Page 25 of The Countess and Her Sister
They began to understand Lady Catherine’s true motives for the evening after they made the acquaintance of Mr. Darcy’s cousin, Lady Susan Vernon, a pretty widow in her middle thirties with coquettish manners and a satirical eye.
She was staying with Lady Thurston, and the two women notoriously loved intrigue and loathed Lady Catherine de Bourgh.
“I wonder what the old dragon is about in inviting Bingley, when I know she is far from the only person present who despises him!” Lady Susan fanned herself and looked pointedly around the room, which seemed to contain a number of young ladies of similar appearance to Jane.
“Surely nobody could dislike such an affable gentleman,” Elizabeth said, clasping the hand of her panicked sister. “Is he not your cousin’s dearest friend?”
“Yes, and I know all about him.” Lady Susan snapped her fan shut and leveled a frank look at them. “Lady Catherine is playing a trick on Mr. Bingley, surely. I believe it may have something to do with presenting her nephew as a superior alternative, in the estimation of a certain countess.”
Jane shook her head in confusion. “By making her friends dislike him?”
Lady Susan tutted and shook her head. “She has merely discovered who may have cause to resent him already. I must say, she has acted with alacrity; she always was a shrewd little terrier when on the scent of some new scheme.”
“Lady Susan, I beg you would speak plainly with us,” Elizabeth said. Another time, she might have appreciated the woman’s sense of saucy mischief, but at present she worried for her pale and fidgety sister.
Lady Susan gave Jane a sympathetic smile.
“I hope I am not cruel in telling you the truth, which must be exactly the harpy’s purpose, but I cannot abide a woman remaining in ignorance.
Lady Thurston told me that Mr. Bingley was instantly infatuated with you at her ball, Lady Jane.
I am not surprised to hear it, for you are fair and beautiful, and I can easily imagine there must be considerable appeal in a man as charming and gregarious as Mr. Bingley. ”
Jane said nothing, and Elizabeth braced herself for whatever truth might follow – she sensed some dreadful revelation in Lady Susan’s expressive face.
“I think well of Mr. Bingley, and I would say nothing against him when Lady Catherine called yesterday to ask me what I know of him. It appears others may have been more forthcoming, and if you will hear me, I should like to prepare you for what Lady Catherine means to wield against him – and by extension, you. I always like to vex the old cat.”
Jane flinched but nodded serenely. “Thank you – yes – I will hear it.”
“You may perhaps cast a discreet glance in the direction of the blonde lady speaking with the colonel and another fellow. That is Miss Julia Bertram and her brother – their father is a baronet, whose estate Mr. Bingley visited last spring to see a friend from Cambridge. His sister knew the Bertram girls from school, and promoted a match between her brother and Miss Julia. But when her elder sister Mrs. Rushworth caused the family a great scandal – adultery – the Bingleys departed the house the very next morning.”
“Surely Mr. Bingley only wished to allow the family their privacy at such a time,” Jane said.
Elizabeth frowned. “ His sister desired the match – was there any affection between them?”
“After her sister had two beaux, Miss Julia must have been keen for a suitor of her own, and I cannot think she would have been indifferent to Mr. Bingley. For his part, I can certainly imagine him finding her pretty.”
Lady Susan glanced about the room again.
“There in the dull pink gown, the flaxen-haired girl speaking with Lady Rebecca – that is Miss Margaret Dashwood. She resides in the neighborhood of an estate called Allenham, which was lately inherited by another friend of Mr. Bingley’s.
Again, expectations were raised, chiefly by the portly woman at her side, Mrs. Jennings – she is fonder of gossip and matchmaking than any other person I have ever encountered.
Her speculation and the young lady’s want of fortune were enough for the Bingleys to once again depart abruptly. ”
“Surely Miss Bingley must have been the author of Miss Dashwood’s disappointment,” Elizabeth said. “She makes no secret of her interest in her brother’s prospects – nor her own aspirations.”
Lady Susan laughed. “If she gets her claws in poor Darcy, I shall burn Pemberley to the ground.” She shook her head, and then nodded in the direction of a third pretty blonde.
“Miss Dalrymple is lately out of mourning for her mother, Lady Dalrymple, who disapproved of Mr. Bingley as a suitor to her daughter when they were in Bath. Miss Bingley was desperate for a marriage of good connection, either for herself or her brother. I believe he was partial to Miss Dalrymple, but when she went into mourning, Miss Bingley attempted to push her brother at one of Miss Dalrymple’s relations, Miss Elizabeth Elliot.
I suppose that may account for the bitter looks she is giving him.
There was some great fuss that led to the Bingleys once again making a hasty retreat. ”
Jane looked miserable and mortified, but Elizabeth was growing angry.
“It seems to me that Mr. Bingley wishes to fall in love with a beautiful woman, and his sister is perpetually getting in the way! Every place Mr. Bingley has been, his sister has interfered either in thwarting romance or attempting to manufacture it herself.”
Lady Susan chortled. “Miss Bingley must be exceedingly delighted with you, Countess.”
Jane looked stricken as she nodded her agreement.
She and Elizabeth looked around at the three young ladies, all willowy blondes bearing some degree of resemblance to Jane.
It was evidently distressing to her. “I suppose Lady Catherine wishes me to see that he has been involved with many other ladies before me – and that perhaps he fancies only my appearance.”
“Or that his sister covets your status and connections,” Elizabeth huffed. “It seems to me that Miss Bingley is the guilty party in his other attachments going awry. You can hardly fault the man for admiring other ladies before he met you.”
“Though it adds an element of unpredictable complexity that they may still admire him ,” Lady Susan suggested.
Jane sucked in a sharp breath. “Lady Catherine means for one of these ladies to recapture his affection?”
“Or to frighten him out of his wits, and mortify him thoroughly.” Lady Susan shrugged her shoulders. “At present her malice seems to lack precision – I hope it shall want in efficacy as well, since you now comprehend what she is about.”
Dinner was called, and Elizabeth certainly understood what Lady Catherine intended.
There were more ladies than gentlemen present, and Jane was seated between Miss Dashwood and Miss Dalrymple, with Miss Bertram placed across the table from Jane.
Lady Catherine was hedging her bets that one of the ladies would mention Mr. Bingley, and inevitably all would be made known to Jane – she certainly wished to see Mr. Bingley sweat.
He was seated beside Elizabeth, and remained discomfited throughout the meal, too distracted by his wary glances at Jane to be an agreeable dinner companion to Elizabeth or anybody else.
The best that she could hope for the poor man was that he might make it through the meal without choking on his potatoes.
After the meal, Jane remained close to Elizabeth in the drawing room, sullen and silently watching Mr. Bingley, who was beset by everybody but the woman he clearly wished to speak with. His three erstwhile paramours certainly still cherished some hopes where he was concerned.
When Mr. Bingley finally managed to approach Jane, Elizabeth made a hasty excuse to leave them alone, hoping her sister would speak frankly with Mr. Bingley about her evident discomfort.
She glanced over her shoulder and looked back at them, feeling a pang of sympathy for the man who clearly wished himself anywhere else.
Elizabeth found herself drifting toward Mr. Darcy, who smiled at her approach – until Lady Catherine put herself in Elizabeth’s path.
“Miss Bennet, I hope you do not intend to cling to my nephew as vulgarly as that Bingley chit. He is designed for your sister, and it is most unbecoming and ungrateful of you to grasp at what belongs to the woman who has raised your consequence beyond what you have any right to. Any moment now, Mr. Bingley will bungle what last shred of a chance he has with your sister, and Darcy will be ready at the opportunity. I will not allow you to stand in the way.”
Elizabeth could not abide the look of smug satisfaction on the dowager’s face. Fighting every impulse of gratitude and respect she bore the Fitzwilliams, she imagined what Rebecca might say, and gave voice to her wickedest notions.
“Do you really imagine that Jane will be disheartened to learn that Mr. Bingley has taken an interest in other ladies before he ever met her? She, who has had an entire marriage before meeting him? It is he who might have been daunted at courting somebody of such experience, and yet he does not seem to vex himself about a lady having received the addresses of another. Mr. Bingley’s preference could not be more marked; you have only shown her that amongst an abundance of lovely ladies, she is still his choice.
But this can have as little to do with you as the fact that I am fonder of conversing with Mr. Darcy than my sister is. ”
“Unfeeling hoyden,” Lady Catherine hissed.
“Would you see your sister wed to a man who has bestowed his affections and raised expectations all across the land, merely so that you can grasp at Pemberley? Would you see your own nephew’s reputation and future bound to a man who will sully and squander six generations of prestige? ”