Page 58 of To Go Against Her Heart (Pride and Prejudice Variation)

As she stood in the ballroom, which was utterly deserted, Miss Bingley witnessed a room with every sign of past merriment: dessert plates cluttered the tables, candles had burned low, and the fragrance of roses from the vases hung faintly in the air.

For a moment, Miss Bingley thought she could hear the echoes of laughter that had once animated the evening.

She suddenly felt her body weaken, unable to comprehend what she had missed.

To her horror, she heard the great clock above the mantel strike, and it was an hour past midnight.

She stood bewildered, not knowing how she had slept for so many hours, and finally she became resonant with her worst fear, a possibility of something she had dreamt of never occurring in real life.

Did Lady Matlock confront Elizabeth? How did I sleep for so many hours? And that dream seemed so real.

Suddenly, the vast room seemed to close in on her and spin, casting her into a frenzy. Miss Bingley was on the verge of collapse from the torment and headache when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She turned around and stared at the face of her sister.

“Louisa!” she exclaimed, struggling to steady herself.

“Come with me,” Mrs. Hurst said and led her out of the ballroom.

“I do not understand. What happened at the party? Where is everyone?” she cried, and Mrs. Hurst ignored her questions and walked her to the library.

“Louisa, for heaven’s sake, tell me what happened in the past hours; I do not know why I fell asleep for so long, and…” She halted upon entering the room, finding Lady Matlock seated precisely as before, her attention fixed upon a book.

Miss Bingley was visibly shocked, unable to comprehend the situation.

“Lady Matlock, what happened? Did you question her? Did you break their engagement?” Miss Bingley asked with impatience.

“Whatever for, Miss Bingley?” Lady Matlock asked, still engrossed in her book.

“What? You promised me that you would expose Elizabeth Bennet, and you said you would shame her in front of everyone and expose her filthy…” She stopped as Lady Matlock rose.

“I suggest you guard your words. You are speaking of the future Mrs. Darcy, and she is the most respectable and honorable woman I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.”

“But…But last night…”

“I did promise you that I would expose the person who dared to deceive me. I never once mentioned Elizabeth’s name. Whatever I said, and the sentiments born of my rage, were directed at the one who thought she could so easily escape after injuring my family—you”.

Miss Bingley started shaking.

“Yes, you, Miss Bingley—your character is indeed filthy, heartless enough to wound all around you because of your greed for wealth and status. I warn you never to utter Elizabeth’s name.

You have taken a grave risk in trifling with my family, and for your own good, I wish you had not drawn me into your schemes—for I would dearly love to finish the game you began. ”

Miss Bingley turned around and looked at her sister, whose face was filled with disgust.

“Trust me, the moment my nephew read the letter, he knew it was your doing. Our immediate thought was to summon the authorities and have you arrested. Yet we had no wish to destroy the happiness of two couples, nor that of their families, who eagerly anticipated tonight’s celebration.

We knew you would attempt some mischief to ruin their joy, which is why I met you last night—to grant you the last taste of satisfaction you would ever know, and to let you believe we credited every falsehood you so artfully planted in those letters,” she continued, “Let me assure you, the engagement party went exceedingly well; nothing but pure happiness and good cheer prevailed throughout the evening. Elizabeth and her sister were, without doubt, the happiest of all.”

“What? I would never have allowed it—had I been there, I would have ruined their evening! You have deceived me, and I cannot fathom the lengths to which you have gone—a woman of such status stooping to such a level of treachery. How could I have fallen asleep? Something is not right, and I cannot imagine how you dared act so under my own roof,” she cried with rage.

At the exact moment, the door opened and in walked Darcy, along with Mr. Bingley, Lord Matlock, and Richard.

“Miss Bingley, you do not have much time left. I will allow you the last chance to speak with your siblings,” Lord Matlock addressed her.

“Why? What have I done?” she cried with anguish.

“You very well know what you have done. Do you truly believe you can walk away unscathed?” Darcy screamed.

“Charles, do not believe them, I did nothing but state the truth to save Mr. Darcy, she is characterless...”

“Enough! Not a word more about her from your poisoned mouth!” Darcy yelled, and Mr. Bingley, who was silent all along, spoke up.

“Caroline, I have no words to convey the torment I feel at this moment. If I am to express my rage at your immoral actions, I must first direct it towards myself; for, being your brother, even after witnessing how you chose to ruin my happiness, I still believed you. You deceived me with false promises of change, and now I stand in shame before all. If you had ever thought of your family, you would have never had the courage to commit this horrendous act, and yes, this is the last you will see of me and Louisa.”

“What are you going to do, punish me? If you ever plan to send me to prison, trust me, I will slander her in court; you cannot afford that, can you?” she said, looking at Lady Matlock with confidence.

“We are well aware of your intentions, and the only reason we have not called the authorities is because we do not wish to give you the chance to do so,” Lady Matlock replied calmly.

“You will not see another morning in Hertfordshire; you are to leave this very instant,” Mr. Bingley cried with rage.

“You cannot send me to Aunt Helen; she is old and sickly and has no money. I cannot stay with her,” Miss Bingley protested.

“You have no choice, Miss Bingley. You must be thankful that you are paying a very small price for your misdeeds. Even now, I can get you arrested, should you protest,” Lord Matlock said.

As much as she wished to argue, Miss Bingley remained silent; she knew from the grave expressions on Darcy’s and Lord Matlock’s faces that it was clear they would not allow her to escape unpunished.

She glanced at Mrs. Hurst, but her sister quickly looked away.

However, Miss Bingley knew it would be easy to manipulate her aunt in the future, return to town, and seek aid from her friends.

Her cunning mind was already devising a scheme in that very direction.

“Very well, I shall leave,” she said, and a couple of footmen were summoned to lead her out of the house.

“You must be jesting, I cannot leave now, for I must pack, and I need my maid,” she cried—then paused, seeing Lord Matlock clear his throat, reminding her of the authority she could not defy.

It was evident that she had no choice but to leave Netherfield in the middle of the night; neither her brother nor her sister had any say in the matter.

As she walked out of the library, she heard Lady Matlock call out to her.

“Sometimes all one needs is a good cup of tea to make one understand the world, Miss Bingley.”

She trembled with rage, and she could not mistake the mark of victory in Lady Matlock’s countenance.

Miss Bingley walked out of Netherfield, shivering in contempt and cold, and she was led to a carriage.

In the dark, she failed to notice that she had not climbed into her brother’s carriage.

The moment she sat down, she was startled to see a man seated before her; upon closer inspection, she recognized him as Lord Matlock’s valet.

The man looked intimidating, and as she glanced around, she realized that she was seated in Lord Matlock’s carriage.

“What are you doing here? Why am I seated in this carriage? Let me leave you, scoundrel,” she cried, and before she could protest, the carriage started.

“We are to take a rather lengthy journey, Miss Bingley. I suggest you be polite with me,” the valet said, a faint smile playing upon his lips.

***

Mr. Bingley and Mrs. Hurst stood alone in the library after the others had departed.

Ever since the moment they became aware of what their sister had dared to attempt to tarnish Elizabeth’s reputation, they had each wished that their parents were still alive to have guided Miss Bingley with the authority they had lacked.

Mr. Bingley knew that the sole reason Darcy had chosen not to send his sister to prison was his desire to spare Elizabeth the ordeal of having her name dragged through the courts.

Yet he also understood that neither Darcy nor the Matlocks would allow her to escape with the mere punishment of remaining with a distant relative, far from the family.

“…Mr. Bingley, I cannot provide you with the particulars of where your sister will reside but be assured that she will not remain in the country. If at all we were to send her to live with your aunt, I am convinced that she will find a way to torment our lives again. So, we have decided to give her a confinement she deserves. I assure you, she shall be treated with more consideration and care than she deserves; yet I must entreat you not to enquire where she is to reside, for that is a matter known only to Lord Matlock and myself. If you contend that she might yet change, I am certain it is impossible, for she shows no repentance and would seize any opportunity to harm Elizabeth further. She will leave before dawn, and to your friends and relatives, you may convey the same story—that she is staying with your aunt…”