by Leenie Brown
Elizabeth laughed. Her father was always enjoying a tease of her mother. “Very well. So long as you never reveal that I am amenable to receiving your report about the stranger.”
“Not a word shall pass my lips.”
He winked at her, and she hoped that his promise would be as sure as his promises to her usually were.
Chapter 2
Fitzwilliam Darcy blew out a breath as he exited his carriage. The quiet portion of this stay was over. Solitude would not be easy to find while he was here, and he so loved solitude. He stretched and straightened his jacket. The house appeared in good repair, and the staff seemed eager to greet them. These were all good things. Bingley just might have done well with this decision.
It was not that his friend lacked sense; he just seemed to wish to see the good in a person or situation so greatly that anything negative could be forgotten far too easily.
“What did I tell you?” Charles Bingley approached him. “It is beautiful, is it not?”
Darcy nodded. “The exterior looks very good.”
“The interior is equally as lovely,” Bingley assured him. “And the décor is quite tasteful. I do not think you will find a thing of which to disapprove.”
“We will see the stables later?”
Bingley chuckled. “Your horses will be well-tended. I do know how to care for cattle. I just do not know how to be the master of this.” He waved his hand toward the house. “Now, come. We do not want to miss Caroline’s opinions.”
Darcy really did not care if he heard Caroline Bingley’s opinions on this house or any other. Charles’s twin sister was as critical as Charles was accepting.
“Oh, Mr. Darcy!” Caroline cried as he entered. “What do you think of my brother’s folly? Such a grand home in such a desolate place. Did you see the high street? One hat maker – one! And I would venture a guess that the styles are not current.”
“Hats can be ordered from town,” Bingley replied. “As can many other things, and it is not more than a half-day’s drive to London. Therefore, there is little about which to be concerned. Indeed, your being separated from your favourite shops might just allow me to preserve the inheritance Father left me.”
“Charles, do be serious,” Louisa interjected. “What sort of gentlemen might a lady such as Caroline find in this remote location?”
A small smile passed between the two sisters. Darcy knew exactly which gentleman they hoped to secure as Caroline’s future mate. It was a choice of which he did not approve. No matter how pretty Caroline was or how much he liked her brother, he did not wish to marry her. She was not the sort of lady he desired – not that he had found such a lady in town, Derbyshire, or Kent.
“Most gentlemen have an estate that is not in the center of London,” he said. “There may be one or two in Hertfordshire or nearby who would do quite well for Caroline.” He turned away to look at a painting on the wall, so that he would not have to hide his smirk at the clucking and gasping that came from Bingley’s sisters.
“Aye!” Bingley cried. “And Hurst has a townhouse from which you can conduct your search while in town.”
Silently, Darcy thanked his friend for not pushing Caroline toward him.
“Are you going to remain here for the season?” Caroline asked in surprise. “How will you find a wife if you do?”
“I hear from the solicitor who arranged the lease of Netherfield that there is a family of five beautiful ladies three miles from my door.” He pointed one way and then the other. “I am not certain in which direction you will find Long – something.” His face scrunched. “Longburn?
“Born,” Darcy muttered. “Longbourn.” How many times had he heard the details of where Netherfield was located in relation to pretty ladies over the past week? It had to have been at least a dozen times. His cousin, Richard Fitzwilliam, had even expressed an interest in visiting just to see the spectacle of these renowned beauties of Hertfordshire. How Bingley had forgotten the name of the estate was beyond Darcy’s capability to understand. He sighed. To be fair, the man had only mentioned the name of the estate twice.
“Right!” Bingley cried. “Longbourn! That is it!”
Bingley could not contain his smile, and Darcy knew that his friend’s excitement at finally having leased an estate as his father had hoped he would was hampering the man’s ability to think straight. He could not fault his friend for that.
“I do believe you promised me a tour on our arrival,” Darcy suggested. “May I suggest we start with my room?” He turned to Caroline and Louisa. “You will excuse us, will you not? I am certain you will wish to refresh after your journey, and Charles will want my opinion on many things that will bore you.”
“We will join you for dinner,” Bingley added. Then turning to the housekeeper, he said, “My sisters will also need a tour, of course, and if you could have some sort of refreshment sent to the study… I expect Mr. Darcy and I will begin our tour there after we have seen our rooms.”
“The blue bedroom has been prepared for Mr. Darcy,” Mrs. Nichols replied.
“It is the third door on the left?”
“Yes, sir. That is the one.” The housekeeper then turned to the Hursts and Caroline and offered to show them to their rooms and have tea set out in the drawing room in half an hour’s time.
“Handily done,” Bingley commented as his sisters and brother-in-law left the room.
“Thank you,” Darcy replied with a grin.
“I have had my fill of Caroline’s displeasure in not being consulted about the leasing of this estate. The distance to town is not far unless, of course, you must travel it with an unhappy sister.”
Darcy chuckled. “I can understand that. Georgiana is not so vocal as Caroline, but she is not backward in making her displeasure known. A trip from town to Derbyshire can be harrowing if she is put out with me – which she seems to be more and more often.” Their recent trip from Ramsgate to London had been excruciating.
His aunt had assured him it was due to her age and that this stage would pass eventually or if not, his uncle had added, Georgiana would soon enough be properly wed, and then it would fall to someone else to weather her ups and downs. His sister’s marrying, however, was not something Darcy wished to contemplate. He had come perilously close to losing her to a scoundrel recently, and his uncle and his aunt knew it. It was why she was staying with them currently while he was in Hertfordshire. Mrs. Annesley, her new companion, seemed better than the previous one, but neither Darcy nor his cousin Richard, who was co-guardian of Georgiana, wished to rely entirely on their own opinions. Therefore, Lord and Lady Matlock were enlisted to act as observers for the time being.
“I would like to take a ride around the estate at some point,” Darcy said as they began their ascent of the stairs. “Tomorrow morning might be soon enough unless you care for an escape before dinner?”
Bingley chuckled. “We must inspect the stables, so a short ride would not be unwelcome.” He smiled. “Especially if it is in the direction of Longbourn.”
Darcy shook his head. “Wait until the father calls on you before you introduce yourself to any of his daughters.”
“There are five daughters,” Bingley continued as if Darcy had not tried to dissuade him from the topic. “We could be brothers if we were each to find one to our liking.”
“We could be brothers if you would marry Georgiana as your sister wishes,” Darcy whispered.
“Or if you married Caroline as my sister wishes,” Bingley replied. “I think we both would desire to become brothers in a different fashion.”
Darcy shrugged. “At least with you, I would not need to worry about Georgie.”
“She has no interest in me,” Bingley opened the door to the blue bedroom. “And I have no interest of that sort in her. I would prefer a more mature lady. One who is steady and calm – not that Georgiana is not those things, but she is young and…”
“Say no more,” Darcy interrupted. “It is just now, after what ha
ppened in Ramsgate, that I find I would like to know she is being cared for by someone as honorable as you are, and since she seems to find me such a bore and rigid, you seemed the perfect sort of fellow.”
Bingley clapped him on the shoulder. “Then I shall help you find another me for her when the time comes.” His lips tipped into a crooked smile. “Not that finding another like me is going to be an easy task.”
Darcy laughed. “No, I would have to agree. You are a unique creation, which is why if these fabled beauties are not to your liking, I would not be opposed to your considering Georgiana.”
“If all my other options fail, I will give it some thought,” Bingley assured him with a laugh. “Now, you will wish to know that my room is just four doors down the hall to the right.”
“And Caroline’s?”
“Do you plan on visiting it?” Bingley teased.
“I wish to avoid it,” Darcy replied as he rang the bell for his man and began to strip off his travelling clothes.
“One door beyond mine,” Bingley replied. “I tried to place you as far from her as I could without being too obvious in my intent.” He lifted an eyebrow. “I am not the sort to push my sister at a friend.”
“That is because your sister is of a marriageable age and not at all what your friend desires in a wife, and you know it. While I, on the other hand, think you and my sister would suit quite well once she is old enough. But,” he held up a hand to stop Bingley’s protest, “I will not push her at you. I will merely present her as an option and be happy for you if you should find another more fitting choice.”
“Do you like it?”
Darcy turned to look at his friend. Confusion was written clearly in his expression. Did he like what?
“Netherfield,” Bingley clarified without Darcy saying a word.
“What I have seen of it, yes.”
Bingley’s shoulders relaxed, and he smiled. “And the neighbourhood?”
“I have yet to meet anyone from the neighbourhood, but the town did not look so horrid as Caroline seemed to think.”
“There is an assembly in two weeks. We should become acquainted with everyone by then,” Bingley assured him with delight. Bingley was fond of social gatherings.
Darcy was not, and he groaned. “Everyone?”
Bingley’s head bobbed up and down.
“Can I not just meet a few of the prominent men and then cast my judgment? Must I meet everyone?”
Bingley continued to nod. “And you must attend the assembly. I told them that you would.”
Darcy’s mouth dropped open. “You told them what? And who is them? You mentioned nothing about an assembly when you begged me to come here.”
Bingley laughed. “I am not so daft as you might think, old man. What chance did I have of getting you to consent to come if I had told you?”
“None,” Darcy grumbled.
“Precisely!” Bingley stood at the door. “Them refers to the solicitor, who is the uncle to the pretty young ladies, and Sir William. I think you will like him, although he does ramble on about some things.”
If Bingley had noticed rambling enough to list it as a possible annoyance, then Darcy very much doubted he would like Sir William. He had turned to his valet to request his riding clothes but paused. “Wait. Did you just say that these ladies you hope we will find to our liking are the nieces of a country solicitor?”
Bingley shook his head. “Do you listen to yourself when you speak like that?”
“When I speak like what?”
Bingley lifted his chin and peered down his nose at Darcy while affecting a snobbish voice. “Did you say these ladies were related to a country solicitor? I should hope not. I would not wish for my clothing to be sullied with their presence.”
“I am not a prig,” Darcy defended.
“If you say so,” Bingley replied. “But you sound like one at times.”
The comment rankled. There were reasons for caution. “You should be looking to marry a gentleman’s daughter. You will be a gentleman and need a wife who is familiar with the rank.”
Bingley lifted an accusatory brow and shook his head as if disappointed. “Is it impossible for a solicitor to be related to a gentleman?” he asked.
Darcy’s brows knit in confusion. “Then they are gently bred ladies?”
Bingley nodded. “Longbourn is the name of an estate.” He tipped his head and smirked. “Had you forgotten they live at Longbourn, the estate next to mine.”
Darcy hated it when Bingley became testy in a one-who-knows-all sort of fashion, especially when it was when Darcy had made an error in reasoning. It was as if the man enjoyed pointing out Darcy’s faults. He did not need Bingley to do that. He had his cousin Richard for that.
Bingley began to open the door. “I will meet you at the bottom of the stairs in a quarter hour. Perhaps we should begin by inspecting the side of the property that adjoins Longbourn’s, so that you can see that it is a proper estate.”
Darcy grabbed a cushion from the chair near him and hurled it at Bingley. He could hear Bingley laughing as the cushion hit the door and not its intended target.
“Shall I be ready to return to London at a moment’s notice, sir?” his man asked.
Darcy shook his head. “No, not just yet. I think I can survive him for at least a while.” He blew out a breath. “Even if it means attending an assembly.”
“Very good, sir,” his man replied. “The brown or tan breeches?”
“Tan.” Fifteen minutes and then after some fortifying tea, he could be on his horse and gaining some sort of perspective on where he was and what troubles he might face during his stay at Netherfield. Nothing was so relaxing or refreshing to his mind as a ride. He sighed. Yes, a ride was just what he needed.
Chapter 3
“Are they here?” Jane asked eagerly when Elizabeth and William had returned to Longbourn’s garden.
Elizabeth nodded. “And Mr. Bingley is as handsome as Uncle said he was.”
“And accompanied by an equally as handsome sister,” William added.
Jane chuckled as she took Williams other arm to make a turn of the garden. “Mama will not be happy to hear that. She bemoans the number of young ladies in the neighbourhood as it is.”
“She’ll be happier when she hears that Mr. Bingley has brought a handsome and wealthy gentleman with him,” William whispered. “And he has caught the eye of our sister,” he added in an even lower tone.
“William!” Elizabeth cried. “You promised to not say a word.”
“You were not going to tell Jane?” William scoffed.
Elizabeth lifted her chin and did not reply. Of course, she had intended to tell Jane. She told Jane everything, for Jane was not only her eldest sister but also one of her closest friends, much like William was.
“I will not mention it to Mother or Father,” William’s tone was apologetic. “I promise.”
“And none of our other sisters,” Elizabeth added.
“It will be yours and mine and Jane’s secret,” William assured her. “Will you forgive me for mentioning the handsome stranger to Jane?”
“He did not mean any harm, Lizzy, and he did not tell me anything you would not have told me eventually.”
It was just like Jane to attempt to make things better. She seemed to have a greater need than most to see things returned to as peaceful a state as possible. Her constancy and tranquility were something which was knit into the very fiber of her being. She could not be parted from it, and it could not be parted from her. It was her nature, and that nature was both a balm to everyone she met and the basis upon which her beauty rested.
Elizabeth shrugged. She did not wish to be done being perturbed with William, but she knew she truly had very little reason to be overly put out. “So long as he says nothing – absolutely nothing – about my finding the gentleman who accompanied Mr. Bingley handsome, I think I can overlook this small breach of his promise.”
“Not a word further will fal
l from my lips regarding your interest in that gentleman,” William said.
“Then you are forgiven.”
“Lady Lucas said that Mr. Bingley has promised to attend the assembly.”
Elizabeth had not heard so much excitement in Jane’s voice when speaking of an assembly before. “Are you so anxious to meet him?”
“I cannot lie,” Jane whispered. “I am intrigued. There are no acceptable gentlemen left in the area for me to consider, and if Papa will not send me to town for a season, I do not know where I will find a husband. Aunt and Uncle Gardiner do their best, but their soirees are not those bursting with landed gentry. And I do so wish to have an estate to call home and not just a fine house in town.”
“No tradesmen for our Jane,” William declared. “She is too fine a lady for that!”
“Indeed, she is,” Elizabeth agreed while Jane shook her head and looked as displeased as Jane could muster when not truly put out.
“Did you walk far?” Jane asked.
“No, just to the knoll looking over Netherfield and back,” Elizabeth replied. “Why?”
“I was wondering if perhaps after we have had tea with Mama and you have told her all you know…” Jane hesitated. “We could go riding.”
“That is very forward of you,” Elizabeth teased.
“I would just like to get a glimpse of him,” Jane added. “All my hopes rest upon this Mr. Bingley, and Papa is still refusing to call on him.”
“He has just arrived, Jane. Papa cannot call on him so soon.”
“But will he call at all? He refuses to allow me to attend a season, and he tells Mama he will not call on the new neighbour. I am beginning to believe he wishes for me to never marry. Why else would he have refused Mr. Connor two years ago? He seemed a fine choice for a husband. He admired me, and I admired him.”
“He was not what he seemed,” William interjected.
