Chapter 10 Dramatic Interruption #4
Surprising everyone, Lizzy nodded her head.
“While I do not deem remaining unmarried a doomed fate, I have discovered my heart softening toward Charlotte’s choice.
I know”—she smiled at her sisters’ collective amazement—“my change of tune is a shock. Mr. Collins is ridiculous and a nauseating toady, and I still shudder when recalling he offered marriage to me.” She sent a glare toward her mother.
“Nevertheless, he does care for Charlotte, never mistreats her, as far as I can tell, and has provided her a stable life with a good home. She is more suited to being a rector’s wife than I would have suspected, and for certain far better than me.
Charlotte seems content, I think, and perhaps that is what matters most.”
Having ignored Lizzy’s glare, Mrs. Bennet gushed, “So true, Lizzy! Charlotte made an excellent decision. I daresay, your refusal produced an outcome in everyone’s best interest.”
“You judge Mr. Collins too harshly, Lizzy,” Mary remarked blandly. “He is a gentleman and has devoted his life to serving God. That is a noble calling with heavy burdens and, as such, is worthy of respect.”
Lizzy wasn’t sure how to respond. Mary had a point, although her innocent view of the goodness of people, even those in the church, was flawed.
Still, this was Mr. Collins she was talking about.
Lizzy may have been willing to agree that Charlotte hadn’t made a terrible decision in becoming his wife, but going so far as to use words like noble, gentleman, and respect in conjunction with Mr. Collins left a bad taste in her mouth.
Her mother jumped in, saving her from formulating a pleasant reply.
“Right, Mary! A girl can do far worse, believe me. A man like Mr. Collins is bendable, easy to please, and undemanding. Charlotte can manage a husband like Mr. Collins as she is much like you Lizzy.”
“What do you mean, Mama?”
“Only that she has a strong will. She is not as stubbornly pigheaded as you, few are, I daresay. You tried my nerves no end since the day you were born. At times, I do pity Mr. Darcy, although he is nothing like Mr. Collins. In Charlotte’s case, with a tenderhearted, malleable man like Mr. Collins, I doubt he pressures her unduly, if you take my meaning. ”
Her mother’s disjointed ramble made little sense, except for the last statement. Oh yes, Lizzy took her meaning. A swift exchange with Jane proved her sister did as well.
She is wondering, as I am, how we walked blindly into what promises to be another talk imparting wisdom about the marriage bed and what we can say or do to avert the horrifying inevitable.
Evidently, her younger sisters were of the same mind.
Mary pounded loudly on the pianoforte, playing a jaunty tune Lizzy wouldn’t have thought was in her musical repertoire.
Kitty jumped to her feet and insisted in a boisterous voice that everyone observe the latest tricks she had taught her fast-growing puppy.
Jane, bless her heart, blurted into a descant about the weather.
Lizzy groped for the one subject sure to overshadow all others.
“Lady Lucas did say that the Bennet wedding will be the most spectacular event to happen in Hertfordshire in decades.” Lady Lucas had said no such thing, but Lizzy was desperate!
Tragically, the bald-faced lie failed, as did all the rest.
“One never knows how a husband will be, of course. Hopefully Lady Lucas taught her daughters well, as I have attempted to do with you four. Alas, I missed my chance with sweet, innocent Lydia. Who knows what she has suffered?” Her sigh was a half sob.
“Whether Charlotte needs to be firm with Mr. Collins is none of my business. I only bring it up as an example for the two of you.”
Since diversion had not worked, Lizzy opted for the tactic of ignoring her mother.
After all, her sermonizing never lasted too long.
There were a limited number of euphemisms for sexual intercourse in her vocabulary, and the agitation the subject roused usually reached an unsustainable level in fifteen minutes maximum.
Picking up her book and feigning deep absorption, she peripherally saw Jane doing the same with her needlepoint.
Either unaware no one was listening or indifferent, Mrs. Bennet rambled on, fan briskly flapping and eyes on the ceiling.
“A woman’s monthly courses are a legitimate impediment to intimate relations.
The very idea of doing… Well, it is appalling!
Men never pay attention to a women’s schedule, nor is such a personal topic ever to be discussed.
Remember that, girls. Always be vague, as is proper.
A wife should never lie outright. Perish the thought!
A decent, respectful gentleman would never dream of asking directly, and you are not to blame for their assumptions. ”
Glancing to Jane, they shared a roll of their eyes and swift smirk before resuming their feigned intent fascination with the items in their laps.
“Perhaps my suffering with headaches and nerves has been a blessing in disguise. Not that I wish such a debilitating ailment upon either of you, my dears. Just remember that when ill, a gentleman will understand a wife is incapable of activity that may well increase her pain and distress. Truthfully, what proper lady would not suffer from a headache at the very idea of a man’s advances?
Performing one’s wifely duties is an expectation and honorable.
The blessing of children, only created through the act, as confounding as that is—why would God do such a thing?
I cannot comprehend it… Hmm…where was I?
Oh, yes, the blessing of children is a reward for your perseverance and faithfulness to your vows.
And there is some comfort in the warmth to be found, the companionship… ”
Lizzy lost track of the discourse. Mary had given up on the lively tune and finally on entertaining with the pianoforte altogether.
Somewhere in the middle of it all, probably around the mention of “wifely duties” or perhaps earlier, when menstruation and “intimate relations” were said in the same sentence, she and Kitty had slunk away.
Just as Lizzy was debating whether it was time for her to do the same, Mrs. Bennet’s tone altered into the lilt of a question.
“You did say, Jane, that Netherfield has a well-appointed bedchamber separate from Mr. Bingley?”
Jane automatically nodded and, out of habit, opened her mouth to reply, but her mother had presumed the answer and wasn’t even looking at her eldest daughter. Oddly, she was staring at Lizzy.
“Be sure the door has a sturdy locking mechanism, not that you, Jane, should have a need for it.”
Lizzy groaned, the sound drowned out by her mother’s increasingly shrill voice. Thank goodness Aunt Gardiner talked with us, she thought, eyeing the open doorway longingly, or I’d be searching for the deepest, darkest cave in England to avoid getting married.
“The important point to remember, girls, is to be firm with your husbands. Naturally, you must submit when necessary, as is proper. However, there are ways to avoid this honorably, as I have revealed to you both. Jane, you should have no problem in this regard, as Mr. Bingley is so amiable and gentlemanly. Lock or no, he would never force himself upon you, so you can rest easy, my dear. It is you, my Lizzy, whom I fear for.”
Swiveling her eyes back to her mother’s face, Lizzy frowned. “Whatever do you mean, Mama?”
“Oh, Lizzy!” Mrs. Bennet sat up, eyes teary and face seamed with deep concern.
“Mr. Darcy is so proud and arrogant! I know he has tempered, according to you, but how long will that last? He is a gentleman to be sure, but he is also a man of substance who is accustomed to dominating and having his orders abided by without question. He is a man used to being in control. You may well learn, I dread, that his demands upon your person will be tremendous. Judging by how he looks at you, well, it is assured.”
Frankly, she had no worries over William’s “demands upon her person” since she fully intended to be making her demands upon his person as often as feasible. Nevertheless, in the way her mother couched the idea, Mr. Darcy sounded like a monster. How could she speak of him so negatively?
Lizzy could not immediately think of the words to defend him, and her mother provided no time to collect her scattered thoughts. Apparently mistaking Lizzy’s stunned expression as panic, Mrs. Bennet leaned over and patted her suddenly ice-cold hands.
“There, there, Lizzy. Do not fret. You are a strong woman. If anyone can handle a man like Mr. Darcy, it is you. Besides, I am confident the pressure will subside once you have provided him with an heir. That is what is most important to men of his station. Pray, my dear, that you are not like me and that you birth a boy first. After that, things shall go better. Men with social requirements, such as Mr. Darcy, do not wish their wives to be indisposed by frequent confinement. He will want you to stay pretty and svelte, to be the elegant lady at his side. These great men always have mistresses to take care of their baser needs, leaving the wife free to fulfill her household and social duties. Quite probably Mr. Darcy has already established an arrangement of this nature. I have suspected as much, what with his frequent and extended stays in London.”
“Mama!”
Jane’s shout silenced the awful words spewing from their mother’s mouth. Jane looked no less flabbergasted than Lizzy felt, but at least she had found her voice—Lizzy was absolutely speechless. She sat on the sofa completely frozen. Her head spun and a black curtain was blanketing her sight.
I am going to faint.