My office in the Carriage Works.
Caroline:
If you are reading this, then the worst has come to pass, and I am no longer alive before you have reached the age of 25.
There is no doubt in my mind that you are angry about the clauses in my will which pertain to you, especially when I have not relented on my decision that you will not attend any school outside of Scarborough.
I did not make this decision lightly. It was your and your mother’s willingness to lie to my face about your invitation, or lack thereof, to Pemberley which convinced me that I must make changes. There is a letter to your mother, which, unless she has not survived me, she should be reading as you read this.
Knowing how adept you two are at manipulating Charles, I have put measures in place to ensure that your attempts will not succeed.
Your mother did you no favours, inculcating you with the nonsense about rising in society. My hope is that one day, not too far distant, you will come to that realisation on your own. If you do, your life will be much better, and that is what I wish for you—to live the best life you are able to live.
I know this is not what you wanted, but whether you see it or not, it is best for you.
With love,
Father
As the letter had not delivered what she deserved, Miss Bingley angrily balled it up and threw it into the fire. Caroline Maleficent Bingley would get what she wanted! As her sot of a brother-in-law was one of the executors, she would work on him and easily gain her due. She knew Uncle John would not give in to her.
The Hursts and their aunt and uncle exchanged knowing glances. Caroline had not heeded a single word her father wrote to her.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Charles,” Miss Bingley hissed. “Surely you are not sanguine with Father making that drunken lout an executor while giving you no power. You should be my guardian, no one else.”
“But, Caroline, you heard Mr Potter read Father’s will; he made Uncle John your guardian and our uncle and Hurst are the executors,” Bingley whinged. “I do not think it is fair either. Did you not hear the clause Father added about what would happen if I tried to challenge all or even a small part of the will?” He saw his younger sister shake her head. “If I do, then I will be permanently disinherited, and everything goes to Hurst and Louisa, including your dowry!”
Why had she not paid attention to the will? Caroline would have known that she was wasting time with Charles. As easy as it was for her to control him, he would not do anything that would disinherit himself, not even for her. Louisa! She would do Caroline’s bidding, and the sot seemed to hold Louisa in affection so he also would do what she wanted. Yes, that was the way forward.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Surely you must see that Father was not in his right mind when he wrote me that letter,” Miss Bingley claimed with faux sweetness a sennight after the reading of the will. “He always meant to honour Mother’s wishes that I attend Miss Hathaway’s School for young ladies.”
“No, Caroline, I do not see that,” Harold retorted. “Not only did he write you a letter which contradicts what you just said, but he reiterated his decisions in the will. He was very insistent on this point. I have no power to contradict his wishes. It is time for me to find a drink; I do not need this annoyance right now.”
“What nonsense is this?” Miss Bingley screeched and stamped her foot as her façade of sweetness slipped. “Youwilldo what I want, or I will make your life a living hell!”
“That isenough, Caroline!” Hildebrand Bingley insisted. “You claim you want to rise in society, but yet here you are behaving like a little child having a tantrum. You will be living with me and your Uncle John, and you will behave like a lady, or things will go badly for you. Am I understood?”
Aunt Hildebrand and Uncle John had never tolerated bad behaviour and were not cowed by Caroline. Her uncle would sooner put her over his knee than give in to a tantrum or whingeing. This would not do. How could she work on the indolent sot or weak-willed Louisa if she were to live with the Bingleys in Scarborough? She would have to change tactics to gain what she desired. To that end, she walked away without a word to her aunt and sought out Louisa.
“Louisa, surely you want me to live with you in London,” Miss Bingley said piteously as she forced some tears from her eyes. “I will be ever so good, and I will be able to attend the school Mamma wanted me to attend.”
“As much as I may want you to live with me, your primary guardianship resides with Uncle John and Aunt Hildebrand. I will speak to our aunt on your behalf. However, unless she agrees and convinces our uncle, there is nothing I can do,” Louisa told her sister sadly.
“Go speak to Aunt Hildebrand; I am sure she will grant you anything you ask,” Miss Bingley stated with syrupy sweetness.
This could not fail. She had manipulated Louisa, and Aunt Hildebrand would never deny Louisa anything she asked. This was one time their aunt’s preference for Louisa would work in Caroline’s favour.
Louisa walked towards her aunt with a smile on her face. ‘Caroline is such a simple creature,’ she thought as she made her way over to Aunt Hildebrand. ‘She thinks she has me wrapped around her finger like Charles is. Thank goodness Papa never gave her guardianship or control of the Bingley fortune to Charles.’
“If Caroline asks, I begged her case to come live with us in London so she may attend that ridiculous seminary she wants to attend, and you refused,” Louisa said when she reached her aunt. She made sure to keep her back towards Caroline so that her sister could not see her facial expressions as she spoke to Aunt Hildebrand.
“And I, of course, refused to intercede with John on her behalf, did I not?” Hildebrand verified.
Louisa confirmed that was the case with a quick nod, all the while gesticulating with her hands so Caroline would think she was advocating on her behalf. When enough time had passed to make her performance look convincing, she fixed a sad look on her face and walked back to where Caroline waited for her.
