The Travails of Mr Charles Bingley Part 2

Hi everyone!

Thank you all for the warm reception to part 1 of my silly little summer story. If you missed it, you can it here. https://austenvariations.com/the-travails-of-mr-charles-bingley-part-1/ Today, I present part two of what I have decided will be a total of four. As I mentioned last time, the inspiration came from both the monthly theme—“When One Travels in Summer”—and a quote from Nancy Drew about calling ahead before driving to call on someone. Bingley ought to have heeded that advice, because he impulsively went to Longbourn to see Jane, and the ‘Miss Bennet’ he encounters is, in fact, Elizabeth. Enjoy!

The Travails of Mr Charles Bingley, Part 2

When One Travels in Summer…you should make sure the person you want to see is at home!

Elizabeth stood at the window and gazed into the garden. It was a fine summer day—the first day of summer, as it happened—and she should be rejoicing. Yet a part of her was melancholic. She could make excuses for it—she was lonely, the sameness of being at home, the anticipation of her trip later in the summer with her aunt and uncle Gardiner was making her impatient—but she had to date the start of her discontent to the first time she read Mr Darcy’s extraordinary letter. Sitting on a rock in the grove near Hunsford parsonage, she did not at first credit anything he said, from his explanation about why he separated Jane from Mr Bingley to his characterisation of Mr Wickham. By the end of the day, she believed him about the lying, wicked—and dangerous—Wickham, and, while not agreeing with some of the decisions he had made, notably related to her beloved sister, she at least better understood them.

“And I have been heartily ashamed of myself ever since,” she muttered into the sunlit scenery. “I was so clever in my dislike of him, a gentleman who, despite his arrogance, did not deserve my rudeness. I should have disregarded him, avoided him rather than argue—” Only Mr Darcy had not thought they were arguing, per se; he thought they were debating and flirting. “Oh, why am I thinking about this again? I ought to do something. Take a walk, read a book, practice the pianoforte.” However, she had returned to the house not an hour earlier from a long walk, and neither books nor music were able to hold her attention.

The door opened; when she turned, she saw that it was Mrs Hill.

“Pardon me, Miss Bennet, but Mr Bingley is here. Will you see him?”

Elizabeth gaped at the old woman for a long moment. She could not have heard correctly, and if she waited a few seconds, she would realise Mrs Hill had said something else entirely, such as, “Would you like some lemonade?” When that did not happen, she said, “Mr Bingley?”

Mrs Hill nodded, her eyes as round and brow as arched as Elizabeth knew hers to be. Tentatively, Elizabeth nodded. When the housekeeper stepped out of the room, Elizabeth turned back to the window, taking a steadying breath. How could Mr Bingley be in the neighbourhood without her knowing he was coming? Why was he there? The gossip system in Meryton was excellent, and, she should have heard that Netherfield was opened again. Then again, two of its chief operators were presently away. “What I really want to know is did he come with Mr Bingley? If so, how can I ever face him after how cruelly I treated him?”

Again, she heard the door open, and Mrs Hill announced her guest. Elizabeth thought, Well, let us discover what has brought him here after all this time. Seven months!

“M-m-miss Elizabeth!”

“Did you expect to see someone else, Mr Bingley?” The touch of coldness in her tone was unintentional, and she dropped into a curtsey in an attempt to mask it and recover her politeness. While he was not entirely to blame for Jane’s continued unhappiness, he was foolish enough to do what his sisters and friend told him. For that, she did fault him.

He bowed and stammered. “Mrs Hill mentioned Miss Bennet. But-but of course I am delighted to see you. Delighted. You are well, I hope?”

“I am, thank you. I am also the only Miss Bennet at home currently, which no doubt explains Mrs Hill’s remark. Will you sit?”

His features underwent several modifications, almost as though he were trying on different expressions, before settling into an awkward smile. Elizabeth waited for him to speak, and after examining every corner of the room—even looking at the floor, which left her silently teasing him about checking under the cushions—he did.

“You saw Darcy. In the spring. In…I cannot recall where his aunt lives.”

“Kent.” Heat rushed to her cheeks. “He told you we met?” Surely, Mr Darcy would not have disclosed everything that happened!

“That was it. Kent. You were there.”

“I was staying with my friend, Miss Charlotte Lucas, as she was when you knew her. She married my father’s cousin, Mr Collins, earlier this year.”

He nodded. “Darcy mentioned seeing you, and you talked, and I decided I ought to—I wanted to come see Miss Bennet. And the rest of your excellent family, of course. I feel I owe Miss Bennet an explanation for why it has been so long since we last saw each other.”

“Do you?” She wanted him to elaborate, almost desperately. Had Mr Darcy told him he was mistaken about Jane not caring for Mr Bingley? Did he admit to knowing Jane was in town in the winter but had hidden it from his friend?

Mr Bingley nodded vigorously until she wanted to beg him to stop before he injured himself. “She stayed with your relations in London, but I never knew.”

Elizabeth interjected. “Would you have called on her, if you had?” Later, she would reflect on her reaction to Mr Darcy trusting her assertions well enough to talk to his friend about Jane.

“Yes!”

Despite the firm resolve in his tone, she suspected he was not entirely certain. His eyes flickered this way and that, and his cheeks coloured. He might have gone to Jane, as long as his family and friend did not advise him against it. Still, she decided to be charitable. “Then it is a pity you were not aware of it. My sister would have liked to have seen you.”

Her guest appeared to deflate. “It is all such a muddle. I have been miserable, absolutely miserable. Darcy said he only learnt about Miss Bennet the day before I left for Scarborough. I hated being in town and stayed away until Louisa and Caroline insisted I return. Once I spoke to Darcy, I knew I had to come to Hertfordshire. I decided just this morning that I could not live with myself if I did not, so here I am. Will Miss Bennet be out long?” His blue eyes were wide, and she half expected him to beg her to say she expected Jane at any minute.

She could not.

“I am sorry, Mr Bingley, but I suppose this is a lesson for us all. It is never wise to travel to see someone without first ascertaining if they are where you expect to find them. Jane is away. She is at the seaside with my mother, my youngest two sisters, Lady Lucas, and her daughter Maria.”

The originator of the scheme had been Mr Bennet. He wanted to do something kind for Jane, his most worthy daughter, because she would take charge of the Gardiners’ four children while Elizabeth and Mr and Mrs Gardiner were on their northern tour and because Jane’s spirits remained depressed. It would also rid him of hearing Lydia’s complaints at being denied a different treat for a few weeks. When Lydia received an invitation to go with the militia to Brighton, Elizabeth convinced her father it was a terrible idea, going so far as to tell him she had discovered several very concerning things about Mr Wickham while with Charlotte. Fortunately, he believed her. The Lucas ladies were added to the trip when Mr Bennet and Sir William discussed it one evening. Mary had declined any interest in going, instead vowing to use the ‘peace and quiet at Longbourn, which is usually so difficult to find, to good advantage’. That meant spending long hours at the pianoforte or studying serious tomes.

When Mr Bingley’s shoulders slumped and chin dipped towards his chest, Elizabeth relented enough to say, “They will be home next week. Have you opened Netherfield? Do you intend to remain in the neighbourhood?” From his early talk of deciding just that day to travel to Longbourn—did people truly act so impulsively?—and the lack of gossip about his returning, she suspected the answer was no.

Sure enough, he said, “I did not think of that. Not that I knew I was coming.” Meeting her eye for the first time in several minutes, he hastened to add, “I wanted to, of course, very, very much, but I was not sure if I should, but then, as soon as I woke up this morning, I knew I had to. I left as soon as my carriage was ready. I did not think what I would do once I saw Miss Bennet.” In a quieter tone, he added, “Or what I would do if I did not.”

Since he was not looking her way, she felt free to roll her eyes. “You will have to decide if you want to arrange to remain in Meryton to await Jane’ or return to town at once. Perhaps you only ever expected to be here for the usual length of a call. If you choose to stay, I am sure there are many people—those with whom you amused yourself last autumn—who would be glad to see you. I know everyone was so curious why you left without taking your leave of them.” She wondered if he would take the meaning behind her use of the word ‘amused’. The longer she sat there talking to him, the more tendrils of anger and frustration at him spread throughout her. He lacked resolution, which was the true reason Jane had suffered so much since November. If her sister did not still love him, Elizabeth would be tempted to write him off as a lost cause and encourage him to go away and never approach any of her family again. It was time for him to prove himself worthy of her beloved sister, and of being considered a gentleman. If he failed her test, she would advise Jane to forget about him, even if he pursued her with marriage in mind. If he remained in the neighbourhood, she was certain his former acquaintances would be very interested to hear him explain why he stayed gone so long. They might even cease to blame her sister for his desertion. To be sure, their true friends all agreed Mr Bingley was the villain, being the man and having the right to decide where he went and when and knowing Jane to be the kindest lady in the neighbourhood, but others sniggered about her failure to ‘catch’ Mr Bingley.

He chuckled, though it was without humour. “I-I will stay. I will. I have decided I want to see Miss Bennet, and until I do, I will not return to town. I suppose I need to contact the housekeeper at Netherfield. Or should I take a room at the inn?”

She wondered if it was wrong that she wanted to shake him. “Netherfield is your estate, Mr Bingley. You ought to stay there. I shall call for refreshments, while you prepare a note which we will have sent to Netherfield at once.”

He nodded and sent her look of such relief and thanks she immediately stood, using the excuse of finding him pen and paper, to mask her amusement.

That’s it for this time! I’ll be back in two weeks with part 3. Jane comes home, and Mr Bingley reflects on his time in Meryton. Any bets on what I have in store for part 4? 😉

Thanks for reading!

(c) Lucy Marin 2022