He blinked, momentarily thrown off balance. “Lacking? Oh no, Miss Elizabeth, I would not say lacking. Rather, I endeavor to align my opinions with hers, as I find her judgment to be—how shall I put it?—unassailable. It is my duty, as her clergyman, to reflect her views faithfully.”
“And do you find that duty a rewarding one?”
“Exceedingly so! It is a privilege to serve such a lady, just as it is an honor to inherit such an estate as Longbourn, which, I trust, you and your family will be glad to know I intend to maintain with the utmost care.”
Elizabeth’s jaw tightened. “I am sure we are all most relieved to know the estate will be in such capable hands.”
Mr. Collins beamed, utterly oblivious to her tone. “I do believe, Miss Elizabeth, that my decision to visit Longbourn was both timely and wise. Lady Catherine herself encouraged me to take this step, for she feels that a clergyman with property ought to set an example of familial duty. It was she who first suggested that I turn my thoughts toward matrimony, a subject I must confess has occupied my mind a great deal of late.”
Elizabeth’s steps faltered, but she recovered, her pulse quickening. “Indeed?”
“Lady Catherine impressed upon me the importance of choosing a wife who would be a credit to my position. Naturally, my thoughts turned to the daughters of my esteemed cousin, Mr. Bennet. And though I do not wish to presume, Miss Elizabeth, I find myself most drawn to—“
Elizabeth halted abruptly, turning to face him with as much composure as she could muster. “Mr. Collins,” she said, cutting him off before he could finish, “it is a fine morning, and I would hate to spoil it by rushing into matters better left for another time.”
Mr. Collins blinked, startled by her interruption, but quickly recovered. “Of course, Miss Elizabeth. Your sensibility is admirable. There is no need to hasten what is surely a matter of great importance.”
“Precisely,” Elizabeth said, resuming her walk. “Shall we continue?”
“By all means! I was merely remarking to myself what a charming landscape this is. Lady Catherine would approve most heartily of the arrangement of those shrubs. They remind me of the ornamental hedges at Rosings Park…”
As he monologued on with yet another paean to Lady Catherine’s taste, Elizabeth allowed her gaze to wander over thefields in the distance. She focused on the crispness of the air and the rustle of leaves in the breeze, willing herself to endure what remained of the walk with her composure intact. She could feel her irritation simmering, but a small, grim satisfaction surfaced as well. She had diverted him for now, though she suspected his intentions would resurface sooner than she liked.
“Charles, must we reallygo through with this ball?” Caroline Bingley lamented from the settee as Darcy entered the drawing room. She sat primly, her hands folded over an open book she had no intention of reading, her expression one of carefully curated irritation.
Bingley, who had been leafing through a pile of correspondence, looked up with mild surprise. “‘Must?’ Caroline, it was my idea. Of course, we must.”
“Then perhaps I should ask whether weshould,“ she said with a delicate sigh. “It seems… excessive. Surely a smaller gathering would suffice. Have we not already hosted a fine dinner party? I thought that would have satisfied the neighborhood.”
“Ah, sothatwas your intent. I fear you are to be disappointed, Caroline, for I mean to keep my promise.”
“An unnecessary promise!” Miss Bingley declared. “No one expected it, until you had to run on about it in town.”
Darcy settled into the armchair near the hearth, his face impassive as he watched the exchange. He had seen Caroline maneuver her brother before, and this had all the hallmarks of another of her campaigns.
Bingley shook his head, smiling faintly. “Indeed, they did, and my answer remains the same. I have already spoken with Mrs.Nichols, and the preparations are underway. We have but to name a date and send the invitations. It is a ball, Caroline, not an invasion.”
“Perhaps,” she said lightly, smoothing her skirt, “but must we include the militia? It lowers the tone considerably.”
Darcy glanced at her, his brow arching slightly. “Colonel Forster and his officers are hardly the rabble.”
Caroline turned her gaze to him, her eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly as she gauged his tone. “Perhaps not,” she conceded, “but there is something to be said for exclusivity. One would not want the room to feel... crowded.”
Bingley laughed. “Caroline, you’d have the room feel empty at this rate. The militia has been good company to half the neighborhood.”
“Half the neighborhood lacks any sort of discernment,” she said sharply, then softened her tone when she turned back to Darcy. “Of course, I defer to my brother’s enthusiasm. But I do wonder, Mr. Darcy, whether you will find the evening as diverting as my brother hopes. A man of your tastes, surrounded by such a lively company...”
“I am sure I will endure the company as well as any other,” he interrupted.
Caroline’s smile was thin, but her eyes glittered with calculation. “I do hope so. After all, one cannot escape the reality of who will attend. The Bennets will be there, naturally.”
Bingley, oblivious to the trap she was setting, beamed. “Naturally! We could not do without them. Such a relief that Miss Bennet is well again because I could hardly plan such a thing with one of the daughters of the neighborhood still ill after a visit to my home.”
“Indeed,” Caroline said. “Miss Bennet’s recovery is very fortunate. But I wonder… does this meanallthe Bennet sisters will attend? Even the younger ones?”
Darcy’s hand stilled against the arm of his chair. He glanced at her briefly. “I imagine they will.”
“Well! My own mother never would have permitted me out at such an age, but there, at least they shall have Miss Eliza to rein them in. There’s a mercy.”
