They reached the entrance just as the carriage slowed in front of the house. Darcy stiffened when he recognised the occupant.
Caroline Bingley had arrived, uninvited and unaccompanied.
Immediately, he turned and sent a waiting maid to find Mr. Bingley. He signalled to his servants that they should notremove the lady’s trunks, as he had no intention of housing an unmarried woman who showed up uninvited, particularly not Caroline Bingley.
It was apparent the moment she saw Elizabeth standing on Darcy’s arm at the front entrance to Pemberley that she was furious. She scowled even as she struggled to paste on a smile when she looked at Darcy.
“Miss Bingley, we were not expecting you. Did you write to inform anyone of your intention to arrive?” Elizabeth asked pointedly.
Miss Bingley’s eyes narrowed. “My brother has an open initiation to Pemberley. When he wrote that he would spend the summer here with Mr. and Miss Darcy, I knew it was a plea for me to join him. I know how much my brother adores Miss Darcy and would want his family around him. What I do not understand is what you are doing here, Miss Eliza.” Her voice was saccharine and sweet, but her disdain at Elizabeth’s presence by Darcy’s side was evident.
Elizabeth and Darcy glanced at each other. Since Bingley was not known for being a particularly diligent correspondent, Darcy knew he would need to ask what and when he told his sister about their journey.
“Miss Bingley, you are correct thatyour brotherhas an open invitation to visit my homes. We are not prepared for additional company,” Darcy said, trying to mask his irritation.
Miss Bingley finally noticed that nothing had been done to remove her trunks from the back of the waiting carriage and that Darcy had not invited her into the house. “Will you not invite me in?” she asked, a simpering look on her face.
“You may enter the foyer, but you will not remain at Pemberley. Your brother has been summoned, and he will need to take you to the inn to arrange for you to reside there until you can continue your journey to wherever you intend to go. I have invited guests staying with me now, and I do not have a room to spare.”
That seemed to break through the woman’s veneer. “Do you mean to say that Eliza Bennet is a guest when I am not? How can that be? That woman’s tradesmen relations are welcome here, along with all her hoyden sisters, but I am not?”
“Miss Bingley, what you seem to have never realised is that I haveneverinvited you to any of my houses. You have always intruded upon your brother’s invitations. When you arrived with him, I had little choice but to accept your intrusion. I have never said anything out of politeness. However, arriving on my doorstep and expecting to be permitted to stay in this fashion is beyond the pale.”
“I suppose your impression of what is appropriate has changed since you have become engaged to this … this hoyden. I would be unsurprised if your relations do not question your sanity and demand you break the engagement.”
Darcy’s eyes narrowed in anger and suspicion. “What do you know of my engagement?” he asked, his voice quiet and dangerous. As usual, Miss Bingley was oblivious.
“Enough to know you are making a tremendous mistake,” she snapped, holding out one of the several missing letters he had written at Netherfield. She approached him in what she thought was a coy manner, fluttering her eyelashes at him. She grasped his arm not holding Elizabeth’s and attempted to pull him away from her. “The child she carries can be given a home, and youcan simply pay her off. You do not need to marry her. Eliza Bennet is not fit to marry a man like you. She is not worthy to be the mistress of Pemberley. Let me show you how much better suited I am to be your wife.”
Darcy felt Elizabeth shake next to him, and turned to comfort her, only to discover that she was struggling not to laugh at the lady’s obvious machinations. That helped to dampen his anger ever so slightly.
“Miss Bingley, had I had any second thoughts about allowing you to stay, even for a night, these scurrilous accusations have ensured you will never be welcome in any of my homes. Miss Bennet is a gentleman’s daughter, and her demeanour and manners are far more appropriate than any you have displayed.” He attempted to extricate himself from the lady’s grasp as he spoke, and it was almost comedic to see his attempt to retreat while she followed like an animal stalking her prey.
They all heard a noise behind him and saw Mr. Bingley and Jane Bennet arriving in the entryway, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner.
“Caroline, what in the blazes are you doing here? How did you even know I was here? I have not written to you since my first letter telling you of my return to Netherfield. In it, I clearly informed you that you were not invited to join me there.”
Again, Elizabeth and Darcy looked at each other, eyebrows raised, as they confirmed who was behind the missing post. If he had to guess, she had somehow bribed a servant at Netherfield to send her any letters he sent, but that still did not explain the missing messenger.
“Bingley,” Darcy interjected, “I was just telling your sister that she is not welcome to stay at Pemberley. You will need to escort her to the inn in Lambton. I do not care where she goes from there, but she is not welcome in any of my homes from this point on.” He did not bring up the missing letters yet, desiring to investigate further before he spoke to Bingley about the matter.
Bingley nodded and moved down the stairs, attempting to lead Caroline with him. That woman was clearly surprised at what was happening, refusing to believe that Darcy would not welcome her into his house.
After snatching the letters from her hand, Bingley glanced at them, frowned, and finally handed them to his friend before leading his protesting sister to the carriage, forcing her to enter before indicating to the coachman to depart.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
After services Sunday morning, Darcy spoke to the rector in Kympton. He invited him to join the family for tea that afternoon to discuss the matter further.
When that gentleman arrived for tea, he was joined by Darcy, Elizabeth, and both her uncles. They showed him the settlement and the permission signed by Mr. Bennet. The rector, Mr. Harris, knew Darcy to be an honourable gentleman who would not take advantage of his patronage to demand he break any laws. There was nothing obvious that would cause him to deny the licence, and so he agreed to marry the couple as early as Wednesday morning.
Elizabeth drew in a breath. “I believe Wednesday would be ideal, Mr. Harris. Thank you.”
Darcy laid a hand on top of Elizabeth’s. “Would nine in the morning suit?”
Mr. Harris merely nodded his agreement to both questions, and the other two gentlemen agreed with the plan. Mrs. Gardiner was sent for, and she, the rector, and the engaged couple spentanother half hour discussing the ceremony. When Mr. Harris took his leave, Darcy went to join Elizabeth’s uncles to seek out Bingley to learn what happened the previous night, while Mrs. Gardiner and Elizabeth invited Mrs. Reynolds, Georgiana, and Elizabeth’s sisters to join them in their planning for the wedding and the breakfast.
Bingley had only just arrived at Pemberley, after staying at the inn with his sister the previous night. After barely exchanging greetings, he quickly informed the others about what had transpired. “I cannot stay long. I need to escort my sister to Scarborough myself and see what I can do about arranging for her to stay with my aunts or to find her own house. I will also need to speak to my solicitors about turning her fortune over to her as I will no longer have her live with me,” Bingley said tersely after gulping down the whisky Darcy handed him.
