"Oh, we have not yet even begun to think about a date," said Elizabeth.
"Very soon, I hope," Mr. Darcy chimed in.
"Oh, not for many months yet! There is so much to plan and to do before the wedding. Mark my words--I have spent two months preparing for Jane's wedding to Mr. Bingley, and I am sure that Elizabeth's will be far grander!"
Elizabeth was mortified. Miss Bingley, returning to form, could not suppress her contemptuous sneer. Jane, Olivia, and the Gardiners felt all the mortification that was apparent in Elizabeth's eyes. Mr. Darcy, however, continued to smile. Elizabeth took a gulp of wine and tried to still the tongue that threatened to lash out at her unfortunate mother. Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Bennet quickly quieted that lady with a reference to the meal, and Mrs. Bennet was content to rhapsodize about the quality of butchering performed by Mr. Darcy's cook. And other than half dozen or so other comments, Mrs. Bennet behaved rather well for the remainder of the evening.
• • •
The next evening, the Darcy carriage pulled up outside the Fitzwilliams' townhouse, an imposing mansion in one of the most exclusive enclaves in London. As Mr. Darcy handed his sister out of the carriage, he glanced up and saw Colonel Fitzwilliam pacing outside the house.
"Fitzwilliam! What are you doing out here?" he asked. The Colonel was startled out of his reverie and he came over to greet his cousins.
"Georgie, Darcy. I was just getting some fresh air," he said absently, as he began to fidget with his cuffs.
"A case of nerves, old man?" teased Mr. Darcy. He exchanged a knowing smile with his sister, who had herself watched Mr. Darcy pace up and down not a half hour earlier. Mr. Darcy had decided to announce his engagement to Elizabeth at his aunt and uncle's dinner party. Colonel Fitzwilliam had consented to his cousin's sharing the celebration, and Mr. Darcy had barely just recovered from his own case of nerves before leaving the house.
"I wish," retorted the Colonel, as he drew to a halt before Mr. Darcy. "Aunt Catherine is here."
"I did not know that she had been invited," replied Mr. Darcy.
"Oh, she gets invited to everything, but she rarely troubles herself to come. But she seems to have made an exception tonight," the Colonel laughed bitterly. Mr. Darcy followed his cousin with his eyes as he began to pace again.
"You do not believe she will make trouble for you and Miss Crenshaw, do you?" he asked. As the words escaped his lips, it dawned upon Mr. Darcy that the Colonel was not the only one who had cause to worry. Georgiana, at a loss as to what had come over the two gentlemen, searched their expressions for some sort of clue. The silence was abruptly broken by the subtle cough of a footman. The three turned to the man, who informed them that Lady Catherine "awaited their pleasure" in the drawing room. The two male cousins exchanged glances before following Georgiana into the house.
"Standing out in the courtyard like beggars. What do you mean by such vulgar behavior?" demanded Lady Catherine imperiously. Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam exchanged glances once more before they followed Georgiana in the ritual of kissing their aunt's upturned cheek.
"Darcy, you look very well. Georgiana, how are your art and music lessons faring?" Without waiting for the girl's reply, Lady Catherine turned her attention to the Colonel.
"Stand up straight, Fitzwilliam. You are supposed to be an officer in the king's army. I cannot abide a slouching posture. A gentleman should always stand up straight, shoulders back. There," she said, as the Colonel complied, "That is better. Your future wife should not find you looking as though you were some penniless man of the lower classes." Lady Rebecca and her husband, the Earl of Matlock, entered the room. Georgiana greeted them with considerably more enthusiasm than she had shown her dowager aunt.
"I did not know that you were in town, Aunt Catherine," said Mr. Darcy as he bent to receive Lady Rebecca's kiss. "Is Anne with you?"
"Darcy, you know that Anne never travels during the summer. Her constitution is far too delicate. I came into town alone to meet Fitzwilliam's fiancée," she said, casting an eye at the Colonel's posture. "Now that he has decided to marry a suitable bride, I will be providing him with a most generous annuity. I want to meet the lady who will be spending a share of the DeBourgh fortune." Without even turning his head, Mr. Darcy knew that his cousin was seething.
"What is this about an annuity?" asked the Earl. "You have never mentioned this before, Kate." Colonel Fitzwilliam, who had been maintaining a distance from his aunt so as not to allow himself to be provoked, now came forward to hear the interchange between his father and his aunt.
"Do not call me 'Kate,' Nigel. You know I despise being called 'Kate.'" Lady Catherine glared at her older brother, who had called her by that name since childhood for the sole purpose of annoying her. Lady Catherine, turned away from him, dismissively, and said, "My late husband, Sir Lewis, left an annuity for your younger son, to begin upon his marriage." Her tone was meant to end all further discussion, but the Earl was immune to his sister's ploys.
"How come I never heard of this? I was one of the executors of Lewis's estate!" declared the Earl suspiciously. Lady Catherine gripped the arms of her chair but her slight squirm was detectable nonetheless.
"You had no cause to know of it. It had no relevance fifteen years ago. Besides," Lady Catherine added, unconvincingly, "I only learned of it myself a short while ago when my solicitors brought it to my attention. The codicil was drawn up shortly before Sir Lewis' death and was not among his other papers." Colonel Fitzwilliam crossed his arms and smirked.
"That must be why you did not execute my late uncle's wishes five years ago," he said. Lady Catherine looked stricken. Mr. Darcy and the Colonel struggled to keep from laughing at her affected display of shock.
"What do you mean, Richard? You were not married five years ago," said his confused mother. "Were you?" she added with a wary look. Colonel Fitzwilliam took a seat next to his mother and gently took her hand. The resemblance between mother and son was striking as Lady Rebecca met her son's smile with her own.
"No, Mama," the Colonel replied. "I merely meant that Uncle's will specified that I was to receive an annuity of a thousand pounds per annum, to begin upon my marriage or my twenty-fifth birthday, whichever came first," he concluded with a benign smile for his aunt. "At least, that is what your solicitors told me yesterday afternoon." Lady Catherine did a slow burn as she took in this information.
"Do you mean to say that Catherine has withheld five thousand pounds of your own inheritance from you, dearest?" an affronted Lady Rebecca asked. Mr. Darcy sat quietly, enjoying the spectacle of seeing his proud and pretentious Aunt Catherine receive her comeuppance at the hands of the Fitzwilliams. Both the Earl and Countess were loving parents who fiercely defended their children's interests. The Earl, therefore, took up the argument with his younger sibling.
"Plus interest!" he declared firmly.
"Interest?" Lady Catherine scoffed dismissively. "Why I have saved Fitzwilliam more than five thousand pounds by not giving it to him earlier. He would have been easy prey for the first girl who caught his eye." Colonel Fitzwilliam rolled his eyes and smiled at Mr. Darcy, who watched the Earl lash out at Lady Catherine with a rarely seen show of anger. Georgiana stood a short distance away from the others, shocked and a bit frightened by the scene unfolding before her. Mr. Darcy's smile caused her to relax a bit. She took a seat on Lady Rebecca's other side and her aunt assured her that the Earl was just "having his usual go" at Lady Catherine.
"Once a year at least, since I married him, he and Catherine have had a battle royal over something or another. I think they actually enjoy arguing," she laughed. Georgiana blinked. It seemed that while her aunt and uncle continued to shout at each other, no one else seemed to show the slightest concern. The Colonel began to chat with his mother. His older brother John and his wife entered the room and greeted the new arrivals, barely acknowledging the arguing pair. Mr. Darcy had also lost interest in the argument over his cousin's inheritance, and grew concerned abo
ut problems of his own.
Mr. Darcy had planned to announce his engagement at the dinner and had gained Elizabeth's permission to do so. If he chose not to make the announcement, in an effort to avoid a second unpleasant scene involving his aunt, she would certainly understand. But Mr. Darcy had no illusions that Mrs. Bennet could be dissuaded from mentioning the match. The realization of what was likely to transpire between his aunt and his future mother in law was very discomfiting to Mr. Darcy, and he began to regret his aunt's generosity in extending her invitation to include the Gardiners and the Bennets.
This is all I need...Aunt Catherine...Elizabeth's relatives in trade...Mrs. Bennet...." As if stung by the realization of the incendiary combination of people, circumstances and timing, Mr. Darcy abruptly smacked himself on the forehead, earning the stares of everyone in the room. Mr. Darcy looked up, colored, rose and went to stare out of the window.
"You ought to follow your cousin's example, Darcy." He felt the shrill voice of Lady Catherine pierce his spine. "A wife would be a steadying influence on you. You ought to marry very soon," Lady Catherine smiled smugly and was about to suggest that he announce his engagement to his cousin Anne immediately when she heard Mr. Darcy murmur something.
"I fully intend to," Mr. Darcy said as he rolled his eyes. Lady Catherine clapped her hands in delight.
"Wonderful!" she cried as Lady Rebecca rose and joined her nephew at the window.
"Yes, Fitzwilliam, Richard told us of your engagement this morning. I must say I was surprised to see matters resolved between the two of you so quickly," Lady Rebecca smiled with a twinkle in her eye. But instead of acknowledging his aunt's comment, Mr. Darcy whirled and glared at the Colonel who, momentarily ignorant of the consequences of his betrayal, was confused by the ferocity in his cousin's eyes. Lady Catherine rose from her chair dramatically, and like some lace-adorned bird of prey descended upon her nephew.
"Engaged?" she shrieked. "To whom are you allegedly engaged? How can you, how dare you presume to give your affection to another while you are perfectly aware that you are already betrothed to my Anne!" Mr. Darcy had turned to confront his aunt, but his action was arrested by the sight that greeted him from the door. The party from Gracechurch Street had arrived, along with Mr. Bingley and his sister. Elizabeth, on the arm of her father, strolled into the room with her brows furrowed, with a questioning look to her fiancé. Mrs. Bennet, who had eagerly pressed forward looked equally confused, as did the others who milled about, undecided about entering the clearly hostile territory. Elizabeth stood frozen amid the tumult around her, her eyes riveted upon those of her beloved. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner stepped forward then came up short abruptly behind her. Miss Bingley smirked as she saw Lady Catherine raise her finger and point at Elizabeth accusingly.
"You! Elizabeth Bennet! I should have known you would scheme to entrap my nephew. Is this how you intend to make your fortune? I know you are penniless; your cousin has told me that your father's estate is entailed away. Oh, yes," Lady Catherine sneered as she took a step in Elizabeth's direction. "I know what you are about. But do not think for one moment that I will permit you to succeed...." Lady Catherine fell silent and dropped her arm as Mr. Bennet came to within a foot of her, towering over the diminutive lady. He had positioned himself between his daughter and Lady Catherine in such a manner that even Mr. Darcy, who was about to come to Elizabeth's defense, was cut off.
"Lady Catherine DeBourgh, I presume," he said with menacing quiet. The angry woman looked him up and down.
"Do you know me, sir?" she said condescendingly. She could only assume that the man was Elizabeth Bennet's father.
"I ought to; my simpering null wit of a nephew spoke of little else during his visit to Hertfordshire last year." He snarled.
"Then you must be Mr. Bennet. I suppose you presume to condone this outrageous match between your daughter and my nephew," Lady Catherine rallied.
"As a matter of fact," Mr. Bennet intoned, "I was dead set against it." Mrs. Bennet opened her mouth to speak, but the briefest glance from her husband silenced the words on the tip of her tongue. A second glance forced Mr. Darcy's mouth shut. Even Elizabeth, who still stood in the doorway, was unable to utter a sound. She stood mute, holding her breath, dreading the scene about to unfold. Lady Catherine was about to seize this opening to speak but Mr. Bennet silenced her as well. "But Mr. Darcy has won the love of my dearest child," he continued with a reassuring smile at that gentleman, "And my Lizzy has declared her love for him. And considering what the two of them have been through, I can think of nothing less important to their happiness than your or my approval." With that, Mr. Bennet curtly bowed to Lady Catherine and strode past her and extended his arm to Mrs. Bennet. He was about to turn to leave, when the Earl stepped forward.
"Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Bennet," he said, graciously extending his hand, "Welcome to our home. Please, all of you," he said, gesturing toward Mr. and Miss Bingley, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, Jane, and Elizabeth. "Do come in and make yourselves comfortable."
If Mr. Darcy was at all offended by Mr. Bennet's comment, he did not show it as he rushed to Elizabeth, who looked very ill at ease. His warm smile acted as a mild restorative, and the color returned to her cheeks by the time he reached out and took her hand. The Earl and Countess graciously welcomed the Bennets and the Gardiners, while Lady Catherine continued to sputter and fume to herself. Returning to her seat, Lady Catherine proceeded to scowl at Mr. Bennet, who calmly gazed back at her in defiance. Mr. Bennet kept a firm grip on Mrs. Bennet's arm as he chatted pleasantly with the Earl, as if to forestall any possibility of a spontaneous action on her part. Mrs. Bennet was too much in awe of her surroundings to say very much, although she gaped at the luxurious furnishings.
"I had hoped for a different reaction when I announced our engagement," Mr. Darcy quipped with a disdainful glance at Lady Catherine as he presented Elizabeth to his aunt and uncle.
"Well, we shall not disappoint you," Lady Rebecca cooed. "I am so very happy to meet you, dear, and I welcome you to the family.'
"Indeed," said the Earl, as he drew her further into the room and introduced her to his older son, John and wife, Gemma. Elizabeth was charmed by all the Fitzwilliams and they all endeavored to make her welcome. Georgiana drew Elizabeth to her side as the rest of the party began to relax and mingle. Everyone seemed to forget Mr. Bennet's confrontation with Lady Catherine as easily as they had forgotten her earlier confrontation with the Earl.
"I am sorry about Aunt Catherine," Georgiana whispered to her future sister as she drew her aside. "She is not usually so rude."
"You will never be able to convince her of that," winked Colonel Fitzwilliam. "I am afraid she knows Aunt Catherine far too well. But I am very sorry that you should be subjected to such behavior in our home," the Colonel added with an apologetic smile.
"You are right, Colonel. I am far too well acquainted with your aunt and thus I have no choice but to acquit you and your family of any responsibility for that incident." Elizabeth glanced at Mr. Darcy, who had been detained by the Earl and Mr. Bennet. Mr. Darcy's eyes were fixed upon his aunt. Elizabeth sighed. She knew that the unpleasantness caused by her engagement to Mr. Darcy was not over.
While Colonel Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth told Georgiana of their experiences with Lady Catherine in Kent, Miss Bingley joined the Viscount and his lady in conversation with her brother and Jane. She listened politely as John and Gemma apologized to Jane for their aunt's behavior.
"I do not know why Aunt Catherine should object to your sister; she is as refined a lady as we have ever seen," said John.
"I did not realize that you knew Miss Bennet," Miss Bingley replied.
"Oh, we have never met before this evening," smiled the elegant Lady Gemma. "But we have seen her on a few occasions, and I must say we were very impressed by her." The couple exchanged a smile, as Jane wrinkled her brow in confusion. Colonel Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth, who were just a short distance away, could not help but overhear the comme
nt, and could not resist the temptation to listen further.
"Miss Bennet first came to our notice some months ago at the theatre," John began, as his doting wife smiled in encouragement. "It was in the spring, was it not my love?"
"Yes, dearest," Gemma replied. "Darcy there," she said with a gesture toward her tall cousin, "Was not himself that night. When we spoke to him, he did not even acknowledge us."
"Yes. We feared that something was wrong with him, but after observing him we saw that he seemed to be quite obsessed with a certain young lady."
"Of course, we had no idea of her identity then," added Gemma. "We later asked Richard about the lady, but he would tell us very little. We decided to do a bit of investigating for ourselves," she added with satisfaction.
"Unfortunately, no one in our acquaintance knew anything of her," said John.
"Richard was very cruel to us," pouted Gemma. "He would not tell us a thing." Colonel Fitzwilliam stopped feigning indifference, and in spite of Georgiana's whispered appeal, he and Elizabeth walked over to join the conversation.
"I rather liked the idea of Miss Bennet as a woman of mystery," teased the Colonel to his sister and brother. "Besides, I could not have the two of you gossiping about Darcy's love life among the ton."
"We have gossiped to no one," said the Colonel's affronted brother.
"We have been very discrete in our inquiries," Gemma chimed in.
"Inquiries about my love life?" asked Mr. Darcy as he joined the circle. John and Gemma repeated their tale of how they first saw Elizabeth at the theatre in March and their subsequent observations on her later visits to town.
"We have kept a close eye on your Miss Bennet since then," said John.
"And we have been speculating about her ever since," concluded Gemma with a smile for Elizabeth.
"I had no idea that the two of you had been spying on us," Mr. Darcy said, but John and Gemma just laughed. Lady Catherine's snort of derision momentarily distracted the group. The offended dowager remained in her chair, speaking to no one, contributing nothing to the evening's festivities, but silently observing all the Bennets. In the space of a minute she had found them all wanting, decidedly inferior. Mr. Bennet, Lady Catherine concluded, was rude and boorish, and his wife a complete fool, though probably tractable. Elizabeth Bennet she already knew to be a scheming social climber, and as for Jane Bennet.... Not being able to discern any external flaws, Lady Catherine merely concluded that she must be tainted by her connections to the other Bennets. The Gardiners she deemed not worthy of comment. She could no longer contain her anger and began to vent her spleen.
So Long, Sentiment Page 28
