Desperate Hearts: A Pride and Prejudice Variation Read online

  Mr. Collins, somewhat confused about what had just occurred, turned to Bridget and asked “Cousin Elizabeth, will you and Miss Bingley be joining us for dinner tomorrow?”

  Now it was Bridget’s turn to be confused. Lady Catherine ended the interview with a very firm “No, these ladies are leaving Rosings this afternoon. Good day, Mr. Collins. Thank you for your help and we will see you tomorrow.” With that she turned away from him and indicated to Denton to see him out. Collins sputtered for a few seconds, and then Denton took him by the arm and all but shoved him out the door.

  “Very good,” said Lady Catherine. “Now we can get down to specifics. This lady will do nicely, as will this gentleman. Do you understand what we want of you, Mrs. Moretti? Do you think you can live very nicely in London and show love and affection to your husband before the world – and especially my nephew?” Her voice held a touch of sarcasm.

  Bridget and Gino exchanged nervous glances. “And nobody will be injured by any of this?” Gino asked.

  “Mr. Moretti, I wish to protect my daughter and my nephew from a scheming woman, and likewise Miss Bingley wishes to protect her brother. You will be helping us … and them. It is simple work, and presuming that you are a happily-married couple I am sure it will be very enjoyable work. You simply play the part of a fashionable man-about-town and his mistress. Will you accept the roles?” Lady Catherine asked them. When they hesitated to respond, Lady Catherine spoke with some irritation. “You will be well paid for your time, and of course any expenses will be covered. I must have your answer right now,” she finished, tapping her cane on the floor for emphasis, knowing full well, simply by looking at the quality (or rather lack of it) of their clothing, that they would accept the work.

  Gino took his wife’s hand and they smiled at each other. Now they might be able to afford a first-class trip to Italy to visit his family after more than a year of marriage. Good fortune was finally smiling on them. “Yes, Madam, we will be happy to accept the job.”

  “Excellent. Miss Bingley, let us retire to the small sitting room and formulate the details. Anne, you will accompany us. Mr. Moretti, you and your wife are welcome to stay here; I will order more tea and if you require anything else just pull the bell and a maid will attend you. We shall return shortly with your preliminary instructions, then Miss Bingley can give you further directions once you are in town.” With that, Lady Catherine rose from her chair, smoothed her skirts, and without even glancing at her guests she strode off purposefully to the small sitting room with her daughter following behind. Caroline arranged with the Morettis to return to them once her conference with Lady Catherine was concluded so they could leave for town.

  Then she rose and followed Lady Catherine to the sitting room. Caroline sat down across from Lady Catherine and said “Here’s what I have in mind …”

  When Caroline left the sitting room some time later following a lengthy and detailed discussion, Anne sat still and simply stared at her mother. Eventually Lady Catherine condescended to acknowledge her daughter. “I think this will work very nicely. Do you not agree, child?”

  Anne could barely control her disgust. “Mother, how could you do something so wicked to Darcy?”

  Lady Catherine straightened in her chair and looked imperiously at her daughter. “For you, my child. Always for you.” Anne rose out of her seat and without another word to her mother, all but ran out of the room.

  Eighteen: Off to London

  “These are the preliminary plans – or preliminary ‘script’ if you prefer” Caroline Bingley smiled expectantly as if she had just said something clever. Caroline was holding court over Bridget and Gino as the carriage made its way from Kent to London.

  Bridget and Gino exchanged glances, then turned their attention once again to Caroline. “We understand that you are employing us to convince a certain gentleman that the lady he desires to marry has found another in his stead,” Bridget observed. “If you will tell us where and when we are to enact these theatrics, Miss Bingley, I am certain we can call on our extensive acting experience to improvise most of what we will need our characters to do.”

  Caroline was relying on their ability to improvise, but she intended to make it clear to them that she was in charge of this production. It would not do to lose control of these two and risk failure if they did not perform according to her direction and Lady Catherine’s wishes. They would take direction whether they thought they required it or not.

  “I will visit my solicitor tomorrow to enquire about where you can stay for the next few weeks. Someplace near enough to Lady Catherine’s nephew’s townhouse that he will be sure to see you together.” Caroline advised them. “I will also have him arrange for a carriage to be at your disposal while you are in town. I trust you can drive a carriage, Mr. Moretti?”

  Bridget and Gino exchanged smiles of pleasure. This was going to be a most enjoyable employment. “Yes, madam, in fact I enjoy driving.”

  “Very good. One more important point: you are playing characters who are not married.” Caroline told them flatly. “Mr. Moretti, we want you to give the impression that Miss Eliza is your mistress, not your wife. This will ensure that the gentleman to whom you are playing will see that not only has she chosen another but that her morals are so far beneath his own that he will be permanently dissuaded from admiring her.”

  Both Bridget and Gino laughed. “This will require some acting, of course! Although I imagine it will be a great deal of fun to perform as illicit lovers.” Gino winked at Bridget, eliciting a blush from her.

  “And remember: You will always be ‘on stage’ while you are on this assignment – in other words, until I have informed you that we have accomplished the desired results and have concluded the engagement,” Caroline cautioned them. “Wherever you are seen in town, and I will give you a list of places to be seen, you must be in your dramatic personae. This is vitally important if we are to succeed in convincing the gentleman of the reality of what he is seeing, and is a requirement of your being paid. Do you see any problem with conforming to this?”

  “No, not at all” Bridget assured her. “And if anyone addresses me by name? How would you have me respond?”

  Caroline was prepared for this question. “If you are in public – that is, outside of your living quarters – and anyone addresses you as Miss Elizabeth, you must smile and acknowledge them so they are assured that you are in fact Miss Elizabeth, but remain in their company for as brief a time as possible. It would also be best if you do not speak more than a word or two so no one can identify your voice, which is somewhat different from Miss Eliza’s. Better if Mr. Moretti does all the talking.” Caroline turned to address him. “You can say that you must be on your way, or you have an appointment. Be vague, but do not linger, as that could allow someone to ask too many questions. And when you are in public, remember your role,” Caroline now addressed Bridget. “You are always Miss Elizabeth. Should one of your own acquaintances address you by your real name, you are to say “I am sorry but you are mistaken” or something similar. If he is certain that nobody will overhear, Mr. Moretti may take the person aside and arrange to meet them later. Once you are in your living quarters, or in a friend’s home, you may be yourself. You are not to discuss your roles with anyone. Simply tell your acquaintances that you have accepted an assignment that you are not at liberty to discuss. If word of your activity should reach Lady Catherine’s nephew, the whole plan will fail,” Caroline cautioned them severely.

  “That should not be difficult, as we do not travel in the same circles. And as our next performance will be at a country estate near Brighton, not here in town, and requires several rehearsals, we will be only in the company of our fellow stage players,” Bridget replied.

  “Excellent. I have decided to stay in town today and tomorrow to make some of the arrangements. We can meet again on the morrow to go over the locations for you to be seen, reservations for the theatre and opera, and your living arrangements in Mayfair. My so
licitor will set you up in a hotel at Grosvenor Square. I am hopeful that he can also arrange for you to be introduced at White’s, Mr. Moretti. That is Mr. Darcy’s club, where you can call on your acting expertise to further convince him of your arrangement with Miss Eliza.”

  Gino asked Caroline “Where exactly is the gentleman’s townhouse?” “In Mayfair, just off Grosvenor Square” Caroline responded. Gino and Bridget exchanged grinning glances. “Then I believe I can help you with both of those arrangements.” Gino said smugly.

  “What do you mean?” Caroline asked him in surprise.

  Looking over at Bridget before he responded, Gino told her “My cousin is an aide to the Italian ambassador to England. The ambassador’s London townhouse is just off the Square. My cousin and I are very close so it should not be difficult to persuade him to allow us the use of the ambassador’s home while he is out of town, as he has done so on previous occasions. I do translation work for the ambassador, so I am not unknown to him. The ambassador just happens to be away on business at the moment, and he will be gone for the next month. My cousin has invited me to White’s on several occasions. Perhaps it is time I accepted his invitation.” Gino sat back on the carriage seat with a satisfied smirk on his face.

  Caroline was all astonishment. “A townhouse will certainly serve much better than a hotel, and I am sure that Lady Catherine will be pleased not to have to pay for a hotel, although she can well afford it. Why did you not mention before that you have such high connections?”

  “Well, you see, I am rather the black sheep of my family as your expression goes,” Gino confessed with a grin. “My whole family essentially disowned me when I became a stage player – my whole family except for my cousin. We are quite close since childhood. He is the only member of my family who does not mind that I have chosen to leave my home and family in Italy and become a stage player in England. He is the one who arranged for me to do the translation work, and still acts as the agent between the ambassador and myself. As I do not have a direct connection to the ambassador – you must own that my connection is not very strong – I do not like to trade on it. I prefer to be taken as I present myself, as a stage player.”

  Caroline looked at the Morettis with a stunned look on her face. Will wonders never cease, she asked herself. “Excellent. Then you can make arrangements for the townhouse and at White’s. Can you accomplish this today?”

  “Yes, I think so. Or tomorrow morning at the latest. We will call at my cousin’s house shortly after we get to town. If he is not in we will return in the morning.”

  With two less arrangements to concern herself with, Caroline handed them a calling card on which she had written the direction for Mr. Hurst’s townhouse. “Here is where I will be staying through tomorrow evening. I shall expect you both on the morrow around noon. We can go over the rest of the details then.” Although the Hursts were still in Hertfordshire, their townhouse was always available to her whenever she was in town.

  “We will be there,” Gino assured her. “And as of this moment, you can be assured that we have taken on our roles as Miss Elizabeth and her paramour.” He winked at Bridget, who again responded with a blush.

  “Then let us enjoy the remainder of the journey. We should be in London in just over an hour” Caroline informed them, and settled in comfortably as they approached town. “Be sure to give me the address of where you are staying before we part for the day in the event that I need to reach you before we meet tomorrow.”

  Nineteen: London

  The driver stopped first at the Hursts’ house to let Caroline out. “Driver, take our two passengers to …” she glanced at the card Mr. Moretti had given her “… to 98 Greypool Lane. If you require directions, you can consult our passengers. After you have delivered them and their luggage, return here immediately and stable the carriage and horses as I do not expect to need them again today.” Caroline strode directly into the house as the carriage drove off, with the footmen carrying in her luggage, and she began ordering the servants around as was her wont.

  Her first order was for a hot bath, and while the maids were fetching water to her chambers she spoke with the housekeeper about her preferences for dinner. The day’s activities had left her quite famished, and as it was only she who would be dining, she decided to have dinner served in her apartment. But that would have to wait until she took care of one more arrangement.

  After the bath and a change of clothes, Caroline rang for the Hurst’s driver. She told him she would need to hire a private carriage for two plus horses for a few weeks, and bade him make the arrangements and bring the invoice to her straight away. He bowed and went out directly to carry out this command.

  She then retired to her chambers for dinner. The cook was excellent and managed to organize a delicious and elegant dinner in very short order. After dinner, Caroline wrote up some notes of instructions to give to the Morettis, then went downstairs to the parlour and rang for the driver. When he arrived, she asked him if he had fulfilled his mission. With pride he told her that he had hired a lovely little curricle and a pair of well-bred horses. “I am certain you will find it both stylish and comfortable,” he said. “And where are they now?” she asked him. “In the stables of course,” he replied. “Very good. You may go. I shall not need you again tonight,” she dismissed him. Then she called for her maid to help her prepare herself to retire early. She picked up the book she had been reading in the carriage, got into bed, and read until she nodded off, with plans to dream of Mr. Darcy. Who will soon be my Mr. Darcy.

  Twenty: London, the following day

  Caroline rose early and, feeling rested, decided to visit some of her favourite shops. She had a light breakfast, then called for her carriage to be brought ‘round. In short order she was off, first to the modiste’s shop, where she ordered several new gowns, and then to the bootmaker for a new pair of slippers to replace the older ones she had been wearing and which looked rather dated. They passed the milliner’s shop on the way home, so she had the driver stop while she went in there too, and selected a new bonnet and a new turban. As always, she had these items charged to Charles’ account. The footman carried her purchases to the carriage, helped her inside, and then they headed back to the Hursts’ townhouse. Shopping for new clothes always seemed to revive Caroline’s spirits.

  As they arrived, a hackney cab pulled up and discharged its passengers – the Morettis – in front of the house. Caroline called for the footman to bring her purchases to the sitting room adjacent to her bedchamber, and as she walked upstairs she called for her maid to accompany her to her chamber to help her out of her outdoor clothing. The butler showed Gino and Bridget into the parlour, where they waited for Caroline.

  Caroline floated downstairs a few minutes later, calling to the housekeeper to bring tea and bread and butter for her and her guests. She entered the parlour, where Gino stood up and bowed. Caroline flounced onto a settee and got right to the point: “Have you made your living arrangements? And secured your invitation to White’s?” she asked Gino without preamble.

  “Yes, Miss Bingley” he replied. “As I anticipated, my cousin did not fail me. We removed to the ambassador’s house last evening, and I expect to attend at White’s this evening.”

  “Very efficient, Mr. Moretti. What is the exact address of the ambassador’s house?” Gino gave her the address and she wrote it down in her pocketbook. “Now, Miss Colley, as for you, this will not do at all,” Caroline sneered. “Miss Eliza may be a country chit who generally wears simple muslin gowns like that. However, you must own that her paramour would have purchased some finer gowns for her here in town. Also, she would never wear a turban as she prefers bonnets. You have some simple bonnets in your wardrobe; I have seen two of them. You will wear those until you can get to the milliner’s shop and purchase one or two finer bonnets. Here are the names of the modiste, the milliner, and the bootmaker to whom Lady Catherine recommended you. Arrange for two or three brocade or damask gowns, the bonnets
, and a more stylish pair of slippers. All of this you will charge to Lady Catherine’s account. You wore a dark blue mantle in one of your scenes at Rington Grove. It would be perfect to wear around town in the evenings with your new gowns. And I imagine you possess a pelisse for day wear?” Bridget nodded. “Good. You will go to the shops today as soon as you leave here and order these items that they might be ready before the end of the week. Impress upon them that this is by Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s command and must be fulfilled posthaste. If there is anything else – any other prop – you require, let me know.”

  Then she rang for the butler and when he entered the room she asked him to fetch the driver. When he arrived, she turned to Gino again. “Your carriage is in the stables out back. Cochran here will take you there and harness the horses for you. I trust there are stables at the ambassador’s house, Mr. Moretti?”

  “Yes, of course,” he said as he rose to follow the driver.

  When they were alone, Caroline handed a paper to Bridget. “This is a list of Mr. Darcy’s haunts here in town. You and Gino are to be seen at these locales frequently. You must also make a show of departing and arriving at your townhouse, to give Mr. Darcy the opportunity of spotting you. Smile at him occasionally, but neither you nor Gino is to engage in conversation with him. I have already given you the direction of his house and a description of his appearance, so you should be able to recognize him. Keep watch out the window when you can, and try to head out or onto a balcony when you see him. Make some fuss over Gino, or straighten his cravat, or kiss him on the cheek. He should also kiss you now and then. Do you have any questions?”