“If you feel you need to, you have my blessing,” Bingley averred stoically. “It will be nothing I have not told her at various times. Mayhap if it comes from you she will finally accept the truth of the matter.”
“As loathe as I am to speak to any lady in that way, I will do so if I feel I have no choice,” Darcy mused.
During the time they had spoken, Hurst had twice refilled and drained his glass of a similar amount of brandy as he had with his first helping. Hurst was already in his third helping, and neither his brother-in-law nor Darcy had finished even their original one finger of brandy.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
When the men entered the drawing room, one of them rather unsteadily, they found two distinct groups of ladies. On one settee was one set of sisters, and on another, across the room from them was the other.
Bingley went directly to where the Bennet sisters were seated. “Miss Bennet, will you not join me over there,” Bingley pointed to a divan on the other side of the fire from the door. “I would hate for you to take a chill when you have only now recovered from your malady.”
“Why thank you Mr. Bingley, I would enjoy that,” Jane responded with the faintest trace of a blush.
She took the proffered arm and Bingley led his angel to the divan. As soon as she was seated, he had the fire built up a little higher than it had been.
Miss Bingley sprang up from her settee leaving her sister in mid-sentence and made directly for Mr. Darcy aiming to take his arm. He was unfortunately too fast for her and reached an armchair just next to the settee where the hated Eliza was reading a book. They were seated far too close one to the other for Miss Bingley’s liking. The fact Eliza had not lifted her head from the book was beside the point.
Not wanting the hoyden to steal Mr. Darcy’s attention, Miss Bingley turned to her sister. “Louisa, some music would be nice,” Miss Bingley stated, brooking no opposition.
The fact Louisa’s lout of a husband was snoring away on a chaise lounge bothered her not at all. If the glutton was woken by the music, it would be his problem, not hers.
Mrs. Hurst who had been playing with her bracelets stood obediently and made her way to the instrument. She began to play the first piece which happened to be open. It was a lively reel.
Bingley solicited Miss Bennet’s hand to dance, if she was feeling up to it, which evidently she was so he led his angel to the centre of the room and began to dance with her.
At first, Miss Bingley preened when she saw Mr. Darcy, who normally eschewed dancing, stand. She was certain he was coming to ask her to stand up with him. Her joy turned to horror when Mr. Darcy turned to Miss Elizabeth and not herself.
“Will you do me the honour of this dance,” Darcy bowed before Miss Elizabeth and extended his hand to her.
Before his apology, Elizabeth would have refused, but now she had no reason to do so. “It is my pleasure, Sir,” she responded as she stood and allowed him to lead her to where Jane and Mr. Bingley were dancing.
Miss Bingley had fallen into a trap of her own making. If she demanded Louisa cease playing or play something other than a dance, she would look churlish in Mr. Darcy’s eyes. All Miss Bingley could do was bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from screaming at the unfairness of it all.
Thank goodness the Bennet sisters would be leaving first thing in the morning on the morrow. Things would go back to normal without Miss Eliza and her arts and allurements distracting Miss Bingley’s intended.
It was with great pleasure Miss Bingley had instructed a footman to deliver the note to Longbourn which requested the Bennet carriage arrive to collect the sisters in the morning. She had heard a positive reply had returned.
If it had been negative, Miss Bingley would have been willing to drive the two Bennets home herself. ‘One more night, only one more night,’ Miss Bingley repeated to herself silently.
When Mrs. Hurst looked to her sister as the piece she had been playing drew to an end she did not miss the tight and angry shake of Caroline’s head. Hence when the music came to an end, Mrs. Hurst stood, closed the instrument, and returned to the settee where she previously had been seated.
Hurst had not stirred at all during the musical interlude. It seemed more than six fingers of brandy was too much even for one who imbibed as much as he did.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The Bennet carriage arrived at nine just as their mother had promised. Except for Mr. Hurst, the Netherfield Park party was present to farewell the two Bennets. Soon Jane and Elizabeth were on their way home.
“Did you miss how pleasant Miss Bingley was this morning?” Elizabeth observed as the manor house receded behind the conveyance. “She must be overjoyed to be ridding her house of thecountry mushrooms.”
“She called us that?” Jane verified in disgust.
“Among other things, yes,” Elizabeth confirmed. “It seems Miss Bingley missed the lesson at her oft boasted-about seminary about the offspring of tradesmen being below those who are born to landed gentry.”
“She is a sad person,” Jane shook her head. “At least my eyes are open and I will not be taken in by her and her false friendship any longer.”
At the same time as the Bennet sisters were talking, those who had seen them leave had very different reactions.
Bingley was sad to see the back of his angel, thinking about ways he would be in her company soon.
