“Oh, I am, very sure indeed.”
A footman knocked on the library door and then entered, holding out a silver salver to Mr. Darcy. “This just came for you, sir.”
Mr. Darcy,
You have my permission to court Elizabeth.
Thomas Bennet
An expression of heartfelt delight crossed Mr. Darcy’s face.
“See? I told you,” Georgiana crowed, smugly.
“Would you be happy to have Elizabeth as a sister?”
“Happy? Happy! I should be the happiest girl in the world! And perhaps Mary could come and stay with us at Pemberley! And then Kitty and Lydia could visit!”
“It is just a courtship, Georgiana.” Mr. Darcy tried to speak sternly, but he could not help laughing with his sister.
“Oh, I know how it will end!” she said, clapping her hands for joy. “A sister! At last!”
Chapter Fifty-Eight
It did not take long for Mr. Collins and Charlotte to reach an understanding; in truth, it took Charlotte longer than her prospective bridegroom. At first, she was unconvinced that she could be happy with him, but she finally realised that she would be miserable living under her brother’s roof for the rest of her life. Armed with this irrefutable logic, she was able to endure the lovemaking – such as it was – of Mr. Collins.
When next she went to Longbourn with her mother, she was an engaged woman.
Mrs. Bennet was kinder than Charlotte had expected. “If we have to lose Longbourn, then I will rest easy knowing that it is inyourhands, dear Charlotte. I will not deny that I had hoped one of my own girls would have stepped forward, but that was not to be.” Mrs. Bennet managednotto look hard at Mary as she spoke.
Elizabeth hugged Charlotte tight and whispered, “We will be cousins, Charlotte!”
Mr. Collins, who was present for this visit, was downright intolerable. He preened and pranced, and finally said, “Charlotte, my dear, shall you not accompany me to the mistress’ bedroom to suggest any changes you might want made?”
Mrs. Bennet promptly went white with rage, but Charlotte quickly whispered, “Mr. Collins, this is highly inappropriate, given the presence of the existing mistress.”
“Oh! Oh, indeed,” he said, immediately contrite. “I apologise most heartily, my dear Mrs. Bennet. I assure you that I had no intention of being disrespectful.”
Mrs. Bennet and Lady Lucas could only shake their heads in wonder at him.
“I fear you will have your hands full with him, Charlotte,” Elizabeth murmured to her friend.
“I fear you are right, Eliza,” Charlotte sighed.
Mr. Collins announced, “I must leave first thing in the morning, to inform Lady Catherine that I have secured the perfect wife, and to prepare my humble home to receive its mistress.”
The Bennets almost succeeded in concealing their relief.
***
When Mr. Darcy and Georgiana were announced, Elizabeth suddenly felt very self-conscious. She had not yet told Charlotte about her courtship with Mr. Darcy, so could not explain her heavy blush when he strode in, dark hair tousled by the wind, an enormous smile on his face.
Georgiana’s smiling face told Elizabeth that she had been told the news. She sat beside Elizabeth and squeezed her hands for joy, while Mr. Darcy took the chair opposite.
Lady Lucas was no stranger to drawing room undercurrents, and she immediately looked to Mrs. Bennet for an explanation.
“Mr. Darcy and Lizzy are in a courtship,” she explained.
Charlotte looked at Elizabeth, who nodded, reddening even more.
