From Admiration to Matrimony

by APRIL FLOYD

  When Anne entered her mother’s rooms, the sound of retching and a faint offensive odor caused her to quicken her pace. The maid sat on the edge of her mother’s bed, tending her brow with a cool cloth. The pain etched on Lady Catherine’s face frightened Anne and she quickly took the maid’s place at her mother’s side. She turned to the maid and gave instruction. “Please see that her chamber pot is cleaned and have weak tea sent up right away, and cool water for her brow.”

  Anne placed a hand upon her mother’s forehead and was pleased to find there was no fever present. Lady Catherine grasped her hand and held it tightly. “Thank heavens you came, my dear. When did you arrive?”

  Anne looked at her mother with confusion. Had the woman truly forgotten her arrival hours earlier? Perhaps she was only weary and confused by her illness. Deciding to believe it was only the fog of illness obscuring her memory, Anne smoothed her mother’s hair. “Mother, I saw you earlier, you recall. I only rested for a short time in my rooms.”

  Lady Catherine moaned in pain and Anne resolved to stay by her side. She would send word to Henry of her intentions and hope Miss Bingley would behave with a modicum of restraint during dinner. If her mother was resting peacefully afterwards, she might go to the parlor and speak with Miss Bingley about returning to London.

  The maid returned and sat the tea tray upon a table near Anne. She left for a moment and returned with a clean chamber pot and a pitcher of cool water. “Miss, is there more I might do to help your mother?”

  Anne shook her head. “I will stay with her through dinner. You may deliver a message to the Viscount for me. Tell him I shall try to come down to the parlor later but I send my regrets that I may not join him for dinner.”

  The maid left and Anne moved about the room smoothing covers, opening curtains, and speaking with her mother as though all was fine. She pulled up a chair beside the bed and began to lay a fresh cloth upon her mother’s forehead. Lady Catherine was either a wonderful actress or the woman was truly ill. Anne did not wish for her mother to be ill, but if she was pretending, it would be so much worse than a true malady.

  Anne was lost in her thoughts, wondering exactly how the situation at Rosings had come to pass. What possible use could her mother have for Miss Bingley? In all her years spent at Rosings, she had never known her mother to invite anyone to visit and certainly none as false as Caroline Bingley.

  A small knock came upon the door and Anne knew it was likely the maid from earlier. A few moments later, a small coughing sound startled her and Anne turned to find Charlotte Collins standing in the doorway. “Why Mrs. Collins, what has brought you here so late in the evening? Is the parson quite well?”

  Charlotte shook her head and smiled. “I have only come to sit with your mother. I have an herbal that will ease the pain and help her to rest. Would you like to give it with her tea?”

  Anne smiled at Mrs. Collins and took the packet of herbs and let them steep in the tea. “Elizabeth told me of your friendship and I was pleased to return because of your presence. As you may know, I left Rosings in a manner that angered my mother. I am pleased to be able to tend her now.”

  Charlotte glanced at Miss de Bourgh but would not mention the words she had overheard that day outside the breakfast parlor. She would simply try to break the plans of Lady Catherine and Miss Bingley. “Miss Anne, you must go down to dinner.”

  Anne hesitated for a moment, but Charlotte led her gently from the room. “Should she require your presence; I will send for you. Go, enjoy your first night home with your beloved. Begging your pardon, but leaving him alone with Miss Bingley is a punishment no man should suffer.”

  Anne smiled brightly at the parson’s wife and took her hand in a gesture of thanks. She returned to her room to glance in the looking glass before going downstairs to find her beloved Henry.

  Caroline Bingley leaned towards the man in the dining room, her lashes lowered in a most becoming manner as she spoke. “I can’t imagine Lady Catherine would keep her daughter in her sickroom, but you and I shall make the best of it as we dine alone.”

  Henry merely nodded at her words, control over his distaste for the woman firmly in place. Above all, he was a man of honor and would not allow the spinster to misconstrue his intentions.

  Henry smiled broadly at Caroline, causing the woman to reach her hand across the table believing his smile was for her. The smile was for Anne, for he spied her entering the room from the corner of his eye. Henry rose and held out her chair before kissing her hand.

  Henry was greatly relieved at her presence and lingered for a moment at her side before returning to his seat. Anne kept her eyes on Henry, willing herself not to satisfy her longing to glance at Caroline Bingley.

  “Why Miss Anne, I did not think to see you this evening with your mother quite ill,” Caroline said with false concern.

  Anne straightened her napkin in her lap and gave a strained smile to her company. “Mother is in good hands Miss Bingley, you’ve no concern there. Perhaps you would prefer to return to London at your earliest convenience? As you can see, we are not able to entertain at the moment.”

  Caroline Bingley made a face that showed she did not prefer to leave for London. Lady Catherine had not yet paid her and she would not return home empty-handed. Besides, the handsome viscount made for excellent company when compared to her sister, Louisa, and her husband Mr. Hurst. “I would not impose upon you Miss Anne, I assure you. I have kept your friend from being terribly lonely, haven’t I sir?”

  Anne bit back an angry retort and instead turned to Henry, for she did not wish to give Miss Bingley an upper hand. “Perhaps after dinner we might take a stroll through the gardens.”

  “A fine idea my dear,” Henry said as the footmen carried in the first course. “I would be pleased to wander the gardens with you.”

  Caroline, being the conniver she was, tried to weasel an invitation for herself to the after-dinner stroll.

  Anne smiled innocently, her eyes wide. “Why Miss Bingley, I promised Mrs. Collins you would sit with mother so she might walk with us and make Henry’s acquaintance. Since you’d rather not leave Rosings, I suspect you must feel some sympathy for mother and would be pleased to tend her for a time.”

  Caroline smiled sweetly though the words she held back would have made Miss de Bourgh gasp in horror. She must not give away Lady Catherine’s plans lest she have nothing to show for this trip to Rosings, a home she was certain she hoped never to see again.

  Chapter 28

  Elizabeth watched her mother and father cross the drive to their waiting carriage with her three as yet unmarried sisters. She held back the smile of pure joy that would surely come once the Bennet family carriage rolled out of sight of Pemberley.

  She had enjoyed their company for a time but the last few days had only been bearable with the planning of her trip to London with Lady Anne.

  Jane stood by her side dutifully waving as the carriage pulled away. Their mother’s voice carried across the drive, her complaints already begun so early in the long trip home to Longbourn.

  They would stop in London to visit her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner and Elizabeth knew Kitty and Lydia would not be satisfied until they had paid a call to the Matlocks before leaving for Hertfordshire.

  She had sent a letter ahead to warn Lady Matlock but knew there was nothing more to be done. At least she might offer the good lady her sincere apologies once she arrived in London herself.

  Jane took her hand and they hurried inside the doors of Pemberley, eager to meet with the gentleman from Lambton who would oversee the plans for refreshing the nursery decor before Elizabeth left for Town.

  “Lizzy, have you decided on a color for the walls? Though it is a lovely room, well situated and filled with light from all the windows, there is much to be done.”

  Elizabeth nodded her head and led Jane up the stairs. “Mr. Ellsworth is eager to show us fabric and paper for the walls. He has helped with the decor of several rooms at Pemberley, but t
his will be the first for me as mistress.”

  The sisters entered the nursery to sit for an hour and choose the perfect fabrics and paint colors for the room. Elizabeth was pleased to have Jane’s thoughts on each selection since the nursery at Brambling had been refreshed the year before. The idea of their children growing up together separated by only a few miles was a blessing the two sisters cherished.

  Lady Anne met them at the nursery door and the ladies went down for tea. Jane took Elizabeth’s hand as they sat, her eyes full of concern. “Have you had a letter from Rosings, then?”

  Elizabeth had been kept busy in the last days of her family’s stay and had seen very little of Jane. Finally, she was able to speak with her about the trip to London.

  Elizabeth glanced at her mother-in-law, the grin on her face impossible to hide. Turning again to Jane she felt as though they were sharing a secret as they had while growing up at Longbourn. “We wrote to Anne of our plan to travel to Town. I did not wish to speak of it before today, for I feared Mama would begin a campaign to have us go along with them.”

  Jane smiled and nodded. “Indeed, that was a wise choice Lizzy. You must travel so that you arrive after they have left Town.”

  The butler knocked and entered the parlor, a letter in his hand. He glanced at his mistress of many years but delivered the post to Elizabeth. Soon he would be in the habit of looking to the new Mrs. Darcy as the mistress of Pemberley.

  He nodded to the party and left making certain to close the door behind him.

  Elizabeth noted the hand of Anne de Bourgh upon the paper and opened it at once. She read through the pages before sharing the news. Smiling, she handed the letter to Lady Anne and turned to Jane. “It is from Anne. She assures us all is well though Miss Bingley is a guest at Rosings. She wished for us to know that we are most welcome to visit.”

  Jane frowned at the news. “Caroline is my sister now and I would not like to insult her, but I cannot imagine the Miss Anne we know and love to be a good companion for her. I wonder why Lady Catherine would invite her to Rosings?”

  Elizabeth wondered the same but having been an unwilling guest there she supposed the mistress of Rosings had her reasons for inviting Miss Bingley.

  “I am certain Caroline’s presence will come to no good end. She and Lady Catherine are a despicable pair. Poor Anne! I do hope Henry is able to stay there rather than go to London as they planned.”

  Jane took Elizabeth’s hand and rose from her seat. “I would dearly love to stay and visit but I must be going. Do not worry for Miss Anne, for she does have Henry at her side. Charlotte too, I would imagine. Lizzy, I will see you again before you leave?”

  Elizabeth squeezed Jane’s hand, grateful for her sister’s reassurances. “You shall, sister. You might speak with Charles about a trip to London. I am sure Mr. Darcy would love nothing more than to encourage him to purchase a townhouse there.”

  Elizabeth walked with Jane to see her to the front door, leaving Lady Anne to read the letter in privacy. They would surely speak later of the curious visit of Miss Bingley to Rosings.

  The dinner at Rosings was done and Anne rose as Henry held her chair. “Miss Bingley, I am most grateful for your attention to mother. Would you send Mrs. Collins down to join us?”

  Caroline kept her smile firmly in place but her glare in Anne de Bourgh’s direction caused Henry to pull his lady closer to his side.

  The protective nature of the viscount gave Caroline a moment’s pause as she walked slowly past the couple. Lady Catherine’s plan had not accounted for Henry’s devotion to Anne.

  She would be forced to consider a bolder method of separating the viscount from his love. As she ascended the stairs, Caroline smiled at the wicked thoughts in her mind.

  With each step on the stairs, she considered her various plans to snare Henry Amestrey. She had hoped Anne de Bourgh would remain at her mother’s side and had not accounted for the presence of the parson’s wife.

  It was then Charlotte Collins stepped into the hallway and nearly collided with Miss Bingley as she had that day in the garden. Mrs. Collins gasped, her heart racing. “Have you come to see Lady Catherine?”

  Caroline’s face was pinched in a most unappealing manner and she stared at Charlotte as though she were a most vile creature. “I have. Now you may scurry behind Miss de Bourgh and hope for more notice than I should ever pay you.”

  Charlotte bowed her head, turning away so that she might hide the smile that came unbidden to her face. The high and mighty Miss Bingley was unaware that she knew of the plan with Lady Catherine.

  How satisfying it would be to spill her secrets now but she must wait and only be sure Miss Anne was aware of the traitorous nature of Miss Bingley. Lady Catherine’s daughter was no weakling, nor as sickly as Charlotte had been told by her husband the parson.

  Elizabeth had written to Charlotte twice since she had become the mistress of Pemberley and told her of Anne de Bourgh and her bravery. She also mentioned Lady Catherine and her cold heart.

  Charlotte remained by the door until Miss Bingley entered and then hurried to the stairs to join the happy couple. She must not linger in the gardens with them, for Mr. Collins would ask where she’d been even though he’d told her to tend Lady Catherine.

  Caroline closed the door of the sickroom and sniffed gently at the air. The odor Anne had noticed earlier was less obvious now, but still the lady from London pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and held it over her nose.

  She did not think her hostess to be truly sick, only that she was to pretend so. Now Caroline wondered if the woman had fallen ill as her daughter arrived. What delicious irony that would be!

  Lady Catherine sat up in her bed and demanded to know why Caroline had entered her rooms. “Our bargain does not give you license to invite yourself into my inner sanctum.”

  Caroline nodded her head in agreement. “Your ladyship, your daughter thought I might sit with you while she and her viscount walk about the gardens with the parson’s wife.”

  Lady Catherine hopped from her bed and had two maids scurry downstairs and bring up hot water for a bath.

  Caroline smiled, for she now knew the woman was not truly ill. “I wondered at you lying about all day unable to greet your daughter when she arrived. Our agreement stands, then?”

  Lady Catherine held out an arm as if she expected Caroline to help her undress. The woman stepped back in irritation but Lady Catherine followed her. “The maids are busy preparing my bath, do assist me Miss Bingley for I shall not tell a soul. That is, unless you perform as well as a lady’s maid.”

  The evil grin on Lady Catherine’s face caused Caroline much distress but she assisted the woman with her head down and her eyes averted. Things could not possibly become worse for her.

  “Come sit with me while I bathe and we shall discuss why it is my daughter who walks the grounds with the viscount and you are the one here with me.”

  Caroline Bingley thought of Miss Anne’s words at dinner. She was sorely tempted to leave Rosings that very night but her mercenary side rose quickly in her breast.

  She would stay and compromise that viscount and ruin any hopes he might have of marrying Miss Anne de Bourgh. She wanted the money Lady Catherine offered, but now she longed with all her being to give the privileged daughter of Rosings the heartache she deserved for the dismissive, callous treatment of a guest in her house.

  As she listened to Lady Catherine prattle on and on about the young couple and the plot to divide them, Caroline began to think of all the shops in London she would visit with the money Lady Catherine promised. It was the only defense she had as she sat at the foot of the tub, motioning the maids to help their mistress to stand.

  Lady Catherine sent her maid away with the assurance that Miss Bingley would be pleased to act as her lady’s maid.

  Caroline nodded, keeping her face carefully guarded so as not to insult her hostess. Did the woman know the thoughts swirling in her mind, she would be beyond ange
r.

  “Come Miss Bingley, you must see me back to my bed before Anne returns to sit with me.”

  Caroline did as she was told but her anger was barely concealed. The idea of returning to London became more appealing with each step and she had nearly convinced herself to do just that while pulling up the quilts for Lady Catherine, but the lady spoke before her mind was settled.

  “I shall do all that I may to keep Anne by my side but you must make the most of your time with the viscount. There is no time for seducing him slowly. Make the man yours Miss Bingley or leave Rosings and the plan in my capable hands.”

  Caroline clutched her fists at her sides, longing to tear something to shreds. She ought to have listened to Louisa in London when she’d warned her to stay in Tow and not travel to Rosings.

  Instead, she smiled at the woman’s words. She would not rest until the viscount was left with little choice but to become her husband. Now that Mr. Darcy was married, it truly mattered little if she became engaged to a man she did not love so long as his connections afforded her social rank.

  Chapter 29

  On a stone pathway outside Rosings, Anne de Bourgh introduced Charlotte Collins to her viscount. “My dear, this is Mrs. Collins. She is a particular friend of Elizabeth Darcy. She has come to tend mother and I thought she might enjoy a turn about the garden before she returns home to Mr. Collins.”

  Henry’s voice held a most solicitous tone as he addressed the timid woman. “I am pleased to make your acquaintance Mrs. Collins. I am most grateful you took Anne’s place at her mother’s side so that I might not dine alone with Miss Bingley.”

  Charlotte glanced at the handsome man before her. “Twas my pleasure, sir. I would not see anyone dine alone with Miss Bingley should I have the power to save them from the ordeal.”