“May I accompany you?” Gigi asked hopefully. “I would love to see Lizzy and Jane again. Last time, you were worried that Mr Wickham was nearby. Since he is not there now, I would be able to meet some of the younger Bennet sisters.”
Darcy looked at Fitzwilliam, who nodded. “Yes, Sweetling, you and Mrs Annesley are more than welcome to join me.” Darcy remembered he had not seen Andrew of late. “Where is your brother? Is he not seeking a wife this season? I have not seen him for some weeks now.”
“Andrew is very disillusioned by the huntresses of theTonafter the latest attempt to entrap him.He returned to Hilldale before the end of April and will not come back to Town for the next year, and only if he is not able to find a woman who loves him for himself and not his title, wealth, and connections,” Fitzwilliam related. “It is why Mother is pressuring me to marry. She wants grandchildren.”
“I understand Andrew’s desireto be away from London.” Darcy turned to his sister. “What say you, Gigi? Should we depart for Hertfordshire on the morrow?”
The hug and kiss his sister bestowed demonstrated her approbation.
Chapter 16
It is said that men plan and God laughs. So it was for Darcy before he could depart for Hertfordshire the next morning.
One of his couriers arrived from Pemberley just before midnight. The man was carrying a message from Pemberley’s steward about a fire at the estate which had devastated the homes, barns, and other structures on three tenant farms. It did not speak of loss of life, but Darcy worried there had been some souls lost.
Being a conscientious landowner and master, there was no question that in the morning Darcy would put his selfish desires aside and rush to Pemberley, rather than Hertfordshire.
He went to knock on his sister’s door. It took a few times, but eventually Gigi opened her door. “William, are you well? What is wrong?” She demanded to know. Her brother would not wake her at this time of the night for no good reason, so she had to know for her own peace of mind.
“I received a letter from Chalmers…” Darcy related what the steward had written. “As much as I desire to be in Miss Elizabeth’s company again, I cannot ignore my duty. As soon as the dawn breaks, I will depart for Pemberley. Do you want to accompany me or remain here in London with Aunt Elaine and Uncle Reggie?” Darcy did not want to pressure his sister, so he did not reveal that he hoped she would want to travel north with him.
“My place is with you. I am not sure what I can do to help, but whatever it is, I want to do what is needed. I am sure Mrs Reynolds will know if and where my assistance might be needed,” Gigi said firmly.
“I was hoping you would want to travel with me. We will wake in four hours to prepare. You can inform Mrs Annesley of our plans when she wakes in the morning,” Darcy stated. He was very proud of his sister. She had not hesitated for an instant when she had decided to accompany him home. Ever since Gigi had met Miss Elizabeth, her self-confidence had grown. Darcy could only imagine what a good influence his beloved would have on Gigi if she ever agreed to become his wife and his sister’s sister.
“Do you think Lizzy will object if I write to her?” Gigi wondered. “I was so looking forward to seeing her again and meeting her sisters.”
“Firstly, no, I do not think that Miss Elizabeth would be unhappy if you wrote to her. When you mentioned her sisters, you reminded me of something. In the spirit of not hiding unpleasant truths from you any longer, the youngest Miss Bennet fell victim to the late seducer. There were three others in Meryton who were taken in by his charm. Miss Lydia and two others are at St Mary’s Convent waiting to see if there will be any permanent consequences from being seduced by him.” Darcy watched as the emotions played across his sister’s face. She was thoughtful, but he detected no sign that she was about to descend into a fit of tears.
“I count myself lucky that he never touched me in that way,” Gigi stated after cogitating for a while. “There but for the Grace of God, go I. It pains me that he was able to manipulate so many girls into surrendering their virtues to him. Had we eloped like we planned, I am sure I would not have arrived at Gretna Green a maiden.” She had a thought. “You are assisting them, are you not, William?”
“You know me too well. All we can do is pray that none of them will be burdened with another one of his natural children. Now, sister mine, you need to return to your bed and have as much sleep as possible before I wake you in a few short hours.” Darcy kissed his sister on her forehead.
“I will wait to see what needs to be done at Pemberley before I write to Lizzy. Sleep well, William.” Gigi stood on her toes and bestowed a quick, light peck on one of her brother’s cheeks.
As soon as his sister’s chamber door was closed, Darcy made for the master’s chambers. He informed Carstens of the plans and was soon asleep.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Miss Bingley refused to believe that things were as bad as her siblings had claimed the previous evening. Of course, the letter she wrote to that vapid Miss Jane Bennet ending up in Mr Darcy’s hands was not ideal.
She had finally come to accept that she would never be Mrs Darcy, the mistress of Darcy House and Pemberley, but she intended to catch a better prospect so she would be able to look down her nose at Mr Darcy. By the time he realised what an error he had made in not proposing to her, it would be too late for him.
Her brother had been speaking of calling on his solicitor to release her dowry to her, but only after all of her overspending was deducted. The idea was then she would find a companion and her own establishment. Caroline knew that Charles would not stand by his threat. As soon as she allowed the distasteful events of the call to Darcy House to fade into the past, she was positive Charles would change his tune and revert to the easily manipulated, weak man she knew he was.
She broke her fast alone.When she asked where her family members were, the butler informed her that her brother had gone out and the Hursts had elected to remain in their suite.
As she had put Colonel Fitzwilliam’s warning from her head, Miss Bingley was looking forward to her foray into society.
By the time she was ready to depart, Charles had not returned. Hence, she had to suffer the humiliation of travelling by hackney cab. She made her first stop at Miss Grantley’s home. She used the knocker to announce her presence. The door was opened by the butler.
“Miss Bingley to see…” Whatever else Caroline was about to say was lost when the butler closed the door in her face. She rationalised that Miss Grantley had always been jealous of her. It was not such a surprise she had been refused entry.
The next four of hergood friendsshe called on, Miss Bingley either suffered the same fate as at Grantley House, or before he slammed the door on her, the butler informed Miss Bingley that no one in the house would ever be home to her.
A rather disillusioned Caroline Bingley departed the last house where she had called. She decided she needed some shopping as a balm to her bruised self-worth. It had always worked in the past.
She had the hackney driver stop before she reached Bond Street where she alighted and paid him. She was positive someone would offer her a ride back to Curzon Street. The first shop she entered was the modiste she patronised. Given how much of her brother’s money she spent there, the modiste would drop anything to serve her. She was not used by most of theTonlike Madame Chambourg was—a store to which Caroline had been refused entry.
