Page 2 of Lizzie’s Spirit

Miss Bennet murmured, “De plus, il est dans l’ordre de la nature que la femme obéisse à l’homme —Moreover, it is in the order of nature that women obey men.

” The quotation was from Emile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, published in 1762 and banned by the Catholic Church.

Her fine eyes flashed with contempt. Darcy chose to ignore her.

“Can you tell me why you dispute the estate’s income? The previous year, it returned some five hundred and forty pounds per quarter, but following Mr. Bennet’s apoplexy, the return was only four hundred and thirty pounds. The facts certainly do not favour you.”

Miss Bennet harrumphed, “As I informed Mr. Collins when he inquired some months ago, we instituted a new cropping system based on a four-course rotation. Our farms follow the recommended cycle—wheat, then turnips, barley, with undersown clover and ryegrass, grazed in the fourth year. Until the rotation is established, farm yields are reduced, so the estate quite properly reduced the rents. These will be restored and repaid once the cumulative increase in fertility results in heavier cereal harvests. According to agriculturist Arthur Young, the same is done in other counties such as Derbyshire and Norfolk.”

“But surely the steward explained this to Mr. Collins. Indeed, my father’s estate at Pemberley uses the same rotation, modified for our harsher clime.” Darcy was surprised the young woman was cognisant of the detailed operation of their leasehold farms .

Once again her bright eyes rolled upwards, and her voice took a condescending tone: “There is no steward, sir.

Mrs. Bennet and her daughters run the estate.

We lease to good tenants, and we invest in keeping their houses and buildings in good repair as well as those of our cottagers.

A steward would be an extra unnecessary expense, and, I daresay, without Mr. Bennet to oversee their activities, a dishonest or indifferent man could cost us dearly.

“Naturally, Mr. Collins chose to ignore us, though I believe his rejection was spiced by avarice because he covets the estate. As a clergyman, should I remind him of the scriptures— For the love of money is the root of all evil…and pierces them with many sorrows?” Her brow furrowed.

“But what sorrow can there be in possessing Longbourn? It’s not to be borne. ”

A flush crept across her cheeks; she turned away, embarrassed by her apparent weakness. As abruptly as she had turned, she swung back to Darcy. Her hazel eyes, flecked with emerald, locked onto his.

“A question, sir! Having lost her husband to paralysis, does my mother also need to suffer the ignominy of losing her home? This is why you are here, is it not? To make Mr. Collins easy with an estate that is not rightfully his own. You should be ashamed of abetting such a scheme.”

During court proceedings was the wrong moment to have an epiphany, but Darcy suddenly realised he was on the wrong side of this matter.

His aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh of Rosings, had instructed him to act for her rector, Mr. Collins, to whom, only recently, she had awarded the nearby Hunsford living.

Having met the man, Darcy recognised Mr. Collins was not sensible, and his deficiency of nature had been but little assisted by education or society.

Lady Catherine enjoyed his fawning sycophancy until he progressed to making love to her daughter, Anne, who was heiress to the great Rosings estate and of rank and consequence far above a mere rector. She hoped to rid herself of the man through the entail on Longbourn.

In the Bennet ladies, Darcy saw a strength of character and, in Miss Bennet, a determination of spirit that never would bear to be frightened at the will of others.

Clearly, they cared for the estate, its leaseholders, and cottagers.

Their implementation of the four-crop rotation was recognised by experts such as Arthur Young and the Scot James Anderson as the best modern agricultural practice.

To relinquish all this for Mr. Collins was a travesty; nevertheless, the law was on Collins’s side.

At this moment, a young boy stepped up to Miss Bennet and passed her a slip of paper. She unfolded it and read the message contained therein.

“Oh Mama,” she cried, “there is a landslip on the road to Meryton, and Mr. Phillips says it cannot be cleared until tomorrow. He is unable to get to St. Albans and must return to Meryton. He could detour by Redborne but still would arrive too late to be of any use.” She grasped her mother’s hands.

“Mama, fear not, you and I are obstinate creatures; we persevere: de duivel op het kussen binden— obstinacy overpowers even the Devil himself! ”

“My lord, we can resume.” Darcy did not know the language, possibly Dutch or Flemish. He smiled wanly at Mrs. and Miss Bennet; he could not save their occupancy of the estate, but he could prevent them from falling into genteel poverty.

“These gentlewomen are Mrs. Bennet and her daughter Miss Elizabeth. They have just received word that a landslide on the Meryton to St. Albans road has prevented Mr. Phillips, their attorney and trustee to the estate, from being present. Because this legal proceeding rests on matters of fact , as a Doctor of Laws, I possess the authority both to represent the estate trust in this matter and to provide a solution satisfactory to my client, Mr. Collins, and to the current life tenant, represented herewith by his lady, Mrs. Bennet.”

“Please carry on, Mr. Darcy. Let me be astonished by your perspicacity.”

“Sine controversia est —it is without controversy —the Longbourn estate cannot be managed by a respectable woman such as Mrs. Bennet without assistance from her husband. There is no steward, and Mr. Phillips, the trustee, is an attorney and not an estate holder—he has neither experience nor interest in farming or managing leaseholders. Thus, it is likely the value of the estate will diminish.”

Darcy held up his hand and shook his head slightly, hoping Miss Bennet would refrain from interceding. She blushed, highlighting her rosy cheeks and giving him cause to look sharply away lest he betray himself.

“Because Mr. Collins is the heir presumptive, it’s equitable and just he assume management of the estate.

In this role, he can prevent further damage and maintain its value for present and future beneficiaries.

The court, however, should recognise that Mr. Bennet, while living, remains the pro tempore life tenant, and Mr. Collins, as heir presumptive, will be acting as his agent, ceteris paribus . ”

“My detailed reading of the entail is such that the dower house”—he turned to Miss Bennet and confirmed the dower house was unoccupied—“that the dower house be available for the spouse and for any dependent children of the retiring life tenant for their occupancy. That is, Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Bennet, and their children will remove to the dower house and vacate the manor house for the sole use of Mr. Collins.”

Darcy realised he must finish his proposal quickly. Mrs. Bennet, silently sniffling into her handkerchief, was being comforted by an increasingly angry Miss Bennet.

“I further point out, my lord, the interest at the four percents from Mrs. Bennet’s portion of five thousand pounds, which she brought to the marriage, is insufficient to support and raise five young ladies, as well as provide adequate nursing to Mr. Bennet in his current condition.

“Again, equity demands Mr. Bennet, as pro tempore life tenant, receive a fair proportion of the rent receipts from the estate. I would suggest, say, one hundred and fifty pounds per quarter would suffice for their needs, which will enable them to employ such servants needed to maintain their status as gentry. The remainder would be to Mr. Collins’s account. ”

Darcy glanced towards the clergyman, whose face was flushed with anticipation at his gaining control of the estate with so little effort on his behalf.

It would be inappropriate to inform him that with the reduced rental returns, his portion would be some two hundred and eighty pounds per quarter.

With the need to pay the King’s tax, local vestry and poor taxes, invest in fencing, drainage, and maintenance of leaseholder and tenant buildings, his net income could well be less than he received from the Hunsford living.

“Well done, Mr. Darcy; your acumen is well appreciated.” The judge leant forward in his high-backed chair and looked down at the barrister.

“I am concerned, however, that the Bennet ladies lack adequate protection. I cast no doubts as to the character of Mr. Collins, who is an ordained clergyman, but I cannot countenance his being the unmarried master of Longbourn with five single ladies in the dower house without Mr. Bennet to protect them. Have the elder Miss Bennets come out? Miss Elizabeth Bennet, the second daughter, appears to be a stout, well-formed girl.”

Mrs. Bennet nodded her agreement, looking apprehensively at Miss Bennet by her side.

“My eldest girl, Jane, has come out into Meryton society but is currently in the north assisting the sister of her aunt, who is having a difficult confinement. She is likely to remain away from Longbourn for several more months, both for the birth and to care for the mother and newborn child. My Lizzie is of an age too young to marry—her birthday, which would see her fully grown, is still some months away.”

Mrs. Bennet trembled. She had a sudden fear that the judge was seeking some convenient solution to his concern over their protection —as though their manservants counted for nothing. She was about to speak when the judge’s voice, once again, cut through the courtroom.

“Good, good… She is on the cusp of womanhood. Indeed, Miss Bennet appears womanly, of pleasing countenance, yet sufficiently young to learn her husband’s ways; albeit she’ll need a strong hand to curb her headstrong nature as shown by her foolish exclamations in my court.”

Darcy winced and braced himself for another reckless outburst from Miss Bennet, who was glaring at the judge. Mrs. Bennet grasped her daughter’s arm, and the moment of danger passed.

Lord Finch, heedless of the tension, continued, “The court accepts the suggestions of Mr. Darcy, which are so ordered in their entirety.

Mr. Collins may occupy the manor house two months from the date of this court, and by that date, the Bennet family will have removed to the dower house.

Further, we stipulate that to ascend to the estate, Mr. Collins will enter into marriage no later than four months from this date.

“It would please the court that Mr. Collins wed Miss Elizabeth Bennet—such would be an excellent match as it continues the Bennet inheritance, and it’s by no means certain another such favourable offer of marriage may ever be made her, given the reduced circumstances of the family.

Talis est curiae dignitas et eius condescendentia —such is the dignity of the court and its condescension . ”

Darcy saw the young woman’s eyes mist, tears brushed her cheeks, now pale, sunken over her high cheekbones, their previous rosy hue a distant lost memory.

Her thinned lips parted as though to speak, but no sounds issued forth; she looked wildly about, seeking escape from the courtroom turned prison in which she was now entrapped.

She clutched her arms to her chest; Mrs. Bennet took her hand, but she flinched and shook it free.

Dismay spread across her features: the loss of her dreams, never to marry for respect, admiration—not love, not affection!

She would be forced into marriage—could anyone purport this to be equitable ?

“Impossibilium nulla obligatio est— this cannot be! ”

“Mr. Darcy, write this up to make sense; I fear my clerk will have missed much detail. We adjourn—and retire to the White Hart.”

Mr. Collins was staring at Miss Bennet, his eyes lasciviously crawling across her figure.

Darcy moved quickly to lead the Bennet ladies away to a private room within the court building.

Miss Bennet was barely aware of his taking her arm and gently guiding her into the chamber.

In only half an hour her life had been turned upside down.

Yes, her family was safe from poverty and need not rely on the benevolence of their relatives for support, but she herself was to be married to the pompous, conceited, thick-witted Mr. Collins; her outraged feelings in every respect forbade it.

Oh, the irony—her arrogance, juvenile pride, and conceit that she could be more, would be more than a subservient, submissive wife.

Despairing, she could only mutter, “Finché c’è vita c’è speranza —while there is life, there is hope! ”