Page 18 of Aunt Felicity

B y the fact Miss Bingley was outside with her brother waiting for his coach to halt, William could see that regardless of her brother passing on his wishes to her, the shrew had not given up the hunt of his person. It irked him and added to his sour mood as he was tired.

William had not slept well the two nights at the inns on his way south. All of the questions about who had attempted to hurt Anna swirled in his head. If only Uncle Reggie’s investigators had already discovered something definitive.

Bingley did not miss the moue of distaste on Darcy’s countenance as soon as he saw Caroline waiting to welcome him. Both he and Louisa had attempted to restrain her. She had insisted she must welcome him and apologise for her not being his hostess while he was in residence. If she had thought that would make him capitulate, his younger sister had gambled and lost.

“Caroline,” Bingley hissed, “unless you want to forgo your next quarter’s allowance, you will return to the drawing room and wait with Louisa and Hurst.”

Miss Bingley stamped her foot. Nothing she had tried had worked on her brother and sister. She spun on her heel and stomped her way back into the house. If that was what her brother wanted, then she would embarrass her brother and sister by airing her grievance in front of them all. She was sure Mr Darcy would be greatly aggrieved for her.

His spirits lifted a little when William saw the harpy return inside the house. At least he would be able to greet Bingley without the woman trying to place an uninvited death grip on his arm.

One of the Darcy footmen, who had been riding on the back bench, had the step extended and opened the door. William alighted and extended his hand to greet his friend. “Thank you, Bingley; I appreciate that you sent her back into the house before I exited the carriage. Let me guess—you threatened a financial penalty.”

“Your perspicacity does you proud,” Bingley grinned. “Darce, there is something I must tell you before we enter the house. There is an assembly ball tonight, and I have committed us all to attend.”

William pinched the bridge of his nose. “You will excuse me if I remain here, will you not?”

“You know if you remain, wild horses will not drag my younger sister from the house. I am sure you do not want to spend the night alone with her in this mansion,” Bingley opined.

“I will attend as it is the lesser of two evils,” William decided. The two men started to climb the stone stairs when William reached out and placed his hand on Bingley’s arm. “I want you to know that if your younger sister is her normal self with no changes after you imparted my message, I will be a lot more forthright with her, beginning with not asking her to stand up with me at the infernal assembly.”

“You have my blessing. If Caroline cannot accept my words, perhaps a demonstration of your true feelings will penetrate the fog of her delusion,” Bingley agreed.

The two men proceeded to the drawing room. William had his answer about how he needed to act towards Miss Bingley as soon as they entered the room. She sprang up from the chair, and there was no doubt she had designs on his arm. All he could do was shake his head. Before she reached him, he took a step back. “Miss Bingley, I assume they taught etiquette at that seminary about which you boast you attended, did they not?"

Miss Bingley froze in her tracks. What was her Mr Darcy about? “Why yes, they did teach that subject. Why would they not, as it is the best seminary in London?” she cooed.

“In that case, please explain why you constantly contravene the very lessons you claim you had by latching onto my arm without invitation?” William demanded.

This was not how the greeting was supposed to go. “I am sure you always offer me your arm,” Miss Bingley dissembled.

“Never. Not once have I ever offered you my arm. That, however, has not stopped you grabbing it possessively. I ask you to desist.” William made it sound like a request, but no one in the room, other than the one it was aimed at would have been able to misinterpret his meaning.

Fighting her inclination to attach herself to Mr Darcy’s arm, Miss Bingley did her best to school her features. She was sure this was something Charles had asked his friend to do as she knew he enjoyed having her on his arm. “Would you believe that my brother blamed you for denying me my rightful place as his hostess?” There, Caroline was sure Mr Darcy would set things to rights.

“Your brother spoke the truth,” William declared firmly. “You are, I am afraid, not prepared to be the mistress of an estate, which, unlike what you are used to, has many duties of which being the hostess, is just one. Furthermore, it is certainly not the most important. In addition by precedence, your sister, who is a gentlewoman by her marriage, should be the mistress when she is resident in one of your brother’s homes until he has his own wife.”

Miss Bingley knew not what to say. Rather than her brother and sister being embarrassed, it was she who was abashed. What had Charles said to Mr Darcy to have him say these things to her? She did the only thing she could. She bolted the drawing room and made for her suite as fast as her slippered feet could carry her.

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

“Strike has sent more information regarding your family,” Reggie told his beloved when she entered his study. She cocked her head to one side, with an arched eyebrow. “The heir presumptive—or at least he believes he is such—is none other than the latest sycophant with whom Catherine has surrounded herself. His name is William Collins, and he is the parson of the Hunsford parish.”

Felicity shuddered; she had not thought of the name Collins for many years. One of Mr Strike’s reports had told that Clem, the brute Mr Bennet had attempted to tie her to, was dead. She had not been sorry to hear that. She shook off her thoughts. “I was under the impression that any appointment had to be approved by you and Robert. How is it that your sister was allowed to prefer someone to the living?” Felicity enquired.

“If we choose to challenge the appointment, we may have the man dismissed. Robert and I had intended to travel to Rosings Park to make sure Anne was installed as mistress before we commissioned the investigation. Depending on the result, my sister may not be going to the dower house, but rather Bedlam. Until we know more, we want Catherine to think all is as she wants it to be.”

“Is there any news regarding finding Mrs Younge?” Felicity wondered.

“Those in Seven Dials are very suspicious of outsiders, which makes Strike’s task that much harder,” Reggie explained. “He will not give up, and we may have some luck and find that libertine George Wickham first. He is a coward; all we would need to do was put him in a room with the new footmen Richard had me employ. The former sergeants would intimidate almost anyone.”

“Creating the liveries for John Biggs and Brian Johns took at least twice as much fabric as normal, but it is well worth it. When Anna and Bethie travel, having those two watching over them will make me rest far easier,” Felicity agreed.

“I think Richard has had a very good idea. It is a way to assist those who have served King and Country while allowing them to retain their dignity. I will suggest that Robert employ former soldiers also, and when the House of Lords is in session once again, I will make that suggestion from the chamber as well. For my part, when we need more men for our estates or for the house in London, we will look for demobbed soldiers first.”

“I forgot to mention that Marie wrote to me; the letter arrived earlier today. With little Anthony having attained the age of three months, they are returning to Hilldale. As soon as they arrive, her mother will make the short journey from Pembroke and be with them for almost two months.”

“Will you not spend time with them at Hilldale?”

“Possibly after Kathleen has left, or at least close to the end of her stay. I want her to have as much uninterrupted time with Marie, Andrew, Kathy, and Anthony as possible. I see them during the season, and they come here often enough.”

“What did I do to deserve as good a woman as you, my darling wife?”

“Each and every day I ask myself what I did right to be married to the best, most loving, and honourable to a fault, man. Whatever I did to please Him so He led us to each other, I know not, but I give thanks every night when I say my prayers.”

Reggie stood and came around his desk. He pulled his wife into a hug, and they sank down onto the settee, revelling in their closeness.

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

Every time Jane thought she was ready for the assembly, her mother would tell her to make some sort of change or another. Regardless of how much she honoured her mother, most of the changes her mother demanded were not ones she was willing to make and still be seen in public. She refused to lower her neckline to display more of her assets , and she did not hold that there could never be enough lace.

Each time their mother bustled into their bedchamber; Elizabeth did what she could to pull the attention to herself so Jane would be able to ready herself with some semblance of peace. The final time Mama came in with some more directions, Elizabeth pointed out that at the rate they were dressing, they would be late and miss the arrival of Mr Bingley and his party.

“Then stop dallying,” Fanny shrieked. “We must depart; it will be disastrous if Jane is not present when the Netherfield Park party arrives.”

As much as she wanted to tell her mother that she was the only reason they may be late, Elizabeth bit that reply back. Instead, she simply said, “Yes, Mama. We will be down directly, and Jane will dazzle.”

“Well of course she will with her beauty. It is a pity you are nothing to her,” Fanny stated and then ran out of the bedchamber.

“Lizzy, you know Mama does not mean that, do you not?” Jane, ever the peacemaker soothed. “She simply does not think about what she says. If she knew how hurtful it was, she would refrain.”

“Believe that if it makes you feel better,” Elizabeth responded bitterly. “It is time. Come Janey.”

It pained Jane’s heart when she saw the hurt on her sister’s face whenever their mother denigrated her. Lizzy tried not to allow others to see that she was affected, but Jane knew her too well not to see what Lizzy was feeling. In Jane’s opinion, Lizzy was every bit as pretty as she was and certainly much more intelligent. Unlike Lizzy, she would not express her thoughts to their mother. A question Jane often pondered was why, if Lizzy was Papa’s favourite, he never stepped in and stopped their mother’s diatribes?

Before Jane could consider the answers to the questions in her head, Mr Hill was handing her outerwear to her, and six women were being bundled into the not very large Bennet carriage.

The whinging commenced before the conveyance had passed Longbourn’s gateposts. “Mama, Mary is sitting on my gown,” Lydia complained.

“And where would you like Mary to go?” Elizabeth shot back before their mother began to berate Mary for nothing. “Do you think you are the only one crammed in here? It is the same for all of us, and besides, I am positive you know well that Mary is doing nothing on purpose.”

Mary sent her next eldest sister a look of gratitude. Being defended by one of her older sisters was a new experience for her.

“Mama, Lizzy is being nasty to me,” Lydia manipulated.

Before Fanny could gratify her youngest, the carriage slowed and came to a stop behind some others delivering dancers to the ball. Her attention was fixed on herding her brood into the hall and finding a spot near the entrance so Jane would be the first-person Mr Bingley saw.

By the time she alighted, Lydia was pouting that her manipulation had not worked and Mama had not censored Lizzy. The look of warning her second eldest sister shot her told Lydia if she attempted to cause trouble again, she would feel Lizzy’s wrath.

As soon as they were in the hall, Lydia dragged Kitty in the direction of Maria Lucas and her eldest brother. Fanny made sure Jane remained with her near the door as she spoke to Lady Lucas, with one eye on the door to know when to push Jane in that direction. Mary found a corner and withdrew her pocket copy of Fordyce’s Sermons and began to read while Elizabeth espied Charlotte Lucas and made directly for her.

Much to Fanny’s consternation, by the time the first set had been called, there was still not a single person who had arrived from Netherfield Park. It was bad enough that she and her daughters had been in Meryton when Mr Bingley had returned Mr Bennet’s call, and now it seemed the wealthy man had cried off the assembly.

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

It was closer to nine than half after eight before Miss Bingley descended the stairs.

William had to fight to stop himself from laughing out loud. The woman was dressed as if she were about to have an audience with Queen Charlotte in the most hideous shade of burnt orange he had ever had the displeasure to see. If that was not enough, she had a turban, dyed to match her gown, and what appeared to be ostrich feathers, six of them also dyed, and inserted into her turban. She was dripping with gaudy jewels. The woman thought herself elegant, but she would stand out like a sore thumb at a country assembly.

Miss Bingley had been banking on Mr Darcy refusing to attend the damned assembly, so that she could have remained with him. She was sure he would not have been able to resist her; and he would have proposed.

For some reason, Mr Darcy seemed almost keen to attend; something out of character for him. All of her hints that he ask for her hand for three sets had fallen on deaf ears. And now it seemed he could not tear his eyes away from her, he must be impressed by her ensemble.

“Thanks to you we have missed the first set,” Bingley barked.

“It is a country assembly with savages far below us. They should wait for us,” Miss Bingley asserted.

“Actually, Miss Bingley, you as the daughter of a tradesman means that all of the landed gentry, who I believe will make up most at this ball, are above you. Did you perhaps miss that lesson at your seminary when they taught the various social ranks?” William pointed out.

Miss Bingley was fuming that things were not going according to her desires. When the five of them entered her brother’s coach, Miss Bingley was quiet as she tried to contemplate what was wrong with Mr Darcy. Since he had arrived, each time she attempted to make herself agreeable to him, he said things she would have never expected him to say, especially not to her.

She was positive he would be asking for her to dance two or three sets with him. They arrived at the assembly hall in the backwater town. Before the footman opened the door, Mr Darcy turned towards her. She was now sure he was going to ask her to dance the next available set with him.

“Miss Bingley, do you know how the amount of my father’s reputed income gets spread around among people I have never met? It always seems to occur when I am with the Bingleys and Hursts at a public event where I am not known.” Darcy waited for a response.

“I am sure I know not of what you speak,” Miss Bingley prevaricated.

Darcy nodded to Bingley, who indicated to his footman to open the door. Bingley was keen to enter, as he had a feeling, he would meet his angel here.