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Collins’s face darkened. She was calling his judgment into question; perhaps such a reaction was inevitable. “You are young; I will excuse your impertinence this time,” he said with the air of someone bestowing a favor. “But I expect you to treat Mr. Weston with all the courtesy he is due.”
Having returned from delivering the tea, Hill was observing their dispute from the steps. Her pale face suggested she feared Elizabeth was about to be banished from Longbourn.
Collins glared at her, demanding a response. “Very well.” Elizabeth bit off the words.
Their cousin lifted his chin and puffed out his chest as he glared at both Bennet sisters. “I expect you both to join us in the drawing room immediately.”
Kitty trembled and nodded miserably. “We will be there directly,” Elizabeth told him.
The minute Collins had departed, Kitty regarded Elizabeth with tears in her eyes. “I cannot face that man! I just know he will attempt to touch me again.”
Elizabeth smiled at her sister. “I have a plan to ensure he will not essay that maneuver again.” Kitty’s brows drew together doubtfully. “We will enter the drawing room together. You must serve the tea…” Elizabeth explained.
By the time she finished, Kitty’s expression had transformed from nervous to resolved. “Can you manage it, my dear?” Elizabeth asked.
Kitty took a deep breath. “I believe I can.”
The two women ventured up the stairs and into the drawing room with stony faces, refusing to smile lest Weston take the merest hint as an invitation. Collins was engaged in an animated conversation with Sir William about horse racing. Jane and Mary had recently arrived and were huddled together on a loveseat, talking in low tones. Charlotte occupied a corner where she tended baby Robert in a
basket.
As Elizabeth entered the room, Weston’s eyes followed her in a most insulting manner. He even winked when he noticed her attention. She refused to react but knew her face was heating. Naturally, Collins had not noticed Weston’s behavior. Just as well I never expected that we could rely on Collins for protection. The Bennet women only had themselves to rely upon.
No sooner had Elizabeth and Kitty seated themselves when Weston held up an empty teacup. “I would care for more tea,” he drawled with a grin.
Traditionally, women poured tea for the men; Kitty sat closest to the tea service, and Weston obviously took pleasure in drawing her near enough for groping. Elizabeth wanted to smack that smirk off his face. But this was Kitty’s battle to fight. Elizabeth gave her sister an encouraging nod as Kitty rose rather shakily to her feet.
She lifted the teapot, touching its side with her fingertips while her lips curved in a slight smile. The water would be hot but not boiling, Elizabeth guessed.
Taking a step toward Weston, Kitty reached out a hand for his teacup—maintaining a studiously neutral expression on her face. He lifted it up to her with a grin that suggested gloating at his victory in their battle of wills. His other hand was hidden, but Elizabeth guessed he was positioning it for a grope the others could not see.
Kitty started pouring the tea but then allowed her hand to slip on the handle of the teapot so that the hot liquid splashed Weston—directly onto his lap.
He jumped up from the chaise with a string of oaths, nearly knocking Kitty over. A large stain spread over the top part of his breeches. He tried to stand straight but doubled over with a moan of pain.
“Oh dear! I am so sorry. How clumsy of me!” Kitty cried. “My hand slipped!”
Weston continued to spew oaths. Sir William shot to his feet in alarm, grabbing the other man’s arm. “I say, we are in mixed company!”
Weston’s oaths transformed into moans of pain, but he still did not appear to be capable of standing.
Sir William beckoned to Collins who was frozen in his chair. “Perhaps it is best if we remove him.” He tugged Weston toward the door. “Perhaps you have another pair of trousers he might borrow?”
“Yes! Yes!” Weston wailed.
Collins finally took the stricken man’s other arm and helped maneuver him from the room. Charlotte, bearing the baby, hurried after them.
Only when the door swung closed behind the men did Kitty set the teapot carefully down on the table. Elizabeth perused Jane and Mary, the most proper of the Bennet sisters, and wondered at their reaction.
Mary stared wide-eyed at Kitty while Jane regarded Elizabeth with a stunned expression suggesting that she guessed Kitty’s “slip” had been planned. Would the other sisters censure such behavior?
For a long moment the women merely regarded each other apprehensively—and then simultaneously all four burst into laughter.
***
Elizabeth had feared retribution for the event, but Kitty received nothing but a sternly worded lecture from Collins about the importance of grace and decorum in a woman. Apparently, he had no suspicion that the action was premeditated. In the days that followed, Weston gave Kitty a wide berth and glared balefully at her, but she decided this was much to her benefit.
Unfortunately, Mr. Weston continued to present other threats. Every day Elizabeth worried that he would discover sacks of gypsum fertilizer, an excessive number of lambs, turnips in fields that should have wheat, or repairs to cottages that were supposed to be tumbling down. A careless word could spur investigations that would reveal everything.
