Page 40
From my discussions with various tenants, Cousin Bennet’s father was a good, diligent landlord, so I wonder what caused the son to become what he is.
When there is more news to share, I will.
With my warmest regards to you all at Collins Hollow,
William
“Well, if nothing else your cousin knows that what he was told about us is all wrong,” Ophelia remarked.
“True, but if he is as stubborn as William says Miss Elizabeth is, perhaps he will ignore the inconvenient truth,” Collins opined. “Given how indolent he is, I think he may cleave to the past lies about us because it is easier than having to admit the Bennets have been wrong.”
“Only time will tell,” Clem mused.
“Now we will wait to hear from William again. I wonder what the parts are he feels he cannot put in a letter,” Collins pondered.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The twenty miles took a little less than four hours of travel time. There had been a break at an inn for about an hour or so—with such a short distance Fitzwilliam was not fearful of the horses being pushed too hard. With that break, the coach arrived at Netherfield Park in the latter half of the afternoon.
Darcy had been looking out of the drawing room window, his back to the room, hands clasped behind his back, ignoring the prattling of Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley as best he could.
At first when he saw his spare carriage from Town being driven towards the manor house, he had thought he was imagining it; but on shaking his head, he could see it was very real. He panicked. Why should someone come in his conveyance? Had something terrible happened to Anna?
He turned to the room, and his stricken look caused even the pernicious sisters to stop speaking. “Bingley, will you accompany me?” Darcy requested.
“Mr Darcy, you do not look well; I will accompany you…” Miss Bingley began.
“No, thank you, Miss Bingley. I only need your brother in this,” Darcy said curtly, leaving no room to gainsay him. “Bingley, let us go.”
In the shock of being so spoken to, at first, Miss Bingley did not hear the crunch of carriage wheels in the drive. She sat with a pinched, outraged look on her countenance. Mrs Hurst did not hear anything either as she tried to soothe her sister’s bruised feelings.
Bingley stood and followed Darcy to the drive without stopping for outerwear.
Darcy practically ran to his coach as one of his footmen retracted the step and opened the door. His worry increased when he saw his cousin begin to alight. “My God, Richard! What happened to Anna?” Darcy demanded.
“My presence here is unconnected to our ward. When I saw her last, which was yester-evening when I had dinner at Matlock House, she was well. We do need to speak, and soon.” Fitzwilliam looked at the puppy who was with William. “Bingley, may I impose on your hospitality for a few days?”
“Of course, you are welcome for as long as you wish to remain here, Colonel,” Bingley agreed. “If you have your trunks brought in, I will have the housekeeper prepare the second bedchamber in Darce’s suite.” With that, he was off.
Fitzwilliam walked around the other side of the coach, where they would not be seen by those in the house. He had not missed the social climbing sisters staring out of the one window. As he had expected his cousin would, Darcy followed Fitzwilliam to the other side of the carriage.
“Richard, why are you…oof.” Darcy felt his cousin’s fist connect with his belly. “What the bloody hell was that for?”
“For being a rude, insulting, unmannered man. How could you insult someone at that assembly the day you arrived?” Fitzwilliam growled. He planted another fist to his cousin’s belly just after the latter was standing straight up again. “That is for my having to hear from another that the wastrel is here and in the militia no less!”
“How?” Darcy managed as he fought to recover his breath.
“That is immaterial. The salient fact is that you did not tell me. We will not discuss this here; we will speak in the suite. I assume there is a sitting room?” He saw his cousin nod while he grimaced from the two blows he had received. “Come, we need to go thither.”
As he followed Richard, Darcy could not imagine when he insulted anyone. He stopped on the veranda just before the front doors as he remembered his words to Bingley at the assembly. If it was that, how the devil did Richard know?
Chapter 16
Even though he disliked them intensely, Fitzwilliam entered the drawing room to greet Bingley’s sisters. Unsurprisingly, Hurst was asleep, snoring on a chaise longue.
“Colonel, how good it is to host some more people at our level of society,” Miss Bingley cooed. She saw his arrival as an opportunity. She would never marry a poor second son, even the son of an earl. However, if she let Mr Darcy think she had transferred her affections to his cousin, the man she truly wanted to marry would become jealous and finally do his duty and offer for her. Miss Bingley was about to begin her campaign when the colonel spoke.
“Come, William, we have family business,” Fitzwilliam said firmly. He hoped that the harpies would understand that did not include them, especially the younger shrew.
