Despite that, Louisa’s current position in Hertfordshire had come of just such an argument, the first one in recent memory where Louisa had not just allowed her sister to do as she wished. It had happened some weeks earlier, when Louisa had discovered a second letter Caroline had received from Jane Bennet, of which Louisa had been unaware.
“Jane sent you another letter?” Louisa had asked after Caroline had mentioned something on the subject.
“Last week,” said Caroline, her lip curling in disgust. “I might wonder at her insistence—I would more properly attribute it to her mother than mousy Jane Bennet.”
“What did she say?”
Caroline huffed with disdain. “She expressed her regret that she did not receive a reply to her first letter. Any woman of sense would understand she did not receive a letter because I do not wish to keep the acquaintance.”
Louisa frowned. “You always professed friendship to her.”
“That was when we were in Hertfordshire and there was no one else tolerable.” Caroline shook her head. “Now that we have left Netherfield never to return, a continued acquaintance represents nothing but danger. Miss Bennet is not suitable for Charles—we must guide him to a better option.”
Though Louisa had agreed with Caroline in a general sense, she was uneasy about misleading Charles. Miss Bennet wasnotinsipid—she was reticent, but Louisa had caught more than one glimpse of depth in her character. Mr. Darcy had claimed thatMiss Bennet’s affection for Charles was not the equal of hers, but Louisa could not be certain.
“Do you not suppose it is best to allow Charles to direct in what manner he will live his life?”
The rolling of Caroline’s eyes spoke to her feelings, which contained far more contempt than Louisa thought proper. “If I trusted Charles’s ability to act as he ought, I might agree. His fascination with such a woman as Miss Bennet tells me all I need to know.”
“Caroline,” said Louisa, reproof in her voice, “that is not sound. Regardless of what you think of the family in question, Miss Bennetisthe daughter of a gentleman—by that definition alone, she is suitable.”
In the past, when Caroline had turned her displeasure on Louisa, she had not felt trepidation, exactly, but more a sense of uneasiness that had led to capitulation. On this occasion, Louisa felt nothing of that—for the first time, her eyes were open to the drawbacks of allowing Caroline to believe she ruled them all.
“Do not say such nonsense!” snapped Caroline. “There will be no more discussion of this—I will not allow it. Miss Bennet is insipid, her family is repulsive, and any connection between them an abominable notion that would ruin us in society. I shall not relinquish all we have struggled to obtain and watch Charles throw it away on an insignificant country miss.”
Though part of her had urged Louisa to disagree, she had remained silent and considered what she should do. Caroline’s announcement of an invitation to visit a friend’s estate had then provided Louisa the opportunity. Perhaps it was cowardly to proceed where Caroline could not witness it, but Louisa did not consider that for a moment. Everything she had done after had stemmed from that disagreement, and Louisa could not regret her actions.
“Louisa,” said Hurst the evening that she considered the argument with her sister, “do you not suppose that you are taking your vengeance a little too far?”
“It is not vengeance,” replied Louisa.
He knew about the disagreement, for Louisa had told him of it on the way to Hertfordshire. Gerald did not disagree with her conclusions, but she knew he had a healthy respect for Caroline’s temper.
Gerald regarded her with a dubious expression. “Is it not?”
“The argument played no part of my thinking,” replied Louisa.
“But you waited until Caroline was gone before making your move.”
“I did,” replied Louisa. “It seemed better that way.”
“How?” asked Gerald, genuine curiosity in the question.
“When Caroline learns of it,” replied Louisa, “it will take the wind out of her sails. I dare say the explosion will not be any less because of it, but perchance she will see sense when she realizes she can do nothing.”
“You ascribe far too much sense to your sister,” muttered Hurst. “If her rampage does not bring the stones of Netherfield down around our ears, it will be nothing less than a miracle.”
Louisa sighed—Gerald’s concern was not invalid. “We have let her continue in the delusion about her position in the family for too long.”
“And what of the delusion about Darcy?”
“That is another that has persisted too long.” Louisa sighed. “Caroline may not see it, but it will only do her good to understand that Mr. Darcy was never an option for her.”
“That is the truth,” said Gerald. “Darcy does not speak much, but I have known since he made her acquaintance that he had no interest in a closer connection.”
“Exactly,” replied Louisa. “Thus, the sooner she recognizes this, the sooner she can move to some other more interested man.”
“Will she stay away long enough for it to become a fait accompli? Is she not due to return before long?”
