Page 17 of Longbourn’s Son (Pride and Prejudice Variation #22)
“I appreciate your warning about Captain Williamson and Lieutenant Wickham,” Charlotte Lucas told Elizabeth and Kitty, pulling her pelisse closer around her to protect against the cold November air as the three ladies strode briskly down the road toward Longbourn.
“Regrettably, Samuel is not much inclined to listen to me where gentlemen’s pursuits are concerned since I am only a sister, and an old maid at that. ”
“It may not matter,” Kitty said, her eyes focused on a nearby elm tree whose leafless branches showed stark against the pale blue sky.
It would be lovely to sketch, though her hands might be too chilled to hold a pencil well.
“Luke tells me that the stakes were very low; I daresay Samuel will come to no harm over a few pence one way or another.”
“That is true enough,” Charlotte answered, tightening her lips, “but I do not approve of gambling. It is all too easy for gentlemen of any age, but perhaps especially young men, to get in over their heads in such matters.”
“I did not mean to worry you, Charlotte,” Elizabeth said with contrition. “Luke is younger than Samuel, and since he did not go away to school, gambling seems odd to him. I daresay since your brother went away to Harrow, he is more familiar with such activities.”
“Yes, familiar with gambling, and drinking, and carousing,” Charlotte responded with a flash of her eyes.
“I do not believe my brother benefited from his experiences at a public school; he certainly has not returned with either book knowledge or practical learning about the management of our family’s wealth! ”
Elizabeth reached out an arm and embraced her friend. “It is no great surprise that he is still maturing, Charlotte. Luke has always seemed old for his age, I think, especially given that my father rarely stirs from his library to oversee the estate.”
“That is true. Well, I will keep my eye on Samuel and yes, Joseph too, when he returns from Harrow in a few weeks for the Christmas holiday.”
“Oh, is that not Mr. Darcy?” Kitty inquired, her quick ears having caught the sound of approaching hooves.
Charlotte and Elizabeth turned with her and looked up curiously at the two men, who halted their horses in the middle of the road and swung down to nearly eye level, though both gentlemen were far taller than the petite Elizabeth. It was Mr. Darcy, with an unknown gentleman at his side.
“Miss Elizabeth, Miss Kitty, Miss Lucas,” Darcy said with a courteous nod. “It is pleasant to see you today.”
“Thank you, Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth replied. “It is rather a cold day, but we enjoy a brisk walk to clear away the cobwebs, so to speak, and in the next weeks it will likely be colder still.”
“Indeed. May I please introduce you to my cousin? He will be joining us at Netherfield the next few weeks.”
“Of course,” Elizabeth said, smiling at the gentleman waiting patiently at Darcy’s side. He was some thirty years of age, and while not as handsome as his cousin, wore a genial expression and a pleasant demeanor.
“Thank you. Ladies, my cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam of the Regulars. Richard, Miss Lucas, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and Miss Catherine Bennet.”
The ladies and gentleman exchanged curtsies and bows, and Richard, with easy charm, began conversing with the women as they all began walking slowly towards Longbourn, with the two horses walking calmly behind them at the ends of their reins.
Darcy watched with a modicum of envy as his cousin managed, within the space of a few minutes, to adroitly drop behind with Miss Lucas and Miss Catherine.
“Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth said, deliberately quickening her steps a little, “am I correct that you wish to speak to me alone, perhaps concerning Mr. Wickham?”
Darcy eyed her with respect. Really, Miss Elizabeth was both bright and quick!
“I do,” he admitted. “I hope you do not mind?”
“No, not at all. In truth, I wished to mention something that happened only last night which involved Mr. Wickham, and which concerned my brother, Luke.”
“Please tell me.”
She did so, describing the gathering of the officers and local youth at the boarding house, of the card playing and drinking, of the gambling.
By the end of her recitation, he was frowning heavily and, after some thought, declared, “I find the oddest part to be the low stakes. Wickham is an inveterate gamester, and certainly not attracted by such paltry amounts. As you say, a few pence one way or another is of so little concern as to hardly be worth anyone’s while. ”
“Yes, precisely!” Elizabeth agreed, increasing her pace yet more, which forced Darcy to lengthen his stride.
Considering that Miss Elizabeth was a full foot shorter than he was, it was remarkable how rapidly she walked.
“It sounds rather … disingenuous to insist on playing for money if the stakes are low. Could it be, perhaps, that the officers will slowly raise the stakes over time, hoping that the young local men will accept the change without question?”
Darcy looked down on the lady’s lively profile with awe.
“That is remarkably insightful, Miss Elizabeth. That is exactly the sort of thing Wickham would do! And you said that the young men won, which also seems suspicious to me. I would advise your brother not to play cards with the officers, though it may be a difficult piece of advice for him to heed, as card playing and gambling are typical diversions for young gentlemen of his age.”
“Luke has no intention of attending a gathering with the officers again,” Elizabeth asserted confidently.
“He is, I suspect, rather an unusual youth. He is the only son of Longbourn, and all of us sisters, including his beloved twin, depend on his health and diligence for our future security. Furthermore, thanks to his own interests and our father’s inclinations, he has been increasingly responsible for Longbourn these last years, in spite of his young age.
He told Kitty that he would not go again, and I trust that.
I do worry about the other young men of the neighborhood – that is why I was speaking to Miss Lucas – but none of us have authority over them, of course. ”
“Yes,” Darcy agreed, “but I hope you rejoice in your brother’s good sense. Your estate is blessed to have such a wise heir.”
“We love him and are thankful for him,” Elizabeth declared, and then added, “I believe that you inherited your estate at a young age, Mr. Darcy, and my brother informs me that you are very experienced in husbandry and land management.”
“Yes, my father passed on when I was but two and twenty years of age,” Darcy explained. “I am grateful that he spent the years before his death instructing me on how to administer Pemberley; it is an exacting role, though of course a blessed one as well.”
Elizabeth nodded sympathetically and said, “I can well imagine; my uncle Gardiner, who is a tradesman in London, has said more than once that any great estate is rather like a small city; you have many tenants, merchants, shopkeepers, laborers, and servants who are dependent on you for their well-being. My aunt Gardiner actually grew up in Lambton, which I believe is near Pemberley?”
“Yes, Lambton is within a few miles of Pemberley,” Darcy concurred, torn between surprise at the lady’s acknowledgment of a relative in trade, and respect for the man’s wise words.
Many gentlemen were quite indifferent as to the needs and cares of the people under their guardianship.
Given the elder Mr. Bennet’s character, young Luke Bennet was fortunate to have wise male relatives to guide him as the future master of Longbourn.
/
Caroline Bingley took yet another turn around the drawing room and then, with a soft grumble, wandered over to the largest window and peered outside hopefully.
She had left her dressing room rather late and was informed while breaking her fast that Miss Darcy and her companion were practicing French together in the girl’s sitting room, while her siblings, her nephew, and Mr. Darcy had departed more than an hour previously for parts unknown.
For the last thirty minutes, she had been wandering, irritable and bored, around the drawing room, hoping that Mr. Darcy would arrive soon; she had dressed with special care, hoping to impress him, and it was frustrating to be foiled.
Her ears finally caught the creak of the main door opening, and a moment later, the sound of her brother’s voice informed her that he, at least, had finally returned to Netherfield.
She hurried into the hall in time to see Mrs. Hurst, carrying her baby son, step inside behind their mutual brother, and a nurse closed up the small cavalcade, whereupon the door was firmly shut behind them. Darcy was nowhere in sight.
Caroline, shivering slightly in the chill, frowned at her siblings. “Where have you both been? Where is Mr. Darcy?”
Bingley gazed around blankly, as if he expected Darcy to materialize out of thin air.
“Darcy? He went out on horseback this morning at the same time that Louisa and I entered the carriage to visit the Bennets. I thought he would be back by now, but that black stallion of his needs exercise; perhaps he is exploring some of the trails on the estate. I am certain he will return soon since Colonel Fitzwilliam will be arriving shortly.”
“I will see you later,” Louisa interpolated. “Christopher is hungry.”
Bingley nodded and strode off toward the drawing room, with Caroline in fractious pursuit. The master of Netherfield eagerly made for the roaring fire, stripped off his gloves, and held his hands toward the flame. “It is rather chilly out there!” he commented.
“Charles,” Caroline scolded indignantly, “what were you thinking of to visit the Bennets today? They visited only recently; you will have the entire country saying that you are dangling after Miss Bennet.”
Charles Bingley turned a wary eye on his cantankerous younger sister. “Perhaps I am pursuing her, Caroline. Has that not occurred to you?”
The woman stamped her foot in outrage. “Are you mad, Charles? Jane Bennet is but the undowered daughter of a country gentleman, with only a handsome face and form to recommend her! You are wealthy, handsome, and can reach far higher for a bride!”
Bingley sighed and dropped into his favorite blue chair near the fire.
“Caroline, can we please not speak of this now? I have not offered for Miss Bennet, so there is no point in arguing about a vague possibility. I will also point out that we are the children of a tradesman and Miss Bennet the eldest daughter of a gentleman, so socially she is higher than we are.”
“But if you offer, you will be committed!” Caroline argued. “Besides, you cannot offer for Miss Bennet when Louisa and Mr. Bennet are courting; it would be so odd for you to marry the daughter when she is…”
“What?!” Bingley yelped, leaping to his feet as if stung by a wasp. “Of what are you speaking?”
His sister rolled her eyes and said patiently, “Come, Charles; surely it has not escaped your notice that Mr. Bennet and Louisa are quite taken with one another thanks to their mutual passion for old rocks. Mr. Bennet has visited us more than once of late when apparently he rarely stirs from Longbourn, and why do you think that Louisa took the baby and accompanied you this morning?”
Bingley’s mouth drooped open slightly and his eyes were wide. “But… Caroline, you must be imagining this. Mr. Bennet is over forty years of age, and father of six grown children! Louisa is but one and thirty and mother of an infant! She is still in half mourning!”
Caroline Bingley, pleased that her brother was finally paying attention to her, sat down on a delicately molded chair and lifted her eyebrows. “Tell me about this morning, Charles,” she invited. “Did Mr. Bennet stir from his library or did he allow his numerous offspring to entertain you?”
Bingley gulped and admitted, “He did come out and spoke to Louisa at length, though I know not what about. I was speaking to Miss Bennet, you see. Louisa and Mr. Bennet? That is quite … quite awkward…”
Caroline Bingley sat back with a satisfied smile.
She doubted Louisa Hurst would give up her freedom to remarry, but the very idea had shaken her brother considerably, which was her intention.
Her brother was a pleasant young man but inclined to avoid difficult situations.
No doubt he would yield to Louisa’s supposed preference for Mr. Bennet, and his pursuit of the lovely, poor, abysmally connected Miss Bennet would come to an abrupt end.