Once Elizabeth had alighted at Longbourn and her trunks offloaded, with help from her maid, she washed and changed. She had barely finished dressing when Mary and Kitty burst into the chamber.
“We missed you so very much, Lizzy,” Kitty said as she gave Lizzy a hug. “Lydia was much worse when you were not here, and Mama, of course, said nothing to her. Papa only thought our discomfort was amusing. She is not thirteen yet, and when we went into Meryton one day, an army officer, who was a guest at the Red Lion Inn, was walking in the street when we were there. Lydia flirted outrageously. Where did she learn that?”
“From the advice our mother gives to Jane, which our eldest sister does not follow. Janey is too reserved to behave in such a brazen way,” Elizabeth responded.
“Thankfully, Charlotte was shopping in Meryton and saw what Lydia was about. To assist us, she distracted the Captain while I practically dragged Lydia back to Longbourn. She, of course, went to whinge to Mama who came and asked why we were curtailing Lydia’s entertainment,” Mary related. “When I told her how Lydia had been behaving, she said that we are jealous of Lydia’s liveliness and as one who is plain, I would not understand. She accused me of trying to redirect an officer to Charlotte Lucas, who, in Mama’s words, is plainer than me and well on her way to being on the shelf.”
“Mary, you know you are anything but plain, do you not? Neither is Charlotte. Unfortunately, Mama sees anyone who does not look like herself as plain. She never fails to tell me that I am nothing to Jane. I do ignore her words, but what hurts is that Janey never corrects Mama. Our eldest sister does not have the gumption to stand up to Mama. One of these days, Janey will be in love, and Mama will run that man off as well.”
“I almost forgot. Papa wants to see you. He says you are many games of chess in arrears,” Mary said.
Elizabeth made her way down to the study and knocked; when bade to enter, she did. “Mary told me you asked for me, Papa. I had just washed and changed and planned to come to greet you.”
Bennet pointed to the chessboard, “Sit. You have not played since you have been away, so I think I will have a chance.”
She sat obediently and won white. She made her opening move.
“So was your uncle’s house worth seeing? It is near Lambton, is it not?” Bennet enquired after he made his move. He hoped he would distract Lizzy from her game.
“It was, and yes, it is,” Elizabeth replied.
Rather than being rusty or distracted, Bennet was frustrated when Lizzy beat him as quickly, if not quicker, than she always did. He scowled and waved her away.
She had wanted to speak to Papa about Lydia’s behaviour, but because of his mood, Elizabeth realised now was not the time. She took a book from one of the shelves and exited her father’s domain.
Chapter 13
1811
Charles Bingley called on Darcy House without his younger sister. The past few times, having been told Darcy was not home when he arrived with Caroline in tow when she had not been invited, Bingley had finally realised that Darcy was serious about not accepting his sister in any of his homes unless she had been specifically invited.
It was the second-to-last day of April, a little more than a fortnight after Easter, and Bingley, knowing that Darcy would have returned from seeing his cousin at Rivington a few days past, had sent a note to Darcy House requesting that Darcy meet with him. He needed his friend’s advice, and he could not make a momentous decision like this without consulting him.
When his parents had been killed in a carriage accident some six years past, Bingley had inherited close to one hundred thousand pounds along with a controlling interest in his late father’s carriage works. The business had started in Scarborough, but by the time Arthur Bingley met his maker, he had expanded to fifteen counties as well as a large concern in the Cheapside neighbourhood of London. His mother had wanted the family to purchase an estate, and before his passing, Bingley’s late father had begun to explore doing that. Due to the untimely death of his parents, it was now up to Bingley to realise the dream.
Some months ago, Bingley had found Lord Hilldale,Fitzwilliam, and Darcy at White’s when he had spoken of instructing his man of business to find estates for sale, preferably, according to his younger sister, in Derbyshire. All three cousins had recommended he lease first so that he could discover if estate management was something he truly desired to do.
No matter what his sister had said, they all pointed out that she loved society, so if he sought a lease, it may be a good idea to be close to Town. Bingley had known they were right. Caroline would become bored in the country, especially if Darcy was not accessible to her, and she would then berate him that they were so far from thecultureof London society. Not only that, she would not let him live it down if they had to travel three days to reach the capital.
With that advice in mind, he had charged his man of business in London to search for an estate for lease which was no more than forty miles from Town. About three weeks later, his man had come back to him and informed him that there was an estate, Netherfield Park, for lease, and it was barely twenty miles from London.
If he had followed his instincts, Bingley would have signed the lease for the estate sight unseen. However, knowing Darcy would berate him again for being impulsive had led Bingley to his friend’s door on this day.
Mr Killion, Darcy’s butler, opened the door, and as the gentleman was alone and the master had told him Mr Bingley was expected, he stood back and allowed the man entry. After divesting him of his outerwear, he drawled, “Mr Darcy is expecting you; he is in the study.”
Bingley inclined his head and made his way up the stairs to the first floor where, among other rooms, the study and library were located.
“Welcome, Bingley,” Darcy stated as he extended his hand.
After shaking Darce’s hand, Bingley noticed Fitzwilliam seated on the settee between the tall windows which gave a view of the green in the centre of Grosvenor Square. “Fitzwilliam, well met. I did not know you were in London,” Bingley enthused as he extended his hand.
“I returned to London with William after Easter. My parents, their ward, and my brother are all in London as well, so I decided to attend at least part of the season,” Richard explained.
Along with never having been introduced to the Earl and Countess of Matlock or Viscount Hilldale, Bingley was aware because of Caroline’s whinging on the subject that his younger sister was most put out that she had never met Miss Darcy. She seemed to forget that due to the fact the young lady was a ward of her aunt and uncle, who had never permitted Caroline to be presented to them, her meeting Miss Darcy was all but impossible. Additionally, Miss Darcy was not out yet and would not be able to receive callers.
“Fitzwilliam, it is good you are here as well. I followed the advice you gentlemen gave me at White’s, and I have discovered an estate to lease. Best of all, it is in Hertfordshire and only twenty miles from London,” Bingley enthused. “I have an appointment to meet the agent on the first Friday of May. Would you two join me and give me your opinion of the place? If you recommend it, Caroline will be much more apt to think it a good idea.”
“You know, Bingley, you need to stop allowing your sister’s whims to guide you. We both have,” Richard cocked his head towards his cousin, “warned you that due to the way your sister behaves, she will ruin herself one day. If you are not careful, you will partake in her ruin.”
