Lydia Bennet was performing the chores she had been assigned at St Mary’s convent when she felt the cramping she had experienced each month just before her courses arrived.
She lifted her eyes to the heavens. ‘God, if these are my courses, I will be ever so good for the rest of my life. I will never flirt with another man, and I swear no one will gain my favours until I marry.’ Lydia paused her prayer as she realised something. ‘If a man is ever interested in me, I will have to tell him what I did. If he rejects me for not being pure, that will be part of the cost of my stupid actions.’
In the past, the cramps would begin two days before the commencement of her courses. It would be a very long two days while she waited to see if they began. How she hoped they would, so she could write to Mama and tell her the good news, if Sister Agnes approved. She had not received a reply to her first letter yet.
The youngest Bennet was underno illusions. Even if her courses began like she prayed they would, she would remain at the convent for the full five months. It was just, because she should pay penance for her reprehensible behaviour. Even though Mama and Papa tried to accept the blame for what she had done, Lydia knew that there was only one to blame—herself.
With her changed character, Lydia also prayed that Hanna and Emma would not be afflicted with having to carry the late libertine’s children. She could not be fully happy until the girls, who had become her fast friends, were free of carrying the devil’s spawn.
When she thought about how they joined the nuns at prayer three times a day, Lydia had to smile. It was ironic that she used to tease Mary for her Godly behaviour and recitation of the scriptures, and now she was in chapel more each day than Mary would be each week.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
When the Bingleys and Hursts were shown into the drawing room, Mr Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and Miss Darcy awaited them.
Seeing who was there only served to bolster Miss Bingley’s opinion that she was about to become engaged to Mr Darcy. She approached Mr Darcy before a word had been said, intent on claiming his arm.
“Miss Bingley, I am not sure how it is among the circle of tradesmen’s offspring, but amongmycircles when arriving at someone’s house, greetings are exchanged first,” Darcy stated disdainfully. “Also, are you aware how crass it is to take a gentleman’s arm when it has not been offered to you?”
Caroline Bingley froze in mid-step. This was not what she had imagined. Why did Mr Darcy seem angry? What had Charles done? She would never forgive him if he had blastedher prospects with Mr Darcy.
As soon as Mrs Hurst heard Mr Darcy’s tone of voice, she was sure that the very last thing he intended to do was to offer for Caroline. She looked at her husband, who had an amused smirk on his face, then she looked at Charles, who was taken aback. Whatever the aim of the meeting was, Charles had not been made aware of it ahead of time.
Something had changed. In the past, even though he did not like Caroline, Mr Darcy tolerated her. It seemed those days were over.
“Bingley, I am sorry if the way I spoke to Miss Bingley was not the most polite. I have to be direct now, as she ignores everything else. I have in the past, multiple times mind you, given her every type of hint to the truth of my feelings for her I could think of while still remaining polite. I attempted, and it seems in this I failed, to indicate my lack of interest in her as anything more than the tolerated sister of my friend. However, your sister has refused to see what is obvious to everyone else with eyes.” Darcy turned to a shocked Miss Bingley. “Madam, you have nothing to temptme. I am in no humour, now or ever, to give consequence to a young lady who is an inveterate social climber and fortune hunter. You had better look to men in your own social circle, for you are wasting your time with me.”
“But why? I would make the perfect mistress of Darcy House and Pemberley. I was educated at the best seminary and have a dowry of twenty thousand pounds. I have the best sense of fashion, and I am elegance personified,” Miss Bingley claimed.
“Fashion sense. Do not make me guffaw. Anyone with eyes could tell how badly that monstrosity you are wearing suits you,” Fitzwilliam stated as he fought to maintain his equanimity.
“Miss Bingley, are you awarethat the gentry, and all but impoverished members of the first circles, educate their daughters at home?” Darcy refuted. “Based on what you have learnt of how to be a lady, the money spent on that seminary was a waste because it only taught you how to be a spiteful, vicious, gossiping shrew, and termagant. No one like you will ever be my wife. However, there is one more important trait I require which you do not have at all.”
“And what is that?” Miss Bingley ground out. There was no need to be deferential any longer now that her dream of being Mrs Darcy had become dust.
“Honesty, Miss Bingley. Do I need to remind you of an evening at Netherfield Park when I said, ‘Disguise of every sort is my abhorrence’? Do you think I would ever accept a woman who prevaricates as easily as she breathes?” Darcy enquired.
“But I have never told you an untruth, Mr Darcy,” Miss Bingley insisted.
Bingley was already uncomfortable, as he hated confrontations. On top of that, once they arrived home, if not sooner, his sister would unleash a tantrum for the ages after she had seen all of her dreams crumbling to nothing. He remembered the part of the page Darcy had shown him. Was there something there which would prove Darcy’s assertion that Caroline dissembled? For now, he needed to hold his peace. He was sure that if he attempted to defend Caroline, it would cost him his friendship with Darcy. That was something Bingley was not willing to risk.
“So when you told Miss Bennet that I am being courted by your brother, and my family approved, what was that?” Gigi demanded. She was normally shy and retiring, especially since Ramsgate, but meeting Lizzy had given her strength. On top of that, Miss Bingley using her name to hurt another had angered the normally mild-mannered girl greatly.
Who was this forceful Miss Darcy? She was supposed tobe the easily led girl who would never contradict anything. Miss Bingley could not imagine how Mr Darcy and his family were aware of what she wrote in that letter to Miss Bennet. Of one thing she was certain: they would not have any proof, so she needed to deny she had ever said such a thing.
“How sad; it seems that one of those lowborn Bennets has been spreading lies about me. I would never say such a thing about you. Can I be condemned if I think that you, dear Georgiana, and my brother would make…” Miss Bingley closed her mouth with a clack when both Mr Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam growled at her.
“When did any of us ever give our permission for you to address our ward so informally? She is Miss Darcy to you,” Fitzwilliam barked.
“But we are such good friends…” Miss Bingley tried again.
“No, Miss Bingley, we are not friends or anything else. Like my brother, I used to tolerate your company, but that stops now,” Gigi said firmly.
“Are you telling me you did not say that not only was your brother courting my sister, who is only sixteen and not out yet, but that you claimed that I was about to offer for you?” Darcy demanded. “I want to make something as plain as I am able. I have told your brother time and again, but he has either not told you, or you have ignored that which you do not want to hear. I willneveroffer for you. You could compromise me before all of theTon, or even the royals, and I would still not offer for you.”
As much as she wanted to, there was no way for Miss Bingley to interpret Mr Darcy’s words positively. She still needed to deny that she said anything of the kind if she wanted to be able to use his name to gain invitations so she could seek another man to marry her. Afterall, she had not said the words; she had written them.
“No, Mr Darcy, I neversaidanything of the kind,” Miss Bingley responded, thinking her answer had been very clever.
