Elizabeth stood next to Mr. Collins, but her spirit was contrary to her cousins’, which seemed crushed under the burden of being in her ladyship’s presence. She made a small curtsy and then looked straight at Lady Catherine, who gazed at her intently.
After careful observation that roamed from her face to her clothes, Lady Catherine spoke. “So, you’re the Bennet cousin who turned down poor Mr. Collins.”
The shock of her statement—and the realization that Mr. Collins had confessed such a private matter—left Elizabeth speechless and embarrassed. She turned to Charlotte but, to her surprise, caught the sudden sight of Mr. Darcy standing nearby. Elizabeth’s face turned crimson, abashed at having been so exposed to a stranger. Regardless, she gathered her courage and spoke with confidence.
“I am, your ladyship, but I am glad that the turn of events allowed Mr. Collins to make a much better choice and thus find his perfect match.”
Lady Catherine remained stupefied by such a decided reply and puffed gently. She continued, however, to keep Elizabeth under close scrutiny while Mr. Collins, with a shaky voice and an attempt to rectify the situation, introduced Miss Bennet to Colonel Fitzwilliam and Miss de Bourgh. The latter, whom Elizabeth thought to have been in her mid-twenties, had all the features of her mother and an elegance of rank that, unfortunately, was shadowed by a trace of paleness. She barely moved her head towards Elizabeth, wheezing gently.
Finally, Elizabeth faced the last gentleman in the room.
“Miss Bennet,” Mr. Darcy bowed to her.
“Are you acquainted, Darcy?” Lady Catherine inquired, surprised to hear her nephew address Elizabeth before Mr. Collins made the introductions.
“We met a few days ago,” Mr. Darcy said, turning his attention to his aunt then back to Elizabeth.
“But we had no opportunity to be properly introduced,” Elizabeth added with amusement. “At the time, I was covered in mud, barely a decent sight for a gentleman.”
Mr. Darcy’s countenance changed at once, leaving Elizabeth to understand that he was uncertain how to respond to such a statement. He glanced at her once more, but she was sure he could find no trace of her earlier disordered appearance. Indeed, she had been a less than decent sight for any gentleman when they first met with her loose hair and dirty face, and she seemed more amused than troubled on being encountered in such a pitiful state. And now, she was determined to challenge him with her daring eyes and the mischievous smile that twisted her lips, just to add to his confusion.
“Come, Darcy, do not stand there!” Lady Catherine spoke when the silence became awkward. Colonel Fitzwilliam discreetly beckoned him to the other side of the room, and Darcy gratefully obliged.
“I am told that your father-in-law was also your guest, Mr. Collins. Where is he now?” Lady Catherine returned her attention to Mr. Collins, when she was satisfied to have the things under control once again.
“I am afraid he has left. Unfortunately, some urgent business matters required his presence in London.”
“That is rather unfortunate, indeed. You should have brought him here before he left,” her ladyship said with annoyance.
A footman entered the room and announced that dinner was ready, which gave her ladyship the opportunity to indulge in her favourite pastime: bending everything to her will.
“Darcy, you will come and sit by my side; I shall surely need to speak to you during dinner. And you too, Miss Bennet—I might want to ask you several questions about your family.”
Lady Catherine’s requests were obeyed, and Darcy took his place facing Elizabeth, who sat directly across from him. Elizabeth felt a little uneasy to have Mr. Darcy scrutinizing her. She cast him a look only to discover him pensive with a touch of vulnerability on his countenance that did not leave her unaffected.
With Lady Catherine’s severe presence on her left, Elizabeth was pleased to find Colonel Fitzwilliam on her right. She was determined to have as little conversation as possible, in spite of Lady Catherine’s impending inquiry, but Colonel Fitzwilliam proved to be a pleasant and amiable companion, and she soon found herself engaged in conversation.
“Miss Bennet, I am glad we have a chance to speak in far more pleasant conditions than the first time we met.” Colonel Fitzwilliam spoke with ease.
“Yes, it is fortunate indeed.” She smiled, thankful.
“I am pleased to see Mrs. Collins is recovering.”
“Yes, she is, and you are very kind, sir, to inquire after her health.”
Mr. Darcy followed their discourse with a different expression; Elizabeth noticed that he had regained his usual manner, which seemed now cold and proud, and she could think of no reason other than to intimidate her. Lady Catherine, on the other hand, was displeased at being excluded.
“Colonel Fitzwilliam, what is the nature of your conversation with Miss Bennet?” Lady Catherine decided that it had been long enough.
Colonel Fitzwilliam responded that he inquired after Mrs. Collins’s state of health.
“She is fine; otherwise, she would not be here,” Lady Catherine spoke with conviction. Then she turned to Elizabeth. “Do you like Rosings, Miss Bennet?”
“Yes, very much,” Elizabeth replied in a firm voice.
“Surely, it is more beautiful and grandiose than your father’s estate,” Lady Catherine continued with the certainty of someone who is owed constant praise.
“I could hardly contradict your ladyship,” Elizabeth answered lightly. “But there are things that I miss dearly and make me eager to return home.”
“What things?” Lady Catherine asked with apparent surprise and displeasure. Elizabeth felt Darcy’s gaze suddenly fixed upon her once again, waiting for her answer. It was her turn to ignore him, and she addressed her host.
“The lack of the people I love.” She then turned to meet Darcy’s eyes, but a moment later he lowered them to his plate and sipped some wine.
“I see…” Lady Catherine seemed content with the response, and more questions followed. “Mr. Collins has told me that your house is entailed to him. I expect you are rather content that such a reasonable man as Mr. Collins will claim ownership.”
“I fear that nothing can remove the sorrow that one day your house will be yours no longer. Such pain can hardly be alleviated, nor can the despair of losing a father for something like that to happen.”
“Pray, Miss Bennet…do you always feel the need to give your opinion so honestly?”
Darcy looked at Elizabeth again, his curiosity and interest evident. She breathed deeply and answered both the aunt and the nephew.
“It is one of the few rights I have as a woman, madam.”
Elizabeth thought she saw Mr. Darcy startled by her words, but it was the colonel who replied.
“Oh, I have to contradict you in this, Miss Bennet. Ladies—especially the beautiful and charming ones—have many rights, and they seem to use them against us men as often as they can. Is it not so, Darcy?”
Mr. Darcy seemed surprised to be asked to intervene in such a discussion, and he looked at Elizabeth as if trying to decide whether he should make the effort. Elizabeth could not help smiling at this display of laboured effort and thought of the sacrifice it must be for him to speak when he was not required to.
Mr. Collins was right about Mr. Darcy. He is as proud as they say he is. She was forced to quiet her thoughts when she heard him speak. His voice, manly and clear, sounded in the room as if someone had cast a sudden spell.
“Miss Bennet is allowed her own beliefs, Colonel, and to express them as she likes. Besides, I believe that Miss Bennet is right: women have few rights to use to their advantage.” Mr. Darcy gazed at Elizabeth directly.
Lady Catherine barely contained her amazement at such an unexpected reply from her nephew while the colonel smiled in contentment at the partiality of his cousin. Elizabeth said nothing, and nothing could be read on her face about Mr. Darcy’s unanticipated words, but she saw that the colonel was preparing a retort when he was pr
evented from doing so by Lady Catherine.
“Colonel, stop this teasing conversation. We should carry on a serious conversation. Miss Bennet, I understand you have four sisters and they are all unmarried as well.”
“Yes, your ladyship—all unmarried to the last one!” Elizabeth said defiantly.
“And they are all like you, Miss Bennet?”
Mr. Collins looked pale and directed his gaze at Elizabeth, his eyes pleading for her to speak less boldly before her ladyship and assume a meek countenance. His intent was missed as Elizabeth answered.
“No, not at all…
“Are they better than you?”
Elizabeth shook her head gently and replied, amused, “I expect they are no better and no worse than any young ladies their age, your ladyship.”
Lady Catherine exchanged a glance with Mr. Darcy, who revealed nothing of what he thought, then looked at her daughter Anne, who began to cough quietly to avoid responding to her mother’s gaze.
“By God, I can see a perfectly good reason why you are all unmarried. A lady cannot marry unless she possesses excellence in something! Who would want to marry five ordinary young ladies?” her ladyship spoke with conviction, determined to have the last word.
Lady Catherine’s last remark was so rude that everyone at the table frowned, but it brought a smile to Elizabeth’s face as she remembered her mother’s similar censure and indignation.
“Do you find my words amusing, Miss Bennet?”
“No, your ladyship. It is just that my mother says the same.”
“She sounds like a very wise woman with a lot of common sense, and you should take her words to heart,” Lady Catherine concluded.
The colonel looked around the table, determined to change the spirit of the night.
“Well, after all this serious conversation, I hope Miss Bennet will provide us with some music after dinner,” the colonel said, but a new round of inquiries from their host followed.
“Pray, do you play the piano, Miss Bennet?”
“Very little.”
“Do any of your sisters play an instrument?”
“Just two of them.”
“That is very strange. Do you draw?”
Elizabeth shook her head gently.
“And what do you do all day then?”
“I read, ma’am!” Elizabeth exclaimed joyfully, happy to speak about a subject that was close to her heart. “I enjoy learning from books. I believe there are many great adventures to be lived through them. They give me a thousand more lives to add to my own. I am always in good company when I have my books.”
“It is a pity they cannot provide a resolution for your family situation, Miss Bennet, which has become even worse by your refusing a perfectly fine marriage proposal. But perhaps one day you will be able to find a teaching position. That would be advantageous enough for you, would it not?”
Elizabeth felt the harshness of her ladyship’s words, but they did not touch her for she said, “Anything that would help me live decently would be advantageous for me, your ladyship.”
There was a brief expression on Mr. Darcy’s countenance—a glimmer of his blue eyes that came to vivid light—that made Elizabeth feel he was tempted to intervene. An instant later, his countenance resumed its usual aloofness, and he continued to eat in silence.
But Elizabeth had lost her appetite.
***
After dinner, the whole party returned to the hall, and Lady Catherine resumed her place on the French sofa, entertained by conversation with Colonel Fitzwilliam. Mr. Collins sat attentively next to her ladyship; Mr. Darcy, on the other hand, had withdrawn to a corner to read a letter and seemed not to notice anything around him.
Joined by Charlotte, Elizabeth rested on a settee close to the window, admiring the elegant room in silence and thinking about the course of the dinner and her responses. She felt largely content with the answers she gave Lady Catherine, but she could not shake a trace of agitation.
Elizabeth’s eyes roamed, and unwillingly she observed Mr. Darcy, who appeared to be preoccupied with the content of his letter. She could not see his face clearly, but she was sure that its contents gave him cause for concern. Or was it only her imagination?
Elizabeth frowned and turned her gaze but quickly she returned to him, as she could not stop wondering about the fact that Mr. Darcy had agreed with her in the conversation. Of course, it was just a polite answer. What else could he have said—that I should have kept my mouth shut?
However, the more she thought of Mr. Darcy’s answer and his reaction to the entire evening, the more Elizabeth felt he had been sincere. This conclusion was astonishing to her, for she had never imagined—or expected—Mr. Darcy to be inclined to give a woman the right to speak freely about any subject. That he was a proud gentleman could not be denied; his behaviour—aloof and reserved—spoke of this, but what he said was another matter entirely.
In the course of her life, Elizabeth had not lived in the proximity of many gentlemen, so she could not draw a definitive conclusion about whether men are likely to agree with women on such subjects, but she knew that her father was an exception of some sort. She had heard her mother’s protests about it for a many years, but more than that, she had proof of it.
Indeed, Mr. Bennet had encouraged her—all of his daughters, actually—to use her mind to speak openly and freely, making her think for herself. Whether he had succeeded with all of them was a matter of which even Elizabeth had some doubts. She had been grateful, however, for she could not imagine a life in which her views were not taken into consideration.
Elizabeth noticed that Mr. Darcy had finished reading his letter and was putting it into his pocket, unaware that he was the subject of such scrutiny on her part. Fearing that she might be in danger of being seen to pay too much attention to the gentleman, Elizabeth turned her head to glance out the window, but—alas—she was met with a familiar view.
The garden in which she had met Mr. Darcy the second time was before her eyes. She felt her cheeks colouring at the remembrance of that moment—odd as it might have been—and lowered her head, hoping that nobody would notice.
Upon a moment of reflection, when she was once again composed, Elizabeth brought herself to admit—although with difficulty—that the source of her agitation was the remembrance of those fine blue eyes that had looked at her throughout dinner as well, and she shivered as if she had suddenly been exposed to cold air.
The idea that she could be interested in something as frivolous as a gentleman’s blue eyes was confusing. A pair of fine eyes should always be accompanied by a fine mind; otherwise, it is only a vague inclination towards vice.
Elizabeth rubbed her hands nervously but stopped when she noticed Mr. Darcy watching her. His gaze was brief before he returned to be of assistance to his cousin Anne. Even if she was curious about their interaction, Elizabeth desisted to avoid betraying her interest to the others.
She knew it would be dreadful if anyone in the party suspected that she was giving such consideration to Mr. Darcy and his bright eyes!
She startled when Charlotte whispered to her, “Lizzy, I do hope you are not offended by what her ladyship said. I had not expected her to know about your proposal from Mr. Collins or about the entailment. I am truly pained by that.”
“Rest your worry, Charlotte, for no harm was done.” Elizabeth smiled and patted her friend’s hand gently.
“I am glad you feel that way. I must confess I find this night different from what I had expected; I never imagined her ladyship would be so keen to inquire into your life with such detail, Lizzy. The bright side is that you seem to have made a new friend in Colonel Fitzwilliam.” Charlotte paused and then added with a mischievous tone in her voice, “And Mr. Darcy—that was surely surprising!”
“Colonel Fitzwilliam is a pleasant and amiable gentleman. As far as Mr. Darcy is concerned, I doubt that he could become my friend. He was only polite for the sake of conversation.”
They
were interrupted as they noticed Colonel Fitzwilliam moving towards them. To Elizabeth’s greater surprise, she observed Mr. Darcy accompanying him.
“Miss Bennet, allow me to tell you how much I enjoyed your lively company. I cannot remember having such a lovely time at Rosings before,” the colonel declared lightly.
Elizabeth raised her brows in surprise, waiting for further clarification for the compliment that had put a discreet smile on Charlotte’s face.
“I do not think I have ever seen my aunt as astonished as she was tonight; you must be the first one to enter into such an argument with her. Would you not agree, Darcy?”
“I think Miss Bennet is a courageous woman,” the gentleman admitted with only a brief look at her.
Elizabeth faltered. For the second time in the course of the evening, Mr. Darcy, paid her a compliment she had not expected. She exchanged a quick glance with Charlotte then turned to respond to Mr. Darcy’s claim.
“I do not deserve such praise, Mr. Darcy. I have only spoken my mind as I am used to do. I am well aware that it might be considered brave, but it could also be called impertinence. It depends on the person who judges it.”
Mr. Darcy said nothing. A barely noticeable smile appeared at the corners of his lips and added something serene to his countenance. The small change did not escape Elizabeth’s notice; she found it surprising and strangely disturbing. She was relieved to hear Colonel Fitzwilliam speak again, attracting her attention.
“Well, then, Miss Bennet, I can only assure you of my complete admiration.” The colonel had a mischievous tone in his voice.
“You are too kind, Colonel Fitzwilliam,” she retorted, and she felt Darcy’s silent gaze on her face.
The colonel broached another topic, speaking about the weather in Kent—rainy for the last days—and how he regretted not being able to hunt. The discussion became animated with both Elizabeth and Charlotte’s help until Lady Catherine’s attention was drawn to the party.
At once, she uttered, “Miss Bennet, Mrs. Collins, what are you doing over there? What are you talking about with my nephews? Come, sit closer to me!”
Meant to Be: A Pride and Prejudice Variation Page 5
