Page 26 of I am Jael (Pride and Prejudice Variation)

“Oh Jane, how happy I am for you!” Elizabeth cried out, stepping forward to embrace her sister.

“Thank you, Lizzy,” Jane replied joyfully. “Charles and I feel very blessed.”

“How are you feeling?”

Jane grimaced slightly, “Not particularly well, I admit. I am tired and I always feel ill in the evenings. Mama says that my symptoms are common and indeed encouraging, but I am uncomfortable.”

“Oh Jane,” Elizabeth murmured with contrition, “and I have brought guests to Netherfield at a time when you must be wishing for peace and quiet.”

“Not at all, Elizabeth. Not at all. I welcome you and Mr. Darcy and his relatives with joy. Their presence will be a welcome distraction for Mama, who comes every day to visit and insists on providing unsettling details about the upcoming months of my pregnancy and childbirth. I welcome anything that might turn her attention away from me.”

“Like planning a wedding perhaps?”

Jane’s eyes widened and she laughed aloud, “Truly, Elizabeth? You are …”

“Engaged, yes. I did not tell you earlier in the day because the situation is complicated and you and I have not had any time alone.”

Jane frowned, “Complicated in what way?”

“Nothing to do with Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth assured her. “He is completely committed to me, and I to him. But I fear his aunt, Lady Catherine, was enraged by our betrothal and ordered Mr. Collins to throw me out of the parsonage.”

“No!”

“Indeed, yes. Mr. Darcy, of course, insisted on escorting me here and he will call on Father tomorrow to ask for my hand in marriage. Colonel Fitzwilliam, Miss de Bourgh, and Miss Darcy came as well because none of them cared to be at Rosings while Lady Catherine is on the proverbial warpath. Miss de Bourgh, in particular, seeks extended time away from her mother, who is extremely overbearing. Not that she expects you to host her for a long time. Both Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam assure Miss de Bourgh that she will be a welcome guest in the family residences in London.”

“Mr. Collins should never have done such a thing, Elizabeth. It was ungentlemanly and ungodly.”

“My dear Jane, that may be the most unforgiving thing I have heard you say!”

“I will admit that my pregnancy has altered my optimistic personality, dear Lizzy. I only hope that I do not become a shrew!”

“That could never happen.”

/

“Mr. Collins, I have your tea,” Charlotte Collins said, stepping into her husband’s office with a tray in her hands.

She noted, with surprise, that Mr. Collins was not sitting at his desk but on a nearby chair, and his face was oddly expressionless. He did not answer her or even look at her. His gaze was on a nearby wall.

“Mr. Collins?” she repeated with concern.

The man stirred and turned his head to stare at her, “Please forgive me, my dear. I was thinking.”

Charlotte Collins frowned with a mixture of surprise and concern. Mr. Collins was not a sensible man and independent thoughts were few and far between. She carefully placed a tea cup on a small table next to her husband, sat down on the adjacent chair, and waited.

Mr. Collins took a drink, fidgeted, looked at the floor, and finally lifted his head to gaze into his wife’s calm face.

“I was summoned to Rosings this afternoon,” he stated.

“I know,” Charlotte replied patiently.

“Lady Catherine was very angry.”

“With you?”

“With me, yes. Also with Miss Bennet, Mr. Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and Miss de Bourgh.”

“Why is she angry with her daughter, Mr. Collins?”

“Miss de Bourgh departed Rosings today in the company of her relations and Miss Bennet.”

Charlotte gasped openly in surprise. This was truly startling. She focused on her husband’s face, which was a mask of misery.

“Surely Lady Catherine cannot blame you for any of this difficult business. Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam are their own men, and Miss de Bourgh is of age.”

“My patroness says I should have married Miss Bennet. If I had, none of this would have happened.”

Charlotte took a deep breath. She had accepted the foolish Mr. Collins for the sake of an establishment and the potential of children, not for his person. Nevertheless, it rankled slightly that he had asked Elizabeth first, even if his proposal had been at the behest of his autocratic patroness.

“Elizabeth refused you,” she stated.

“I am thankful she did, Mrs. Collins.”

The woman blinked in surprise. Was that affection in her husband’s face?

“Are you, Mr. Collins?”

“I am. Miss Bennet would not have made me happy, and I would not have made her happy. Nor would she have adjusted well to this simple life in the parsonage. This was once just a house, and you have made it a home, my dear wife. I know I am blessed to have won your hand in marriage.”

To her utter astonishment, Charlotte Collins found herself blushing slightly. What could have brought about these profound reflections from her husband?

As if he had read her thoughts, the parson continued, “I have venerated Lady Catherine for as long as I have known her. I have honored her for her rank and position and wealth and wisdom. In this matter of Mr. Darcy’s betrothal to Miss Bennet, my patroness has shown herself to be …

well, I will say it. She is acting in an entirely irrational manner. ”

“I suppose it is very difficult for her,” his wife responded diplomatically. “She has dreamed of a marriage between her daughter and nephew for decades.”

“I should not have sent Miss Bennet away, Charlotte. I am sorry.”

“Elizabeth is not one to hold a grudge. She is a generous woman.”

“Indeed she is, Mrs. Collins. I daresay she and Mr. Darcy will deal exceedingly well together.”

“I am certain they will, and once the marriage has taken place, Lady Catherine will submit to the inevitable and peace will reign at Rosings again.”

The clergyman hesitated and take a hasty sip of tea before straightening his rather portly body and staring straight at his wife, “Charlotte, Lady Catherine has ordered me to Longbourn, to threaten the Bennet family with immediate eviction once Mr. Bennet dies unless Miss Bennet breaks her engagement with Mr. Darcy.”

Charlotte’s eyes widened in disbelief, “She did not.”

“She did.”

“Are you going to do it?” she asked worriedly.

The man deliberately placed his teacup on the nearby table, leaned forward, and took his wife’s hands in his own.

“No, my dear, I am not going to do it.”

/

“Are you nervous, Miss Bennet?” Darcy asked softly.

“I am not,” Elizabeth assured him with a smile. “Are you anxious, dear sir?”

“You assured me that your father would not refuse my request for your hand, so I have nothing to be anxious about, do I?”

“My mother may be excessively enthusiastic about our engagement, Mr. Darcy.”

“It would be surprising if she were calm, Miss Bennet,” Colonel Fitzwilliam assured her with an easy smile. “Matrons have been attempting to capture Darcy for their daughters for the last eight years.”

Darcy groaned softly and Elizabeth laughed as the carriage came to a halt in front of Longbourn.

Colonel Fitzwilliam emerged first, followed by Darcy, who handed Elizabeth out.

She smiled at him in thanks, then looked at her beloved home.

It was strange to think that she would soon be leaving her birthplace forever.

It was a melancholy thought in one way, a happy thought in another, for even a year ago she would have never imagined catching the heart and hand of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy.

They would be happy together.

The door opened to reveal the familiar face of their butler, whose elderly face wore a broad smile.

“Miss Elizabeth, it is good to see you again.”

“It is good to see you as well, Hill.”

“Elizabeth?”

“Good morning, Mama.”

“Elizabeth, what are you doing back from Kent so early? Is something wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong, Mother. You remember Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam, do you not?”

“Mr. Darcy, Colonel, it is a pleasure to see you both! Please come in, please do!”

“Actually, Mrs. Bennet, I was hoping that I could meet with Mr. Bennet if it would be convenient.”

Mrs. Bennet stared at Darcy in astonishment, then at her second daughter, who was noticeably flushed, and smiled with a mixture of delight and incredulity.

“Yes, Mr. Darcy. Yes, Mr. Bennet would be delighted to meet with you.”

/

“Mr. Darcy.”

“Mr. Bennet.”

“Please sit down.”

Darcy obeyed with alacrity as his eyes were magnetically drawn to the nearest bookshelves. Homer’s Odyssey, Pepys’s Diary, the complete works of Shakespeare – all of them with worn covers, obviously loved. Mr. Bennet was indeed a well-read man.

He forced his attention back to his beloved’s father and winced slightly with embarrassment.

“Forgive me, Mr. Bennet. I was admiring your books.”

“That is entirely all right, Mr. Darcy,” the other man said cheerfully. “I can recognize a fellow bibliophile. These books are my old friends, and I enjoy the sight of another man appreciating them as much as I do.”

“It is an impressive collection,” Darcy replied honestly. He had not expected such an extensive compendium in the library of a simple country squire.

“Thank you, Mr. Darcy,” Mr. Bennet remarked, “I am certain, however, that you did not want to meet me to admire my books.”

“No, I did not. Mr. Bennet, I have come to love, admire, and cherish your daughter Elizabeth. I am well able to support her and any children we have together. I therefore request that you grant me her hand in marriage.”

Mr. Bennet sighed as he nodded, “You have my blessing, of course, provided that Elizabeth has agreed.”

“She has indeed,” Darcy assured him.

“I respect you, Mr. Darcy, and I know my Elizabeth will be happy with you. I hope you know that you are taking away the most intelligent of my daughters.”

“Miss Bennet is a remarkable woman,” Darcy agreed with a besotted smile. “She is one in a million. I am truly honored to have won her hand.”

“Excellent. If that is all, perhaps we should make the announcement to Mrs. Bennet? Unless you would prefer to leave the house before she shakes the rafters with her joy.”

Darcy lifted a startled eyebrow, “Would you prefer to discuss the marriage settlements at a later date, Mr. Bennet?”

The older man waved an indolent hand, “It is unnecessary, Mr. Darcy. I do not have to be a devoted landowner to recognize one. You are hardworking, diligent, competent, and generous. I am certain whatever settlements you have in mind will be appropriately lavish.”

Darcy was caught between gratitude for his future father-in-law’s approval and indignation that the man was so careless with the well-being of his daughters. It was true that he intended to be very generous, but Bennet had a responsibility to be Elizabeth’s protector until she was wed.

“If there is nothing else?” Bennet prompted, his eyes shifting to an open book on his desk.

“There is one more thing, sir. It is possible that my aunt, Lady Catherine, will descend upon you in the next days. She has long held that I would marry my cousin Anne, and was enraged when I announced my engagement to your daughter.”

Bennet looked startled, “I hope the great Lady Catherine will not be violent?”

Darcy shook his head, “I would hope not, sir, but I will confess that her rage concerning this betrothal is beyond what even I anticipated, and I have known her dictatorial nature for decades. At the very least, her words will be most intemperate, and I see no reason to allow her access to Miss Bennet.”

For the first time, Darcy’s future father-in-law looked appropriately serious, “Have faith in me, Mr. Darcy. I will not allow her ladyship to accost my Lizzy.”