Jump to new as of December 20, 2001
Jump to new as of December 26, 2001
Author's Note: There are so many tales of Lizzy, Jane, Bingley, and Darcy that I decided to write about Miss Caroline Bingley, so for one day Caroline is going to get her wish. The time is set during Jane's illness.
All is dark outside the Netherfield estate except for a bedroom on the second floor. There sat Caroline Bingley at her vanity pondering over the days' events. "Each evening Miss Eliza Bennet comes down to the drawing room to join the group, and each evening she manages to get Mr. Darcy's attention, something that I never been able to do. I can not understand it. Here I am always complimenting on everything Mr. Darcy does, and he acts as if I am not even alive. However, this little impertinent upstart Eliza Bennet comes along, and Mr. Darcy can not seem to get enough of her so called 'fine eyes'." Sigh! "It does not help matters much when Charles is love struck over Miss Eliza's sister Jane. It is just as Louisa and I talked about earlier, that the entire Bennet family is out to claim my brother and Mr. Darcy as part of their family by throwing their daughters in Charles and Darcy's path whenever they can. Perhaps if I get some sleep I may be able to find a way to divert Mr. Darcy's attentions to me."
At this point Caroline stands up and walks over to her bed. Once she is lying down comfortably within her blankets, she stares up at the ceiling and says to herself, "I wish that for one day everything would go as I see fit!" As she begins to think about this wish, she soon falls fast asleep.
Caroline awoke the next day about noon as usual, and called for her chambermaid to help get her ready for the day. Alice, which is the chambermaid's name, brought in a beautiful bouquet of flowers in a vase. Caroline asked, "Where did you get these?"
Alice placed the vase on a nearby table. "They were outside your door miss."
At this point Caroline was more curious than worried about servants gossiping about flowers at the door. She got up, walked over to the table and found a card within the flowers. "Nobody has ever sent me flowers. Maybe Mr. Darcy sent them." She thought as she opened the card, which read as follows:
My Dearest Darling Caroline,I can no longer with hold my feelings for you. I only pretended to be infatuated with Miss Eliza Bennet in hopes of making you jealous. Yet, I see that you are far above the idea of petty jealously, for I can tell that you are not affected in the least. Please forgive me of such a selfish act. Allow me now to take this opportunity of asking you to meet me in the Drawing room at 1:00.
Eternally yours my beloved,
Fitzwilliam Darcy
"Alice! Alice! Get over here now and help me get dressed. I must look my best today."
"Yes, miss," Alice, said as she curtsied and wondered to herself what was written in the card.
As Alice was fixing Caroline's hair Caroline began to think more about the message. 'I knew that Mr. Darcy would never fall for that stupid simpleton Miss Eliza. After all her features unlike mine have no brilliancy, and her air is in great need of perfection. I must hurry I cannot keep a man as great as Mr. Darcy waiting to long, for he might see it as a sign rejection. I for one could never do that to him. Mistress of Pemberley I shall become.' "Hurry up, Alice. You are taking too long."
Alice becomes careful not too role her eyes, for Miss Bingley might see her do it through the mirror. She could not risk losing her position.
Immediately after Alice left the room, Caroline felt the urgent need to go and show (flaunt) this to Louisa.
"Sister, why do you come in here in such a fashion before I am even finished dressing."
Caroline walked over to where Louisa is standing. "Where is Mr. Hurst?"
Louisa looked at Caroline and wondered what was happening. "He is sleeping in the other room, you know that."
"Then, tell your servant girl to take leave and return later. I have something to speak with you that is a matter of importance."
Louisa looking even more confused turned to the girl and said, "Sarah, go and return in twenty minutes."
"Yes, madam." Then Sarah walked out the door.
"Now, what is it, Caroline?"
"Louisa, a bouquet of flowers came to my door this morning, which is not surprising because I am all the time receiving such gifts. But, read the note that was in it." Caroline handed her the note, and she watched Louisa's expressions go from serious to rapturous all in an instant.
"Oh, Caroline. I just knew that he was falling in love with your charms all the time. Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy. It sounds so good, and it is becoming to you. Just think, Caroline, of all the things that come with that name. Wait the clock is chiming one o'clock now. You must make haste Caroline to the Drawing room, for there is not a moment to spare."
"Let him wait, Louisa, because after all you know that absence makes the heart grow fonder." Therefore, for the next ten minutes they continued talking about everything that marring Mr. Darcy would bring. (I will not bore you with details, yet I will let you know that it follows the same line of thought as Mrs. Bennets' would if one her daughters were in the same situation.)
Twenty minutes after one o'clock, Caroline walks quickly to the Drawing room, and there stood Mr. Darcy by the fire patiently waiting his lady's entrance. She enters the room, and he sees her. In an instant, his face is burning with passion. Caroline sets herself on a sofa and invites him to join her.
He runs to her and kneels on the floor by her feet. Then, he opens his mouth to speak, "Hopefully not vain I have I have longed for you, but I can no longer keep silent. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you. Even though your family is below mine, for you are a tradesman's daughter and I am the son of a wealthy gentleman, I choose to defy all laws of reason and defy the ideas of my family, to ask you to accept me as you husband. Will you marry me? Please I beg you to say 'yes' and end my suffering."
Caroline was almost to the point of being ecstatic with a proposal as this, and it was all she could do to keep herself calm. She answered him saying, "I thought you were in love with Miss Eliza."
He appeared astonished and told her, "What do I care for that impertinent little twit, for who could think of Miss Eliza Bennet when Miss Caroline Bingley is so near."
Caroline could not contain herself any longer. "Mr. Darcy, Fitzwilliam, I care for you dearly with all my heart, and I would marry you even if you were poor. Yes, Fitzwilliam I will marry you."
Darcy was just about to kiss her when suddenly someone came through the door.
It was no other than Charles Bingley. "Darcy, ah Caroline I am glad you are here too, for what I have too say is exciting. I have made a spontaneous decision."
Darcy and Caroline look at each other bewildered.
"We are packing up, leaving Netherfield for good, and heading off to London."
Caroline chooses this time to speak up. "Charles, that is a wonderful idea, but what about the Miss Bennets?"
Darcy looks at her adoringly thinking about her thoughtful consideration for others.
Charles glanced at them and said, "Is there something going on that I should no about?" At this time, Elizabeth enters the room.
"Charles," Mr. Darcy spoke, "Caroline and I are engaged to be married."
"No," Elizabeth shouts! "I need to marry Mr. Darcy so that I may have fine clothes, carriages, houses, and pin jewels."
Caroline is about to faint at such an outburst of shocking behavior. Darcy catches her before she can fall, and fans her until she came to. Elizabeth is now crying loudly, and in between sobs, she begs Mr. Darcy to reconsider and marry her.
He turns to her and says, "Miss Eliza Bennet, there is nothing to reconsider, for I only can marry a woman that I love. That woman is nobody else than Caroline because she is the most beautiful, intelligent, and accomplished woman of my acquaintance. I must say she always looks so stunning in orange."
Elizabeth glances at Mr. Bingley and tells him of Jane's condition and how she needs a doctor.
He replies, "Miss Bennet, you and your sister have been invading my party here at Netherfield ever since we arrived. I now think it is high time both of you take your leave. I am sure that your family can get one of the neighboring ladies to take care of your pathetic sister."
"But, Mr. Bingley how can you say that about your beloved Jane?" cried Elizabeth.
Bingley responds nonchalantly,"Easy, I take to women like I take to houses in different counties, which reminds me I must begin preparation to leave with the whole party for London. Excuse me."
She turns to Mr. Darcy and Miss Bingley who are sitting on the sofa looking into each other's eyes lovingly. "Is this true? Is all of this true?" Elizabeth said inbetween sobs of tears.
Darcy slowly takes his eyes off Caroline and answers gravely, "Yes, all of that which you heard is true. We are leaving for London, and once there Carline and I are getting married. Probably, not too long afterwards my sister Georgiana and Charles will be married too."
Elizabeth runs out of the room crying and screaming. Darcy looks back at Caroline who is blushing demurely and says, "Now let us seal our engagement with kiss." Darcy bends towards her, and Caroline closes her eyes.
Caroline soon hears a door shut. As she opens her eyes, she finds that she is in her bedroom and Mr. Darcy is no longer leaning in before her ready to kiss her. Instead, she found Alice standing by the door with a bouquet of flowers in a vase in her hands.
"Sorry, to wake you miss, but these were by your door."
Caroline immediately jumps out of goes over to the table where the flowers were placed. Inside them was a note. She tore open the envelope and read the following:
My Sweet Dearest Angel,
Hope you begin feeling better soon. My party and I really would like the pleasure of your company once again.
Sincerely yours,
Charles Bingley
Caroline stared at the note for a few minutes in disbelief. "It was all a dream. I was so close to becoming the envy of every woman alive, for I would have been married to one of the handsomest, prestigious, illustrious, and especially the wealthiest men in England. Maybe it was a vision of hope that I might be able to catch him," she said in her thoughts. Then, she loudly screamed, "I will become Mistress of Pemberley or my name is not Caroline Bingley, and no one is going to stand in my way between me and my fortune."
Everyone in the whole house heard her screaming and thought she was mad except for Mr. Hurst (too drunk), Mr. Bingley (worried over Jane), Jane (too sick to notice anything), and Elizabeth (outside on a morning walk). The servants just stared down the hallway in shock and Louisa was embarrassed by her sister's behavior.
A couple of doors down was the chamber of Mr. Darcy, and before the screaming he awoke in a cold sweat. He had just dreamed that he was engaged to Caroline Bingley. Then, his dearest, loveliest Elizabeth begged him to marry her, and he stood there and firmly told her he was marring Caroline Bingley. It was tearing him apart to think that he not only hurt her but also refused to marry his beloved. "Thank goodness it was just a dream," he said with a sigh of relief. Then, he heard Caroline's screaming words. He soon whispered to himself, "Only in your dreams and my nightmares will you ever be Mistress of Pemberley, for that position in reality shall be reserved for the woman I truly love. Elizabeth!"