To make sure he did not write a will recently, she would date her substitute will the day before he died.
One of the things she would do, even before she broke up and sold his precious estate in Bedfordshire, would be to cease all payments to the Greens and have them evicted fromhe rent free cottage her dunderheaded husband had allowed them.
Thinking about all of her soon-to-be wealth led her to thoughts of all who had wronged her and would be dealt with. She would keep Clay Younge, very busy and, once he had done her bidding, she would find someone to dispose of him and the impertinent sister who had written that letter for him.
Yes, exacting her vengeance would be most satisfying.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
To say Caroline Bingley was furious her brother had practically labeled her an on-the-shelf spinster by forcing her into her own establishment was no understatement. How was she supposed to be in Mr. Darcy’s company? She had tried begging Charles’s forgiveness, pleading that what occurred at Pemberley was all a big misunderstanding.
Her letters to Charles and Louisa for the most part went unanswered when she berated them for abandoning her. If she wrote of her life in London and enquired how they were, they would deign to reply to her letters. It was in this way she kept abreast of news regarding her siblings. Louisa had borne a brat, named Isaac Arthur for her useless brother-in-law’s father and her late father. In her mind, Arthur should have been first as the Bingleys were far more wealthy than the Hursts.
The apartments she lived in were of a standard far below what she felt she deserved. Not only that, they were near toCheapside. Not daring to share her address, Miss Bingley had broken contact with her former friends. She could imagine what Miss Grantly would do if she knew the truth!
There were two bedchambers, one for her and one for the companion. The room she was currently seated in was a sitting room and dining parlour in one. Thanks to the deductions Charles had made for overspending—as he called it—and breakages, all that remained of her dowry was a paltry fifteen thousand pounds which meant she had only fifty pounds a month to live on. Due to her paucity, she no longer had a lady’s maid. There was a housekeeper and cook in one and a maid of all work. All of her expenses, including wages to the servants and the rent on the hovel she was forced to live in, were paid before she was given the balance of her money each quarter day.
She had written one of her bland letters to Charles recently and a reply had just been received. She broke the seal and began to read.
12 September 1810
Bingley House
54 Curzon Street
Caroline,
From the 1st of October onwards, please direct all letters to me at Netherfield Park, Hertfordshire.
I am taking my first step to becoming a member of the landed gentry. I am not purchasing this estate, but I have recently signed a lease for one year. Both Fitzwilliam and Darcy recommended I rent first so I can truly know if being a member of the gentry is for me.
Before you ask what I know about selecting an estate, both of my friends looked over the estate with me and agreed it is a fine one, well run, and very well maintained. The house is of similar size to the one at Fitzwilliam’s estate, but is a newer structure than his.
Given I am very new to all of this, both of my friends have agreed to join me at the estate when I take possession of itin October. They will be with me for a few months. It is perfect for Fitzwilliam because his fiancée and her family live at the neighbouring estate.
Miss Bingley pulled up her nose in disgust. Not only was the Viscount married to one of these unknown Bennets, but now the second son had been entrapped by a sister. Suddenly she became alarmed. “What if there is another sister who uses her arts and allurements on my Mr. Darcy?” she asked the walls of the room. She had to make sure it did not occur, she returned to her brother’s letter.
Before you waste your time writing to me tovolunteeryour services as my hostess, Aunt Hildebrand has agreed to act as such and will arrive here before I make for Hertfordshire.
I trust you are well and have finally reconciled yourself to your situation.
Charles.
Had she not heard a conversation regarding the fact there were five Bennet sisters? The eldest was the one married to the Viscount and if memory served, Mr. Fitzwilliam was engaged to the middle one. That meant there was one of marriageable age between them.
All Miss Bingley could do was hope the woman was homely and had some serious defects if her next younger sister was engaged before her.
However, she could not,wouldnot, leave that to chance. She had to scheme and find a way to be one of the party in Hertfordshire. As soon as possible she would compromise Mr. Darcy and then she would have the life she deserved.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
It had taken Wickham more than a monthfor the evidence of Younge’s beating to fade enough to be in public, though nothing would fix his nose which had healed at an awkward angle.
If only he had not lost so much of the money Darcy had sent to him from his adoptive father. As he was not flush, Wickham had taken a room in a rather rundown inn in Seven Dials. His room in Younges’ boarding house on Edward Street now seemed palatial by comparison.
One evening he was drinking in the taproom of an inn outside of Seven Dials. He noticed two men wearing the scarlet coats of the army who were seated at the counter drinking ale.
A snippet of their conversation revealed them to be officers in the militia, not regular army that might be called to combat on the continent, who were looking for men to join their ranks as officers. Given his situation, Wickham could not imagine things getting much worse. It would not be long before he was out of funds. On a whim, he approached the two and was pleased to hear his native Derbyshire accent.
