“This is not a threat I make lightly. I will not abide your sisters harming any of my children or my neighbours, either physically or emotionally. Based on what I have seen here, Miss Bingley needs serious counselling, not to mention a reminder of her duties as a hostess and what her own roots are,” Bennet stated with the ease of a gentleman with an understanding of life, with all its disappointments and joys.
After Mr. Bennet admonished Bingley about his sister Caroline, Bingley’s mind drifted back to when she was a sweet, considerate girl.
Their father began as a modest tradesman but built a substantial fortune with his carriage works. As their fortune grew, Bingley saw his formerly-amiable sisters take on airs and graces, thinking themselves above the people in their circle.
Their parents did not encourage this behaviour, but neither did they discourage it. They indulged and spoilt their daughters, especially Caroline. Louisa was the first to be sent to an exclusive seminary in London, followed a year later by Caroline.
There the sisters were snubbed for being a tradesman’s daughters. Being snubbed by daughters of the gentry, who made up the majority of the school’s students, changed both sisters—especially Caroline. They began to emulate the haughty attitudes displayed by those students; somehow, Caroline had convinced herself they should be considered as members of theTon, not merely a tradesman’s daughters. Louisa went along with her to keep the peace.
When Louisa was nineteen, their father arranged her marriage to Harold Hurst, whose family had a small estate in Yorkshire and was willing to allow their son and heir to marry a girl with roots in trade. They had needed the infusion of funds that Louisa’s dowry of twenty thousand pounds would bring to them.
After a short courtship and engagement, Louisa married Mr. Hurst, a gentlemen, even though his family was not from the first circles. Caroline was disgusted Louisa had settled for a gentleman from such a low circle, ignoring the fact the match had been arranged by their father.
Miss Bingley vowed to marry a gentleman from the first circles, the wealthier the better. If he had a title, so much the better. By now, she had deluded herself into believing a man of that circle would lower himself to marry the daughter of a tradesman.
Some men might, but only if they were in dire financial straits. Even then, they would be able to find better options than a woman with the stench of trade still so fresh.
Bingley became friends with Darcy after he protected Bingley from a group of bullies attacking him for being a tradesman’s son during his first year at Cambridge. He was two years behind Darcy, and they were opposites in status and outlooks on life.
Darcy was serious, stoic, and taciturn; Bingley was ebullient and outgoing. Despite that, or mayhap because of it, they became fast friends. The scion of many generations of landed gentlemen and the son of a tradesman had become best friends almost instantly. Bingley was invited to Pemberley for the summer break one year; the invitation had been extended to his family as well, so to Pemberley the Hursts and Bingleys went.
After seeing Pemberley and meeting his friend Darcy, Caroline immediately set her cap for his friend, or more accurately for his wealth and social position. Her behaviour on that first visit had almost caused her to be sent away from the estate after two days.
Darcy had endured her behaviour out of politeness, but Bingley knew his friend hated the excessive praise of his estate, his sister, and himself. After that, there were no more invitations to Pemberley that included his family; all subsequent invitations expressly stated they were for himself alone.
As Bingley’s consciousness returned to the present, he looked at his new neighbour and nodded. “You have my promise, Mr. Bennet, that my sister will behave, or she will be sent to Scarborough for a long—or permanent—sojourn with our spinster aunt,” he vowed.
Louisa Hurst winced but tried not to react. She knew she would be having a contentious discussion with her headstrong younger sister. If Caroline refused to heed her, she would be on her own. Louisa would not sacrifice her place in society for Caroline.
She had always indulged Caroline to keep the peace, even to the detriment of her relationship with her husband. The price would be too high to pay this time. She could see in this instance; Caroline had finally gone too far. She noticed Mr. Bennet’s clothes were very fine, and were form-fitting and tailored just as those worn by members of theTon.
There was no way he was a man of little standing and no fortune as Caroline had believed and expounded during her tirade. Reasoning no one would claim a non-existent connection other than her sister, who regularly lied about hers, she decided that were Caroline to cause any more trouble, she would no longer support her. Louisa determined it was high time she grew a backbone and stood up to Caroline rather than continuously placating the youngest Bingley.
After Mr. Bennet left, Bingley called a footman and had him escort Caroline back to the drawing room. As soon as she entered, he gestured for her to sit on the settee. “Caroline, how could you?” he demanded.
“Me!” She shrieked, never sounding more like a harridan. Me? I did not do anything wrong. That country lowlife insulted me, and no one defended me! You should all be ashamed of yourselves!” she shrieked in her high-pitched voice.
Before her brother could answer, Mrs. Hurst spoke up, to the surprise of both her brother and her husband. “Shut up, Caroline,” she spat out, secretly gloating when her sister looked shocked. “For too long I have sat by and allowed you to persist in this delusion that you are higher in society than those that are, in fact, far higher than ourselves.
“Besides being intimate with the Matlocks and the rest of the Fitzwilliams, Mr. Bennet is a land-owning gentleman. As such, he is far above you, me, and Charles. He did not seem to judge us for being so far below him. He even wished to be in our company—except for you. Did you not notice his clothes? Are you so blind you think our fortune and our seminary education is what counts?”
Before Caroline could spew her vitriol, Louisa continued as if she had not known Caroline wanted to respond. “It is birth that counts. None of your airs or graces will ever change the fact you are naught but a tradesman’s daughter, just as I am, and Charles is the son of one. In this you are on your own. If you ruin yourself, you will ruin yourself alone. Mr. Bennet told us if there is one more problem from you he will inform Lady Matlock and you will be ruined in society forever.”
“Lady Matlock indeed! She would never deign to associate with country bumpkins like the Bennets. He is nothing but a name-dropping nobody and he is a liar!” Caroline retorted, then lifted her nose in the air before she rose and left, convinced as she always was that she was correct.
Her brother and sister looked on as she stormed out, knowing the only way she would learn would be the hard way. “No, Caroline, the only name-dropping, social-climbing liar we know is you,” Bingley said quietly to himself.
“I am proud of you, my dear.” Mr. Hurst smiled at his wife as he patted her hand.
“I appreciate you saying so, Mr. Hurst, but what do you mean?” She frowned, thinking she had just made an embarrassing scene.
“Louisa, when I married you, I loved spending time with you, but the more your sister was around, the more distance opened between us. I have been disappointed by the way you placate her rather than following your own good sense, which I know you possess.
“She is a shrew, and if you knew how men speak about her, you would be more ashamed of her than you are now. My dear, I am not asleep when you see me reclining in drawing rooms, and I do not drink the amount people think I do. I pretend to drink and sleep to avoid interacting with Caroline! It has gotten to the point I was about to give you a choice, her or me. Luckily, you seem to have made the correct choice on your own.” He chuckled at her surprise.
“You would have left me if I chose Caroline?” She stared at him in fear and surprise.
“Yes, Louisa, although it would have pained me. I long have hoped you would come to your senses; if you had not done so soon, I would have separated from you permanently,” Mr. Hurst said, edging closer to his wife as she grew upset.
