by P. O. Dixon
“When the stable boy readied my phaeton and ponies, he assured me all the storm’s debris was cleared from the lanes. I suffered no inconvenience at all in coming here. Besides, I needed to come. I was worried about you, Elizabeth.”
“You worried needlessly, Anne. I arrived in one piece as you can tell.”
Elizabeth’s reassurance brought a smile to Anne’s face. “Mrs. Jenkinson said my cousin escorted you to the Parsonage.”
“Mrs. Jenkinson spoke the truth. I happened upon Mr. Darcy whilst I was leaving Rosings, and he insisted upon walking with me.”
“The storm had passed by the time he returned home. Did the two of you arrive here safely before the storm began? Did he remain with you the entire time?”
“Yes—Mr. Darcy and I arrived in time to escape the downpour.”
“Did you all enjoy a pleasant visit?” Anne said to Charlotte.
“My husband and I were out when Eliza and Mr. Darcy arrived.”
Elizabeth reached her hand out to Anne. “Yes, your poor cousin was forced to endure my company for a spell. By the time the Collinses arrived, Mr. Darcy was champing at the bit to escape. Would you not agree, dear Charlotte?”
Charlotte diverted her eyes. “I must admit he did seem eager to take his leave.”
Thank heavens, Charlotte’s enthusiasm over her own account for the gentleman’s hurried leave-taking was a bit more understated that morning than the day before. No sooner had their guest closed the front door behind him, and Mr. Collins had quit the room, did Charlotte turn to Elizabeth to ask what she had done to Mr. Darcy. Intending her question to be a rhetorical one, she did not wait for her friend to respond, preferring instead to draw her own conclusion. Charlotte postulated that Mr. Darcy was smitten—that a prolonged delay of their safe arrival might well have answered his prayers.
Elizabeth fancied herself an excellent studier of people. If Mr. Darcy fancied her, she would know it. No—Charlotte was merely teasing. Thus, Elizabeth was content to let her friend’s wit flow at liberty. As long as Charlotte kept her teasing between the two of them, Elizabeth suffered no cause for concern.
Their cosy little party of three doubled when, moments later, Colonel Fitzwilliam, Mr. Darcy, and Mr. Collins entered the room. Anne looked genuinely pleased by the new development, and Charlotte looked especially curious.
What an interesting turn of events. Having spent most of the day before alternating between the individual companies of the two would-be betrothed cousins, now was Elizabeth’s chance to observe them together in the same room. Unlike the first time at Rosings, when she surmised Mr. Darcy was no more interested in Anne than he had been in any other woman she had seen in his company, this time Elizabeth chose to regard Mr. Darcy through the eyes of his cousin. After all, Anne thought he was the best man in the world, and her recent time alone with him had taught Elizabeth he was not wholly unredeemable.
Every now and then, Elizabeth glanced at Darcy hoping to discern any symptom of love for his cousin. More than not, she found herself averting her eyes, for his eyes were trained on her. From the whole of his behaviour towards Anne, Elizabeth derived he might have been just as likely to marry Miss Caroline Bingley, had she been his relation.
The addition of the gentlemen made fervent talk of the prior evening’s violent thunderstorm inescapable. The Collinses and Colonel Fitzwilliam spoke at length of the subsequent damage to the property, what was to be done, and the schedule for best doing it.
Mr. Collins regretted, he apologised, and he begged for forgiveness that such a calamity as the loss of the mighty oak out back had befallen under his stewardship.
“Do you think Lady Catherine blames you?” said Colonel Fitzwilliam with more annoyance than care in his imperious voice.
“I consider it a prodigious honour to be the recipient of your esteemed aunt’s undeserved benevolence. Indeed, I should not blame her if she assigned culpability to me. I am sure there is some way I might have tended the tree so as to make it stronger, and thus enabled it to withstand the storm.”
Poor Charlotte—to be married to such a man. Elizabeth silently thanked her father for saving her from the burden Charlotte now bore. Steadfast to the point of destroying her mother’s wishes, Mr. Bennet had been adamantly opposed to an alliance between his favourite daughter and his ridiculous cousin Mr. Collins. Had her mother had her way, Elizabeth was certain she presently would be in search of a place to hide her face.
Anne’s soft voice brought an end to Mr. Collins’s preposterous sentiments. “I enjoyed this visit, Mrs. Collins; however, it is time I take my leave.”
“Must you leave so soon, Anne? It was such a pleasure to receive you this morning. There has been little opportunity to inform each other on the latest news from the village.”
“I am afraid I must. I suspect we shall meet again soon.” Anne eyed her cousin. “Fitzwilliam, what are your plans for this morning? I should like your company.”
Confusion marred Mr. Darcy’s countenance. “I beg your pardon, Cousin Anne. I did not intend to return to Rosings straightaway. Shall we visit with each other later this afternoon?”
Anne lowered her eyes. Elizabeth’s eyes opened wide, even as she fought to mask her astonishment.
“I would be delighted to accompany you in Mr. Darcy’s stead,” said Elizabeth.
Anne bestowed her new friend a meek smile. “You are very kind, Elizabeth. I would hate to take you away from the other guests.”
Elizabeth said, “Think nothing of it. Mr. and Mrs. Collins’s guests will not be slighted as they are not here for the purposes of seeing me.”
Moments later, when Elizabeth and Anne were settled in the phaeton, Anne placed her gloved hand on Elizabeth’s. “Thank you, Elizabeth, for coming to my rescue. My cousin—” Anne released a long, low sigh. Perhaps she thought better of criticising Mr. Darcy’s behaviour for she ventured to say no more.
“Anne, may I speak in honesty?”
Anne shook her head. “Elizabeth, I know what you are about to say.”
“Perhaps. However, I must speak my mind. You were adamant in telling me the truth about Mr. Wickham. I fear I would be remiss not to tell you what I think of Mr. Darcy—specifically, the manner in which he regards you.”
“My cousin is reserved. He does not wear his heart upon his sleeve. That is not to say I believe he is violently in love with me and simply incapable of expressing his true feelings. In our world, ardent love is not a prerequisite for marriage. Our family expects this union.”
“I am sorry if it pains you to hear this, but I fear he shows you little if any consideration when in company. Perhaps, he is different when the two of you are alone.”
Anne’s countenance stiffened. Elizabeth persisted. “I know you say he is the best man in the world, but he—why would you want to spend your life with a man who would marry you out of family duty.”
“Whilst it is true he would be marrying me out of duty, the union would be entirely different for me. For one, our marriage shall be the means of my escaping Kent. You are familiar with my mother enough to understand why I relish the prospect. As much as I love her, I long for the day when I am mistress of my own home.”
Were her own mother as overbearing as Lady Catherine, Elizabeth supposed the prospect of marriage to someone of Mr. Darcy’s temperament might be tempting. However, her rejection of Mr. Collins’s hand was proof she was not desperate.
A wistful smile graced Anne’s lips. “I so love Pemberley. What is more, I love my cousin—with all my heart. I always have. I believe I always will.”
Elizabeth’s countenance begged the silent question why.
“You must understand I have known him all my life,” said Anne, “whereas you have known him but a few months. When I say he is the best man in the world, I say no more than the truth, and everybody that knows him will say the same. I have never heard a cross word from him.”
Elizabeth crumpled her brow. That is going pretty far. By his own admission, h
e is not a good-tempered man. Did Anne even know her cousin? Elizabeth continued to listen with increasing astonishment.
“If I were to go through the world, I could not meet a better man. My memories of our time spent together as children are amongst my fondest. He was always the sweetest-tempered, most generous-hearted boy in the world. I posit he is just as good-natured now as when he was a child.”
Elizabeth almost stared at her. Can this be Mr. Darcy?
Anne crossed her arms over her chest and held her head high. “Elizabeth, I see you remain sceptical.
“When you look at my cousin, you see the proud, haughty man who insulted you at the Meryton assembly and was less than affable amongst your friends and neighbours in Hertfordshire.
“I see the man who lost his parents too soon, the man who inherited a grand estate long before he ever thought he would, who is the guardian of a younger sister, and who is loyal to his family and friends.”
Elizabeth managed a half-hearted shrug. “Of course, you have a better grasp of the true nature of your cousin’s character. In the end, you must do what is best for your own situation.”
“I pray your reservations will not dissuade you from aiding my purposes, for I would be forever in your debt were you to champion my cause?”
“What can I do?”
“I have not thought through all the particulars, but I do believe some benefit would come from your speaking favourably to him on my behalf.”
“I doubt anything I might say would make a difference with him.” Although, he did say he admired me just yesterday. Still, admiring someone is not anything like relying upon their counsel.
“I do not see that any injury would become of it, and he does admire you. You might exercise more power over him than you realise.” Anne eased her rigid posture and gathered the reins of her tiny carriage. Almost apologetically, she said, “Oh, Elizabeth, you must not consider mine a hopeless quest. If my cousin does not intend to marry me, then surely he would have said so by now. I have waited all these years. My intentions are clear.
“It would be cruel of him not to release me from our tacit engagement, and cruelty is not in his nature.”
Elizabeth could not argue with her new friend’s assertion. She was content to allow the conversation to veer to other, less-troubling topics, whilst they set off for Rosings. Furthermore, she promised Anne she would do all she could to help push Mr. Darcy along, but she doubted the ultimate result of her efforts.
Soon enough, they arrived at Rosings, and Elizabeth accompanied Anne inside the house. She stayed and visited for a quarter of an hour. Spared the task of gracing Lady Catherine’s presence, Elizabeth looked forward to a leisurely walk back to the Parsonage. Ambling along and thinking about what she would do next, one thing was clear—keeping her word to Anne that she would advocate on her behalf in her desire to marry her cousin was not going to be easy.
Moments later, one-half of the couple uppermost in Elizabeth’s musings was just ahead in the lane. What a coincidence. He climbed down from his large steed and awaited her approach. She was rather certain he intended to accompany her back to the Parsonage. Elizabeth was far from disheartened by the prospect of spending the next half-hour or so in his company. What better time than the present to start advancing Anne’s cause. Far from impressed by Mr. Darcy’s inattention to his cousin, Elizabeth, nonetheless, would do all she could to help Anne win her long-suffering contest to become the mistress of Pemberley, even though she had some questions about the true worth of the ultimate prize.
Who am I to render judgement when one’s heart wants what it wants?
Upon greeting each other, Darcy and Elizabeth walked along in silence for a time. For Elizabeth’s part, she needed a delicate way to approach the intimate subject of his love life. His quietness neither surprised nor concerned Elizabeth. She had grown accustomed to his broodiness by now.
He cleared his voice—effectively interrupting Elizabeth’s musing. “You are quiet today, Miss Elizabeth. Pray I have not said or done anything to give rise to this change in your demeanour.”
“You have not, sir. Why would you say such a thing?”
“After yesterday, I supposed there would be any number of things for us to talk over. Yet today, you are reticent.”
“Perhaps I am following your lead, sir.”
“Fair enough—though you and I had no opportunity to talk at the Parsonage this morning. When you left with my cousin, I began to fear we might not talk at all today.”
“Yes, well, Anne made clear her desire to leave. Even more, she wished to be accompanied.” Elizabeth looked at him pointedly only to find him outright oblivious.
“Did you have a pleasant visit with Anne?”
“Yes, though I much prefer to walk, I enjoyed riding with her. It was a refreshing change of pace.”
“Indeed. Anne takes considerable pleasure in riding about the park in her little phaeton.”
Elizabeth smiled in lieu of answering. Did she dare to question his neglect and flagrant snub of Anne earlier at the Parsonage?
A round-about approach might prove tactful. “Would you say you and your cousin Anne share a close bond, Mr. Darcy?”
He clasped his hands behind his back. After a moment, he said, “I admire my cousin. We are a close-knit family.” He smiled at Elizabeth. “I am pleased you are befriending Anne during your stay. She will be an invaluable ally. I think you will enjoy making the acquaintance of my cousin Victoria as well.”
“Your cousin Victoria?”
“Yes, Lady Victoria Fitzwilliam—she is the colonel’s younger sister.”
Elizabeth could not account for Mr. Darcy’s sentiments. The day before, he had spoken of her meeting his younger sister, Miss Darcy, which made sense in light of Jane and Bingley’s future happiness. There was no reason in the world she would ever meet Lady Victoria.
“Are Anne and Lady Victoria considered close? Anne never mentioned her to me.”
He waved his hand. “Not as close as they might be. Lady Victoria is lively. She is outspoken, and she is quite charming. She has not the patience to visit Lady Catherine. Thus, she has spent remarkably little time with Anne over the years.”
Elizabeth’s industrious mind grappled with Mr. Darcy’s words until she satisfied herself that she had stumbled over the root of Anne’s dilemma. Mr. Darcy spoke of Lady Victoria with enough affection to persuade Elizabeth that he might be favourably inclined to marry her ladyship. I wonder whether Anne knows of his feelings towards their cousin!
“Miss Elizabeth, seeing how you enjoyed riding with Anne this morning, might I persuade you to accompany me on a countryside outing in a day or so—weather permitting.”
Elizabeth pursed her lips.
Mr. Darcy quickly amended his invitation to include Mrs. Collins and her husband as well. They would make it a picnic.
Elizabeth arched her eyebrow. This might be just the opportunity she needed. “I take it your cousin Anne is unaware of your plans. I believe a country outing is precisely the thing she needs.”
A few seconds passed before Darcy spoke. Twitching his fingers, he said, “I can think of no reason Anne should not join us, if her health allows.”
Chapter 6
All was not right. Fulfilled promises of spring dotted the countryside as far as his eyes could see. A steady serenade of voices flooded the air, yet something about the picture did not sit well with Darcy.
Mr. and Mrs. Collins sat straight across from him. He found the gentleman to be quite odious. As for his wife, was she as contented with her situation as she seemed? Darcy had been the one to suggest the Collinses accompany them on the outing. He had no right to complain now. Miss Elizabeth sat to his right, Anne to his left. The problem stemmed with Richard. He was completely out of place. Rather than sit beside Anne, Richard had taken a cosy spot beside Elizabeth.
Did he really need to explain to his cousin the purpose in his being there—so he might round out the party and spend time with A
nne, leaving Darcy to pay court to Miss Elizabeth? At times like this, he questioned his cousin’s dependability.
Darcy found himself in the unenviable position of attending to the conversation of one woman whilst struggling to keep up with the conversation of another and ignoring the foolish utterings of one-half of the couple across from him.
Not helping matters, Anne’s soft-spoken voice obligated him to lean in closer to her whenever she spoke. How frustrating! All he wanted to do was to take Elizabeth by her hand and spirit her away. The perfect spot came to mind.
Elizabeth stood and smoothed her skirt. “I beg everyone’s pardon. My curiosity to discover the wonders of this glorious countryside begs satisfaction. I think I shall take a walk.”
Darcy smiled, supposing that she had read his mind. “I shall be happy to accompany you, Miss Elizabeth.”
“Oh! No—please stay where you are, Mr. Darcy. I would never dream of imposing upon you.” She looked at his cousin seated next to him. “Besides, I believe Anne wishes to discuss an important matter with you.”
All eyes turned to Anne as she laced her arm through his. Darcy managed to avoid wincing as tension replaced earlier anticipation. Rather than displaying any hint of jealousy pursuant to Anne’s uncharacteristic behaviour, Elizabeth smiled. The same had been for Caroline Bingley’s unsuccessful attempts to inflame Elizabeth’s jealousy all those months ago in Hertfordshire. All Caroline’s simpering and possessiveness had been in vain as far as Elizabeth was concerned. How he admired her gracefulness.
As if seizing the opportunity to enjoy Elizabeth’s undivided attention to himself, Richard stood. “I say the rest of us set out for a leisurely stroll and leave my cousins to themselves. What say you, Miss Elizabeth? Mr. and Mrs. Collins?”
Everyone concurred. Darcy stood in deference to the ladies about to take their leave. He waited until they were well beyond his line of vision before he tore his eyes away from the path they had chosen. He was disappointed, but what other choice had he? To leave his cousin Anne sitting alone would have been unconscionable. He had yet to find time to grant her a private audience, despite her repeated requests over the past several days. He looked at his gold watch. Now was as good a time as any.
