But because little had gone Caroline’s way since her arrival in Derbyshire, her patience had worn thin. When Anne, now with Mrs. Jenkinson sitting beside her, asked to be excused from playing cards because she was overly tired, Caroline asked her, “Exactly what is your complaint, Miss de Bourgh?”
Mrs. Jenkinson gave Caroline a look that could have melted stone, and Louisa let out a quiet gasp and then whispered, “Caroline, you should not have asked such a question.”
“It is quite all right, Mrs. Hurst. Why should Miss Bingley not inquire? When I was about fourteen, I became very ill, and although I recovered, my lungs were impaired. I no longer have the capacity to breathe deeply, and I find that I fatigue easily.”
Darcy, who had been pacing the room, came over to talk to Anne. “What are you discussing?”
“My illness as a child. Miss Bingley was inquiring after my health.”
“Surely, there are subjects other than Anne’s illness to talk about. We very nearly lost her, and I do not like to speak of it,” and he walked away. Fortunately, for Caroline, Darcy had not heard her comment, but, unfortunately, Lord Fitzwilliam had.
“Miss Bingley, when we are in London, I should like to introduce you to Lord David Upton. He sits on the backbench in the House of Lords and dissects everyone’s speeches, chopping them into little bits, and throwing them back at the speaker with vicious retorts. I think you two would get along famously, and he is a bachelor in need of a rich wife.”
As soon as the last of their guests retired, Georgiana immediately went to her brother. “Will, what is the matter? I know something is wrong.”
“I shall be leaving for London in the morning,” and he explained the events prompting his departure. “I am relying on you to see to our guests. You will have your hands full with Miss Bingley, who seems to have annoyed Antony. Keep them apart whenever possible. Mercer will see you safely back to London, and I shall arrange for Madame Delaine to come to the townhouse to prepare you for your debut. Nothing will affect that, Georgiana. No matter what. I shall be there.”
“I do not care about that anymore. Will, what is going to happen?”
“I don’t know. It’s an ugly business, and no matter the outcome, I am sorry to say Lydia Bennet will pay for her lack of judgment for the rest of her life.” He started to stand up, but then sat down. “There is another matter. I wish for you to write to Mr. Stone, our solicitor. Have him contact Christie’s and put a hold on anything that Antony is trying to sell. Tell him I shall settle with him as soon as possible.”
“But what about Miss Elizabeth and you?” Georgiana asked with tears in her eyes.
“One thing at a time, Georgiana. All my thoughts must now be directed to the recovery of Lydia Bennet. I can think of nothing else.”
Chapter 41
A dead calm settled over Longbourn. Everything that there was to say about Lydia’s elopement had been said, and since any resolution was out of the hands of its inhabitants, silence now prevailed. It was very different from the bedlam that had been loosed once Mr. Bennet had shared with his family the contents of Colonel Forster’s letter. Mrs. Bennet let out a shrill cry that got the dogs barking, Kitty cried, Mary preached, the Gardiner children fretted, and the servants ran around in circles, not knowing what to do. Without a word of comment to anyone, Mr. Bennet had returned to his study, and Jane had heard the sound of a key being turned in its lock. Without instructions from the head of the family, Jane assumed control and brought some semblance of order out of the chaos.
Now that there was nothing to do but wait for news from London, Jane made good on a promise she had made to herself. After reading to the children her favorite fairy tale about a princess who went into a deep sleep and could only be awakened by her true love, she went to talk to Mary. As usual, her sister was in her room reading, but she put her book aside when she saw Jane. The two had barely had time to speak about anything that didn’t concern Lydia, Mama, or the Gardiner children.
“Mary, I know you think that I am not sensible of Mr. Nesbitt’s many attributes, but I truly am. He is very kind and attentive, and works hard at his profession, which is why I have continued to encourage him.”
“But you do not love him, Jane.”
“No, I do not. But I do hold him in high regard.”
“But, Jane, do you think it is right to contemplate marriage with a man whom you do not love nor have any prospect of loving?”
“Yes, of course. I suspect there are more marriages made due to financial considerations than to love. When one does not have a fortune, one cannot marry where one wishes. I did so want to marry for love, but it has eluded me. Now I must face the reality of marrying for security and to ease the burden on our family because once Papa dies, our future will largely be in the hands of Mr. Collins. We can only hope he will permit us to continue to live at Longbourn, but even if he does allow it, we must have additional protection.”
There had always been an expectation in the family that because Jane was so beautiful she would be the one who would make the most advantageous marriage, and in doing so, she would be able to introduce her sisters to men who would make good husbands for them. Once Mr. Bingley had stepped into the picture, everyone’s hopes had risen, and when he had returned to London, they had just as quickly fallen. Mr. Nesbitt was not perfect, but if the union was viewed exclusively from a financial point of view, it would be a good match.
Standing behind Mary, Jane pulled the hairpins out of her sister’s hair and began brushing her long brown tresses. If only Mary spent a little more time on her appearance, she would be attractive. It was not that she was so very plain; it was just that she was the plainest of the Bennet sisters and suffered in comparison. Jane asked her for more information on amber, and Mary, who was knowledgeable on more subjects than anyone else in the family, explained how the bee had come to be in Mr. Nesbitt’s specimen. Neither had anything additional to say about marriage, each accepting the reality of Jane’s situation.
“I am sorry for what I said about Mr. Bingley,” Mary said as Jane was leaving. “I was angry at him for making you so unhappy. He is a good man, but he should have been strong enough to bear up under the pressure from his sisters.”
“Nothing can be gained by speaking ill of Mr. Bingley, but I want you to know that I love you. If my actions with regard to Mr. Nesbitt have hurt you in any way, it was unintentional, and if we do marry, I shall do everything possible to make him a good wife. I promise you that. But there have already been so many turns in the road, who knows what lies ahead. I certainly do not.”
As soon as the Gardiners and Lizzy arrived at Longbourn, Jane told them everything she knew of the events in Brighton and updated them as to what had come to light since Jane’s letter to Lizzy.
“Colonel Forster immediately dispatched an express rider as soon as it was discovered that Lydia had run away during the night. He came to Longbourn to meet Papa so they might go to London together. The poor man. He was very hard on himself, but when I had heard the whole of the story, short of posting a guard outside her door, I don’t know what he could have done differently.
“It had been discovered that Lydia had been meeting someone in secret, and she was to have been sent home. Apparently, Wickham’s identity was not immediately known, and by the time the colonel confirmed that it was he whom Lydia had been meeting, Wickham had gone into hiding. They have been traced as far as London, but in such a large city, they can remain hidden for however long they wish.”
“Jane, I must disagree with you,” Uncle Gardiner said. “A shortage of funds will force them out into the open. But I am hoping they may be discovered immediately, and to that end, I will join your father in London. In the meantime, we shall reunite with our children, and then Mrs. Gardiner and I shall visit with your mother to see if we can lift her spirits.”