Page 34 of The Marriage Game

“She has really changed,” Jane informed her husband.

Mr. Bingley cocked a questioning brow. “Are you so certain she is not playacting?”

Jane shook her head firmly. “She is not playacting. Caroline has become a kind and thoughtful young lady. Oh, I see your skeptical look, but if you could have seen her face when she understood I was –“ And here Jane stopped, and a rosy blush suffused her face.

“Yes, dear Jane?” Mr. Bingley said, grinning. “Were you about to say ‘with child’? Were you planning to eventually tell me, or just Caroline?”

“I was waiting to see how long it would take you to figure it out!”

“Oh, I knew two weeks ago!” Mr. Bingley laughed. “I was waiting to see how long it would take you to figure it out!”

They embraced joyfully, laughing at each of their attempts to fool the other.

“When?” Mr. Bingley asked.

“September.”

“Well, we must return you to Netherfield as soon as may be. You know London air is not good for infants,” Mr. Bingley declared.

“It is a mere three hours to Netherfield, and our mission here is not yet accomplished,” Jane reminded him.

Mr. Bingley shrugged. “Lord Russell is no longer a contender, but she is certain to accept Mr. Lindsay as soon as he proposes. He has been here three times a week, has he not? And invited her to drives, and the like?”

“He has, but –“

“P’raps I should hurry things along by asking him his intentions.”

“No, no, Charles. She does not love him.”

Mr. Bingley’s struggle was visible on his face. He looked first surprised, then confused, and then irritated. “But the goal was to get Caroline out of the house, was it not? We had a plan, and it was a good plan. I do not see that love or lack of it should get in the way.”

“I say again: she has changed. As she is now, I would welcome her continued presence at Netherfield.”

Mr. Bingley argued vehemently against this, citing Jane’s condition. Jane argued just as vehemently, stating that she would have no part in encouraging Caroline to tie herself to a man she did not love.

***

“Do not accept Mr. Lindsay,” Jane said to Caroline the next morning.

“But –“

“No. You do not love him. This Marriage Game that Mrs. Annesley speaks of is a very serious game indeed, Caroline. You are tied to your husband for life. Your body is his to do with as he pleases. I see you blush, and I must beg your forgiveness for such frank speech, but what I say is true. Your life is in his keeping; you must listen when he speaks, and obey his commands. If you are fortunate enough to have a love match, your days – and nights! – with him can be quite pleasurable. But if not, your life can become very unpleasant indeed.”

“I do not think Mr. Lindsay would mistreat me,” Caroline protested.

“No, he would not. But would you be happy to see his face across the breakfast table, day after day, month after month, year after year? Would you be pleased to welcome him into your bed, day after day, month after month, year after year? Caroline, if you do not find love this Season, we will return next year. You will always have a home with us.”

Caroline nodded. “I understand. And I thank you for your kindness.” But Caroline still wondered if it might be best for all concerned if she encouraged Mr. Lindsay. Many people married without love. Was she not supposed to make the best possible match in this Marriage Game? And what about the Colonel? Jane seemed to think the Colonel had an interest in Caroline. Oh, how she wished she could speak to a disinterested person, someone with nothing to gain or lose in encouraging her one way or another. Surely there was someone…

***

That afternoon, Caroline went alone to Darcy House. When Taggart began to lead her to the drawing room, she said, very quietly, “I am here to see Mrs. Annesley.”

The butler nodded. The drawing room was full of Miss Darcy’s friends; if Miss Bingley wished to speak with Mrs. Annesley, they would have to meet elsewhere. “Would you wait just a moment, Miss Bingley?” he asked.

“Yes, of course.”

He disappeared, and Caroline waited, fidgeting with her reticule. He returned with Mrs. Annesley, who curtsied quickly. “I understand you wish to speak with me?” she enquired politely.

“Yes, I have questions about the – the Marriage Game.”

“Come with me.” She led the way to the Darcy House library, where a small fire was already burning. Caroline felt unaccountably cold, so she chose a small armchair near the fire.

Mrs. Annesley sat near her. “Tell me how I may be of help to you, Miss Bingley.”

Now that Caroline was here, she knew not how to begin. She stared into the fire for a long minute before saying, “I am so confused, Mrs. Annesley.”

“About what, specifically?”

“The impression I have is that one wins the Marriage Game by making the best possible match, to a gentleman who is kind, well-mannered, socially acceptable, and able to support a wife and children.”

Mrs. Annesley nodded.

Caroline went on. “But – just hypothetically – what if one’s heart is inclined toward a particular gentleman, but that gentleman is unlikely to make one an offer, and there is another gentleman, one who meets all the criteria of the Marriage Game and is likely to make an offer, but one’s heart is not so inclined?”

Mrs. Annesley considered the question carefully. Finally, she said, “This is a difficult position to find oneself in. It then becomes a question of priorities. If the young lady in question must marry, for whatever reason, she might need to reconcile herself to accepting the second gentleman. If the young lady has the option to wait, however, she had best do so, for to marry one gentleman while loving another is a less than ideal situation in many ways, not the least of which is the plight of that second gentleman who, all unknowing, is marrying a woman whose heart is not open to him.” She stopped and waited.

Caroline realised that she had not considered how unfair this might be to Mr. Lindsay, who would believe that her heart was free and open to him! But was it fair to Jane and Charles to continue living with them? Despite Jane’s kindness, Caroline did not want to become the maiden aunt who never found a match. Finally, she said, “Mrs. Annesley, I thank you for your wisdom.”

Mrs. Annesley replied, her voice filled with kindness, “Is the young lady in question certain that the first gentleman will not make her an offer?”

Caroline laughed, weakly, “The gentleman might be inclined to do so, but there are obstacles.”

“There are always obstacles. I would tell that young lady to drop a hint to that first gentleman that he is about to lose her to another. If he takes no action, then the young lady is correct in believing that he is unlikely to offer for her. However, gentlemen are nothing if not competitive, and the notion that he might lose this lady to another man might spur him to immediate action.”

Caroline stared at Mrs. Annesley. “I suspect you know all the players in my hypothetical situation,” she said.

“Yourself, Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mr. Lindsay,” Mrs. Annesley replied promptly. “But you need not fear for my discretion.”

“Servant’s grapevine?”

“Merely my own observations. Miss Bingley, I believe the Colonel to be far from indifferent to you, but he is fighting his inclination with all his strength.”

“But why?”

“I am not certain, but I would guess that he knows you are not suited to be an Army wife, and he has no concept of a life outside it.”

“And the Countess?”

“I do not believe she would oppose the match.”

“That is difficult to believe; she could not possibly want her son married to someone one generation away from trade.”

Mrs. Annesley thought for a moment, wondering how much of her knowledge she should reveal. Finally, she said, “The Countess’ first son, the Viscount Hentonfield, married as he was directed to. His wife, the Viscountess, was one of the diamonds of her Season. She is the daughter of an earl, lovely and accomplished, with a dowry of forty thousand pounds. But there was little affection between the two to start with, and that small amount has long since dried up. The Viscountess has birthed an heir and a spare, and she now lives quite a separate life from her husband.”

Caroline began, “But that is not such an unusual –“

“Hear me out, please. Then the Countess saw her nephew, Fitzwilliam Darcy, marry an unknown country girl with not a pence to her name. That they are deliriously happy together cannot be doubted by anyone who sees them.”

“Ah,” Caroline said, now understanding. “And she wants the same for the Colonel.”

“She does, of course, as would any loving mother. And she has a secondary motive, as well; she hopes a wife will enable him to retire his commission.”

“I have twenty thousand pounds.”

“The two of you would not be wealthy, but you could certainly support a family. On the other hand, Mr. Lindsay receives a handsome allowance from his father, one which would allow you to live quite well here in Town. You must factor that into your deliberations.”

Caroline nodded. “You have given me a good deal to think about, Mrs. Annesley. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Mrs. Annesley walked Miss Bingley to the front door, and then hesitated. “One moment, Miss Bingley.” She walked quickly to the drawing room, where she saw Miss Darcy now sitting alone, looking as sad as she had ever been. Returning to Miss Bingley, she said, “Miss Darcy’s friends have departed; might the two of you not speak together?”

“We are not particularly close, Mrs. Annesley,” Caroline protested.

“I think you could both use a friend, Miss Bingley. Please, trust me.”

Caroline nodded and walked into the drawing room. Miss Darcy looked up, startled, and then did her best to put on her company smile.

Caroline shook her head. “You need not smile for my sake, Miss Darcy. I am finding this Marriage Game a difficult business.”

“Oh, Miss Bingley! So am I! I thought it would be just fun and dancing and dinners and gowns, but now – now –“

Caroline knew instantly that Miss Darcy’s heart was hurting. She said, quietly, “But now we are both in pain.”

“Oh! You as well? I am so sorry!”

“Yes, me as well. We need not share details, I think, but knowing that we are not alone in this sorrow is good.”

At that, Georgiana burst into tears, and Caroline immediately went to sit beside her and hold her hand as she wept. Caroline felt like weeping herself, but she did not.

When Georgiana’s tears abated, Caroline asked softly, “Is it as bad as all that, Miss Darcy?”

“It is, indeed, Miss Bingley. Oh, heavens, we have known one another forever – will you please call me Georgiana?”

Caroline had always expected to feel triumph when Mr. Darcy’s sister finally permitted the use of her first name, but now she just felt honored. “Of course, and I am Caroline.”

Georgiana continued, “My heart has been touched by a very worthy gentleman, but I must refuse his advances because of a mistake I made long, long ago.”

“That is so unfair!” Caroline protested.

“Yes, that is exactly how I feel! I was young and stupid, and it will all come to light if I marry a man of high rank.”

It must be Lord Fane, Caroline thought, but she said nothing.

Georgiana said, “You know, I always disliked you.”

Caroline, a little surprised at this unexpected revelation, said, “I know you did; a good many people did.”

“But you seem quite different now.”

“I have learnt a good deal in the past few months. Georgiana, you have shared your troubles with me, and I shall reciprocate. My heart has been touched, if I may borrow your phrase, by a gentleman who is very unlikely to offer for me. There is another gentleman who is quite likely to make me an offer, but I do not think I can love him. Mrs. Annesley counseled me today, saying that if it is absolutely imperative that I marry, I should accept that second gentleman; but if not, it would be unfair to marry one man when I am very likely in love with another.”

Georgiana listened with wide eyes. “She is so right! I never thought about the unfairness to that second gentleman. I will not accept Mr. Stewart or any of the others, not until my heart is my own again.”

“It would all be easier if I had a mother, I think,” Caroline said. “I miss her so very much.”

“Oh, yes, how I wish my mother could be here! You and I are both orphans, Caroline. I never before realised that.”

The talk then changed to easier things, and soon enough they went to the music room to practice their duets. By the end of the day, they were fast friends.