“I thank you for the compliments to my daughter, Mr. Collins. They are well deserved.” Lady Catherine turned her attention to the ladies at the table. “And you, Miss Bennet, what are your thoughts on my daughter’s good news?”
“I wish Miss de Bourgh and your nephew every happiness in their marriage.”
“The engagement between them was of a peculiar kind. From their infancy, they were intended for one another. It was the favourite wish of his mother, as well as my daughter’s.” Lady Catherine got a faraway look in her eyes. “While in their cradles, my sister and I planned their marriage.”
Elizabeth once again held back a smile. Mr. Darcy was at least three years older than his delicate cousin. In no way had they been in cradles together.
Lady Catherine continued, turning to Charlotte, “I once feared my nephew might dawdle or even consider a match beneath him. My Hertfordshire informant hinted he was quite taken with a local Meryton girl. Before you married Mr. Collins, you must have seen Darcy at various gatherings. Did he ever pay attention to any young ladies there?”
“No, your ladyship,” Charlotte answered without hesitation, of which Elizabeth was grateful. “Your nephew behaved in a most respectful manner towards any single woman in attendance. In fact, he often displayed a proud manner, which kept even the fiercest of matchmaking mothers from approaching him.”
“Truly? How reassuring. It tells me that he had already fixed his choice.” Lady Catherine frowned. “But why did Mr. Wickham write such an alarming letter? I almost went to Hertfordshire myself to uncover the truth, but you have confirmed that I had nothing to dread in that regard, though I am seriously displeased.”
“May I suggest you take whatthatgentleman relates with a pinch of caution,” Elizabeth dared to interject. “It came to my father’s attention that Mr. Wickham has a decided prejudice against Mr. Darcy, and attempted to spread untruths to anyone who would listen.”
“He dared to speak against my nephew, after what Darcy’s father did for him! I am of a mind to write Mr. Wickham myself, and tell him how exceedingly annoyed I am with him.”
“I would not, your ladyship.” Elizabeth hurried to placate the annoyed woman. “Mr. Wickham is the type of man who thrives on attention. Even a brief note will make him believe he has your approbation, and he would boast of his connection with you. I would not condescend to acknowledge him, even in passing.”
“You are uncommonly bright, Miss Bennet, and give your opinion most decidedly, but I concur. I will not even recognise him, neither by letter nor in person. Not that I would ever see him. We do not travel in the same social circles.”
Conversation then shifted to parish concerns and the pleasant weather that had been enjoyed over the past week. While Mr. Collins engaged her ladyship with some questions concerning his next sermon, Charlotte and Elizabeth spoke quietly. Maria, for some reason, sat in rapt attention between Mr. Collins and Lady Catherine.
“You must be glad Mr. Darcy will no longer spend his evenings staring your way,” Charlotte said sotto voce. “I wascertain he had some regard for you, though you stood firm in your denials. It seems I was mistaken.”
“You were not wrong, and when we are alone, there is much I must tell you.”
Charlotte’s slight lift of the eyebrows was the only sign of her surprise. Her friend had learned well how to conceal her true feelings, a required skill when married to Mr. Collins, with Lady Catherine as an overattentive patroness.
The pale morning sunfiltered through the lace curtains as Elizabeth took her place beside Charlotte at the breakfast table. The aroma of freshly baked muffins mingled with the fresh scent of bright daffodils, placed happily in the middle of the sideboard. Between bites, Elizabeth recounted every twist in her life since the Netherfield Ball, concluding with Mr. Darcy’s request to call on her, and the revelation that Miss de Bourgh had indeed married a cousin, just not the one her mother expected.
Charlotte’s laughter filled the morning room. “My dear Eliza, or perhaps I should address you as Lady Eliza now?” Her eyes sparkled with mirth. “I dread being in my husband’s company when Lady Catherine discovers this news, yet I cannot bear to miss such a spectacle. Imagine Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam arriving at Rosings, deliberately provoking the great lady in her own domain? Poor Mr. Collins will be utterly bewildered.”
“Perhaps this distraction might serve you well,” Elizabeth suggested. “While her ladyship focuses her displeasure on her daughter and new son-in-law, you might gradually loosen her influence over Mr. Collins. Guide him to seek your counsel rather than hers.”
Charlotte’s smile faded, turning wistful. “A noble thought, but unlikely to succeed. His upbringing permits no such independence. His father was very cruel and had a heavy hand, not only on him, but also on his mother. My husband’s submissiveness stems from a deep-seated belief that he deserves nothing better in life.”
“This is where a caring wife can become the balm of healing,” Elizabeth urged. “You may not love your husband in a romantic manner, but your concern for his welfare is plain to see. In time, he will lean on your gentle judgment more than on his patroness’s stifling authority.”
“When did you become adept in the ways of marriage?”
“You forget I have had a front row seat at my parent’s union for over twenty years. While my father teased and scorned, my mother wailed and fretted. You have observed it yourself. On the night of his ‘awakening’ at Mr. Bingley’s ball, my father adjusted his behaviour towards my mother, and she has responded in kind. kind. When you next visit, you will scarcely recognise her.”
“Her elevation to countess and the security of knowing she will always have a home to live in after her husband dies would also contribute to her calming.”
“True enough, but to witness them seated together, conversing on every topic under the sun, is such a pleasure to behold.” A mischievous smile curved her mouth. “It also helps that both Lydia and Kitty are in school. The noise and chaos, which has long been the characteristic of Longbourn, dissipated into thin air the minute they departed for London with Uncle Gardiner.”
“They are young and foolish. I would imagine Maria would be the same if she had a sister closer to her age who had suchlively spirits as your two youngest sisters.”
“Being lively and being foolish are two separate issues,” Elizabeth huffed out with some agitation. “I feared for their safety and virtue and, at that time, Papa had shown no inclination to curb them. Had Cousin Arthur not died, thereby forcing our father to face his family’s deportment, I shudder to think what harm might have befallen them. Especially with someone like Mr. Wickham in the mix.”
“Is he truly as disreputable as you suggest?”
“Yes, he was. I have told you about Mr. Darcy’s letter of apology to my father for his slight at the assembly. What I omitted to mention was his warning about Mr. Wickham’s habit of incurring debts and ruining young women’s reputations. Papa discreetly questioned the local merchants and learned that, in mere weeks, he had amassed over twenty pounds of debt.”
“Twenty pounds! Good heavens!” Charlotte’s hand flew to her chest. “How can one contract such a sum so swiftly?”
“You are likely unaware that Papa, with your father acting as magistrate, confronted Colonel Forster to demand payment. When Mr. Wickham realised arrest was imminent, he stole the colonel’s horse and fled, but was caught near Luton. He was tried, convicted, and hanged within the week.”
