Page 44

The same evening as the contentious tea at Rosings Park, the inhabitants of the parsonage ate a quiet supper.

Mr Collins was subdued after the unpleasant scene when Mr Darcy defied his aunt so vociferously.

Lady Catherine’s behaviour could only be described as a lapse in good judgment with guests in the household.

In the morning, Mr Collins instructed his wife and cousin that they should not write about the conversations at Rosings Park in their letters to their parents.

Charlotte readily agreed because such a report would distress her parents.

Elizabeth admitted, “I should not attempt to put those memories on paper.”

With those assurances from the ladies, Mr Collins made his way out of the parsonage and began his daily walk to Rosings Park, his thoughts whirling around in his mind. Charlotte pulled out the bed curtains they had been sewing and asked, “Eliza, shall we sew this morning?”

“I think we must,” agreed Elizabeth. “Our time with needles and thread will allow us to sort our thoughts and avoid gossip.”

Coughing to cover her laughter, Charlotte said nothing about the events at Rosings Park. The pair shared memories of the familiar tasks their families and friends completed in Meryton. Elizabeth mentioned planting seeds in the garden that afternoon.

“I believe the ground is dry enough to plant squash and cucumbers,” Charlotte said. “Once the sun heats the ground this morning, we can plant our seeds, and the plants will spring from the ground in just days.”

“I shall chop the weeds around the potatoes,” Elizabeth volunteered. The conversation in the parlour focused on gardens and cooking while they sewed.

~~~

In the late morning, Charlotte and Elizabeth heard a coach arrive and stop outside the parsonage.

Fixing their needles in the cloth where they could be found easily when they returned to their seats, they rose and hurried to the front door.

There was a knock on the door, and Charlotte opened it to find Mr Darcy standing there.

“Mr Darcy, come inside, please,” Charlotte greeted as she stepped back to permit the man entry into her home. Elizabeth curtseyed but remained silent as the gentleman removed his gloves and dropped them into the hat he kept in his hand.

He bowed and addressed his hostess, “Mrs Collins, I apologise for interrupting your day at this unusual hour. I am leaving Kent and shall not return to Rosings Park, but I felt that social obligations demanded I bid you farewell.”

“Certainly, Mr Darcy,” Charlotte replied, unsure what to do.

“First, I apologise for any unpleasant conversations you and your guest were subjected to yesterday,” the gentleman said.

“Your apologies are appreciated, Mr Darcy, but every family argues, and many of those events occur while in the company of others,” Charlotte replied. Then she said, “Forgive me, Mr Darcy. I must remove loaves of bread from the oven. Please speak to Miss Eliza for a moment.”

Mr Darcy smiled at the housewife as she left the room, leaving the door to the kitchen open to maintain Elizabeth’s reputation.

Finding themselves almost alone, Darcy turned to the young woman.

His face betrayed his inner turmoil of wanting to say more, but he settled to say, “Miss Elizabeth, your first introduction with my family was not as I hoped. My aunt’s fable of marriage with Anne…

after hearing it again and again, I could not remain under the same roof as my cousin and aunt because I feared Lady Catherine could arrange a scene where it appeared that I compromised my cousin.

She would not hesitate to force the marriage. ”

Wishing she could take his hand to reassure him, Elizabeth reminded the man, “Sir, you have seen my sisters and mother swoon over redcoats at the gatherings in Meryton. My youngest sisters were tipsy at the dinner at Lucas Lodge. If you do not count their offences, I promise I shall keep none against your family.”

Dismissing these offences as personal foibles, Darcy said, “Your sisters are young and can be taught proper behaviour. I fear Lady Catherine is set in her ways.”

“I hope to remain open to new ideas for my whole life and treat others as a lady should,” Elizabeth added.

Darcy smiled. “I do not doubt you will strive to learn new things throughout your life, Miss Elizabeth. My greatest regret about my departure is that I cannot walk with you at Rosings Park.”

“I shall miss your company on my walks here but hope to see you this summer,” she admitted. “There are many pleasant paths around Meryton.”

His smile growing broader, Darcy asked, “Will you still welcome my attention if…when I visit with Bingley?”

“Of course! You must write to Charles, and I shall write to Jane,” Elizabeth assured him. “We can share many walks around Netherfield and Longbourn this summer.”

“May I write to your father?”

“Certainly,” Elizabeth replied. “I return to Longbourn at the end of April and hope to hear news of you then, Mr Darcy.”

When Charlotte appeared at the door to the kitchen again, Mr Darcy said farewell to Mrs Collins and kissed Elizabeth’s hand before departing.

The women followed him out the door and watched until the coachman set the elegant coach and four in motion.

Darcy did not look back, but Elizabeth waved farewell.

Before they entered the parsonage, Charlotte remarked, “Mr Darcy was very late leaving for London.”

“Really? How long is the trip to London?” asked Elizabeth without thinking.

“With stops to rest the horses, it is seven hours with good weather and light.”

“It is not eleven of the clock, and the days are longer in April,” Elizabeth stated. After a moment, she added, “And the moon is waxing.”

Teasing her friend, Charlotte asked, “Still, there must have been some particular reason that he delayed his departure. Can you imagine the cause?”

“No,” replied Elizabeth absently as she watched the coach vanish around a bend in the road.

“No?” teased Charlotte. “Eliza, you are certainly not thinking clearly today. Mr Darcy delayed his departure until Mr Collins arrived at Rosings Park so that he could speak with you without interference by my husband.”

Still smiling, Charlotte continued, “Today and for the remainder of this week, Mr Collins will support Lady Catherine while she mourns the desertion of her nephew. Mr Darcy called and spoke with you informally with me in the next room. Your reputation is protected, and he was able to say ‘farewell’ appropriately.”

“He was kind and did not mention the lack of fresh bread,” Elizabeth agreed.

Then Charlotte suggested, “Imagine the scene if Mr Collins had been present.”

~~~

In the afternoon, Elizabeth walked out to sort her thoughts and feelings. Mr Darcy’s words and gaze made her tremble inside, and she was hopeful that the gentleman would call on her this summer. She decided, ‘ Jane and Charles will keep Mamma distracted when he calls .’

When she found herself in the formal gardens around Rosings Park, Elizabeth walked about carefully, hopeful of not stumbling upon Miss de Bourgh strolling with Mr Fredericks.

She mused, ‘ If I can walk with a gentleman along country lanes without a chaperone, certainly Miss de Bourgh can spend a few minutes with a gentleman in her own garden…with her companion as a chaperone .’

Feeling disappointed that Mr Darcy had departed for London, Elizabeth turned about to walk back to the parsonage. As she walked along the lanes again, the young woman reaffirmed her decision not to tell anyone about Miss de Bourgh’s walks with Mr Fredericks.

Determined to change her mood before returning to the company of Charlotte Collins, Elizabeth thought about discussing the New World Tea Company with her friend.

‘ The London newspapers did not print a word–fact or rumour–about Mr Wickham’s business the whole winter.

Not a single mention about his profits or prospects for the coming year . ’

‘The gossip columns mentioned Mr W attending Miss B’s salons with Lord C, but Jane never mentioned them. I do not believe Mr Wickham knows any lords, and there are many other Miss B’s besides for Miss Caroline Bingley.’

Pausing momentarily, the clouds parted, and the sunshine brightened the scene in a pasture where lambs frolicked together, ignoring the ewes. The lovely moment blew away the dark clouds gathering in Elizabeth Bennet’s mind, and she hurried her steps.

~~~

That evening, Mr Collins reported that Lady Catherine was heartsick that her nephew disobeyed her.

He sighed and said, “Lady Catherine said she would write Darcy and her brother, the Earl of Matlock. She is certain the earl would force Darcy to marry Anne and wanted me to publish the banns beginning this Sunday.”

Charlotte took her husband’s arm and forcefully said, “No! Mr Collins, you dare not do so! Without Mr Darcy’s explicit permission, you must not do such a thing!”

“But Mrs Collins…” Mr Collins began to object to his wife’s unusual behaviour, but his cousin agreed with his wife.

“Remember what Miss Bingley told all Meryton last autumn–Mr Darcy’s godfather is a bishop in London.

That gentleman must regularly exchange letters with the Archbishop of Canterbury,” Elizabeth stated and then added, “If the bishop heard that a clergyman used his godson’s name without permission, I fear for your future in the pulpit. ”

“Speak to Lady Catherine about the need for agreement within her family. If the earl convinces Mr Darcy to marry Miss de Bourgh, there will be time for the banns before any wedding,” Charlotte assured her husband. The man seemed almost convinced and prepared to speak plainly with Lady Catherine.

To reinforce Charlotte’s argument, Elizabeth added, “Yes, remind Lady Catherine that no one wants the Archbishop of Canterbury examining their tithes.”

~~~

During the journey from Hunsford to London, the image of Elizabeth’s face remained fixed in Fitzwilliam Darcy’s mind. When they stopped to water the horses in Gravesend outside the Bull’s Horn, he remembered that stormy night when he saw her across the room only weeks ago.

‘That woman has bewitched me,’ he decided when the coach resumed the trip to London. He spent the hours of the trip remembering their conversations, her smiles and laughter. ‘She has thoroughly bewitched me!’

The following morning, Fitzwilliam Darcy wrote a personal letter to his friend Charles Bingley requesting permission for himself and his sister to visit with Bingley and his bride at Netherfield for a fortnight.

He wrote of his intentions to speak with Mr Bennet and Miss Elizabeth Bennet regarding a courtship that spring and wanted the opportunity to introduce his sister to the other young woman.

When the first letter was complete, he immediately penned one for Mr Thomas Bennet in which he referenced their discussions concerning books, history, and politics last autumn.

He mentioned that he hoped to visit with his friend Bingley soon and hoped to have the opportunity to speak with Mr Bennet concerning personal matters.

When both letters were addressed appropriately, sealed with wax and handed to Jones to ensure they were both dispatched that same morning.

Certain of a forthcoming invitation to visit Netherfield in May, he considered his summer schedule.

Darcy smiled and thought, ‘I shall take Georgie into Hertfordshire to meet Elizabeth. We shall be engaged shortly thereafter and marry in autumn.’

He paused and then added, ‘If she agrees. If she desires a long engagement I shall abide by her wish, but I hope she does not.’

~~~