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At that moment, a maid entered the hall, carrying a fresh tea tray toward the parlor and Elizabeth jumped slightly and withdrew her hand.

Understanding that further conversation would have to wait, Fitzwilliam bowed deeply and took a last look at her dear face before departing. “Good day, Miss Elizabeth. Until Saturday.”

That evening, the Darcy siblings enjoyed a quiet yet amiable meal together while Mr. Bingley dined with his own family.

He was more restrained than usual but it went unnoticed as Caroline chattered on about parties and gossip.

At one point during the fish course, she paused to remonstrate one of the Hursts’ servants and Louisa slipped in an inquiry about their relations in Yorkshire.

Charles managed only a few words before their younger sister demanded the attention of the table again.

“Really, Charles! I can’t imagine why you had to stay there so long!

You should have returned to London weeks ago.

Surely a letter would have been sufficient—there is no reason to waste your time on such visits when you had much better be in London.

” She smiled cunningly toward Mrs. Hurst. “Miss Darcy has been asking after you, you know.”

Having just spent some hours in Miss Darcy’s company and knowing precisely what she and her brother thought of Caroline, Charles could barely restrain himself from rolling his eyes.

“They are our closest relations, Caroline. Besides, I needed to sit in on several meetings. The Luddite problem seems to be settling down but our cousins still wished to discuss issues of working conditions and security for the machinery. It was quite interesting, actually.”

Bingley looked up and noted the variety of expressions on his family’s faces.

Mr. Hurst seemed to be trying to process his comment but was hindered by the excessive amount of wine he had imbibed.

Louisa was staring at her younger brother as if she had never seen him before.

And Caroline…. his younger sister was glaring at him with a mixture of disgust and horror that she made no attempt to hide.

“Charles—what were you be thinking, to involve yourself so!?!”

Bingley sighed and signaled the servants to clear his plate. “I was thinking that I have a responsibility to our father’s business, even if I don’t take as active a role in its management as Arthur would have.”

Louisa’s face tightened with grief at the mention of their elder brother.

There was no hint of sadness in Caroline’s voice, however; only disdain. “Don’t be ridiculous, Charles. You are a gentleman and all of our efforts will be ruined if it becomes known that you are involving yourself in trade.”

Bingley eyed his sister carefully. Had she no pride in their family?

“Caroline, our father (and his father before him) worked very hard to provide us with a better chance in life than they had. I, for one, am proud to be known as his son and plan to fulfill the responsibilities left to me to the best of my ability. If that means attending a few business meetings or even visiting a factory or warehouse, then so be it.”

Caroline was aghast. “Are you insane? Our acquaintances will shun us! It’s bad enough that our grandfather worked with his hands; at least Father planned to buy an estate. Louisa—tell him! ”

Charles shrugged casually although he was listening closely to Caroline’s diatribe. Her words were more revealing than she realized. “Darcy and I were talking about families and duty this morning; it reinforced my determination to be more attentive to my responsibilities.”

Miss Bingley blanched. “You discussed our family business with Mr. Darcy?!? How could you, Charles?!? We shall be lucky if he doesn’t rescind our invitation to Pemberley this summer!”

This time Charles did roll his eyes. Did Caroline really understand so little of the man she plotted to marry?

“Darcy has a great deal of respect for our family; his own father invested in our father’s business.

” When Caroline looked horrified, he shook his head.

“Really, Caro; he has been my friend since school. He knows everything there is to know about me.”

While his sister was sputtering in consternation, he waved his fork at her dismissively. “Besides, I doubt that I will have time to travel to Derbyshire this summer.”

There was a moment of stunned silence before Caroline began to shriek. “Whatever are you speaking of? Of course you are going to Pemberley! We are all going to Pemberley! I must… You must…” In her anguish she tipped over a wine goblet.

Charles sighed and righted his sister’s glass; fortunately it had been nearly empty.

When she finally paused to take a breath, he spoke firmly, “As you said, our father wished me to purchase an estate. I spent some time today with Darcy, discussing the responsibilities of an estate owner. I shall not be going to Pemberley because I must be in Hertfordshire.”

Caroline gaped like a fish. “But Charles—we decided that you were to give up the lease on Netherfield. It was completely inappropriate. Certainly Mr. Darcy told you the same; you would do much better to spend the summer at Pemberley, learning from him.” She brightened, certain of her ability to manage her brother.

“And of course I shall come to look after dear Georgiana; Mr. Darcy will need an experienced hostess as she is not yet out and I expect we shall be doing a great deal of entertaining.”

Bingley was becoming increasingly disgusted by his sister.

He took a sip of wine before speaking with a great deal more determination than his family was accustomed to hearing from him.

“No, Caroline. I shall be returning to Netherfield in about a week; time enough for me to tie up my affairs here in London and to allow Nichols to open up the house.”

When his sister opened her mouth to begin protesting again, he spoke over her.

“I’ve not decided whether or not to purchase Netherfield but I will be continuing the lease for at least another year.

Darcy and I agreed that it is an excellent situation for me to learn the duties of a gentleman farmer. ”

Charles decided that his pudding was quite unappetizing and put his fork down carefully before looking up at his sister again. A flicker of cunning flashed across her face before she donned a conciliatory mask .

“Of course, Charles. If Mr. Darcy has recommended it, then it must be so. But are you certain that you are quite ready to take on the management by yourself? Wouldn’t it be better to have Mr. Darcy come with us to Netherfield so that he may assist you?

And dear Georgiana must come as well—her good breeding and refinement will be such a relief in that dreadful backwater. ”

Caroline’s calculating smile brightened. “Of course; we could spend a few weeks at Netherfield and then all travel to Derbyshire together! What a wonderful way for our families to become even closer…”

Watching his sister’s machinations was making Charles feel slightly ill, but he still had a few facts to determine before he could remove himself from her presence.

“No, Caroline. Darcy and his sister will be leaving for Derbyshire about the same time I depart.” Before Caroline could concoct any more schemes, Charles turned the conversation.

“I meant to ask; what correspondence have you had with our Hertfordshire acquaintances? We all departed rather abruptly last November and I’m afraid I shall have to make my apologies to our neighbors for not taking my leave in person. ”

Miss Bingley’s eyes widened. “Oh, really Charles. You need not bother with any of them ; there was no one of any significance in that miserable place.”

Charles kept his face neutral but watched her very carefully. “Surely you understand that, as the master of Netherfield Park, even the most minimal politeness requires me to call on my immediate neighbors, at the very least. Besides, I had thought that you were corresponding with Miss Bennet?”

Caroline attempted to look compassionate without much success. “Oh, Charles… I’m so sorry. I know that you liked her a great deal but you will only bring yourself pain if you put yourself in Jane’s company again.”

“You have not heard from her at all?”

His sister shot a worried look at Mrs. Hurst but lied without hesitation.

“No, Charles, just as I told you before. I wrote as you requested but she never replied. Miss Bennet was a very sweet girl but she made it clear that she was quite indifferent to you. If you insist on venturing into Hertfordshire, I would recommend that you avoid those artful Bennets altogether.”

Bingley sat quietly for some minutes, considering what his sister had told him and comparing it to what he now knew to be the truth.

Suddenly he felt very, very tired and wished only to be relieved of her company.

Bringing his attention back to the present, he realized that Caroline had been talking the entire time and had argued her way back to the idea that the Bingleys and Hursts would accompany the Darcys to Derbyshire for the summer, bypassing Hertfordshire altogether.

Sighing, Charles pushed his chair back and stood, fixing his sister with a stern look. “Caroline! You are not going to Pemberley. I have attempted to spare your feelings, but the fact is that Darcy invited me; you were only welcome as part of my party. As I am not going, you are no longer invited.”

Thinking of all the pain his sister had caused, Bingley couldn’t resist a final dig. “Besides, I have it on good authority that Darcy will soon be engaged and hopes to have the lady’s family visit Pemberley this summer. You would only be in the way.”

With that, Bingley pushed his chair against the table and headed for the door. He made it three steps before Caroline overcame her shock and began shrieking.

“Of what are you speaking!?! I demand to know, Charles! I have heard nothing of Mr. Darcy courting anyone! Surely you don’t mean that sickly cousin of his?”

Bingley stood with his hand on the door and looked back at his family.

Mr. Hurst seemed amused at his sister-in-law’s histrionics.

Louisa was watching her brother questioningly but without any apparent malice.

And Caroline… Caroline was clawing her way out of her chair, nearly taking the tablecloth with her as she stood.

“Charles—tell me immediately! What do you know?” she demanded, her voice rising with desperation.

If there had been any hint of sadness over a lost love or even affection, he might have been inclined to forgive her. As it was, he had no qualms with dismissing his sister’s hopes with a seemingly offhanded remark designed to cut deeply.

“No one in our circle, I’m sure. Someone in Darcy’s position would only consider a gentleman’s daughter worthy of becoming the next Mistress of Pemberley.”

Caroline fell back into her chair, devastated.

Feeling rather ashamed of himself, Charles decided to gift her with a bit of truth.

“Sorry, Caro—I’m teasing a bit. Darcy doesn’t care as much about the social standing of his future wife as much as he does about her intelligence and character.

He believes that he has found someone with whom he can build a marriage based on mutual affection and respect.

I, for one, plan to support him in every possible way in his quest for happiness, just as he has done for me. ”

With those words, Charles Bingley left, shutting the door firmly behind him so that he would not hear any of his sister’s further outbursts.

Quietly accepting his coat and hat from the butler, he declined the offer of a carriage and departed his brother-in-law’s house on foot.

It was a lovely night for a walk and, although he was exhausted, he also had a sense of lightness that he had not felt in years.