Page 41 of Longbourn’s Son (Pride and Prejudice Variation #22)
Matlock House
London
The receiving line was long but Caroline Bingley found that she did not mind in the least. After years of pursuing Darcy of Pemberley, she had realized he was not remotely the man she truly wished to marry; it was a pity that she had wasted so much time, but she could, at least, flatter herself that she had moved quickly to find a far more compatible gentleman for a bridegroom.
She looked up with contentment at the man at her side, Lord Anthony Sedgewick, who had proposed to her two weeks ago.
Her fiancé was neither handsome nor young, and his estates were encumbered, but he was connected to the nobility and she would, when she married him, be a baroness.
She knew that it was her twenty thousand pound dowry that most attracted him to her, but she was content with that.
She was no foolish romantic like her brother Charles.
When they had attained the head of the receiving line, Caroline curtsied deeply to Lord and Lady Matlock, even as she hugged herself inwardly. She had never been permitted to attend a ball at Matlock House. Already, her engagement to Lord Sedgewick was bearing fruit.
“Good evening, Lord Sedgewick,” their hostess said with a welcoming smile. “Will you introduce me to your companion?”
“Yes, of course,” the Baron answered. “Lord Matlock, Lady Matlock, Miss Caroline Bingley, who has recently agreed to become my bride.”
“Congratulations to you both! Miss Bingley, welcome! Are you perhaps related to Darcy’s friend, Charles Bingley?”
“Yes, Lady Matlock,” Caroline returned, rather surprised. “He is my brother.”
“Well, his party has already arrived and I am certain your brother will be delighted to see you.”
Caroline Bingley wrinkled her brow at this comment, but the line was already moving forward.
Lord Sedgewick held out his arm to her and she took it, and the couple walked slowly into the great ballroom at Matlock House.
Her heart swelled within her at the sight of the huge chamber, lit by hundreds of candles, filled with the most exclusive ladies and gentlemen of the haut ton.
It had been a long time coming, but at last she had broken into the upper crust of society.
“I did not know your brother was to be present?” Sedgewick said, raising his voice to be heard above the din of the crowd.
“Neither did I, but then, I have heard very little from my brother and sister of late. I am certain Louisa is quite jealous of me; her deceased husband was quite an inferior sort of person, Anthony, and doubtless she is outraged that I have won you.”
This provoked a satisfied smirk on the face of her companion, and Caroline bestowed a loving smile in response. She had worked hard to flatter and cajole the man at her side and would continue to do so until she was safely wed.
“Caroline?”
Miss Bingley turned and nodded unenthusiastically at her brother. “Charles.”
“I am surprised to see you here, Caroline,” her brother commented, eyeing Lord Sedgewick in confusion. “I thought you were in Wiltshire.”
“I wrote to you at Netherfield more than a week ago informing you of my engagement to Lord Sedgewick,” she declared, gazing raptly at the countenance of her fiancé.
“Oh, my heartiest congratulations to you both! Lord Sedgewick, I apologize for not being aware of your engagement to my sister; I returned to town two weeks ago and have been neglecting my correspondence. “
“Really, Charles!” Caroline began angrily, and then forced herself to speak lightly; it would not do for Sedgewick to think her a shrew, after all. “I suppose I should have known something of the sort must have come to pass; you are rather dilatory about business matters, after all!”
“I am glad to meet you, Mr. Bingley,” Lord Sedgewick declared as he snatched a glass of wine from a waiter carrying trays of drinks. “It is, of course, important that your sister’s dowry be released upon our marriage.”
“Of course, of course,” Bingley agreed. “Perhaps we can meet tomorrow to discuss the marriage settlements. Is that agreeable?”
“Very,” Sedgewick agreed, downing his drink in one long gulp and looking around for additional liquid sustenance.
“Miss Lucas?” Caroline cried out in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
It was indeed Miss Charlotte Lucas, daughter of an uncultured gentleman of little fortune; furthermore, the girl – no woman, as she was at least five and twenty years of age – was standing ridiculously close to her brother Charles.
Why was Miss Lucas at one of the most exclusive events of the London Season?
Bingley glanced uneasily at Miss Lucas, then at Lord Sedgewick and said, “Sir, would you be willing to allow me a private moment with my sister?”
“Of course,” the older man said agreeably.
Without so much as a glance at Caroline, he ambled toward a long table where drinks were laid out for the convenience of the guests.
Caroline glared after him, and then at her brother, as the latter, followed by Charlotte Lucas, guided her to a corner of the ball room beside a large vase of roses set in an embrasure.
“Caroline, I married Charlotte three weeks ago, and she is now Mrs. Bingley,” Charles stated abruptly, looking down lovingly at his new bride.
Miss Bingley stared at her brother in frozen disbelief, then shifted her wide eyed gaze on Charlotte …
Bingley, who was regarding her calmly. Now that she was paying attention, Caroline observed that Miss …
Mrs. Bingley was wearing an expensive primrose gown which matched her coloring, and her mouse colored hair was well dressed.
She was no great beauty, but she certainly looked better than she had ever looked before.
For a moment, she was tempted to snarl in outrage; how could her brother be fool enough to marry an old maid with no dowry and no connections?
A few seconds thought made her hold her tongue; it was too late, the deed was done, and she needed Charles to release her dowry at the appropriate time.
Of course, it was hers by right, but her brother could hold the process up if he so chose.
“My dear Charlotte,” she simpered, pasting a sickly grin on her face, “this is a surprise, but a welcome one! I hope you are well?”
“Very well, Caroline,” Charlotte answered sedately. Really, how, how had this plain woman captured Charles? Was it possible that the woman had compromised her idiot of a brother?
“I am sorry that I did not come to the wedding,” Caroline continued mendaciously. “The letter regarding the timing of the ceremony must have gone astray.”
“Well, as to that, I did not send you an invitation, Caroline,” Bingley said brazenly.
“Louisa told me that you were enjoying yourself at your house party in Wiltshire, and I did not want to tear you away. Indeed, given that Lord Sedgewick was courting you, I am thankful I did not write; I would have been quite cast down if you had felt obligated to come to Meryton to attend our wedding.”
“Quite,” Caroline agreed with gritted teeth. She glanced around briefly among the throngs of people and then turned a patient gaze on her brother. “Is Louisa here now that her mourning has ended, or is she still at Netherfield looking after her mewling brat?”
Charlotte lifted one eyebrow, which stoked a fire of envy in Caroline’s breast. She had never, no matter how hard she tried, been able to raise one eyebrow apart from the other.
“The new Mrs. Bennet is at Longbourn with Christopher,” Mrs. Bingley said sedately, though her eyes flashed. “She married Mr. Bennet more than a month ago. I daresay that letter went astray.”
Caroline coughed and shook her head. “Married Mr. Bennet?”
“Yes, they seem completely compatible and happy together,” Charles declared, his eyes narrowed with unaccustomed severity.
Caroline gulped, reminded herself again that she needed her brother to release her dowry, and then her breath hitched as two more familiar faces appeared in the crowd.
“Mr. Darcy! Miss Elizabeth!” she exclaimed, looking up flirtatiously into Darcy’s face. Really, for all that the man was too dull for her, he was very handsome.
“Miss Bingley,” Darcy said coolly, “may I please introduce you to my wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy.”
This time, Caroline was unable to restrain her expression of horror. Mr. Darcy, master of Pemberley, with an income of ten thousand pounds a year, was married to Eliza Bennet ?
“Caroline is newly engaged to Lord Sedgewick,” Bingley said, mercifully drawing everyone’s attention toward himself.
“Oh, Miss Bingley, congratulations!” Elizabeth exclaimed, though her eyes sparkled with amusement.
“My sister Jane will be delighted; she too is newly married, to Fitzwilliam’s cousin, the second son of the earl of Matlock.
There is nothing quite like finding a compatible partner in life, Miss Bingley. ”
“Indeed,” Caroline managed to answer.
“My dear, the music will be starting soon,” Darcy said, looking down adoringly at his bride. “We would not care to miss the first dance.”
“Indeed, we would not,” Bingley agreed. “Come along, Charlotte. Caroline, we are fixed in London for at least the next few weeks; do let me know your direction, so Lord Sedgewick and I can arrange the marriage settlements.”
Caroline Bingley watched as the couples hurried away to the dance floor. A moment later, her gaze shifted to her fiancé, who was standing near the refreshment table with a drink in his hand, clearly in no hurry to return to her side.
For a moment, she felt an almost overwhelming urge to cry; it was not fair that three ladies of minimal fashion and dowries had married so well!
After a full minute, she straightened her body and marched over to Lord Sedgewick, whose eyes were already a little blurry.
“Shall we dance, my lord?” she asked winsomely.
“Of course, my dear Caroline, of course!”