“I do not doubt it!”
Jane smiled but said, “Really, Lizzy, I think you misjudge her. I truly believe she is trying to be friends.”
“Jane, you are too good.”
“No, not too good, for I do not repose the same confidence in her as once I did. But she has been a help, there is no denying it, and I hope she will continue to be so. When Mama arrives, I am intending to leave her with Caroline.”
Elizabeth laughed at the thought of Caroline entertaining Mrs. Bennet. The two ladies had little liking for each other. Caroline thought Mrs. Bennet was excessively vulgar, and Mrs. Bennet had little time for anyone who was not an eligible young man.
“Perhaps they do not get on well together,” Jane conceded, “but it will be someone for Mama to talk to if I am indisposed.”
“And are you planning to be indisposed when Mama arrives?” teased Elizabeth.
“Really, Lizzy! I am looking forward to seeing her. But even so, I feel I will need some respite from her ways. She is to stay for a fortnight, and that is a long time.”
“With luck, she will be so enamoured of little Charles that she will be able to talk of nothing else, and you, my dear Jane, will, I am sure, be happy to talk about him all day long.”
“Indeed I will. But Mama will not be able to forget her daughters so easily, even whilst talking about her grandson. She has already told me that she expects me to give a ball, so that Kitty and Mary can find a husband,” said Jane.
“And are you giving a ball?” asked Lizzy.
“Yes. Caroline has been good enough to arrange it!”
Having reached the drawing-room, where Caroline and Louisa were already seated, the other two ladies joined in the conversation, and a discussion of the forthcoming ball ensued. Refreshments were discussed, the guest list reviewed, clothes spoken of, so that the time until the gentlemen joined them was agreeably spent.
After that, there was some general discussion about Bingley’s relatives and the new estate, but Jane soon began to tire and excused herself. Bingley followed her out of the room and their footsteps could be heard climbing the stairs to the nursery.
Elizabeth and Darcy continued to talk to Caroline and the Hursts for half an hour, but then they too excused themselves and retired for the night.
* * *
Elizabeth was not altogether looking forward to seeing her mother, particularly at such a time when her mother would no doubt interfere in everything she wished to eat, drink, or do, but she was longing to see her father again. He had always been very dear to her. He had defended her when her mother had tried to force her to marry Mr. Collins, and he had obliged her by discovering the good qualities in her husband, even though, at first, he had doubted they existed. He had come to realise that underneath Darcy’s reserved and proud exterior there was a man who was worthy of his daughter, and Mr. Bennet knew no higher praise than that, for he had always had a soft spot for his Lizzy.
So when, the following morning, she caught sight of the Bennet carriage appearing through heavy snow, she was delighted.
Bingley went out to greet them, quickly bringing everyone into the drawing-room, where a large fire and some refreshments awaited them.
“Lizzy, my dear,” said Mr. Bennet. His face was a picture of delighted surprise as he saw his favourite daughter. “This is an unexpected pleasure. We did not think to find you here. How are you?” He ran his eyes over her full figure. “Well, I hope?”
“Yes, Papa, very well,” said Lizzy, kissing him on the cheek. “When Jane invited us, I could not resist seeing her new house and my new nephew.”
“You should not have travelled in your condition. If I had known what you intended, I would have put a stop to it,” said Mrs. Bennet.
“Then it is as well that you did not. I am sure Lizzy was just as excited about seeing the newest addition to the family as we are,” said Mr. Bennet. There was a trace of unaccustomed pride in his voice. “Jane is well?”
“Very well. She will be down directly.”
Mr. Bingley urged them all to sit down and they settled themselves by the fire.
“It is perhaps a good thing you are here, after all, Lizzy,” said Mrs. Bennet. “I hope you will learn from your sister. I knew how it would be. I said, did I not, Mr. Bennet—did I not, Mary, Kitty, Maria?—that Jane would have a boy.” She looked around the drawing-room. “This is a very elegant drawing-room, far better than the one at Lucas Lodge, and better than Netherfield too, is it not, Mr. Bennet?”
“The relative merits of various drawing-rooms are, I am afraid, beyond me,” said Mr. Bennet.
Kitty looked around the room and pronounced it very fine. But it lost all its interest when, a moment later, Jane entered the room with little Charles in her arms. The talk was then all of the baby, with Mrs. Bennet predicting a great future for him and Mr. Bennet being quietly pleased. Kitty cooed over her first nephew and addressed herself as Aunt Kitty several times, whilst Mary said, “It is usual on such occasions to predict that the infant is destined for greatness, but I have often observed that very few of those who have greatness foretold for them manage to achieve such greatness when the full measure of their maturity unfolds.”
Elizabeth laughed. Mrs. Bennet said, “Hush, Mary, whoever asked you?” and Mr. Bennet said gravely, “Very wise, Mary. I am glad to see that your hours of study have not been wasted, but have been productive of such wisdom.”
Mary gave a gracious smile.
Little Charles was passed round all the females and, as they made a great fuss of him, Mr. Bennet said to his eldest daughter, “You have found yourself a fine house here, Jane. The situation is good and it seems comfortable. It is a true family home.”
Having passed the baby round everyone in turn, little Charles was returned to his mother.
“There is nothing finer than a fire in winter,” said Mrs. Bennet. She added complacently, “I am sure Lady Catherine will like it. She will be used to the very best fires at Rosings Park, for the chimney piece cost eight hundred pounds, and no one would wish to find a niggling fire beneath a chimney piece of such value. But even Lady Catherine, I am persuaded, will have no fault to find with this.”
Elizabeth looked at her mother in surprise, wondering why Lady Catherine had entered the conversation.
Before she had time to speak, Jane said, “Lady Catherine, Mama? Why should it matter whether or not Lady Catherine likes my fire?”
“Why, because I have invited her to stay here, of course. We have travelled up from Hertfordshire in the same party. Lady Catherine called in at Lucas Lodge on her way north to visit relatives, something to do with telling Charlotte that she was breeding the wrong sort of poultry, and as the weather was so poor, she was condescending enough to say that we could all travel on together. Two carriages are so much better than one when it snows, you know, for if one is stuck in a snowdrift, then the extra horses can be used to pull it out.”
“Lady Catherine is here?” asked Jane, looking out of the window in expectation of seeing her ladyship’s carriage.
“She is at an inn, not an hour’s drive away. It was as we stopped there to change the horses and take some refreshment that a party of gentlemen came in, telling us that the road further north was completely blocked. They themselves had tried to get through and had had to turn back. Lady Catherine decided that she would have to take rooms at the inn until the weather improved, but I assured her that she would have to do no such thing, for she would be welcome here. I knew you would not mind,” she said to Jane. “You have plenty of room, and Lady Catherine is family, you know.”
“Mama!” said Lizzy. “You had no right to issue an invitation on Jane’s behalf, especially when Jane is not yet recovered.”
“Now, Lizzy, do not take on so, it is not your house, you know, and Jane is delighted. Are you not, Jane?” Mrs. Bennet went on without waiting for Jane to reply. “Besides, Lizzy, Lady Catherine is your aunt. I could not leave her to a lengthy stay in the inn, for who knows
when the roads will be clear. I dare say Mr. Darcy, at any rate, is pleased.”
If it was so, then Mr. Darcy hid his pleasure well.
“I had better arrange for a room to be aired,” said Jane.
“Two rooms,” said Mrs. Bennet. “Mr. Collins is with her ladyship. He has a brother nearby, and as he happened to mention it when Lady Catherine was visiting Lucas Lodge, she offered him a place in her carriage so that he could visit his brother without any trouble or expense.”
“I am sorry, my dear,” said Mr. Bennet to Jane. “I was too late to prevent the invitation being issued, and the best I could do was to encourage Lady Catherine to pause for something to eat so that we could arrive here first and give you some warning.”
“Never fear, Papa, Lady Catherine is welcome,” said Jane amicably.
“I did not know that Mr. Collins had a brother,” said Elizabeth, learning this new knowledge with interest.
“Oh, yes, a very fine young man by all accounts, I am sure he is everything that is charming and delightful. And what a good thing for Kitty!” said Mrs. Bennet, looking complacently at Kitty. “I have often wondered what would become of her, but now my mind is at ease.”
The smile left Kitty’s face.
“How can the fact that Mr. Collins has a brother be good for Kitty?” asked Elizabeth in surprise.
“Because Kitty will be able to marry him, of course.”
“No, Mama, I will not marry Mr. Collins’s brother!” said Kitty vehemently.
From the tone of her voice, it was obvious she had heard the suggestion before.
“Of course you will. He is a very eligible gentleman,” said her mother. “You will be delighted with him, no doubt.”
“I will not be delighted with him. I am not delighted with Mr. Collins,” said Kitty stubbornly.
“No one is asking you to be delighted with Mr. Collins; you are not expected to marry Mr. Collins. His brother is no doubt as different from him as you are from Lizzy. I am sure he is everything that is handsome and agreeable.”
“And I am sure he is nothing of the kind,” said Kitty. “I am determined not to marry him!”
“But, only think, my love. When Mr. Collins dies, as I am sure he will before very long—for he eats and drinks a prodigious amount and he will no doubt have an apoplexy before the year is out—his brother will inherit all his worldly possessions, so he will also inherit the entail. Then, when Mr. Bennet dies and you and your husband inherit Longbourn, you, Mary, and I may live there, all three of us together, till the end of our days.”
This prospect did not appear to cheer Kitty, who, instead of smiling with delight, looked as though she was ready to cry.
“There, there,” said Mr. Bennet, patting her hand. “I mean to live for a good long time yet, and neither Mr. Collins nor his brother shall have Longbourn until I am gone.”
Mrs. Bennet opened her mouth but Bingley, with a great deal of tact, silenced her by the simple expedient of offering her a piece of seed cake. She accepted with relish, saying that she was famished, and fell mercifully silent for a full two minutes.
“Then I must have preparations made for our unexpected guests,” said Jane. “Is Charlotte with Lady Catherine too?”
“No,” said Mr. Bennet.
“Charlotte very much wanted to accompany her husband, but she felt that it would be better if Mr. Collins went alone, as she did not like to crowd her ladyship in the coach,” said Mrs. Bennet.
Elizabeth’s eyes sparkled and she murmured under her breath, “Sensible Charlotte.”
“Indeed,” said Mr. Bennet, sharing a smile with Lizzy.
“I will tell the housekeeper to ready two rooms,” said Jane.
“Three rooms. Do not forget Mr. Collins’s brother,” said Mrs. Bennet, finishing her cake. “I told Mr. Collins that he must invite his brother to stay as well. He was delighted with the idea and promised to invite him as soon as he saw him. The poor young man is in lodgings close by the inn, and there is nothing more dreary than a Christmas spent in rented rooms.”
“Well,” said Bingley, clapping his hands together good-naturedly, “that is all to the good. I like a large party at Christmas.”
Mr. Bennet gave a dry laugh.
“What did I tell you, Jane? You and your husband are both so amiable that you are being taken advantage of already.”
“In this case, I do not mind my mother’s—”
“Interference?” put in Lizzy.
“Suggestions,” said Jane mildly. “I do not like to think of Lady Catherine being trapped by bad weather in an inn, nor do I like to think of Mr. Collins’s brother spending Christmas alone. We shall be a merry party, I am sure.” She turned to her mother. “Will you not come with me, Mama? I will show you and my sisters to your rooms. I am sure you will want to rest after your journey.”
“Not at all!” said Mrs. Bennet.
“Yes, my love, you will,” said Mr. Bennet firmly. He rose to his feet. “Jane, lead on, my dear.”
Jane led her family out of the room, and Bingley followed.
Elizabeth and Darcy exchanged looks as Mrs. Bennet left the room. Having spent some time away from her mother, Elizabeth had forgotten how tiring she could be.
“So, my aunt, it seems, is to join us. Then we are to have a family Christmas after all,” said Darcy.
“Yes,” said Lizzy. “Full of quarrels and tantrums no doubt! It is a far cry from the Christmas we were expecting at Pemberley. No, do not say it!”
“Say what?” enquired Darcy wickedly.
“That I have only myself to blame! That we could have stayed at Pemberley quietly.”
“But then we would not have seen little Charles, and you would not have been able to speak to your sister.”
“No, you are right. I do not regret it. We do not have to spend every minute of every day with them, after all. I love my family dearly but there are times when it is good to be away from them!” She glanced out of the window, attracted by a gleam of sunshine. “Look, the snow has stopped. Let us go outside. I am longing for a breath of air.”
They wrapped up warmly and were soon outdoors.
“Jane and Charles have a very pretty park here,” said Elizabeth.
She let her eyes wander over the spacious lawns with the sweeping driveway and the shrubbery beyond. Specimen trees were dotted here and there, casting patches of blue shadow across the whiteness. The clouds had rolled away and, up above them, the sky was a startling blue.
“If this continues, the snow will soon melt,” said Darcy.
“You sound pleased with the idea,” said Elizabeth teasingly as they strolled down the paths. “Do you mean to tell me you are not delighted with the idea of your aunt’s visit?”
“Other things have delighted me more!” he said, adding, “Such as seeing you so happy.”
He stopped and turned to face her. She was radiant. The sharp winter air had given her cheeks a healthy colour and brought a sparkle to her eyes, so that she was glowing with health.
“I love to be out of doors,” she said. “There is nothing like the feel of the wind on my cheek—unless it is the feel of your hand,” she said saucily.
He drew her to him and stroked her cheek, then, looking down into her eyes, he kissed her.
“We are very near the house,” she said. “Someone might see.”
“The drawing-room looks the other way. Besides, we are married,” he said.
“So we are,” she said, and he kissed her again.
* * *
“Do you think your aunt will really stay here for Christmas?” Elizabeth asked Darcy some time later.
The cold had driven them indoors and they had chosen to sit in the library.
“If she has a choice, no, but the weather appears to be worsening and it may be impossible for her to leave.”
“I only hope the weather does not mean that Jane has to cancel the ball. I know that she is looking forward to it.”
“It is still a few da
ys hence, and travelling a few miles to a private ball is not the same as travelling across the country,” said Darcy. “It will only take a bright evening to encourage people to leave their firesides, the more so because they will have been deprived of company, and I will sit beside you the entire evening.”
“Thank you, but I have no intention of sitting down all evening; I intend to dance. You look surprised.”
“Nothing you could ever say or do would surprise me! But are you sure it is wise?”
“Wise or not, I intend to do it. I am looking forward to it. I have not danced for months,” she said.
“Then I will make sure Mr. Collins keeps a dance free for you!”
Elizabeth laughed.
“I thank you, but I believe that, if Mr. Collins asks for my hand, I will confess to fatigue and sit the dance out. It was barely tolerable dancing with him at Netherfield. I do not believe I could endure the mortification a second time. Charlotte was very wise to stay at Lucas Lodge. I am sure she is far happier with her baby! A girl for Charlotte, a boy for Jane. I wonder which it will be for us?” she mused, resting her hand on her stomach. “Do you mind?” she asked him.
“No.”
“Not even a little bit? You do, after all, need an heir.”
“A girl will do as well as a boy; in our family it has never mattered. Besides, if we do not have a boy this time, we will have one next time.”
“If there is a next time.”
“Do you not want more children?” he asked, looking at her with interest.
“I will let you know, once I have had this one!” said Lizzy.
She had spoken mischievously, but her words had reminded him of his fears and his brow clouded.
“I wish there were another way or that I could take this from you,” he said seriously.
“What, have the baby for me? You would be the first man in history to do so!”
A Darcy Christmas Page 11
