Chapter 30
For the recently married couples, their time in Ramsgate and at Seaview Cottage seemed to fly by. If they had thought they were in love before they married, after almost three weeks in the exclusive company of their spouse, their feelings of love and attachment had deepened significantly.
In Hertfordshire things had moved along apace. Bingley was supposed to depart the day after the wedding. Rather than impose on the Gardiners, he took a three-month lease on the Great House at Stoke, which had been empty above two years.
It did not take many weeks to determine he and Mary were compatible in every way, so a week before the upcoming confrontation at Rosings Park, Bingley proposed to, and was accepted by, Mary Bennet.
With an adequate number of chaperones available, the two had spent as much time in the other’s presence as possible and had spoken about everything of interest to either of them.
Bingley had slowly fallen in love with Mary.
Not many days after he realised it, he proposed.
Although Mary was not as reticent as she once was, she was still shy and did not display her feelings openly.
Rather than let that confuse him, Bingley had learnt it was all in Mary’s eyes, where he saw his love reflected back to him.
Thankfully, Gardiner was not hard on him when he asked for Mary’s hand; in the end, Mary’s guardian gave Bingley his consent and blessing. The couple chose a more traditional betrothal period, settling on about three months; they would marry the first Friday in June.
Mary, Tiffany, Kitty, Maria, Giana, and Lydia became as close as any sisters could be and were often in one another’s company.
They always remembered to include the other young ladies in the neighbourhood, which expanded their circle of friends considerably.
Even though Lilly was almost four years Lydia’s junior, she was included as much as her schedule of lessons would allow.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
On Wednesday, the thirteenth day of March, several families made ready to leave for Kent the following day.
The young children would remain with their companions and governesses in Hertfordshire.
Lord Matlock had received a report from the Bishop of Kent; there was no question of Collins retaining his status as a clergyman.
In the same report, the Bishop had written bluntly, stating unless Lady Catherine was unable to appoint the next, or any subsequent, clergyman, the Hunsford living would be removed from Rosings Park’s gift.
Lord Reggie had written back, assuring the Bishop his son would be the master of the estate well before any new appointments were made. Try as he might, he could not feel sorry for his sister.
A few years before she came out, Catherine became overbearing, grasping, and avaricious.
She, who called any woman who dared look at her nephew William a fortune hunter, was one herself.
That was the reason she married de Bourgh and the same reason she kept pushing the lie about the imaginary betrothal between Anne and William.
The Earl was not sure which would engender the most vitriolic response—being removed from her fiefdom or realizing William had been married for almost a month.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
It was with a little sadness the Darcys left their tranquil cottage, which was anything but a cottage, given its size. The tinge of sadness was offset by all the glorious memories the Darcys had made at Seaview Cottage.
By prior arrangement for that morning, they met Charlotte and Richard at an inn on the way to Rosings Park, where the roads each were travelling converged. Elizabeth and Charlotte hugged one another tightly. “Charlotte, how contented you look!” Elizabeth gushed.
“No more so than you, Eliza,” Charlotte returned.
“If you are half as happy as I am, William, then you are deliriously happy,” Richard stated as he clapped Darcy on the back.
“If you are so full of joy then you are half as joyful as we are,” Darcy ribbed back.
“She is good for you. I do not miss the stodgy man you used to be,” Richard told his cousin seriously.
“Elizabeth has ignited a joy within me that will not be repressed,” Darcy expressed.
The couples broke their fasts in a private parlour and were on the road again in just over an hour.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
After enduring her inept lover of a husband the previous night, Jane woke up in a sombre mood, but since Anne had told her today would be the day of reckoning, she felt happier than she had for a very long time.
Jane realised she had felt like this in the past before she allowed her mother to stoke her jealousy of Lizzy.
When they had been true friends and sisters was the last time she had felt this good.
Anne also shared her cousin and Lizzy had married in February. Jane was pleased to hear about the wedding and felt no envy whatsoever. Lizzy had always been a good and faithful person, and good people deserved good things.
Jane did not know how much longer she would reside in the parsonage.
The thought of leaving saddened her. She did not grieve for the house, but for the people she had met, helped, and come to love.
In Anne de Bourgh she had a true best friend, so no matter where she went, Jane was determined to maintain a correspondence with Anne.
Anne had told her, the first of her relatives would be arriving before midday. Jane readied herself to walk to the manor house; Anne had requested she be there to support her, so be there she would.
As Jane started her walk, the sound of carriages caught her attention. All of those travelling to Rosings Park had met in Bromley, including the Bishop and his two emissaries, and then journeyed in a convoy, arriving together.
Jane did not recognise many of those she saw through the windows of the carriages. Her first shock was seeing a Gardiner conveyance, followed by Sir William’s. Then she saw her former sister Elizabeth and her whole world went black.
Elizabeth and Darcy rode in a coach with Charlotte and Richard. Elizabeth was looking out of the window when she saw a lady with blonde hair sticking out of a dingy cap. She did not recognise her at first, but as she watched Jane faint dead away, she saw her deep blue eyes staring towards her.
“William! Stop the coach,” Elizabeth almost shouted.
Darcy struck the ceiling. Elizabeth was out of the coach before it had stopped fully.
Richard, Charlotte, and Darcy were hard on her heels.
By the time they reached her, they saw Elizabeth had a prostrate lady’s head in her lap as she sat on the ground and was talking soothingly to the lady.
“My goodness,” Charlotte exclaimed as she recognised who was lying there. “It is Jane, Mrs. Collins.”
Jane’s eyes flickered open and she was looking directly into her former sister’s emerald-green eyes. “Lizzy, is it you? Am I dreaming? If it is you, I have so much for which to beg your pardon.”
“There will be time for that soon enough, Jane. Are you well?” Elizabeth asked with concern.
“It was the shock of seeing you. I was on my way to support Anne, Miss de Bourgh, at her request.” Jane reached up and touched Elizabeth’s cheek to make sure she was real and she was not a dream.
“Jane, I promise you I am real. You know my husband, William. The other gentleman is Richard Fitzwilliam, Charlotte’s husband. Come now, we need to get you to Miss de Bourgh,” Elizabeth stated as she and Charlotte took Jane’s hands and helped her to stand.
Elizabeth had heard Jane had spent her money anywhere except on herself, but until she saw the dress with patches, the holes in the shawl and shoes, and the state of her bonnet, she had not realised just how much Jane had put the needs of others ahead of her own.
“Come, you will ride with us.” Elizabeth reached her hand out to Jane.
Jane looked at Mr. Darcy and felt mortified all over again. “I would not want to impose. I am able to walk; I feel much better now,” Jane told the four as she looked at the ground.
“Come, Mrs. Collins, I insist,” Darcy assured her.
The last time Jane had been in a carriage was the rented gig that had brought her to Hunsford. She had never been in such a comfortable one. It was nothing less than Lizzy deserved.
“Where is your husband, Mrs. Collins?” Richard asked as they started to move again.
“It was suggested he should be with his exalted patroness when her nephews arrive,” Jane informed them. “I saw the Bishop’s crest on the coach following this one. Do you know what the determination is?”
“My father, Lord Matlock, informed us when we all met at Bromley. I am sorry to say your husband is to be defrocked and excommunicated,” Richard reported.
“Do not be sorry to say so, Mr. Fitzwilliam; it is no more than he deserves,” Jane stated firmly.
“We know you wrote to the Bishop; will you not suffer along with your husband?” Elizabeth asked.
“It is no less than is due me for all that I did in the past. It is very true what they say, we reap what we sow,” Jane replied.
Before anyone could respond, the coach came to a halt behind the others, which had arrived a few minutes ahead of them.
Everyone was waiting for the last two carriages.
Madeline and Edward Gardiner rubbed their eyes as a blond they hardly recognised stepped out of the coach after Elizabeth.
Even more amazing was the possessive way their daughter took her former sister’s arm.
The butler had been forewarned by Miss de Bourgh, so he showed the arriving group to the drawing room containing Lady Catherine’s throne. Anne awaited them just outside of the door, as Lady Catherine was spewing some nonsense her lapdog Collins was lapping up.
“Hello, Cathy,” Lord Matlock greeted his flabbergasted sister as he entered the room.