Page 24

Drawing Room

Later

Darcy led Bennet and Bingley into the drawing room where the ladies were charmingly grouped around the fire. The sudden arrival of his cousin Anne had already altered the plan for the evening considerably. Moreover, the intelligence that Anne would soon be engaged in a legal battle with Lady Catherine, plus the realization that his aunt would likely soon arrive on his doorstep breathing fire, meant that his life was annoyingly complicated at the moment. Furthermore, he really must deal with Wickham, and soon, because the man seemed determined to cause problems.

He glanced around the room and relaxed at the sight of Elizabeth and Georgiana, who were seated on a loveseat near the fire, speaking easily, with the younger woman wearing a cheerful expression. Mrs. Annesley and Mrs. Jenkinson sat side by side on the sofa, chatting about knitting, and Jane and Anne stood by the fire, talking eagerly.

“Fitzwilliam,” Elizabeth said, rising to her feet, “I was just asking Miss … that is, Georgiana, about her ab ility on pianoforte. She is inclined to be modest, but I am confident she plays very well.”

Georgiana was blushing but also smiling, and Darcy said, “She plays very well indeed, though I have always enjoyed your performance on the instrument, Elizabeth.”

“Thank you,” Elizabeth said. “I know I am not as adept as many a lady because I do not practice enough. However, I enjoy playing and singing, and I hope that my verve and enthusiasm make up for any deficiencies in my fingering.”

“I would be pleased to play with you sometime,” Georgiana said.

“I can neither play nor sing,” Anne remarked, walking closer to the group, “but I would enjoy listening to you both, especially if you can play some dance music. I am hoping to hire a master in the near future, as I do not know the steps of even the simplest country dance.”

Darcy sighed. This was, he supposed, no great surprise, as Anne had, according to Lady Catherine, been sickly since birth.

“I would be happy to play for you,” Georgiana volunteered, rather to his surprise.

“Yes, and if you do not mind spending time with my younger sisters, we could practice at our house on Curzon Street,” Jane said, and Elizabeth chimed in, “They are a rather noisy pair, our younger sisters, but they greatly enjoy dancing.”

“I would like that very much,” Anne said, just as a manservant entered the room and walked over to murmur into Darcy’s ear. “Sir, Lady Catherine de Bourgh and a Mr. Collins have arrived and are waiting in the vestibule.”

***

Drawing Room

Darcy House

A Few Minutes Later

The drawing room, so recently full of people, was now empty save for Elizabeth, her father, and Mr. Darcy. Jane and Bingley had wisely chosen to leave through a back door to avoid the upcoming storm, while Georgiana had fled in a frenzy of anxiety, with Mrs. Annesley following her. Anne, after a quick consultation with Darcy and Elizabeth, had left as well, along with Mrs. Jenkinson. The pair would hide in her bedchamber until the coast was clear, as it seemed obvious to all that it would be best to consult with the de Bourgh solicitor before Anne began her coup d’état against her mother’s rule over Rosings.

The door opened, and Darcy’s butler, who was having a busy evening, entered and announced, “Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Mr. Collins.”

Elizabeth considered the lady with interest. She was atall, large woman, with strongly marked features, which might once have been handsome, and her only shared attribute with her daughter was an aquiline nose. She was dressed expensively in sables, with an elaborate hat, and her chin was tilted upward.

“It is about time, Darcy,” she said irritably. “I would have thought you had better manners than to keep your nearest and dearest relation waiting at this time of night! Who is this woman?”

“Lady Catherine,” Darcy said, and Elizabeth could hear the steel in her fiancé’s tone. “This is quite a surprise.”

“Who is this woman?” the lady repeated, glaring at Elizabeth.

Mr. Collins, who was lurking near the door, said, “Lady Catherine, this is my cousin, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and her father, Mr. Bennet. ”

“Why are they here?” Catherine de Bourgh demanded, stalking a few feet closer and pointing an angry finger at Elizabeth.

“I invited Mr. Bennet and my fiancée to dinner, Aunt. We were…”

“So it is true?” the woman interrupted. “You have indeed offered for this woman? How could you, Darcy? You are engaged to Anne!”

“I am not,” Darcy said coldly, taking a step closer to his aunt and looming over her dangerously. “Lady Catherine, you have come here uninvited, and I have no intention of arguing with you on this matter. I am engaged to Elizabeth, and there is nothing you can do to change the situation!”

Lady Catherine’s skin took on a reddish hue, and Mr. Collins said, in a quavering tone, “Mr. Darcy, sir, I know you are an honorable man and only wish to assist my poor cousin, though truly, it is entirely Cousin Elizabeth’s fault that her reputation was damaged at the ball at Netherfield. She ought not to have…”

“Silence!” Darcy ordered in a louder tone, and Collins looked startled and obediently stopped talking.

The master of the house glowered at the parson for a moment and then turned to his aunt and said, “Aunt, I refuse to discuss this any further. This is my life, and my fiancée, and my house, and I will not permit you to berate me or insult Elizabeth. You will leave, now.”

“I will not,” Lady Catherine replied angrily. “You are committed, by honor, to Anne. If this woman needs a husband, I am certain we can arrange something, but you will marry my daughter or no one. Do I make myself clear?”

Darcy looked at his butler, who was still lurking near the door, and calmly said, “Mr. Knoakes, please show Lady Catherine and Mr. Collins out.”

“Yes, sir,” Knoakes replied, stepping closer. “This way, Madame, Sir.”

“You cannot be serious!” Lady Catherine squawked. “I have been traveling all day. I will spend the night here, and we will speak more of this in the morning!”

“No, you will not,” Darcy said, stepping forward more and taking his aunt’s arm in one ungentle hand. “You may stay at the de Bourgh house if you like, or a hotel, but you will not stay here.”

“The de Bourgh house has been closed for years, and I cannot believe that you would imagine that I would stay in a hotel! They never air the sheets properly!”

“They do at the Clarendon,” Darcy said coolly and tugged his aunt toward the door .

To Elizabeth’s surprise, the lady literally dug in her heels. She was even more astonished when Mr. Bennet, his forehead set in grim lines, strode forward to take Lady Catherine’s other arm. The two gentlemen literally lifted the now squawking lady off the floor and carried her out the door and into the corridor. Mr. Collins, his hands flapping in distress, looked toward the hall, and back to Elizabeth and cried out, “Cousin Elizabeth, this is not to be borne! Mr. Darcy is engaged to Miss de Bourgh, and for you to enter into a relationship is immoral and illicit! I am certain that Lady Catherine will find you an appropriate husband, but you simply must…”

“Silence, Mr. Collins!” Mr. Bennet thundered, striding back into the room. “Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are indeed engaged, and there is nothing dishonorable about the engagement. No documents were signed binding Darcy to Miss de Bourgh. If Mr. Darcy is confined to his cousin neither by honor nor inclination, why can he to make another choice? And if Elizabeth is that choice, why is she barred from accepting him?”

“Because decorum, and prudence, and interest,” Mr. Collins squeaked, only to be interrupted by Darcy, who stalked into the room and halted only two feet from the clergyman.

“Mr. Collins, this is not your business. Moreover, I suggest you join Lady Catherine in her carriage, or you will find yourself cast out of this house and onto the street without any transportation.”

Mr. Collins’s eyes grew wide, and he goggled and blinked for a few seconds, and then suddenly he rushed out of the room with no further argument, leaving Elizabeth, her father, and Mr. Darcy behind.

Darcy turned a contrite look on his fiancée and said, “Elizabeth, I am so very sorry for that dreadful scene.”

Elizabeth gazed at him, and then at her father, and then, rather to her surprise, found herself laughing heartily. “You certainly know how to host an unusual dinner party, Fitzwilliam!”

***

The Bennets’ Rented House

Curzon Street

An Hour Later

Elizabeth slipped into the bedroom and turned to close the door noiselessly behind herself before lifting her candle and peering towards the bed. Kitty was already fast asleep, a formless lump beneath the heavy blankets, and did not stir. Satisfied, Elizabeth set her candle on the bedside table and began to undress as quietly as she could. It was nearly midnight according to the clock in the hall, but if Kitty woke, doubtless she would be full of questions about the evening despite the lateness of the hour, and Elizabeth was too tired for such conversation.

The burned down embers of the fire gave off only the dimmest glow and even less heat, and Elizabeth was swift to pull on her soft flannel nightgown, and her wrapper over it and then her nightcap. The air had long since cooled enough to raise gooseflesh on her skin, and she was grateful for the warmth of her nightclothes. The heat dissipated when she slid into the sheets, which had cooled completely since the warming pans were used on them. Elizabeth shivered again and scooted back in the bed until she bumped gently against Kitty's warm bulk. Kitty, a deep sleeper her whole life, shifted and sighed and settled once more without waking, and Elizabeth relaxed in relief.

She curled herself into a ball and waited for her chilly limbs to warm up, knowing that she would not be able to sleep until they did. It was just as well, as her mind was overly full to think of resting yet. What an eventful evening it had been! Elizabeth smiled to herself as she thought of all her nerves on the way to Darcy House and how anxious she had been about meeting Miss Darcy. It was not an exaggeration, she thought, to describe her conversations with Georgiana as the most pleasant part of the evening. Miss Darcy was entirely sweet natured and gentle, with her greatest flaw being her shyness. Not surprisingly, Wickham had cruelly slandered her.

Wickham! That villain! That rogue! He was all that was vile. It made Elizabeth's blood grow hot to think how he had attempted to seduce a girl barely half his own age in order to seize her money. She did not blame Fitzwilliam one iota for his loathing of Wickham. She wondered only that he had tolerated the scoundrel for so long. It explained, too, Wickham's vendetta against the Darcys. Doubtless he felt himself cheated of not only advantageous connections, but thirty thousand pounds as well. Had he succeeded in carrying Georgiana off to Scotland and wedding her over the anvil, there would be no settlements to tie up her dowry and provide her an income in the face of her illicit husband's profligacy. Elizabeth could only thank God that He had moved Darcy to visit Ramsgate at the crucial time and foiled the wretch's plans.

Darcy, in stark contrast to his former playmate, was a man of great honor. His care for his sister was plain to see, and his concern for his cousin scarcely less so. He had barely blinked at his romantic evening being interrupted by Miss de Bourgh's clandestine visit, and he had not hesitated to offer her shelter and aid. Elizabeth had found Miss de Bourgh an interesting and surprising lady. While she had known that Darcy would never have asked for her hand if he was committed to his cousin, it had never occurred to her to wonder how Miss de Bourgh regarded the engagement.

Miss de Bourgh's joyous reception of the news had been a great relief, and Elizabeth had listened with fascination to the lady’s plans to wrest control of her estate of Rosings from her mother. She had gleaned from the discussion, as well as Mr. Collins's endless soliloquies on the subject during his visit to Longbourn, that Lady Catherine was not a particularly pleasant neighbor. Charlotte would be better served, after her marriage, by having Miss de Bourgh as a patroness, rather than the more demanding Lady Catherine.

The arrival of that lady had capped an already interesting night, and Elizabeth smiled to think of it. Lady Catherine’s arrogance had rather amused than intimidated her. She was plainly accustomed to being obeyed by everyone who came within her sphere of influence and had responded poorly to her nephew’s refusal to fall in line with her wishes.

In a way, Elizabeth could almost be grateful to the overbearing woman for providing such an opportunity for Darcy to show his mettle. If his care for his sister and his cousin was obvious, it was becoming entirely apparent that he was bending that same care to his fiancée. It was such a pleasure to loved and protected in such a way that Elizabeth could even forgive Lady Catherine for ruining her own plans for the evening. She had planned to speak privately to Fitzwilliam to discuss their engagement and how they wished to proceed. That had not happened, but it warmed her inside as she remembered how resolutely he had stepped forward to remove his offensive aunt from Elizabeth's presence.

Mr. Bennet had stirred himself for his daughters, besides ensuring that his wife had sufficient funds to feed and clothe the family. He had habitually hidden in his library, tolerating only grudgingly most invasions of that sanctum, and rarely coming out of it save meals and church and the occasional dinner at their neighbors’ houses. The Bennet ladies had come to expect no more effort than that from their patriarch. Certainly he had never placed himself between his womenfolk and a rude and surly relative.

At least, he had not until this evening. Following Darcy's lead, he had stepped forward to protect Elizabeth. And recently, he had tasked the servants with supervising the younger girls when he himself was not around to do so. He had even traveled all the way to Town to procure a house for the family, and he had not yet returned to the peace of Longbourn and his library. It was a sacrifice on his part, Elizabeth acknowledged .

But … did not Darcy sacrifice so all the time? Did he not pay assiduous care to his young sister? Had he not tirelessly aided the Bennets in their burgeoning scandal and the move to London? When Georgiana had haltingly relayed the tale of her own near miss with Mr. Wickham, had he not gently comforted her and blamed himself for not taking better care of her?

Would he not make as excellent a husband as he did a brother and cousin and, by all accounts, master of an estate?

Elizabeth rather thought he would, and she toyed for a moment with the idea of being his wife. She was not certain whether she was in love with Fitzwilliam Darcy, but she admired his character, which was true and good, and his intellect, and his kindness. Besides, what good was love apart from common sense? She had fancied herself half in love with the scurrilous Wickham. Even Mr. Bennet had once been in love with a young and beautiful Fanny Gardiner. No, being passionately in love was no great indicator of future happiness. Mutual respect and admiration were far better for that purpose.

Elizabeth sighed and nestled into the blankets, which had finally warmed from her own heat and Kitty's. She did not have to make a decision tonight, but yes, she was beginning to feel very receptive to Mr. Darcy's suit.