving Bingley was the murderer. According to Mr. Hurst, Bingley's housekeeper, and Bingley himself, his alibi cleared him of the crime.
In addition to this, Bingley provided Mr. Thornton with some specific details regarding some inns he had stayed at during his trip.
Part of Bingley's alibi was his apparent travel to Scotland to visit his sister's grave. However, it was Bingley's valet accompanied by two servants who made the trip. Details of the inns they stayed at were written down and given to Thornton for his records. The truth of the trip would never be revealed to another soul.
When Thornton left, Bingley heaved breath, he finally felt he could move on. He only kept an eye on the paper waiting for news regarding Sir Frederick's murder and who, if any one, was caught.
One morning, his housekeeper handed him the newspaper, and a letter in the handwriting of one he had not heard from in a while. The last time he and Darcy spoke was when he paid a condolence call after Louisa's death. Bingley had not wished for company, but had promised to contact Darcy when he was feeling better. He never did.
Upon reading Darcy's letter, he was taken aback by the surprising news of Darcy's engagement to none other than Miss Elizabeth Bennet!
He had not thought of her for months. Proof enough the young lady had left no mark on his heart. He was deep in thought when his daughter's cries brought him back to the present. Without a moment's hesitation, he picked her up and held her close. With tender care and a gentle touch, he comforted her until she was calm and smiling up at him. Soon, the wet nurse arrived to feed her and Bingley handed her over.
As he went about his day, Bingley found himself grappling with a difficult decision – to attend Darcy's wedding, or not. The prospect of returning to Hertfordshire brought back a flood of painful memories, particularly those of Caroline.
On the other hand, he was ready to move forward. One way to do that was to revisit the past and lay the bad memories to rest. It would also be the perfect opportunity to introduce Lucy Bingley to his friends. He wrote a legible note back to Darcy letting him know he would be happy to attend the wedding.