“Mayhap after church on the morrow we can have an Oxford versus Cambridge competition?” Wes suggested.
The challenge was happily accepted by the Cambridge men who knew they had both Darcys as their secret weapons.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Gardiner requested to meet with Darcy after he washed and changed out of his travel attire. “Is there news about my investments?” Robert Darcy asked.
“No, it is not about your funds, rather about a new employee of mine,” Gardiner responded. “For some months now, a new trainee clerk has been working in my employ—one George Wickham.”
“What manner of lie did young Wickham tell you to gain a position of trust in your business?” Darcy asked.
“Actually, he told me the whole, unvarnished truth from his theft in York to his fraud in Staffordshire and everything in between,” Gardiner related. “He had a genuine desire to change, to make a better life.”
“Just do not turn your back on the young man,” Darcy warned.
Gardiner proceeded to tell Darcy all, including the test he had engineered and all about the honest work ethic George Wickham had. Darcy was disbelieving at first, but he knew Gardiner would neither prevaricate nor exaggerate.
“I am amazed, as this news is the last I would have expected to hear about George Wickham,” Darcy owned. “Do not misunderstand me; both his father and I would like nothing more than to see him succeed in an honest life. I will write to my steward and inform him of what you have told me. I will reserve judgement until more time has passed.”
“You will hear no argument from me, Darcy,” Gardiner stated. “Given his past, I understand why you are not ready to embrace his changes as permanent. Although I am sceptical as well, I will give him every chance to succeed. I will also give him enough rope to hang himself if he is not genuine. That being said, I believe he is sincere in his desire to make meaningful changes to his life.”
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Paul Bingley was exasperated. His niece—his ward—was incapable of change or of learning the error of her ways. As much as he preferred not to speak ill of the dead, he was not happy with his late sister-in-law, who had planted the nonsense about rising in society in Caroline’s head.
He found one effective way to bring her to heel—withholding her allowance. Money had become the biggest stumbling block between them. When he refused to give her money for unnecessary clothing, she unleashed a tantrum of epic proportions and then took herself to a dressmaker and ordered a large number of dresses, telling them to send the invoice to her uncle.
By providence, Paul’s wife, Henrietta, picked up a dress at the same store a day after Caroline’s extravagant order. When the proprietor thanked her for the massive order, Mrs. Bingley told the lady, in no uncertain terms, that her husband had not authorised their niece to charge on their account. She berated the woman for accepting an order from a young lady without first checking with her guardians.
The order was cancelled forthwith, and the small cost incurred was deducted from Caroline’s allowance. The dressmaker was told that unless Miss Bingley was accompanied by Mr. or Mrs. Bingley and they authorised the charge to their account, they would not pay any of those bills in the future.
Word spread quickly among the merchants of Scarborough that if they granted Miss Bingley credit, it would not be covered by her guardians. This cut off any avenue for Caroline Bingley to place orders for unneeded and excessively ostentatious gowns in her preferred colour—burnt orange.
The Bingleys did not mention anything to Caroline, hoping she would learn a lesson from her coming embarrassment. A week later, Miss Bingley, nose in the air, flounced into the dressmaker’s shop for her fittings as if she were the Queen. She came very close to an apoplexy when she was told her order had been cancelled and she was not allowed to charge anything to the Bingleys’ account.
For someone who dreamed of rising in society, Miss Bingley’s behaviour was that of a shrew; her language that of a sailor. She was evicted from the shop, and after being refused at four other stores, she stomped off—the poor maid having to run to keep up with her—to return to her uncle’s house in high dudgeon.
Before she could scream as she desired, her aunt and uncle sat her down and explained the way forward. She would behave like a lady in their house with decorum and respect, or she would forfeit her allowance—one week’s worth at a time—until such time she changed her behaviour.
After four infractions which cost her a month’s allowance, Caroline understood her guardians were serious. She would have to work on Charles to remove her from their custody. Unfortunately for her, her brother had neither the inclination nor the authority to do so.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Father, may I have some of your time?” William asked after being admitted to his father’s suite by the valet, Snell.
“You know I am always available to you, William,” Darcy returned warmly.
“I have fallen in love with Lizzy, and now that I know her true rank—a Princess of theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, she is too far out of my reach—especially with the stipulation the King has made to marry a Prince or Princess—and it is breaking my heart,” William lamented.
“William, I love you dearly, but sometimes you can be a dullard,” Darcy retorted jocularly.
“Do you jest at my sorrow?” William asked.
“No son, not at yourself-inflictedpain, at your wilful blindness,” Darcy averred seriously.
“To what do you refer?” William attempted to understand.
“Let me ask you a question. Since Lizzy was informed of her true parentage and heritage, has she behaved any differently toward you or any of us?” Darcy asked.
