Page 28 of I am Jael (Pride and Prejudice Variation)

Elizabeth rose to her feet in astonishment as Charlotte Collins stepped through the door hesitantly.

“Charlotte! What a surprise!”

“I am certain it is, Lizzy. I hope you and your family are well, Mrs. Bennet?”

Elizabeth’s mother sniffed and nodded grudgingly, “Indeed, we are very well, Mrs. Collins. Mr. Bennet gave Mr. Darcy his blessing, and Elizabeth will marry Mr. Darcy within the week.”

Charlotte’s face lit up with delight, “I am indeed most happy for you all.”

Mrs. Bennet glared at the woman who would succeed her as mistress of Longbourn, “I daresay your husband is not happy, based on how he treated my Lizzy.”

Charlotte nodded and clasped her hands loosely in front of her, “Yes. I do apologize for that entire incident, Mrs. Bennet, and I wish to convey my husband’s contrition as well. He regrets his obedience to Lady Catherine in the matter.”

Elizabeth was doubtful of these tactful words, but Mrs. Bennet was placated, “Well, I’m sure I have no wish to be unforgiving, Mrs. Collins. Mr. Darcy rushed here with Lizzy and asked Mr. Bennet for her hand as quickly as possible. All’s well that ends well.”

“Mama, do you wish to go to Meryton this morning with me to visit the dressmaker? If so, I believe you will need to speak to Cook about dinner tomorrow before we leave.”

“Oh yes, Lizzy!” Mrs. Bennet cried, rising to her feet and bustling toward the kitchen. “Mr. Darcy must have two French cooks at least. The table must be the very best Longbourn can offer!”

Elizabeth waited until her mother had departed before smiling slightly at her old friend, “Please sit down and drink some tea, Charlotte. Thank you for your kind words, even if I am quite certain you did not convey Mr. Collins’s true feelings in this matter.”

Charlotte shook her head as she took a seat near Elizabeth, “Surprising as it might be, Mr. Collins truly is repentant of his actions in Kent.”

Elizabeth blinked in astonishment, “I own I am surprised, Charlotte, but of course I am delighted to accept your husband’s apology.”

“And mine, Eliza.”

“It was hardly your fault, Charlotte. You could not openly defy Mr. Collins. I would not expect such a thing from you.”

The other woman sighed and poured herself some tea, “It would have done no good at all, and perhaps harm, but I still deeply regret that you were subjected to such an unpleasant experience at the end of your stay in our home.”

“Think no more of it,” Elizabeth assured her. “You know that I am a resilient soul, and Mr. Darcy took excellent care of me.”

“Truly, I am very happy for you, Elizabeth. I have always had a pragmatic view of marriage, but I believe that you and Mr. Darcy will truly enjoy your marriage and he is well able to care for you and your children.”

Elizabeth reddened a little at the mention of children and sought to cover it by changing the subject, “So why are you here and not in Kent?”

“Lady Catherine ordered Mr. Collins to Hertfordshire immediately. She commanded him to descend upon Longbourn and threaten your mother with immediate expulsion when Mr. Bennet dies unless you break off your engagement with Mr. Darcy. I was not present at that interview, but Mr. Collins returned thoughtful and shaken. He has finally realized that Lady Catherine is not all knowing or wise. We left Kent to avoid a scene, but Mr. Collins will not obey his patroness in this matter.”

Elizabeth looked puzzled, “From an entirely rational perspective, Mr. Darcy is entirely capable of supporting our family once Father passes. Why would we fear expulsion from Longbourn?”

“Indeed, it is absurd,” Charlotte agreed quietly. “I believe Lady Catherine is so desperate that she is grasping at straws. It is likely that once she realizes that Mr. Collins has disobeyed her, she will come here herself.”

Elizabeth shrugged slightly, her brow furrowed with concern, “I care not for that. Indeed, Mr. Darcy warned my father that his aunt would likely visit us soon to berate me. I am more concerned about you, dear Charlotte. I realize that Lady Catherine cannot withdraw the Hunsford living from Mr. Collins, but she might make things uncomfortable for you.”

“I am entirely willing to deal with such an eventuality,” her friend stated firmly.

There was the sudden sound of pattering feet and Lydia and Kitty burst into the room, Lydia already speaking impetuously, “Lizzy, a carriage has just arrived, quite a fancy one! Is it one of Mr. Darcy’s? Oh Lizzy, you will be so rich!”

Elizabeth and Charlotte Collins exchanged glances.

“Lady Catherine,” murmured Charlotte, rising to her feet quickly.

“Go out the back way,” Elizabeth suggested. “I do not believe that your presence here will mitigate her rage.”

“Indeed,” Charlotte agreed, walking toward the kitchen.

“Lydia, Kitty, let us take the servant’s stairs to the upper level. Father told me that we should avoid meeting with Lady Catherine until after he has spoken to her.”

/

“Lady Catherine de Bourgh,” Mr. Hill announced.

Mr. Bennet smiled slightly to himself and rose to his feet as the tall, finely dressed woman swept into the library. The woman glanced around the room disdainfully and then focused her basilisk stare on him.

“Who are you?” she demanded coldly. “I gave orders that I be taken to Miss Elizabeth Bennet immediately.”

“I am Mr. Bennet, Elizabeth’s father,” Bennet replied, giving the woman a slight bow. “I too gave an order, and as I am the master of Longbourn, my order naturally took precedence over yours. If you wish to speak to Miss Bennet, you will speak to me first.”

Lady Catherine’s brows rose imperiously, “Do you know who I am, Mr. Bennet? I am the daughter of an earl! I demand that you bring your daughter here immediately.”

Bennet prepared to enjoy himself. He had formulated a character sketch of Lady Catherine based on Mr. Collins’s obsequious description of the woman, and thus far his conjectures seemed accurate enough.

“Please sit down, Lady Catherine. We need to talk before you can speak to my daughter.”

The woman glowered but reluctantly sank down into the seat across from Mr. Bennet’s desk, “I have little to say to you. It is your daughter who must give me the assurances that I require.”

“You wish for Elizabeth to break her engagement with Mr. Darcy.”

“They are not engaged, not truly,” the noblewoman snarled angrily. “Mr. Darcy is engaged to my daughter Anne, and has been since both were in their cradles.”

“How very peculiar, Lady Catherine,” Bennet replied, sinking into his own seat and crossing his legs casually.

“Mr. Darcy was in that very seat yesterday asking for my daughter’s hand in marriage.

According to him, a sensible man of eight and twenty, he is free of any commitment to your daughter and is pledged to marry my Elizabeth instead. ”

The woman’s face shifted from pink to red to nearly purple.

“Your loose trollop of a daughter has no right to Darcy,” she managed to hiss through enraged lips.

Suddenly, Mr. Bennet was no longer amused. He rose to his feet and stared down at the intruder in his home, “I will thank you not to insult my daughter, Lady Catherine. Elizabeth is an intelligent, honorable woman, a gentleman’s daughter, and I will not allow you to defame her character.”

“I will say what I wish. Your daughter has used her arts and allurements and her vacuous beauty to entrap my nephew ...”

She trailed off as Bennet stalked to the door and called for his butler, who was waiting nearby.

“Yes, sir?”

“Lady Catherine is leaving, Hill.”

“I am not leaving. I will stay here until I have spoken to Miss Bennet.”

“You will leave on your own two feet or I will have my servants carry you out,” the master of Longbourn said coldly.

“You would not dare!”

“You are welcome to see if I dare. You have sixty seconds to depart my home, and I will not permit you within my doors again as long as I draw breath.”

He pulled his pocket watch out and stared at it, tapping his foot in time with the seconds hand.

Lady Catherine rose to her feet and stared at the man, apparently uncertain as to Bennet’s true intentions.

“Very well,” he said quietly when time had run out. “Hill, call for two footmen to expel Lady Catherine from the house.”

“I am departing,” the woman snapped, walking quickly toward the door. Bennet followed her out of the library to the front entrance, where Hill was waiting with the door open.

“I take no leave of you, Mr. Bennet. I promise you that I will break up this deplorable engagement if it is the last thing I do. I am most seriously displeased.”

“Your nephew is a determined man, Lady Catherine, so I doubt that very much. Good day.”

/

“Hello, Catherine.”

Lady Catherine nodded brusquely to Bingley’s butler and swept into the Netherfield parlor where her brother stood near a window.

“Matlock, thank God you are here. The situation is spiraling out of control. You must speak to Darcy and insist that he marry Anne!”

The Earl gazed at the woman pityingly, “It would be more accurate to say that the situation is out of your control, dear sister. You have a strange belief that everyone should dance to your tune. Darcy is his own man and Anne is her own woman. Neither desires to marry the other. You would do well to accept the inevitable.”

Catherine de Bourgh’s hands clenched in rage, “This is absurd, Edward. You must see that! Darcy to marry the insolent daughter of a minor country gentleman? It is disgraceful!”

Matlock shrugged, “I have not yet met the young lady, but my son assures me that she is intelligent, charming, beautiful, and entirely suitable for Darcy. More to the point, Anne herself does not wish to marry her cousin.”

“Anne will do as she is told.”

The Earl’s irritable expression faded, to be replaced by real anger, “No, she will not. She is five and twenty, Catherine. She is an adult.”

“Her health is poor,” Catherine riposted. “She needs Darcy to care for her, and to care for Rosings. He must marry her.”