Page 19 of Longbourn’s Son (Pride and Prejudice Variation #22)
“Miss Bennet?”
Jane, who was just finishing her toilette for the day, looked at the maid curiously. “Yes, Sally?”
“Miss Bennet, Mr. Bingley has called and wishes to speak to you.”
Jane started in surprise at this, her eyes shifting to the window which showed the sun still low in the sky. It could not be much past ten in the morning!
“He wishes to speak to me alone?” she inquired.
“Yes, Miss,” Sally replied, her eyes shining with excitement. There could be only one explanation for such a request, and Sally, who admired and liked Miss Bennet, could only hope that the lady was finally to be engaged to a man worthy of her.
“Very well,” Jane said. “Please escort him to the parlor and I will be with him shortly.”
“Yes, Miss.”
/
Charles Bingley stared out the window of the parlor at Longbourn and silently rehearsed his proposal.
It had been five days since he had spoken to Louisa about a possible match between herself and Mr. Bennet, and every day, the drum beats grew louder in his breast. Miss Bennet was so very beautiful, so charming, so exquisite, that it seemed all too likely that if he did not move now, some other unworthy fellow would ask and receive her hand in marriage, and he would lose his best chance of happiness forever.
Thus, he had crept out of Netherfield early, avoiding both his sisters and his closest friend, and ridden for Longbourn.
Now that he was here, he realized he had come rather too early for a morning call, but he comforted himself with the reality that proposing to a lady was an unusual act, and thus the typical conventions could be set aside.
The door to the parlor opened, and Bingley turned and found his heart in his throat. Jane Bennet, wearing a yellow dress, with her golden hair piled in a simple knot on her head, was more beautiful than any angel possibly could ever be.
“Miss Bennet,” he murmured, sweeping a low bow. “Thank you for seeing me this morning. I realize I am all too early, but I confess I was so eager.”
He stopped in discomfort as the lady looked more disturbed than delighted.
“It is quite early,” Miss Bennet agreed, “but please do sit down, sir.”
“If ... if I may, I would prefer to stand.”
“Very well,” Jane said, and, checking that the parlor door was open a few inches, sat down on the chair nearest the exit with her hands clasped loosely in her lap.
Bingley, not surprisingly, felt a dampening of his ardor at Miss Bennet’s marked lack of enthusiasm, but he had come this far.
“Miss Bennet, from the moment I laid eyes on you, I was struck by your beauty and your charm. In these last weeks, I have come to love and adore you and wish for you to become my wife. Miss Bennet, will you accept my hand in marriage?”
This was not the proposal he had practiced in his mind at least five times this morning alone.
His proposal was supposed to be far more grandiose and impassioned.
But the lady’s expression was so far from welcoming that his brain had seized up.
He had, at least, managed to ask for her hand in marriage, but based on Miss Bennet’s posture and countenance, he knew what her answer would be.
“Mr. Bingley,” Jane said, gesturing to a nearby chair. “Please, I beg you, sit down.”
He did so, miserably.
“Mr. Bingley,” she said gently, “first I must thank you for your offer. I am truly honored by your proposal. Regrettably, I am not able to accept your hand in marriage. I believe you to be a good and honorable man, but we have only been acquainted a few weeks, and thus I do not believe we know one another well enough to be certain of our mutual happiness together in the wedded state.”
Bingley, who had been feeling entirely crushed, straightened as hope coursed through his veins.
“Miss Bennet,” he exclaimed, his face lighting up, “I understand completely. I have been far too impetuous and precipitate in asking for your hand. If you will forgive me for my boldness, might we continue on as friends, perhaps with the hope of something more in the future?”
Jane Bennet gazed at the eager countenance of Charles Bingley and smiled reluctantly. He seemed rather like a puppy in some ways, enthusiastic and adoring and perhaps a trifle clumsy in his fervor to win her hand.
“We can certainly be friends,” she said graciously and then lifted an admonitory finger. “I must request something of you, sir.”
“Anything!” her suitor declared recklessly.
“Firstly, I hope you do not in any way feel yourself bound to me. If you should fall out of love, there is no shame in that.”
Bingley opened his mouth in protest, but her finger was still pointing at him sternly, so he obediently swallowed his words.
“Secondly, I do not want the entire neighborhood gossiping about us. Thus, I ask that you spend some time with other ladies like Charlotte Lucas, perhaps, or my sister Mary, or Mrs. Long’s nieces, at assemblies and gatherings.
If you pay attention to other ladies, our own friendship can grow naturally without the external pressure of societal interference. ”
Bingley blinked at this, his heart swelling further with love and adoration. How generous and kind of Jane Bennet to ask him to dance and speak with the less handsome girls in the neighborhood.
“Of course, Miss Bennet, that is very wise, and I will do as you say.”
/
“Good afternoon, Mr. Bennet,” Will greeted Luke as the youth stepped into the warm Milton stables. The young man was rapidly mucking out an empty stall, and Luke skirted carefully around the opening, wishing to avoid a face full of odiferous manure.
“Good morning, Will. I hope you are well?”
“Well enough, sir, though very busy today. Two more horses arrived yesterday which belong to militia officers, and Colonel Forster had his men doing drills this morning, so there is extra currying and combing to be done. Also, Mr. Milton’s son is sick, so I do not have help.”
“Do you mind if I groom Colonel Forster’s horse?” Luke asked hopefully. He admired and even adored the colonel’s gray stallion, and had been privileged to assist in currying and combing the beast’s magnificent coat twice before.
“I would be most grateful, though please leave his hooves for me, sir,” Will responded. “He is a congenial animal, but can be irritable about having his feet tended. I would not want you to be kicked.”
“Neither would I,” Luke agreed with a respectful look at the gray’s powerful limbs. He fetched the appropriate tools and carefully slid into the stable, whereupon he began currying the animal’s rather dirty coat.
The two men worked in contented silence for ten minutes when the door to the stable opened abruptly, and Mr. Milton bellowed through the door, “Will! I am attempting to shoe a filly and am having trouble with her! Come out here and help me!”
“Yes, sir!” Will responded hastily, setting down his rake as the door slammed shut behind his employer. “Mr. Bennet, I will be back as soon as I can.”
“If I finish up with the gray, I will work on Lieutenant Pratt’s brown and white filly,” Luke promised.
The young man departed in haste, leaving Luke to focus on the great stallion’s withers. Ten minutes later, he was on his knees carefully currying the back legs of the beast, when the door opened and a rush of cold air blew into the stables.
“Where is he?” came the familiar voice of George Wickham, and Luke, who had intended to proclaim his presence, found himself instead creeping into one corner of the stallion’s stall; he did not trust or like Mr. Wickham and had no desire to exchange words with the man.
“He is down here,” replied another familiar voice, that of Captain Williamson. Luke heard two sets of boots walk down the central corridor and pause at a nearby stall. “Good afternoon, my boy. It is good to see you again.”
George Wickham, torn between pleasure at the warm stable and disgust at the smell of manure, stared with respect at the brown and white horse which leaned forward to greet his master.
“This is Eclipse?” Wickham asked. “I confess I know little about horseflesh, but he seems a most impressive creature.”
“He is,” Williamson responded, reaching out and gently patting the great nose.
“Where did you acquire him?” Wickham inquired. “He must be worth a pretty penny.”
“I won Eclipse in an advantageous wager,” his companion explained with a sly smile, “and while I generally convert my winnings into cash, I chose to keep this stallion as he has proven a most useful animal.”
“Because he is fast?”
“He is fast,” Williamson agreed complacently, running an affectionate hand down the horse’s neck, “but more than that, exceptionally well trained. Many a horse will not respond well to being held back in a race, but Eclipse responds perfectly to my commands. I can make him appear to be running full tilt when he is moving at less than full speed. Thus, I can make my horse appear slow until the odds are against him, and then allow him his head when we have the opportunity of a substantial payday.”
Wickham leaned against the wooden stall, causing it to creak, and commented, “I know that you are the horseman, as well as far more experienced than I am in the world of gambling, but is this all truly worth it, Williamson? We already have most of the local youths caught up in card playing for money, and several of them have racked up considerable debts which will only grow larger given that we are working together. Do you believe that horse racing will prove of equal interest, especially given that it is late in the year?”
“It is not so very late,” the older man argued. “Yes, the nights are growing longer and colder, but a cool day is quite pleasant for horse and rider. And yes, my friend, there is nothing quite like horse racing to bring the gambler out in a young man, especially a youth like Mr. Luke Bennet.”
Wickham groaned and complained, “I would not be overly confident about that. It seems that the elder Mr. Bennet is much opposed to gambling, and that explains why his heir has not appeared at any of our little gatherings save the first. It is a great pity, as young Mr. Bennet has the best prospects of all the local young men.”
“I doubt that the elder Mr. Bennet has anything to do with it,” Williamson retorted disdainfully.
“I have made it my business to learn about Longbourn and her inhabitants; the nominal master largely dwells in his library, leaving his son and elder daughters to run the estate. As for the younger Mr. Bennet – I believe we have great hopes of pulling him into our schemes by horse racing. He did not show much interest in cards, but he is passionate about horses and especially thoroughbreds; that much was obvious from our conversation a week ago.”
“I hope you are right, or we will be wasting our time.”
Williamson gave his young companion a cheerful slap on the shoulder and remonstrated, “Wickham, one thing you must learn is that the more irons in the fire, the better. We cannot depend on the youngsters to continue to enjoy cards but when all is said and done, Meryton is a dull place; if cards grow tedious, they will be attracted to horse racing, and cock fighting, and carousing, all of which, if managed properly, will provide opportunities for financial remuneration. It is always a mistake to put all your eggs in one basket.”
“I suppose you are right,” Wickham agreed, and then straightened as a new thought occurred to him. “You said you have investigated the Bennets; what of the daughters? Do they have substantial dowries?”
Williamson laughed. “An excellent question, my friend, though regrettably the answer is no. The late Mrs. Bennet, daughter of a local solicitor, had a reasonable dowry of five thousand pounds, but since she birthed five daughters, each will only have the income from one thousand pounds when they marry. It is a pity; they are quite a lovely clan, are they not?”
Wickham grinned at this. “They are, especially Miss Elizabeth.”
“I believe Miss Bennet is considered the most handsome daughter.”
“Yes, but she is rather too placid for my tastes,” Wickham said.
“The second Miss Bennet has a certain fire in her eyes which appeals to me. But given that there is no money to be had from any of them, they are of no use to me. Well, there is one way in which they are of use, but it is not a monetary one.”
The older man chuckled and said, “You are far more likely to succeed in that arena than I am, given your handsome features. All the same, do take care; we would not wish for you to be driven out of town at the end of the pitchforks of the local rustics. The Bennets are a popular family.”
“Yes, but I believe Miss Elizabeth might be quite worth the risk; I always like a challenge, after all, and her father is an indolent fellow who is unlikely to call me out if I take more than a few liberties with the lady,” Wickham said salaciously.
“I will consider the matter. There is no great hurry; the local dairy maids and servant girls will soon be pleased to share a bed with a handsome lieutenant.”
The stable door opened, and another waft of cold air blew Will, the stable boy, into the building. The young man rubbed his cold hands together and, observing the two military men, inquired courteously, “Did you need any assistance from me, sirs?”
“No,” Williamson declared, beginning to walk back toward the entrance to the stables, “we were merely checking to ensure that Eclipse arrived safely.”
Will glanced around, surprised that Luke Bennet was not present, but only said, “He is a magnificent animal, sir. I will take good care of him.”
The captain nodded and tossed the young man a coin. “See that you do. Come along, Wickham.”
The two officers departed as Luke, who had heard every single word of the exchange between the two men, sat quietly in the stall, caught between worry and outrage.