Page 3 of Blessed Interference (Pride and Prejudice Variations #1)

Library

Darcy House

Darcy House was very quiet, so much so that all Darcy could hear was the crackling of the fire before him.

He had come to the library to relax and had chosen a book from the shelves to serve that very purpose.

It sat now on his lap while he traced one forefinger around and around the embossing on the brown leather cover, the ornate letters proclaiming it to be Shakespeare’s Hamlet .

He had not even cracked it yet, for despite his intention of finding recreation in the familiar pages, his mind was too unsettled for such a peaceful pursuit.

He could not stop thinking of the incident the previous evening.

Never had Darcy witnessed Bingley in such a rage, and it had not been a pleasant experience.

Still, Bingley’s anger had receded swiftly enough when Miss Bingley, alarmed and resentful, had admitted to Miss Bennet’s location.

They had all watched rather warily as Bingley had taken a few deep breaths and visibly collected himself before bowing toward Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley and apologizing for his outburst of temper.

He had then collected his hat and cane from the impassive servants and followed Miss Darcy, Mrs. Annesley, and Darcy out of the door and down to the waiting carriage.

It had been one of the more awkward carriage rides that Darcy had ever experienced.

Bingley had been stiffly silent the entire way, and Georgiana, overwhelmed and worried, had likewise stared silently at her muff and engaged with no one.

Darcy and Mrs. Annesley had made a few desultory remarks about the recent weather and the excellence of dinner, but both of them were uneasy and unsettled, and conversation had largely languished until they were pulling up at the front step of the hired house where Georgiana was currently residing.

There, Darcy had bidden his sister an affectionate good night and her companion a civil one, as the butler, awaiting his mistress’s return, had opened the door.

The rest of the short mile ride to Darcy House had been hardly less awkward. As they rolled away from Crescent Square, Bingley had abruptly broken his long silence to ask, “Darcy, were you aware that Miss Bennet was in London and had called on Caroline?”

It was a memory that still made Darcy wince.

He had been able to answer truthfully that he had had no idea of her presence in Town.

Bingley had nodded and looked away out the window at the small flickers of light across the cobblestones, emanating from between cracked shutters and poorly drawn curtains at the windows of the houses they were passing.

Darcy had waited a trifle apprehensively for some moments before it had dawned on him that he had escaped his friend’s wrath.

It did not seem entirely just because if he had known that Miss Bennet was in town, he would certainly have concealed her whereabouts from his besotted younger friend.

He had been convinced that serene Miss Bennet’s heart had been entirely untouched by the earnest Bingley, and Darcy did not care for the idea of Bingley being ardently tied to a woman with no fortune and poor connections, who regarded Bingley with indifference, when Darcy knew his friend desired a love match.

However, according to that bold-tongued maid, Darcy had badly misjudged Miss Bennet.

It was remarkable that the girl had spoken up against the very obvious wishes of her mistress.

Her loyalty to the Bennets, or at least to the eldest daughter, must run very deep indeed.

No matter how romantic a maid might be, it was foolhardy in the extreme to risk her position to peddle a falsehood.

No, Darcy did not think the girl was lying, as servants had a knack for knowing these sorts of things.

It seemed that, despite all appearances, Miss Bennet was indeed in love with Bingley.

It was unsettling to realize that he had been so wrong in his assessment of the lady and had doubtless caused her heartache by encouraging Bingley to abandon her so ignominiously.

The question now was, of course, what Bingley would do.

His butler had informed Darcy that Mr. Bingley had gone out directly after breakfast while Darcy had delayed descending to the dining parlor so that he could write letters to his steward and an acquaintance about the sale of a horse.

Unless he missed his guess, Bingley was even now in Gracechurch Street, renewing his courtship, but what would the younger man do?

Surely even Bingley’s impulsivity would not carry him to offer for the lady’s hand in marriage after quitting Netherfield Hall so abruptly.

Surely he would see that a careful apology and discerning of the lady’s true feelings were necessary before he would take any such step.

The door opened suddenly and rather violently, and Darcy looked up in surprise as Bingley strode in, his face alight with joy.

“Congratulate me, my friend!” he exclaimed. “Miss Bennet and I are engaged to be married!”

Well, that answered that question anyway.

***

Drawing Room

Longbourn

The Next Day

Noon

Movement to her right caused Elizabeth Bennet to turn her head toward the window. A gray horse was trotting down the lane in the direction of the Bennet stables, and the rider of that horse was … was…

“It is Mr. Bingley!” she exclaimed.

Mrs. Bennet, who had been dozing in her wingbacked chair by the fire, leaped up with a yelp as if stung by a hornet. “Mr. Bingley? Where? What do you mean?”

“He is here, Mamma!” Elizabeth cried out. “I just saw him on his horse…”

“Mr. Bingley!” the lady of the house shrieked. “Oh, what a pity Jane is … oh dear, why must this happen to us? Oh, Lizzy!”

Elizabeth was rather unhappy as well, as Jane had gone to London at least partially in the hopes of meeting the man she loved, and now he was here in Hertfordshire. It was, she supposed, much of a muchness given how star-crossed Jane’s courtship with Mr. Bingley had been so far.

“Mamma,” she said, “pray do calm yourself. We can always tell Mr. Bingley where Jane is if he asks, after all. Town is not very far away.”

This calmed the lady of the house sufficiently that by the time the butler entered the room with Mr. Bingley at his heels, she was able to stand and smile at their guest.

“Mr. Bingley!” she cried out. “It is so very good to see you, sir, though most regrettably, Jane is in London with her uncle and aunt.”

“Good morning, Mrs. Bennet, Miss Elizabeth,” the gentleman said in return, his expression joyous. “I am aware of Jane’s presence in Gracechurch Street, because I saw her there only yesterday. Moreover, we have come to an agreement, and I need to speak to Mr. Bennet if he is available.”

Elizabeth froze in joyful shock, and Mrs. Bennet squealed, “An agreement! Oh Mr. Bingley! Oh, yes, Mr. Bennet is … he is in the library … oh, I can barely believe…”

Elizabeth stepped forward and said, “Mr. Bingley, pray accompany me to the library if you will.”

“Thank you,” he replied with a grin.

***

Kitchen

Longbourn

“Oh, Lucy, how very brave you were!” Anna said as she flattened dough with a rolling pin. “I cannot imagine how angry Miss Bingley must have been.”

“She was furious, and so was Mrs. Hurst,” Lucy agreed as she chopped apples for apple pies.

She was not presently a servant of Longbourn, but as long as she was here, she might as well aid her sister.

“I cannot regret it, though, given that Mr. Bingley found Miss Bennet again, and they are engaged to be married.”

Anna turned a joyful countenance toward her sister. “That is absolutely wonderful, and it could not happen to a nicer lady and gentleman. I am so happy for them both!”

“I am as well, and Mr. Bingley has hired me to work at Netherfield Hall again, so I will be living near you from now on.”

“Oh, I am so thankful!” Anna cried out, though she did not embrace her sister. If she did, they would both be covered with flour, which would not be helpful. “Does that mean Netherfield Hall is being opened up again?”

“It is, though without the Hursts or Miss Bingley. After Mr. Bingley speaks to Mr. Bennet, he will be journeying to Netherfield, and I will go with him. I only hope that we can find sufficient servants. But come, enough about me, Anna. Is everything well here?”

Anna wrinkled her nose as she poured a mixture of cinnamon and sugar onto the buttered flat dough.

“All is well enough,” she said, and then, as she began rolling up the dough preparatory to cutting the cinnamon rolls, she looked around at the otherwise empty kitchen and said softly, “Mrs. Hill is worried about Miss Lydia and Miss Kitty. They are mad about the officers, who are of course very handsome, but I do not see why those men should be trusted just because they are wearing red coats!”

Lucy sighed and nodded. “I know what you mean, Sister. Mrs. Bennet has been so eager to marry off her daughters that the younger girls, anyway, seem to think that any gentleman would be a good husband, and that is not true.”

“Even Miss Elizabeth is quite enamored with that Lieutenant Wickham,” Anna remarked as she placed the unbaked rolls into a pan. “He is charming and soft of speech, along with being incredibly handsome, but he does not have two pence to rub together unless he has borrowed it.”

“Miss Lizzy is too intelligent to marry a man like that,” Lucy said reassuringly.

“Yes, I suppose that is true,” her sister agreed as she popped the rolls into the oven.

***

Longbourn

Four Days Later

Midnight

Elizabeth tied her nightcap under her chin, pulled her night robe closer around her, and made her hasty way out of her room and down the corridor to her elder sister’s bedchamber.

Jane had arrived four hours earlier from London, and such had been the ensuing pandemonium that Elizabeth had not been able to speak privately with her elder sister for even a moment.

She tapped on her sister’s door, and Jane opened it within seconds and drew her into an embrace.

“Oh, Jane!” Elizabeth murmured into her sister’s shoulder. “I am so happy for you.”

“I am as well,” Jane returned and then guided her sister to a loveseat by a warm and crackling fire.

“So what happened?” Elizabeth demanded. “How did Mr. Bingley discover your presence in Town?”

Jane explained at length, and when she finished, Elizabeth said, “Dear Lucy! How very brave of her to speak so boldly!”

“Yes, she is very courageous, and Charles has promised her a good position at Netherfield Hall for speaking truth in the face of Caroline’s lies.”

Elizabeth, to her surprise, found herself weeping joyful tears. After so much struggle and strife and deception, it seemed too good to be true that Jane and Bingley would shortly be united in marriage.