Miss Bennet & Mr Bingley (20 page)

They stayed up to hear the bells ring in the New Year and as he raised
his glass of champagne with the others he made his own resolution. He would
leave Derbyshire as soon as the weather improved and ride down to see Jane. He
would not believe she had rejected him until he heard it from her own lips.

Ten days later he cantered into Meryton, a groom in attendance. He was
unrecognizable under his many caped coat, tall beaver hat and muffler. He had
deliberately taken a horse from his stables that had not been with him in
Hertfordshire.

‘Jenkins, you know what you have to do? Go into the general stores and
enquire after the Bennet family at Longbourn. Remember, you have a parcel to
deliver to Miss Jane Bennet.’

The man swung down from the saddle and nodded, touching his cap with his
whip. ‘I ain’t to tell them who the parcel’s from, nor say you’s outside.’

‘Exactly so. I shall walk the horses whilst I wait. Do not be long, it
is perishing cold standing around.’

Ten minutes later his man emerged. ‘It ain’t the news you was expecting,
sir. Miss Bennet ain’t there, she’s gone away with friends for a visit.’

Bingley tossed the reins down and, not waiting for his groom to remount,
clattered back down the High Street, his hopes in tatters. He must put all
thought of a union between himself and Miss Bennet behind him. It was time to
get on with his life however bleak it might seem to him at the moment.

 
* * * *

Jane was in low spirits. Not
hearing from Caroline, she had at last gone to see her and had met with
unexpected coldness and she knew her association with them to be at an end.
She hoped to retreat to her bed chamber but her aunt
heard her coming in and came out to greet her.

‘My dear, let me assist you in
removing your outdoor garments. You look half frozen after your visit to
Grosvenor Square.’

She was gently directed towards the
small parlour and did not have the energy to refuse. Her bonnet and cloak gone,
she had no excuse to leave the room. Reluctantly she took her usual chair and
waited for her aunt to order tea and pastries.

‘You are so kind to me, I do not
deserve it. As you have guessed I met with a miserable reception and my
connection with the Bingleys is finally terminated. Lizzy was right, I do not
believe Caroline and Louisa held any real affection for me, they were bored and
so took me up.’

‘I am sure that you are far too
sensible to repine. These things can happen to anyone, even someone as sweet
and kind as you. Young men frequently embark on a little flirtation in order to
pass the time, they mean no harm, and if you read more into it than was
intended I am quite certain you have the strength of character to put it aside
and get on with your life.’

‘It is easy for you to say, but I
am in love with Bingley. I cannot put that aside so easily.’

‘I am afraid, my dear, that you
must try. You have four sisters behind you, and it is important for you to be
settled. There are plenty of agreeable men in London, it is just a matter of
you finding one that will suit.’

‘I cannot easily forget him, but I
promise I shall make an effort.’

‘That is all that I am asking, just
be prepared to accompany us when we go out.’ A maid appeared with the tray and
Jane was relieved the conversation turned to other topics. A while later she
excused herself.

‘I am going upstairs to write to Lizzy, she will want to know what
happened this morning. She never liked Miss Bingley or her sister, and I am
afraid that I now must accept her opinion of them both. It is hard to see
people in a poor light, but on this occasion I believe that I must do so.’

‘I am not surprised, my dear, a true friend would not have kept away so
long. You have no need to be associated with someone as proud and disdainful as
those two.’ Her aunt did not add any condemnation of their brother, but she
knew it was implied. It was small wonder he had not been to see her, she must
try and forget about him; he had obviously forgotten about her.

 
She sat the small table, and
wrote to her sister.

‘My dearest Lizzy, I am sure, you will be
incapable of triumphing at my expense, when I confess myself to have been
entirely deceived in Caroline’s regard for me. But, my dear sister, though the
event has proved you right, I still assert, that, considering what her
behaviour was, my confidence was as natural as your suspicion. I do not at all
comprehend her reason for wishing to be intimate with me, but if the same
circumstances were to happen again, I am sure I should be deceived again.

Caroline did not come to see me; and not a
note, not a line, did I receive in the mean time.

When I did see her, it was very evident she had
no pleasure in it, and said not a word of wishing to see me again, and was in
every respect so altered a creature that when I departed I was perfectly
determined to continue the acquaintance no longer. I will endeavour to banish
every painful thought, and think only of what will make me happy, your
affection, and the invariable kindness of my dear uncle and aunt. Let me hear
from you very soon.

I am extremely glad that you have such pleasant
accounts from our friends at Hunsford. Pray go to see them, with Sir William
and Maria. I am sure you will be very comfortable there.

 
She must make the best of
things, indeed, she had the children to entertain her and her aunt had promised
her they would go skating on the Serpentine tomorrow. It was a considerable
time since Jane had skated, she hoped she would not have forgotten how to stay
upright. Uncle Gardiner was to accompany them and this made the outing extra
special for the children.

‘Jane, will you hold my hand? I’m
not very good at skating.’

‘I believe it will have to be the
other way round, Lucy, for I am more likely to slip than you.’

‘No one is going to take a tumble
this morning. When your Papa is present the morning would not dare to be
anything but perfect.’

The children giggled and with a
deal of pushing and excitement the three adults and four children squeezed
themselves into the carriage. The temperature had been below freezing for
several days and Jane had been assured that the ice would be more than thick
enough for skating without fear of falling through.

The carriage bumped to a halt
behind several others. She could already here shouts and cries of excitement
coming from the lake. The carriage door opened, the steps were let down and the
children scrambled out eager to don their blades and slide upon the ice. The
youngest, Edward, was to be pulled by his father on a sled that had been
carried on the luggage box.

Jane strapped on her skates with
some trepidation, she had never been an expert at this sport and was rather
dreading being the only member of the party unable to glide gracefully across
the frozen surface. Her aunt was not skating, she was to sit on a stool and
provide encouragement and refreshments when required.

‘I am not sure this is such a good
idea, Aunt Gardiner, I feel decidedly unstable and I am not yet on the ice.’
The others had already skated off leaving her to make her own way to the edge
of the water.

‘Go along, my dear, it will come
back to you, I am sure. If you stay close to the edge you can step back on to
the grass if you feel insecure.’

‘It does look such fun, everyone is
laughing and their faces are glowing with health and happiness.’ She glanced
down at her woollen gown and heavy cloak. ‘At least if I do slip over I have
several layers of material to cushion my fall.’

With a few tentative steps she was
suddenly away and travelling with increasing speed towards the centre of the
ice. She knew herself to be dangerously out of control, her feet moving of their
own volition, her balance precarious. She heard a warning shout behind her but
could not respond.

Suddenly there was a hideous
cracking noise as the ice in front of her gave way. There was nothing she could
do, she was going to plunge into the icy depths and drown. Her arms waved
frantically and she threw her weight backwards hoping to avoid catastrophe.
Then from nowhere someone grabbed her cloak and she was hauled away from danger
at great speed. Her feet flew from under her and she tumbled, her limbs
entangled with her rescuer, to the ice.

The breath was knocked from her
lungs, her head spun, but she was safe. Too shocked to move she lay cradled
against the warmth of another skater.

‘My dear Jane, are you hurt? Here,
let me assist you to your feet. The gentleman who saved you is unable to move
until you do.’

Her uncle reached down and she was
upright again. She leant her weight against him, needing his comforting bulk to
support her. She felt someone gently lift each foot in turn and unstrap her
blades.

‘There, you can take her to the
side now, sir.’

‘Come along, Jane, I shall guide
you to the bank. I promise I shall not let you fall, you are quite safe now.’

It was not until she was sitting on
a stool beside her aunt, cocooned in warm blankets, that her head cleared
sufficiently for her to take in what had happened, how close to an icy grave
she had come. She looked up to see a ring of anxious faces staring down at her.

‘See, children, I am none the worse
for my adventure. But I think in future I shall sit on the grass and watch you
skate.’

Her four cousins smiled, the drama
over, they were obviously eager to get back on the ice.

‘Is it safe to continue, Uncle?’

‘Perfectly, not only is the ice
thick on this side of the pond it is also shallow water.’ He turned to speak to
someone who was standing outside the circle. ‘My dear sir, we cannot thank you
enough for saving Miss Bennet. Only your quick action prevented a tragedy.’

Jane pushed herself to her feet,
she wished to thank the man who had saved her life. Before she could speak the
gentleman exclaimed in surprise.

‘Miss Jane Bennet? I cannot believe
it is you. I had no idea I was rescuing an old acquaintance.’

‘Mr Fox! Of course, we did not
recognize you at first. My word, my boy, you have certainly improved with age.
I swear you have grown over a foot since we knew you all those years ago.’

Her uncle smiled at Jane. ‘Surely,
my dear, you remember Mr Fox? He was forever at our door that spring that you
and Lizzy came to stay.’

Jane stared in bewilderment at this strange young man who appeared to
know her. Who could he be? Surely she would remember someone so personable,
after all she had not had so many beaus.

‘You do not recall me, do you Miss Bennet? I am Bertram Fox, we met when
you were staying with Mr and Mrs Gardiner six years ago. I wrote you poetry.’

‘I do remember, forgive me, Mr Fox. You have changed out of all
recognition, the only thing about your appearance that is similar is the colour
of your hair.’

He grinned, quite unabashed by her comment. ‘I must hope that you have
forgotten the poetry, it was even worse than my youthful appearance. I can
promise you I shall not be entertaining present company with anything
I
have written.’

Jane remembered her sisters scathing comments about his verses. ‘I am
relieved to hear you say so, such pastimes are best left to experts, such as
Lord Byron, do not you think?’

She held out her hand and he
clasped it warmly. ‘Thank you so much, Mr Fox. I am in your debt. I do hope I
did not hurt you when I fell.’

He released her hand and bowed.
‘Miss Bennet, you certainly did not. I shall not detain you longer, I see that
your carriage is waiting to take you home. Do I have your permission to call
tomorrow to see how you do?’

‘I shall look forward to your
visit, Mr Fox. I thank you most sincerely for saving my life.’

Mr Fox bowed and stepped back onto
the ice to glide back to join his party who were watching from a distance. Jane
could not believe the small and insubstantial youth who had written her
appalling poetry all those years ago could have metamorphosed into a charming
and handsome young man.

‘I do not need to spoil everyone’s
fun, I am quite content to sit here and watch the children enjoy themselves.’

‘Mr Gardiner is to remain behind
with them, I shall accompany you home and then return to collect them.’

‘No, please, I am quite capable of
travelling by myself.’

Alone in the carriage Jane had time
for reflection. Had this brush with mortality been a sign that she must move on
with her life, be grateful that she had a life still to live? Whether it was a
nudge from the Almighty, or not, she was determined to forget about her
heartbreak and from now on make an effort to enjoy her visit to town.

* * * *

The following day Jane was waiting in the drawing-room when Mr Fox
arrived. He seemed as charming as he had yesterday and soon she was conversing
happily, giving him information about everyone at Longbourn. Naturally she did
not mention Netherfield, or the reason she was staying in Cheapside on her own.

 
‘Tell me, Mr Fox, where did you
get to? One minute you were writing me verses stating your undying adoration,
the next you had vanished into space.’

‘I am afraid that I am not of independent means, Miss Bennet. My expectations
are good, but I am at the beck and call of my grandmamma, it is from her that I
shall inherit. I am sure you understand how these things work?’ He smiled
ruefully. ‘I must dance to her tune whilst she is alive in order to live
comfortably when she is not. I was called away by her, and by the time I
returned you had gone home.’