Page 1 of Blessed Interference (Pride and Prejudice Variations #1)
Kitchen
Longbourn
“Anna,” Mrs. Culpepper said, “your sister Lucy is here and wishes to speak to you.”
Startled, Anna Wilson looked up from the onions that she was slicing.
“Lucy is here?” she nearly squeaked.
“Yes, and you had best go along and talk to her out by the stables,” the cook said, “but hurry. Those onions will not cut themselves.”
“Yes, Mrs. Culpepper,” Anna replied, putting down her knife and hurrying out the kitchen door to the side passage, and from thence to the side door.
She found herself running now, eager yet fearful of learning what had caused her twin sister to leave Netherfield Hall for Longbourn in the middle of the day. Could it be Mamma? Little Eddie?
Lucy was standing just inside the stable door and, as soon as Anna had puffed to a halt, said, “No one is ill or injured, Anna.”
The younger woman sighed in relief and said, “Thank the Lord for that. Whatever are you doing here?”
Lucy grimaced and pulled her sister into the shadow cast by the stables, away from where Coachman Jack and the two stable boys were mucking out the stalls of the Longbourn horses.
“Mr. Darcy, Miss Bingley, and the Hursts left for London thirty minutes ago,” Lucy said, “and they have no intention of returning. Moreover, they intend to convince Mr. Bingley to stay in London as well.”
Anna gasped and could not help but turn a sympathetic look in the direction of Longbourn, though the manse was on the other side of the stable wall, and thus she could not see it.
“Poor Miss Bennet,” she murmured. “This will break her heart.”
“I daresay Mr. Bingley’s heart will break as well,” Lucy said. “I have never seen a man so in love with a lady! But he is a compliant soul and all too inclined to give way to the demands of Mr. Darcy and his sisters. It is a pity.”
“It is,” Anna said and then shook her head and turned to more personal matters. “Lucy, I fear there are currently no openings here in the servants’ hall, but perhaps Lucas Lodge…”
“I am to London with the gentlemen’s valets and the ladies’ maids,” Lucy interrupted, “though all the other servants at Netherfield Hall, except for Mrs. Nicholls and her niece and nephew, have lost their positions.”
Anna was startled. “You are going to London? Oh, Lucy!”
“I am excited,” Lucy said stoutly. “I have always wished to go to Town, you know.”
“But why would they wish for you to go and none of the other Netherfield servants?”
Lucy smiled and said, “It is because I do such a wonderful job with the ladies’ hair, especially Miss Bingley’s. She has rather difficult curls, but thanks to my experience with Miss Lizzy and Miss Lydia, well, they wish for me to be in London with them!”
Anna felt her eyes well with tears. “Oh, Lucy, I will miss you so much!”
“I will miss you too, my dear, but I will return eventually. And now I must hurry back to Netherfield Hall to help with the packing.”
“And I must chop more onions for dinner tonight.”
The sisters embraced fervently, and Anna said, “Lucy, do not forget that our cousin Beatrice is serving the Gardiners at Cheapside. If you need help returning home for some reason, I am certain she would assist you.”
Lucy smiled and said, “That is true, dear sister, and thank you.”
***
Three months later
Drawing Room
Hurst House
London
Tuesday, 14 th January, 1812
“Are Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley available?”
Caroline Bingley, who had been leisurely paging through a volume of The Ladies’ Monthly Museum , froze with displeasure at the sound of the dulcet tones emanating through the open door of the drawing room. For a moment, she felt a craven desire to retreat, but no, that would not do.
She set aside her magazine, rose, and hurried through the door into the vestibule, where Miss Jane Bennet, along with a demurely attired maid, was standing next to the Hursts’ butler.
“Jane!” she cried out with false enthusiasm. “Whatever are you doing here in London?”
“Did you not receive my letter telling you that I am staying with my uncle in Cheapside, Caroline?” Jane asked, smiling angelically. Really, it was unfair how incredibly handsome the eldest Miss Bennet was.
“I did not,” Caroline lied, “but please do come in. I fear I am leaving shortly for an appointment, but we can talk for a few minutes, anyway.”
Jane obediently followed her hostess, who was thinking rapidly.
Thankfully, the Hursts were out of the house, and her brother Charles was staying with Fitzwilliam Darcy at Darcy House.
Caroline would use the few minutes of this visit to speak extensively about how much time Charles was spending with Mr. Darcy and Miss Darcy.
That ought to discourage Miss Jane Bennet from having any hope of capturing Charles as a bridegroom!
***
Hallway
Hurst House
“Are you happy, Lucy?” Beatrice Cartier asked softly from her position against the wainscoted wall.
Lucy managed a shrug in the midst of her sweeping.
“I am happy enough,” she told her cousin. “The ladies of the house are not as kind as the Bennets and Gardiners, but they are not cruel, either, and they pay quite well. I have not seen much of London, but it is interesting.”
Beatrice, who was older than her Wilson cousins, relaxed a little in relief.
“I am glad,” she murmured. “I only heard that you were in London a few days ago, and I am grateful that Miss Bennet allowed me to come with her today so that I could see you. If she comes again, I will try to accompany her then as well.”
Lucy’s sweeping grew more brisk as her face settled into an irritable scowl.
“She will never return,” she predicted in a hushed voice. “Miss Bingley is plotting to end the relationship. Mark my words.”
“Why ever would she do that?” Beatrice demanded. “Miss Bennet is absolutely charming.”
“Yes, and Mr. Bingley is in love with Miss Bennet, and neither of his sisters wishes for that union to take place. That is why they left Hertfordshire a few weeks ago.”
Beatrice frowned deeply and shook her head. “That is dreadful.”
“It is,” Lucy said, and sighed deeply, “but I do not think there is anything we can do about it.”
***
Sitting Room
Gracechurch Street
Two Hours Later
Jane carefully dipped her pen into the inkwell and bent over the clean sheet of foolscap paper.
Dear Lizzy,
I was able to visit Hurst House today, and I saw Caroline, though her sister and brother-in-law were out.
I did not think Caroline in spirits, but she was very glad to see me, and she reproached me for giving her no notice of my coming to London.
I was right, therefore; my last letter had never reached her.
I inquired after their brother, of course.
He was well but so much engaged with Mr. Darcy that they scarcely ever saw him.
I found that Miss Darcy was expected to dinner; I wish I could see her.
My visit was not long, as Caroline was going out. I dare say I shall soon see her here.
She sighed deeply, set aside her pen, and looked out the window at the back yard, which was barren and gray in winter.
The view reflected her own heart very well – she still loved Charles Bingley and missed him greatly, and though she wished him well, of course, it was still very hard to accept that she had misjudged the situation so badly the previous autumn.
She had thought Mr. Bingley truly cared for her, but then, she acknowledged she had little experience with gentlemen. He had, it now appeared, merely been flirting with her, when in fact he was destined for Miss Darcy.
She turned back to the letter and read it carefully. It was, she decided, cheerful enough for her sister Elizabeth, who always worried about her.
The door opened, and she looked up to see her aunt, Mrs. Madeline Gardiner, who said, “Oh, I did not realize you were writing a letter, my dear.”
“I can finish it later,” she replied, rising to her feet. “Do you need me?”
“Need you, no, but want you, yes,” her aunt said with a grin. “The children were wondering if Cousin Jane would be willing to play spillikens with them.”
“Of course,” Jane said with a genuine smile. “I will finish the letter later.”
***
Drawing Room
Hurst House
London
Evening
Charles Bingley leaned back in his chair and stared blankly at the fire.
The drawing room of Hurst House was not quite as large as the one at Netherfield, but it was large enough to be comfortable for the current inhabitants, and the fire in the hearth did not struggle to warm the room against the chill out of doors.
It was a convivial gathering, with Caroline sitting close to the fire near Mr. Darcy, Hurst half asleep after his dinner with his hands folded across his stomach, and Mrs. Annesley seated in a chair a little ways away from the others and listening attentively as Georgiana Darcy played the pianoforte and Mrs. Hurst sang.
Mrs. Annesley was more attentive than Bingley was, certainly.
Miss Darcy was indisputably a skilled player of the pianoforte, and Louisa had a pleasant voice that had been well-trained.
Despite these advantages, the performers simply could not hold his attention.
His morose thoughts turned, as they so often did, to Miss Jane Bennet's lovely features and sweet smile, and his heart ached anew.
How he longed to see her, even once more!
He still heard her mellifluous voice in his dreams at night, and still saw her graceful figure and the brilliant smile he had thought was reserved just for him.
He had been wrong. She was kind to him because she was kind to everybody, but she had not shown him any special favor.
Why should she? He was nothing to her. She was goodness itself, kind and generous and gentle and sweet, and quite the most beautiful woman in England.
Any gentleman would be hers for the picking.
Why should she choose Charles Bingley, a man whose fortune had been gained through trade? What lure would his wealth be for her?
The sad truth, of course, was that his wealth was a lure.
As Darcy had carefully explained, the entail on Longbourn would obligate Miss Bennet to accept his hand, despite her own personal reluctance, out of duty to her family and fear for the well-being of her mother and sisters.
The very thought horrified Bingley. He would absolutely hate it if Miss Bennet entered into marriage if she did not love him, and he could not abide being the author of her future pain.
So, no matter what it cost him, he would stay here in London, and play billiards with Darcy, and listen to Miss Darcy and Louisa and Caroline play on the pianoforte and sing, and try to smile over dinner, and ignore the fact that he had left his heart behind when he departed Hertfordshire.
Clapping commenced, and Bingley clapped automatically with his sisters and friends. Miss Darcy, he noted absently, was rather pink, and he hoped that was because she was pleased at their response, and not because she was overly shy.
“My dear Miss Darcy,” Caroline cried out, “you have improved a great deal at the instrument. You are a truly excellent player.”
“Thank you, Miss Bingley,” the girl replied, looking down at her hands and turning pinker still in the candlelight.
An old grandfather clock struck eleven o’clock, and Darcy rose and said, “I think it is time for us to depart. Thank you for a pleasant meal. Was it not enjoyable, Georgiana?”
“Very much so,” Georgiana breathed, so softly that Bingley’s sharp ears could hardly hear her.
“It was our honor and pleasure to have you all for dinner,” Miss Bingley gushed, as she turned toward her brother with a significant look. “Charles, was it not wonderful to see Miss Darcy again?”
Bingley was a trifle confused, but he was well mannered enough to bow slightly toward Georgiana and say, “Yes, it has been very pleasant to see you this evening.”
The girl’s face grew, if possible, even pinker, and Mrs. Annesley, hitherto silent, hurried forward to take Miss Darcy’s arm in her own.
“It has been a most enjoyable evening,” the older woman said briskly. “Shall we fetch your hat and gloves, Miss Darcy?”
This provoked a general movement toward the door that led to the vestibule of Hurst House, and Bingley, following the others, waited patiently for the servants to distribute hats and canes and gloves.
“Oh,” one of the maids said, “I do apologize, but I am not certain which of these gloves are Miss Darcy’s.”
“Those are mine,” Miss Darcy said, pointing at a pair of kidskin gloves.
The maid, dressed in a ruffled cap, proffered the pair in question and said, “Thank you, Miss. I suppose this gray pair must belong to Miss Bennet.”
Time seemed to freeze in place, and Charles Bingley turned a bewildered look on the maid.
“Miss Bennet?” he repeated blankly.
“Yes, sir,” the girl said, looking confused. “I understand that she left her gloves here today during her visit. I am not …”
“Certainly not, Lucy,” Miss Bingley interrupted angrily. “You are speaking nonsense. That was Miss Beaton, not Miss Bennet.”
The maid turned round eyes on her mistress and said, “Oh, but Miss Bingley, my sister and I both worked at Longbourn before I was hired at Netherfield Hall, and, of course, I know all the Bennet ladies very well!”
Silence fell for a full minute, and Bingley’s gaze moved from the open, honest face of the maid to his younger sister, whose face was flushed red and her eyes narrowed.
“Was Miss Bennet here today, Caroline?” he asked in a rigid tone, only to be interrupted by Darcy, who said, “Bingley, do you mind if Georgiana and I wait in the carriage for you? This seems like a family matter.”
“But Mr. Darcy,” Caroline said indignantly, “you agreed with me that Jane Bennet is not a worthy bride for my brother. She wishes only to marry a wealthy man, which is no surprise given the entail on Longbourn!”
“Oh, Miss Bingley,” Lucy cried out, “I am sure you must have misunderstood. My sister Anna serves as a maid at Longbourn, and she told me that Miss Bennet loves Mr. Bingley with all her heart!”
Bingley rarely lost his temper, and thus his sisters and Darcy were startled when the man figuratively exploded.
“How dare you lie to me in such a way?” he demanded in a furious tone. “How could you deceive me about the only woman I have ever truly loved!”
“But Charles,” his sisters chorused, as Miss Darcy shrank closer to her brother. “We only meant…”
“Where does Miss Bennet live? Tell me that!” he ordered. “Tell me!”
Caroline Bingley tightened her mouth and shot a furious look at Lucy, but finally said, reluctantly, “She is residing with her aunt and uncle at 26 Gracechurch Street in Cheapside.”
“Thank you,” Bingley said coldly and turned to Georgiana Darcy and Mrs. Annesley, and bowed. “Ladies, I apologize profusely for losing my temper in such a way. Shall we depart?”