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Netherfield - Georgiana

G eorgiana could remember no other time like this visit to Netherfield.

The house was comfortable, the gardens pleasant and the company pleasing, despite Miss Bingley being there.

Georgiana spent most her time wandering the gardens and riding when the weather permitted, and practising her music and reading when it did not.

Her biggest concern was her brother. She had thought that it would be easier when he was in London.

Away from everything, particularly the fact that as the wedding day drew closer that Elizabeth’s engagement to Mr Collins would not be broken.

She had tried to think philosophically on the matter.

Her heart was broken, so would be Fitzwilliam’s.

His pain would be different from hers. The object of his regard at least returned his feelings, and if he had acted sooner or if her situation had been different then they might have been happy together.

Her pain could never have found a satisfactory conclusion.

The object of her regard did not return her feelings and had tried to use those feelings against her.

She had been in company with him enough during her time in Hertfordshire to be sure of that.

Her only hope of true happiness was to forget him and allow time to heal her heart.

When Fitzwilliam had arrived at Netherfield the day before she did not know what to think.

She had never seen him look so unlike himself.

He was a shadow of his former self, it did not look like he had slept much since she had last seen him.

Nor indeed bathed. He smelled slightly of stale alcohol.

She was able to persuade him to give into his valet and have a proper bath and something to eat.

He has gone out riding later in the day and comes home in a foul mood.

Only to insist on going to church the next day for the wedding.

Georgiana had been shocked when Mr Bennet had collapsed. She knew he had been ill, but not that it was serious. She had returned to Netherfield with Miss Bingley and Mrs Annesley. Fitzwilliam had not come home that night, he, Mr Bingley and Doctor Russell spent a sleepless night at Longbourn.

They returned the next morning with the news of Mr Bennet’s death.

She did not have much experience of death; when her mother had died, she had been too young to remember - but her father’s death remained vivid: the silence of the house, the black dresses, the weight of grief that had settled over Pemberley.

She had been a child then. It still brought up very painful memories-particularly the image of her brother, pale and silent, returning from the graveside.

He had disappeared to London again for a few days before the funeral pleading urgent business to the party at large.

But she knew there was something more to it than that and planned to get it out of him when he returned but he only returned just in time for Mr Bennet’s funeral.

She barely had had time to question him when he was off again this time in search of Mr Collins who had disappeared.

Since Mr Collins had been found unconscious lying in a field with the broken leg, Fitzwilliam had returned to Netherfield.

But he seemed unable to sit still for more than a few moments at a time.

He was pacing almost constantly, every time Doctor Russell returned to the house they seemed to have a silent exchange and Fitzwilliam would seem to relax a little.

No one seemed to know what to say to him.

Georgiana had never seen him like this before.

Mr Bingley had suggested going for a ride but Fitzwilliam had declined to go with him.

Miss Bingley seemed to be at a loss about what to do or say.

Georgiana had been able to persuade him to walk in the gardens with her in the morning after breakfast. Miss Bingley had tried to join them, but had been called away by her brother on some matter of housekeeping.

Doctor Russell had yet to return from Longbourn.

Georgiana soon realised that Fitzwilliam was not willing to be out of sight of the house.“Fitzwilliam, what is it?” Georgiana asked gently, her arm resting on his as they walked.

Fitzwilliam sighed, “I am sorry for bringing you into all of this, little sweet one.”

“I wanted to be involved. I wanted to be near you,” Georgiana said, determined to get to the bottom of his strange behaviour of late. “But will you not share your burdens with me?”

“There is little to tell.” Fitzwilliam said, his eyes’ on the road to the house and not on her face. “And I am worried about causing you pain.”

At length he told her about Mr Wickham and Lydia Bennet and about looking for Mr Collins who had been wandering around the neighbourhood looking for her, and that Doctor Russell thought it unlikely that Mr Collins would recover from his fall.

Georgiana finally understood her brother’s current pain. His hope was that Elizabeth would be released from her engagement but his concern was at finding happiness at the expense of another man’s life. They walked in silence. Georgiana finally understood why her brother was not able to be still.

An hour later she was sitting in the music room playing something to try and explain her feelings when she heard Doctor Russell’s quick step in the hall.

News of Mr Collins’ death soon reached her ears.

There was no sign of Fitzwilliam, she discovered that he had taken his horse out as soon as he heard the news.

The next week saw Georgiana take up her brother’s habit of pacing waiting for him to return.

* * *

Tuesday, 31st of March 1812

Longbourn - Elizabeth

Elizabeth led Mr James Collins to his room with measured steps, her mind clear despite her mother’s obvious scheming. Yes, there were uncertainties ahead - many of them - but she would not be manoeuvred into another arrangement like the last, no matter how precarious their situation.

“Mr Collins,” she said as they reached the guest room, her voice polite but firm, “I trust you’ll find everything to your satisfaction.

And I hope you’ll understand that we all need time to adjust to these changes.

” She met his gaze steadily, making it clear she wouldn’t be pushed into playing the role her mother had planned for her .

There were still a great many things that were uncertain.

Like where they would live if this Mr Collins decided that he did not want to live in a house with, and support, six women he was only distantly related to and had only just met.

They could be forced to leave in a matter of days.

No, it was important that they make an ally of him.

Jane and Mr Bingley could not be married any sooner than they had planned, since they were still in mourning for both their father and now Mr William Collins.

There was of course the matter of Mr Darcy - no she must not think about that at the moment.

She had to keep her mind on matters at hand.

“This is your room for the moment sir,” she said as she opened the door of the clean and tidy but small apartment.

She continued speaking as Mr Collins stepped past her into the room. “This is just a guest room. The master bedroom will of course be made ready for you.”

He turned to her suddenly, but did not reply.

“Mr Murrey is - was my father’s valet. Shall I send him up?”

“That is not necessary, " he said quietly, “I will meet him later.”

Elizabeth bobbed a curtsy and quietly left the room, not sure what to make of this Mr Collins.

He did not seem at all like his older brother, his hair was sandy in colour, his face more pointed than his brother’s.

If they had stood next to each other she doubted she would have known they were brothers.

But then again she and Jane were very different physically.

Lydia was the closest to Elizabeth in looks and then Mary, taking after Mr Bennet’s side of the family.

Jane and Kitty took after Mrs Bennet’s side.

She was not sure what to make of this quiet Mr Collins. She returned to the drawing room, where the others were waiting for her.

“Did he say anything?” Lydia asked as she entered the room .

“He does not seem to be a man of many words,” Elizabeth replied as she sat down near her aunt and Jane, who were sitting by the window with the work basket open in front of them.

Two of the Gardiner children were sitting on the floor near their mother’s feet playing with some toys.

The older girl was also sewing nearby them.

“I hope he was not offended by being in a guest room, rather than the master’s rooms.” Mrs Bennet said nervously.

“He did not seem to be.” Elizabeth said calming, not wanting to discuss the matter further until she had had time to think and see more of Mr James Collins.

Mrs Bennet could speak of little else in the next hour other than young Mr Collins, as she had started calling him, despite Mary informing her that he was only three years younger than Mr William Collins.

“Mary, how do you know how old Mr James Collins is?” Mrs Bennet asked in surprise. Mary blushed and it was several moments before she was composed enough to reply.

“Mr Collins left his family bible down in the sitting room one day,” she said, her eyes downcast on the carpet, not willing to look directly at any of them. “It was under another book and fell onto the floor. I picked it up and a letter had slipped out. I put the letter back in, the dates of-”

“You read the note!” Lydia said loudly, interrupting her.

Mary flushed, “No I didn’t. At least I read a very small piece of it by mistake while I was picking it up.

That referred to Mr James Collins’ lodgings in London.

When I was slipping it back into the bible I noticed the dates of birth of William Collins, James Collins and the date of the marriage of their mother and father as well as the dates of their deaths. ”