Darcy was sitting at his desk when Douglas knocked on his study door and entered. He brought a letter, or what had once been a letter, on a salver. It was in poor shape and from the atrocious script, Darcy correctly surmised it was from Bingley.
“Master, I beg your pardon. This missive arrived in December, a day before the fire at the Black’s dwelling. When it arrived, it was wet and it had been misdirected and redirected quite a number of times,” Douglas explained. “I had it placed near a fire to dry it out before I brought it to you. With everything that has happened, I forgot about it. It fell or was knocked off the table, as it ended up behind a sideboard and was only discovered today when the piece was moved for cleaning. I should have remembered and…”
“Douglas, there is nothing to apologise for, it was a hectic time and it was not your fault the missive fell,” Darcy stated, cutting off any further apology from his butler. Better late than never.”
Once he broke the seal, Bingley’s normal near-unreadable handwriting was completely illegible in parts. The letter was dated a few days after he quit London in November. There was one section, still fairly legible, which took Darcy’s breath away.
… blot, smudge,I am sending my sister to my aunt insmudgewhere she shall remain for a longblot.I understand what you mean about her taking ple…smudgein others’ misfortunes.
As bad as Carol…blotis I could not believe she crowed about howblotElizabeth was banished from her home for refusing to marry thatblot smudge blot! My sister claims she will be working at her Unblots shop GardinsmudgeEmporium…
Darcy read and reread the words he could decipher four or five times before he let out a breath he did not realise he was holding. His first thought was he cared not if Elizabeth was a shopgirl, as long as she was not married to that dimwit of a parson—or anyone else.
Suddenly all the timesMiss ElizabethGardiner had been mentioned played in his head. Could it be that his Elizabeth and Miss Gardiner were one and the same? For the first time since his self-imposed exile to Pemberley after hearing Miss Bingley crow about Miss Elizabeth’s supposed betrothal to Mr. Collins, Darcy started to hope.
If Miss Gardiner was the Elizabeth he dreamed of each and every night and thought about constantly, did she still dislike him? Did she not tell Giana and Richard who she was so they would not inform him?
On the other hand, mayhap he was looking for something his heart desired which was not there, and Mr. Gardiner of Netherfield Park was not Elizabeth’s tradesman uncle from London. He had to know; he advanced his departure to the Monday coming rather than Wednesday.
Miss Elizabeth was not married or had not been at the time Bingley wrote this letter. The next emotion he felt was anger. How could parents force their child, their own flesh and blood, into such a marriage and then banish her when she refused to comply?
If he came face to face with one of the Bennet parents, Darcy was not sure he would be able to hold his tongue and not say something impolitic to them.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Charles Bingley was pleased to receive an invitation to the wedding of the Honourable Mr. Richard Fitzwilliam and Miss Charlotte Lucas. He had always liked Richard and it seemed since his younger sister would not be present to annoy his friends, he had been invited to more soirées and balls than at any other time he could remember.
The invitation was for him to arrive at Netherfield Park on Monday, the eighteenth day of February. There would be a pre-wedding ball on Tuesday, and the wedding would take place on Friday. It was with the greatest of pleasure Bingley sent his acceptance of the invitation. He remembered to print in block letters so his response would be legible.
Bingley was sure this journey into Hertfordshire would be more pleasurable than his last. The two most manipulative women he had ever met, his sister Caroline and the former Miss Jane Bennet, would be absent and he looked forward to seeing Darcy again—he was certain Richard would ask his cousin to stand up for him.
He did not mention anything to the Hursts, as they had not been included in the invitation. Bingley would never allow anyone to push him to include them in an invitation where they had not been specifically requested ever again.
Since he sent his sister Caroline to Scarborough, accompanied her to Liverpool, and watched her sail off towards the new world, he felt as though a millstone had been removed from around his neck. He was as free as he had been before his parents were killed in a carriage accident.
Since his resolve to concentrate on the good character of a woman first, and not her outward beauty, Bingley had not fallen in love with another angel as had been his wont. He had come to the same conclusion his friend Darcy had some time ago, and that was, the women in Town were much of a muchness.
They could talk of fashion, the weather, the roads, and had no problem spouting malicious gossip, but when it came to any subject of substance, they were lost. Bingley was not yet sure what he wanted in his life’s partner, but he knew what he didnotwant.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Fanny Bennet was beyond frustrated. How was it Miss Lizzy never went for a solitary walk or ride? She was always in the company of others and it was more than a month since she had escaped from the gaol.
As she watched Lizzy in a group of walkers, she had to fight to stop herself from charging the target of her hate, even though the hated one was not alone. It would be worth being caught to rid the world of the evil before her.
Mayhap she would be pardoned for doing a service to the realm, even given a title. Lady Francene! How well that sounded! Rather than attack, Fanny withdrew. As the wilful girl was never alone, she would have to formulate a plan that would separate her from her company.
Fanny was tired of living in the filth and squalor she had been forced to so she could accomplish the task she set herself, but she would endure anything in order to succeed!
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“How is it in almost six weeks we have found no trace of my sister?” Gardiner asked as he sat in his study with Phillips and Richard. Each man was sipping from a glass of port.
“Fanny is of mean understanding, but she is cunning. Look at the way she took Bennet in and manipulated him into offering for her,” Phillips opined. “It is my belief she is still in the area and waiting for her perfect opportunity to take what she sees as her revenge on Lizzy.”
“We all agree the woman has lost any contact with reality, do we not?” Richard asked.
“On that point we are in full agreement,” Gardiner responded for himself and his brother, who was nodding.
