Page 38 of He Taught Me to Hope (Darcy and the Young Knight’s Quest #1)
G eoffrey Collins could not have been more pleased with himself than he was of late, having visited with Mr. Bennet at Longbourn to give his own account of the broken engagement.
What was more, having assured Mr. Bennet he bore no ill will at all towards the Bennet family, he subsequently had arrived in Cheapside armed with a letter from the old patriarch to his eldest daughter Jane.
Therein, her father’s words had urged her to receive its bearer with an open mind and to listen to all he had to say.
The carefully crafted correspondence told of how Elizabeth had wounded Mr. Collins most egregiously, his only true failing being that he was not the gentleman from Derbyshire, whose name was not to be mentioned.
He had spoken of Elizabeth’s stubbornness and how she was determined to thwart him at every turn.
Though he had made clear Elizabeth would never be received at Longbourn, he had offered some solace, at least to his way of thinking.
There was yet another chance for the Bennet family to maintain ties to their beloved home always.
Geoffrey Collins and Jane were returning from an afternoon stroll in the park, when Elizabeth descended from an elegant carriage, followed by her maid.
The tension in the air was as thick as the fog hovering in the sky.
With all the forbearance of civility that he could muster, the gentleman merely nodded at Elizabeth.
Elizabeth made no secret of her surprise in seeing him there, of all places.
Collins and Jane stopped a few yards away.
Elizabeth witnessed the cordiality between the two and the manner in which he looked on her sister.
Does he suppose he might cause me to be jealous?
Elizabeth asked herself, as if she truly cared.
Soon enough he walked back towards the direction whence he had come, and Jane approached Elizabeth.
In silent agreement, the two sisters ascended the steps.
Once inside, Elizabeth seized the opportunity to determine what was afoot.
“What on earth was Mr. Collins doing here, Jane? I can only surmise he must have come to see me, but in light of the manner in which we parted, I can hardly imagine what his purpose might have been. I am sorry you had to endure his presence in my stead. Nonetheless, you seem to have managed it fairly well.”
Jane regarded her younger sister with a disbelieving stare, one Elizabeth did not discern as she retreated from the window.
“Indeed, Lizzy,” Jane responded. She sat on the couch and picked up where she had left off in her sewing.
“With this being the third day in a row he has called—I would agree. I manage it exceedingly well”
Elizabeth considered her sister’s words. Mr. Collins has been stalking about for the past three days. “What are you saying, Jane? That he has come all this way to see you.”
“I am sorry if that displeases you,” uttered she, seemingly absorbed in the task before her with far greater concentration than was warranted.
“Then, you believe all this has had nothing at all to do with me?” Elizabeth asked. She had always considered her eldest sister a bit na?ve in such matters as this. Her opinion of Jane was fixed by experience; she thought Jane believed everyone was inherently good .
“I confess he has acquainted me with knowledge of your behaviour whilst in Kent, confidences you saw no need to share,” Jane said as a matter of fact. Her arched tone suggested anything but naivety. She seemed rather persuaded towards Mr. Collins’s point of view.
Elizabeth at that moment wished she had been more forthcoming with her eldest sister, upon her arrival at Cheapside. Then she might not have suffered the disillusioned, disdainful looks and the unspoken accusations.
“Jane, I trust you know me better than to believe the words of a scorned man,” Elizabeth pleaded.
Jane sat her work aside and regarded her sister intently. “I am afraid, Lizzy, your behaviour of late is more than enough to persuade me that the gentleman has legitimate cause for disdain.”
“Jane, I do not understand your meaning.” Elizabeth sat and reached for her sister’s hand. “What have you to accuse me of, that you might believe anything Mr. Collins might say against me?”
Jane pulled her hand away. “Lizzy, surely, you must see how this looks to all of us. Did you not run to Mr. Darcy the first chance you saw? Are you not living in his sister’s home? Did you not arrive in a fine carriage befitting a gentleman of immense wealth?”
“I ask you, Jane, not to believe what your eyes and ears tell you, but rather that which you must know in your heart to be true.”
Jane said nothing. Elizabeth continued to reason with her sister. “Mr. Collins is determined my life should be miserable, out of spite and contempt. He is only courting you as a means to get back at me!”
“Of course, Lizzy, why else would a gentleman, as handsome and as decent as Mr. Collins, wish to spend time with me ?” Jane asked, her voice teeming with sarcasm Elizabeth theretofore had never heard fall from her lips.
“Jane, that is not what I meant, and you very well know it.”
“I know nothing of the sort. There is a matter, however, upon which you need to be enlightened regarding Mr. Collins. He has assured me he sees the error in choosing you initially and had he to do it all again, his choice surely would have been different. He has asked for, and subsequently received, permission to court me.”
“You cannot be serious, Jane!”
“Indeed, I am. I am six and twenty with no hope and no prospects. Moreover, Lizzy, I am afraid.” Jane looked about her uncle and aunt’s drawing room with a look of longing, a measure of regret.
“This is not the life I wish for, to be the governess and nurse to my cousins. I want a life of my own, my own home and children. If Mr. Collins asks—nay, when Mr. Collins asks, I will accept him, Lizzy. You have said nothing of his behaviour as a gentleman which gives me cause to believe he would not be a good husband. As you have said yourself, he is an honourable and respectable man. There is no reason at all I should not be as happy with him as with any other gentleman.”
What Elizabeth wished for most upon her return to Mayfair that afternoon, was a relaxing evening. It was not to be. Fairly bubbling with excitement, Georgiana raced to her side as soon as she entered the bright, airy drawing room, eager to share her news.
“Elizabeth, you will never guess what took place during your absence!” Georgiana exclaimed.
Elizabeth could not help being heartened by her warm reception, so different from the frosty parting with her own sister. “I can hardly imagine, but judging by your enthusiasm, I suppose it was of considerable delight.”
“Oh yes! My aunt, Lady Ellen, called,” Georgiana said. “She was eager to make your acquaintance. She has invited us to dine in her home this evening.”
Somehow, the prospect of meeting Darcy’s aristocratic relatives was not met with quite the same degree of enthusiasm in Elizabeth as shown by Georgiana.
However, she saw how much it meant to her hostess, and Elizabeth did not want to dampen her anticipation.
“What sort of affair do you envision? Will it be small and intimate or an elaborate dinner party?”
“My aunt’s dinner parties are never small and intimate, especially during the height of the Season.
Even on such short notice, it is bound to be a grand occasion.
Because I am not yet out, I am not often invited.
When presented with an opportunity to attend, I always look forward to it with such delight.
My brother even encourages my attendance tonight, as long as there is no occasion to dance or the like. ”
“You are not allowed to dance, even at your aunt and uncle’s home?” Elizabeth asked, thinking of her sisters, the youngest out at the age of fifteen.
“No, my brother says I must wait until my coming out.”
Elizabeth could hardly be surprised by that particular declaration. During the past weeks, she often had chided Mr. Darcy on his tendency to arrange things for his own convenience. “You are nearly eighteen. When is your coming out?”
“Next Season!” Georgiana eagerly exclaimed. “I can hardly bear to wait. It is my greatest wish that you will be here to share it with me.”
“It is difficult to predict with any certitude where Ben and I might be this time next year, Georgiana,” Elizabeth spoke wistfully.
“Are you quite certain of that Elizabeth? I am sure my brother might have something entirely different to say on that topic. Ben, too, for that matter,” Georgiana expressed with some confidence.
“It is complicated, Georgiana.” Endeavouring to steer the conversation towards innocuous grounds, Elizabeth said, “Speaking of Ben, where is he? Is he with Mrs. Annesley?”
“No, he is out with my brother. He also called whilst you were out. He had hoped to accompany us to an exhibition this afternoon.”
Elizabeth thought of all Darcy had done to see to their entertainment of late.
Not a day went by that he did not call on them to accompany them to the park, a museum, or even outings to one of Georgiana’s many favourite shops.
Elizabeth marvelled at how his attention towards Ben and her, equalled that towards his sister.
It seemed there was nothing he did not do himself to see to their pleasure.
He was always on hand to share a bedtime story with Ben before tucking him in, and he often stayed to enjoy a late dinner with Georgiana and her.
“Will your brother dine at your aunt and uncle’s home this evening, as well?” Elizabeth asked. She hoped.
Georgiana imparted a knowing smile. “I do not imagine he would miss it for the world, especially given you will be there.”
Darcy and Ben had just finished their third game of chess. Ben was disheartened. He made no attempt to hide his dismay. He had yet to best his older friend, after so many attempts.