Sorrow and Second Chances

by E Bradshaw

  Ever since their mother had died, all the sisters had found daily cause to miss her in a variety of painful ways, but Jane and Elizabeth felt an additional sense of bitter-sweet sadness throughout the following weeks. They were, of course, overwhelmed with happiness, anticipation and nerves whenever they considered their upcoming futures as Mrs Bingley and Mrs Darcy, but their happiness was also inevitably tinged with sadness too. They knew how much their mother would have revelled in their wedding plans, and how eagerly she would have applied herself to thinking over every detail – and they could not help but miss her all the more when they contemplated going through such a major adjustment in their lives without having the benefit of her advice and support to help them through it. And although they were quite sure that their dear mother would have driven them mad sometimes with her exuberance and with her inevitable boasting to the neighbours, they still felt her loss very keenly.

  However, Jane and Elizabeth were both aware of the fact that time was passing quickly and that there was a great deal to be sorted out before their shared wedding day in December. Naturally, their aunts, Mrs Phillips and Mrs Gardiner, offered their help and advice, as did their younger sisters and neighbours – and so gradually their trousseaus were created, their bridal dresses and bonnets were purchased, and the wedding invites were all written and sent out. In fact, the only people who were made conspicuous by their absence were Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst, who had apparently remembered several engagements which they were obliged to attend in Town, and so they had not lingered in Hertfordshire once they had left Pemberley, but had instead journeyed onto London to spend the next several weeks there. However, no one missed them, and least of all the Bennet sisters, who had plenty of other well-wishers calling upon them in the subsequent weeks.

  As was their usual practice, the sisters had continued to pay calls to their neighbours upon their return home, just as they received calls in return, and so it had not taken long for the news of Jane’s and Elizabeth’s betrothals to spread throughout the neighbourhood. Excitement and speculation had been rife amongst many of the ladies of their acquaintance, and especially because the engagements seemed to have come about so quickly. However, little did those people realise that in fact both Bingley and Darcy had long been awaiting their opportunity to propose and had only delayed due to the obligation to conform to society’s strictures on mourning. In fairness, those who made up the little society of Meryton had long known that Mr Bingley loved the eldest Miss Bennet, but the news that the stern and very proper Mr Darcy had proposed to the outgoing and rather outspoken Miss Elizabeth caused no end of gossip amongst their circles. Thus, it was that the news soon spread beyond the immediate vicinity of Meryton, and it was not long before the information was sent on to other parts of the country, including a particular corner of Kent...

  *****

  Darcy had been impatient to complete everything he needed to do on his estate so he could follow after Elizabeth and her family, but out of necessity he was forced to remain behind at Pemberley for a while longer. Amongst the many other tasks and duties which he needed to complete before he could arrange his departure was the duty of writing to various members of his family with the news of his engagement. He knew that his cousin, Richard, would be entirely supportive, just as he imagined that Richard’s older brother and parents, the Earl and Lady Matlock, could be brought around to support his engagement to Elizabeth once they heard how happy he was.

  However, he dreaded having to write to his other aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, for he could well imagine the venomous scorn that he would receive from her in return. Nevertheless, it was a duty that simply had to be performed, and having never been one to shirk his duty in any way, Darcy faced the inevitable obligation and sent his aunt a letter which he hoped struck the right balance between conciliation and the resolute message that he was happy with his choice of Elizabeth Bennet, and would therefore brook no opposition from her over his choice of future wife. Even so, he grimaced slightly to himself when he pictured his aunt reading his letter, for he could well imagine her rage upon her first hearing of his news.

  Darcy wrote separately to his cousin, Anne, for although the two of them had long since agreed in private that they had no wish to be joined as husband and wife, he still could not help but feel somewhat guilty in case his news caused difficulties for her at home. He hated to think that Anne might have to deal with her mother’s temper all on her own, and especially when the situation was not of her making. Thus, he included a sincere appeal in his letter that she must let him know if she ever needed to leave Rosings Park for a while in order to escape from her mother’s anger, and he promised to send a carriage to collect her – or better yet, to come himself – if she ever needed him.

  However, his cousin’s quick response did a great deal to put Darcy’s fears to rest, for although Anne admitted that her mother was indeed exceedingly angry at his news, she also made it clear that she could not be happier for him in his new-found joy. She even joked about the situation, stating that she had benefitted a great deal of late from his news, since her mother had been too preoccupied to notice what she herself was doing and how she was occupying her time, and so she had been able to spend a great deal more time out and about with Mrs Collins. Furthermore, Anne explained quite forthrightly that the news of his engagement had finally lifted the great weight of anxiety that she had long felt, for fear that Darcy might one day feel obliged to give in to her mother’s demands and make a proposal to her. Consequently, she wrote, since she finally felt free from her concern that Darcy might give in to such a mistaken sense of family obligation, she could sincerely wish him and Elizabeth every joy for the future.

  Darcy smiled somewhat ironically to himself as he read his cousin’s letter; it was not every day that a man received a letter from a woman stating how glad she was that he had not made a proposal of marriage to her! Indeed, if taken in another light, his cousin’s gleeful sentiments could almost have been insulting. However, Darcy had enough of a sense of humour to laugh to himself about the situation, just as he knew that Elizabeth would laugh with him once he showed her Anne’s letter.

  As always, any thoughts of Elizabeth made Darcy miss her terribly, and he quickly sobered, wondering how soon he could complete his business with his solicitor, his land agent and his tenants so he could journey down to Hertfordshire and be reunited with her once again. If he worked hard and pushed his solicitor to act quickly, he decided, then he could perhaps set off several days earlier than he had originally planned. His friend Bingley had already returned to Netherfield and was therefore able to enjoy the company of his beloved, as he himself could not. Such thoughts immediately galvanised Darcy into action, and thus he quickly drafted notes for his solicitor and for Bingley, letting them both know of his intentions to journey south by the end of the week.

  *****

  Predictably, the letter that Darcy received back from his Aunt Catherine, soon after he had sent his own, was full of indignant anger. She raged at him for a full four pages, calling him a traitor, a liar, and a man without honour. She raged at him about Anne’s broken heart and about the endless disappointment that the whole family felt towards him, just as she asserted how bitterly disappointed his own parents would have been with him for his shocking lack of respect. She asked where his sense of pride and dignity was and demanded to know how he could even think of aligning his own elevated lineage to a family as low and undistinguished as the Bennet’s. In short, Lady Catherine’s words were vitriolic in the extreme and her anger at Darcy’s news was clear in every line of her letter – not only in the harsh phrases she used and the mean-spirited assertions she made – but was also evident from the way that her quill had scored forceful impressions into the paper with every vile insult that she had written.

  For the most part, Darcy could easily dismiss his aunt’s words; he had been expecting such a response from her and so he could quite easily ignore the majority of her insults towards himself
– knowing full well that her assertions about Anne’s hurt feelings, about his parent’s disappointed hopes, and about the anger felt by his extended family was all complete nonsense. However, when he reached the part in his aunt’s letter where she began to address her particular objections to Elizabeth, and he read the words where she disparaged his fiancée in the most vile and unkind way, his own anger was provoked beyond all reason. He was immediately seized by a sense of extreme protectiveness towards Elizabeth, and he paced angrily around his study, resolved upon writing a suitably hostile response to his aunt. Thus, the letter that he sent back to Lady Catherine that afternoon was not in the least bit apologetic or conciliatory in its tone; instead, he wrote in the plainest of terms that he would not stand for her interference. He stated bluntly that he cared nothing for her opinions, and nothing she could do or say would change his mind about going ahead with his marriage to his beloved Elizabeth.

  Darcy concluded his letter by decisively stating that he had made his own position clear, and it was now up to his aunt to decide whether or not she wished to continue having a connection with him and Georgiana. He stated that he would leave it up to her to search her conscience and decide on her next course of action, and then, whilst his resentment was still riding high, he resolutely sealed the letter and called for a servant to have it sent out to Rosings Park straight away. Then, still feeling far too angry to properly apply himself to any business matters, he strode out towards the stables, intending on taking his horse out for a brisk ride to try to purge some of the fury which he still felt simmering within him. However, little did Darcy know it as he rode out that afternoon, but his aunt would take his closing comments very much to heart, and would indeed contemplate very seriously on her next course of action…

  *****

  His aunt’s letter had perturbed Darcy far more than he had originally realised, and some sixth sense within him warned him that Lady Catherine would not let matters rest with the comments which he had made in his final letter, but would instead continue to scheme over how she could prevent his marriage to Elizabeth. Indeed, once such a fear had lodged itself in his mind, he found he could not rid himself of the notion. His greatest fear was that having failed to gain the response which she had wanted (and clearly expected) from him, Lady Catherine might very well change her tactics and instead try to threaten and browbeat Elizabeth into changing her mind about their engagement. He did not doubt Elizabeth’s love or her bravery for a moment, but neither would he stand to have her subjected to his aunt’s venom. Thus, it was that only some twelve days after the Bennet family had first set off from Pemberley, Darcy decided that he would follow after them – and so he made immediate preparations to travel down to Hertfordshire.

  He made good progress on horseback and so he only had to stay at roadside inns for two nights, meaning that he reached the outskirts of Meryton by mid-afternoon on the first Monday of November. Having missed Elizabeth terribly, even for the short period whilst they had been apart, he decided to surprise her by going straight to Longbourn, rather than stopping off at Netherfield Hall first. And when he reached the grounds of Longbourn and spied a grand-looking carriage and horses standing outside the front door of the house, he was immediately glad of his decision to do so, for he instantly recognised his aunt’s family crest painted upon the carriage doors, and he knew that she could only have arrived in order to cause trouble. Rapidly dismounting from his tired horse, Darcy gave quick instructions to the Bennet’s groom to take good care of him, before he hastened forward to knock on the front door. Indeed, so great were his fears over the sort of trouble that Lady Catherine might even now be causing within, that he did not even pause to brush off the dust and dirt that marred his coat and boots from his long journey, and instead he hurried towards Mr Bennet’s study – where he could hear the sound of raised voices coming from.

  *****

  He only got as far as the hallway before he encountered a very flustered-looking Jane. “Oh, Mr Darcy!” she exclaimed in a state of clear distress. “Thank goodness you are here!”

  “I have only just arrived,” he hurriedly explained. Then, hearing the petulant tones of his aunt emanating from the study beyond them, he asked; “how long has my aunt been here?”

  “Only for about a quarter of an hour,” Jane replied. “Though it seems much longer,” she added, before she suddenly flushed after realising how bluntly she had just spoken.

  “And where is Elizabeth?” asked Darcy, feeling fearful that she was even now being subjected to his aunt’s venom.

  “Thankfully, she is out visiting one of Papa’s tenants,” answered Jane. “Fortunately, she knows nothing of this yet, for your aunt arrived after Lizzy had already set out. But my father is in there with her and there has been the most awful row between them.”

  “Leave it to me,” replied Darcy grimly; “I know how to handle my aunt.”

  And with these words, he strode on and entered the study without bothering to knock, knowing full well that Mr Bennet would be all too glad of his immediate assistance. He took in the scene before him in one quick glance; his aunt was pacing in front of Mr Bennet’s desk and appeared to be utterly livid with rage, whilst Mr Bennet himself wore an expression of deceptive calm. Indeed, he appeared entirely composed as he leaned casually against his bookshelf; flawlessly giving the impression of absolute indifference – and even boredom – as he listened to Lady Catherine prattle on.

  “How dare you?” Darcy heard Lady Catherine screech as he entered the room. Evidently, she had not appreciated something that Mr Bennet had just said to her, and Darcy found himself wondering what sort of clever quip Mr Bennet had just retaliated with. Turning at the sound of his entrance, Lady Catherine spotted Darcy and immediately began to prate at him; clearly, she was expecting him to come to her aid.

  “Oh, there you are, nephew!” she exclaimed. “And about time, too! I have been insulted in the most dreadful manner; it is shocking, entirely shocking that I should be treated in such a way!”

  “What are you doing here, Aunt?” Darcy interrupted in an impatient tone.

  He was in no mood to allow her to begin one of her endless tirades and was more than a little agitated himself at the thought of what she might have been saying to Mr Bennet. Indeed, knowing that he would have no opportunity for formal greetings, Darcy sent an apologetic look towards the older gentleman in brief salutation, whilst Mr Bennet sent him a wry look back. Clearly, Mr Bennet knew that this situation was not of Darcy’s making and nor was he blaming him for Lady Catherine’s quarrelsome behaviour. Even so, Darcy could not help but feel mortified by his aunt’s arrival and he just hoped that he could put an end to her visit as soon as possible.

  “I am here to put an end to this… this utterly foolish infatuation of yours!” Lady Catherine exploded, as her face became steadily more purple.

  “It is not an infatuation, as you well know,” Darcy contradicted forcefully. “You know how serious I am about Miss Bennet, for I said everything I wished to say on the matter in my letters to you. Therefore, I cannot understand what you mean by visiting my fiancée and her family in such a way. It is the height of bad manners, and you must know that if your purpose is to try to sever my engagement, or to try to end my connection to the Bennet family, then your efforts are completely wasted. You ought to know me well enough by now to know that I am not a man to be so easily swayed, and I have no intention of being made to feel guilty for forming an attachment to a perfectly respectable lady.”

  Before Darcy could go on, or begin to apologise to Mr Bennet for his aunt’s highly embarrassing behaviour, she abruptly interrupted him. “Perfectly respectable, you say?” Lady Catherine spluttered with outraged disbelief. “I cannot believe your lack of pride, nephew, nor your lack of family honour! Surely you must know that this alliance would be a disgrace to the family? Surely you cannot ignore the wishes of your own dear mother? You must know that she and I planned a match between you and Anne whilst you were both still i
n your cradles! Poor Anne!” she wailed dramatically. “How could you think of disappointing her in such a way? I don’t know how you can be so selfish, nor how you can care so little for your family’s reputation and honour! You can sow all the wild oats you want to, if you must, with young women of Miss Bennet’s ilk, but you should marry as your family commands you –”

  “That is enough!” Darcy forcefully exclaimed, his face like thunder. “I will hear no more of your vile insults about my fiancée, nor listen to your quite ridiculous notions of a match between Anne and me! My mother never spoke to me of such an arrangement, if such an arrangement ever existed, and knowing that she cared only for my happiness, I can quite easily dismiss such a match. You might not know, madam, that I have already spoken to Anne on this matter and we are both quite agreed that neither of us desires to make such a match with one another. I have no desire to marry Anne, and I am perfectly satisfied that she has no inclination to marry me. Therefore, I will hear no more from you about Anne’s supposed disappointment, because the only person who had any expectations for us to be married was you.”