Page 6 of Body and Soul (Darcy and Elizabeth Variations #8)

Chapter Six

November 28, 1811 Longbourn Elizabeth

M r. Collins waited for Elizabeth at the breakfast table. Mr. Bennet looked up as she walked in before shaking his paper out and holding it higher before his face. “I see your early rising was a simple fluke yesterday,” he said caustically.

Elizabeth frowned. Did her father often speak to his wife that way? “On the contrary, sir,” she replied airily. “I went on a short stroll before changing and coming down for breakfast.” She went to the sideboard to fill her plate.

She heard a rustle and as she turned to go to her chair, Mr. Bennet watched her with narrowed eyes and a frown. He looked her over from head to toe. “Is that a new gown?” he said disapprovingly.

“No. Sally refashioned it for me.” Elizabeth felt distinctly uncomfortable. Though she looked like her mother, she was very much Elizabeth Bennet, the second daughter of the house. But Mr. Bennet said nothing more. He returned his newspaper to its customary spot before his face and finished his breakfast in silence.

Kitty and Lydia came in next, followed by Mary. Jane was the last of the sisters to come and looked somewhat discomposed. Elizabeth glanced at Mr. Collins, who entered after Jane, and rightly guessed why Mama had not entered the room.

“Lydia, you cannot have all the bacon!” Kitty griped, elbowing her sister. “You have half a pig there if you have a slice!”

“I have only six pieces,” Lydia snapped. “Look, there are two left on the plate. Take one of those.”

Mr. Bennet said not a word. He folded his paper and left the room. Elizabeth felt irrationally furious. Her father had always behaved thus, so why did it make her so angry when he did so now?

“Enough of that.” She stood and crossed the room. “Lydia, you may have two pieces of bacon. Mary and Jane have not eaten, and I believe Lizzy has not either. If you have two, then there is enough for everyone.” She plucked four pieces off Lydia’s plate and put them back on the sideboard. Her younger sister gaped at her in shock.

“But, Mama—“ she exclaimed.

“No buts, Lydie. I know you are a growing girl, but even growing girls must be considerate of others. Here is your bacon, Kitty.” She put two pieces on Kitty’s plate, ignoring her sister’s dismayed stares. “Do you want anything else, my dear?”

Kitty nodded, hurriedly adding an apple scone to her plate and some eggs before hurrying to her seat. She chose the seat to the left of Elizabeth’s own chair, the mistress’s spot, as she customarily did.

Grumbling under her breath, Lydia put scones and eggs on her plate before making her way to her chair. She glowered as she ate, and Elizabeth was once again struck with how very juvenile Lydia behaved. Returning to her seat at the foot of the table, she finished her meal, enjoying the lack of argument emanating from the two youngest Bennets.

“Mrs. Bennet, if you would be so kind as to speak with me after you have finished eating?” Mr. Collins had been quite forgotten during the disagreement between Kitty and Lydia.

“Of course, sir. Pray, let us go now if you are ready.” Elizabeth dabbed her mouth with her napkin and stood. Mr. Collins followed, and they left the room, going to the parlor at the end of the hall. Out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth saw herself ducking into the dining room. She chuckled at the oddity of the situation, shaking her head when Mr. Collins turned to her questioningly.

Once they were in the parlor, he turned to her and put his hands behind his back. “I have done as you asked, Mrs. Bennet,” he said solemnly. “It is now the second day following the ball, and your daughter should no longer be out of sorts. I have every confidence she will be amenable to my suit and we will be very happy together.”

This was her moment. “I regret to inform you, sir, that you are mistaken. Elizabeth is such a dear girl, so thoughtful and considerate. She came to me last night, full of worry! After much self reflection, she has resolved to refuse you if you ask, for she cannot be what you need in a wife and companion.”

Mr. Collins looked shocked. “Why would she think such a ridiculous thing?” he spluttered. “We are designed for each other! Cousin Elizabeth is the perfect example of feminine beauty and accomplishments. She will make an ideal wife for me.”

She ought to have known he would persist. “But your words to her yesterday about being a useful sort of woman… They struck her most forcefully. Elizabeth cannot cook or clean, and whilst you have a maid and mentioned hiring a cook, she feels it would be best if you found a lady who can do that which you require. It would save you a considerable amount of income, sir, and the trouble of finding a cook on such short notice.”

“My purpose for selecting amongst your daughters, madam, is to heal the breach that has existed between our families for so long. If I do not marry Miss Elizabeth, then I suppose your next daughter, Miss Mary, ought to do.” He sighed. “She is not as handsome, but she is pious.”

Elizabeth gulped. Mama did not want him for any of her girls. “Mary, sir, cannot cook, either. And we would not consider there to be a breach. You have made a valiant effort to heal our family lines. We see them as quite repaired, I promise you.” She paused, an idea blossoming in her mind. “There is another impediment, sir," she continued. “If one of my daughters were to accept your hand, we would cause another breach. You see, Elizabeth does not wish to wound her dearest friend. The lady has formed a tendre for you, and it would be a betrayal of the worst sort if she—or any of my girls—were to marry you in her stead.”

Mr. Collins frowned. “And who is the lady?” he asked testily. He doubtlessly disliked that his aims were being so undone.

“Miss Charlotte Lucas, Mr. Collins. She is a lovely lady and has the skills my daughters do not possess. I understand she is a dab hand in her mother’s kitchen, practicing cookery and baking every week. I have enjoyed her mince pies. They are everything delightful! Oh, and her bread is heavenly! So light—quite perfect for toast in the mornings.”

She could practically see Mr. Collins’s thoughts whirling. The man unconsciously licked his lips as his eyes grew wider. “Truly?” he said. “Is she so gifted?”

“Certainly. Why do you not ask her yourself? Look! She just walked by the window.”

“But,” he spluttered, “but the olive branch!”

“Sir, Miss Lucas is Lizzy’s dearest friend, and our connection to that family is of long standing. She would never see us destitute. Nor would you, for you are a good, Christian man whose conscience would not allow it.”

His expression transformed at the praise, and he beamed. “Quite right, Mrs. Bennet, quite right. Yes, there is still time before my departure! I shall show Miss Lucas her affections are not misplaced. Thank you for helping me see the way forward. I do hope that I shall always be welcome at your door.”

Elizabeth could not help herself. She grinned. Her happiness at being free from the obsequious parson could not be contained. “You are most welcome, sir. Now, you had best go to it as soon as Hill shows her in.”

Charlotte came in and Elizabeth winked at her. Her friend looked somewhat confused for a moment, smiling hesitantly back. “Good morning,” she said, addressing the two people in the room. “My mother has sent me with an invitation, Mr. Collins. We have a day of activities planned and would like it if you would attend.”

“Oh, that sounds delightful!” Elizabeth said, clapping her hands as she had seen her mother do. “Mr. Collins, does that not sound a treat?”

“Indeed, madam. If I will not be missed at Longbourn, I shall prepare to depart with Miss Lucas directly.” Mr. Collins puffed up and smiled ingratiatingly at Charlotte. “If you will excuse me.” He hastened to leave the room.

“I thank you for your note to Mama,” Charlotte said, turning to Mrs. Bennet. “I confess to some surprise, though I cannot repine your decision.”

“It is nothing, my dear.” Elizabeth patted her friend’s hand. “Elizabeth wants a love match.” In truth, she disagreed with Charlotte’s desire for only a comfortable situation, but she could not say so as Mrs. Bennet.

“Yes, I do.” They turned. Mama—as Elizabeth—stood in the doorway. “Mr. Collins thanked me for my consideration. I take it he is to go away with you, Charlotte?”

“Yes, Lizzy.” Charlotte embraced her friend. “I know you cannot approve, but this is what I want. I shall have my own home at last…and maybe children as well.” She fairly glowed with happiness, causing Elizabeth’s heart to ache a little.

“We do not all want the same things,” Mama said, taking Charlotte’s hand as she pulled away. “Make the most of this chance. If anyone can thrive in a marriage of convenience, then it is you. Always practical and prudent, you make the most of every situation you are in.”

How very astute of Mama to see that! Elizabeth had never looked at Charlotte’s pragmatism in that light. She felt rather humbled that her mother, whom she had always seen as nonsensical and oblivious to what happened around her, had pointed it out.

Mr. Collins appeared, and the pair departed. Elizabeth and Fanny watched from the window until they rounded the bend and could no longer be seen.

Mama sighed and moved away. “Well, that is over,” she said gratefully. “None of you will be doomed to his company for the rest of your lives.”

“I appreciate your efforts on my behalf,” Elizabeth replied. “And it is delightful to be one in purpose as we now are.” She grinned and took her mother’s hand. It felt familiar, yet so foreign. “What do you make of our situation?” she asked after a moment.

Mama shook her head, Elizabeth’s curls bouncing as she did. “I cannot say. It is very peculiar and can only be an act of God. Perhaps our discord has angered him beyond tolerance.”

“Then we are being punished?” Elizabeth did not like the sound of that. “How, then, are we to fix what has happened?”

“I can only tell you my musings.” Mama shifted and leaned her head against Elizabeth’s shoulder. She wrapped her arms around her and sighed.

Elizabeth returned the sentiment, kissing her own head with her mama’s lips. “Tell me, then,” she said softly. “Perhaps we might make something of it.”

Mama sighed again, sounding very forlorn. “My musings began this morning after we sent the note to Lucas Lodge. It has been years since you and I did anything other than argue. You are such a headstrong, stubborn creature, and I have not known what to make of you for so long. And then this morning we were of one mind, and we got along famously. I concluded that righting the wrongs and healing the breach between us must be the way to change back.”

Once again, her mother surprised her. Lizzy had not thought her mama capable of rational thought, yet here she presented a solution that was not only logical, but made sense. “I believe you have the right of it,” she remarked. Her shock must have been evident in her voice, for Mama scoffed.

“Always the tone of surprise. I wish you did not take after your father in that way.”

She bristled. “I am afraid I do not comprehend you,” she said coolly.

Mama wilted where she stood. “He does not think I am at all intelligent, either,” she muttered, pulling away. “I may not be as clever as you and he, but neither am I stupid. I am capable of rational, intelligent thought, and though it may take me longer to puzzle out a solution to my problems, I can do it.”

Elizabeth felt terrible. “I am sorry,” she whispered, appalled. She thought herself so clever in her disparagement, believing her mother had not understood her disapproval and scorn. To find out the opposite hurt in ways she had never experienced. Guilt, anguish at having been the cause of so much pain, and remorse consumed her.

“It is all forgiven.” Mama reached up and touched her cheek, and Elizabeth closed her eyes, picturing the image she now saw in the mirror instead of the one her mother currently possessed. “Promise me, my dear, that when all of this is over, you will not return to how things were. I like this new us rather well, and would hate to lose it as quickly as we found it.”

“I like it too,” Elizabeth confessed. “I thought you misunderstood me, but I see now you did not. What you said to Charlotte was inspired!”

Mama chuckled. “It was, was it not? I think she and Mr. Collins will do well together. Though it does cause me to worry about our future again. Whatever will we do when your father dies?” Her hands fluttered, and Elizabeth panicked as she watched her body perform the actions she had for so long associated with her mother.

“Jane will marry Mr. Bingley, Mama, and they will see to everything.”

Mama frowned. “Jane behaved rather oddly before she went into breakfast. Did you notice? I wanted to follow her, but I wished to avoid Mr. Collins.”

She nodded. “Yes, she looked rather discomposed when she came into the room. I was distracted preventing Lydia from eating all the bacon.”

“She would not do any harm!” Mama protested. “She is the tallest of you all—not at all too plump or curved.” She sounded incredibly defensive, and two twin spots of pink appeared on her cheeks.

“It had nothing to do with that. There were others who wanted some, and she was not inclined to share.” Elizabeth suspected her mother was rather sensitive to the subject of food and appearance and wondered why. “I made her give some to the other girls. She did not like it.”

Her mother relaxed, looking visibly calmer after Elizabeth’s explanation. “I am certain she did not.” Mama sighed. “It has always been easier to give Lydie what she wanted. Her tantrums as a child were a sight to behold! Goodness, she made the house shake with her wails. It drove your father to distraction.” She laughed again, shaking her head. “I can see my indulgence has done no good. Did you know I tried to correct her for something yesterday and she called me a rude name and stormed off?” Mama huffed angrily. “I think it was my first inkling that I have spoilt her fiercely.”

Elizabeth concurred. “And Kitty follows wherever Lydia goes. If we do not correct their behavior, it will be impossible to do so.”

“If you can convince Mr. Bennet that we need a companion, then I will not gainsay you. But I warn you, your father thinks they are beyond hope.” Mama looked so distraught and miserable at the thought of it that Elizabeth’s heart ached. If anyone could convince him, it was her, but could she do it whilst in her mother’s body?

“There is nothing for it but to try,” she finally said. “Can we not find the funds in the household accounts?”

Mama looked speculative. “Yes, I suppose we might. And if we remake a few of my gowns, I might dedicate some pin money to it as well.”

“I shall try to speak to Papa first,” Elizabeth resolved.

“Best wishes, my dear.” Mama shook her head sadly and left the room.