Wickham
Mrs Bingley to Miss Louisa Bingley
Yorkshire, September 6
My dear girl, come home at once. Mr Hurst is here! He got here this morning and called at the house when I was out. Your pa entertained him but never mind, I’m sure Mr Hurst will overlook the fact that your pa talked to him about his shops and then offered him a glass of ale instead of something more genteel. Mr Hurst asked about all the family and then asked about you particular like. Mr Darcy is all very well, but ‘a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.’ You see, your old ma knows Shakespeare, too. Come home soon; we’ll have you married before the year is out.
Your doting Ma
Miss Louisa Bingley to Mrs Bingley
Pemberley, Derbyshire,
September 8
Ma, I’m ready to come home straightaway but Caroline says there is no call for her to leave. Most of the other ladies have gone home and she is overjoyed that she has Mr Darcy all to herself. But it will look very odd if she stays, so tell her she must come with me. Charles has told her so already but she won’t listen to him; she’s too busy telling Mr Darcy that he does everything better than everyone else. She sings to him, she flatters him, she parades around in front of him, she does everything but ask him to marry her. Ma, tell her she’s got to come, and get Pa to tell her, too. And whatever you do, don’t tell Mr Hurst that ‘a bird in the hand’ is Shakespeare, dearest Ma, because it isn’t, you know.
Your loving daughter,
Louisa
Mrs Bingley to Miss Caroline Bingley
Yorkshire, September 10
Now, Caroline, you’ve got to come home with your sister. Mr Darcy won’t run away. If he hasn’t asked you to marry him yet, then he’s not going to do it, leastways not when you’re there. Let him see how empty that big house of his is without you, and let him see how much his sister misses you—that’s the way to do it. You’ll have him eating out of your hand in no time. If not, your pa’s going to buy an estate and then we can have this Mr Darcy to stay and we’ll see what another few weeks will do. Your pa’s writing to Charles and telling him to bring you both home, so let’s have no more nonsense.
Your doting Ma
Miss Caroline Bingley to Miss Violet Cranmore
London, September 15
My dear, sweet, most amiable friend,
How good of you to write me such an estimable letter, setting my mind at ease about your family. I would have replied sooner, but Mr Darcy gave me no peace at Pemberley, wanting my opinion on this matter or that matter, until he quite wore me out. You will be relieved to know that your intelligence was altogether wrong, and that far from being an ill-favoured man he is very handsome, and as for his park being small, why, it is huge. We have but lately parted and he has invited Charles, Louisa and myself to spend Christmas with him.
Louisa thanks you for your kind defence of her and begs me to tell you that she is recently betrothed to Mr Hurst, a gentleman of fashion who adores her. As for myself, I will say nothing at this time, other than that I believe it is worth waiting for the right man, rather than jumping at the first man who offers. Pray do not go thinking I mean you and your sister, my dear Violet, for nothing could be further from my mind, but we both know that there are females for whom any husband is an object, no matter what he is like.
Your dear friend,
Caroline
DECEMBER
Mr Bingley to Mr Darcy
Yorkshire, December 1
My dear Darcy,
It is like your kindness to me to renew your Christmas invitation, and in other circumstances I would like nothing better than to spend Christmas at Pemberley. Caroline and Louisa feel the same as I do, but we have had a sad event here and so we must regretfully decline. My father died not six weeks ago and we are all cast down by his loss; upon my honour we find it very difficult to believe he has gone. He lived long enough to see Louisa married to Mr Hurst but no longer. My mama is downhearted but carries on. She grieves for him deeply but she has the little ’uns to look after and says she cannot afford to go into a decline. Besides, he was many years her senior and she knew it was likely that she would outlive him. As for the rest of us, we miss him deeply but we all must carry on. My brother Ned means to take over my father’s trade and Caroline and Louisa will stay at home to help Mama for as long as they are needed. As for myself, once I have attended to all the matters arising from his death, I mean to carry out his plan of buying an estate sometime next year. Perhaps I can trespass on your kindness and ask for your help in the matter, since it is something I know nothing about. But for now I must remain in Yorkshire and tie up the rest of his affairs. I hope to be finished in time for Christmas, but it will be a sad affair without my father. We will celebrate in style for the sake of the little ’uns, but I think that otherwise we would all prefer a quieter affair.
Thank you again for your kind invitation.
Charles
Mr Darcy to Mr Bingley
Darcy House, London,
December 3
My dear Charles,
I know how difficult it is to lose a father. You have my sympathy. If there is any way in which I can help you, you have only to ask. Georgiana will be as sorry as I am that you are not to spend Christmas with us.
Of course I will give you my help with finding an estate, whenever you are ready to look for one. I think it an excellent idea. A man of your standing should have a family seat and I am sure your sisters would welcome it.
I will be going to my Fitzwilliam cousins for a few weeks in January and then to my cousin Philip’s estate in Wiltshire in February but I hope to see you in town thereafter. You must spend the summer with us at Pemberley. Your sisters and your brother-in-law are welcome. Georgiana will be very glad to see you all again. She has been practising some new pieces on the pianoforte and I know she will be eager to play duets with Caroline and Louisa.
In the meantime, I hope that you and your family are able to make a tolerable Christmas.
Sincerely yours,
Darcy
Mrs Bennet to Mrs Gardiner
Longbourn, Hertfordshire,
December 4
Sister, you must come to us for Christmas as usual, we are all expecting it and the girls are looking forward to seeing their cousins.
We have need of you here, for the Lucases are getting above themselves now that Mr Lucas has been made a knight, though what he did to deserve it I cannot imagine, only made an address to the King, and I am sure that Mr Bennet could have done it just as well if only anyone had taken the trouble to ask him. And now we must call Mr Lucas ‘Sir William’ and see him give up his business and move out of town and call his new home Lucas Lodge, when it has been called Wayside Cottage ever since it was built. But there, they are putting a new veranda on, as if that made a difference, and think themselves very fine. Lydia laughed and said that we might as well call our house Bennet Palace, and I am sure she is right.