Page 14 of Aunt Felicity

F ive years after his graduation from Cambridge, William, who until then had managed to eschew an introduction, was most unwillingly forced to meet Bingley’s sisters.

With his father’s permission he invited Bingley to Pemberley in the summer of 1807. His friend had been telling him how he needed to decide if his mother’s dream of him joining the landed gentry was something he wanted for himself. His father had left him a fortune of close to one hundred thousand pounds but had not charged him to purchase an estate. Rather, in a letter to his son delivered on the day of the reading of the will, the late Arthur Bingley told his son to choose a path which suited him, be that a life as a gentleman or the life of a tradesman.

The problem was that Bingley did not arrive alone. With him was his now married sister, Mrs Louisa Hurst, his brother-in-law, Mr Harold Hurst, and his younger sister, Miss Caroline Bingley.

Father and son had not been happy that a guest had invited other guests to accompany him. It had not helped when Bingley explained that his younger sister insisted, and he capitulated in the name of peace and quiet. The older Darcy had been ready to throw them all out, but William begged for some forbearance. Mr Darcy then told Bingley that the next time he arrived at any Darcy property with more than those listed on the invitation, he would be asked to leave and never be invited back.

As soon as the introductions were made, Miss Bingley, with her flaming red hair and no sense of style, attempted to attach herself to William’s arm. The older Darcy, whose patience was already worn thin, had told her that unless she behaved like a lady, she would be asked to leave Pemberley.

Both Darcy men were happy that Anna was with Bethie and the Fitzwilliams at Snowhaven. Miss Bingley, and to a lesser extent Mrs Hurst, were not the type of women they wanted around Anna.

It had taken three more days before Bingley had realised that his younger sister was jeopardising his friendship with Darcy. Even with the disdain the Darcy men were showing her, she was not deterred at all. Hence, he had made his excuses and on the fourth morning after arriving, never having learnt anything about estate management, he and his family had departed.

Since then, mostly the two friends met at the club—William had sponsored Bingley’s membership application at White’s—or Bingley, and only Bingley, was invited to Darcy House. On rare occasions, William accepted an invitation to Bingley’s leased house on Curzon Street and tolerated—barely—Miss Bingley’s cloying behaviour.

Now he was stuck. He had committed to travel with Bingley to view an estate that he was interested in leasing. Should Bingley find an acceptable estate, William would then remain under his roof long enough for Bingley to determine if that was the direction he wanted his life to take.

As soon as Miss Bingley heard the younger Mr. Darcy would be in residence once an estate was found, she proclaimed that she would be the hostess, even though by rights it should have been Mrs Hurst as she was to be in residence as well.

Before the journey to Ramsgate, William spoke to his father about the danger of a compromise from Miss Bingley. His father assured him he would support him completely in not giving into an entrapment if that is what Miss Bingley lowered herself to do; his aunt and uncle would also stand with him.

As he walked to White’s, he tried to shake off his frustration with the events of Ramsgate. He was also frustrated that this meeting would keep him from joining the Fitzwilliams and Anna on their journey north.

On his arrival at the venerable club, the manager who greeted William confirmed that Mr Bingley was present and waiting for him in a private room. After handing his hat, gloves, and cane to a footman, William made his way to the room the manager had indicated.

“Welcome, Darce,” Bingley stated ebulliently as he sprang up from his seat.

William had to fight the urge to smile. Richard had likened their mutual friend to a puppy, wagging its tail and wanting to please its master. At the time, he had decried that description of Bingley; however, seeing him now, William had to agree with Richard.

“With what may I assist you, Bingley?” William asked. After he had sat down, his friend offered him a drink. At the best of times William hardly drank, so he refused and instead pulled the bell. When the man appeared, Darcy ordered coffee.

Bingley waited until the beverage had been delivered, and they were alone once again. “I have found an estate I would like to lease, but I will not do so until you approve of it. Unless you do, Caroline will not be happy and go on and on at me about finding an estate in Derbyshire,” Bingley explained.

“Hurst was raised on an estate; could he not look at the place with you?” William asked.

“You know he has not much more experience than I do. As you are aware, my brother is rather indolent and refused to learn more than some basics from his father. He has told me that that is what a steward is for,” Bingley responded. “Do you not want to assist me any longer?” He looked rather sad when he asked the last.

The image of his friend as a puppy was once again brought to the fore by the long face he sported. “That is not what I said. I have committed to assist you when you select an estate to lease, and I am not one to go back on my word.”

Bingley’s visage lightened immediately. “In that case, the estate is called Netherfield Park. By carriage it is less than four hours from Town, near the town of Meryton in Hertfordshire. If you are able to come with me, I have an appointment on the morrow with the solicitor who is acting as the landlord’s agent. If we ride, we can be there in less than three hours,” Bingley enthused. His tail was wagging once again.

William pushed the image from his mind. “I will join you and ride north from there.” He intended to have his valet leave with the coach, and then he and Zeus would meet them at an inn on the Great North Road. “Now, I do have some important points to cover; some will be reiterations of things I have said before.”

Bingley nodded; his tail was no longer wagging.

“Who will act as mistress of the estate you lease?”

“Caroline has demanded to be my hostess.”

“So, you have ignored precedence and given in to your younger sister when Mrs Hurst should be the mistress by rote. That is another thing. I doubt either of your sisters has a true idea what the duties of the mistress of an estate are. It is so much more than ordering the servants around or planning meals.”

“You know Caroline. I will never have peace if she does not get her way.”

“Which will continue as long as you give in to her demands. Bingley, have you told her that I will never offer for her, even if she were to go as low as to plan an entrapment?”

“Ahem, ehrm, no, I have not mentioned that as the tantrum would be epic. You have never experienced her when she throws things and screams, using words a lady should not know.”

“Bingley, do you value my friendship?” William asked seemingly incongruently.

“Of course I do. Why do you ask?” Bingley enquired alarmedly.

The sad puppy was back, with its tail between its legs. “I must be able to trust my friends. How can I trust you when you will not honour my requests?” William raised his hand to forestall the reply forming on Bingley’s lips. “If you do not stand up to her, she will ruin herself and your family as well. Do you think I do not know she uses my name to inveigle invitations to events to which the daughter of a tradesman would not otherwise be invited? I tolerate it because you are my friend. If she crosses a line, not only will you lose my friendship, but your family name will be blackened in society. Now, thinking on all I have said, do you still want me to accompany you on the morrow?”

After draining his tumbler of whisky, Bingley nodded. “I do; I will not allow my younger sister to create a break between us, I swear.”

“In that case, we should ride at first light. What time is your appointment to meet the man at the estate? If we arrive before that time, it will allow us to ride the estate without the words of a man trying to earn his commission on our ears.”

“I had planned to leave between nine and ten because the meeting is at midday.” Bingley saw his friends raised eyebrows. “We will ride at first light as you suggested.”

A few minutes later William was on his way, leaving a rather contemplative Bingley behind him.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

For some reason Elizabeth had slept longer than was her wont and missed seeing the sun rise from Oakham Mount that morning. She barely made it to the breakfast parlour on time, which for her was not something she was used to doing. It was after she broke her fast before she began her daily constitutional. This day she headed towards the fence line between Longbourn and Netherfield Park.

The sun was already well up in the sky, with nary a cloud to be seen, and there was very little breeze. As she often did, she untied the strings holding her straw bonnet in place, removed it, and allowed it to dangle from her left hand.

Elizabeth loved the feel of the sun’s rays on her face. Mama was always telling her how brown and coarse her skin would be, but that had never happened, so Elizabeth allowed those words to wash over her. She was the only great walker in the family. Jane would walk, but only around their small park. If she had to go further, she would ride Nellie, the old mare who was the only horse trained for the side-saddle.

That was one activity Elizabeth eschewed, and she knew her fear of horses contradicted her maxim about her courage always rising. Riding in a carriage or cart was as near to one of the beasts as she was willing to go.

When she was seven, she had wanted to learn to ride. Unfortunately, Papa had not bestirred himself to help and had not purchased a pony for his daughters on which to learn. She had followed the groom to Nellie when she had passed the stall where her father’s onery stallion was housed. The groom had been too late in warning her to distance herself from his stall, and the horse had bitten into her shoulder. It had been hard enough to draw blood. At that moment, Elizabeth’s fear of horses had been born.

She moved her thoughts to her other sisters. Mary, ever the practical one, only walked when there was a purpose to her walking. She preferred to spend her time pedantically banging away on the pianoforte or reading religious texts, especially the misogynistic ravings of one Reverend Fordyce. Being the middle child, Mary was not part of the grouping of Jane and Elizabeth or Kitty and Lydia, so she leaned on distinguishing herself by becoming the most accomplished Bennet sister.

The only walking that interested Kitty and Lydia—because Lydia had decided it would be so—was walking into Meryton to spend their money on fripperies and learn the latest gossip from Aunt Hattie. Also, they would consent to walk to Lucas Lodge to visit Maria Lucas.

The thought of Lucas Lodge made Elizabeth think of her very good friend, Charlotte Lucas. Charlotte was seven years Elizabeth’s senior and was considered firmly on the shelf, something Mama made sure to bring up every time she was in Lady Lucas’s company. At the same time, Lady Lucas took pleasure in lording the fact she had two sons and a title over her friend and rival.

Some six years past, Mr William Lucas had been the mayor when Their Majesties made an unscheduled stop in Meryton. The mayor had given an extremely complimentary address to the King and Queen, resulting in his knighthood. Being in trade became anathema to the new Sir William, so he sold his businesses in Meryton, purchased the small estate to the southwest of Longbourn, and promptly named it Lucas Lodge. From that date on, Lady Lucas made sure everyone, including all of her close friends, Fanny Bennet especially, used her title. Jane, Elizabeth, and Charlotte often found amusement in the rivalry between their respective mothers.

Yes, Charlotte was not as pretty as Jane and herself, but Elizabeth knew she was not, as her mama termed her, plain. She had not even half the dowry the Bennet girls would have when their mother passed—which was small enough—but she was now seven and twenty. In Elizabeth’s opinion, the fact Charlotte was not married was not due to any deficiency with her, but rather with the men in the area who could not see her for the jewel she was.

Her thoughts of Charlotte were chased away when she saw two men thundering across a field on the Netherfield Park side of the fence, both atop great beasts. At first, Elizabeth did not see the men, just the horses. She looked up, and after a few seconds, she turned and began her walk back to the manor house to put as much distance between herself and the mounts.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

With all the training his father had imparted regarding estates and their management, William had not taken long to see that Netherfield Park was well maintained and in good condition.

The friends had arrived more than an hour previously after a good ride from London, which had lasted three hours, without having to push their horses too hard. As much as his friend hated rising early in the morning, he was ready at daybreak, and they left London just as the sky was lightning in the east. With it being barely twenty miles and not pushing above a fast canter, there had been no need to rest the horses on the way. When they did arrive, their horses were not breathing heavily, so they commenced their visual inspection of the manor house.

They had circled around the house, remaining outside of the slightly overgrown formal gardens, of course. It was nothing that two or three gardeners could not tame with a few hours of work. The house, built from broad brown stones, which William guessed were native to the area, looked sturdy, and there were no issues he could see that would give him pause. What they were able to see of the roof showed it was well maintained and again, had no obvious problems.

From the house they rode to the stables, which were also well maintained. Unless he erred, William saw stalls for about twenty horses. Next to the stables was a good, solid coach house. They did see three or four grooms at work, but other than inquisitive looks, none of them interacted with the two men.

There was a large kitchen garden; part of what William assumed was the home farm. They turned to the east and rode across the fields, jumping low fences or walls as they went. In the last field they reached, which was far larger than many others they had seen, to the east of it, had a much higher fence, which William guessed marked the boundary between two estates. They gave their stallions their heads and allowed them a gallop parallel to the fence.

“There is a girl in the field next to this one,” Bingley observed when they slowed their mounts.

“I saw her. I am sure she is the daughter or wife of a tenant,” William opined.

“How would you know that?” Bingley queried. “I saw nothing which would tell me who or what she was.”

“Did you not see? Her head was not covered.”

Bingley nodded.

“No gentlewoman would be walking with her head uncovered, far from any house, and unaccompanied.” As he said that, William’s conscience pricked him. Aunt Felicity did all of the above, but she was a countess, so she was allowed her quirks.

“I suppose you have the right of it. Caroline would not be seen dead without a covering on her head or walking over hill and dale like that girl. Can you see how fast she walks?”

William was about to add that just confirmed his supposition when he remembered how quickly his aunt could walk. Rather than replying, he turned Zeus back in the direction of the stables. It was nearing the time to meet with the solicitor. He was sure Bingley would take the lease thanks to them; by them he meant himself, not discovering anything wrong with the house or the estate.

On the way back to the manse, they did not go above a slow canter, slowing to a trot and then a walk to allow the horses to begin to cool. When they reached the stables, two grooms were given instructions for the care of the stallions and led them away with a half crown each for their trouble.

They arrived back at the manor house as a man, who they correctly guessed was the agent, was stepping down from his gig.

“Frank Phillips at your service. Which of you is Mr Bingley?” Phillips enquired after he bowed. Phillips did not miss that the shorter man with strawberry blond hair bowed in return while the other man, looking much graver, only inclined his head.

“I am Charles Bingley. and this is my friend William Darcy of Pemberley in Derbyshire. He is assisting me in evaluating the property,” Bingley stated.

William raised his eyebrows but said nothing to embarrass his friend. Bingley should have waited for him to request the introduction. It was done, and with no way to go back, there was nothing to be gained by remarking at that moment.

Mr Phillips led them up the broad stairs to a nice-sized veranda in front of the double front doors. The doors were already open, and a man and woman stood waiting for them in front of the entrance. “Mr Bingley, Mr Darcy, these are the butler and housekeeper, Mr and Mrs Nicolls. They, the cook, steward, stable master, grooms, and some maids and footmen are employed by the estate and may not be changed or sacked by the tenant.”

Bingley looked at William as he always did when he was unsure about something. “That is standard with a leased estate; that way there is continuity. You may employ as many additional servants as you decide you need,” he told his friend.

“Mr Darcy is correct,” Phillips agreed.

The lease, for a one-year term, was signed an hour later after the friends toured the inside of the house, and after allowing their horses sufficient rest, the two men were on their way back to London.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Robert Darcy arrived at Snowhaven, galloping all the way on his stallion, Jupiter, after receiving the note from his brother, which raised much concern with its allusion to Anna being with them.

When he arrived, he threw the reins in the direction of the groom waiting in the drive. He climbed the stone steps leading to the huge oak front door two at a time. The butler stood aside and allowed Mr Darcy access without delay. He practically ran all the way to Felicity and Reggie’s private sitting room. His concerns were heightened when Anna burst into tears on seeing him and threw herself into his arms. He did not even ask after Richard; his first concern was his sobbing daughter.

“I am so sorry, Papa,” Georgiana repeated over and over again between sobs.

“Will someone tell me what is wrong, and where is Mrs Younge?” Darcy was shocked by the reactions to his mention of the companion, not the least of which was his daughter’s increased tears.

“Like William, I always felt there was something mistrustful about Mrs Younge.” Felicity stated. “Now is not the time. William had a bad feeling…” With Reggie’s assistance, Felicity told all.

By the time the tale was told, Robert Darcy was white, wanted to cast up his accounts, and had trouble standing. “This was my fault. I should have checked her characters.” Then he cogitated a bit more. “That school he went to obviously did not teach George Wickham anything. You say William broke his nose and knocked out some teeth?”

“That is what he told us,” Reggie confirmed.

Darcy got a satisfied look.

“Robert, I think it would be beneficial for Anna to remain here with us and Bethie,” Felicity suggested, “it is of course your choice.”

“No, you are correct; Anna may remain with you for as long as she desires. I received a letter from William; he is looking at an estate in Hertfordshire with that Bingley fellow and should be home in a day or two,” Darcy agreed.

“Which estate?” Felicity enquired.

“I believe it is Netherfield Park,” Darcy replied. It had been many years since he remembered where his sister-in-law’s family lived. It had been well over thirty years since he had heard the name of the town and estate.

Felicity and Reggie looked at one another and schooled their features. They would talk later.