Simon Bingley's Resolve, page 1
Pemberley: The Next Generation
Simon Bingley’s Resolve
Wendy Soliman
Pemberley: The Next Generation
Simon Bingley’s Resolve
Copyright © Wendy Soliman 2020
Edited by Perry Iles
Cover by Clockwork Art
This e-Book is a work of fiction. While references may be made to actual places or events, the names, characters, incidents, and locations contained are from the author’s imagination and are not a resemblance of actual living or dead persons, business, or events. Any similarities are coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any method, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of
The Author – Wendy Soliman
This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction fines and/or imprisonment. The e-Book cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this e-Book can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the author.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
About the Author
Chapter One
‘This is the life.’ Spencer Darcy lay flat on his back on the banks of Pemberley’s lake in shirtsleeves, his eyes closed, chewing on a blade of grass. Strong sunshine blazed down on the parched earth, and a ripple of air carried the tepid suggestion of a breeze that barely disturbed the reeds beside the lake. ‘Can’t remember when we last had such a hot summer. Never thought I’d say it, but we need some rain.’
‘Enjoy the peace while you still can,’ his cousin Simon Bingley responded. He too was supine and casually attired, but unlike Spence his eyes were wide open. He stared up at a cerulean sky, interspersed with the odd white fluffy cloud, but was too preoccupied to fully appreciate the fine weather. ‘Your mother’s house party starts tomorrow and the place will be swamped.’
‘With our sisters’ children.’ Spence yawned. ‘Which is fine by me. I like children and enjoy being an uncle. Anyway, Pemberley has more than enough space for them to tumble about and get into mischief.’
‘Mischief which you will doubtless instigate.’
Spence chuckled. ‘I consider it an important part of my unclely duties.’
‘Is that even a word? Unclely?’
Spence shrugged. ‘It seems appropriate.’
‘Well anyway, this annual event has become a great deal more than a family reunion.’
‘Ah, I see what you mean.’
Spence clearly thought the situation serious enough to sit up, open his eyes and give it due consideration. ‘You allude to our mothers’ not so subtle reminders that we have collectively thus far managed to evade the parson’s mousetrap.’ Spence nodded emphatically, as though answering his own question. ‘Well, for my part, it doesn’t signify. Marc is the eldest. He’s the heir to all this lot, so he will bear the brunt of the matchmakers’ machinations.’ He leaned back on one braced arm and waved the other in a lazy arc to encompass the Pemberley estate. ‘I am merely an afterthought.’
‘Ha! I’ve seen the way the ladies gravitate towards you. They appear to find you appealing. Damned if I know why.’
‘Well, I’m with you there, cuz. Must be my natural charm and good looks.’
Simon snorted. ‘Don’t forget our pact.’
‘You’re the one who’s always falling in love and needs to be reminded not to break ranks.’
Simon stared off into the distance. ‘That was before I became more discerning.’
Spence choked on a laugh and refrained from comment.
‘I’ll have you know that I am now firmly resolved to keep my end of the bargain I struck with you and the rest of my male cousins. None of us shall marry until we reach the age of five-and-twenty—and perhaps not even then.’
‘You and I are too young to contemplate such drastic measures, but Marc is fast approaching that age and has a duty to lead by example. Problem is that once one of us falls, the rest of us will be considered fair game.’ Spence pulled a doomed face. ‘I shall remind Marc of the importance of brotherly solidarity at the earliest opportunity. I dare say mother has someone in mind for him, so we’ll need to put him on his guard.’
‘We are both three-and-twenty ourselves now,’ Simon remarked.
‘My point exactly. Far too young to be tied down.’
Simon laughed. ‘Don’t you ever take anything seriously?’
‘Not if I can help it. I suppose it’s different for you. You are your father’s heir and expectations ride on your shoulders as much as they do on Marc’s.’
Simon chortled. ‘Campton Park isn’t in the same league as Pemberley.’
‘Perhaps not, but it’s still a rich estate. Your father has ensured its prosperity, which means you are required to carry on in similar vein. And that makes you an attractive proposition to the fairer sex, especially since you are as easy going as your old man and can never bring yourself to remain aloof.’
‘I should hope not. We can’t all skulk around the edges of drawing rooms, discouraging polite intercourse.’
Spence yawned. ‘I bore easily.’
‘I’ll have you know that females from all walks of life find me very personable for reasons that have nothing to do with my expectations.’
Spence rolled his eyes. ‘You don’t need to remind me. How many unsuitable entanglements have I rescued you from?’
Simon pretended to be insulted. ‘Can I help it if I have such a naturally trusting character?’
‘Your problem, if you don’t mind my saying so—’
‘Would it stop you telling me even if I did?’
‘It’s for your own good.’ Spence laughed. ‘Someone has to protect you from yourself, cousin. You see good in everyone, and never assume that the females who go out of their way to impress you are doing so at the behest of their ambitious families. Before you fall in love again, look at the lady’s mother and ask yourself if you could live with her interfering in your affairs for the rest of your days. I have heard my uncle Bingley remark that he was obliged to move all the way to Derbyshire in order to distance himself from our grandmother’s interfering ways.’
‘You’re a cold fish, Spence.’
‘Not a bit of it. I consider it my duty to remind you of the way the world works for men like us. Let’s face it, Si, you don’t have a practical bone in your body. I have often thought that you would make an inspired poet, given that you are such a dreamer.’
‘Better than being a cynic like you. You can be so damned insulting.’ Simon knew that he was too easy going, and took enjoyment from everything that came his way. But he had grown wiser with the passing of the years and was less likely to be taken in. ‘You make me sound like an easily-led fool who doesn’t know his own mind.’
‘Which was not my intention. You are simply too trusting.’
Simon offered up a wry smile. ‘Mother tells me that I inherited that trait from the pater. He only ever saw the best in everyone when he was my age, and many attempted to exploit his good nature as a consequence. But I am not completely mutton-headed, and shall not allow myself to become entangled injudiciously. You no longer have to worry about me. I have learned sufficient lessons from my past disappointments.’
‘But I do.’ Spence yawned. ‘Worry, that is. All the time. Someone has to take responsibility for you.’
Simon sighed. ‘In some respects I feel I owe it to my ageing parents to settle down and relieve the pater of some of his responsibilities.’
‘Good heavens, you don’t need to get yourself leg-shackled in order to do that. Marc, Luke and I make ourselves useful around here without feeling the need to contemplate anything quite so drastic.’
‘There are three of you, so the future of Pemberley is secure, but I am my father’s only son.’
‘Lord above, what’s wrong with you today?’ Spence asked, barely conscious of the strengthening breeze that had sprung up from nowhere, cooling his heated face. ‘You are most definitely not yourself.’
‘Don’t you think it’s unfair that our sisters all felt the need to marry before they reached twenty for fear of being looked upon as ape-leaders—’
‘I don’t think that’s why they married. They simply fell in love. Unlike your forays into love, for them it was the real thing. Bella tells me one simply knows. I shall take her word for it.’ Spence shrugged. ‘Our sisters were not targeted for their fortunes. In the case of my two, the pater would have withheld his consent if he thought that was their suitors’ real objectives.’
‘True, but even if they hadn’t been well dowered—especially then—they would surely have felt pressured into accepting an offer.’
‘Ha! I’m having a hard time imagining Bella caving in to that sort of pressure.’
Simon chuckled too. ‘Not all young women are
‘Only because we have the luxury of financial independence. Other men, especially younger sons, will be putting themselves through the rigours of the marriage mart during the season and the house party circuit at this time of year, on the prowl for a rich wife. And they will start their trawl at a much younger age than we have reached. At least we are spared that indignity.’ Spence sat fully upright and peered at Simon. ‘Anyway, what’s brought on this mood of introspection? Clearly you have something on your mind, which is why you have arrived a day early. As always, I will be happy to offer you the benefit of my wisdom.’
Simon laughed. ‘Don’t be so damned pompous.’
‘Just trying to keep you out of trouble. That’s what cousins are for.’
‘What about you? What do you plan to do with your future, Spence?’ Simon had indeed come to Pemberley in order to sound Spence out, but now that he’d created the opening he hesitated, aware that his cousin would tell him he was being an idiot. Simon and Spence were as close as brothers, but Spence was unquestionably the most intelligent of the current generation. He had excelled at Eton and then at Cambridge, where he came away with a first, having put little or no effort into his studies, at least as far as Simon—who’d had to work very hard and hadn’t especially distinguished himself—could tell. ‘You have money of your own and I assume that your father and Marc, when he inherits, will find you plenty to do. Even so, I can’t see that being enough to occupy your big brain and you will be restless until you find intellectual fulfilment.’
‘Oh, I won’t stay here, getting under Marc’s feet and annoying his future wife. I shall set up on my own somewhere and live the life of a lazy recluse.’
‘Now I know you’re bamming me. You enjoy society too much, not to mention compliant feminine company, to withdraw from the world.’
‘I didn’t say I would give up all my pleasures.’
The cousins laughed.
‘Come on then, cuz, out with it. Why are you so glum?’
‘Have you been introduced to the Daytons?’
‘I’ve heard the name mentioned. They are new to the district, if memory serves. Mother made a point of telling me that she’s invited them to the party, so I assume they have daughters to marry off.’
‘That’s rather my point,’ Simon replied. ‘About being under pressure to marry, I mean. The Daytons have just moved into Langston House. It’s a smallish estate outside Hoxton, not far from us, so naturally Mother called to welcome the family to the district. They have dined with us a couple of times and I think they came here recently while you were away visiting Bella, which would account for your not having met them yet. Anyway, there are two daughters.’
‘Which one are you in love with this time?’ Spence asked, grinning and sighing simultaneously.
‘I’m not in love, you ass!’ Simon stared at the lake, smiling as a family of ducks traversed its surface serenely, the ducklings following their parents in a crooked line. ‘But there’s something not quite right about the family.’ He frowned. ‘I can’t put my finger on it. They have returned to England after a long sojourn in the Indies, where Dayton has a plantation. I get the impression that they returned after some sort of unpleasantness that involved the elder Miss Dayton, but I’m not sure why I have formed that opinion,’ Simon added, frowning. ‘Deuced odd, come to think of it. It’s just an impression, I suppose. Something about the guarded way they speak about Miss Nadia Dayton—who, in case you are wondering, is very charming.’
Spence shrugged. ‘What of it? I have yet to meet a young woman for the first time without being told that she is charming and accomplished and all the other rot that is apparently so important. One assumes this paragon is also beautiful, which is why she has caught your attention.’
‘I say, am I that shallow?’
‘Not shallow, exactly. We are all guilty of setting a great deal of stock in appearances, and I for one am not averse to a pretty face. However, if that’s all a lady has to offer, and if she can’t string two intelligible sentences together, I soon lose interest.’
‘Females are supposed to be decorative, not clever,’ Simon pointed out.
‘I’m aware of that, but it doesn’t follow that I approve. Look at Bella, she’s a perfect case in point. She isn’t a raving beauty, and she is very clever and far too opinionated for modern tastes, yet she succeeded in securing the affections of one of the most eligible men in all of England.’ Spence grinned. ‘I still sometimes find it difficult to think of her as being a countess.’
‘Shame about the old earl turning up his toes this past winter. I rather liked him.’
‘As did I. It was a brutal winter though, and it took its toll. Lady Catherine, my great aunt, succumbed to her ailments, and Grandmamma Bennet is not doing so well.’ Spence sighed. ‘Such is the cycle of life and death.’
‘Indeed.’
‘Anyway, returning to the subject of Bella, she laughs about her new status as Countess of Ripon and freely admits that she almost didn’t accept Warner because of the expectations that were resting on his shoulders.’
‘Bella is highly unusual. Most women would give ten years of their lives to be in her position. Either way, Miss Dayton is…well, also a little unusual. She is not the first word in beauty, but she has a certain presence. A sense of self-containment and an apparent disinterest in her new neighbours, which is unusual.’ Simon screwed up his features, attempting to put into words what it was about her that he found so alluring. ‘It’s the way she moves so instinctively sensuously, blithely unaware of the impression she creates. Her younger sister, on the other hand, is a vision.’
Spence considered the subject matter sufficiently serious to sit fully upright and give Simon his full attention. ‘I take it Miss Dayton, rather than her sublime sister, is the one who has caught your attention. Should I be worried for you?’
‘It’s damned annoying, but I can’t stop feeling concerned about her situation. Not because my intentions have strayed in the direction that you probably assume, but because she is under pressure from her family to enter into a marriage that doesn’t appeal to her.’
‘How do you know?’
‘A remark Mother let slip.’
‘How old is she?’
‘Twenty, I think.’
‘Ah, so that’s what all that earlier twaddle was about. She’s under pressure because she is no longer in the first flush of youth, and her visionary younger sister’s chances of making a good match will be marred by an older sister who appears disinclined to tie the knot.’
Simon scowled at the lake. ‘I hate injustice of any sort.’
‘You can’t interfere, Simon. She won’t be the first female to make the ultimate sacrifice for her family’s sake.’
‘Very likely not. Anyway, perhaps I’m imagining it all.’ He stretched his arms above his head. ‘Even so, my instincts aren’t often wrong and I’d wager a very large sum on that father of hers not being what he seems.’
Spence raised both brows. ‘You think he isn’t a gentleman? And yet your parents and mine have entertained them. Surely they would have detected…’
‘One assumes so, but I can’t shake the feeling that Miss Dayton is being used as a sacrificial lamb.’
‘Who’s the blighter she’s being forced to marry? Anyone we know?’
‘Someone they were acquainted with overseas, I believe. That’s all I’ve been told.’
‘I should have guessed I’d find you two here, idling your time away.’
Spence looked up at Marc, who approached with his lurcher Astor at his heels. ‘That’s what days like this are made for, big brother,’ he said, scratching Astor’s ears. ‘Far too hot to contemplate doing anything that requires effort. Besides, we are not idle. I have been giving Simon the benefit of my infinite wisdom. He’s in danger of falling in love, but I think I have managed to avert that particular disaster.’
‘I am not!’
‘Heavens, not again,’ Marc said at the same time, as he flopped down onto the grass beside Spence. ‘The ladies see you coming, cousin.’
