Page 59 of Heiress of Longbourn (Pride and Prejudice Variations)

“Jane?” Mrs. Gardiner said softly.

Jane Bennet lifted her head from her needlepoint to look somberly at her favorite aunt. “Yes, Aunt Madeline?”

“Do you wish to tell us about your meeting with Mr. Bingley today?”

Elizabeth, who was staring out the window of the Gardiner’s parlor at the sunset, looked up hopefully. Jane had emerged from her interview with Bingley with a truly bizarre expression on her face, one which caused even brave Elizabeth to hesitate from questioning her. What had happened between the master of Netherfield and her beloved elder sister?

On the carriage ride home, Jane had been silent, and as soon as they reached the Gardiner residence, the Miss Bennets had been captured by their young cousins, who wished to play with them and Lucy, their puppy. Then had come dinner and more time with the children, but now the little ones were upstairs being put to bed by their nursemaids, and Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, Elizabeth, and Jane were alone.

Jane said gravely, “Mr. Bingley asked me to marry him, and I refused him.”

Elizabeth jerked openly in astonishment. Did not Jane love Mr. Bingley?

Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner glanced quickly at one another, and Mrs. Gardiner leaned over to pat her eldest niece reassuringly on the knee.

“I support you no matter what, Jane,” she said, “but I do confess to some surprise. I thought you admired him?”

Jane deliberately set aside her work and looked into her beloved aunt’s blue eyes. “I was attached to him. I would say I loved him. But now, my admiration has been swept away by hurt and, yes, rage.”

In spite of herself, Elizabeth squeaked in astonishment. Jane angry? Jane, who never raised her voice, who always thought the best of everyone, furious?

Jane turned toward her and chuckled reluctantly. “That does sound surprising, does it not, Lizzy? I, who have always thought the best of others, who have floated through life with my head foolishly in the clouds, am seething with outrage.”

“With whom are you furious, dear niece?” Mr. Gardiner asked gently.

Jane heaved a deep sigh and closed her eyes for a few seconds, then opened them again. “I am angry at Mr. Bingley for abandoning me so unkindly. It was not just my broken heart, it was being held up for ridicule and gossip by those around me in Meryton. I am furious with Caroline Bingley and Louisa Hurst, both of whom pretended to truly care for me, even as they denigrated me and our family behind my back. I am angry at Mr. Darcy for assuming that he could understand my heart and for interfering in my courtship with Mr. Bingley. I am angry at Mother for encouraging the young ones to run riot. I am angry at Father for not reining in his wife and youngest daughters. I am even a little bit angry at Lizzy for being right about the world. I always thought you were too cynical, Elizabeth. I was wrong.”

“My dear Jane,” Elizabeth countered contritely, “if there is one thing that has been borne upon me these last days, it is that my understanding of humanity is sadly deficient! I thought Mr. Wickham entirely excellent, and Mr. Darcy dishonorable. Even Lady Catherine de Bourgh and her daughter Anne have shown themselves to have hidden depths to their characters. If you were too optimistic, I was too satirical.”

Jane lifted a hand to brush away tears. “In truth, I feel entirely unlike myself. What do I do with this anger? It is strange and frightening!”

“Jane,” Mr. Gardiner said.

She looked up at her uncle as she reached for her handkerchief to wipe away tears.

“My dear nieces,” the man continued with a loving smile, “you are both very young, and while excellent ladies, still maturing. Jane, your sweet spirit is a gift, but it is also true many people hide evil intentions under outward charm, and it is important to recognize that. You have every reason to be enraged, my dear. There is nothing wrong with these feelings.”

His eldest niece shook her head, deeply troubled. “Is not it a sin to be angry?”

“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath,” Mrs. Gardiner quoted, patting Jane’s arm reassuringly. “From the Book of Ephesians. There is no sin in being angry, my dear.”

Jane swallowed convulsively and confessed, “I do not believe I can rid myself of my fury by dusk tonight.”

“I believe the Apostle Paul was not speaking literally of the sun setting, but of not letting anger fester and grow, for it is a sin to harbor anger and let it grow into bitterness and hatred,” Madeline Gardiner explained. “I daresay this will take you by surprise, but I had quite a temper when I was younger.”

“You, Aunt?” Elizabeth exclaimed in surprise. “You are always so patient and calm!”

“I was not always so,” her aunt responded with a wry chuckle, “as your uncle can attest to. I still find myself irritable and even furious at times, but have learned to hold my tongue and think through a problem, and pray for guidance from the Lord instead of lashing out.”

Jane blew out a slow breath. “I do not know how to do that, Aunt. For so long, I have clung to the idea that people were truly good, truly kind, that even when they behaved badly, it was a mistake on their part. I feel quite the fool.”

“Both you and Elizabeth have learned much in the last few days, and that is a good thing,” Mr. Gardiner declared. “Do not grow too jaded, dear niece, but yes, it is wise to realize that there are those who wear masks to conceal less than noble intentions.”

***

Charles Bingley wandered disconsolately into the front door of his house and stopped unhappily. It was late, and he had assumed his sisters would have retired to bed by now, but no, Louisa and Caroline were waiting for him, both with odd looks on their faces. Louisa looked resolute, and Caroline looked ... was that nervous? Surely not, Caroline was never nervous.

“Louisa, Caroline, I am most fatigued,” he announced. “Can this not wait until morning?”

“It cannot,” Louisa said firmly. “Come, Charles, we have tea and brandy waiting for you in the parlor, depending on your current needs.”

Charles groaned but obediently followed his sisters into the parlor, where he made directly for the brandy. He had no desire to muddle his insides with tea at this hour.

“Charles,” Louisa stated as he lowered himself into a chair, “I am with child.”

He blinked at her in surprise and, for the first time in many hours, felt a surge of genuine happiness. He reversed course and bounced to his feet again, striding over to embrace his sister with enthusiasm. “Louisa! I am so very happy! Congratulations to you and Hurst!”

His sister’s face suffused pink with delight, making her even more beautiful than usual. “Thank you, Charles! Hurst is overjoyed, and so am I.”

“That is wonderful news, Louisa, absolutely wonderful! Finally, some good news on this miserable day!”

“It is glorious,” she agreed with a fond smile directed at her own torso. “Unfortunately, I am feeling quite unwell and Hurst is taking me to his family estate in two days. The London air does not agree with me, and as it grows hotter, I will only be more uncomfortable here.”

“That is very sensible,” Bingley returned approvingly. “You would not want to endanger yourself and the child.”

“We do not,” Louisa agreed, and turned her attention on Caroline, who was sitting rigidly on a nearby couch. “Now we must speak of Caroline, Brother. She informs me that Mr. Darcy is courting Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and you intend to ask Miss Bennet to marry you...”

“She refused me,” Bingley interrupted, his own sorrow suddenly crashing in on his soul. He sat down and put his head in his hands. “Miss Bennet refused my offer of marriage.”

There was a collective gasp of shock from his sisters and Caroline cried out, “She refused you? Impossible!”

Bingley lifted his head to glare at his younger sister. “She did indeed. She berated me for leaving her at Netherfield and for listening to you and Darcy. She did love me, but her love was destroyed by my abandonment. I knew in my heart that she truly cherished me, but I was a coward and allowed myself to be persuaded by my sisters and friend.”

“I am truly sorry,” Louisa said contritely. “I did not think she truly loved you, and I was certain she would accept you for your wealth. I was wrong.”

“You were,” Bingley agreed sadly, “but so was I, to be so irresolute. But I am determined to try to win her heart again. Darcy and I plan to travel to Netherfield Park within a few days, and I will do all I can to convince Miss Bennet of my constant adoration.”

“Surely that is foolish, Charles,” Caroline Bingley argued. “Miss Bennet has made it clear that...”

She trailed off as her brother turned a furious gaze on her.

“I suggest you be silent, Sister,” he warned ominously. “I am aware that you knew Miss Bennet was in town for several months, that she actually visited you, and that you deliberately kept that knowledge from me. Do not test my patience!”

Caroline swallowed convulsively, aware of an odd flutter of fear in her breast. Charles never spoke harshly to her. Her siblings were behaving very strangely today.

“I merely ... well, do you think it honorable to pursue Miss Bennet when she has expressed her disinclination for your overtures?” she asked in a meek voice.

For a brief moment, Bingley looked uncertain, but Louisa immediately said, “Nonsense. Jane loved you once and she may well come to love you again. If you wish to pursue her, I hope you will. She is a kind and charming young woman, and if Darcy finds the Bennets worthy, so should we.”

“I will pursue her,” Bingley declared, “and there is nothing you can say or do to stop me, Caroline.”

Caroline literally bit her tongue to keep herself silent. This day was quite one of the worst of her life.