“Of course,” he agreed, waving her into the chair opposite. Once she was perched before him, he could see that her clasped hands were white-knuckled, and although her expression was outwardly calm, she radiated tension.
“I have come to apologise,” she said. “I have been beside myself, trying to decide what is best. My position dictates a certain and exacting discretion, and yet, I was raised a God-fearing woman, and my conscience has always been my guide and one I could never betray. I donot know, however, if this wrongcanbe righted. I must assure you that I am prepared to accept whatever reprimand or consequence you choose to mete out, even the likelihood that my confession will result in my dismissal with my reputation in tatters.”
Darcy felt his brows raise in wonder. Miss Whitby had always been a quiet, tasteful personage, with perfect manner and graciousness. In fact, he often thought her more refined than Miss Bingley. What could she have done? And why had she come tohim? “Perhaps you would like to explain this wrong in more detail,” he said gravely.
“Oh, yes, of course. Excuse me, I am not usually subject to such nerves.” She took a deep breath. “Early last week, I discovered that Miss Bingley had hidden in her wardrobe a bottle of laudanum, one left by Mr Jones for Miss Bennet. Miss Elizabeth Bennet had refused its further use, saying it was of an unusual strength and far too overpowering for her sister, even that it caused delirium. I could not think why Miss Bingley would want it, but of course, her medicinal decisions are her own.” She wrung her hands in a twisting motion. “Then on Friday, I found that my mistress had decided to concoct her own liqueurs. This is a pastime quite foreign to her interests, and for some reason, my curiosity was roused. I could not help wondering what mischief she might be up to. I searched the stillroom, and found the bottle of laudanum in a cupboard, nearly empty. It is what I firmly believeshe was doing in that stillroom on Friday, Mr Darcy. Concocting a potion of port and laudanum and I am unsure what other ingredients.”
“Wait a moment,” Darcy interjected, horror filling him. “Are you saying that the cordials Miss Bingley served us Friday evening were laced withlaudanum?”
Miss Whitby’s shoulders straightened. “Yes, I fear so. I could hardly believe it. I told myself that it could not be. I suspected she had madesomethingwith the drug, but I doubted and dithered about what she meant to do with it. In retrospect, I ought to have done more, sooner. I grieve now my failure to do so.”
Darcy found himself speechless.Poisoned, practically, by Miss Bingley!But the woman had more to say.
“Something woke me in the night, and I rose and looked in on my mistress. Mr Darcy, you were in her bed! I knew at once that you had not joined her there of your own will. It was desperately difficult to wake you without waking Miss Bingley—I feared if she woke too, she would begin screaming and accusing you. But somehow, I got you out of her bed and out the door. I neglected, however, to ensure you made it safely back to your own chamber. I foolishly thought the business over and done with, Miss Bingley’s plot a failure with no one harmed. I was relieved, and slept the sleep of the just, while your happiness and Miss Elizabeth’s was ruined.”
A tear escaped her grey eyes, and then another. She fished about in her apron pocket for a handkerchief.Numb with bewilderment, Darcy handed her his own. Since he had been at Netherfield, he had been given a large room in the family wing. His room was three doors down from Miss Bingley’s. Bingley had insisted upon putting Miss Bennet, and thence Miss Elizabeth, in the family wing as well, in a suite of rooms that happened to be located another three doors from Miss Bingley’s—but in the opposite direction. In his befuddled condition, he must have turned the wrong way, ending up in Elizabeth’s bed instead of his own.
“With the benefit of hindsight, I can see all the errors I have made. I ought to have confronted my mistress when I suspected what she had concocted. I should have seen you safely to your room, instead of escaping safely to mine. I have clung to this position for my young brother’s sake, but he is a fine boy. He would be the first to tell me that his education is not worth my soul.”
Darcy swallowed, nearly overcome by the ghastly notion of waking to find himself in Caroline Bingley’s bed. What might have happened, had Whitby not intervened? He had never been overfond of Miss Bingley, but neither had he hated her; with the subsequent guilt and worry for his honour and reputation, who knew what he might have done to compensate? It was too repulsive a thought to even consider.
“Please, madam, you are not to berate yourself on my behalf any longer,” he said, as soon as he could speak. “I am grateful for your confession, as the explanation formy behaviour that night has been deeply troubling to me. I will tell you, just between the two of us, that I was already, before Friday, on the verge of offering for Miss Elizabeth, so far from ruining my happiness, you have saved it. I will do all in my power to ensure that her happiness does not suffer either. But Miss Bingley has much to answer for. I shall do my best to keep your name out of it, however. I owe you a debt of the first order, one that I shall never forget.”
She took a quivering breath. “I thank you for your kindness. I am grateful you were not harmed unduly, but if you must reveal to her my confession, I am prepared. In any case, I cannot continue to work for such a woman,” she said. “I shall be giving her my notice.”
“I understand. But I believe that very soon, she will be leaving, regardless, and it will not garner any particular attention if you choose not to accompany her. There is no reason for her to know of your involvement. Let it end here.”
Her shoulders straightened, and she smiled with visible relief. “Thank you, sir.”
When she stood, he did as well, bowing low, a sign of his respect. “I would ask one thing more of you. Might you bring me that laudanum bottle, if it is still available?”
“I believe it is yet where she left it. If so, I will bring it to you at once.”
12
PAYBACK IS A SWITCH
“She did what?” Bingley’s voice emerged in a near-shriek.
Calmly, Darcy explained, again, Miss Bingley’s plot to entrap him into marriage.
“You are certain, Darcy?”
“I am, absolutely.”
Bingley paced back and forth across the study where Darcy had summoned him after hearing Miss Whitby’s tale and, shortly thereafter, receiving the innocuous-looking brown bottle.
Bingley did not question the details or how he had come to learn of them, as Darcy had known he would not, even without mentioning Miss Whitby’s name or her role in his escape.
“What can I do?” he asked. “Caroline must answer for her actions. She will deny it, however, and refuse totake responsibility. I can remove her from my homes, send her back to Suffolk, to what—try her hand at capturing some other hapless victim? How can I prevent her?”
“I have a thought or two on that score,” Darcy said. “You control her fortune until she is thirty, and that is the greatest hold you have upon her. I would give her two options: The first, that she return to Suffolk to live on a mere fraction of her current allowance, making it a pittance she will find undesirable. Her other choice? That she becomes the faithful companion of Mrs Thomasina Darcy for the next two years without a word of complaint—not from her, not from Thomasina. If she agrees to this, if I were you, I would offer to relinquish supervision of her fortune and her life, once the obligation is fulfilled—several years before she could hope it otherwise.”
“But Caroline has never had any sense with money! She will likely lose the entire thing or marry foolishly within a few years! My father gave Louisa access to hers at the age of four and twenty, but he saw nothing except frivolous or even stupid conduct in Caroline.” Bingley paused. “Is this the aunt who spends part of every year abroad in, ahem, less fashionable locales?”
“Thomasina is my father’s cousin by marriage, not my aunt, but yes, she spends most of her time travelling the world. I believe she heads for the Levant come spring. She is eccentric, I suppose, but she has successfullyraised three strong-willed daughters and is one of the wisest women I know.”
“It does not seem right to inflict Caroline upon her,” Bingley muttered.
