Page 15

Caroline’s Bedchamber

Netherfield Hall

The Next Morning

Caroline sat on the wingbacked chair in front of the fire, pulled her shawl closer around her, leaned toward the fire, and held out her hands. It was a chilly morning, and she still felt both sluggish and angry, an unpleasant combination.

When she had woken half an hour earlier, her ardent hope had been that the events of the previous day were but a dreadful nightmare, but when her maid Clara had entered, Louisa had come in as well, with the warning that Charles was behaving in an exasperating way regarding both his engagement and Darcy’s, and that they had best watch their step.

Caroline had mumbled her assent and sent Louisa away, and then she had thought hard as Clara helped her dress. Now the maid was fetching her some breakfast, as she had no desire to see either Charles or Darcy until she had wrestled her anger under control .

From the first day Caroline had laid eyes on the tall, handsome, wealthy master of Pemberley, she had wished to marry no other man but him.

Given that Charles and Darcy were close friends, she had been quite hopeful of achieving her aim, though she knew that Darcy, as the nephew of an earl, could look high for a bride.

If he had chosen an earl’s daughter, or a baronet’s, even, she would have been disappointed but not outraged. But Elizabeth Bennet? The woman was no great beauty, and was penniless, and was far too independent, and did not care enough about her own appearance. Caroline knew that Darcy admired the girl’s fine eyes, but to make her an offer , when it was doubtless Miss Elizabeth who had followed Darcy into the Netherfield library and compromised him?

It was not to be borne, and yet, with Jane Bennet now engaged to Charles, there seemed little she could do without causing her own reputation to be damaged since she would soon be joined by marriage to the Bennets.

It was intolerable, and she would never forgive Charles for putting her in such a ghastly position.

** *

Drawing Room

Lucas Lodge

Two Hours Later

Lucas Lodge was not as grandly furnished as Longbourn, but Lady Lucas's drawing room was comfortable and large enough to hold not only the ladies of the house but also the Bennet women, who were there in force for a comprehensive discussion of Jane's and Elizabeth's engagements to wealthy gentlemen. Lady Lucas, quietly pleased with planning Charlotte's wedding and eventual installment as mistress of Longbourn, was content to listen to Mrs. Bennet's enraptured monologue on how exultant she was to have not only one, but two daughters well engaged.

Maria, seated on the couch beside her mother, listened in awe, uttering only soft wordless little exclamations at such statements as "Ten thousand pounds a year!" and "One of the finest estates in Derbyshire!" Lydia and the youngest Miss Lucas, Emily, who was only fourteen, were less interested in discussing money and property, and they sat on the chairs nearby with their heads together, with Emily listening raptly as Lydia expounded on the grand balls her sisters would host when they were wealthy married women .

Elizabeth listened to the varied chatter, smiled politely, and said little. It was still surreal that she was engaged to Mr. Darcy, and her heart was in too much turmoil to enter with joy into any discussions on the subject. She listened with acute embarrassment to her mother's vulgar utterings, though frequent glances at Jane helped her equanimity. There, at least, were uncomplicated feelings, and Elizabeth regarded her wistfully. Jane's eyes glowed with the happiness of her upcoming marriage, and a little of her delight trickled over to soothe Elizabeth's troubled soul. She liked to think that Charles would have proposed regardless of any unsavory rumors, but it could not be denied that her own engagement to Mr. Darcy made Charles and Jane's engagement easier.

Three months. In three months, Charles and Jane would be married, and if Elizabeth so wished, she could break off her engagement. She would not have to marry Mr. Darcy if she still found the idea distasteful. It was a comfort that she could think of again and again, like taking a favored trinket from its box to admire.

The door opened, and Elizabeth glanced over to see a maid enter with a silver tray, set with Lady Lucas's second-best tea service and a couple dozen cheesecakes that Charlotte or her mother had probably made themselves. The Lucas ladies were very good at cooking and baking. Elizabeth watched with pleasurable anticipation as Charlotte poured tea and served the cakes. Elizabeth, seated furthest away, was served last, and Charlotte subsequently brought her own drink and food to take the seat beside her friend.

“My dear Elizabeth, I am thrilled for you,” Charlotte said with a smile.

Elizabeth smiled gratefully in return. There was no doubt of her friend’s genuine pleasure, which was a boon given that many of her acquaintances would be either envious, or confused, or both. After all, the friction between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet was rather widely known, mostly due to Elizabeth’s eagerness to share her anger over the gentleman’s insult of her beauty.

She regretted that now.

“Thank you, Charlotte,” she said, glancing at her mother, who was now discussing wedding clothing with Lady Lucas. Given that Charlotte was also recently engaged, it seemed that both mothers were interested in the topic.

“It is still shocking to me,” Elizabeth continued softly, “and I can only wish that I had not gone up to the library that evening.”

This provoked a curious look, and she lowered her voice further and explained. “I went up to the library to enjoy some peaceful moments during the ball, and Mr. Darcy went up there as well. Nothing immoral happened, assuredly, but with the rumors flying about my reputation, he felt the only honorable course was to ask for my hand in marriage.”

Charlotte frowned and said, “But surely you are pleased, Eliza? He is so very eligible!”

“If he did not like me at all, I would be horrified,” Elizabeth murmured. “He says he likes me well enough, and I admire him in many ways, but it is not what I truly wanted. I am a romantic, and to be engaged under such circumstances is, well... I know you look at marriage differently than me, but I have always hoped for genuine love.”

“I am confident that you and Mr. Darcy will deal very well together,” Charlotte said in a reassuring tone. “He is intelligent and so are you, dear friend.”

“Thank you,” Elizabeth said and sighed. “I pray you are right. At least this should stop the rumors regarding my reputation.”

***

Pig in the Poke Pub

An Hour After Noo n

Wickham wandered into the main room of the pub and looked around with narrowed eyes. He had been up late playing cards with his fellow officers, and had rather over imbibed, with the result that he was battling a woolly head and a dry mouth.

But the food and ale here were excellent, and he would doubtless be right as rain shortly.

“Wickham, over here!” a voice cried out.

He turned around and grinned at a trio of his fellow officers, who had seated themselves in the darkest corner of the room.

“Good morning,” he said, walking over to take a chair next to Captain Denny, Lieutenant Smythe, and Lieutenant Pratt. “How are you?”

Denny smirked and said, “Better than you, I daresay, after last night’s cards.”

Wickham shrugged as Sally hurried over to take his order. He requested his usual fare of ale and beef and potatoes, and waited until she had departed before turning an amused face on the captain.

“I am confident my luck will turn tonight. I am due for a run of success, you know,” he remarked, picking up a piece of bread out of a small basket on the table and taking a bite. A moment later, Sally returned with a large glass of ale, and he nodded at her and took a few swallows, which instantly mitigated his dry throat.

“Have you heard about the Bennets?” Smythe asked casually, which caused Wickham to turn eager eyes on his companion.

“I have heard nothing,” he said. “What of them?”

“Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth are both engaged as of yesterday,” Pratt explained. “It does not seem entirely fair, given that they are the handsomest ladies in the county.”

“Not that we could afford to marry either of them,” Denny said. “I am surprised about Miss Elizabeth, though. I was under the impression that she and Mr. Darcy disliked one another.”

Wickham’s brain was still foggy from the previous night’s libations, and thus it was a full thirty seconds before this statement made sense, whereupon he choked in astonishment and spewed ale all over the table.

There were yelps of indignation from the other officers, and Denny said, “Wickham, really! Can you…”

“Darcy is engaged to Elizabeth Bennet?” Wickham interrupted incredulously.

Pratt stared and then chuckled. “Indeed he is! I hope you had no intentions towards the lady yourself, Wickham. You are, without a doubt, far more charming than the dour master of Pemberley, but he is rich, and you are poor.”

“I know, but,” he began and then poured the rest of the ale down his throat. This mitigated his headache entirely, and he allowed himself a silent minute to contemplate his next step.

“Well, it appears the rumors were right,” he finally said nonchalantly, as he began cutting his slab of beef.

“What rumors?” Smythe asked, leaning a little closer.

“About Miss Elizabeth at the ball, of course,” Wickham said with a sardonic arch of one eyebrow. “There is absolutely no way that Darcy offered for her unless…”

“It was she that he was meeting upstairs?” Denny asked eagerly.

“That makes sense,” Pratt said, and laughed aloud. “Fancy the grim master of Pemberley behaving in such a way with a local country girl.”

“His aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, will be most displeased,” Wickham said with a chuckle. “She has always declared that Darcy is to marry her daughter, the heiress of Rosings. ”

“Truly?” Denny said, “Is she very wealthy?”

The conversation continued in this vein for some time, with Wickham carefully stoking the flames of gossip as he ate and drank and when he rose from the table, both mind and stomach were well satisfied.

It was shocking that Darcy had apparently offered for Elizabeth Bennet, but if they thought this engagement would dampen the murmurs regarding Miss Elizabeth’s honor, the pair would find themselves sadly mistaken.