Elizabeth was firm. “Ask Charles to send for Mrs. Hurst. She must question Caroline. If anything is to be done, it must be done quickly.”
Jane whispered, “She complained about the kippers this morning and left the table without eating. Charles defended her, and I walked out, hurt by his desertion. If her complaints spring from pregnancy, then it explains much.”
“You must speak to Charles at once,” Elizabeth urged.
Jane nodded. “I shall. We will tell him together.”
She rang the bell, and when the maid appeared, she said, “Pray ask Mr. Bingley to come to me in the yellow saloon.”
Moments later, Bingley entered, contrition plain upon his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but Jane took his hand. “Charles, Lizzy has something to say to you.”
Elizabeth closed the door after him and then spoke gravely. “Charles, when I walked in the garden this morning, I met Miss Bingley. When she turned to speak, I saw that her abdomen was swollen. She appears to be expecting a child. She has always been slim, yet her figure has altered. Do you think it is possible?”
Color rose to Bingley’s cheeks. “You believe my sister may be expecting a child?” He began to pace.
Jane added. “This morning, she became angry with me because I served kippers and your favorite cheese. Expectant women can become ill with certain odors.”
Elizabeth said, “Perhaps Mrs. Hurst can ask your sister about her condition.”
Bingley sighed. “Yes. Louisa will need to question Caroline. I will send for her at once.” He looked to Jane. “Darling, I am sorrythat Caroline’s indiscretion is going to disrupt your Christmas dinner party, but Louisa likes you, and Hurst is a quiet man. At least their presence will not be disruptive, and they may even keep Caroline restrained.”
Chapter 49: Ruined
Mr. and Mrs. Hurst arrived before luncheon on Christmas Day.
Louisa inquired of Charles, “Where is our sister?”
“She has not left her rooms this morning,” he replied, “and she refused a tray.”
Louisa went upstairs to Caroline’s chamber and found her kneeling next to the commode chair, vomiting into the chamber pot. She lifted her head and looked at her sister.
“My stomach is empty,” she groaned. “There is nothing left to bring up.”
Louisa stood frozen in the doorway, her face paling as the truth became undeniable.
Louisa shut the door behind her and crossed to where Caroline lay slumped beside the commode. She drew a chair near and spoke quietly.
“Caroline, you are with child. Is it Lord Dunwich’s?”
Caroline buried her face in her hands and began to weep. “Yes. I told him, and he laughed at me. He said there were wagers laid at every club in town as to how long it would be before he ruined me.”
Louisa swore softly. “He is a wicked, cold-hearted man. Did he refuse you outright?”
Caroline sobbed harder. “He laughed, bowed, and walked away. That was his answer.”
Louisa slipped down from her chair to kneel beside her sister. “I am sorry he has proved such a monster. He has a handsome face that deceives women, and he will continue to deceive them. But now we must consider what needs to be done. Charles must find you a husband. One of our cousins, perhaps. With your dowry, someone will take you.”
Caroline shook her head. “I am too far along. No gentleman nor tradesman will want another’s child as his heir.”
Louisa rose. “If there were a widower with his heir secured, perhaps. Yet I know of none. I will speak to Charles. He may know of some gentleman in straitened circumstances who would accept you with child for the sake of your fortune.”
Her steps down the passage were brisk, but her thoughts were dark. Caroline had made her life miserable since she was a young girl. Blessed with a fine figure, bright copper red hair, and a lovely alabaster complexion, Caroline had drawn the attention of men since she was fifteen, and she had taken every opportunity to belittle her shorter, heavier elder sister. She had mocked Louisa’s marriage to Mr. Hurst as if it were a poor bargain. “Well, sister,” Louisa muttered to herself, “at least I have a husband, and one day he will inherit.”
By the time she reached Charles’s study, her anger was hot. She entered without ceremony. “Charles, Caroline has got herself with child. Lord Dunwich is the father. We warned her. Hurst told her plainly that wagers were laid at White’s on the loss of her virtue, but she would not listen. Now she is already showing. She must be married. Unless you know of a widower in straightened circumstances whose heir is secured, she must be given to one of our cousins. One will take her for her dowry, if nothing else.”
Charles stared at her, stunned. “I shall take her to Yorkshire and find her a husband among our relations. Louisa, will you come?”
Louisa hesitated, then sighed. “Yes. She says she is sick every morning. You will need to ride, Charles, to give her privacy. I will stay by her in the carriage. We should leave tomorrow morning.”
