Page 13 of The Vanished Bennet Sister

Mrs Bingley waited until the carriage had long exited the Bennets townhouse before she spoke. This was characteristic of her: she gathered intelligence patiently and often deployed it at a moment of her own choosing.

"The house does not belong to them," she declared. "I had suspected it before today and now it's been confirmed."

"What could possibly cause you to suspect that?"

"I heard it first from Mrs Feagan, who is quite alert to the goings on in Town. Her cook’s sister is in service at the Bennet townhouse and the name Mr Thwaite has been mentioned in connection with the property. The information seemed reliable, but I wished to confirm it myself."

"What else do you know?"

"That the true owner, Mr Louis Thwaite, had offered the townhouse to the family for the season, as he is courting the third daughter, a Miss Mary Bennet. He has two properties in London, apparently. This is the lesser one, but just as considerable." She tucked the dangling cord of her reticule further in. "The comfortable establishment we witnessed was the suitor’s doing more than the Bennets’ own."

"That is unusual."

"Quite so," Mrs Bingley affirmed with a victorious grin.

"But it is not an uncommon arrangement for a family visiting for the duration of the season. There are more scandalous ones."

"That may be true, but it does suggest that without Mr Thwaite's generosity, their circumstances would present rather differently."

The carriage moved along the street. The pavement was wet from earlier drizzle and a fishmonger's boy was crossing at the far end of the crossing with a basket slung over each arm.

"As you well know, I spoke to Mrs Bennet at some length," Mrs Bingley continued. "She appears to inhabit a household more than she manages one. The difference is not always visible at first glance, but it becomes apparent when one asks the right questions. She could not tell me the names of the kitchen staff, nor whether the wine cellar was stocked for the year or en route to be delivered. She ignored any talk of home ownership in town and grew most animated when speaking of the wallpaper or chandelier, which tells one something."

"It tells you that she finds them beautiful," Darcy said. "Which they are."

"Yet it reveals that she’s in constant awe of her surroundings as a guest rather than a mistress. A woman who runs her own establishment does not marvel at her own chandeliers. In addition, Mrs Bennet is perfectly pleasant, well-meaning and rather transparent. She has a clear ambition for her daughters, which she conceals with no success."

"I presume you think your son ought to reconsider."

"I believe Charles ought to be better informed before he proceeds any further. Miss Bennet may be a lovely creature, but lovely girls of uncertain means and mothers of limited circumspection are not rarities. My son can afford to be more deliberate about his choice of wife."

Darcy considered mentioning that long deliberations had never been among Bingley's most reliable qualities, before deciding doing so would serve no one.

Mrs Bingley cleared her throat. "Additionally, there is the matter of Mr Thwaite himself. He is well talked of in the better circles. He’s a man of considerable fortune and influence. Lord Holbrook mentioned him at dinner a few times, and you know he does not mention people idly. And his wife passed away some time ago. He is unattached at present."

"He is in the process of courting Miss Mary Bennet."

"He is in the process of tending to Mary Bennet and her family’s needs during the duration of the season only. Whether that constitutes a settled courtship or a man testing the waters remains to be seen." Her countenance had taken on a most energised appearance. She had identified an opportunity and was now turning it over to examine all its facets. "He has a fortune, a desirable position in society, and no wife. Caroline is accomplished, beautiful, and of a good family. If the introduction could be managed—"

"Mrs Bingley."

"—through natural means with nothing contrived…it is merely a situation a mother facilitates as a matter of course when she has a daughter due to marry…"

"Mr Thwaite's interests appear to be engaged elsewhere."

"Interests can be redirected. Caroline is not without resources when she chooses to deploy them. She is clever and she understands men of a serious disposition. A little attention, the right conversation at the right moment—" She broke off with a small, satisfied sound, arriving at an idea she found pleasing. "It would be a splendid sight. It really would. Thwaite's connections alone would be of notable worth, quite apart from the fortune, and Caroline at three-and-twenty is beginning to find that the available field of prospects has more blemishes than she initially planned. A different approach must be considered."

"Such as?"

"I shall look into the possibilities. There is a dinner event at Lady Worth's later in the week. I shall see whether Mr Thwaite is expected to attend. It would be a natural enough occasion for introduction."

Darcy bit back the words of criticism he was about to say, deciding it would be lost on Mrs Bingley anyway. She had already decided on what scheming path to take. Moreover, her stratagems for Caroline were her own affair; he was not required to assist them, and would not.

He separated from Mrs Bingley at the Bingley townhouse door and returned to his own carriage for the short drive home.

The stores outside flew by in accordance with the vehicle. He embraced the feeling of being unrooted and allowed himself to think. The earlier events were part of the more consistent features of any morning spent in Mrs Bingley's company.

It was not that Mrs Bingley's assessment troubled him. It provided clarification in fact.