“If it is something I need to know, sir, then be sure I am able to hear it. I would not have you think me too fragile to be able to understand what is needed.”
She looked over the table at him. “Perhaps when you have eaten your fill, we should go to the drawing room for the discussion.”
He glanced down at his almost untouched plate. “Yes, we will do that. And I do not think you weak. I am, though, sensible that you have been through a dreadful ordeal. I do not really wish to open the wounds afresh.”
“I believe I might survive, sir.” Elizabeth spoke lightly, but she wondered what news the letter contained.
Soon enough, they were all sitting in the lounge. She watched him as he stood at the window; his profile was becoming very familiar to her. He looked angry, but he was trying to hide the fact. He swung around.
“First, I will tell you the letter was from Lady Catherine de Bourgh.”
Elizabeth gazed at him steadily. “Mr. Collins’ patroness.” She smiled. “And I have heard she is also your aunt.”
“Yes.” He came and took the chair next to her. “I do not know where you heard that, but you may also have heard that she wishes me to marry her daughter, Miss Anne de Bourgh.”
“Yes, I had heard that.” Elizabeth’s voice was quiet.
A muscle twitched in his jaw. “I have told her again and again that I have no intention of complying with her wishes and neither does her daughter, but she will not hear what she does not wish to.”
Georgiana laughed. “That is true — when you even get a moment to speak.”
“Yes. Well, be that as it may, Mr. Collins has returned to his parish. He has called at Rosings Park and told Lady Catherine of my part in ‘stealing’ his future bride from him.” He could not remain seated, and jumped to his feet again, his anger palpable. “He also tells her that he believed it was his calling to choose you as his wife and that no other lady would be acceptable to her as his patroness.” He looked at Elizabeth. “He says that you are engaged to him and that you have been ‘led astray’ in leaving Longbourn.”
Elizabeth was staring at him, mesmerised, as he strode about the room.
“Apparently, they have decided she cannot be crossed; that no other lady will do now, for either my aunt, or your cousin. They are determined to have you as Mrs. Collins.”
Elizabeth could not help smiling. Mr. Darcy looked over at her and hesitated. But Georgiana interrupted before he could speak.
“I know it must sound funny, Elizabeth, but you have not met my aunt. Once you have, you will understand why Fitzwilliam is so angry.”
Elizabeth schooled her face to solemnity again. “Of course. I apologise for my levity.” But she knew her lips twitched and Mr. Darcy smiled grudgingly.
“I suppose amusement might be the best way to look at the situation.”
“I am sure it is. You might tell Lady Catherine that you are obliged to me and you’re very sorry, but you must do your duty. That will shift all the blame to me, and you may remain on friendly terms with your aunt.”
Both Georgiana and her brother stared at her in amazement, before looking at each other. It was a moment before either of them could speak.
“Elizabeth, no one at all is on friendly terms with my aunt,” Georgiana was the first to stop laughing and tell Elizabeth why they were so amused. “She can be very — intimidating — I suppose is the correct term.” She sobered and looked at her brother.
“You must write at once, Fitzwilliam, and prevent her calling here. It would not be a pleasant visit.”
“You’re right.” Mr. Darcy sighed. “I had hoped Mr. Collins would accept defeat gracefully, but it appears not.” He glanced at the letter in his hand.
“My aunt tells me not to do anything hasty. If I am obliged, then she is sure that she can make whatever arrangements are necessary to ensure the marriage of Mr. Collins goes ahead.” He looked at Elizabeth. “I believe she intends to bribe you.”
She smiled. “Well, sir. If I was indeed a woman intent on trapping you by compromise and obligation, it would take a very great deal of bribery to make such a woman relinquish her hold over the most eligible man in the land.”
He stared at her, his lips curving in an involuntary smile. “I believe I would almost be tempted to see you and my aunt together. It is the first time I can see my aunt losing a confrontation. But I do not think she will come here.”
The doors opened and the butler came in. “Lady Catherine de Bourgh,” he announced.
But behind him, Lady Catherine walked straight into the room.
Chapter 32
Elizabeth was stunned for a moment, then automatically rose and curtsied, as did Georgiana.
She glanced at Mr. Darcy. Originally he’d looked thunderstruck, but now his expression was guarded and aloof.
He went forward to greet her. “Lady Catherine.” He bowed. “We are not prepared to see you. Why did you not wait in the hall to be announced?”
His aunt ignored him and looked around the room. Her gaze went straight over Georgiana and settled on Elizabeth.
“Is this the young woman?”
“I will answer the question, madam, when you have answered mine.” Mr. Darcy sounded exasperated and he stood himself between them.
“She must be.” Lady Catherine walked towards the sofa and sat herself down in splendid arrogance.
Elizabeth kept her expression calm and serene. In just those few moments she had the measure of Lady Catherine and knew at once why she had chosen such a stupid man as Mr. Collins for the living at Hunsford.
Mr. Darcy turned to them. “We will go to the music room, I think. When Lady Catherine has been properly announced, then we might return to this room for her call.”
He ignored his aunt’s spluttering and offered an arm to Georgiana, who gave him a startled look, but took it, and then he offered the other to her.
“Elizabeth.” His eyes were hooded, but warm and concerned.
Lady Catherine was on her feet. “What do you mean by this, Mr. Darcy? I will not have such insolence!”
But he was leading them from the room. He nodded at the footman.
In the music room, he smiled. “I have wanted to call her on her rudeness a number of times. And I will not have her appearing unannounced, so that I cannot speak to you first.”
He turned to Elizabeth. “Would you wish me to say you are indisposed, or will you see her?”
Her eyes danced. “She knows I am not indisposed, sir. I would not care for her to think I was afraid of her.”
“I thought as much. But I would want to warn you that no one has crossed her wishes for many years. She is not used to it, and she has always got her own way. She might not control her tongue.”
“I thank you for the warning, sir.” Elizabeth dipped her head. “I will answer all her questions quite truthfully, except those I feel she has no right to know.” She looked at him, loving his concern for her. “I trust that you will intervene if you do not wish me to answer something.”
“I will. And please do not be dismayed if I appear to say anything about our plans that I have not yet discussed with you. I will explain everything with you later.”
Georgiana stood up. “If you will excuse me, Elizabeth, Fitzwilliam, I would rather go upstairs and be quiet, than listen to my aunt. Would you forgive me?”
“Of course.” Mr. Darcy looked at her indulgently. “I will send up and tell you when she has gone.”
A footman appeared in the doorway, bearing a visiting card on a silver tray. “Lady Catherine de Bourgh, sir.”
“Thank you.” Mr. Darcy took the card from the tray. He smiled at Elizabeth. “So, shall we call and brave the inquiry?”
“I believe we should, Mr. Darcy.”
As they entered the drawing room, she saw Lady Catherine seated on the sofa she had chosen before. Small spots of colour glowed red on her cheeks. She seemed most decidedly angry.
Mr. Darcy bowed and Elizabeth curtsied. Elizabeth mo
ved forward and sat in the chair Mr. Darcy selected for her.
“Thank you, sir,” she murmured.
“So, now you’ve finished playing your games, you are able to talk to me, are you?” Lady Catherine barked at him.
“I believe you like to observe the proprieties, Lady Catherine.” He sounded quite imperturbable. “Allow me to introduce Miss Elizabeth Bennet to you.”
Lady Catherine did not spare her a glance but inclined her head slightly in Elizabeth’s direction.
“I understand the young lady is engaged to Mr. Collins.”
“I believe you are mistaken, aunt.”
Her eyes bulged. “I have had the information from Mr. Collins himself, and the girl’s father!”
Mr. Darcy nodded thoughtfully. “So both gentlemen called on you at Rosings Park, then?”
“They did indeed, Mr. Darcy! I heard a tale which has surprised me exceedingly. And now I find the young lady in your house. Staying here! It is most improper. I am ashamed of you!”
Mr. Darcy smiled very slightly. “Then I suppose you wish to leave this house immediately and not wish to meet Miss Bennet. She is a friend of Miss Darcy and is staying here with her.” He smiled more widely. “I will call your coach.”
“You will do no such thing, Mr. Darcy! I know you are pretending to misunderstand me. But I know your ways, sir! I have known you all your life! Kindly do not try to explain away what cannot be true!”
“Very well.” Mr. Darcy bowed and drew up a chair. Elizabeth noted he was sitting between her and his aunt. She sat, smiling slightly, quite certain that it would enrage Lady Catherine when she noticed it.
Mr. Darcy had noticed it, she was certain. She could feel his support flowing to her.
“So, you came a long way to visit, Lady Catherine. Do explain what you wish to say, as I am quite certain there is no other reason for you to arrive here uninvited than to have your say.”
Lady Catherine puffed up, incensed. “You are my nephew! I do not need an invitation to call!”
“As we have seen,” he murmured.
She glared at him. “Tell me one thing. Are you aware that she is engaged to Mr. Collins?”
“I am aware that Miss Bennet was forced by her family to accede to such an offer. But …”
He held his hand up as she drew breath to speak.
“But I am also in possession of a note Miss Bennet wrote to her sister that very evening, informing her that she would never remain engaged to him and that she had left him a note saying she was breaking their engagement.” He stood up, towering over his aunt.
“You have taken as your protege a man who is, in my view, quite unworthy of being a man of the cloth, who is prepared to speak untruths to try and get his own way and to misrepresent facts to you. To you, his patroness!”
Lady Catherine was red with anger, and Elizabeth wondered if Mr. Darcy meant to goad her so severely. But she had promised to allow him to deal with this matter. So she sat calmly, allowing a slight smile and waited to listen to what happened.
“Do you deny that you put this young woman in your coach after an altercation and got in it after her — alone?”
“I do not deny it.” Mr. Darcy was quite calm.
“What could you have been thinking of? How dare you risk your future — the future of your family and your fortune — on a girl of such little birth?” Lady Catherine rose from the chair in her agitation and approached Elizabeth.
“So what have you to say, you wretched girl? You would trap and ensnare my nephew! You will not, cannot get away with such a plot!”
Elizabeth stood up. She was as tall as the older woman and she met her eyes proudly. She saw Mr. Darcy about to intervene and glanced over, shaking her head at him. She turned back to their visitor.
“Lady Catherine. I am neither a plotter nor a schemer. I have my pride and I would not, ever, ask any man to do his duty by me just because in saving me from a terrible situation, he should have become obliged.”
Lady Catherine looked first disbelieving, then a dawning hope crossed her features.
“Well, that is most commendable, most.” She seemed to draw herself together and returned to her seat, nodding Elizabeth imperiously back to her own.
Elizabeth smiled again as she sat down.
“Miss Bennet, I am very pleased to hear your words this evening. Truly you will make a fine clergyman’s wife.”
“I am sorry, Lady Catherine.” Elizabeth shook her head. “I have no intention of marrying a clergyman. I meant every word I wrote to Mr. Collins last week …” she stopped to think and turned to Mr. Darcy.
“Was it only last week? A lot has happened since then.”
“It was only last week.” Mr. Darcy smiled at her warmly. “As you say, a great deal has happened.”
Lady Catherine did not miss his warm expression, which must have been his intention, Elizabeth surmised.
“Not going to marry? How could you accept a man, lead him on, then change your mind? Obstinate girl!”
“Lady Catherine, let me tell you my story, since you have heard Mr. Collins’ side already.” Elizabeth sat tall in her chair. She could show better behaviour than their visitor, she knew. “I was obliged by my mother to listen to Mr. Collins. He made me an offer, and I refused him most strongly. I cannot make him happy, and I would never marry only for material considerations.” She stared straight into Lady Catherine’s eyes, daring her to interrupt. “He refused to accept my answer, and I refused him again.” She swallowed, remembering her father’s pleading. “Unfortunately my father is concerned about the future of our family. He and my mother forced me to accept the proposal I had already twice refused.” She blinked the tears back.
“I decided it was better to write to Mr. Collins that very night and release him from his obligation to me, and not to remain engaged up to the very altar where I would then have to refuse to wed. I would not wish to humiliate him thus.”
“Disobedient, headstrong girl! You have a duty to marry as your parents dictate.” Lady Catherine’s voice was rising. “Have you no thought, no consideration for the concern they have?”
“I have the same level of concern for them as they appear to have had for my future happiness.” Elizabeth was determined to keep her temper.
She heard a muffled snort from Mr. Darcy beside her, and pressed her lips together so she would not laugh with him.
“But what man will have you now, compromised as you are? You should be grateful that Mr. Collins is still willing to have you, even as tainted as you are by staying here.”
Elizabeth jumped to her feet, trying to control herself. “Mr. Collins was the entire cause of my having had to leave home, Lady Catherine! He was the entire cause of having to risk my life to escape his unwanted attentions and refusal to listen to me. Mr. Collins is the entire cause of your own nephew having to risk his reputation to save me, and I am forever in his debt.” She flashed a smile at Mr. Darcy and was rewarded by his smile.
“Bravo, Elizabeth,” he murmured quietly. Elizabeth smiled. She was sure he had meant his aunt to hear him, and he was not disappointed.
“What did you say to her? You called her by her given name! You must not do such a thing, Mr. Darcy. She told me she would never ask a man to marry her even if he was obliged.”
“And she has not, and I believed she would never agree, even if that man should make an offer.” Mr. Darcy stood up and stood next to Elizabeth.
“But that has no bearing on whatever we might decide to do in the future, Lady Catherine. The only thing you came here for today was to try and force the engagement to Mr. Collins to continue. That will never happen, I can assure you.” He turned towards the door.
“And now I think it is time you journeyed home. You should not leave Cousin Anne for too long.”
“One moment, sir!” Lady Catherine was on her feet too. “Perhaps you do not know that Miss Bennet is not one and twenty yet. She cannot marry without her father’s permission, even with a Special L
icence. And he will not give that permission. What do you say to that, sir?”
Mr. Darcy smiled at his aunt in a way that must infuriate her. “I am perfectly aware of both those facts, madam. I have not yet spoken to Mr. Bennet about the matter. But of course, there is always Scotland.”
Elizabeth stepped forward. She thought Lady Catherine was about to fall, the lady had gone so pale with anger.
“Lady Catherine, are you well? Perhaps you should sit down for a moment.”
Lady Catherine glared at her. “If you did your duty and kept away from my nephew, I would be well. But you care not for anyone but yourself!”
She sat down regally. Elizabeth smiled. She found she cared not what Lady Catherine thought, only Mr. Darcy. And he seemed to be content enough.
“You may order my carriage.” Lady Catherine glared at him.
Chapter 33
Mr. Darcy tried to concentrate on Elizabeth and Georgiana at lunch, but he found it very difficult. He listened as Elizabeth told Georgiana what had transpired during Lady Catherine’s visit, and was amused when Georgiana spoke.
“But didn’t you tell her you were engaged to Fitzwilliam?”
Elizabeth glanced at him and he intervened.
“We did not. But she has been left in no doubt, I think, that it is what I intend.” He smiled. “I had hoped she would go away all unknowing what is to be. But I am not dismayed. There is nothing she can do at this moment. And Elizabeth was magnificent.”
He watched as she glanced down, her face going a rosy pink.
“Thank you, sir.”
“Elizabeth?” he spoke very quietly. “Do you think you might yet begin to call me by my given name? I would like to hear you say it.”
She looked startled. “Oh! Of course, sir. I had not wished to appear forward — Fitzwilliam.”
“Thank you, Elizabeth. I might begin to believe it is real, now.” He tried to stop his lips twitching as she stared at him, and then laughed.
He loved watching her laugh. Her infectious gaiety and enjoyment of life was part of what had attracted his attention when he’d first seen her and he was delighted to observe it returning as she recovered from her ordeal.
Compromise and Obligation: A Darcy and Elizabeth Pride and Prejudice Regency Variation Page 13
