“Now that Mrs. Hurst is married she is tolerable, although she placates her sister rather than point out her deficiencies. Hurst is more interested in food and drink than anything else, except when hunting is mentioned. It is the one sport he loves.” Richard paused. “Yes, Bingley is a jovial man, but do not be fooled by his easy going façade. He is firm with his sister, is resolute, and not easily led.”
“Do you think we have been examining the coach and the team long enough?” Darcy asked with a grin. “I will make directly for my chambers and join you and your guests in the drawing room after changing and some ablutions.”
“You are lucky the family chambers are not on the same floor where the Bingleys and Hursts are being housed.” Richard grinned and his cousin nodded his agreement.
The two men headed towards the house.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Bingley shook his head and asked, “Caroline, do you not know what ill-breeding you display when you stand at the window and stare at Fitzwilliam and his cousin?”
Not one word he and Fitzwilliam had said to her had pierced the fog of Caroline’s desire to be the next mistress of Pemberley. He greatly regretted he had not confirmed his study door closed properly at his house in London, the day he and Fitzwilliam had discussed his cousin and his estate.
Evidently, she had heard parts of their discussion. He had heard something in the hallway, opened the door, and run her off. The door had been shut correctly at that point. Since that day, a footman was stationed outside of his study anytime he was in it whether he was alone or with others.
Bingley thanked his lucky stars all she had heard about the cousin’s income was what it waspurportedto be, not the real, far larger, number Fitzwilliam had shared later in the conversation.
“What do you know of breeding,” Miss Bingley sneered. “You were not the one who attended the exclusive seminary in London. I did.”
“So they teach social climbing, fortune hunting, eavesdropping, and chasing a man not interested in you there? That being the case, Father wasted his hard earned money,” Bingley derided.
Miss Bingley was about to respond with vitriol when she heard the sound of boots approaching the drawing room. The pinched look disappeared from her face replaced with a simpering one. Much to her distaste, it was their host who entered the drawing room, without his very rich cousin.
“My cousin will join us after he has washed and changed,” Richard informed those within the room. Seeing the look on Miss Bingley’s face, he decided to make sport of her—indirectly of course. “He did wonder if I had a new dog in the house.”
Bingley understood what his friend was about. “New dog? Are not all your hounds in the kennels?”
“He noticed something which looked like red hair against the window. He knew no one was so classless as to stare at us in that fashion, so he assumed I had an Irish Setter in the house,” Richard related with a perfectly deadpan expression.
“That was, unfortunately, my sister displaying her inadequate knowledge of etiquette,” Bingley responded.
Caroline Bingley spluttered but could not seem to form a coherent sentence.
The cousin thought she was a dog at the window! Ignoring the parts about bad manners, she decided she wouldhave to do everything she could to impress the man.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
This was not how things were supposed to be! The only positive change Lady Catherine de Bourgh could find in her situation was that she was at Rosings Park, and not in Bath.
She had tried to push the limits of her restrictions, only to discover the guards, staff, and servants at the estate were not intimidated by her in the least. Not only that, but the first time she had tried to have the housekeeper follow her orders, Sir Lewis had reminded her what would occur if she kept on in that fashion.
At least those low born, no consequence, and no wealth Bennets had taken her hints they were not welcome at Rosings Park. It irked her no end her daughter was being hosted by the Bennets while her husband was travelling for business.
Thankfully she had stopped herself from questioning her husband when he had told her where Anne would be while he was away. Lady Catherine was sure doing so would have caused her husband to send her to Ireland. Each time her ire boiled over, she had to regulate it. She would not be exiled!
When Anne was in Kent, one of her massive, intimidating guards was always in her company when she was around the house or riding in her phaeton. How was she to exert her influence and manipulate her daughter if she was never alone with her?
The only positive was she had noticed her much older husband had begun to wheeze at times. When he did, he would sweat and his complexion would become pallid. She hoped it would lead to his end.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
George Wickham remained with his father at Pemberley for about six months after his failed attempt to gain a fortune from his former friend. His father had begun to demand he work if he remained under his roof. Working,especially the type of work his father would have him perform, was not at all palatable to George.
He had told his father he wanted to seek his fortune in the South and asked for whatever legacy he intended for him to be given to him then. His adoptive father had given him a paltry five hundred pounds and admonished him there would be no more. Writing and begging more from him, would not produce any results.
The next day George was on the post headed to London. It did not take him very long in London to learn two things; he was not good at games of chance—over four hundred pounds was gone in short order—and he had the ability to charm both sexes.
With a few sweet words, he was able to open accounts with tradesmen in his own name, or any other name he invented, allowing him to acquire what he needed without having to pay for it thus saving most of the balance of his funds. He discarded the idea of blackening the Darcy name by using it as he did not want to come to their notice.
