Implacable Resentment

by Jann Rowland

  In this attitude, he turned to Lady Catherine and regarded her with an upraised eyebrow, almost daring her to continue to vent her displeasure. The colonel, having followed him into the room, took his position between his two younger cousins and added his glare at his aunt. All at once, Lady Catherine seemed to realize that she had no allies in this room, as even her four relations stood united against her. Thus, when she spoke, her words were moderated by a calmness which Elizabeth was certain she did not feel.

  “I could not believe the reports I heard, Darcy, so I hastened to this place to make my sentiments known. Am I to understand that you intend to marry this . . . this . . . ?”

  “Be careful what you say, Lady Catherine,” interjected Darcy. “I will not have my betrothed insulted any more than she already has been this day.”

  Appearing as if she had swallowed a particularly sour lemon, Lady Catherine nevertheless fixed her gaze on Darcy and said: “I am unable to account for how you have lost yourself to this woman. Even if you do not wish to marry Anne, surely there are more suitable prospective brides in society. Do you seek to betray your parents’ memories in such a way?”

  “I do not love any other prospective brides, Lady Catherine. And I do not believe I am betraying my parents’ memories. My father might have wished for something more for me in terms of connections and dowry, but my mother would only have wished for me to be happy. That is the most important consideration.”

  “Very well, then. I shall know how to act.”

  And without another word, Lady Catherine turned and strode from the room, the sound of her cane echoing through the halls until the front door of the house slammed behind her.

  “You know she means to go to my father,” said Colonel Fitzwilliam.

  “Let her,” replied Darcy. “Even if she did manage to persuade him to her way of thinking, it would have no effect on me.”

  “As it should not,” said Anne. “You are your own man, and knowing you, I would not expect you to bow to another’s unreasonable demands.”

  As the hour was becoming late, Elizabeth declared her intention to depart, but the others would hear none of it, insisting that she stay and take some tea, which, given the events of the past few moments, she was only happy to agree to do. It was not long before the effects of the confrontation with Lady Catherine were soon dispelled, enabling everyone to agreeably enjoy their time together.

  Soon, Elizabeth insisted that she must leave, and she departed, saying fond farewells to the family who would soon be her own.

  Mr. Darcy accompanied her to the carriage, and she knew by his introspection that he had something to say to her. They had almost reached the front doors when he broke the silence, stopping to look at her, the concern for her evident.

  “You are certain you are well?” asked he. “You stood up to my aunt admirably, but she can try the courage of anyone upon whom she turns her spleen.”

  “I am well, Mr. Darcy,” said Elizabeth. “I had the support of beloved friends. How can I not be well?”

  “I am happy to hear it.” Mr. Darcy paused for a moment, seeming to search for the proper words. “What I said in the sitting room is nothing more than the truth. I love you dearly, Elizabeth, and I shall not be content until you are my wife.”

  “My feelings match yours in every particular, Mr. Darcy.”

  His eyes darted about, and seeing no one, he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers, the touch so gentle and fleeting that for a moment Elizabeth almost felt as though she had imagined it. A powerful feeling welled up in her breast, and she leaned forward, resting her head upon his shoulder, feeling a sense of safety and belonging which was so comforting that it almost brought tears to her eyes.

  They stood in that attitude for some moments, each reveling in the closeness of the other, each knowing that the other was their future. It was a bright future, to be certain, and one that both anticipated with eager anticipation.

  In the years to come, both would look back on that day and that memory of standing in the foyer to their London home with great fondness. And their married life was filled with much happiness and contentment, though inevitably disputes and discord did arise between them on occasion. As Elizabeth philosophically told her husband, it was only natural that two strong-willed and confident people would disagree and defend their positions with vigor.

  Jane and Mr. Bingley, by contrast, seemed to have a home which practically thrummed with harmony and good cheer, and given the personalities of the two individuals themselves, it was not surprising. Elizabeth suspected that they had their disagreements, much as any other couple, but their arguments were never within sight of anyone else, and like Elizabeth and Darcy, they appeared happy in their lives. Caroline Bingley was also able to make a good match with a man of some fortune, and while Elizabeth and the former Miss Bingley never became friends and confidantes, they were at least able to meet with perfect civility—and perfect indifference.

  When the Darcy and Bingley children began to arrive, they also became the closest of companions, and as the Bingleys purchased an estate in nearby Nottinghamshire within an easy distance from the Darcy estate in Derbyshire, all Elizabeth’s ideals of happiness were fulfilled. As the years rolled along, the thoughts of her trials as a child began to fade into the distance of memories until she rarely thought of them again. She was able to forge a new life for herself with her family, and she was content with it.

  Lady Catherine never fully reconciled with Mr. Darcy, and she kept her distance for the rest of her life, unable to endure the pollution that her sister’s home had suffered with Elizabeth’s presence. As Mr. Darcy did not seem to repine her obstinate stance, Elizabeth allowed herself to accept it, as she had never desired Lady Catherine’s good opinion. But with her new family, her new sister, and her new cousins Anne de Bourgh and Colonel Fitzwilliam in particular, Elizabeth became very close. And when Anne’s wishes for a man who would love her like Darcy loved Elizabeth were fulfilled in the good colonel, Elizabeth was able to wish them both the best in her marriage. Lady Catherine was, by all reports, not happy with the development, but in this, as in so many other things, her opinion was ignored. Darcy and Elizabeth might have wished for the Fitzwilliams to be situated closer than Kent, but they met as often as possible, though not at Rosings until after Lady Catherine’s passing for obvious reasons.

  As for the Bennets, Darcy and Elizabeth made good on their promise to assist Elizabeth’s sisters in any way possible, and soon after their weddings, invitations were dispatched and accepted for Catherine and Mary to visit them. Under their supervision, with the assistance of the Bingleys, the younger Bennet girls saw great improvement in their manners and accomplishments and were able to make good matches of their own. Mary eventually married a parson and was situated close to her sister Jane in Nottinghamshire, while Catherine married a young man possessing a modest estate in Staffordshire.

  The relationships between Catherine and Mary and their elder sister Elizabeth were repaired to a great extent, and to every other happiness, Elizabeth was able to add the closeness she shared with most of her sisters. Growing up as she had in the Gardiners’ house, vilified by her parents, it was more than she had ever expected.

  Unfortunately, the youngest sister persisted in her distance from Elizabeth and was, as a result, estranged from them all for the rest of her life. Catherine and Mary could never be prevailed upon to elucidate upon her reaction when the initial invitation to join them in London had arrived, but her displeasure had been loud and long, and she had apparently said things about Elizabeth which could not be repeated. Privately, Elizabeth suspected that Lydia’s displeasure might not have been so acerbic had she not wished to stay in Meryton to flirt with the officers who remained in residence until the summer of that year. Elizabeth never repined the loss of Lydia’s society, as by all accounts, the girl never gained a sense of propriety, and the unrestrained nature of her behavior only worsened with time.

  Lydia, however, did
not live in Meryton for long after her elder sisters all quit the town. For in the spring of that year, Mr. Bennet passed suddenly due to a sudden apoplexy, leaving his widow and youngest daughter without a home. Mr. Gardiner, with the assistance of Mr. Bingley—and the grudging help of Mr. Darcy—set up a small establishment in the town of Meryton for the Widow Bennet, and there, within days of her husband’s passing, she was installed in the company of her youngest daughter.

  Anyone who was at all acquainted with Lydia knew that such a situation could not persist. For a girl so unrestrained in behavior and high in spirits, sitting at home with a mother so lacking in sense and submitting to the strictures of mourning was a punishment of the most acute kind. It was not more than a few weeks before Lydia disappeared, eloping with one of the officers of the militia, leaving her mother alone in the house with only the servants for company. Lydia chiefly lived abroad after her elopement, and after only a few years, the sisters lost all contact with her. As for Mrs. Bennet, she reportedly became a bitter woman, railing against life and her daughters for betraying her. But as she would never recant and apologize to Elizabeth for her behavior, she was never allowed in their homes, and she would eventually pass away from one of her nervous attacks, which became worse over the years.

  With the death of the previous master, Mr. Collins was quick to claim his inheritance, and he moved into Longbourn as soon as he arrived from London, where he had been staying with a relation. But as Mr. Collins had no experience in the management of an estate, the tenants he offended largely left for greener pastures, the fields soon fell into disrepair, and the annual yield fell to a fraction of what it had been previously, even under the indifferent management of its previous proprietor.

  Mr. Collins, by his very character, was not one to endear himself to his neighbors, and his pompous and sometimes condescending attitude drove most of the neighborhood from him in disgust. As such, he was to receive no help in learning to operate Longbourn as he might have been able to procure had he behaved in a better manner. Thus, when Mr. Darcy offered to purchase the estate from the man, he was only happy to take the money and leave the place that he had come to blame for all his misfortunes. The Darcys were happy never to hear from Mr. Collins again. They were also happy when Longbourn was returned to a prosperous state, and coupled with the purchase of Netherfield, it became the home to the Darcys’ second son.

  As for Elizabeth’s surrogate parents, the Gardiners did indeed purchase an estate in Derbyshire, and it was situated on the other side of Lambton, the small market town which owed much of its prosperity to the Darcy estate which abutted its borders. Elizabeth and Darcy always maintained the closest of relationships with the Gardiners, and both were sensible of the fact that Elizabeth became the woman she was due to their care and attention.

  In business, Mr. Gardiner continued to prosper, and Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy—sometimes with the Fitzwilliams—often invested in his endeavors until they became fabulously wealthy men when their endeavors paid off handsomely. They were among the first to invest in the new railroads which soon crossed the length and breadth of England, and that investment alone secured their families’ futures for generations to come.

  All in all, Elizabeth was content in her life. What had begun in hardship and despair had changed to love and laughter, harmony and hope, and she could not be happier.

  As her husband told her some years later, “You truly are a marvelous woman, Mrs. Darcy. You have risen above the implacable resentment of your parents and become the woman you are today. I could not be prouder.”

  “I believe that I have you to thank to a great extent for that, Mr. Darcy,” replied Elizabeth with a fond smile. “And of course, our implacable love. I never thought I could be possessed of such happiness.”

  And happy they were.

  The End

  For Readers Who Liked Implacable Resentment

  Acting on Faith

  Though Darcy has no assurances of Elizabeth’s regard after her rejection of him, he nonetheless moves forward in his quest to secure her hand. Unfortunately, neither Caroline Bingley nor Elizabeth’s childhood friend Samuel Lucas intends to make it easy for him.

  Waiting for an Echo, Volume I: Words in the Darkness

  When Mr. Darcy comes to Hertfordshire to decide between two prospective brides, he has no idea that his eye will be irrevocably caught by someone so much lower in consequence than him as Elizabeth Bennet.

  Waiting for an Echo, Volume II: Echoes at Dawn

  When Elizabeth travels to Kent to stay with her newly married sister, she meets Mr. Darcy’s two prospective brides and is forced to deal with the consequences of a pair of tragic events. Can her feelings for Mr. Darcy conquer even the villainous machinations of a former love interest?

  Open Your Eyes

  Elizabeth Bennet is forced to reevaluate her opinion of Mr. Darcy when Mr. Wickham contradicts his own words. In the course of her dealings with the two men, she realizes that first impressions can sometimes be deceiving.

  A Summer in Brighton

  Elizabeth is invited to travel to Brighton instead of Lydia with her dear friend Mrs. Forster. But what is supposed to be a relaxing vacation turns out to be anything but. Amid intrigues and newly discovered love, Elizabeth discovers that there exists in men an evil so vile, that it will drive a man to do anything to hurt his hated enemy.

  For more details, visit

  http://rowlandandeye.com/

  Also by One Good Sonnet Publishing

  The Smothered Rose Trilogy

  Book 1: Thorny

  In this retelling of “Beauty and the Beast,” a spoiled boy who is forced to watch over a flock of sheep finds himself more interested in catching the eye of a girl with lovely ground-trailing tresses than he is in protecting his charges. But when he cries “wolf” twice, a determined fairy decides to teach him a lesson once and for all.

  Book 2: Unsoiled

  When Elle finds herself constantly belittled and practically enslaved by her stepmother, she scarcely has time to even clean the soot off her hands before she collapses in exhaustion. So when Thorny tries to convince her to go on a quest and leave her identity as Cinderbella behind her, she consents. Little does she know that she will face challenges such as a determined huntsman, hungry dwarves, and powerful curses . . . .

  Book 3: Roseblood

  Both Elle and Thorny are unhappy with the way their lives are going, and the revelations they have had about each other have only served to drive them apart. What is a mother to do? Reunite them, of course. Unfortunately, things are not quite so simple when a magical lettuce called “rapunzel” is involved.

  About the Author

  Jann Rowland was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. He enjoys reading, sports, and he also dabbles a little in music, taking pleasure in singing and playing the piano.

  Though Jann did not start writing until his mid-twenties, writing has grown from a hobby to an all-consuming passion. His interest in Jane Austen stems from his university days when he took a class in which Pride and Prejudice was required reading. Acting on Faith is his first published novel, but he envisions many more in the coming years, both within the Pride and Prejudice universe and without.

  He now lives in Alberta, with his wife of almost twenty years, and his three children.