Later that evening, Meade escorted his betrothed to the dining room. She made her apologies to the entire party. Her subdued demeanor attested to her sincerity, at least in the minds of most.
The next morning, Caroline stood at the front of Meryton’s church and recited her vows to love, honor, and obey Albert Meade so long as they both shall live. Her brother was her only witness; she had no desire for the Darcys to attend her wedding and the speed of the ceremony did not allow for inviting friends to attend. There would be no wedding breakfast, either. Elizabeth and Georgiana had offered, but Caroline declined as graciously as she could manage. All she wanted was to get to London. She had no need for a celebration.
After the couple had signed the register and turned to walk away, Caroline saw Bingley standing there. She had a mix of feelings toward him. Disappointment that he would be so harsh with her, anger that he thought so little of her, and, most of all, shame that she had behaved in a manner that could have hurt him terribly, and that would have disappointed her father. She could barely look Bingley in the eye as he stood before her, reaching for her hand.
“Caroline.” Bingley leaned down and peeked up at her eyes, silently urging her to look at him. He sighed when she did, briefly, but turned her eyes to her hands again. “I am sorry that I lost my temper with you. I could have told you how I felt without the rage.”
Caroline hesitated a minute, then gave a brief nod. “I forgive you.”
“I want you to be happy, Sister. Meade loves you; I am convinced he will treat you well.”
Another nod. “Thank you, Charles.”
Bingley sighed. “You are welcome.” He turned to his newest brother. “Congratulations. I wish you would stay and allow us to celebrate, but I understand why you do not.” He paused, glancing down before looking fiercely at Meade. “Take care of her. I may have wished for this event, but that does not mean I do not love her. If I hear one word of discontent from her mouth, you will deal with me.”
“I will treat her like royalty, Bingley. She will want for nothing.”
“Very good.”
Caroline shifted, her desire to leave clear in her mien. “Please, Husband, may we leave? It is a long journey to town and the days are getting shorter.”
Meade lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her fingers. “Yes, we may.” Bowing to Bingley as he wrapped his wife’s hand around his arm, Meade led Caroline past her brother and out of the church.
Bingley sighed. He was pleased that his sister was happily married and would now be too busy to meddle in his life, but he disliked being in discord with her. As he left the church and entered his carriage, he thought about Jane Bennet and her words to him in the study the day before.
Jane’s anger had been clear, but she never raised her voice. Her serenity had remained intact as she expressed her upset and disappointment, and demanded he take action. Her loyalty to her sister, as he had noted on previous occasions, was heartwarming, as was her defense of said sister.
Thinking back on Caroline’s arrival, Bingley recalled that, despite the provocation his sister had provided, neither Jane nor Elizabeth had behaved improperly. She is the model of gentility, Bingley thought. She is nothing like her mother; I need not fear that. She will make an excellent wife, mother, and mistress of my home. She makes my heart race. I love her, and it is long past time, I think, to propose.
Upon his arrival back at Netherfield, Bingley immediately requested Jane’s location from Mrs. Nichols, then sought his beloved out. Jane was exactly where the housekeeper said she would be—in the stillroom off the kitchen, elbows deep in dried lavender. He cleared his throat, smiling when she jumped before turning with a sweet smile on her face.
“Mr. Bingley! I did not see you there.” Jane shook the flowers off her hands and wiped her fingers on the apron tied around her waist. “I was soaking these flowers for lotion. Lavender is Lizzy’s favorite, and I wished to send her off to Derbyshire with enough to last her a while. I hope you do not mind.”
“Not at all. I want you to consider my house as your house. I want you always to feel welcome here, to do whatever you please in it.” Bingley advanced, eyes on Jane’s blushing face. Stopping just in front of her, he reached for her hands, relieved that she did not resist when he pulled them up to kiss and then press them to his chest.
“Thank you, I shall. I love this house, and I love the people who inhabit it.” Jane’s blush deepened. She was mortified at being so bold, and wondered what had come over her. Given recent events, perhaps it is not so surprising. Mr. Bingley does not seem put off by it.
Indeed, Bingley was far from put off. In fact, he was delighted to hear her say the words, for it confirmed his belief that she shared his feelings. He looked down briefly, gathering his thoughts, and then began speaking.
“Miss Bennet, it has been wonderful to see you in my home. I have enjoyed getting to know you and spending time with you. You are everything lovely and gracious, and I find myself deeply in love with you. My desire is to have you in my home every day for the rest of my life. Will you marry me, and make that wish come true?”
Jane’s smile had grown as Bingley’s speech had continued. She adored him, and had hoped for a proposal for weeks. When he finally stopped speaking, she was almost too full of emotion for words; but not wanting to cause him pain by delaying her response, she forced out a simple but emphatic, “Yes!”
At first, Bingley was not sure he heard her correctly, so great was his case of nerves. The wide smile on her face assured him that he had, indeed, received a positive answer. “Thank you,” he breathed. “Thank you!” Bingley laughed, then threw his arms around her, pulling her in for a kiss.
Jane was surprised at her betrothed’s actions, but the touch of his lips sent her pulse soaring, and she immediately responded. She did not know who broke the heart-stopping caress, nor how long it had lasted. However, when her breathing caught up with her senses, their foreheads were pressed together and his arms were a tight band around her.
“I love you, Jane.”
“I love you, too. Thank you for the honor of your proposal.” Jane brushed his lips with hers, a feather-light touch that still had the power to send her senses reeling.
“I must speak to your father. I hate to let you go, though.”
Jane’s gentle smile was made brighter by the sparkle in her eyes. “I know; I feel the same. Perhaps I might go to Longbourn with you?”
“I would like that.” Letting her go, he grasped her hand and turned toward the door, revelling in the joy in his heart
~~~***~~~
Bingley returned alone. Jane had remained at Longbourn at her mother’s insistence. Mrs. Bennet was overjoyed at their betrothal, and nothing would do but for Jane to dine at home and make plans. Bingley was left to announce his happy news to his friends by himself.
Their reaction was everything he could have wished for. Congratulations abounded, and Elizabeth spoke to the cook, asking for a special dessert to celebrate.
At dinner, Bingley answered everyone’s questions about his sister’s wedding.
“I feel so badly,” Elizabeth began, “that she had no breakfast.”
“She did not wish one. I think she is truly humiliated. I was very hard on her yesterday.”
Darcy, who had been so surprised as to be speechless when informed of Bingley’s angry outburst, commented that perhaps a little humiliation was not such a bad thing.
“No, it is not, not really,” Bingley agreed. “I have held in my frustration with her for far too long, and once everything began to come out, I could not stop it if I had wanted to. My sister needed to hear everything I said. I cannot regret it.”
“I would imagine not.” Darcy was thoughtful as he watched his friends slice his boiled potato. “The wedding went off as planned, then?”
“It did. Caroline and Meade both repeated their vows perfectly, signed the register, and that was that. I think the rector was shocked that I was the only witness, but once we explained to him that Caroline wanted no one to attend her, he subsided.”
“Do you think she will be happy?” Georgiana liked Bingley as much as she disliked his sister. She was glad he had stood up to Caroline. She did not wish to be concerned about the new Mrs. Meade, but Georgiana’s soft heart and gentle spirit could not abide the idea that someone else was unhappy.
“She will, I am certain. Meade loves her to distraction, or so he says. He provided generously for her in the settlement; Caroline will never be without the fripperies and shopping she enjoys so much. And, he has taken her to London when he hates the town. Told me he plans to do whatever he can to help her recover from her upset.” Bingley shrugged. “I wish him well. I certainly hope my sister learns from this situation, but I guess I have been through enough disputes with her to be wary.”
Elizabeth recognized in his demeanor the pain she felt in regards to her mother. She felt compelled to reassure him. “I am sure she has learned and will continue to learn as she goes over it in her mind. She is an intelligent woman. All will be well.”
Bingley smiled. “Thank you, Mrs. Darcy. You are a treasure.”