Caroline Bingley: A Continuation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Read Online Free PDF

young woman before me."
    Caroline forced a smile, but at that precise moment, she appreciated neither the benefits of her education nor her experience as mistress of her brother's household. Though outwardly she might appear to be a composed woman of sense and education, she felt more like a lost little girl than a woman of twenty years. She had no direction, no friends, no husband, no home, and--for the moment--no siblings.
    Mrs. Newton squeezed Caroline's hands and then turned to Rosemary, who had also escaped the confines of the coach and was standing at a polite distance. "And will you introduce me to your friend, Caro?"
    Caroline turned to regard the woman, her companion, whose full name she still could not recall. Covering her embarrassment, she said, "I should have thought Charles had supplied the name of his employee when he wrote of my arrival."
    As Mrs. Newton's eyebrows raised and then drew down in confusion, Rosemary stepped closer and looked at Caroline with appraising eyes. Again, Caroline willed herself to remember the woman's surname, but it did not come.
    Caroline's embarrassment only deepened when the woman supplied the name herself: "My name is Rosemary Pickersgill, and I find I am already most indebted to your family for its graciousness in seeing to the employment of a widow such as me."
    Caroline gawped. Pickersgill! Her surname was far worse than her first name. Caroline cleared her throat, composed her expression, and continued by saying, as if she had been cognizant of the appellation all along, "Yes, Mama, this is Mrs. Pickersgill. And this is my mother, Mrs. Newton."
    Her mother had shown no reaction to the horrid name. Instead, she said, "I am very happy to make your acquaintance, Mrs. Pickersgill, but I find I must correct you at the outset. I am already in your debt, for you have seen my daughter home to us safely."
    At just that moment, Mr. Newton joined them and immediately took Caroline's hand and pressed it in his. To her consternation, she found he had neglected his gloves and was gripping her kid gloves with his bare hands. Not only was he without proper attire--either to be seen publicly or to combat the winter weather--but it reflected poorly on his wife for having allowed the circumstance in the first place, and Caroline did not like anything to reflect poorly on her mother. Besides, his hands must be quite cold.
    Despite the temperature of his bare hands, he spoke with warmth, saying, "Caroline, you have been too long away from us. Your mother has missed you greatly."
    Caroline concealed a wince. Mr. Newton was a kind man even though he had acquired the sum total of his fortune through the building trade. He purported to be an engineer, had been a visitor at the Royal Society in London, and claimed that the design of bridges was more complicated than it appeared, but Caroline harbored doubts. Was not a sturdy piece of timber and some supports all that was required to construct an adequate? It seemed a task that required no special acumen, but he had traveled about the country assisting in their design and accumulating vast wealth.
    Caroline forced a smile to her lips and said, "I hope I find you well, Mr. Newton."
    He offered her a grin so wide that his graying sideburns seemed to shift their position upward. "Oh yes, I have a new bridge to design, and I cannot be unwell when my mind is so happily occupied."
    "A new bridge?" Caroline asked quietly as she shot a look toward her mother. Here was Mr. Newton already discussing his trade and in public. "How quaint."
    How unfortunate that his manners displayed no real improvement from his travels and his vocabulary showed no mental aptitude out of the common way. He was wealthy, to be sure, but had he allowed that circumstance to improve him?
    Not that Caroline could discern.
    In fact, Mr. Newton had always worn his wealth as if it were a newly starched shirt.
    Uncomfortably.
    Still, Caroline smiled at him, all the while thinking it was