The Inseparable Mr. and Mrs. Darcy

by Jennifer Joy

  The effect on Lydia was immediate. Gone were her tears; gone her sadness at what she had lost; gone any poor impressions she may have reserved about William.

  Georgiana smiled with them. She now sat beside Mrs. Annesley in the grass. When Elizabeth stepped closer to her, she attempted to stand, but her legs wobbled so much, Elizabeth knelt down instead. She was rewarded with a lung-squeezing embrace.

  “Chloe is not the only hero. Mrs. Annesley told me how you stayed behind so you could lower me down from the bedchamber window,” said Georgiana, releasing her firm hold enough for Elizabeth to breathe.

  “You are my friend, and very soon to be my sister. Had you been awake, I am certain you would have done the same for me,” Elizabeth replied.

  “I am so glad we are to be sisters,” Georgiana said, her whisper warbling with emotion.

  One look at William nearly brought Elizabeth to tears. He smiled unguardedly and his eyes brimmed with happiness.

  Tanner joined them, and William grabbed his arm and pulled him over as soon as he was within reach. Wrapping his arm around Tanner’s shoulders in the jostling way brothers had of showing affection, William said, “Our family is whole.”

  Tanner slumped his shoulders. “For now,” he grumbled.

  Mrs. Annesley rose to her feet. “Had it not been for you, that evil man would have done much more than burn Longbourn down. We owe you our lives, Mr. Tanner.”

  He tensed. “It was nothing.” Mr. Tanner turned to leave, but William held him in place.

  Mrs. Annesley insisted, “But it was not ‘nothing,’ not in the least! You leapt to catch your sister, preventing her from suffering a fall and causing her injury.”

  Mr. Tanner looked tenderly at Georgiana. “I only did what I had to do.”

  “For your family,” added Mrs. Annesley.

  His face pinched and his jaw jutted stubbornly. “For anybody.”

  Mrs. Annesley huffed and flailed her arms, her frustrated display catching Mr. Tanner’s attention fully as he looked at her in shock. “You would sleep in the stables for ‘anybody’? Spend all night in the winter cold, putting your life in danger to catch a known murderer, and hitting him so hard he has not moved from the spot where he dropped since?”

  Elizabeth looked past the arguing couple to said dark heap. She sensed no movement. Perhaps it was for the best. Given the gleam in William’s eye, Mr. Madden would not keep his consciousness for long.

  Mr. Tanner raised his voice. “I could not allow him to hurt another, now, could I? What do you want, woman? Why do you ask me all these questions?”

  Mrs. Annesley’s eyes flashed, reflecting the flames behind Mr. Tanner as if she wished to light him on fire with a look. She was a fearsome creature, but Mr. Tanner held his ground when she poked him in the chest. “Why will you not allow yourself to be part of their family when they so obviously want you? I sympathized with you at first, but now, I cannot help but think your own stubborn pride is preventing you from allowing yourself to be loved.”

  “I do not need to be coddled like a child just because my father did not want me. I need nobody,” he shouted.

  “You, sir, are in desperate need of the love a family can offer you. Why do you refuse to be happy?” Mrs. Annesley persisted.

  Elizabeth saw the longing in Mr. Tanner’s eyes and her heart squeezed. If only he would agree to visit them at Pemberley.

  Mr. Tanner mumbled, “Why do you care?”

  Elizabeth held her breath. The want etched across his face declared him vulnerable to Mrs. Annesley’s reply. Elizabeth prayed the lady chose her words wisely.

  William must have felt the importance of the moment, too, for his fingers wrapped around hers and held her closely to his side.

  Mrs. Annesley tilted her head back to look him straight in the eye. “I cannot stand idly by when a man so deserving of happiness and love — a gentle man who feels deeper than he will own to, who would go to the ends of the earth to make his little sister smile and ease his brother’s burdens, who sees to the needs of everyone surrounding him while neglecting his own, who keeps his distance out of a fear of harming those whom he has grown to love — denies himself of his family’s love when it is sincerely offered to him.” Her voice wavered, but her admiration was clear and steady. In a whisper, she added, “You should fight for your family, Mr. Tanner. They want you.”

  They stood closely, neither of them backing away. Not even when Mr. Madden stirred.

  “You make me want things that do not belong to me,” Mr. Tanner said.

  “Then I have done my job well,” she answered softly.

  William stepped forward. “My offer stands, Tanner. You will always be welcome at Pemberley.” Looking at Mrs. Annesley, he added, “I believe you now have another reason to venture up to our part of the country, a reason even society would not frown upon.” With that, he smacked his brother on the shoulder and tugged on Elizabeth’s hand to follow him.

  She did follow, but not before she saw the grin spreading over Mr. Tanner’s face as he raised Mrs. Annesley’s hand to his lips and said, “You are some lady.”

  Inspector Seymour had tied Mr. Madden’s hands behind his back, but that did not prevent him from squirming to his knees and lunging at them. “Why would you not simply die?” he screamed at Father before he fell forward on his face.

  When he rose, he spit out a tooth. It was an improvement, Elizabeth thought.

  The inspector strolled up behind him, saying, “Now, do take care, Mr. Madden, or we shall have to tie you up like a hog. I should think you would avoid more ropes chafing at your skin with what awaits you.”

  The impostor’s features twisted in hate. Considering the trouble he had been through, Elizabeth could understand from whence such strong feelings proceeded, although she could never excuse them. Never that.

  A horse snorted in the distance. Listening closely, Elizabeth heard the jingling of harnesses and the squeaking wheels of an approaching carriage.

  The sun cast a golden glow over the misty fields, lending enough light for them to see Mr. Bingley and Jane pressed against the window of their carriage.

  Elizabeth left Mr. Madden behind — she never wanted to look upon his wretched person again — and ran to meet Jane.

  Mr. Bingley hopped from the carriage before it had completely stopped, reaching in and grabbing Jane about the waist to assist her before she jumped in her haste. Both of them looked aghast at Longbourn.

  Elizabeth heard William’s boot steps behind her as Jane nearly ran over her.

  “You returned! Please allow us to reassure you that Mr. Bennet — the entire household — is in good spirits despite his injury and the loss of his home,” William said quickly.

  Jane stepped back, leaving one hand on Elizabeth’s shoulder and the other clutching the fabric of her dress over her heart. “Father is injured? Lizzy, why did you not write? We would have returned sooner!”

  “What? Is that not why you are here?” Elizabeth asked, looking back at William, who appeared as stunned as she was.

  “I wrote. I sent a letter by messenger three days ago,” he said, looking intently at Mr. Bingley.

  “Ah, that explains it. We had to cut our wedding tour short when I received a letter from my bank. We were imposed upon to travel to Dover, then to London, where our return to Netherfield Park became imperative.”

  William asked, “Mr. Hurst?”

  Mr. Bingley shook his head. “Caroline.”

  Elizabeth gasped in surprise, but she had to hold her questions until later. Jane stared unblinkingly at her childhood home.

  Wrapping her arm through Jane’s, Elizabeth said, “Let me take you to Father and Lydia. We will send for Mary, if she is not already on her way. The smoke will be visible in Meryton soon.”

  “That is what led us here,” Jane said breathlessly. “And I am so glad we are here. It is where we need to be.” Turning to her husband, she said, “Charles, we must ask Mrs. Harris to ready the rooms at Netherfield.�
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  He nodded seriously. “Of course, my love. They shall stay with us until Longbourn is rebuilt. We will have more than enough room once my sisters have gone.”

  “Gone?” asked Elizabeth.

  Jane patted Elizabeth’s hand. “In due time, Lizzy. First, let me give what comfort I can and then I will tell you everything.”

  Chapter 34

  It took hours for the fire to die down, but their Meryton neighbors came in droves to pour bucket after bucket over the ruins of Longbourn until only embers and crumbled walls remained.

  Inspector Seymour, accompanied by his men, took Mr. Madden to Hertford to await his trial. The jury would have no trouble reaching a guilty verdict. The charges against him were too many. Murder, fraud, theft, attempted murder on several occasions…. He had orchestrated his subtle attacks against Father so cleverly, he might have got away with his act had William not followed him to London. Had Father succumbed, it would have seemed to have been nothing more than an accident.

  In the comfortable parlor at Netherfield Park, they sat around the fire while the water for their baths warmed.

  Mr. Bingley asked, “How did this Madden fellow hope to get away with his plan?”

  Lord Harvisham answered, “He arrived in time to impose upon Lady Catherine for her hospitality, knowing very well he would be invited to dine with her party. Pretending a headache, he retired early to his room and begged not to be disturbed with all of her guests as witnesses. But he did not stay in his bedchamber. He escaped, renting a horse from another stable so as not to rouse our suspicion. It worked, too. None of us knew he had gone.”

  William continued, “He aimed to set Longbourn ablaze, blaming Mr. Bilford for the crime. He did not know of Mr. Bilford’s threats, and had Madden been more successful, he may have managed to cast the blame onto the steward effectively. He hoped to return to de Bourgh House before anyone even noticed he was gone. Nobody would have suspected him, as it was known he was in London. Without Mr. Bennet to cast doubt about his identity — doubts which Inspector Seymour had raised — Madden could have avoided arrest for a good while longer.”

  Mary, now free to enjoy the company of her family without the worry of a disagreeable proposal, said, “I ought to have known. He once misquoted Fordyce. A devout clergyman, such as that evildoer claimed to be, never would have committed such a grievous error.”

  Elizabeth shivered despite the warmth in the room. As foolish as Mr. Collins was said to have been, he would have been a dramatic improvement over the man who took his place.

  Father, who reclined with his foot propped up on cushions, said cheerfully, “I have many letters to write today.” His mood seemed odd, but then again, after surviving Mr. Madden’s attempts to poison or otherwise do away with him by some accident, Father must have felt overjoyed to still be alive. How ironic that Mr. Madden nearly died of poison at the hand of another killer!

  A whining cry reached them from the hall. “This is unfair! Why should I be punished for a scheme of which I was ignorant. It is all Caroline’s fault!”

  On hearing Mrs. Hurst’s voice, Mr. Bingley cleared his throat. “I owe you an explanation, and I hope you will agree I have acted as fairly as I could under the circumstances.” Jane held his hand.

  “I received a letter from my bank informing me of an attempt to forge my name in order to extract funds which required my signature. It was a sizable sum — the entirety of Caroline’s dowry.” The room fell into absolute silence as Mr. Bingley paused.

  Tugging his free hand through his hair, he continued, “The long and the short of it is that my sister, in an effort to help Mr. Hurst pay his debts — that one generous point I must mention as the rest of it is so horribly greedy and devious, I feel the need to grant some inkling of an honorable motive to her actions…. Caroline convinced Mr. Hurst to help her make the arrangements to establish a smuggling operation, promising him money enough to keep him out of debtor’s prison and much more if the operation proved successful.”

  Elizabeth bit her tongue, the insides of her cheeks, anything to keep from bursting into laughter. Miss Caroline Bingley, the Smuggler. And Mr. Hurst, the Puppet. Elizabeth held her breath and looked down at her hands, her shoulders shaking.

  William, who from the sheer volume of throat-clearings was struggling to compose himself, asked, “Did they go so far as to buy the schooner?”

  Mr. Bingley sighed. “They did. She promised the man selling it that she was in possession of the money, and, she being a lady, he accepted her word and even helped her purchase what she hoped would be her first shipment for a fee.”

  This was serious. A man in possession of a smuggling ship was not the sort of person to be crossed. If Miss Bingley owed a smuggler money she could not pay, a man with no respect for the law, she was in a great deal of trouble.

  Elizabeth asked, “Why would she risk so much?” It could not have been merely to help her brother-in-law out of the goodness of her heart.

  “Do you want to know why?” Miss Bingley’s voice hissed from the doorway.

  Mr. Bingley’s face burned red. “Caroline, you do not have much time to pack your things—”

  “Oh, shut up, Charles. Were it not for your refusal to release my dowry, I would be a rich woman now and Mr. Hurst would not have had to hide in your hunting shed this past week.”

  Ah, so that was where he had been, thought Elizabeth.

  “You did it for the money?” Elizabeth asked, determined to satisfy her curiosity.

  Miss Bingley waved her arms in the air. “Why else? Thanks to you, I have been replaced in Mr. Darcy’s affections.”

  That was news to William, who answered, “I have made it clear since the beginning that I held you in no particular regard.”

  Miss Bingley snorted. “All fashionable gentlemen say that. I would have won you eventually … only my brother insisted on leasing this estate in Hertfordshire where the ruiner of my happiness dwells. And owing to a certain lady whose name I refuse to utter ever again, I am no longer welcome in London society. So, I developed a plan to silence my naysayers. I would have become the wealthiest lady in England had Mr. Hurst had the gumption to seek out investors. And now, thanks to my own brother’s interference, my prospects are ruined.” Even now, she haughtily tilted her head to the side to look down her nose at them. Her own foolishness had brought her lower than a common criminal — for she ought to have known better — and yet, she acted the queen.

  Lord Harvisham pinched his lips together and tugged his side whiskers. Elizabeth wondered if he, too, noted the striking similarities between Miss Bingley and Lady Catherine.

  Father chuckled. “Ah, so that was why Mr. Hurst sniffed around Longbourn. I suppose I ought to be flattered he would consider asking me to invest in his venture.”

  Mr. Bingley walked toward Miss Bingley and, looking behind her, he requested that the butler bring him the newspaper. Returning his attention to his sister, he said firmly, “Caroline, I have borne your insolence too long. I can see now the grave disservice I have done you, but what happens next is the result of your own actions. You were found out and I had to go to great lengths to convince the authorities to allow me to ship you away, along with Louisa and Mr. Hurst — whose punishment will be to serve as your chaperones and companions until you convince a gullible man to marry you.”

  The Hursts would avoid debtor’s prison, but, oh, the cost!

  Miss Bingley crossed her arms and tilted her chin up defiantly. “I shall be the most accomplished lady in America.”

  Mr. Bingley took the newspaper from the butler. Opening it before him, he folded the paper up in such a fashion as to make Father groan. Mr. Bingley scanned the wrinkled page with his finger, his eyes squinting at the print.

  “No, Caroline. You shall be the most accomplished lady in Australia.”

  Quicker than a bolt of lightning, Miss Bingley snatched the paper from her brother and pored over the page. “There is a boat leaving for America next week. That is
the boat we will embark upon.”

  Mr. Bingley snatched the paper back (before she could attempt to smack him over the head with it, no doubt). “You have made enemies with the worst sort of people, promising money you cannot pay. You cannot stay in England another week. The ship for Australia leaves at dawn on the morrow and,” Mr. Bingley straightened his shoulders and spoke with finality, “and, Caroline, you will be on it. Now, I suggest you pack your things.”

  She blustered, her face ghostly white, “But I cannot go to Australia! There are snakes and whole colonies of criminals there!”

  She will feel at home, thought Elizabeth. It was difficult to pity Miss Bingley when she refused to learn from her mistakes, thinking she could buy her way into society with her smuggling scheme. Had she thought herself above incrimination?

  “I am an accomplished lady, not a criminal to be shipped off to that place!” she insisted as Mr. Bingley, the housekeeper, and the butler escorted her upstairs.

  Lydia, who had been listening in wide-eyed silence, said, “My plan is positively tame compared to that! Had she consulted me, I would have suggested she acquire a spaniel.”

  Father, who had heard of Lydia’s plan while he lay helplessly watching others put out Longbourn’s fire, replied, “While I can appreciate the ingenuity of your idea, my dear, it would not do for you and Chloe to appear at the House of Parliament without proper training in matters of deportment. It is my hope that, perhaps, with the recommendation of Mr. Darcy, you might benefit from a year at the finishing school his sister attended. It is my understanding they allow a pet on the premises.”

  Lydia did not quite know what to think as Father and William discussed the arrangements to be made. However, when Father promised she may take Chloe where she pleased after her year, she began to see the benefits.

  It was a bold promise on Father’s part. If anyone was capable of avoiding a year’s worth of education, it was Lydia. But Father’s expressed concern for her future and voiced belief that she could improve might move Lydia to apply herself to the opportunity placed before her. One could hope. Otherwise, Parliament would receive quite the surprise at the end of the year….