Page 24 of Brighton Rescue (Pride and Prejudice Variation #23)
“We are ready to begin, sir!” the servant called out, his face muffled by the peculiar covering across his face.
“Begin!” Gabriel called back. He usually assisted in removing honey from the hives, but given that he had guests with him, he had chosen to stand some fifty feet away from the hive on rising ground where the view was clear.
“It seems a very dangerous procedure,” Jane said nervously, clutching Gabriel’s arm tightly.
Gabriel wished he had another arm to pat her slender hand, but since he did not, he made his voice reassuring, “I promise you that my men are experienced with the bees, and there is no cause for alarm.”
“They never sting, then?” Elizabeth asked curiously, with her own hand placed on Darcy’s arm. “Or are your servants safe only because of their protective garments?”
“That is an excellent question, Miss Elizabeth. Those white robes, with the wicker covering to protect my men’s faces, are important. However, the smoke is also vitally important; for reasons that are not understood yet, the smoke makes the bees drowsy and less prone to stinging. ”
“I believe in Derbyshire, the beekeepers kill the bees before removing the honey,” Darcy commented.
“Yes, regrettably that is common across England,” Hartford said.
“It is unfortunate on a number of counts – it is a great pity to kill so many of these useful insects, plus it limits how much honey can be made when an entire colony is destroyed every time the honey is harvested. I have been studying the work of Thomas Wildman and Francois Huber, both of whom invented skeps which permit the honey to be harvested without killing the bees. It is still not a perfect process and regrettably we have difficulty removing the honey easily at times; the bees, of course, do not understand our purpose, and thus build awkward beeswax structures which frustrate our efforts sometimes. However, I have confidence that as apiarists continue to study these marvelous creatures, we will learn how best to manage them.”
“You have already made great strides,” Darcy said respectfully. “I hope that you are willing to share your knowledge with me; I would like to begin tending bees in Pemberley.”
“You will find, Mr. Darcy, that once I begin to speak of bees, it is difficult to silence me!”
The ladies chuckled and then all four lapsed into interested silence.
The two servants carefully smoked the bees’ home and then lifted the top.
Even from fifty feet away, the onlookers could hear ominous buzzing and Jane tightened her grip still more, causing Gabriel to look down on her in concern.
“Would you prefer to move farther away, Miss Bennet?”
“No, no. I am not afraid for us but for your men. I do hope they will be safe.”
He smiled down at her, marveling inwardly.
It was a rare lady indeed who was so concerned about the health and well-being of servants; many members of the gentry were only interested in their underlings insofar as it affected their own comfort and happiness.
It was yet another reason to admire Miss Bennet.
Silence fell for another ten minutes as the servants carefully removed dripping combs of honey and then cautiously replaced the top of the skep, put out the smoking fire, and retreated to safety.
“Oh, that was marvelous,” Elizabeth enthused as the foursome began walking back toward the house. “Do the bees continue to produce honey throughout autumn?”
“They will continue to make honey when there are flowers available,” Gabriel explained.
“We do not take all the honey, of course; they require substantial stores to carry them through the winter. Presumably, they also feed their young with honey. There is still much to learn about their colony life, which seems to be quite complex. ”
“Butterflies are complicated as well, and to my mind, far more beautiful,” Lady Amelia declared, striding vigorously from behind the house.
“But butterflies do not make honey, Mother!” Gabriel teased. “They are quite useless.”
Lady Amelia wagged an admonitory finger and said, “Now, Gabriel, I refuse to be drawn into this argument again, because I am quite ecstatic. I just saw a heath fritillary, Gabriel! They are very rare, you know.”
“Congratulations, Mother!”
“I do believe that is Colonel Fitzwilliam!” Elizabeth exclaimed suddenly, having caught sight of an approaching pair of horsemen. “He has someone with him, too!”
Darcy took a step forward and, squinting into the bright sunlight, focused on the other man’s face.
“Is that … surely it could not be Mr. Bingley?” Elizabeth cried in astonishment.
Jane Bennet froze as if turned to stone, causing Mr. Hartford to look down on her in concern. Who was Mr. Bingley?
/
Bingley, who had pushed his horse ahead of Colonel Fitzwilliam’s steed in his enthusiasm, felt a rush of ecstasy when the face of his love, Miss Jane Bennet of Longbourn, finally came into focus.
She was standing in front of a gray brick house, dressed in a simple blue gown, and a few of her blond ringlets had escaped the confines of her hat and were twisting beguilingly in the summer breeze.
He halted his horse and swung down, only to realize, belatedly, that while he was very happy to see Miss Bennet, she looked embarrassed to see him.
A moment later, his eyes shifted away from his beloved to that of Miss Elizabeth Bennet, whose forehead was creased in a disapproving frown, onto an older woman, who looked curious, then onto a man who was missing an arm, and then onto Darcy who looked, frankly, miserable. What was happening?
“Good morning, Colonel Fitzwilliam,” Lady Amelia said, stepping forward to take control of the situation. “Would you kindly introduce us to your friend?”
“Yes, of course,” Fitzwilliam said, who was bewildered by the emotions playing across the faces of his cousin and the Bennet ladies.
“Lady Amelia, Mr. Hartford, this is Darcy’s good friend, Mr. Bingley.
Mr. Bingley, Lady Amelia and Mr. Hartford, and of course you know Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth. ”
The ladies and gentlemen bowed and curtseyed appropriately, and Bingley said hesitantly, “Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, it is wonderful to see you again.”
Elizabeth’s eyes were narrowed and she said, “It is quite astonishing to see you here, Mr. Bingley.”
“Indeed, it is,” Jane added acerbically.
Not surprisingly, these responses flummoxed the newcomer rather badly. “Yes, that is, er, Darcy suggested that I come to Brighton and ... well, when I arrived, the colonel informed me that you were here. I apologize for coming without an invitation...”
He was rambling, he knew, and forced himself to close his mouth. His brain was whirling with confusion, because Miss Elizabeth was clearly displeased, and Miss Bennet, along with looking distressed, was standing quite closely to Mr. Hartford.
“No, of course you are very welcome,” Lady Amelia assured him quickly. “I hope you and Colonel Fitzwilliam will come in directly and refresh yourselves.”
“Perhaps I might show Bingley the wilderness behind the house?” Darcy interpolated. “I am certain he would be most interested in learning more about how to keep bees.”
“That would be marvelous,” his friend said hastily .
“I will take the horses to the stable,” Colonel Fitzwilliam said.
/
“Who is Mr. Bingley?” Lady Amelia demanded once the rest of the party had made their way into the drawing room.
“I know, of course, that he is a friend of Darcy’s and I was pleased to have him stay with us in Brighton, but it seems from your reaction that there is some history of which I am unaware? ”
Jane sighed and sat down on a cushioned settee. “It is a complicated situation, Lady Amelia.”
“It is not very complicated,” Elizabeth contradicted.
“Last autumn, Mr. Bingley leased an estate called Netherfield near our family home of Longbourn. He pursued Jane very openly for some weeks, and then, due to the interference of his sisters and Mr. Darcy, left for London at the end of November and never returned or so much as sent word as to his intentions.”
“Darcy interfered?” Lady Amelia demanded.
“Yes, because he did not believe Jane truly cared for his friend. ”
Gabriel Hartford’s heart was in his throat. “I have no right to ask this, Miss Bennet, but are you attached to Mr. Bingley? Because if so, I would gladly set aside my...”
“No,” Jane insisted, and then smiled shyly.
“I do apologize. I seem to make a habit of interrupting you. I was attached to Mr. Bingley; indeed, I believed myself to be in love with him. But his behavior since last November has quite discouraged me, and I have no desire to renew my close acquaintance with him. I am very happy with our courtship and will not permit Mr. Bingley to interfere with it.”
Gabriel, who had been holding his breath throughout this recitation, let himself breathe again, and smiled joyfully.
/
“What is going on, Darcy?” Bingley asked, wandering in an agitated manner in the general direction of the beehives. “Who is this Mr. Hartford?”
Darcy, while upset, was sensible enough to avoid getting stung, so he grasped his friend’s arm and turned him around so they could walk in safety toward the wild region behind the house .
“I am sorry,” he said humbly. “Mr. Hartford is a former military man and owner of this estate, and Lady Amelia’s second son. He and Miss Bennet...”
“Are engaged?” Bingley finished with a miserable gulp.
“No, no, not engaged. They have decided to conduct a courtship, that is all.”
The tradesman’s son groaned softly and said, “It does not bode well for my chances with the lady, however. Have they known one another long?”
Darcy bit his lip and admitted, “They only met two days ago.”
His friend stopped and turned, his face whitening with shock. “Two days? Two days ? How can they be courting after only two days?”