Uncommonly Intelligent Chapter 8: Darcy, a pride and prejudice fanfic

A/N: As always, I am grateful to anyone who points out errors in spelling, grammar, internal logic, or historical accuracy. But please remember that this is a variation, and differences from canon, in this case the less familiar acquaintance of Darcy and the Bingleys, are deliberate. Thanks to everyone who reviews, follows, or faves.

Chapter 8: Darcy

Darcy House, London, September 23, 1811

"You have already signed the lease?" Darcy asked in astonishment.

"Er, well, you were out of town, and the agent said that there was so much interest in the property that I would likely lose my chance at it if I did not sign immediately," Bingley replied sheepishly.

Darcy stifled a sigh. Eight hundred years earlier, Erik the Red had named a mostly frozen waste "Greenland" in order to entice the gullible to settle there. Darcy imagined that the ploy of "You must sign today or it will be gone" was old even then. Bingley must have looked like a Michaelmas goose to the agent. But after all, he thought, his innocence and lack of guile is one reason I like him so well.

Darcy had met Charles Bingley at Cambridge some six years earlier, when Darcy was in his final year, and Bingley his first. Though wealthy, Bingley was the son of a tradesman and had been having a rough time of it, both academically and socially, until Darcy had befriended him. Darcy's position in society was about as high as it was possible to be without a title, and besides that, he was tall and muscular, and an expert with sword and pistol. Once Darcy took Bingley under his wing, the bullying ceased.

They had lost touch after Darcy graduated, but a chance meeting at White's gentlemen's club three months ago had rekindled the friendship. Bingley's irrepressible good humor had been just what Darcy needed to pull him out of his black mood after the debacle at Ramsgate, and their friendship had deepened to the point where they had recently taken some day trips together to inspect properties near London, for it was Bingley's ambition to fulfill his father's dying wish and become a landed gentleman. He had convinced Bingley to lease before he bought, for he knew from his own experience as the master of Pemberley, one of the largest and richest estates in Derbyshire, that managing even a modest estate was much more work than most people realized, and that Bingley was more suited to balls and parties than to contracts and ledgers.

Darcy had just returned from a three-day trip to Kent, where he had attended the funeral of his Aunt Catherine's parson, a man he had admired. Lady Catherine had importuned him to stay longer, ostensibly to help her select a new parson, but more likely to push her daughter Anne at him yet again. He had refused on the grounds of urgent business in London, and while it was true that he was in the midst of some investment negotiations, his real reason was to get back to Georgiana.

His young sister's heart had been broken, and her confidence and self-esteem shattered, by that scoundrel at Ramsgate. Several weeks earlier, trying everything he could think of to console her, he had asked her whether she would like to return to Pemberley ahead of him while he finished his negotiations in London, and she had gone into hysterics, believing that he was ashamed of her and wanted her out of his sight. It had taken him days to convince her that he was only trying to please her, and he had promised that they would never be separated for more than a few days at a time unless and until she wished it.

He had barely replaced his knocker before he was informed that Bingley wished to see him. He had expected that Bingley would want to further discuss the properties they had visited and perhaps plan a second visit to the ones that looked most promising, hence his surprise when Bingley told him that he had already signed the lease for Netherfield.

He noted the satchel by Bingley's side. "Did you bring the lease with you?"

Bingley smiled. "Yes, I was hoping you would look at it if you had the time."

"No time like the present," Darcy said, and Bingley eagerly opened the satchel and handed the document to Darcy.

Darcy scanned the pages, focusing mostly on the monetary amounts. He had to admit that the terms were excellent - less than a comparable property might have been let for in Derbyshire, when one would expect it to be much more expensive, given its proximity to town. He went back a page to verify that it even came furnished at that price. Most of the furniture had been covered when they visited - one of several reasons it would have been prudent to take a second and longer tour of the estate before signing the lease - but if the house had been vacant only two years, it should not be too dated. He briefly wondered whether the owner of Netherfield might be in financial straits, and resolved to see whether the man owned anything in Derbyshire that might be available at a bargain price. But when he flipped back through the document, he did not see the owner's name, only his agent's.

He closed his eyes and thought back to their scouting trip to Netherfield. It was a good-sized estate, and well-maintained. The tenants had seemed industrious, and the neighboring estate was also well-maintained, always a good sign. You could never know until you had actually lived there for a while, but he had to admit that from what he could see so far, Bingley had likely done well.

He said as much to his friend. "I wish you joy, Bingley, and you know that I will help you in any way I can."

Bingley responded, "That is actually why I wished to speak to you today. I know it is a lot to ask, but I wonder if you would consider staying there a short while to help get me started. It is close enough to London that if any business called you back, it would only take a few hours to get here. And the agent assured me that since it has been vacant these two years, the shooting there is beyond excellent."

Although surprised at the request, Darcy was tempted to grant his friend this favor. He was tired of the crowds, noise, and foul air of London, but his ongoing negotiations made it infeasible to return to Pemberley, a three-day journey. Netherfield was only half a day by coach, and even less for a rider with a good horse. He recalled that it also boasted a beautiful country setting, and was inclined to believe that the shooting would indeed be excellent.

"It does sound pleasant, my friend," Darcy said, "but I cannot leave Georgiana alone."

Bingley was undeterred. "But Darcy, she would be most welcome. Why, she could act as my hostess! It would be good practice for her."

Darcy considered this. He was at his wit's end with Gigi. He had attempted to raise her spirits by encouraging her to accompany him to plays, concerts, and parties, but she was now so unsure of herself that she avoided activities where there was any chance that she would be exposed to the sharks - of either sex - of the ton.

Netherfield might be worth a try, he thought. They would be together, and within easy reach of London should his business affairs require it. She might be persuaded to come out of her shell and attend social events where the society was simple country folk, rather than the harpies of the ton who were ready to pounce on any misstep, real or imagined. And Bingley was right; acting as a hostess where she was free to make mistakes with no one to witness them - except the aforementioned country nobodies - would indeed be good practice for her.

"You make a good case," Darcy finally said. "Let me talk to Georgiana and see if she is willing. When did you plan to go?"

Bingley's smile almost split his face. "I take possession on Michaelmas, but that is a Sunday, so I was hoping to go the day after. I will need to hire more servants and prepare it for occupancy, since it has been vacant these two years. I believe you said that should take no more than two or three weeks?"

Darcy nodded. He actually had little idea how long it should take, for Pemberley had been occupied by his family for centuries, and he kept his town home and minor estates almost fully staffed at all times. He had therefore been very generous with his estimate, considering it better to err on the side of caution. Nothing bad could happen if the house were ready earlier than expected.

Bingley continued, "I would greatly appreciate your help during that time, but if you wish to wait until it is fully ready for guests, I will understand."

Darcy thought a moment. "So the thirtieth, a week from now?" Bingley nodded vigorously, and Darcy thought some more. Finally he said, "Hiring good staff is vital. I believe I could do you no better service than to help you conduct interviews, at least for the senior positions, but I cannot think of taking Georgiana there before I know more about the house and the area. We saw it on a warm summer day. I should like to see how drafty it is and how well the chimneys draw when fires are required."

Bingley started to speak, but Darcy held up his hand. "I did not say no. What I propose is this: the two of us will go there on the thirtieth, and I will help you hire servants and refurbish the house, as well as look around the area for a week or so. If the house and area seem suitable, and Georgiana is willing, I will either retrieve her myself, or have Richard bring her to Netherfield." Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam was his cousin, and Georgiana's co-guardian. "If not, then I will return to London, but as you said yourself, I will be only hours away should you need my help later. Will that suit you?"

Bingley nodded. "Yes, that is very generous of you. But what I was going to say was that we do not need to hire the senior staff, for they come with the house. There is a clause in the lease specifying as much." Bingley gave Darcy a slightly worried look. "Does that bode ill?"

Before he answered, Darcy thumbed through the contract and located the clause Bingley referred to. The butler, steward, housekeeper, and head cook were specified as non-discretionary. While they could be relieved of their duties, they could not be discharged, nor could they be reassigned to other duties, nor even lose their titles, without the owner's approval. Essentially, Bingley had only two choices: leave them in place, or pay them to do nothing. "It is not ideal, Bingley, but it is not uncommon. It may or may not bode ill. On the one hand, the senior servants must have earned a great deal of respect from the owner for them to have been given the sinecure of maintaining an empty house, and the security of retaining their positions regardless of new tenants. On the other hand, the knowledge that they may not be discharged without difficulty might make them complacent in their attention to duty. However, in my experience that is rare. Such people take pride in the work they do."

He handed the contract back to Bingley. "Nothing personal, Bingley, but such clauses are for the owner's protection. A man lacking experience could damage the value of an estate if he hires incompetent or corrupt servants into positions of responsibility." He added, "On the whole, I think it may be a good thing. They will at least be capable, and will certainly have more local knowledge than anyone we could hire in London. You would be surprised how much more smoothly things go when the cook and housekeeper have good relations with the local merchants and grocers. Also, it should make the refurbishing go much more quickly."

Another thought occurred to him. "Were your sisters planning on joining you?"

"My plan is for them to come in a few weeks, after the house is fully staffed and running, though they are not enthusiastic about it," Bingley admitted, frowning slightly. "But I must have a hostess if I am to entertain." Then he brightened. "If Georgiana consents to act as my hostess, perhaps I can satisfy everyone. Please tell her that I would be most grateful, and will be glad to hire whatever assistants she requires. She need be involved in the actual planning of events only as much as she chooses."

"I shall," Darcy promised, encouraged by his friend's offer. If Georgie understood that she need only be a figurehead, she would be much more likely to agree. They could ease her into assuming more of the planning as her confidence grew. He briefly wondered why Bingley's sisters were not more willing to help him, but then he chided himself, for at least it seemed as if they would come, however reluctantly, while he had no such assurance regarding his own sister.

Darcy tried to picture Bingley's two sisters, but failed. He had met them only once, at a ball several weeks ago, and all the faces at those events seemed the same to him. Other than his nearest relations, he had neither given nor accepted dinner invitations since shortly after Ramsgate, for Georgiana became a bundle of nerves when anyone other than a man of business visited Darcy House. He dimly recalled that Bingley's elder sister was married to a gentleman of little distinction, while the younger was still single. What was her name, Katherine? Carolyn? For the life of him, he didn't even remember speaking to her at the ball, although he must have. But if she was the sister of such an amiable man as Bingley, how bad could she be? She was probably very nice.

"Charles, you blithering idiot!" Caroline Bingley screeched. "If you think for one second that I am going to sit here in London while you are sharing a house in the country with Mr. Darcy, you are even stupider than I thought!"

"But Caroline, you said many times that you wanted to remain in Town as long as possible. I was only trying -"

"You are always trying, Charles, but you never said that Mr. Darcy was going to go with you to Netherland. Are you really so dense that you cannot see what an opportunity this is for me? I know that he was extremely impressed with me at the ball last month, and no doubt is eager to see me again. It is too bad that his sister's illness has prevented this until now, but the more time we spend together this autumn, the more likely it is that he will offer for me before Christmas."

"Caroline, I do not think -"

"You never think, Charles, that is your problem. Now listen to me carefully. You shall tell Mr. Darcy that we shall all go to Netherwood together next week, and that I shall take charge of refurbishing it. If you try to do it without me, you will only succeed in making a mess of things, and I shall have to throw everything out and start all over. Can you not see that it will save you time and money to have me do it correctly from the start?"

"Caroline, it has been closed for over two years, and there is only a skeleton staff there now. Darcy and I were planning on taking a couple of weeks to even hire all the servants. The rooms will be dusty, and the house will be cold. I cannot see you enjoying yourself."

"Oh, nonsense. There must be enough servants there now to prepare a few bedrooms, and that is all we will need at first. Simply send an express telling the housekeeper that we will arrive on Monday, and direct her to do what she can before we get there. Besides, you told me that Netherford was the finest estate in the area. That means that the peasants will be lining up for miles to secure a position there. Use your head! Hire many more servants than you need, let them spend a week cleaning and restocking Netherton, and then I will be able to make it fit for people of our status. After that, you may fire the excess servants, and all will be well."

Despite the ringing in his ears, Bingley realized that Caroline had actually made a decent point. If he furnished Netherfield without her, she would not hesitate to throw out everything he had bought and replace it with her preference after she arrived. Well, he would ask Darcy when they met tomorrow, and see what he thought.

Darcy had two country coaches and several smaller carriages when he was at Pemberley. He took one of the country coaches when he traveled to London, and there was also another coach permanently at Darcy house that was a hybrid, light enough for town use, but sturdy enough for short trips out of town, where the roads were likely to be rougher. There was also a lighter carriage strictly for town use. His plan had been to take his country coach to Bingley's town home the first thing Monday morning, collect him, his valet, and his luggage, and proceed to Netherfield. They could travel at a leisurely pace and still arrive by early afternoon, and the coach was very comfortable even for four large men. They would batch it for a week or three as the Netherfield house and staff were brought up to snuff. Then, depending on what he and Georgie decided after learning more about Netherfield, the Bingley women could arrive in the Bingley carriage, or he could send word to have his cousin Richard bring Georgiana to Netherfield in his town coach. Or possibly both.

He ordered his town coach to be completely inspected and overhauled. The last thing he wanted was for anything to go wrong with it while Georgiana was being transported without him. His coachman reported that the rear axle was beginning to show its age, and Darcy told him to replace it at once.

Darcy's antennae immediately began to quiver after Bingley told him of his sister's volte-face when they met the following day. He knew very little about her, good or bad, but he had been the target of young single ladies nearly since he began shaving, and especially after his father died and he became master of Pemberley. But he could hardly accuse the woman of ulterior motives when he had no evidence, so he accepted Bingley's revised proposal, and as was his practice, began planning the logistics. Bingley's brother-in-law Hurst had agreed to come when told about the shooting, so there were now three men and two women in their party. Allowing for three valets and two personal maids, that made ten people in all. They would clearly need two coaches.

Darcy proposed that he and his valet would take his large country coach to Bingley's town home around seven-thirty Monday morning. Bingley, Hurst, and their valets would join him in Darcy's coach, while Bingley's sisters and their maids would travel in Bingley's smaller coach. It would be a bit cramped in the Darcy coach, for none of the men were slight, but it was only a short trip, and if worse came to worst, Bingley or Hurst (preferably Hurst, thought Darcy) could transfer to the Bingley coach.

After church on Michaelmas, Darcy and Georgiana boarded his town carriage and took a very short ride to the home of his uncle, the Earl of Matlock. Georgie would stay with her aunt, uncle, and cousins while Darcy was at Netherfield. She felt safe and comfortable there without Darcy, as long as it was not too long a separation. Darcy resolved to spend every second with Georgiana that evening before he returned to Darcy House and made final preparations for his trip to Netherfield the following day.

Unfortunately for him, Georgie was more nervous about him leaving so soon after his trip to Kent than he realized. Instead of retiring around 9 PM as was her custom, she begged him to let her play the fortepiano for him longer, and then still longer. It was nearly midnight before Darcy got back to his town home. By the time he completed all of his last-minute preparations for his trip, it was nearly 2 AM.

Darcy was not the only one awake at 2 AM. A slender form slipped into the carriage shed behind the Bingley town home. She could scarcely believe her luck that the nearly full moon was low in the southwest, and that its light through the open door made a lantern unnecessary. She had located the shelf where the coal oil was kept the day before, so she did not have to search for it now. Coal oil was too smoky to be used indoors, but it was much cheaper than whale oil, and so it was used in the carriage lanterns. She opened the coach's door first, then went over to the shelf and retrieved the can of coal oil. After removing the lid, she poured the oil all over the cushions, almost retching as the smell assailed her nostrils. Satisfied, she closed the coach door, replaced the can, and removed the old pair of gloves she had worn, throwing them into the refuse bin near the door as she left. She had no idea why she had been ordered to ruin the cushions, but she desperately needed her position with the Bingleys, and knew better than to question her mistress.

Shortly after seven the next morning, Charles Bingley was surprised to see the coachman waiting for him as he descended the stairs. He also noted that the trunks were still piled near the landing.

"Packer, what is it? Is something wrong with the coach?"

"Aye, sir, I'm afraid so. Someone poured coal oil on the squabs. They are a total loss, and it will take a week of cleaning and airing to get the smell out of the coach."

"Coal oil? Who would do such a thing?"

"I've no idea, sir. Perhaps some urchins up to mischief. We can only be thankful they didn't set it afire."

Charles shuddered at the thought. Arson struck terror into the heart of every Londoner. He wondered whether there might be some sort of protection racket targeting the neighborhood; perhaps this had been a warning. He resolved to ask Jenkins, his butler, about it.

"You say that the coach is unusable for at least a week?"

"Oh, aye, sir, and that's only if you can find squabs to replace those that were ruined in that time."

Dash it all, thought Bingley, as the coachman left. Darcy will probably be on his way here before I can get a message to him. Well, there's no help for it now. I'll just have to tell him when he gets here.

"Charles, is something the matter?" Caroline Bingley asked as she descended the stairs wearing a thick robe.

"Too right," Charles said. "Someone vandalized our coach last night. Our trip will have to be postponed."

He braced himself for the coming tirade, but to his surprise, Caroline replied coolly, "But why should we postpone it? Does not Mr. Darcy have a coach?"

"Of course he has a coach, but there will not be room for all of us and our luggage."

"Charles, use your head! We can simply take what is necessary for our immediate needs, and send Mr. Darcy's coach back tomorrow to collect the rest of our luggage. Surely we can bring enough for one day!"

"But Caroline, Darcy's coach is designed for four people, six at the most. There are ten of us."

"Oh really, Charles, surely you big strong men can manage without your valets for one day. And Louisa and I will share my maid. That makes six."

Louisa, who had joined them when she heard the commotion, grimaced. She had "shared" maids with Caroline before, and had rarely gotten so much as a tenth of their time.

Bingley was uncertain. What Caroline said made perfect sense, but that was what bothered him. It was not like Caroline to consider a problem dispassionately, and quickly come up with an efficient solution that involved some sacrifice on her part. It would have been more characteristic for her to fly into a rage and accuse everyone in the vicinity of stupidity or incompetence, and then demand that he conjure an instant solution that would allow her to take all of her luggage with her.

But he would not look a gift horse in the mouth. "Very well, Caroline, I shall ask Darcy."

"Do not ask him, tell him. You are a grown man, or at least you should be by now. I shall dress, and be down in a moment. Come, Louisa."

Louisa followed Caroline upstairs, but as they neared their rooms, she said, "Oh! We must repack our trunks if we are to take only one today."

Caroline smirked, "Then you had better get to it. It happens that I will be able to manage with what I have in my green trunk."

Darcy had managed to get only three hours of sleep, but he hoped that he would be able to sleep in the coach. One good thing about Bingley: while he was a very easy conversationalist, he could also sit in companionable silence. But Darcy knew next to nothing about Hurst, or the two men's valets.

His first inkling that something was wrong was when Bingley rushed to greet him with an agitated expression almost as soon as Darcy entered his house.

"There is a problem, Darcy. My carriage was vandalized last night, and is unusable."

Due to his lack of sleep, Darcy's brain was not working as fast as it usually did, so he had not formed a response before Bingley went on, "I had thought to go with our original plan, and send for the ladies later, but Caroline will not hear of it. She insists that I will need her to select colors and fabrics for the rooms, and I daresay she has a point. After all, if I decide to buy the house, she will certainly be selecting the furnishings then, so it would save money if whatever we do now is compatible with her taste."

Darcy looked around the entrance hall and barely suppressed his impulse to ask the obvious, "What taste?" The style reminded him of Rosings, his Aunt Catherine's estate - gaudy and expensive, but not very comfortable.

However, it was Bingley's house, and he could furnish it as he chose. And he supposed that if Caroline were willing to stay in a house before it was fully staffed and furnished to help her brother, that was a point in her favor.

"But Bingley, we cannot possibly fit into one carriage, and my other carriage is having its rear axle replaced."

"We, that is, I was thinking that if we left our valets behind, and just took enough luggage for the day, we could send your carriage back for the rest of our servants and luggage after we get to Netherfield. That way, all of our party and luggage could be there by noon tomorrow."

If Darcy had not been sleep-deprived, he would no doubt have seen the flaws in this plan, and come up with something better - the best option being he and Bingley traveling today, with their valets and all their luggage, and the rest of Bingley's party traveling tomorrow. But he was not thinking clearly. He said, "Very well, I shall send my valet and most of our trunks back home, and have my coachman return by himself. That should give the rest of you time to repack your trunks."

"You are the best of men, Darcy. Would you care to have something to eat while you wait?"

"I have eaten. If you do not mind, I would like to sit and doze, for I got very little sleep last night."

"Right-o, I shall see you shortly," and Bingley loped up the stairs to continue repacking his luggage.

Darcy went back out to his coach and spoke to his valet and coachman. His valet asked him briefly about which items he wanted to take, and the coach departed for Darcy House, where his valet would repack his luggage and then send the coach back.

Darcy almost kicked himself as he re-entered Bingley's house. He should have gone back home with his valet, for he could have dozed in his comfortable coach far more easily than in one of those spindly chairs he had seen in Bingley's house. He would not even have had to leave the coach when it arrived at Darcy House; he could have just continued to doze in the coach while his valet rearranged his luggage.

He was quickly proved correct. The chairs in Bingley's entrance hall were evidently designed for a slender woman, and dug uncomfortably into his back and hips. Bingley must have a comfortable sofa in a parlor somewhere, but he could hardly prowl the house looking for it while his host was upstairs, and all the servants were either outside helping clean Bingley's vandalized carriage, or upstairs helping with the packing.

Thus he was not only unable to doze, but after just a few minutes the chair was too uncomfortable even to sit in. He began pacing, and was starting to feel a tension headache coming on before Bingley finally came bounding down the stairs.

"All set, Darcy!" he said as a footman followed him with a trunk. A moment later, the Hursts came down, followed by footmen with their trunks.

"Darcy, you remember my sister Louisa, and her husband Mr. Winston Hurst."

"Of course," Darcy lied. He barely remembered their names, and would not have recognized them on the street, but saw no point in mentioning that. "And where is, er, your other sister?"

"Caroline said she would be down momentarily."

Ten minutes later, Darcy's coach was heard pulling up, and still no sign of Caroline. Bingley directed his footmen to begin loading the trunks onto the coach. A minute later, Caroline Bingley breezed down the stairs, and it dawned on Darcy that she had not known that he had remained behind when his coach left, and had wanted to make an entrance after he arrived.

She was dressed as if she were going to a formal dinner, rather than in traveling clothes. In particular, her neckline was cut very low.

"Oh, Mr. Darcy, how lovely to see you again," she said as she smiled in what Darcy could only assume was meant to be a seductive manner. "And what a beautiful day for a carriage ride!"

Darcy was about to say something about the inappropriateness of her gown, but he checked himself. There was no polite way to say it, and if she changed, he feared it might take her another hour. Best to ignore it; anything to get the journey started. At least this way, they could leave immediately.

Caroline beamed at Darcy. "I do not know about you, Mr. Darcy, but I always like to have a big breakfast before commencing a journey. Shall we repair to the dining room?"

Darcy looked at Bingley, who shrugged helplessly. Somewhere inside Darcy's skull, a drum began beating slowly. He gathered every shred of his considerable self-control, and tried to tell himself that things could only improve henceforth.

He should have known better.

Darcy's hope to sleep on the way to Netherfield was dashed by Caroline's insistence to engage him in the most insipid chatter he had ever heard. His one-word answers to her ridiculous comments about the weather, the road, and society gossip invariably gave rise to a shrill peal of laughter from the woman, which stabbed into his brain like a hot needle. He was now quite certain she had set her cap at him. She had contrived to sit across from him, and somehow managed to brush his leg with hers at every tiny movement of the carriage. He was thus forced to keep his feet tightly against his own seat, and holding that position only added to his tension. She also seemed to be having a great deal of trouble with her shoe, and was constantly bending down to adjust it, making sure that her decolletage was aimed squarely at Darcy. He could counter only by keeping his gaze steadily out the window.

An hour into the journey, his head was splitting. He could not even relax, let alone doze. He had cramps in his legs and neck from his efforts to avoid Caroline's "accidental" brushes of her leg and displays of her bosom. When they at last arrived at Netherfield, late in the afternoon rather than at lunchtime as he had planned, he vowed he would not sit in a carriage again for at least a fortnight.

The first good thing in the entire long day occurred as they stepped out of the coach and beheld an array of servants lined up on Netherfield's porch. Darcy looked at Bingley, who shook his head as if to say, "Don't ask me!" As they mounted the steps to the front entrance, Darcy recognized the woman in front as the housekeeper they had met when they toured the estate the previous month. Mrs. Nixon, or something like that?

The lady curtsied and said to Mr. Bingley, "Welcome to Netherfield, Mr. Bingley. I am Mrs. Nicholls, your housekeeper. You may remember that we met last month during your tour."

Bingley smiled and nodded. "Of course, Mrs. Nicholls." He introduced the other members of his party, and Mrs. Nicholls curtsied again and said, "It is very nice to see you again, Mr. Darcy, and to meet the rest of you." She looked at the ladies. "And which is to be mistress?"

Louisa looked at Charles questioningly, but Caroline quickly said, "I am." Mrs. Nicholls smiled and nodded, and said, "Then I present to you the chatelaine," and handed her the keys. "May I also present Mr. Bates, your butler, Madame Beaumont, your cook, and Mr. Whitney, your steward."

The three people indicated bowed and curtsied, and Mrs. Nicholls said, "This way, please," as she led them inside.

Darcy was surprised to see that indoors, the house seemed completely ready for occupancy. The furniture, which had mostly been covered when they had toured earlier, was now revealed to be elegant and tasteful. The rooms were gleaming, and there was a cheerful fire in the parlor.

"We have water ready for baths, if you would like to select your bedrooms and refresh yourselves," said Mrs. Nicholls. "There is more than enough, for we understood that your party would be larger."

Bingley said, "There was a slight change in plans. The rest of our party will arrive tomorrow."

Darcy was impressed. "Mrs. Nicholls," he said, "We were told that you had but a skeleton staff here."

"Aye, sir, we did, but when we received Mr. Bingley's express, I took the liberty of hiring help to get the house ready for him." She turned to Bingley. "Of course, it is your decision whether to keep them, but I know them all to be hard workers of good character. I will arrange interviews with them if you wish."

Darcy turned to his friend and said, "Well done, Bingley."

Bingley, rather dazed, said, "Well, Mrs. Nicholls, I believe you have saved us a great deal of effort. We expected that it would take us some weeks to hire servants and prepare the place for occupancy."

"Oh no, sir, the rooms have all been cleaned, and the house awaits only whatever personal items you wish to bring. We did not know your preferences with regard to food, of course, so Madame Beaumont has prepared roast beef for this evening, but Miss Bingley may plan future menus with her at her convenience."

Darcy was definitely feeling better about this trip. "Bingley, it appears as if we do not need to lift a finger. I believe you have found a gem."

"Indeed," said Charles. "Thank you for all you have done, Mrs. Nicholls."

Mrs. Nicholls said, "It was our pleasure, sir. And if I may, sir, Sir William Lucas came by earlier today, and he told me to make sure you are aware of the assembly tonight, and that you all would be most welcome."

Bingley said, "How often do you have these assemblies?"

"They are typically held the last evening of each month during the spring and summer, but this will be the last one before Christmastide."

"Do you mean to say that if we miss tonight, the next one will not be for another three months?"

"Yes, sir."

Bingley turned to his companions. "Well, I think we must go. We can meet all of our neighbors at once, and we will not have the chance to do it again for a long while. What do you say, Darcy?"

Although Darcy was slightly less uncomfortable now that he was out of the carriage, he still had a headache. He said, "I apologize Bingley, but I got very little sleep last night, and I seem to have an abominable headache. I think I shall retire early."

Caroline, who was miffed that this impertinent country housekeeper had apparently robbed her of the chance to show Darcy what a capable mistress she was, perked up at this. If she could be alone in the house with Darcy, who knew what might happen?

"I too am fatigued, Charles," she said. "I believe that I shall retire early as well."

Three hours later, they were all back in the carriage, headed for the Meryton assembly hall.

As aggravated and sleep-deprived as he was, Darcy was far too old a hand at evading marriage-minded women to miss Caroline's intent. On the rare occasions that he had unmarried female guests at Pemberley or Darcy House, he had three layers of protection from women on the hunt: a stout lock on his bedroom door, trusted footmen in the halls, and in extreme situations, his valet could sleep on a large couch he kept specifically for that purpose in his bedroom.

But none of those options were available for this evening. His valet had been left behind, and Caroline now had keys to all the rooms. The only servant within 30 miles that he could trust was his coachman, who had been up since long before sunrise preparing the coach and horses, and must be bone tired. He would likely not stir if Caroline rode an elephant into his bedroom.

Darcy resolved to send for a couple of footmen immediately, but they, along with his valet, would arrive no sooner than tomorrow evening, since he was retaining the coach tonight. Loathe as he was to attend the assembly, remaining at Netherfield alone with Caroline would be infinitely worse.

With the air of a condemned man expressing his preference between being shot or hanged, Darcy had informed Bingley that he had changed his mind, and would attend the assembly after all. Bingley, of course, went from cheerful to ecstatic.

Hurst, when he saw that the liquor cabinets at Netherfield were empty, also opted to attend the assembly, and so Louisa was obliged to accompany him.

And Caroline, once Darcy decided to attend, suddenly was not so fatigued after all. She had noticed how Darcy had to struggle to keep from gawking at her charms while in the coach, and judged that he was already well on his way to falling in love with her.

Her plan had worked perfectly. Once they danced together, he would be hers.