“Yes, and Mrs. Gardiner told me a few things about the woman. I have already tasked one footman to be on guard outside Miss Bingley’s chambers and another stationed in the family wing. There will be others in the servants’ passages in that wing,and I have informed the staff that the lady’s maid is to be escorted everywhere. Neither she nor Miss Bingley will be able to go anywhere within the grounds of Pemberley without being observed by someone.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Reynolds. I intended to ask you to do exactly as you have already done. As usual, it seems you have anticipated my thoughts and ensured that everything is taken care of as it should be. Please have someone assigned to serve Miss Bingley all her meals, as I do not wish for her to join the family at those times either. She will have to attend church with us in the morning, but she will ride with her brother in their carriage, not in mine. They will not sit in our pew; it will be full on the morrow,” Darcy finished.
“I met the woman only briefly, but she is the sort to cause trouble, if allowed. Her brother will have a time finding someone to marry her, and she obviously wishes it to be you or someone like you. I will ensure your father is well looked after as well, though I do not think she would try anything with him. Your father would refuse to marry her even if she managed a compromise, as he still views himself as married to your mother,” Mrs. Reynolds said, flushing when she realised how bold she had been in speaking to the almost-master about a guest, even one who was uninvited.
No one saw Bingley again until that evening. It was obvious from his demeanour that he had a difficult afternoon while speaking with his sister. “Darcy, I cannot say enough how sorry I am for my sister’s actions. She was quite displeased to learn that she would not be able to ingratiate herself into your presence and was livid when the maid arrived to bring her the meal. I was unfortunately passing by her room when the maid scurried out of the room, carrying the ruined tray. Caroline will not besatisfied until she has made a fool of herself. I am astonished that the younger sister I once knew could have turned into such a harpy, but I am afraid that school did more to ruin her than to help her.”
Darcy, who was sitting with Elizabeth, stood and clasped his friend on the shoulder in silent acceptance. “Has she entered society yet?”
Bingley shook his head. “No. Our mourning for our father has only just ended. That is why Louisa is finally to marry; she and Gilbert Hurst preferred to wait until the mourning period was over, so no one thought ill of us for rushing things. Caroline finished at the girls’ school my father enrolled her in just this past spring and has decided, based on what she had heard me say, that you are the ideal suitor to raise her standing within the ton. She was insistent that once you met her, you would be convinced she is the perfect woman to become the mistress of such a grand estate.”
“After her behaviour today, especially arriving as she did, it is unlikely I would have ever considered her for such a position. It is likely I will soon be in mourning myself and do not intend to seek a bride for several more years. When I do, it will be with a woman I can genuinely care for and who values me more for myself than for Pemberley,” Darcy told him. “From the look in her eye when she stepped down from her carriage, Miss Bingley desires Pemberley for itself, and could not care less about the man who comes with it.”
At this, Elizabeth trilled a light, happy laugh. “I am uncertain about that, William. I noticed her expression when she first saw you. While she might be eager to take Pemberley regardless of its owner, she certainly seemed quite taken with your handsome appearance this afternoon.”
When Darcy’s face turned a brilliant shade of red, Elizabeth laughed cheerfully again. After a moment of stunned surprise, first Bingley, then Darcy joined her in the laughter. The Gardiners and the elder Mr. Darcy were surprised at the sounds they heard coming from the room when they joined the young people.
“Here now,” the elder Mr. Darcy said insistently, “what is the cause of all of this mirth? I expected to find the lot of you in an ill-humour after our unexpected arrival, and while I am pleased to find you in good spirits, I am curious to know what caused it.”
For some reason, this statement made Bingley laugh harder and it was Darcy who finally found his voice and responded to his father. “It is probably not that amusing, sir, but Miss Elizabeth here mentioned how pleased Miss Bingley was at my appearance. It disconcerted me somewhat, and then we all found it rather amusing.”
Elizabeth’s uncle frowned. “Were you impolite, Elizabeth?”
Elizabeth shook her head, but before she could defend herself, Darcy interjected. “Not at all, sir. I usually find Miss Elizabeth’s opinions and her direct way of expressing them quite refreshing, and that was certainly the case this time as well. She simply caught me by surprise, that is all. She is a remarkably astute young lady, very skilled at reading others and getting to the heart of the matter.”
Gardiner merely nodded, eyeing the young man and his niece for several long moments. Concluding nothing was amiss, he continued: “Bingley, how was your conversation with your sister? I gather that she was not pleased to learn her machinations would not work?”
Once again, Bingley hung his head slightly and shook it as though to clear a memory. “I am convinced that school did her no favours. Caroline believes that a man will overlook her status as a tradesman’s daughter and wish to marry her for her accomplishments and her fortune. While that might be true in some cases, almost all the men she desires to wed—for she believes she is destined for a wealthy gentleman at least, if not a member of the peerage—would find it difficult to accept her as a bride, unless he direly needed that fortune, due to her status as the daughter of a tradesman. Forgive me, I do not mean to speak ill of anyone, but I know, Darcy, that were it not for your friendship with me, I would not be as accepted as I am in society. There are simply too many well-dowered and much better-connected women available for men like you to choose from. Caroline has little to offer a man like you, but you are precisely the kind of man she desires.”
“As I said earlier, Bingley, your sister is the opposite of what a man like me wants in a wife. And that has little to do with her status,” Darcy replied.
“Let us change the topic to a more pleasant one,” Mrs. Gardiner interjected, believing this conversation had gone on long enough. “Mr. Bingley, you are to depart on Monday for your sister’s wedding, are you not?” At his nod, she continued. “Then we should make tonight’s dinner something of a farewell. I have a feeling tomorrow will be eventful. Your gardeners warned of a summer storm on the morrow and informed me and the children that they are a sight to behold.”
With this, the conversation turned more general, and the topic of Caroline Bingley was avoided for the rest of the evening. The party soon moved to the dining room, where they enjoyed asumptuous meal, before retiring to the music room, where Mrs. Gardiner and Elizabeth both graced the party with music.
Chapter Ten
That night was the last dinner with Mr. George Darcy. The summer storm that came through late Saturday night and lasted into Sunday morning prevented the party at Pemberley from attending church. Miss Bingley was seriously displeased by her stay at the grand estate and left with her brother the following day. She expected a far greater welcome than what she had endured, having believed she could use her brother’s welcome to engender her own. She did not seem to understand that her actions would make others view her as grasping and impolite and so was unable to account for how they treated her or why her brother was angry at her now.
The elder Mr. Darcy suffered from a summer cold, caused by the dampness of the storm on the Sabbath. When he did not stir from his bed after two days, the apothecary was summoned from Lambton. His son was saddened to hear the dampness appeared to have settled into his father’s lungs, more so when he began to worsen quickly. Within a fortnight of his first acquiring the cold, the elder Mr. Darcy passed from this earth, rejoining his wife for whom he had pined since her own death eight years previously.
However little he liked it, Mr. Gardiner found it necessary to leave Pemberley to return to London only a few days after his friend became ill. He had spoken to both Darcy men and explained the circumstances, during which the elder Darcy asked the tradesman to help his son as he made the transition to master.
“Fitzwilliam is well prepared for the task of managing Pemberley, however little he may believe it himself. In truth, he has been the one making decisions for Pemberley for the last several years, despite his being in school. I have only assisted though my son believes it to have been the opposite. He has proven to be a good judge of character, and I was a fool for not believing him about George Wickham sooner than I did. I am sorry he nearly injured your niece, but I am glad that his actions brought my family together with yours,” the elder Darcy said, his words slow as he attempted to say to his friend what desperately needed to be said.
He turned his eyes toward his son, who was sitting on the other side of him. “Fitzwilliam, you are a good man, and you will do well. You saw through George Wickham when I did not. My own opinions of him were coloured by the belief that he was more like his father than he turned out to be. After … after your mother died, it was simply easier to be with George than it was to be with you. You … you reminded me so much of your mother, and I was lost without her. Young George was lively and jovial where you were serious. I know you were affected by the loss of your mother just as much as I, but it was difficult. Regardless of the reason, I should have tried harder to be the father you needed and should have trusted your word. Forgive me,” he pleaded.
“Of course, Father,” young Darcy replied.
“After I am gone, you must lean on Mr. Gardiner and your uncle, allowing them to advise you. Be cautious of those who would use you; your friend Bingley is a good man, but I fear the influence of his sister and what it may do to him. I have told you before that I think Miss Gardiner is well suited to you; despite her youth, I think she will make you an ideal wife in a few years.”
When Gardiner made a small noise in surprise, the dying man stopped to look at his friend. “You and I have spoken of the matter, Gardiner. Elizabeth is just fifteen at present but is far older in spirit than her years indicate. I am not suggesting that the two of them wed at this moment, but in two or three years, when they are older and if they both wish it, I believe they would do well together. Since I know how thetoncan be, I have left your niece a legacy of fifteen thousand pounds. Use the interest from the funds to provide for her education and other necessities as she grows older. I have asked my sister, Lady Matlock, to sponsor her when it is time for her to debut in society, and if she cannot help you, she will find someone who can. I am uncertain whether she will be able to be presented, though if she becomes Mrs. Darcy as I hope, she would be presented then. Regardless, the Matlocks will support my son’s decision to wed her, should he one day decide to do so.”
“Mr. Darcy, this is too much: both the legacy and the suggestion of my niece marrying your son. They are not of the same status; surely you do not expect Fitzwilliam to agree to this,” Gardiner protested.
“Mr. Gardiner, my father and I have spoken of this before. Your niece is a gentleman’s daughter; therefore, I would not be marrying below my station. With the legacy from my father, which is a surprise to me, she will be the equal of many in society, certainly the superior to a woman such as Miss Bingley. I consider Miss Elizabeth a friend, and while she and I are too young to truly consider marriage at this time, I am not averse to the match should she prove amenable at a more appropriate time. I question my father’s certainty that she is the ideal bride for me, but I believe she needs time to grow up before either of us are asked to decide.”
Gardiner nodded, unsure how to react for a few moments. As he sat there contemplating the matter, a slow grin began to break out across his face. “Actually, I can easily imagine my niece wed to you, Fitzwilliam. She has a knack for encouraging you to be livelier than you might otherwise, and she is constantly challenging you. Without her in your life, you would be set upon by ladies who would agree with everything you say, whereas Elizabeth would argue with you for the mere joy of it.”
