Page 10

Bingley’s Bedchamber

Charles Bingley glanced at the clock on the mantle and frowned in surprise. It was an hour past midnight, which meant he had been sitting by the fire for more than an hour pondering the exquisite beauty and enchanting personality of Miss Jane Bennet.

Now that he was paying attention, he realized that the fire has died down, and it was actually rather chilly in the room.

He rose to his feet, yawned, stretched, meandered over to his bed, and climbed in under the covers and quilts. The sheets were cold as the warming pans had been used too long ago, but that was quite all right. He would warm up soon.

For a moment, his mind wandered to the thought of Miss Bennet in bed next to him before he forced his thoughts in another direction. She was not yet his wife, but he wanted her very much, and based on her interactions with him today, he was confident that she cared for him, even if not quite as passionately as he cared for her .

He would make her an offer, he decided, but he wanted it to be special in some way, to show how much he valued her.

Perhaps he could entice her to London and go up in a hot air balloon with her and propose to her high above the ground?

No, that would be dangerous. He was no aeronaut!

Perhaps he could take her to observe the wild beasts in the Tower and talk about how she was as amazing as a, what a lion? An elephant? An ostrich?

No! That was absurd.

Wait a minute, what about jewelry?

His dear mother had amassed quite a bit of jewelry during her life, and while much had gone to Louisa and Caroline, Mrs. Bingley had set aside some very fine pieces of jewelry for Charles’s own bride.

That would be symbolic and lovely, and Jane would, he hoped, like that very much, if she accepted him, that is.

And if she did not, he would take it like a man. Darcy had assured him that no Bennet daughter would be forced to marry when she did not wish to, and he would not wish for an unwilling bride .

He hoped and prayed she wished to be his wife, though, because he loved her dearly.

***

The Shrubbery

Outside Lucas Lodge

Early

Saturday, 30 th November, 1811

“Yes, Mr. Collins, I will marry you,” Charlotte said sedately, though inwardly her heart rejoiced. She knew that Mr. Collins was to leave for Kent later this very day and had worried that he would take too long to come to the point. But only ten minutes previously, she had spied him approaching from her bedchamber window, and she had hastily made her way downstairs and outside to meet him in the lane, where he had promptly asked for her hand in marriage.

His plain face brightened with pleasure, and she smiled as he rambled on at length about how much he appreciated her and how thrilled he was that she would soon be his wife. Given that they had not known one another long, his remarks were rather silly, but far better adulation than disapproval.

She was very pleased. Mr. Collins was not a knight in shining armor, but he would be a decent husband, and she would be well married. What more could she ask for?

“I am quite confident that my cousin Bennet will be pleased to allow me to stay another two days,” Mr. Collins declared, “and will thus stay until Monday before journeying to Hunsford. This will make it possible for me to spend more time with you and your esteemed parents.”

Charlotte was certain that the Bennets wanted nothing more than to see the last of her new fiancé, and she said, “I wonder if perhaps you would care to move to Lucas Lodge for two days, Mr. Collins? With my parents as chaperones, I cannot imagine that would be improper.”

“I would greatly enjoy that, my dear Charlotte. Let us speak to your esteemed father and mother now so that I may ask their blessing.”

***

Elizabeth’s Bedchamber

Longbour n

Later in the Day

Elizabeth stared at her friend in disbelief. She had been happy when Charlotte appeared on the doorstep of Longbourn and even more delighted when her friend informed her that the heir of Longbourn was enjoying a pleasant meal at Lucas Lodge. In a few hours, Mr. Collins would leave, and they would be rid of his irksome presence forever. And then Charlotte had told her of something that seemed unimaginable.

“Engaged to Mr. Collins!” Elizabeth cried out. “My dear Charlotte, impossible!”

“I am engaged,” Charlotte returned promptly, “and overjoyed. Now I know you do not understand, my dear friend, as you are young and beautiful and romantic, but I assure you that I have never been happier in my life.”

“But,” Elizabeth began, and then she fell silent as Charlotte lifted a warning finger.

“No, Eliza, I beg you to let me explain, and then you can remonstrate with me if you like. Mr. Collins is a respectable clergyman. He is currently holding a valuable living, and he is the heir of this very house and estate. Furthermore, he has great reverence for Lady Catherine de Bourgh, which means he does not despise women – some men do, you know. I am seven and twenty and plain, and I have no fortune. Until Mr. Collins arrived in the area, I had more or less accepted that my lot was to grow old in my parents’ home and then in my brother’s home as an unwanted aunt. Now I will be Mrs. Collins, and I will have my own home, and my own garden, and my own chickens, and perhaps, if God is gracious, my own children. I am so very happy, Elizabeth! And now, if you like, you can berate me.”

Elizabeth stared at Charlotte with an open mouth and tears in her eyes. She and Charlotte had been good friends for many years, but she had not understood how much her friend’s single status weighed on her.

She found Mr. Collins so absurd and stupid as to be revolting, but she was not her friend. Moreover, had the matter of Mr. Wickham not taught her that she was sometimes incorrect in her impressions of those around her?

She reached out her hands and took Charlotte’s in her own, and she said, “I am happy if you are happy, Charlotte. May God bless you with a wonderful marriage and many healthy children.”

“Thank you, Elizabeth.”

“Now I have one small request for you,” Elizabeth said. “Might you convince Mr. Collins to delay his informing the rest of the family about your engagement? We are to have the Netherfield party for dinner tonight, and Mamma will be displeased at the news. I would rather wait for Mr. Collins to be on his way to Kent before informing her of the truth.”

“I have already spoken to William on the matter,” Charlotte assured her. “Indeed, he is still at Lucas Lodge and intends to spend the next two nights there, so you will not need to interact with him. I understand that the last thing you need now is furor over my engagement. By the way, I am hopeful that Mr. Bingley will soon offer for Jane. He is obviously in love with her, and she with him.”

It was on the tip of Elizabeth’s tongue to ask whether Charlotte felt anything similar about Mr. Collins, but she held back. It was obvious to her that an acquaintance of only a few days could not result in genuine admiration or love on either side. But Mr. Collins would gain a sensible and clever wife, and Charlotte would gain a husband, and she would do her best to be happy for them both.

***

Caroline’s Bedchambe r

Caroline tilted her head thoughtfully as she regarded the two evening gowns which Clara had suggested as possibilities for dinner at Longbourn. The green gown, made of silk, was more expensive, and the hat that went with it was a divine creation decorated with short ostrich feathers. The blue one, on the other hand, was made up with muslin and, while attractive, was not impressive.

“The blue one,” she said, and Clara nodded in approval. “An excellent choice, Miss. You would not wish the Bennets to think that you esteem them so much as to wear your best garments.”

“Precisely,” Caroline agreed, and for a few minutes, all was silence as Clara assisted her mistress out of her morning gown and into her evening attire. It was not until Caroline was seated in front of the mirror, and her maid was dressing her hair, that the older woman said, “I have heard something important about the Bennets.”

Caroline lifted her eyes to meet her maid’s in the mirror. “Have you? Tell me all about it!”

** *

Drawing Room

Longbourn

After Dinner

Elizabeth bent over her needlework as she listened to the conversation between Miss Bingley, Mrs. Hurst, Jane, and Mrs. Bennet. So far, and rather to her surprise, the dinner party had been a congenial one. It helped that Mr. Collins was safely ensconced at Lucas Lodge with his new fiancée, but even those members of the Netherfield party who were often annoying had been surprisingly agreeable.

As for Jane and Mr. Bingley – well! As usual, they had been placed side to side at dinner, and Elizabeth thought, with a spurt of amusement, that it was a miracle they found time to eat as they talked at length, and gazed at one another adoringly. Mrs. Bennet had, to everyone’s relief, been quieter than normal, though Kitty and Lydia had been rather noisy. In any case, it had been pleasant, and now the ladies were gathered cozily in the drawing room, where the gentlemen would join them after they enjoyed their wine.

Tomorrow was likely to be a challenging day, as Elizabeth would have to tell Mrs. Bennet about the engagement between Charlotte and Mr. Collins. But for now, all was comparatively well .

“I do hope that Mr. Bingley will hold another ball soon,” Lydia squealed from her position by the fire. “It was the most wonderful evening of my entire life!”

“Why thank you, Miss Lydia,” Caroline replied in dulcet tones, “but I fear that such a festivity will not likely happen again. Unfortunately, there are rumors that some indelicate behavior occurred on the upper floor of Netherfield during the ball.”

Elizabeth lifted startled eyes from her needlework and felt a cold fist clench around her heart. Miss Bingley was staring at her with a slightly mocking smile on her face.

“Whatever are you speaking of, Caroline?” Jane asked in a confused tone. “I cannot believe that any of my neighbors would behave in an improper way during a ball.”

“I hope you are right, my dear Jane,” Caroline said with a sorrowful expression, “but I heard that one of the ladies attending the ball crept upstairs and returned in a mussed condition, and I simply cannot condone that kind of behavior.”

“Miss Bingley!” Kitty cried out, “surely you do not mean…”

The door opened at this juncture, to Elizabeth’s relief, and the gentlemen entered .

Bingley, of course, immediately hurried to Jane’s side, and the pair were soon engaged in soft conference, while Mr. Darcy, to Elizabeth’s surprise, took a seat next to Mr. Bennet and, based on their conversation, began an in-depth discussion of the plays of Christopher Marlowe, while Mr. Hurst, the last of the gentlemen, sat down on a chair and looked somnolent.

On the surface, it was entirely peaceful, but now Elizabeth knew that there were alarming undercurrents beneath the placid waters. Someone was gossiping about Elizabeth’s time on the upper floor during the ball, and if those rumors spread through the community, her own reputation, and that of her family, would be dangerously affected.