Page 19 of Miss Gardiner
“Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst to see Miss Darcy,” Caroline announced when the man did not open the door and allow them entrance.
“Miss Darcy does not receive callers, miss,” the man says in a cold voice. “No one in the family is home for callers.”
“What?” Caroline cries. “We have called on Miss Darcy many times this spring.”
“I am afraid you are mistaken, madam. Miss Darcy never receives callers. When Mr Bingley called on Mr Darcy, the master may have included Miss Darcy, but she was never ‘called on’,” explained Mr Banks as though educating a child.
“Then let me leave my card,” Caroline stated.
“Miss Bingley, ladies do not leave calling cards for children. Perhaps your sister or brother can give you the necessary instruction,” stated the butler.
“How dare…” Caroline began to declare but the door was shut in her face.
“Come, Caroline. Let us return home,” Louisa begged from behind her sister.
“No, Mr Darcy cannot allow a servant to speak to me in such a manner,” Caroline declared as she stepped back and surveyed the front of the great house. Leaving Louisa on the front steps, Caroline walked to the corner of the house where another street passed. There were two entrances to the house along this side of the street; the first door opened into Mr Darcy’s office where he met with businessmen and other gentlemen, and a second door led to the kitchens. Glancing around for only a moment, Caroline headed toward the door that led to Mr Darcy’s office without hesitation.
Behind her, Louisa motioned for her footman to follow as she attempted to stop her sister invading Mr Darcy’s home uninvited. Not heeding her sister’s pleas, Caroline proceeded to knock on the door for almost two minutes before it opened. Refusing to allow another servant to block her entrance, the moment the door began to open, Caroline pushed her way inside.
++++
This hallway was narrow but lighted by a large window over the door. The man who opened the front door minutes before now lay on the floor where the heavy door left him after knocking him back. Caroline quickly looked about and seeing the door leading to Mr Darcy’s office closed, she stepped over the man and reached the door handle just as it opened.
Today, Lord Robert Hastings visited Darcy at his home in Mayfair for business. Mr Darcy and Lord Hastings would each contribute monies and land to construct a new grain mill on their adjoining estates in Kent. The two men completed their meeting with the architect and a recommended builder with plans to break ground in the next month and build the structure before coolerweather arrived. The millstones would be procured and installed next spring in time to grind flour next summer after the corn harvest.
The three other men in Darcy’s office stared as Lord Hastings opened the door to the hallway and a woman fell forward into his arms. Holding Miss Bingley haphazardly, just to keep her from falling to the floor, Lord Robert stated in a serious manner, “Really Miss Bingley, I heard you were ambitious to make a good marriage, but I cannot compromise you…my lady wife would never allow me a second wife.”
The architect and builder smirked but remained silent. Aghast to see his friend’s sister act in this manner, Darcy froze for only a moment but then he noticed his butler rising from the floor with blood streaming from his nose. Darcy moved around Hastings and Miss Bingley to help Banks to his feet and into a chair while the builder stepped down the hall to summon footmen. While the men were focused on the butler, Louisa Hurst slipped through the doorway, grabbed her sister and dragged her from the house. Once on the street, with the assistance of the footman, Mrs Hurst forced her sister back to the main street and into the carriage.
“He assaulted me! He compromised me!” Caroline declared before the carriage had gone far but the coachman ignored any commands from Miss Bingley and returned the carriage to the Hurst household.
At the Darcy home in Mayfair, Mrs Banks fussed over her husband while Darcy thanked the three men for their time and assured them of the success of their future business venture. Each man was offered a drink before leaving and as a result of the excitement they accepted Darcy’s offer. The builder and architect would share the tale with their families but otherwise did not speak of the matter again. However, Lord Hastings left for his club with a tale about the nouveau riche to share. Charles Bingley would have several doors closed in his face after this. Lady Hastings was incensed and promised to ‘cut’ Miss Bingley if the woman was ever invited to another public event in London.
++++
The next evening at their club, Charles was perplexed that the tale Mr Darcy shared varied so greatly from Caroline’s story of being compromised in Mr Darcy’s house.
“I am abjectly sorry, Darcy,” Charles managed to say while trying not to laugh.
Fitzwilliam Darcy shook his head and said, “Charles, you must stand up to Caroline. She will ruin you if you do not take her in hand.”
The newspapers made much of the scandal for three days only because the Darcy name was attached to the brutal assault. Fortunately, the elopement by a young lord with his housekeeper’s daughter pushed the Darcy name from the gossip columns.
++++
There were more Persian carpets found among the treasures in the ballroom and Miss Gardiner sent for Mr Darcy to view them.
“Miss Gardiner, your note said there were carpets,” the tall man said as he entered the room.
“Yes, Mr Darcy, please come this way,” the young woman said as she led him to a corner where the carpets were stacked. “We found these carpets and they are of such quality; I wanted you to see them before they went to the warehouse.”
“I do not know of any…” he replied before noticing the quality and colours of the many rugs. “Perhaps we should ask Mr and Mrs Banks if they plan to replace any carpets in the near future.”
“And your house in Derbyshire?” Elizabeth mentioned casually.
He nodded and said, “Give me a list of the rugs, sizes, and colours. I shall send it to Mrs Reynolds at Pemberley, and she can advise me if any new carpets are needed.”
He read the list from Elizabeth and compared it to the rugs before thanking her for taking the initiative to consult with him.
