“William, how long have you known Bingley?” Fitzwilliam questioned. “When have you ever seen him stand up to anyone? Especially not his harpy of a sister. That he will not gainsay her is evidenced by the fact that after she was evicted from the Hursts’ house with him present, he is using most of his allowance to rent a house for her to play at being the mistress. Bingley does not have the gumption to stand up to her, and if sheattempts a compromise, he will support her for his own peace of mind.”
Darcy looked to Hurst for confirmation, but he was asleep once again, snoring lightly. He shook his head. How could the man be in his cups so early in the day? “I suppose I do not need Hurst’s confirmation to agree with you. I know it to be true. No matter what Miss Bingley, or for that matter Bingley, demands, I will act like Andrew has after the two attempted entrapments. I will refuse to honour a compromise engineered against me, and Miss Bingley, or any other who tries, will end up ruined.”
“At least, you are forewarned. Be aware that even if an invitation is specifically for Bingley alone, the harridan will join him. I suggest you meet him at one of your clubs if you want to see him. If you invite him to Darcy House, know he will not be alone, as Hurst told me that Miss Bingley has been dreaming of the day she crosses the threshold of one of your houses,” Fitzwilliam revealed.
After nodding his head, indicating his understanding, Darcy stood. He would have made a comment about Hurst’s overindulgence but knowing how close the man was to his male cousins, Darcy held his peace. With a quick bow to his cousin, he was away.
Harold waited a minute or so after Darcy left and the door to their private parlour was closed. “Thank you, Fitzwilliam; you imparted everything that I wanted him to know. I am glad I made the suggestion to your brother that just because someone sinks so low as to entrap him, it does not mean he needs to gratify the person and marry someone he would hate being with.”
“Mother and Father endorsed the advice, regardless of how much they want Andy to marry. By the by, I have notmentioned his interest in Miss Bennet. Did you know he is determined to wait until she is older?”
“Yes, he mentioned that. He told me that if he finds another before she is at least twenty, it was not meant to be. Enough time exercising my persona; it is time to go home to Louisa and my children,” Harold stated happily. Anytime he thought of his wife and children, he could only smile. “I will have Louisa write to Aunt Hildebrand so that Caroline will be called back to Scarborough.”
“That would be for the best,” Fitzwilliam agreed.
The friends shook hands and then made their way out of the club, Harold walking unsteadily for effect.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Why is itmyMr Darcy is never at home to us? There have been no invitations from him, and he has not called here either. Are you certain you are conveying my invitations?” Miss Bingley demanded. “You have seen him at his club, have you not?”
“I cannot answer for him and his schedule. I am sure Darcy will invite us soon.” Bingley knew it was not true because Darcy had told him that the day he had met his friend at White’s.
He would rather deal with Caroline as she was than the anger she would unleash if she knew Darcy did not want her at any of his houses.
“You must have done something to anger him! Make sure you repair things. How am I supposed to advance my suit with Mr Darcy like Mamma wanted if I never see him?” Miss Bingley screeched.
Bingley did not reply, knowing that his sister wanted to vent her spleen and did not need a response from him. Why did he bring her to London?
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
A little more than a sennight later a letter arrived from Aunt Hilderbrand demanding Charles bring Caroline back to Scarborough. It was signed by Uncle John as well to emphasise that he too was making the demand.
It caused a huge, expected tantrum to be unleashed by Caroline Bingley.
While he said all he needed to in order to placate and sympathise with his sister, Bingley was secretly very pleased that the order had been issued. It aligned with his wishes; however, he knew he would not have been able to do this on his own.
The next morning, the Bingley carriage departed the house in Bloomsbury. One sibling was furious; the other was hiding his glee.
Chapter 16
Although Ignatius Hurst normally did not keep secrets from his Lettie, he had been keeping one from her. For a few months, he had been feeling tightness and pains in his chest.
He had not ignored the symptoms. The first time he experienced them, he had dismissed it, ascribing them to something he had eaten, which disagreed with him. When the same had repeated twice more, he had sought out one of London’s premier elite physicians, Mr Alexander Marcet, from the Swiss Confederation, having come to London before the Corsican tyrant imposed his will in the form of the Act of Mediation in 1803.
As most of his research was in chemistry, Mr Marcet had referred Hurst to Mr William Saunders, a leading elite physician, specialising in heart ailments, at Guy’s Hospital.
Mr Saunders had given Hurst a thorough exam and afterwards had informed him that he had a disease of the heart. As he did not exhibit the symptoms of dropsy, no digitalis was prescribed, and Saunders was forward-thinking enough to reject bloodletting or leeches as a treatment. He did prescribe botanical elixirs consisting of valerian, quill, and iron. He was honest with Hurst that the tonics only had limited effectiveness and also recommended changes in his diet. He left Hurst with the dire prediction that his life may end because of the disease.
Being in the line of work he was and approaching the age of sixty, Hurst was much fitter than the average man in the kingdom. All he could do was follow Mr Saunder’s recommendations and take the elixirs, regardless of their foul taste.
In early April, a few days after the two Bingleys had begun their journey to Scarborough, Leticia confronted her husband. One morning before they went down to break their fasts, she turned to Ignatius. “Just how much longer did you think you would be able to hide from me the fact that you are ill?” she demanded, arms akimbo as she stared down her beloved husband. “Surely you must know that I have loved you for too many years to miss that you are not well?”
Hurst hung his head in shame. “Lettie, I must beg your forgiveness,” he admitted. “I should have known I would never be able to hide anything from you. I just did not want you to worry when concern will change nothing. I began to feel…” Hurst told his wife all, including what Mr Saunders believed was the ultimate outcome of the illness. “The pains and tightness have been increasing, something the doctor warned me could indicate that the end is near. So I suppose, as unwise as it was, I still attempted to hide the truth from you.”
By this time, the tears were rolling down Leticia’s face. She knew that God would call them home to Him, but she always prayed that would be many years, some decades, in the future. She felt herself being pulled into her husband’s arms.
“It was selfish of me,” Hurst owned. “I wanted the time we have left to be like it has always been, and I knew as soon as I told you all, everything would change.”
