Miss Bennet & Mr Bingley (28 page)

Dearest Lizzy, I hardly know what I would write,
but I have bad news for you, and it cannot be delayed.

Her pen flowed over the paper as
she revealed the dreadful story.
She then wrote quickly about all she
knew of Lydia and Wickham’s whereabouts and told her sister she still could not
believe that everything would not somehow be put to rights.

I am truly glad, dearest Lizzy, that you have
been spared some of these distressing scenes; but now as the first shock is
over, shall I own that I long for your return? I am not so selfish, however, as
to press for it, if inconvenient. Adieu

Jane read what she had written and decided that it would not do. She
snatched up her pen and begged Lizzy to come back at once bringing her uncle
and aunt with her. Her uncle would know what to do, he could go to town and
help Papa with his search.

Several days later the little Gardiners, attracted by the sight of a
chaise, were standing on the steps of the house in order to see the spectacle,
thus they were the first to see their parents enter the paddock. Jane, who was
in her mother’s apartment, heard them calling out in excitement and ran down
the stairs in order to be in the vestibule when Elizabeth came in.

Her eyes were tear filled as she embraced her sister affectionately.
‘Lizzy, I cannot tell you how pleased I am to see you.’

‘Has there been any news of the fugitives?’

‘No, there has not. But now that my dear uncle has come, I hope
everything will be well.’

Mr and Mrs Gardiner approached and Jane embraced them fondly. ‘I was
never so glad to see anyone in my life. Thank you so much for coming.’ She
smiled through her tears. ‘Please, come into the drawing-room and I shall tell
you all I know.’

When she had completed her tale her uncle shook his head. ‘It is a bad
business, and I shall be glad to help in any way I can.’

When they visited her mother in her
sitting room she took great comfort from her brother’s timely arrival.
‘Brother, I do not know how I should
go on without you! I am all to pieces; I am suffering most dreadfully from my nerves,
but I shall be better now that you and my sister are here to comfort me.’

‘You must not give way to useless alarm, but it is right to be prepared
for the worst, however there is no occasion to look on it as certain. It is not
quite a week since they left Brighton. In a few days more we may gain some more
news of them, until we know that they are not married, and have no design of
marrying, do not let us give the matter over as lost. As soon as I get to town,
I shall go to my brother and make him come home with me to Gracechurch Street,
and then we may consult together as to what is to be done.’

‘Oh! My dear brother, that is exactly what I would most wish for. Now
do, when you get to town, find them out wherever they may be; and if they are
not married already
make
them marry. And as for wedding clothes, do not
let them wait for that, but tell Lydia she shall have as much money as she
chooses to buy them
after
they are married. And, above all things, keep
Mr Bennet from fighting.

Tell him what a dreadful state I am in, that I am frightened out of my
wits: and have such tremblings, such flutterings all over me, such spasms in my
side and pains in my head, and such beatings at heart, that I can get no rest
by night or day. And tell my dear Lydia, not to give any directions about
clothes until she has seen me, for she does not know which are the best
warehouses. Oh, brother, how kind you are! I know you will contrive it all.’

Jane caught Lizzy’s eye, she could
hardly credit the extent of her mother’s folly. Her sister gestured that they
should go outside and she willingly followed her.

‘It was most unfortunate, Jane. I
was reading your letter when Mr Darcy arrived and I was obliged to tell him the
whole story.’

‘Mr Darcy! I had no idea you had
renewed your acquaintance with him.’

‘Yes, we met quite by accident. My
aunt and uncle and I were looking around Pemberley, having assured ourselves
that he was not in residence, of course. I cannot tell you how mortified he was
to meet me.’

Jane noticed that her sister’s
cheeks were flushed. ‘What happened next?’

‘He could not have been more kind
and charming and came to visit me with Georgiana the next day and issued an
invitation for all of us to dine with him.’

‘I knew Bingley could not have a
friend who was not as good a person as he is.’

‘As you have mentioned that
gentleman, I have to tell you that I spoke to him as well and he was most
insistent that I tell him about Longbourn. He knew the exact date that he had
last seen me. I thought that quite significant.’

It was Jane’s turn to flush with
pleasure. ‘I think about him all the time, Lizzy, do you think there is a
chance that he might have changed his mind?’

‘A very strong chance, my dear
Jane.’

The thought that Charles (dare she called
him that again in her heart?) might be thinking of her made it easier to bear
the business with Lydia and Wickham.

 
* * * *

Caroline was not at all pleased by being abandoned so cavalierly by Mr
Darcy and despite telling him that she would now enjoy her stay by entertaining
Georgiana she would not let the matter drop.

 
‘Charles, surely you know why he
has gone like this? We have come down to Pemberley expecting to spend several
weeks with dear Georgiana and Mr Darcy and what has happened?’

Charles was almost certain this was a rhetorical question and did not
bother himself to answer. He had not liked the way his sister had behaved when
Elizabeth and her aunt and uncle had come over for a visit. They were all
delightful company and he had been uncomfortable on their behalf at her
disdainful comments. Certainly Darcy had been most displeased; his sister would
find herself ostracized by his friends if she did not learn to curb her tongue
and be more civil.

‘We were not here even a day before Miss Elizabeth Bennet and her
dreadful relatives were being entertained. Mr Darcy is all politeness, but I do
think he might have considered his other guests before inviting such people
here.’

He had had quite enough of this nonsense. He stared at her and instead
of seeing a fond and loving sister sitting there he saw a jealous harridan, a
spiteful woman interested only in furthering her own advantage. Disgusted by
his discovery he turned away not bothering to answer. He heard her calling
after him but continued his journey out of the house and ran to the stables.

What he needed now was a good gallop across the moors to clear his head.

When he returned he had come to a decision. He no longer had any
interest in his sister’s opinion, she had lost his respect. It was only Darcy
he had to convince and he rather thought that his friend might be in love with
Elizabeth. Why else had he made such a point of introducing Georgiana to her?
Something had happened between them, he was sure of that, and whatever the
outcome it gave him the go-ahead to return to Netherfield. He did not care any
more about Jane’s relatives, or whether she loved him as much as he loved her,
he was determined to see how the land lay and take it on from there.

He was bereft without her; if Jane was prepared to marry him for
whatever reason, that was good enough to him. He was sure in time he could
persuade her to love him in full measure.

 
* * * *

Every day at Longbourn was now a day of anxiety; but the most alarming
part was when the post was expected. The arrival of letters each morning found
the entire company gathered expectantly in the front hall.

Mr Gardiner did not write again until he had received an answer from
Colonel Forster and then he had nothing of a pleasant nature to report. Mrs
Gardiner read the letter to herself and then shook her head sadly.

‘I am not sure if I should read you this missive; there is nothing to
encourage us to hope.’

‘Please do, Aunt Gardiner; we must hear the news however parlous it
might be,’ Jane said glancing anxiously at her sister for support.

‘Well, he says that Wickham’s former acquaintances are numerous, but
since he has been in the militia he does not appear to have been on terms of
particular friendship with any of them.

Therefore they cannot find anyone likely to give any news of him. And
the wretched state of his own finances was a very powerful motive to secrecy,
in addition to his fear of discovery from Mr Bennet. It transpires that he has
left gaming debts behind of a very considerable amount.’ Mrs Gardiner looked
around at the others before completing her tale of woe. ‘It would seem that
although he owed a good deal in Meryton his debts of honour are still more
formidable.’

Jane heard this with horror. ‘A gamester! This is wholly unexpected. I
had not an idea of it.’ She looked to Elizabeth for confirmation and her sister
nodded.

‘Oh! There is some good news for you; Mr Bennet is expected to return to
Longbourn tomorrow. It would seem that he has done as much as he can and is
feeling very downhearted about his lack of success. Mr Gardiner has convinced
him that he would be better at home and leave him to pursue the enquiries on
his own.’

Jane immediately stood up. ‘Poor Papa! He did so want to find Lydia and
bring her home to us. I shall go at once and tell our mother that he shall be
home tomorrow. She has been so concerned he might find Wickham and become
involved in a fight, she will be relieved to know he is unscathed.’

That evening Jane and Elizabeth took a stroll in the garden after
supper. They had scarcely had time to continue their discussion of the
Derbyshire trip, and Jane took the opportunity to ask her sister what Pemberley
had been like. She already knew that Mr Darcy had been there.

‘It is as wonderful as Miss Bingley told us, Lizzy? ‘

‘Yes, indeed it is. We were shown around by the housekeeper, and very
civil she was. The rooms are well proportioned and spacious, and their
furniture suitable to the fortune of their proprietor. I must say it was
neither gaudy nor uselessly fine, and with far more real elegance than the
furniture at Rosings.’

‘And to think, Lizzy, you might have been mistress of all that
splendour. Do you not regret, even a little bit, having refused Mr Darcy?’

‘No, I do not. The house is very fine, the grounds impressive, but if I
had agreed to be mistress of Pemberley House I should not have been able to see
my aunt or uncle again. They would have been lost to me, I should not have been
able to invite them to visit.’

‘I cannot imagine that Mr Darcy would be so proud; but I am sure that
you
know what is best for you. Did he not invite you all to dine with him? ‘

‘That is very true, but at
that
time I did not know he was going
to do so. Do you know, Jane, that his housekeeper spoke of him so highly that I
began to doubt my own judgement? She insisted that everybody who knew him,
liked and respected him. That she had never had a cross word from him all her
life, and she had known him since he was four years old.’

‘We have both been mistaken in our assessment of more than one gentleman
recently, have we not? I believed that Bingley was going to make me an offer,
and you believed that Wickham was a gentleman and not a rogue.’

‘I believe that I have certainly mistaken Darcy, he could not have been
more charming and civil the three times that I met him. However, I refused him,
and that is the end of the matter. A gentleman like him would not ask a second
time.’

‘We Bennet girls do not appear to be successful where men are concerned.
Perhaps we are all destined to be still here when Mr Collins comes to take up
residence.’

‘We have already talked of this, I cannot see any way out of this
situation unless we are left a fortune by an unknown relative.’ Lizzy squeezed
her arm and they laughed together. The future would have to take care of
itself, there were more than enough problems to deal with in the present.

 
* * * *

Charles received a brief letter from Darcy a few days after his friend’s
sudden departure from Pemberley. He scanned the contents quickly. It said
little about why he had left or what he had been doing in London but asked him
to come to join him as there was something of importance he wished to discuss
and it could only be done in person. Georgiana was to be left in the capable
hands of her companion, Mrs Annesley, and he was to tell both his sisters that
as Darcy was not intending to return anytime soon, it would be better for them
to terminate their visit to Pemberley also.

He smiled grimly; it could not have been made more clear. Darcy no
longer wished Caroline to have free access to his home. He folded the letter
and pushed it into his waistcoat pocket to peruse in more detail at a later
time. Although he now saw both his sisters in a different light he had no wish
to cause them unnecessary hurt by this curt dismissal.

He would tell them Darcy was not returning and that Georgiana and her
companion were to go to stay with friends in Bath. They could hardly remain
alone in Pemberley under those circumstances. He immediately sought out Mrs
Annesley and explained what he required her to say and for some reason she
appeared delighted to be involved in the small deception.