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She did not look impressed.
Elliot immediately had a bad feeling about this visit as he had no notion at all as to why she was here. The Bennet family were far below her social sphere, their only connection via their cousin, Mr. Collins, and peripherally now via Jack’s engagement to Mr. Bingley.
She could have no reason for visiting.
And yet, here she was.
Perhaps, Elliot wondered as their housekeeper answered the door, she was passing by and felt inclined to provide a lecture on some subject or another before continuing on and had simply seized on the closest house within the vicinity? Or maybe the Collinses had a message and she had agreed to take it with her en-route somewhere else out of sheer nosiness if nothing else? Both prospects seemed unlikely but as Hill announced her, Elliot thought surely it must be the latter as Lady Catherine fixed her gaze entirely on him, ignoring entirely Mrs. Bennet who quickly adjusted her bonnet, and Mr. Bennet who greeted her most cordially.
She entered the room with an air more than usually ungracious, made no reply to Mrs. Bennet’s greeting other than a slight inclination of the head, and sat down without saying a word.
It took only a moment for Mrs. Bennet to recover herself, she was all amazement, flattered entirely by having a guest of such high importance, and so received her with the utmost politeness. After sitting for a moment in silence, Lady Catherine simply said very stiffly to Elliot, “I hope you are well, Mr. Bennet. That lady, I suppose, is your mother.”
Elliot replied very concisely that she was.
“And these I suppose are your many brothers.”
“Yes, madam,” Mrs. Bennet said, clearly delighted to speak to a Lady Catherine, and perhaps already anticipating the reaction to such a revelation during her next luncheon in Meryton.
“You have a very small park here,” returned Lady Catherine after a short silence.
“It is nothing in comparison of Rosings, my lady, I dare say,” Mrs. Bennet replied. “But I assure you it is much larger than Sir William Lucas’.”
“This must be a most inconvenient sitting room for the evening, in summer. The windows are full west.”
Mrs. Bennet assured her that they never sat there after dinner, though that was not at all true, and Elliot baffled that her ladyship thought to comment on it.
“May I take the liberty of asking your ladyship whether you left Mr. and Mrs. Collins well,” Mrs. Bennet asked, gamely trying to continue the conversation on.
“Yes, very well. I saw them the night before last.”
Elliot now expected that she would produce a letter from Charlie, as it seemed the only probable motive for her calling, but no letter appeared. Mrs. Bennet, with great civility still, begged her ladyship to take some refreshment but Lady Catherine very resolutely, and not very politely, declined refreshment, and then rising up, said to Elliot, “Mr. Bennet, there seemed to be a prettyish river running nearby. I should be glad to take a walk down to it if you will favour me with your company.”
“Go, my dear,” Mrs. Bennet said instantly. “And show her ladyship about the different walks. I think she will be pleased with the hermitage!”
Elliot had no choice but to agree. As they passed through the hall, Lady Catherine opened the doors into the dining-parlour and drawing-room, and pronouncing them, after a short survey, to be decent looking rooms, walked on. Her carriage remained at the door. They proceeded in silence along the gravel walk that led down to the river. Elliot felt exceedingly uncomfortable but was determined to make no effort towards conversation with a woman who was now more than usually insolent and disagreeable. It mattered not for Lady Catherine clearly did not expect it. The moment they were next to the river she turned and spoke.
“You can be at no loss, Mr. Bennet, to understand the reason for my journey here.”
“Indeed, you are mistaken, madam.” Elliot said. “I cannot account for the honour of seeing you here,”
Her ladyship narrowed her eyes and when she spoke, she did so with clear anger in her tone. “Mr. Bennet, you ought to know that I am not to be trifled with! A report of a most alarming nature reached me two days ago. I was told that not only was your brother on the point of being most advantageously married, but that you would, in all likelihood, be soon afterwards united to my nephew, my own nephew, Mr. Darcy!” She paused as if the words were almost too much for her. “Though I know it must be a scandalous falsehood, I instantly resolved on setting off for this place, that I might make my sentiments known to you.”
Where had she possibly heard this from, Elliot wondered, even as his heart raced. No one other than Jack was aware of the events that had passed between Darcy and he, and certainly Jack would not have shared them with anyone connected to Lady Catherine. It could only have come from someone on Darcy’s side…which meant…
Elliot’s chest tightened as possibilities filled him, but he was perfectly composed as he answered her ladyship. “If you believed it impossible to be true, I wonder you took the trouble of coming so far,” he said softly. “What could your ladyship propose by it?”
“At once to insist upon having such a report universally contradicted!” she snapped.
“Your coming to Longbourn, to see me and my family, would be rather a confirmation of it, would it not?” Elliot said.
“Confirmation!”
“If, indeed, such a report is in existence,” Elliot added.
“If! Do you then pretend to be ignorant of it?” she demanded. “Has it not been industriously circulated by yourselves?”
“I have never heard of it,” Elliot said.
