“What is a courtship? Does that mean Cousin William will be taking Lizzy away like Andrew did with Jane?” Tommy asked. “I do not want Lizzy to leave; her stories are too good.”
“Lizzy is not leaving soon,” Bennet mollified his son.
Once her children had their say, Fanny stood and threw her arms around Lizzy. “You will do very well together. Yes, I know it is only a courtship, but it will be more one day,” Fanny said next to Lizzy’s ear insotto voce. “I knew you could not be so intelligent for no reason.” Next, Fanny hugged the man she was certain would one day be her son-in-law.
As much as he did not want to be parted from Elizabeth, eventually Darcy had to leave to make his way to Netherfield Park.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“No, Caroline, you will most certainly not be with Hurst and me when we greet Darcy in the drive,” Bingley stated firmly.
They had just been informed that the Darcy coach was approaching the house. As expected, as soon as the information had been conveyed, Caroline began to demand her attendance to greet, as she said, ‘the Darcys’. She still did not believe that Miss Darcy would not be hosted at Netherfield Park.
“I must; what will Miss Darcy think…” Miss Bingley began to reply when her brother interpolated.
“This is the last time I will tell you this: Miss Darcy isnotresiding here. She is with hercousins, and she will remain at Longbourn as long as she and her brother are in the area. Not one more word, Caroline. You will not like the result if you defy me,” Bingley bit back. He and Hurst left the drawing room.
“Why is Charles funning with me like that?” Miss Bingley asked when the men had left and were out of earshot.
“Caroline, I promise you no one is teasing you. Miss Darcy is, in fact, being hosted with her cousins,” Louisa stated soothingly. “I am sure that at some point Miss Darcy will want to meet you.” She knew it was the last thing that Gigi wanted, but Louisa was attempting to keep her sister calm. She almost burst into a fit of giggles when she saw the way Mother rolled her eyes at Caroline.
“Did you tell Charles that you will move aside and allow me to be the hostess now that Mr Darcy is here?” Miss Bingley enquired. She ignored what Louisa said about Miss Darcy because it did not fit with her desires.
“As I promised I would, I spoke to Charles more than once. I am afraid that he is adamant that I will remain in the role until you learn all of the duties of an estate’s mistress,” Louisa responded. “No matter how much I pleaded your case, it made no difference.” They had spoken more than once about howobtuse Caroline could be. Caroline saw or heard nothing which did not fit with her plans.
“Why is it taking so long for Mr and Miss Darcy to enter the house?” Miss Bingley whinged. She knew how to act; she would perform as the hostess and no one would gainsay her.
Hurst and Bingley arrived at the base of the stairs just as the Darcy travelling coach came to a halt. Neither missed the grin and faraway look on Darcy’s face.
“Is it me, or do you have some good news to share with us?” Hurst queried.
“Before you reply, no matter what we have said, my younger sister still believes Miss Darcy is with you. I apologise in advance for her behaviour. On top of that I made Louisa the mistress, and Caroline is not sanguine with that,” Bingley warned.
“Bingley, she is a woman fully grown. It is her responsibility to apologise for her misbehaviour, not yours,” Darcy allowed. “And yes, I have almost the best news. Elizabeth, Miss Bennet, agreed to an official courtship, and Bennet sanctioned it.”
“If Caroline was going to be upset by your sister not being with you, it will be nothing compared to when she hears you are courting one who is not her,” Bingley opined.
“That will be her problem, not mine,” Darcy stated. “Bingley, I want to make sure Miss Bingley understands where she stands with me, so with your permission, I would like to speak plainly to her.”
“Say what you need to say,” Bingley agreed.
“As much as I did not want to be correct, my sister-in-law is about to attempt to ensnare you, which she has been planning for the last few years. That she could maintain her act, at least to a certain extent, is surprising. My estimate is that her façade will soon crumble, and we will see the true Caroline Bingley in all of her glory,” Hurst predicted.
“Well, should we go and beard the dragon?” Bingley suggested.
“I will come and greet the ladies before I wash and change. I may as well get this over with.” Darcy stiffened his spine.
In the drawing room, Miss Bingley was getting upset. She was standing at a window that overlooked the drive. She had seen Mr Darcy alight and a manservant as well, but no Miss Darcy! Miss Darcy had to be here so she could make sure that Charles married her. How could this be?
As she fumed, she ignored the fact that she had been told, many times, that Miss Darcy would not be resident at Netherfield Park.
While Miss Bingley was fighting to maintain her equanimity, the three men entered the drawing room. Seeing Mr Darcy made her forget her current pique, at least for the moment. “As your hostess, I welcome you…” she began to say as she approached Mr Darcy.
“How can you be the hostess when your brother informed me that Mrs Hurst is the mistress here?” Darcy enquired evenly.
“That was simply an error on Charles’s part; he is mistaken.” Miss Bingley was banking on her brother not being willing to gainsay her in front of Mr Darcy. Surely that would be too embarrassing?
“Caroline, is your brain addled?” Bingley demanded. “You know that Louisa is the mistress here, so what is your game?”
