Page 18 of The Vanished Bennet Sister

"A man of the country, then."

"Through and through."

Mrs Bingley adjusted on the sofa. "Did I ever mention what a delightful room this is? It improves with every visit. You have arranged it beautifully, Mrs Bennet."

"You are very kind. I have made one or two small improvements. I moved the settee, changed the arrangement of the flowers and I think it does look rather well now."

"It does indeed. Although I must say, the house itself does much of the work. The proportions are so generous. One does not often find rooms of quite this size in a London property. The ceilings especially."

"Are they not wonderful?" Mrs Bennet was delighted to agree. "I said so the moment we arrived. I have never seen ceilings like them in a private house."

"And you have leased it for the duration of the Season? You intend to remain in Town through May, perhaps?"

"We had thought May, yes, or perhaps into June if the season warrants it." For a second, Mrs Bennet appeared flustered before the expression melted away. "That has not been decided yet."

"Well, I hope to see more of you before the time for departure, dear friend." Mrs Bingley set down her cup. "Now tell me what you thought of Lady Montague's arrangements last Thursday. I thought the supper room was too small for the number of guests, but perhaps I am simply too accustomed to…"

Elizabeth stopped listening closely and turned inwards to her own mind.

Mrs Bingley’s questions never arrived in clusters. That was what she had begun to notice, not on this visit only, but looking back across the preceding calls. They came at intervals, separated by enough ordinary conversation to give them the appearance of casual enquiry rather than systematic extraction.

The glasshouse. Her father's health and habits. The duration of the lease and the flexibility of it, which also came on an earlier occasion, woven into admiration of the wallpaper. Each question taken individually was unremarkable. But together, they produced a compelling image.

She was still considering that when Mrs Bingley said:

"I ought to mention, since I know there can sometimes be awkwardness when one's children move in the same circles, Caroline has attracted a very promising suitor. A Mr Anstruther, from Northumberland. She is quite settled in that direction."

Mrs Bennet brightened immediately. "How delightful! Then she is no rival to my girls. I will confess, dearest Lavinia, that it had crossed my mind—not that I suspected you of anything—but when one has daughters to see married, one cannot help but notice the field."

"Of course one notices, but you may rest easy. We are friends, you and I, with no complications of that variety between us. It is so much more pleasant to enjoy a friendship without those considerations in the way."

Elizabeth was troubled by the conversation, but she did not express it. Instead, she ruminated over what was said about Caroline Bingley and the Northumberland suitor. She was not convinced by Mr Bingley’s account and thus examined it at length in order to find the point of inconsistency.

Caroline Bingley was at least five-and-twenty. She often arranged herself in proximity to Mr Darcy with an interest that was neither casual nor concealed. She was beautiful, accomplished and moved through rooms with great confidence and ambition.

That she had secured, in the current season, a serious suitor from Northumberland who was relatively unknown was quite unusual. Whether Mr Anstruther of Northumberland existed, Elizabeth could not say. What she could say was that the revelation of his existence served a purpose most useful to Mrs Bingley.

The moment appeared poised to confirm to Mrs Bennet that the two women were allies, not competitors, and that Mrs Bingley's interest in the Bennet family was completely friendly.

The visit concluded forty minutes later. When the Bingley carriage had departed and her mother had retreated into the pleasant afterglow of an afternoon spent to her satisfaction, Elizabeth went to find Jane.

Her sister listened patiently, a speculative look on her face. "She is quite pleasant."

"I did not say she was not."

"You said she asks a great many questions."

"She does. Noticeably so."

"People make enquiries, Lizzy. It is how one gets to know a family."

"She asked about the lease. I cannot imagine why she would need that information."

Jane arranged her needlework in her lap. "It is a natural enough enquiry, when one visits a friend's house."

"But to ask about the duration of the lease? And whether Papa intended to join us before the season concluded?"

"Mama may have encouraged her to ask that. She does speak freely about Papa."