Hargrove laughed. “I truly believed Anne was exaggerating when she spoke of the man. However, he was all she said and then some. Frankly, I am astonished you gave him even two months to redeem himself.”
“It was the bishop’s suggestion. If we simply released him, he could attempt to find another position. However, if the church decides he is incompetent and never should have been ordainedin the first place, no one else will be subject to him. It is a small price to pay,” Anne said, shrugging in an unladylike fashion.
“Enough talk of that man,” Darcy said firmly. “The Bennet ladies will be arriving soon. Bingley suggested we invite them here, and Elizabeth has already prepared a note to send with our carriage. We waited to despatch it only until we were certain Mr. Collins had departed.”
Darcy’s gaze shifted, softening slightly. “While we wait, we thought the two of you might like to join us for a walk in the gardens. Will you come?”
“That would be lovely, Darcy,” Anne replied. “Let me send a maid to gather my outdoor things. Where are your friend and Georgiana? Will they be joining us?”
Darcy indicated they would, and the four ventured into the hallway where Bingley and Georgiana met them a few moments later. For the next half hour, the group walked the paths of the garden, enjoying some exercise and genial conversation.
Around noon,the Bennet ladies arrived. As Mrs. Bennet and her four unmarried daughters were shown in, her voice echoed through the room where Elizabeth sat with Anne and Georgiana. She was speaking loudly about her plans to renovate the house once Jane became its mistress.
“I am glad it was me in this room, and not any members of Mr. Bingley’s family, who heard you speak so, Mama. Mr. Bingleywould be rightly offended had he heard you, and had either of his sisters been present, they would have labelled you a fortune hunter, regardless of your intentions,” Elizabeth scolded her mother.
“Elizabeth Bennet, how dare you speak to your mother so!” Mrs. Bennet replied sharply.
“Mother, I speak so because it is in your best interest to hear it from someone. Had my father treated you with the respect due to you as his wife, he would have guided you in understanding the responsibilities and expectations of a gentlewoman. Perhaps it is not my place to correct you, but you must hear from someone how your actions could affect your family.”
“Indeed, madam, for that is how I have labelled you after hearing your intemperate speech,” Anne interjected, hoping to lend her new cousin aid in this matter.
“Who are you to speak to me so?” Mrs. Bennet demanded.
“Mama, please allow me to introduce you,” Elizabeth interjected smoothly. “Mama, sisters, might I present Mrs. Percival Hargrove, mistress of Rosings Park and my cousin,” she said, gesturing towards Anne. “This young lady,” she continued, indicating the girl beside her, “is my new sister, Miss Georgiana Darcy.”
Turning to Anne and Georgiana, Elizabeth added, “Anne, Georgiana, these are my mother, Mrs. Bennet, and my sisters: Jane, Mary, Catherine, and Lydia.” She gestured to each in turn.
The ladies exchanged polite nods, each sizing up the new acquaintances as they took their seats around the cosy arrangement of chairs and settees. Elizabeth noticed Lydia’s restless glances and fidgeting, already eyeing the richlydecorated room, while Jane cast Anne a warm, welcoming smile. Mary looked slightly apprehensive, her gaze shifting quickly between the unfamiliar faces while Kitty leant in, whispering eagerly to Lydia as they settled beside each other.
Anne, observing Mrs. Bennet’s barely concealed glances around the room, offered a gracious smile despite the woman’s rather obvious assessment. Georgiana, a little shy, kept close to Elizabeth, her delicate hands folded neatly in her lap, her gaze gentle and reserved as she studied her sister-in-law’s family.
“So, Mrs. Bennet,” Anne said, her tone warm but with an edge of formality, “we are very pleased to host you and your daughters at Netherfield.” Anne laughed lightly. “Of course, I suppose it is Elizabeth who ought to welcome you since I am a stranger to Mr. Bingley. It is my cousin Darcy who is that gentleman’s friend; my husband and I were just introduced to him when we arrived.”
“And we are delighted to have you all at Netherfield for Christmastide,” Mrs. Bennet gushed.
She would have continued, but Elizabeth interrupted her. “Mama, we will be leaving the area no later than Tuesday, as you have been told on more than one occasion. Anne and her husband will leave Monday or Tuesday as well.”
“Why would you not stay longer, Lizzy? I cannot understand your insistence that you will depart so soon. We must celebrate your marriage here in Hertfordshire, and your husband should meet your friends. Given how you ran away from home to marry, it is the least you can do to restore the respectability of your family,” Mrs. Bennet cried, her voice rising with each word.
Elizabeth’s tone held a touch of irony as she spoke, her gaze lingering on her mother with a knowing look. “Mama, we will,of course, be attending the dinner at the Lucases tonight as you arranged with Lady Lucas. You and my sisters are to attend as well, are you not? Father, I know, will not leave his bookroom for such an event, and that is perhaps for the best, given all that has transpired.”
Mrs. Bennet’s smile froze for a brief moment before she forced it brighter, her eyes darting toward Elizabeth as if trying to gauge her mood. Elizabeth leaned forward slightly, her tone calm but edged with steel. “We will also attend church on Sunday. From your letters—and what Jane and Charlotte Lucas have shared—it seems everyone in Meryton is delighted with my marriage.” Her smile thinned, and the sharpness in her gaze betrayed her true feelings. “I know your only concern is my happiness, Mama.”
The gentle barb did not escape Mrs. Bennet, who fluttered her lace handkerchief and looked away, though her mouth pursed in mild displeasure. Elizabeth suppressed a grimace as she thought wryly of her mother’s motivations, aware that Mrs. Bennet’s pride was as much about showing off her wealthy, handsome son-in-law as it was about any true concern for Elizabeth’s happiness.
Mrs. Bennet dabbed at her eyes though her gaze darted towards Elizabeth with something like impatience. “Of course, I am pleased that you are happy, Lizzy,” she said, her tone softening only slightly, “but so few will have the chance to properly meet your husband at just those two events. Imagine, a man like Mr. Darcy—so handsome, so wealthy—barely introduced to the neighbourhood.”
She gave a delicate sigh. “While I am surprised that Lady Lucas agreed to host the dinner in honour of your wedding, we could hardly have it at Longbourn with your father being so disagreeable about the marriage.” She sniffed, lowering hervoice as though in confidence. “There was also Mr. Collins, still determined to wed you despite everything! Thankfully, he left in quite a rush this morning, declaring he must return to Kent immediately. I had such hopes that he would marry one of my daughters, of course, but now I see what a blessing it is that he did not.”
She shook her head as though deeply disappointed. “A single day at Longbourn, and I realised what a terrible match he would have been for any of you. His ways are… quite insufferable, and I could not, in good conscience, imagine subjecting one of my girls to a lifetime with that man.” Her expression softened, as if genuinely relieved.
Elizabeth raised her brows, a trace of amusement mingling with her exasperation. It was not often that her mother’s judgement aligned with her own, especially when it came to marriage, but in this instance, she could hardly disagree and was pleased her mother realised it.
Chapter Thirty-Three
With this in mind, Elizabeth, Jane, and Anne sat with Mrs. Bennet, engaging in a frank conversation about life in society. Anne, taking the lead, spoke calmly but firmly, emphasising the importance of proper decorum.
“Mrs. Bennet,” Anne began gently, “if you wish to make a favourable impression among those whom Elizabeth now calls family, it is essential to mind certain customs and expectations. Thetonis not particularly forgiving.”
