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Miss Mary asked timidly, “Is that unusual?”

“She averages about one such declaration for every five minutes of conversation, so I am well ahead today. I must credit you ladies for my reprieve, and you may be assured of my gratitude.”

They looked like they were understandably getting more confused by the minute.

Miss Catherine asked, “How is it that you use her Christian name when she is apparently trying to get rid of you every day?”

I gave a smile. The Bennet sisters had been filed into perfect ladies, but the behaviour was not engrained enough to make them act with perfect decorum at all times. The impertinence of the question was refreshing after a season in town. I was liking the Bennet sisters more and more, and beginning to suspect that if they all truly did wish to be married, Lady Catherine would not be necessary in the least. Finding suitors for four such delightful sisters, with improved manners and deportment when necessary, and without the obnoxious presence of their mother, should take me a few months at most, particularly if I helped them out just a tiny bit. The biggest problem was going to come down to sorting the wheat from the chaff.

I looked directly at Elizabeth. “May I answer?”

Miss Catherine asked, “Why do you ask Lizzy?”

I answered carefully, “Because it is her story to tell or not.”

Elizabeth nodded her consent.

“Elizabeth will need to give you all the particulars, for it is not my story to tell, but suffice to say that she does not particularly like the name Collins for reasons I suspect you are only partially aware of; and neither Miss nor Bennet makes any sense. We agreed to simply use her Christian name while not in formal company, and I presumed that I could treat you all as close acquaintances, though I have not earned the privilege. Perhaps in a year, I will have improved enough in her estimation to get her to use my Christian name.”

Elizabeth gave a small laugh. “Let us not get ahead of ourselves, Mr Darcy. I did not even know your Christian name until your aunt said it last evening.”

I started to give her leave to call me anything she liked, but she gave a small shake. I assumed she preferred to keep me at arm’s length, but since I managed to extract a laugh from her, even if only a short one, I was most satisfied with my day’s work thus far.

Miss Catherine looked at me suspiciously. “Are we expected to be in company with you often, Mr Darcy?”

“Elizabeth and I have certain… affairs we have been discussing this past week. Your sister has also been slowly learning that I am a stubborn and implacable man, so it seems likely, and besides—”

With the hook set, I paused for Elizabeth’s reaction. She took the bait. “And besides, sir?”

“I must at the very least be here to introduce you to my sister, who I have taken the liberty of inviting to your supper tomorrow.”

With that and a little chuckle, I gestured to suggest we might retire to the parsonage and start preparing for their stay, while Elizabeth had a look of either shock or annoyance, or most likely both. I suspected she would be back setting her mantrap momentarily, but she did look like, amongst the annoyance, there was a tiny bit of amusement.

Introducing my sister without warning was probably a bit cruel, but making the arrangements seemed right and natural when I did it, and we never seemed to be able to have a conversation that did not leave one or both of us beaten into the ground feeling like we wanted to die. Thus, I simply never had the opportunity to ask properly, so I took a risk. If she was annoyed, it would be neither the first nor the last time.

I doubted very much that Elizabeth had been planning to have me about the parsonage for the entire day, but I knew I could be of use. Rosings would not collapse overnight without my review, Anne would be neither more nor less inclined to marry me, and the material chances of me offering for her would still be zero as they always were.

Borrowing a trick from my cousin, I snatched Elizabeth’s hand, attached it to my arm, and herded the sisters toward the parsonage, still chattering happily, much to my satisfaction.

Elizabeth seemed surprised when she found her hand attached to my arm, but its presence felt right. It was where her hand belonged, and I could not make myself repent my action.

Strangely enough, she made no effort to remove it, nor did she even seem discomforted, which made me happy… very happy indeed.

Cleanup

Elizabeth

Well! What a day for surprises!

First, I got all four of my sisters wandering in from who knows where, for who knows what reason? Apparently, Bennet could no longer even keep track of which particular daughters were to be sent to which location. I readily admit it was the most pleasant surprise of the past year, or perhaps of my entire lifetime. My sisters were all together and free of our parents’ influence; the world was full of possibility.

Lydia somehow seemed to be the leader of the sisters now, and they seemed to have formed new pairs in my absence. Lydia even carried a message from my former father, which she whispered to me as we left the poultry, indicating that I should expect the promised papers on the morrow from Uncle Gardiner.

At that very moment, as Lydia showed that she seemed to be all grown up, I began to realise how horribly selfish I had been for the past year. I was so wrapped up in my own troubles—some self-inflicted and some not—that I blocked my sisters out of my life entirely. I started the habit of writing the blandest of letters as far back as January, right from my first missive after the wedding.

Over the year, I became increasingly afraid of what might happen if I exposed them to the ugly truth. As the truth became progressively worse, I became progressively less forthcoming; and I had not begun well in the first place. The nature of the marriage allowed me no room to do anything else, particularly as all my attention was dedicated to surviving with some part of my soul intact.

Besides that, there was always the chance that one or both of my parents, as well as my husband, read the letters; and I had endured quite enough of their interference. I imagine there was some chance my father would have helped me if I asked, but more likely he would have just instructed me to do my duty and entered a discussion with Mr Collins on the best ways to ensure my complaisance.