Page 21 of Darcy’s Guarded Heart

Elizabeth

“W hat a delightful day! What a lovely evening! Indeed, what a grand time we had!” Jane exclaimed as they returned to Longbourn. Mr Bingley’s servants had repaired their carriage, after extricating it from the mire, and it appeared none of its vital components had sustained damage.

“Oh, Jane,” Thomas replied, “I am pleased to hear you feel that way. It certainly appears you had quite the pleasurable experience. And might I add, Mr Bingley seems to have enjoyed himself as well.”

“Indeed,” Jane responded, “even Mr Darcy managed to appear not entirely miserable for a time.”

“Yes, until he took himself off for a promenade with Miss Caroline,” Elizabeth observed.

“She seemed rather glum after that. Mr Darcy as well, for he appeared rather downcast.” She had hoped their conversation might continue, but upon his return, he rejoined them and spoke not a word to her, save for a brief farewell as he and Georgiana departed for Netherfield ahead of the others.

“I daresay it is due to Georgiana’s request to attend the ball,” Jane surmised. “Mr Darcy would not allow it.”

“Indeed! I suspect the affair does not suit his tastes,” Thomas remarked. “I doubt he wishes for his sister to associate with common folk.”

“We are equal in standing to the Darcys,” Elizabeth protested. “Our father is a gentleman, just as Mr Darcy is. In fact, we outrank the Bingleys,” she added, and Thomas nodded in agreement.

“Indeed, your father is a gentleman. But as for mine, I am uncertain. He may very well be a stable boy, a tradesman, or a sailor,” he remarked with a shrug.

“None who value you would concern themselves with your father’s station,” Jane countered.

“Mr Darcy does,” Thomas pointed out. “Lizzy appears to have risen in his estimation but not I.”

“Yet his sister does,” Jane said with a smile, but Thomas scowled.

“That matters not at all. I believe it is Mr Darcy’s sudden change in mood that stems from this incident, and not to mention that Miss Caroline is not one to elevate the spirits of her company.”

Elizabeth could not restrain a snicker, whilst Jane emitted a disgruntled huff, evidently protective of the woman who might soon become her sister-in-law.

“If her remarks to Mr Darcy at the Meryton assembly serve as any indication,” Elizabeth remarked, “I must concur with Thomas.

“Well, whatever the situation may entail, Mr Darcy may have succeeded in preventing his sister from attending our ball, but there will soon be a dance at Netherfield.”

“There will?” Jane exclaimed, curious.

“Indeed! Shortly after Mr Darcy and his sister departed, Lydia and Kitty, aided by your friend Charlotte Lucas, managed to persuade Mr Bingley to hold a ball at Netherfield.”

“I see,” Elizabeth said, not surprised at her sisters’ attempts to convince Mr Bingley of such a venture but quite taken aback by Charlotte’s involvement. Yet, recalling Charlotte’s lamentations regarding the scarcity of dances in their vicinity, it was not altogether unexpected.

“And when, pray tell, shall this cherished ball take place?” Thomas enquired.

“On Saturday,” Jane replied, “and I fear…” she halted, wide-eyed as a horse halted suddenly on its way home. “Goodness gracious, it cannot be…”

Elizabeth looked up, and indeed, a groan escaped her lips, for standing in the yard of Longbourn was her cousin, Mr Collins.

“Did we know of his impending arrival?” she said with dismay.

“We did not,” Thomas growled. He and Mr Collins regarded each other with an animosity that was almost tangible, and Thomas made it a point to vacate the estate whenever he was aware of Mr Collins’s visit. “I would not be present if I had known.”

“Perhaps he is merely passing through?” Jane suggested.

“One can only hope,” Elizabeth replied as the carriage came to a halt by the house.

She and Jane exited effortlessly, while Thomas manoeuvred the vehicle around back to the stable yard.

They waited for him at the front, and the prolonged absence told Elizabeth that he had contemplated retreating as on previous occasions, perhaps to seek refuge at the Phillips home until Mr Collins had departed.

Finally, he appeared around the corner, a countenance decidedly glum.

“Come, let us go greet our cousin,” he said with all the enthusiasm of a man marching towards his doom.

The three made their way through the front door, shrugged off their outer garments, and made their entrance into the drawing room, where Mr Collins had taken up residence with their parents.

Their mother wore an expression suggesting displeasure with the visit, whilst their father bore his customary amiable smile, ever present when their cousin was upon the scene.

“There you are!” he exclaimed, rising immediately. “Dear cousins Elizabeth and Jane, what a pleasure it is to see you!” He cast his eyes upwards towards Thomas, who loomed over him by nearly a head. “And the young ward. It has been some time since we met!”

“Not all that long,” Thomas began, but Mr Bennet quickly intervened.

“It has been, indeed. The two of you have been like ships passing in the night. Thomas is a very busy fellow, constantly performing errands for me, travelling to town and to Hertford. How fortunate it is that you should encounter one another!” he continued, turning to the three of them.

“Apparently, Mr Collins wrote ahead to inform us of his visit, but his letter has yet to arrive.”

“The Royal Postal Service cannot be relied upon,” Mr Collins interjected.

“I should have followed my esteemed mistress’s advice and sent it via messenger, but I was inclined to save a few shillings,” he said, shrugging dismissively.

“Nevertheless, all is well. We are family after all, and I was merely informing Mrs Bennet, that if it is a bother, then I could find alternate lodgings. However, your dear mother would not hear of it.”

“Certainly not!” Mrs Bennet chirped. “We are, as you say, family. Now, Elizabeth, Jane, would you be so kind as to find Hill and request she prepare the guest room in the attic?”

“In the attic?” Mr Collins echoed. “I fear it shall be quite challenging for me to ascend to the attic multiple times a day. I have just recovered from a cold. Might it not be possible for me to occupy the chamber in the back, near the kitchen?”

“You mean my chamber?” Thomas said incredulously.

“Do you still reside in that room?” Collins asked. “It has been some time since I last laid eyes upon you. I assumed, perhaps, you had procured accommodations of your own. However, I would not wish to impose upon you during my stay here.”

Elizabeth felt the heat of indignation rising within her, so much so that she believed smoke might soon issue from her ears.

The very manner of Mr Collins’s speech, the phrases he chose ‘this home’ instead of ‘your home’, ‘while you are staying here’ and ‘accommodations of your own’ all intended to undermine Thomas, hinting that he was not truly considered part of the family.

She longed to unleash her fury upon Mr Collins, yet she recognised that it would only serve to exacerbate the matter.

Already, her mother wore an expression that suggested she might soon seek the comfort of smelling salts.

“Thomas,” she said urgently.

He raised his hands in surrender. “Very well. I shall move to the attic for the fortnight. Mr Collins is welcome to stay in my chamber and sleep in my bed—only permit me to remove a few of my belongings first.” He turned and departed towards the kitchen, while Elizabeth followed closely behind.

“Thomas,” she said tentatively.

“It is entirely right, Lizzy. We are all aware of his character. He shall not allow us to forget that this will be his home upon your father’s demise.

And indeed it will be, for this is but our dwelling until he permits us to remain.

The moment he becomes master of Longbourn, I shall be compelled to find shelter elsewhere. ”

“It is quite strange that he harbours such aversion towards you, given that we are cousins,” she mused. “Indeed, I think he perceives you as a threat.”

“A threat to what?” Thomas replied, incredulous. “I cannot legitimately inherit Longbourn. All I can claim is the love and affection of this family.”

“I believe that is what he wants—the love and respect we share. He knows he shall never possess it, and so he directs his ire towards you.”

“I fear you are correct, Elizabeth. In any event, I must gather my belongings. You ought to rest, for just because you can walk on your ankle again does not imply you should not elevate it. Indeed, you should consult a surgeon for an examination.”

“Ah, the dutiful guardian,” Elizabeth said, placing a hand on Thomas’s arm.

She then departed, returning to her chamber. Her ankle throbbed with pain if she placed excess weight upon it; thus she walked cautiously, leaning on the front of her foot rather than the back.

Once upstairs, she reclined on her bed and elevated her foot on a pillow, her heart and mind wild with conflicting feelings. Mr Collins’s pretentious airs, Mr Darcy’s ever-changing temper—all of it agitated her. Just as she felt herself on the cusp of slumber, another thought surged forth.

Mr Bingley had invited them all to the ball that Saturday. The entire family. And that included not only them, but also Mr Collins.