“You are as bad as my brother,” Mrs Hurst chided from the window seat, where she and Mr Hurst were carefully avoiding any discussion of Elizabeth and Darcy’s wedding. “The Richmond Room for a perfect stranger, Jane? And I must agree with my sister, I do not approve of these pretentious names you gave your guest rooms.”
Mrs Hurst was primarily displeased with her brother for having sent Miss Bingley away. Early in the morning the day before, Charles had demanded that Captain Arundel take Caroline to London to stay with his mother until their wedding. Darcy had no interest in punishment, nor to confront Miss Bingley; only never to see her again, and her brother felt that he could manage some months, if not a year or more, before he suffered another visit from his youngest sister. He had no intention of seeing her again before her wedding day in six months. Louisa Hurstwishedto be with her sister when she was planning her wedding, but Mr Hurst would not open his London house, preferring the hospitality of his brother-in-law whenever it was available, and so Mrs Hurst was in low spirits and feeling snappish.
Jane looked up with interest at the exchange between Mrs Bingley and her housekeeper.New characters? How interesting.She was sitting with her hostess and Elizabeth, discussing the planning of the wedding.
She had never been so pleased in her life as when she woke the morning after the dinner with the Gardiners to findElizabeth jumping upon her bed, excitedly waking her to tell her friend that she was engaged, that she had just returned from an early walk with her betrothed, who was now on his way to speak with her father even before breakfast.
“I cannot thank you enough, Jane!” Elizabeth threw her arms around her friend. “You were so certain, and you said just the right thing to obtain Mr Darcy’s attention!”
Elizabeth proceeded to tell her about Charles sending Miss Bingley and her betrothed away at dawn, and the story of the forged message. “What is more, Charles sent my sister Jane’s maid, Mrs Chambers, and Mrs Nicholls into Caroline’s room while he was speaking to her in the study. Her maid was detained downstairs in the servants’ hall, and theyfoundmy original note in a drawer with several other stolen letters! Charles says that she always liked to keep things like that as trophies, she has been caught with little collections of them before!”
“Shocking!” Jane had said, quite honestly. She never expected the answer to the mystery to be so sordid.
“But we haveyouto thank for exposing it, Jane! Darcy agrees, you shall be godmother to our first child!” Elizabeth beamed. “And by the by, Georgiana told me about your plot for my sister Mary last night. It was kind of you to suggest it. Georgiana was exceedingly pleased to participate in such a sisterly endeavour, and Mary seemed so happy with her appearance. She looked simplywonderful! I wish you could have seen how much attention she received from Mr Rupert Hurst after you retired. He simply hung on her every word all night.”
Jane smiled, infected with Elizabeth’s lively happiness.Thereis the bloom in her cheeks. I would wager she slept well last night for the first time in months.
Three quarters of an hour after Mrs Nicholls brought the news, Charles and the men returned from their ride with an entirely ordinary looking gentleman and his sister, a pretty young lady, both with elegant London airs, and in exceedingly fashionable attire.
Mrs Bennet would never have considered leaving before herdaughter was faced with welcoming even more unexpected house guests. It would have been kind of her to do so, but her nature was such that she could not leave without being the first in Meryton with all of the facts. Her sister Gardiner had arrived with her, and so was waiting for her to leave, and Mrs Phillips, no different than Mrs Bennet, had not thought of moving from her seat.
“Hullo everyone, I would like to introduce you all to an old school acquaintance of mine and his sister! Mr Henry Crawford, of Everingham in Norfolk and London, and his sister, Miss Crawford. Crawford was in my year at Cambridge, though we ran in different sets.” Bingley proceeded to acquaint the Crawfords with everyone present.
Jane observed that Mrs Bennet was over the moon at the sight of such a well-dressed, unmarried gentleman. She could nearly see the thoughts churning in the lady’s head, and she knew she could predict every single one accurately. Mrs Bennet was thinking that it was still necessary to learn the particulars of his situation, but men without money did not dress as peacocks, did they? These siblings were exceedingly well turned out. Mrs Bennet looked about the room for her daughters. In the corner, Mary was in yet another pretty gown pressed on her by Miss Darcy, but she was all eyes for Mr Hurst, the rector from the Lake District; the one that was brother-in-law to Mrs Hurst. Perhaps that was for the best.
No; Jane and Mrs Bennet both knew that just because Miss Darcy had persuaded Mary to wear blue, did not mean she would be used to gain such a man’s attention. Jane waited patiently and watched while Mrs Bennet settled on Kitty.
Well at eighteen, the girl is of an age to marry.Jane would have to see how Mr Crawford and Miss Kitty got along.
“Mr Crawford, do tell us about your estate in Norfolk. Everingham, you say?” Mrs Bennet offered the man the opportunity to tell them about himself.
“Indeed, Mrs Bennet, and I am exceedingly proud of some improvements I made to it just after leaving school.” Mr Crawford took a seat next to his sister on a settee. “I spent my years at university forming a plan to improve my profit, and when I met my majority I set to it, and organised the endeavour in under three months. Now, my uncle wishesto move a friend into his house whose presence will make my unmarried sister’s situation delicate, and so I am escorting her to the home of our elder sister, Mrs Grant, who is the wife of a parson in Northamptonshire.”
Jane’s head snapped up.Northamptonshire?That county was the setting of her current work of writing,Mansfield Park. Jane studied the newcomers carefully.I must watch these two closely.
“And how do you find the country in Norfolk, Mr Crawford?” Mrs Bennet exclaimed. “Tell me, are the views and landscapes in Norfolk well worth seeing? My daughter Kitty is quite the artist. She simply loves to sketch and draw! Do you have anything worthy of my dear Kitty’s pencils in Norfolk, sir? Kitty, where is your sketchbook?”
“You would not allow me to bring it in the carriage, Mama.” Kitty looked at her mother in surprise. Since when did Mrs Bennet callherto attention?
Mrs Bennet then not-so-subtly probed for the information she was looking for, and received all of it. Somehow, over the next quarter hour, the lady managed to get the young man and young woman to tell her everything about themselves.
Miss Lydia was quite taken with Mr Crawford. His looks were well enough, but it was his dark red coat that excited her. Charles and Mr Darcy dressed very well, but Lydia had never seen a gentleman not in the army as colourfully dressed as Mr Crawford.
“La! Mr Crawford, I declare that you have the finest coat of any gentleman in the room. I have always admired dark red, so very becoming!”
“Why, thank you Miss… I do beg your pardon, but there are so many people present. What was your name again?”
Bingley cleared his throat and said, “Crawford, this is my wife’syoungestsister. Miss Lydia Bennet.”
Mr Crawford grinned at Lydia devilishly and said, “None of the local school boys wear a red tailcoat, Miss Lydia? How disappointing of them. Tell me, have you left your school room?”
“No, she hasnot.”Mrs Bennet interrupted disapprovingly. Lydia quieted instantly, not wishing to lose the privilege of attending the party at Lucas Lodge that night. She was only allowed to attend events athome and Netherfield. And occasionally at Lucas Lodge, because Maria was her best friend and her parents were not deliberately cruel, whatever she wished to believe. Lydia would hold her tongue for now, so that she might have the opportunity of seeking Mr Crawford’s attention again later.
Chapter Eleven
Jane was excitedas she descended from the carriage with Mr and Mrs Bingley and the Hursts, to be attending a party at Lucas Lodge. She could still scarcely believe that she was here, in her own story. She had met most of the denizens of the town as they called upon Mr and Mrs Bingley, and even locals she had not written, such as servants and local labourers.
Jane had done her very best to diligently take over the sewing for Mrs Bingley’s poor box. It was something that she could do to repay her hosts for keeping her, particularly when she gave them few new memories, and no credible inquiries about her arrived by letter. One man had travelled to Hertfordshire and arrived just after breakfast that morning, to inspect her, and ensure that she was not his sister, who had run off with a man, and he feared had been abandoned somewhere.
