Page 26

Bennets’ Hired House

Curzon Street

After Dinner

Elizabeth picked up a bit of needlework from her workbasket and relaxed back into the cushions of her loveseat. Nearby, Miss de Bourgh and Kitty were speaking together, in decorously low but animated voices, of colors and silks and muslins. The two women were forming a fast friendship that had budded during the day’s shopping trip.

Elizabeth had not, upon setting out, anticipated a relaxing day. Shopping had often proven to be a bit of an ordeal, with Lydia and Kitty being at their silliest and Mrs. Bennet not only failing to restrain their spending, but usually joining in. With the higher-bred ladies joining them that day, Elizabeth had worried that she would find herself mortified more than once.

To her surprise and great pleasure, only minor discrete embarrassments had occurred. Mrs. Bennet, subdued by the knowledge that her guest was the daughter of a Lady and niece of an earl, had been quieter and more reserved than was her wont. Not that there was anything in Miss de Bourgh’s behavior to intimidate anyone. Far from being haughty and hard to please, the mistress of Rosings had been most amiable and obliging. Miss Darcy, too, had borne out Elizabeth’s previous assessment of her; though she was painfully shy, there was nothing in her manner to offend.

After returning, Mary had happened to mention her love of music, and Georgiana had lit up. Now the sounds of a concerto trickled from the music room, where the two girls had immediately repaired to take turns playing, supervised by Mrs. Annesley.

Elizabeth sewed serenely, listening with one ear to Kitty and Miss de Bourgh as they discussed fashion. Kitty spent most of her days following Lydia’s lead in being as silly and frivolous as she could be, but she truly had an eye for color and a talent for recognizing which fashions would most flatter one’s face and figure. Miss de Bourgh, who had never had the freedom to develop these skills for herself, nor to form her own taste, had agreeably followed all of the younger girl’s advice, and Kitty was still glowing with pleasure at being so recognized.

Elizabeth, to her surprise, had found the trip to the dressmaker thoroughly enjoyable. Mrs. Bennet, distracted by her genteel guests and anxious to impress them, had refrained from fluttering around her daughters with an overwhelming flow of suggestions for more ribbons and lace and furbelows. Jane and Elizabeth, taking advantage of this unprecedented opportunity for prudence, had each chosen two dresses and contented themselves with that. Mr. Bennet had no savings, after all, and the house on Curzon Street was not cheap. Jane would be married soon, and Charles, wealthy as he was, would be delighted to pay for an entirely new wardrobe for his wife. Elizabeth herself was not yet fully sure in her own heart and mind that she would be marrying Mr. Darcy. If she did accept his hand, it would be no more a burden for him than for Mr. Bingley to provide the funds for appropriate attire for his bride.

Mrs. Bennet had , of course, insisted that all of her girls should get a new gown. After all, they would be attending weddings soon, and must look their best! But Jane had gently convinced her that one gown apiece would be sufficient for the younger girls, for after all, they would soon be inheriting at least some of their sisters’ frocks and would not need a greatly enhanced wardrobe. Mrs. Bennet had glanced at Miss Darcy, standing nearby with the two companions, and agreed without so much as an argument.

Dinner, too, had been surprising. Mrs. Bennet did not, by habit, stint on expense for dinner, but since coming to London, she had not been ordering as elaborate of meals as was her custom, and had worried that Miss de Bourgh and Miss Darcy would be disappointed in its simplicity. To her relief, Miss de Bourgh had assured her that it was delightful, and this compliment from a high-bred lady had thrown Mrs. Bennet into a flutter of happiness.

Elizabeth glanced up from her sewing to look at Kitty and Miss de Bourgh, musing that Lady Catherine’s daughter was proving surprising in multiple ways. The lady was not haughty, or cold, or sick and weakly as rumor had it. She was indeed the picture of cheerful vivacity, bearing up amiably under discomforts and full of energy. Elizabeth bit off a thread, pondering the nature of rumors and how often, of late, they had been proven wrong.

“So incredibly handsome!” Lydia squealed, drawing her attention. “I can only hope that I will marry a red-coated officer one day!”

Elizabeth cringed and opened her mouth, only to close it when Miss de Bourgh said, “Do you have a large dowry then, Miss Lydia?”

Lydia blinked in surprise and narrowed her eyes. “No, we effectively have no dowry at all, but why should that matter?”

Anne took a sip of her coffee and said, “It matters because most officers, especially militia officers, are very poor and completely unable to support a wife, or at least not in the style to which you and I are accustomed. That dress you are wearing, for example, would be a far too expensive a purchase for a militia officer’s wife.”

Kitty, seated by Lydia, stared with a slightly open mouth, and Lydia said indignantly, “But surely such things do not matter when one is truly in love?”

Anne shrugged and said, “There are, I know, some tenant families who are happy in spite of small incomes, but I would find it a difficult life. No servants, long days of cooking and cleaning and washing clothes, caring for babies without assistance, a husband who is out toiling in the fields from dawn to dusk, dull food, no cakes, no ices…”

“It sounds dreadful!” Kitty squeaked, and Lydia turned round eyes on Mrs. Bennet. “Mamma, surely I would not need to cook and wash and clean if I married an officer?”

Mrs. Bennet looked startled and said, “Miss de Bourgh is entirely correct that if you marry a captain, or worse yet, a lieutenant, that will almost certainly be your fate. Most of them have little income to speak of at all, poor gentlemen. Now a colonel might well have a reasonable private income which would enable him to support his wife and children in a decent fashion.”

“Why did you not tell us that before?” Kitty demanded indignantly. “I thought that any officer would be a good husband! ”

“Mamma would say that any husband is better than no husband, correct?” Lydia suggested.

Mrs. Bennet glanced at Jane and Elizabeth and then turned back. “Perhaps in the past, yes, when the entail hung over our heads and we were in danger of the hedgerows, but now that both of your elder sisters are well engaged, the situation is very different, my dears. Indeed, you will soon have access to a far higher class of gentlemen than you have ever had before. I am hopeful that you will each of you marry a genuinely wealthy man.”

To Elizabeth’s considerable surprise, both of her youngest sisters looked authentically thoughtful, and she could not help but turn a grateful look on Miss de Bourgh. The lady smiled at her in return and said, “Miss Elizabeth, one of the unfortunate realities of my upbringing is that I have absolutely no accomplishments at all, as I was deemed too sickly to learn how to play an instrument, or sketch, or master another language. I daresay it is too late for me to become skilled in any of those areas, but I find myself interested in sketching and reading. I know you play and sing, Miss Elizabeth. Do you draw?”

“I do not,” she replied, “though Jane and Kitty are reasonably adept with pencil and paper.”

Jane colored and said, “Kitty is better than I am. ”

“You are doubtless both far better than I,” Miss de Bourgh said cheerfully. “Would you be willing to give me a little instruction, or should I perhaps hire a drawing master?”

“I would be pleased to try,” Kitty offered, “though we will need to purchase paper and pencils…”

The conversation continued on until the butler entered with Mr. Darcy and an unknown red-coated officer in his wake.

“Richard!” Georgiana and Anne cried out simultaneously, leaping to their feet, while Elizabeth and her relations rose from their respective positions around the room.

“Mrs. Bennet, Misses Bennet,” Darcy said, “may I please introduce you to my cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam? Richard, Mrs. Bennet, Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, my fiancée, Miss Mary, Miss Kitty, and Miss Lydia.”

Elizabeth curtsied along with her family, and the Colonel bowed. When he straightened, Miss Darcy and Miss de Bourgh hurried over to exclaim over his presence, which permitted her time to study the new arrival with care. He was not a particularly handsome man, but his expression was good humored, and he greeted his two female cousins with obvious affection. Darcy made his deliberate way to her side and said, “I hope you have had a pleasant day, Elizabeth? ”

“It was marvelous,” she said, studying his face with care. “Your sister and cousin are both congenial companions. How was your day?”

He sighed and said, “It was somewhat difficult because I returned to Darcy House to find Lady Catherine, Lord Matlock, and Colonel Fitzwilliam waiting for me.”

“I assume the discussion was rather fractious?” she said sympathetically.

“It could have been far worse,” Darcy said, “as Lady Catherine was so angry that she could hardly form words, and my Uncle Matlock took her to Matlock House and left Richard to learn the entire story.”

Elizabeth looked at Colonel Fitzwilliam, who had settled onto a couch with Anne and Georgiana on either side and across from Jane and Mary.

“And what does your cousin say?” she asked with some trepidation.

“You need not worry. Richard is an outstanding fellow and is fully supportive of our engagement. Moreover…”

Darcy trailed away and Elizabeth frowned. “What is it, Fitzwilliam? ”

He lowered his voice to a near whisper and said, “Richard has offered to personally deal with George Wickham for us, which would be an excellent thing.”

Elizabeth’s fists clenched at the memory of the roguish lieutenant, and she nodded. “That would be excellent indeed.”

***

Drawing Room

De Bourgh House

The Next Day

Noon

Lady Catherine looked around with irritation. It had been many years since she had opened de Bourgh house in London, as she far preferred Kent to the metropolis. She was annoyed to discover that the furniture in much of the house was old-fashioned, even dowdy. She would need to purchase new furniture. It was not appropriate for the honor of House de Bourgh that their London house be out of style, even if it was another decade before she spent any time here .

There was a sudden crash from upstairs, and Lady Catherine winced. Her brother Matlock had provided a full dozen servants to assist in opening up the house, and she was, she supposed, grateful, but her own servants knew to be careful and quiet in her presence.

She knew, of course, why her brother was being so generous. Her sister-in-law Priscilla, the Countess of Matlock, disliked her thoroughly, and she had almost certainly demanded that Lord Matlock arrange for her to move from Matlock House to de Bourgh house as hastily as possible. Priscilla was a tedious, autocratic, demanding creature, never listening to wise counsel and always insistent on her own way. Lady Catherine had no use for her at all.

The butler entered the door with a silver salver in his hand, upon which perched a sealed letter.

“My lady,” he said, “this letter was sent to Matlock House express, and Lord Matlock had it sent over immediately.”

Lady Catherine took the letter in confusion and some concern. An express?

“You may go, Hastings,” she said, turning to walk over to the well-fueled fire, where six wax candles on the mantle provided light. She broke open the seal, spread it out, and bent her patrician gaze on it .

Hunsford

13th December, 1811

Lady Catherine, my most treasured and honored patroness,

As you directed, I returned to Kent yesterday in your most excellent carriage. I truly am most honored by your kindness in sending me in such comfort!

I descended from the carriage at Rosings and asked to see Miss de Bourgh, the fairest flower in all of Kent, in order to give her the letter which you entrusted to my care. To my astonishment, I discovered that Miss de Bourgh was not present at Rosings. According to the butler, Miss de Bourgh and Mrs. Jenkinson left for London on Thursday, 12th December, the same day that I had the honor of accompanying you to Hertfordshire and from thence to Town.

Miss de Bourgh is, of course, free to do whatever she wishes, but given that you, her most esteemed mother, thought her at Rosings, it caused me considerable concern.

I therefore chose to send you this express informing you of Miss de Bourgh’s departure from her home of birth, and if you find it overly forward, I do apologize most heartily and will of course pay for the express at your convenience.

Meekly,

William Collins

Lady Catherine read the letter several times and then sank into a wingbacked chair by the fire, which was comfortable, even if it was rather faded.

The letter was, she confessed to herself, thoroughly disturbing. Anne knew better than to leave Rosings without permission!

At least she had Mrs. Jenkinson with her, who could be trusted to take care of the heiress of Rosings, but it was still unconscionable for Mrs. Jenkinson to permit her charge to journey five and twenty miles in winter.

Lady Catherine’s mind suddenly shifted to the anonymous letter which had spurred her own trip to London. Anne had been present, and perhaps it was no surprise that she had been so disturbed by the contents of the missive that she had decided to venture to London when her ardently desired marriage to Darcy was in danger .

Yes, it made sense, though she would still scold Anne when she found her. It truly was not safe for her daughter to travel in winter without her mother’s oversight.

A terrible thought struck her, and she glanced at the letter again for confirmation. If Anne had come to Town on Thursday, then where was she? She was not at Darcy House, or Matlock House, or de Bourgh House, and the thought of sensitive, sickly Anne sleeping in some hotel was a dreadful one, as they never, ever aired the sheets properly.

She would come down with some horrid cold, or even worse, and be sick for weeks! It was exasperating.

Lady Catherine was not the sort of woman who often felt sorry for herself, but at the moment, she did indeed feel a twinge of truculent annoyance. Really, why must the younger generation be such fools? All she wanted was the best for Darcy and Anne, to unite the great estates of Rosings and Pemberley forever. Anne would also be happier at Pemberley, as the weather was cooler and her daughter always felt the worst during summer. Lady Catherine would have the honor of overseeing Rosings for the rest of her life, ensuring that it remained in excellent condition for the next generation. And now Darcy was supposedly engaged to a nobody from Hertfordshire, and Anne had rushed foolishly to London and was who knows where .

It was maddening.

The door opened again, and Hastings entered with a card on his platter and a crease in his forehead.

“Another express?” she demanded, rising to her feet and reaching out eagerly.

“No, my lady. A gentleman has called and wishes to speak to you, and was most insistent that you be informed of his arrival. If you wish me to turn him away…”

Lady Catherine frowned, took the card, read it, turned it over, and read the hasty words on the back. She drew in a hasty breath and looked at her butler. “Bring Mr. Wickham in now.”

“Yes, my lady.”