Sudden Awakenings (The Other Paths Collection)

Chapter 2

Having determined Netherfield Park to be satisfactory and affixing his signature to the lease, Mr. Bingley embarked on a brief journey to London. He aimed to tend to some business matters and, more importantly, to collect his sisters, who were to grace his residence for the duration of the shooting season. He hoped he might persuade his dearest friend Mr. Darcy to accompany them also.

“Do join us in Hertfordshire,” Bingley urged him. “The weather promises to be fair, and the local birdlife plentiful. I have already had the pleasure of meeting some of the neighbors, and they all struck me as congenial. I daresay you will find it agreeable, Darcy.”

Mr. Darcy gave a reluctant sigh. “I will not disagree with you. However, it is not in my power to join you yet. I must see Georgiana settled with her new governess and there are some other matters which I must tend to.”

“But you will come soon, won’t you?” Bingley persisted, a hopeful gleam in his eye. “There is to be an assembly in the middle of next month. All the locals will be in attendance. Some of their daughters are reportedly great beauties.”

A grimace crossed Mr. Darcy’s face. “You know how much I detest dancing with those whom I am unacquainted with .”

Caroline Bingley, her voice laced with a hint of playful entitlement, spoke up. “Then you shall have to spend your evening dancing with me, my dear man. For what am I to do for a partner if you are not there? Heaven only knows how few gentlemen there may be in that neighborhood, and I cannot for the life of me think there will be many good dancers in such a rural place. Charles,” she glanced wryly at her brother, “will be monopolized by the women; he always is, wherever he goes.”

Mr. Bingley chuckled, a hint of self-satisfaction displayed on his countenance. “I cannot help it if I enjoy a certain popularity among the fairer sex, nor that I find so many of them to be agreeable.”

“Do not let yourself be snared, Charles,” she reprimanded him. “Were you not in possession of a fortune, I daresay less than half of these women would be so agreeable. If there is one thing every woman desires, it is to marry well.”

“The same is no less true for men,” Mr. Darcy said. “ You can afford to have your pick among women, Bingley, so long as she comes from a good family and is in possession of the social graces needed to function as your wife. A less fortunate man must be more discerning in his choice.”

“As if you suffer from such a problem yourself!” Bingley’s eyes twinkled. “I believe your income is twice mine, perhaps more. If anyone can marry where he wishes, it is you, Darcy.”

Darcy pressed his lips together, shifting his position in his chair to better face Bingley. “When it comes to money, certainly, the lady’s dowry holds no significance for me. However, given the weight upon my shoulders, I feel even more keenly the importance of making a suitable connection to someone whose family will not dishonor the Darcy reputation; someone equipped to serve as the mistress of a large estate and who will assist me in securing it for the next generation.”

“By this you mean heirs, I suppose,” Miss Bingley said, crossing the drawing room and resting her hand on the back of his chair possessively. “I am sure any woman would be honored to bear the next Darcy heir. ”

“Heirs are important,” Darcy continued, ignoring the nearness of Miss Bingley. “but equally so is having a wife who can partner with me in the running of the estate. I am not so foolish as to believe myself wise enough to undertake the endeavor alone. Even with the assistance of my steward, I feel inadequate in my knowledge of the best ways to develop the land so that it flourishes or how to invest the wealth I have been given so that my children and grandchildren may see its dividends.”

“These are heavy thoughts, indeed!” Bingley exclaimed, shaking his head. “I suppose I myself have not given much care to such things. I have been preoccupied with running my business these last two years, to be sure, but as I have yet to purchase an estate, I have given little thought to how I shall pass my legacy on to my children.”

“I am sure, Mr. Darcy, you shall have no difficulty in finding a partner and wife to assist you in all the ways you seek,” Miss Bingley simpered. “Why, I know at least one lady who would be happy with the job.”

If she meant herself, Mr. Darcy did not see it. “I suppose that is the trouble,” he said. “The greater one’s wealth, the greater the number of those who would seek to lay their hands on it. I must be careful, not only in finding a wife who is willing, but in finding one who does not seek me solely for my fortune. She must still be a gentleman’s daughter, however.”

Miss Bingley sniffed, turning towards the window lest her expression betray her feelings on the matter.

Mr. Bingley’s lips curled in thought. “I would not wish to be married to a fortune hunter, but neither am I as particular as you are, Darcy. If a pretty lady should come along, whose tastes and personality suit my own, I would not care if she should take me for my five thousand a year, so long as her love for me is also genuine. ”

“You know by saying so you quite contradict yourself,” Miss Bingley scoffed. “Either her love for you is genuine, or her love for you is dependent on your money.”

“She is right, it cannot be both,” Mr. Darcy agreed. “The love for one will always outweigh the love for the other.”

“Very well, I concede,” Bingley nodded. “But so long as her love for me outweighs that of my money, I shall be content. I cannot think my fortune will have no bearing on her decision. No father would give away his daughter to a pauper if he had any say in it, nor would a gentleman’s daughter be happy to live without the material comforts she is used to. It is right and proper that some attention to money be given when considering the benefits of a marriage.”

“Well said,” his sister clapped. “But I think Mr. Darcy is also right when he insists there are other, more important, considerations, and that the woman must be exactly suited for the job and come from a respectable family. Promise me, Charles, you will not let your head be turned by the next pretty girl who comes along who has her eye on your fortune, unless she is of good stock and her family not an embarrassment.”

S

Mr. Bingley returned to Netherfield Park the following week, accompanied by Miss Bingley, along with his elder sister and her husband, the Hursts. During his absence, the servants set up the house for him. The rooms were cleaned and readied, the larder stocked, and Bingley’s own possessions unpacked. He had little in the way of furniture or decorations, having lived the life of a bachelor for some time now, so it was fortunate the owners had left the house furnished and in good condition .

The quality was not up to Miss Bingley’s standards, however. “When you purchase a house, Charles, I hope you shall let me decorate it. This house is positively ancient, and these furnishings are at least ten years out of date. I suppose it is to be expected in this rustic neighborhood.”

“I find no fault with the furnishings, Caroline,” he retorted, plopping himself onto the sofa and stretching himself out comfortably. He was the sort of man who could be comfortable in any environment, whereas Caroline loved to criticize at every turn. In her eyes, their abode, no matter whether in London or the countryside, always appeared to be too poor, too shabby, too outdated. The exception was when they were guests at the home of someone far wealthier than them. There, no room could go without praise or exclamation from her; she must comment on its size and proportion, the colors of the decor, the comfort and style of the furnishings, and the excellent taste of the art.

“I positively dread giving a dinner here,” Miss Bingley continued. “Did you see how small the dining table is? We can hardly fit six couples. Such a large dining room could easily accommodate a table twice that size. What a pity the owners did not think to purchase a larger one before they vacated the house.”

“Perhaps they could not afford to,” Mr. Bingley suggested.

Mrs. Hurst quipped, “As you have no acquaintances in the neighborhood yet, I do not think you must worry about having too little room at your table to accommodate them. Your worry lies in filling the seats you already possess.”

Miss Bingley glared at her sister over this remark, prompting a chuckle from their brother.

S

Mr. Bennet’s call on Mr. Bingley was paid, despite all his assurances (and Mrs. Bennet’s fears) that it would not, and the connection formed. Mr. Bingley, having heard of Mr. Bennet’s beautiful daughters from Sir William Lucas, and finding Mr. Bennet to be an agreeable man, was keen to return the visit at the earliest convenient time.

Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst accompanied him to visit the Bennet family. Though themselves not anxious to develop acquaintances in that region, they wished to form an opinion of the people with whom they would be forced to mingle during their stay. Mr. Hurst, who cared for nothing that did not relate to his victuals, his sleep, or his recreation, saw no advantage to paying calls and chose to remain behind for an afternoon nap.

Mr. Bingley thought all of the Bennet sisters to be beautiful, but he was especially taken with the eldest. Miss Bennet’s fair features and sweet disposition would have been enough to make him declare her an angel, but when coupled with her pert lips and her perfectly-proportioned figure, accentuated by the empire waist of her crisp, white, morning gown, he found himself completely entranced.

Mrs. Bennet noticed his immediate attraction towards her daughter and insisted that Jane exchange seats with her to be nearer to their guests. From then on, she took pains to promote Jane’s finer qualities at every opportunity.

Mrs. Bennet’s forward inquiries about Mr. Bingley’s business, his prospects, and his intention to remain in the neighborhood were not lost on his sisters. It became equally apparent to them that the family’s connections were nothing; no ties to the nobility, not even a baronet. Mrs. Bennet had a brother in trade and a sister whose husband was a country solicitor. Such a decidedly low situation was compounded by the estate being entailed on a cousin, the husband of one daughter. While she might expect a good life as the mistress of Longbourn, the others could have precious little in the way of a dowry .

The fact of the matter was, the remaining sisters must depend on making good matches, and it was plain by Mrs. Bennet’s vulgar attention to Mr. Bingley’s fortune that she saw him as an advantageous prospect.

Mr. Bingley, however, was all too ready to be taken advantage of. Having beheld his ideal woman, he was eager to further his acquaintance with her.

“Will you be at the assembly this month, Miss Bennet?” he asked, his eyes dilating at the prospect of seeing her in an evening gown.

Jane nodded, an alluring smile forming on her lips. “Indeed, I shall. My sisters and I always attend, for we dearly love to dance.”

“Excellent! Then I shall look forward to the pleasure of dancing with you– with all of you, that is,” he added, nodding at her sisters in turn.

“Does your brother-in-law dance too, Mr. Bingley?” Miss Elizabeth asked him eagerly. “For gentlemen are scarce in these parts, and we are often short on partners.”

Mr. Bingley shook his head. “Mr. Hurst does not dance, I am afraid. Now that he is married, he spends all his time in the card room at such gatherings. But do not despair; I have it on good authority that my dear friend, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, will be coming down in time for the assembly. He has accepted my invitation to stay at Netherfield this season, and was only delayed in coming by some pressing business.”

“How delightful!” Mrs. Bennet exclaimed. “Where does your friend hail from?”

“Mr. Darcy’s home is in Derbyshire, ma’am. At Pemberley.”

Mrs. Bennet leaned closer in eager attention. “I confess, I have not heard of it. Is it a very large place?”

“To be sure!” Mr. Bingley nodded. “One of the finest estates in all of Derbyshire. And Mr. Darcy is an excellent fellow. I have known him long. I am certain he will make a welcome addition to all our parties.”

“Oh, no doubt about it!” Mrs. Bennet said. “We shall be pleased to meet him.”

The notion of having yet another eligible man added to their gatherings was a most delightful one, and before the guests had departed, Mrs. Bennet was already envisioning two of her daughters happily settled; one at Netherfield, and one at this Pemberley place. With her limited knowledge of geography, she knew not how far Derbyshire might be from Hertfordshire, but the distance could be of no consequence if the man were as rich as he seemed. She formed a mental note to begin making inquiries about him.

That Jane should be one of the two brides was a given; but which of her other daughters might also be chosen would depend on the gentlemen’s preferences, she supposed.