Page 62 of A Different Impression

“I shall explain that Lady Catherine had no right to present him and that Miss de Bourgh intends to challenge his possession of the living. I will invite him to resign rather than defend a claim founded upon a presentation made without lawful authority. If he refuses, the matter must proceed through the courts.”

“Regardless of what you tell him, I am afraid he will view it as revenge for my father expelling him from Longbourn,” Elizabeth said. “Particularly after he tried to persuade William to forsake our betrothal.”

“I will make the legal position plain,” Bishop Allen assured her. “I cannot compel him to resign, nor can I promise him another position. How he receives the news will, however, influence whether I could ever conscientiously recommend him for a closely supervised curacy.”

When they were summoned to dinner, Darcy was grateful to leave the subject of Mr Collins behind. The bishop had already sent a note requesting that Mr Collins meet him at the church at ten the following morning, and nothing further could be accomplished until Anne’s answer arrived from London.

The conversation remained upon lighter subjects throughout the meal. Afterwards, Bishop Allen announced his intention of entertaining himself in the library, although the amusement in his expression led Darcy to suspect that he had perceived the newlyweds’ desire to retire early. Their excuses had perhaps been less subtle than Darcy had imagined.

At present, he could not bring himself to care.

Darcy remained at Rosings while Bishop Allen met Mr Collins at the church. Although he would have preferred to hear the conversation for himself, his presence could only strengthen Mr Collins’s conviction that the challenge was an act of personal revenge. Elizabeth had agreed, although the prospect of waiting did little to ease either of their minds.

The bishop returned shortly before noon. The weariness in his expression told Darcy that the meeting had gone much as they had feared.

“He refused to resign?” Darcy asked as soon as he came in.

“Quite emphatically.” Bishop Allen lowered himself into a chair. “He insisted that a living was a lifetime appointment and that Lady Catherine’s authority could not be questioned. He accused you and Mrs Darcy of persuading Miss de Bourgh to displace her mother solely so that you might take revenge upon him.”

Darcy’s jaw tightened. “Precisely as we expected.”

“I explained that the dispute concerns Lady Catherine’s lack of title to the advowson, not his conduct at Longbourn. He would not listen. As far as Mr Collins is concerned, anything Lady Catherine told him must be true, regardless of what the will or estate records establish.”

“Then Anne must proceed with the claim.”

“Yes,” the bishop answered, his tone tired. “Mr Collins has been informed that Miss de Bourgh intends to challenge his presentation. Until the court makes a judgement, he remains the lawful incumbent and cannot be removed from either the living or the parsonage.”

Darcy disliked the prospect of leaving Mr Collins in place, but the law could not be hurried merely because the man was disagreeable.

“And his conduct towards you?”

“Unbecoming, certainly, but not sufficient to deprive him of his orders. I shall make a formal record of the interview. Should his behaviour deteriorate further, it may become relevant to a separate ecclesiastical inquiry. I already intend to pursue this matter regardless, and I am wondering what canonical laws he has broken.”

“Do you believe he understands his position?”

Bishop Allen released a weary sigh. “No. I believe he understands only that Lady Catherine appointed him and that he deserves to remain. The distinction between deserving something and possessing a lawful right to it appears to be beyond him.”

Over the following fortnight, Darcy received frequent reports from Anne’s solicitor. The diocesan records confirmed the date upon which the living had become vacant, whilst Sir Lewis’s will established Anne’s ownership of the advowson beyond reasonable dispute. Mr Collins contested the action, insisting that Lady Catherine’s word outweighed any document produced against her, but he could offer no legal defence to Anne’s claim.

The legal proceedings did not occupy their every hour. Darcy and Elizabeth spent their mornings working with Mr Shaw to restore order to the estate and their afternoons exploring Rosings and its grounds. Their evenings—and nights—belonged largely to themselves, allowing them to settle into the rhythms of married life without the demands of family or society. Darcy discovered that Elizabeth’s habit of humming could distract him whilst he worked, although she maintained that his incessant tapping of his pen was equally provoking. Their first minor disagreements occasionally resulted in hurt feelings, but they were learning to speak openly, apologise readily, and laugh at themselves afterwards. Darcy found their growing ability to resolve such differences as reassuring as the affection with which they invariably made their peace.

The final letter arrived two days before Darcy and Elizabeth were due to leave Rosings. Judgement had been entered for Anne, restoring to her the right of presentation and displacing Mr Collins from the benefice. Bishop Allen had given him formal notice to vacate the parsonage, and Anne was now free to present her chosen rector.

A second letter accompanied the solicitor’s report, this one addressed to Darcy in Mr Collins’s unmistakable hand. Darcy opened it with little enthusiasm.

Mr Collins’s outrage occupied four closely written pages. He accused both Darcy and Elizabeth of conspiring against him from the moment of their meeting at Longbourn and declared that no court possessed the authority to overturn the wishes of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. He also warned that they would one day regret treating the future master of Longbourn with such disrespect when he turned the remaining Bennet ladies from the house. The letter concluded with his assurance that Lady Catherine would certainly intervene once she learnt of the injustice and his declaration that he intended to discover where they had hidden her and restore her to her rightful place.

Elizabeth read the letter over her husband’s shoulder, chuckling at some passages and gasping softly at others.

“Do you suppose anyone has told him that Lady Catherine no longer has any authority at Rosings?” she asked.

“I suspect several people have,” Darcy replied.

“And he simply does not believe them?” By now, her astonishment had given way almost entirely to amusement.

“He did not believe that I was engaged to you whilst our marriage articles were sitting in your father’s study,” Darcy said drily.

Elizabeth considered that for a moment. “A fair point.”