“Indeed, yes.” I poured myself a healthy portion of port and settled into a seat near him.
“Is this your first visit to Pemberley?”
“Yes, I have been living in Calabria. The culture there is quite disparate from England.”
“Oh? How does it differ?”
“One significant variance is the prevailing view towards adultery.”
His head snapped up towards me, and a slight tremor afflicted his hand. He set the glass down in a hasty, jerking motion.
Ah, the man wore his heart upon his sleeve. I sipped the liquor. “This port is excellent—so rich and delicious. Do you not agree?”
“What? Oh…um…yes, Darcy’s port is very good.”
“Now what was I speaking of? Oh yes. In the neighbourhood where I live, men do not conceal their mistresses, and the local society places no stigma on such illicit affairs. In contrast, Englishman are expected to show more discretion. Notwithstanding, even in Calabria, keeping a mistress opens one up to certain risks.”
Mr. Bingley straightened his back and sat at the edge of his chair. “What sort of risks?”
“Besides the possible consequences of creating an unwanted child or contracting what the English like to call ‘the French disease’, a married gentleman who takes a mistress often creates unhappiness and jealousy. I am aware of several cases in which a jealous lover has committed murder in a fit of rage.”
A forced, humourless laugh came from him. “Such extreme occurrences must be rare. I have not heard of any instances such as you described reported in the newspapers in recent memory, and yet countless gentlemen in England keep mistresses.”
I met his gaze with a sombre aspect. “In many of these cases, the deaths are reported as accidents or illnesses to spare the families involved from scandal.”
The colour drained from his complexion. He rubbed at the back of his neck, and beads of perspiration dotted his forehead. “Even so, those who would commit such extreme crimes must have been prone to violence. A wise gentleman would avoid such people.”
“In certain cases, violence is not provoked until the person is faced with deception and betrayal from the one person they loved and trusted above all others. In those poor souls, their anger is often overshadowed by the tremendous anguish they feel.”Pshaw, now that we arrived at the heart of the matter, his mind closed up like a clam. I must take action to obtain more information. I pointed to his hand. “That is an unusual signet ring. May I take a closer look at it?”
“Yes, certainly.” He pulled the gold band off and gave it to me.
I palmed the offering, then held it up for my inspection. A flood of knowledge and images became available to me before I returned the ring. “You may be unaware of this, but I have a gift that allows me a particular form of insight into people. So, I am in a position to provide pertinent advice.”
“Indeed? That is…fascinating, to be sure.” He leaned forwards, putting weight upon his feet. “But it is rather late, and I believe I ought to—"
“Pray wait one minute.”
His mouth wavered in an open position. “Yes, very well.” He sat back down and quaffed from his glass.
“For instance, I am aware that while you have not yet been unfaithful to Mrs. Bingley, you are carrying on a flirtation with a certain attractive widow who resides in the West End of London.”
Mr. Bingley sputtered and coughed, gagging on the spirits he had attempted to swallow. “How…how do you know this?”
“I understand your wife, the former Miss Jane Bennet, is Elizabeth’s elder sister. Mrs. Bingley is a beautiful, caring, and gentle lady, and you must know she would never act out in violence towards you, not even if she learned you had betrayed her.”
Taking a handkerchief from his pocket, he wiped his mouth and dabbed at his forehead. “What do you want from me?”
“My intent is to help you.” Of course, I should not scruple to employ exaggeration as I conveyed my point. “Your wife is far too generous to ever blame you for taking a mistress. Instead, she would place every jot of the culpability upon herself. She would be convinced that for you to take this step meant she had failed you as a wife. As charming as Mrs. Bingley may be, she does not have a high opinion of herself. She is cognisant of her lack of accomplishments compared to many ladies of theton.The one area she takes pride in is being an exemplary wife and mother. Faced with this irrefutable proof of her deficiency, she would be unable to endure the shame. With the certainty that you would be better off without her, she would take her own life.”
A choking sound squeaked from him.
“And just to illustrate my earlier point, the death would be reported as an accident or sudden illness. I cannot imagine you would want to tell Darcy and your wife’s dearest sister, Elizabeth, that Mrs. Bingley took her own life because she discovered you had a mistress.”
“No! I do not believe you. Not my dear, beautiful Jane! She would never harm any living creature, much less herself. Never, I tell you!”
“Your frequent trips to town have already aroused your wife’s suspicion. She has hidden away a small but lethal supply of arsenic in case she may need it.”
He gasped. “She suspects I have betrayed her?”
