by Beth Massey
Caroline was unsure how to proceed with her mission. Charles turned away from her as he continued to relay his recent decisions. “I believe my life to be without purpose. My lack of seriousness was pointed out to me by Jane’s uncle. I thought about returning to Netherfield, but I do not believe that to be the right choice for me at this time. My skills are not those needed for successful management of an estate. Instead, I have decided to follow in our father’s footsteps. Mr Gardiner is mentoring me in the ways of business. We have agreed to enter into a joint venture that I will direct with his advice.”
Her horror at his pronouncement was beyond her ability to hide. “You are going into trade?”
“I will be establishing a company to manufacture very large copper bathtubs in Somerset. I will travel there to begin scouting for possible locations soon after the wedding.”
“How will I be able to win the right sort of husband with the stigma of you being in trade?”
He turned back toward her. His words were filled with frustration as though he had little hope she would be touched by his advice. “It is odd you use the word win. You have used it twice in my presence this morning. Marriage is still seen by you as a contest with a prize at the end of the quest. Success to you is still securing someone connected and rich with your beauty and accomplishments. You have still not grasped my words to you at Pemberley.”
There was so little of Charles in the demeanour of this man. He seemed so serious as he droned on with his lecture. “Admiration, affection and respect for someone’s character should be the basis of marriage. I, on the other hand, thought there was no need to accomplish anything in order to attract someone. In my pursuit of love, I believed my amiable ways were enough to ‘win’ someone. Recently someone taught me I must have a purpose to gain someone’s affection and respect. We are two sides of the same coin, Caroline. I have decided to change, and I suggest you do the same.”
Charles rose from the table and said, “Mr Gardiner is expecting me. Perhaps we could have dinner later in the week and continue this conversation.”
Charlotte Lucas was having breakfast at Lucas Lodge in Hertfordshire. She was annoyed with her husband for hurrying back to Kent rather than trying to make up to her. After he left, she made no attempt to hide her displeasure with William from her mother and father. His promise to her when they made this trip was that she would be able to spend time with her family. As it turned out his real mission had been to deliver a message to Mr Bennet.
He had been instructed to admonish her best friend’s father for the wanton behaviour of his youngest daughter. Charlotte did not approve of Lydia’s action; and truth be told, Mr Bennet had not properly controlled her. However, Lady Catherine had suggested to Mr Collins that Lydia’s death would be a blessing. Further she instructed him to encourage Mr Bennet to abandon Lydia. When she heard that in Mr Bennet’s absence, he had told Elizabeth that Charlotte had spoken of Lydia’s licentious behaviour and the indulgence of her conduct by her father, she became furious. She ordered her husband from her presence.
It was one thing to do Lady Catherine’s bidding, but to drive a wedge between herself and Elizabeth with words that were inflammatory and false had caused her to sleep in Maria’s room that evening. With the dawning of the next day, William announced he was returning to Kent to inform Lady Catherine of the weddings that were to take place.
This morning, Charlotte told her mother about her suspicions of Mr Darcy’s attraction when Elizabeth visited her in Kent. “Mama, the way he looked at her, the frequent visits he and Colonel Fitzwilliam made to Hunsford, and the numerous times he encountered her during her walks were all evidence of his admiration.” Despite her own marital turmoil, Charlotte felt quite giddy for her best friend. “Maria, you must have noticed. It was impossible to persuade Lizzy. She was positive he hated her, and refused to believe me.”
Lady Lucas did not look entirely pleased with the momentous announcement of the double wedding. She spoke the opposite sentiment, “I am happy for both Elizabeth and Lydia, but this news following on the heels of the gossip about ruination is hard to grasp.”
Maria had been chattering about her friend’s good fortune ever since her brother-in-law had relayed the news upon his return from Longbourn. “La! Lydia to marry a viscount! How wondrous! Where did he come from and how did she meet him? I wish I was with her now and could hear all the details of his courtship and proposal.”
Charlotte had been equally astounded about the news of Lydia. “Yes, Maria it is hard to believe. First you wrote from Brighton she eloped with Wickham, and a few days later we learn she is betrothed to the Viscount Colton and will one day become a countess.”
Mrs Lucas shook her head in disbelief. “Mrs Hill told Mrs Clark she was given instructions to prepare for a feast to celebrate both weddings. The couples will travel into Hertfordshire shortly after the wedding.”
Charlotte looked determined as she spoke to her father. “Papa, I do not plan to return to Kent until after that event has taken place. I want to meet this mysterious Lord Colton. Hopefully, I will be awarded an opportunity to tell Elizabeth my words were not as Mr Collins said.”
It was shortly after noon, and Lady Catherine de Bourgh had just received two letters sent by two separate express riders. One was from her brother in Derbyshire, and the other was from her nephew, Mr Darcy, in London. Shortly after the letters arrived, a note was received from Mr Collins requesting to meet with his patroness sometime today. He indicated he had important information to impart about the Bennet family.
First, Lady Catherine sent a servant to inform Mr Collins she would meet with him at three. Once that was out of the way, she called for tea to enjoy while she read her correspondence. She decided to open her brother’s letter first.
Its content momentarily made her quite agitated when she read the news of Darcy’s intentions to marry Miss Elizabeth Bennet. However, the more she read, she calmed as she learned of the steps her brother was taking to determine the suitability of the young woman. The entire family, including the Viscount Lillebridge and his wife, were leaving Elderton for London. Her brother wrote he and his family had been considering making the trip even before Richard had written to them with his cousin’s news. Once her brother met the country nobody, she was certain he would intervene and force Darcy to see the folly of his plans.
As she opened the second letter, she saw Darcy had written it just this morning. Again she became inflamed by the letter’s contents. Not only was her nephew intending to marry Miss Bennet, but he also was informing her he had set the date… and it was very soon. The ceremony would be a double wedding with her sister at Saint James, Piccadilly. This news required action on her part. She would travel to London and help her brother set their nephew straight. The Earl of Elderton had most certainly not been told of the sordid elopement of this sister, and the gossip and rumours circulating of her licentious behaviour. It would not do to be connected with such a family.
Lady Catherine informed Anne of both letters and told her of the plans to travel to London. They would leave in four days to coordinate their arrival with her brother’s.
To her mother’s annoyance, Anne seemed quite gleeful at her cousin’s impending marriage. “I enjoyed Miss Bennet’s lively company. She is a good fit for Fitzwilliam. I had suspected to hear the news much earlier of a betrothal. All the signs were there that he was going to propose while they were in Kent.”
Lady Catherine had finally calmed herself from her daughter’s treacherous words when Mr Collins was shown to her study. With absolute certainty of her success, she had begun to formulate a plan to end this wedding. Her parson would have additional ammunition she could deploy to stop her nephew’s foolishness.
Once seated across from her desk, she gave the man one of her imperious looks. “What news from Hertfordshire?”
“Oh my noble patroness, I am sorry to inform you that the news is not agreeable. Mr Bennet was not at home. He was in London. I delivered y
our message to Miss Elizabeth. She listened politely, but then her mother overheard your suggestion that the family abandon Miss Lydia, and she took umbrage. She accused me of being unchristian in my suggestions, and ordered me out of her house; but before I made my leave, she informed me that her daughter Miss Elizabeth was to marry Mr Darcy and…”
She rudely interrupted him and waved the two letters in his face. “Yes, I know. I have heard of the impending nuptials. It seems they have convinced the young man from the militia to marry the licentious young woman who ran away with him. What can my nephew be thinking, to stand before God and be a party to this dreadful patched up business? My brother and I will not stand for our nephew to marry into such a disreputable family.”
When she stopped to catch her breath, Mr Collins began to finish his news. “But Lady Catherine, Miss Lydia is not marrying Lieutenant Wickham. Yes, it was with him she eloped, but Mrs Bennet said she was marrying a viscount. I am unsure of his name, but I think it is Lord Coltraine… or no, maybe, Lord Colting. Ah, now I remember, his name is Lord Colton, and he will one day be the Earl of Blessing. My Charlotte says that means Miss Lydia will become a countess when her husband becomes the earl.”
Lady Catherine’s face took on the hue of the room’s red brocade chairs. Her appearance suggested an apoplectic seizure was imminent, but the murderous look in her eyes suggested something different… that his role as messenger qualified him to be violently silenced.
She rose from her chair and pulled him out of his. A screech came from her mouth. “Out! I want you out of my presence.”
Lady Catherine seethed with fury. A silly wanton young woman, the daughter of a minor country squire, had won the title she had been denied. The memories of her youth and her quest to become a countess came flooding back. The Earl of Blessing had obviously spawned a son equal to him in foolishness.
Mr Collins fled from the room perplexed. His noble patroness had seemed calm with the news of Mr Darcy marrying Miss Elizabeth. However, when he related the information of Miss Lydia’s marriage, she had seemed to slip into some form of madness.
First Mrs Bennet, then Charlotte and now Lady Catherine had been displeased with his words and asked him to leave. As he hurried back to Hunsford, he hoped the anger expressed toward him would not be permanent on the part of either Charlotte or his patroness. Mrs Bennet would soon be the mother of a countess. Perhaps he should reconsider trying to get back into her good graces as well.
17
MR BENNET STOPS, LOOKS AND LISTENS
Mr Bennet met with both of his prospective sons-in-laws to review the settlement agreements. His head was reeling from the generosity of both men. Lord Colton had been first. As he listened to the terms, his mind wandered. When he considered his evaluation of his youngest daughter when last she was at Longbourn, he realized that never in his wildest flights of fancy could he have imagined her settled so fortuitously. While her fate smacked of random good luck laced with theatrical silliness, he found himself frequently attempting to determine her appeal to a man of such consequence. What he had been blind to a month ago was now patently obvious. It seemed as though she was maturing at some miraculous speed.
Elizabeth, on the other hand, seemed to be pondering the cosmic meaning of happiness. She was joyous, but unlike her sister, she seemed less certain of her future. Some moments he would catch Mr Darcy and Elizabeth glance at each other, and the love between them seemed to illuminate the entire room. However, when they were not there to reassure each other, the lines of the four horsemen of some approaching apocalypse—dread, shame, doubt, and guilt—would oft take over their brows. Mr Darcy seemed to have more of the share of dread and shame, while Elizabeth more doubt and guilt. The time had come. He must ask the young man whether they had anticipated their vows.
“Mr Darcy sometimes you appear as though you are heading for the hangman’s noose, not the altar.”
The tall young man seemed startled by the observation. The tip of his tongue that seemed to belay anxiety and preceded a carefully considered response, peeked out from between his lips. This was Elizabeth’s chess gesture since childhood. Mr Bennet wondered whether he had always deliberated so or whether it was a sign of the growing intimacy between the two. Finally Mr Darcy spoke. “Oh no, I am very joyful. If you remember, I practically begged you to consider my request for a double wedding.”
“You did indeed, son. I am troubled though about the apprehension I sometimes observe on both your faces. Could you be dreading the exposure of anticipating your vows?”
Mr Bennet had his answer by the look on his future son-in-law’s face. They had… there could be no doubt about it. Darcy turned the ring on his pinkie before he spoke again, and Mr Bennet prepared himself for another revelation. He wondered whether he would walk to the window and peer out sometime during this interview. His habits and gestures had become very familiar during their several conferences. However, the words he heard were not another confession. “No sir, I have not been intimate with your daughter. We have embraced and kissed quite passionately… but I assure you sir, we have done nothing more. I will own to the fact we are finding it difficult to wait.”
Mr Bennet, who had absolutely no fear that this young man would abandon his daughter, decided to accept his answer. But he was bothered by why a man as honest as Mr Darcy would not admit to this liberty. “Mr Darcy, please accept my apology for questioning your honour. My probe was not motivated by a need to admonish you for a lack of propriety. Instead, I am concerned by the anxiety I see—something is troubling both of you.”
Darcy struggled to maintain eye contact. He feared the warmth that suffused his neck and face was visible. How could he have disguised the truth so blatantly? Still, he refused to diminish Elizabeth in front of her father? His panicked brain had formulated the denial with her in mind.
His tongue of consternation appeared again before he answered. “My family is not as accepting and loving as Lord Colton’s. Elizabeth is concerned that my uncle, the Earl of Elderton, may not be supportive of our marriage. Both of us know my aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, will most certainly condemn our union.”
Mr Bennet smiled sardonically. “I know of your aunt from my cousin and Lizzy. Mr Collins is forever singing Lady Catherine’s praises. Elizabeth told me of her questioning my methods for raising daughters. I must admit some disapproval was warranted, given my negligence in providing them with an adequate education.”
Darcy shook his head at Mr Bennet’s words. “Sir, my aunt was rude toward your daughter, and the raptures of Mr Collins you were forced to endure are far from the truth. The viciousness of her nature was obvious in the words she sent Mr Collins to deliver to you. According to Elizabeth, she wanted you to abandon Lydia, and had her messenger express the vile suggestion that it would be better if Lydia died.”
The window received his attention before he turned to Mr Bennet to continue his explanation. “Since shortly after my mother’s death, Lady Catherine began telling me that she and her sister—my mother—had planned for the marriage of their children to each other. My father told me there was no validity to her claim. The occasion of my questioning the truth of her statement was the first time he told me of their true hopes for their children. They wanted both of us to be free to marry for love just as they had. Of course, fate stepped in and robbed them of the ability to counsel us on just how to achieve that goal.”
“Mr Darcy, why are you telling me this?”
Fitzwilliam made certain he had the older man’s full attention. He knew the importance of his next words. When Mr Bennet returned his gaze, he continued, “I believe my aunt plans to encourage her brother, the earl, to interfere. I will not bow to his pressure; but I worry for Elizabeth?”
The tip of his tongue made another appearance as he formulated his final words on the subject. “Oh, but I do not want Lizzy to be hurt… again. Each morning I pray that these final days are accomplished, and God’s blessing removes us from such mundane concerns as
familial disapproval. Surely then, we could ease your concerns, by banishing forever the dread you see… and there would be nothing but bliss to observe on our faces.”
The dinner at Blessing House introduced the remaining members of Lord Colton’s family to those who had already been in town preparing for the most auspicious double wedding London had witnessed in some time. Every day there was some gossipy mention in the papers. Nothing damaging to the parties involved, but persistent in planting certain stimulating notions to the lascivious nature of the readers. Usually the items marvelled at how the daughters of a minor country gentleman had managed to ‘catch’ two men of such distinction. While Lydia loved the attention, Elizabeth secretly feared there would be repercussions.
The Earl of Blessing was as tall as his sons, but disease had ravished his body. His gaunt frame actually fooled the observer into believing he was the tallest of the three, when in reality, he was slightly shorter. The elaborate wig of his sister, Lady Sarah, allowed her to appear to rival the men of her family in height; but her niece, Lady Eleanor actually did.
The earl assumed his role as head of Blessing House for perhaps the last time. He presided over this celebratory dinner as host. Mr and Mrs Bennet and their five daughters were joined by Mr and Mrs Gardiner and their two oldest children, as well as Mr and Mrs Phillips. Mr Darcy, Miss Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam were present; representing two of Derbyshire’s other great families.
Lord Blessing’s family was altogether for the first time in several years, with the inclusion of Lady Sarah at the gathering. In honour of her aunt’s new role in the family, Lady Eleanor asked her to assume the role of hostess for this dinner. Lady Sarah was accompanied by Dr Parton, the elder. The two planned to marry quietly in a ceremony conducted by her nephew Lawrence once they returned to Derbyshire. Mr Bingley and Mrs Annesley, were included in the festivities. Completing the gathering was Dr Parton’s son, also a physician, who had travelled with his patient, Lord Blessing, to celebrate with the family to whom he would soon be connected.
