Page 66 of To Go Against Her Heart
“Be quiet! You know my regard for her, and if I were to marry anyone, it would be her, only if she were willing to give me achance. Now you have two choices before you; you will either apologize to her sincerely or else leave this house and stay with Aunt Helen in Yorkshire, until you find yourself a husband.”
“You must be out of your mind, you cannot force me to leave this house, for the sake of that chit,” Miss Bingley cried in horror.
“I very well can as I will not allow you to be the mistress of this house or meddle with my affairs anymore. God knows what evil intentions you have in mind, and I am not willing to take a chance. If you apologize to her wholeheartedly and stay away from causing trouble, you are allowed here; otherwise, you have no choice but to leave,” Mr. Bingley said with determination.
“Charles, please do not be hasty. You cannot send her away. What will people say?” Mrs. Hurst pleaded.
“The choice is hers, Louisa. We have both failed to correct her, and now we have one last chance before we allow her to ruin our lives,” he said, casting another look at Miss Bingley. “Do not take this as an idle threat—by tomorrow morning, I expect an answer from you. For once, be sensible, but if you cannot bring yourself to do what is right, then be prepared to pack your trunks.” With that, he left the room, and for the first time in her life, Miss Bingley felt truly threatened—she no longer recognized the brother who had once beensubmissiveand naïve.
Chapter 25
“Tell me why I should leave, Louisa? I am shocked that you have sided with him in this matter. His infatuation with Jane has made him act wild,” Miss Bingley cried in agony.
“It was never an infatuation; he was and is truly in love with her. As his sisters, we ought to have ensured his happiness, but we ended up ruining it.”
“Pray, do not act as though you fancy that girl. He is intended to marry suitably, and you cannot be ignorant of the insufficiency of her dowry, nor of her mother’s vulgarity. I cannot stand her, nor that ill-bred sister of hers.”
“Honestly, Caroline, you must admit that you liked Jane well enough at the start of our acquaintance. I could never understand the sudden change in your opinion—until now. It was not Jane who provoked your dislike, but her sister. You saw that she had caught Mr. Darcy’s eye, and that is the sole reason for your resentment. I was blind not to see how much Charles has suffered because of it all.”
“You have truly become delusional; she has nothing except a pretty face to become Mrs. Bingley. I will not allow it. Oh! I wish those sisters would leave town as I cannot stand them being here.”
“I suggest you abandon your hopes of becoming Mrs. Darcy—that, I believe, is the root of all your troubles. Do not expect me to support you in this. Either you apologize to Jane or prepare to leave town. For once, I wish you would set aside your selfishnessand allow Charles to choose his own path,” she said, and with that, left her sister’s chamber.
Miss Bingley stared into the mirror as she prepared for the night and did not understand what devastated her more—to see Jane as Mrs. Bingley or Elizabeth as Mrs. Darcy. She finally realized that if the latter ever happened, she could never survive the heartbreak.
Elizabeth’s face flashed repeatedly through her mind. However hard she tried, she could not rid herself of the image of Elizabeth at Pemberley—as Mrs. Darcy. She spent the entire night tossing and turning, and by morning, she had made her decision. However difficult it might be, she would apologize to Jane—if only to save herself from being forced to leave town. Miss Bingley knew she must feign sincerity convincingly enough to ensure that her brother believed her without question.
The next morning, Mr. Bingley was extremely surprised by his sister’s change of heart, and it was not easy for him to accept her words. But Miss Bingley pleaded with him that she had turned a new leaf and was willing to apologize to Jane and do what was necessary to make amends. Mrs. Hurst and her husband glanced at each other doubtfully.
“Caroline, I still question your sincerity in this matter. If you view this merely as a means to avoid leaving this house, I urge you to reconsider.Should you believe that you may deceive me once more, I assure you the consequences will not be to your liking. I am warning you for the last time,” Mr. Bingley said firmly.
“I will offer my apology with all my heart, and I promise to treat her and her family with the respect they deserve,” she pleaded. “Louisa spoke with me last night and helped me understand my mistake.”
Mr. Bingley turned to look at Mrs. Hurst, who gave a silent nod of agreement.
That same morning, they decided to visit Jane, and as the carriage moved to Cheapside, Miss Bingley struggled to hide her displeasure, knowing her brother was observing her every emotion. She took a deep breath as she exited the carriage and struggled to compose herself before stepping into Mr. Gardiner’s house.
Mr. Bingley hoped that Jane would welcome him without animosity, as he had not seen her since the time they had dined in his house. Upon entering the Gardiner home, he felt a pang of concern when the servant informed him that the Gardiners were out; yet he was greatly relieved to hear that Jane and Elizabeth remained at home.
As he had expected, both sisters were shocked to see them. Jane struggled to maintain her calm as she beheld Miss Bingley. Elizabeth graciously invited them into the parlor, endeavoring to spare her sister the agony of acting as the hostess under such a circumstance.
Meanwhile, Jane was perplexed to understand why Miss Bingley had made the effort to come all the way, and from the expression on her face, she saw plainly that she was struggling to appear composed in her presence.
“Miss Bennet, this visit should have happened long before, and it was my mistake to brush aside something done deliberately to hurt you,” Mr. Bingley said the moment he took his seat.
Jane could not understand what he intended to achieve by bringing his sister to meet her, and in Miss Bingley’s demeanor she perceived nothing but mere pretense.
“Miss Bennet… as my brother mentioned, I am truly ashamed of my actions. I did not realize how deeply I had hurt you—someone I have long considered a friend. Had my brother not brought my faults to light, I fear I would have continued, blind and unrepentant. But now, I sit before you to ask yourforgiveness, and I trust that your kind heart will find a way to grant it,” she said, doing her utmost to sound sincere.
Jane offered no reply, and Mr. Bingley’s raised brow conveyed to his sister that he expected more.
“I promise you; I am here before you as a changed woman, understanding that it is difficult to earn your friendship and trust again, but please give me a chance,” she pleaded.
“Had I known the purpose of your visit, I would have set your mind at ease sooner. I hold no ill will toward you and do not dwell on the past. Please, do not trouble yourself with unnecessary thoughts,” Jane said gently.
Mr. Bingley once again conveyed his apologies, making Jane extremely uncomfortable, and Elizabeth felt suffocated by the whole ordeal and sincerely wished her aunt and uncle were present at home.
“Shall I call for some tea?” she asked, trying to break the awkwardness, and Mr. Bingley politely declined.
