Upon returning to the drawing room, Lady Catherine was rather more interested in Elizabeth than Mary. “How long are you to stay in Kent?” she began.
“I do not yet know, Lady Catherine; it has not been decided.”
“You must stay three months, at least,” she declared. “You will wish to be here when spring begins. This far south, we often begin to have blooms as early as March.”
“I thank you, Lady Catherine. And I hope I may beg a small favour of you…” she trailed off.
“Yes?”
“I must confess that I went off walking this morning, as I am accustomed to a good deal of exercise, and I now realise that I must have ventured onto your own grounds. I apologise for the intrusion, but I admit that I am likely to repeat it. I hope you do not mind.”
“No, no, not at all,” Lady Catherine said, waving a hand about. “The Park is here to be enjoyed. I hope you will explore it at your leisure. Anne, here, drives about in her little phaeton thrice a week; perhaps she will invite you to join her one day so that you might see more of it.”
“I would like that above all things!” Elizabeth replied, enthusiastically. “Your ladyship is most gracious.” Elizabeth glanced over at Miss de Bourgh, who raised her face and – was that a wink? Was that possible? Elizabeth looked again and – yes, there was no doubt, Anne de Bourgh winked at her. Elizabeth had to work hard to stifle her mirth.
By the time she had recovered her wits, Lady Catherine had summoned Mary to the piano. Mary had always been a diligent pianist, and her efforts certainly bore fruit this evening, for Lady Catherine was entirely delighted.
“But how will you continue to practice, Mrs. Collins?” Lady Catherine enquired. “For there is no pianoforte at the rectory.”
Mary could only spread her hands wide and shrug. “I do not know, Lady Catherine.”
“Ah, I have just the thing!” Lady Catherine announced. “Anne, is there not a pianoforte in the small green drawing room?”
“Yes, and no one has touched it for a decade at least,” Miss de Bourgh replied.
“I will have that brought to the rectory tomorrow,” Lady Catherine said. “It will be my wedding gift to you, and I very much hope that you will play for us whenever you are here. For music is my delight, and no one here plays.”
Mary could scarcely contain her joy at such a gift, and Mr. Collins who had been largely silent throughout the evening, rose and bowed deeply, saying, “Lady Catherine, there is nothing you could have given us that would have pleased my bride as well as this. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Lady Catherine then summoned the butler and asked that the carriage be brought round to bring her guests safely home.
***
In the carriage, Elizabeth began. “I can scarce make her out, Cousin,” she said to Mr. Collins. “She seems so very proud and arrogant, but she can also be very kind! Imagine her gifting Mary with a pianoforte!”
“So very generous! I can scarce wait!” Mary exclaimed.
“As I said, she is unpredictable,” Mr. Collins sighed. “She can be very kind, indeed, but she can also be quite unreasonable. Tonight was a good night, and I am glad of it.”
“Do you know, Miss de Bourgh winked at me?!” Elizabeth exclaimed.
Mr. Collins stared at her. “I hardly think so. Perhaps something was in her eye?”
“No, there can be no doubt. When Lady Catherine spoke about Miss de Bourgh including me in an outing in her phaeton, she winked at me. I am certain of it.”
Mr. Collins only shook his head at this.
Chapter Sixty-Seven
The girls had all agreed weeks ago that they would not exchange Christmas gifts, nor expect anything of their parents but, of course, something had to be given to the Gardiners’ children.
Jane had made some small shirts from one of her old gowns, and had embroidered little soldiers on them, much to the boys’ delight; Kitty had found some old toys in the attic and had painted them with bright new colours for the children.
Before her departure, Elizabeth had gone into the attic and had found some picture books. She had sewn new covers onto the books so that they now looked new. She had left them for Jane to find and present to her little cousins.
Lydia surprised everyone by presenting each little boy with a small bag of sweets. Upon being questioned as to how she had managed to purchase these treats, given that she had long ago exhausted her pin money, she confessed that she had arranged a trade with the wife of the confectionary shop. She had remade the woman’s bonnet in exchange for these small bags of sweets.
Mrs. Bennet wrinkled her nose and wondered aloud if, in so doing, Lydia had engaged in trade; she was reassured by a rather stony-faced Mrs. Gardiner that trading favours with a merchant hardly diminished Lydia’s exalted status as a gentlewoman.
