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“I will do something, Caroline.” Noticing the maid bringing Louisa tea and bread, he signaled to her and whispered a few instructions.

“I will not force you to associate with anyone you do not wish. You are exempt from all meals until there is a marked improvement in your attitude. I no longer want to endure your pretension while I eat, nor will I allow your poor behavior around my guests.”

“You are not serious!” Caroline scoffed.

When he glanced over at his sister, he saw her eyes blazing and her fists clenched tight.

He realized he no longer felt fear at her rage.

Today he had witnessed the actions of two women who had proved to him what ladies should be, no matter what the haute ton and his sister might believe.

“Mrs. Nichols, my sister will eat her meals in her room for the time being. Could you see she has everything she needs?” Bingley asked Mrs. Nichols when she came into the room.

Caroline stormed out of the room, her body tense, not understanding why no one accepted her attitude.

She trudged up to her room and collapsed onto her bed, the soft pillows muffling the noise of her frustrated screams. Why did things not go the way she wanted them to?

Long ago, she had fallen in love with the comfort and grace of Pemberley and decided that it would be her home.

Was that not how one went about these things?

Back when she had been at that horrible school, she had learned many things—how to paint and play the piano and host a tea.

Also, how you always made those around you feel small if you were to maintain your own power and control.

They taught her you did not look at marriage as a romance or a partnership; it was a business transaction.

The older girls often spoke of how they went about choosing potential husbands by how comfortable a home they would provide.

She had followed all the rules. Why did she not get what she wanted?

Louisa Hurst took a sip of the tea that Miss Bennet had suggested and was grateful for how quickly it was helping. “Please accept my apologies for my sister’s behavior, Miss Bennet. I do not hold her opinions, but I have never had the energy to fight her on them. Even more so lately.”

“I will not hold her actions against you, Mrs. Hurst. I hope you are feeling well enough.” Jane was glad to see a little color returning to her face. It seemed that Louisa had been so miserable of late, and she was hopeful the tea could help her get some of her life back.

“The tea is helping ever so much. I am so grateful to have something that helps finally.”

“I will suggest some dry toast in the morning with ginger tea should help mitigate some of your suffering.” Jane suspected what the lady’s malady was but would not presume until she felt comfortable sharing her news.

“I would love to sit with you longer, but I have been away from Lizzie for a while, and I would like to check on her.”

Louisa momentarily wished for her own sister to have as much consideration for her. “Please tell her I wish her a swift recovery,” said Louisa. Across the room, Miss Georgiana and Mrs. Ansley echoed her sentiments.

Theodore sat with the other gentlemen in Bingley’s sitting room, talking over their brandy. “So what are you going to do with Miss Bingley?”

Bingley stared gloomily into his glass. He had been living in a different world since his parents and brother passed away a year ago.

As he reflected, he realized he had not made enough effort to be with Caroline before they lost their parents.

His guilt over spending so much time away from his family had led him to turn a blind eye to many things.

“I fear my sister requires a lesson that I am not capable of teaching. I can no longer allow her to reign over my home the way she does. After her actions this evening, I fear even removing her authority to direct anyone will not be enough. Seeing her behavior when held next to the likes of ladies like Miss Bennet and her sisters has shown me just how lacking she is.”

Darcy saw the despondency in his friend’s eyes and tried to come up with something to lift his spirits.

“Do you have any family she might stay with while learning those lessons?” Darcy wished he could help his friend more but had little knowledge of how to sort out difficult women.

Plus, he was attempting to organize the tangled mass of emotions that had come up during the day.

“I have an aunt in Scotland who is extremely caring but does not cater to fools. There is another aunt from my mother’s side of the family in Bath, but I fear Caroline would completely bowl her over. Maybe I should write them and see if one would take her on?” Bingley pondered his options.

Theodore took a sip of his drink before adding his two bits.

“I say you leave the poor aunt in Bath alone for the time being. Start her off in Scotland. Maybe she can graduate to Bath before rejoining society. Who knows? Maybe she will find a husband in Scotland and live in Edinburgh,” Theodore suggested, happy to help Bingley ship his sister off and away from himself.

“I believe that is a good plan. I will write to Aunt Guthrie in the morning. I believe she is visiting old friends in London, so I should receive her reply promptly.” Bingley felt better at having come up with a plan.

“Darcy, will you accompany me to see the colonel for the militia tomorrow?” Theodore asked. “I would like to report on Wickham’s horrendous behavior. He needs to be stopped before he kills someone.”

“I wish I thought about taking him in hand earlier, but I was too concerned with Elizabeth’s welfare.” Regret was one emotion Darcy was currently struggling with and the easiest to identify.

“I sent Hugh, one of the grooms I brought with me, after him once we returned. He is still upset with Wickham for his mistreatment of his little sister. Hugh is going to investigate and look and see if he can locate any of his usual haunts or potential spots to conceal himself. I think Wickham is probably sleeping it off somewhere.” Theodore’s gaze was thoughtful as he considered the possibilities.

“I should have thought of doing something like that,” Darcy grumbled, upset over what he saw as a failure.

“Someone please enlighten me about these Bennet ladies. We have an example of a lady who was willing to confront a drunk soldier to protect my dearest cousin. Conversely, her sister’s upbraiding was a thing of beauty.

Her words were like daggers, yet her voice was still gentle. They seem remarkable.”

Bingley welcomed the opportunity to talk about something less emotionally draining.

“Yes, they are. Miss Bennet asks significant questions of me about many subjects. From how I am caring for the tenants to my opinion on the effect of the Luddite rebellion on the textile industry. I know Miss Elizabeth quite impressed Darcy. Do you realize, Darcy, you have called her by her name all day? You have completely dropped off the Miss.” Bingley grinned at his friend, happy to joke around after a hard day.

“I would not do that without some kind of understanding. I…have been calling her Elizabeth since she fell off that cliff? How did that happen?” Darcy sputtered and slumped into his chair, his eyes wide.

Theodore loved the expression on Darcy’s startled face.

His cousin was normally so dignified and right now, he was so undignified.

“Darcy, the question is not how, but why. Why did you feel the need to use her name in such an intimate manner? I noticed it as well. Tell me about her. How did you meet?”

“I met her on the path to Netherfield. She was bewitching, her eyes glimmering with delight and her smile a contagious spark of joy. I froze and could not respond to anything she said.” Ignoring the chuckles coming from his friends, he continued, “Then I showed poorly at the assembly.

I was not handling the crowd well and made an insult about the ladies.

When I apologized, she was everything that was generous and forgiving.

She even suggested a tea that her sister makes to help with distress.

It has helped me while dealing with crowds, and I think she helped more because she supported me with meeting all the strangers at the last gathering.

Just knowing that someone was there who completely accepted me, problems and all, helped me.

“She is very intelligent and well read. In fact, she knew the meaning of Cadmus’s name.

Her own funds have gone into putting together a class twice a week for the children in the area because she knows it will improve their lives.

She cares about the well-being of everyone she meets, including me.

Did you know her father neglects to provide for the tenants, so the Bennet ladies had to resort to using their own pin money to pay for new roofs and other issues?

” Darcy felt his chest tighten with emotion as he thought of Elizabeth.

He had thrown his hands up in defeat, resigned to the fact that he could not keep the Miss attached to her name. It no longer felt right.

Bingley realized that the more he found out about Miss Bennet, the more he wanted to know her. “Somehow, I am not surprised. They are all ladies to be esteemed.”

“Well, I am happy you both met such wonderful ladies. I hope you can figure out how you feel about Miss Elizabeth. It is a pity there are only the two of them.”

“Actually, Miss Bennet is the eldest of five girls,” Bingley responded, laughing at the expression on Theodore’s face. They did not realize how distracted Darcy had become.

“I think I am realizing that she is very important to me in a way I have never known before now,” Darcy whispered only to himself. But the moment was coming when he could declare it to everyone.