“Shall I request that Lady Catherine release me? If I come back to you, it may lessen his fears.”
“No, you must stay until she chooses to release you. Mr. Collins would not, under any circumstance, deprive her of your society if she desires it.”
“Very well, sister. I shall remain. It comforts me that you are well, and we shall hope for the best. From what I have gleaned in conversations between Mamma and Lady Lucas, a woman may experience signs of being expectant very early, as soon as four weeks after she has missed her courses.”
“What signs, Lizzy?”
“I do not know much, but Lady Lucas said a tenant’s daughter suffered from tender breasts and excessive fatigue within amonth of running away with the butcher’s son. Have you missed your courses?”
“No, not yet.”
She pressed her sister’s hand. “You know, my dear, when you are with child, you may insist upon taking your dinner on a tray in your room, owing to your delicate condition. That would spare you at least one daily sermon on my account.”
Mary laughed. “Perhaps I shall take a tray this evening. If I am not already increasing, I am more likely to fall with child if he would show some compassion for my poor nerves.”
Elizabeth sat at her dressing table later that morning, arranging her hair, when there came a tap at the door. “Come in.”
Georgiana entered in high spirits, with Miss Anne close behind. She approached the dresser, took up two bottles of scent, and applied a little of each to her wrists. “Lizzy, I have never owned a scent.”
“Whyever not?”
“My mother forbids it. She declares it suitable only for wantons.”
Elizabeth lifted a shawl from her dresser. “Wantons? Shall we earn a reprimand for wearing scent? Will she hold me responsible for leading you astray?”
Miss de Bourgh laughed. “No, indeed. She rose with a headache, and Richard persuaded her to remain at home. If she recovers, she may join us in time for supper.”
“I am glad of it. I have a great fear of committing some error and causing difficulty for my brother-in-law and my sister.”
“Lizzy, you place too much weight upon my mother’s disapproval. I would never permit my mother to injure the rector’s income. We must go. Fitzwilliam has sent for us. The carriage stands at the front entrance, and their mounts stand ready.”
Seated in the carriage, Miss Anne fixed Elizabeth with glowing eyes. “Richard has not asked me to dance with him yet, but I am determined to ask him myself.”
“Is that not very forward, Cousin Anne?”
“It is indeed forward, my dear Georgie, and not at all the thing. Our situation, however, is of a peculiar kind. My cousin earns his living and must therefore marry with some attention to money, yet a man in his position cannot aspire to an heiress of large fortune and a grand estate. He knows, too, of my mother’s expectations. She is resolved that your brother shall be my husband, which stands as a barrier to Richard. He would not place himself in Fitzwilliam’s path. For all these reasons, I must give him some encouragement, and I shall begin this very day by asking him to dance.”
“He likes you very well, Annie. I expect he will ask you to dance without your intervention. He is neither backward nor shy,” Elizabeth said.
“Very true, Lizzy. But I shall not risk losing him, for want of encouragement.”
“Cousin Anne, you have only been in company with Richard for a few days. How can you already wish to marry him?”
“You are mistaken, my dear. I have known Richard since we were children. I was about five when I first played with mycousins. By twelve, they took me riding. Philip was much older and took little notice of me, but Richard always looked to my safety, and I remember thinking even then that I wished to marry him one day. The four of us spent hours together, fishing the creeks, and Richard taught me to handle a pistol while the others practiced at targets.” She brushed away a tear. “Those were happy years.”
Elizabeth asked, “What happened? When did they cease their visits?”
“My father took a chill that settled in his lungs, and he died within a fortnight. The physician called it pneumonia. After that, my mother would not permit me outdoors. No more riding, fishing, or shooting. Around that time, my cousins stopped coming. They went away to Harrow, then to university, and afterward to the Continent. Richard has been absent for several years, serving in the Peninsular War. But now he is here. I love him, and I wish to marry him. I only hope he wishes the same.”
“I do not understand why he would not wish it, Cousin Anne. You are beautiful, your gown flatters your lovely figure, and your hair shines like gold in the sun. You remind me of a fairy princess.”
Elizabeth added, amused, “You do look like a princess, Annie, and you are wealthy. What more could a man require?”
“Permission,” Anne said plainly.
When they arrived at Lord Barlow’s estate, the ladies fell silent as the carriage entered a broad drive. To Elizabeth, the grand house seemed more like a mansion than a manor. The carriage passed beyond it and continued for some distance until theyreached the barn. The green and the surrounding woods were filled with activity. Open spits turned with roasting pig and oxen, and stalls for food and crafts lined one side of the field. The carriage drew to a halt, and Richard came at once to the door and handed the ladies down.
“We have arrived in time to observe the Harvest Maiden procession.” He offered his arm to his cousin and led her, with Darcy following with Elizabeth and Georgiana.
