Chapter 27
Elizabeth and Jane arrived in Hunsford in a comfortable, but not ostentatious, carriage drawn by two matched pairs of horses. However, the liveried footmen and coachmen accompanying the carriage hid nothing about the importance of the passengers within.
As they approached the parsonage, the sisters saw their cousin, Mr. Collins, in front of his house, waving his arms wildly.
They were alarmed at first, but relaxed when they saw their dear friend, Charlotte, standing, patient and resigned, just out of reach of those menacing arms circling like a windmill.
As soon as the carriage stopped, but before the steps were even lowered, Mr. Collins stuck his head into the carriage and proclaimed breathlessly, “Lady Jane and Lady Elizabeth, welcome to my home! Your visit is an unimaginable delight for Mrs. Collins and me in every way, but my house is simply inadequate for your ladyships’ comfort.
Do not be concerned, however, I have secured an invitation from my most esteemed and generous benefactor, the master of Rosings and Pemberley, Mr. Darcy.
Mrs. Collins and I would be inordinately honored to escort you to Rosings directly where your ladyships will have tea and rest after such an arduous journey. ”
And so, Jane and Elizabeth had no chance of laying eyes on the delightful rooms Charlotte had described in her letters. Mr. and Mrs. Collins accompanied them in their vehicle and proceeded to the grand manor house.
The ladies were relieved at the journey’s brevity because Mr. Collins’s loud praises for the appointments inside the luxurious carriage and the exquisite beauty outside the windows reminded the sisters how absurd the rector of Hunsford could be.
The sisters also finally understood they would be housed at Rosings during their visit, not just visiting for the evening.
To Elizabeth, this was disturbing indeed. Her desire to see Mr. Darcy was as strong as ever, but staying at his house, under the same roof, and in the presence of his new wife?
Jane appeared quite calm, having for the time being regained her former serenity. She squeezed her sister’s hand to provide support.
The carriage stopped in front of an elegant manor house, modern and well-proportioned in the Palladian style with the tall windows typical of Georgian grand houses.
The master of the estate and Colonel Fitzwilliam were outside the front door, ready to welcome the new guests.
Having had the entire previous night to prepare himself for this unwanted—and yet fervently desired—meeting, Mr. Darcy assured himself he could behave as a gentleman and keep his emotions under tolerable regulation.
The Colonel was curious to observe everyone involved in this melodrama. Most importantly, he wanted to see whether Lady Jane would be disappointed that the gentleman she had come to see was not present.
When the steps were lowered, Mr. Collins rushed out of the carriage and began bowing deeply to Mr. Darcy, who, seeing that the parson completely ignored the womenfolk, stepped forward to hand the ladies down. Mr. Collins stood placidly aside, as his betters had taken over.
Mr. Darcy was composed until his gloved hand held onto Elizabeth’s as he helped her down. She looked up and met the burning eyes on his face.
Is it possible that my affection for him is reciprocated? It cannot be!
The entire party saw the expression on Elizabeth’s face, but could not see Mr. Darcy’s, with the exception of Jenny, who was the last to exit the carriage.
The clever Charlotte Collins, who had some inkling about the outwardly antagonistic relationship between the two, and the loyal Jenny, who knew her mistress and former master well, immediately understood.
Mr. Collins alone was unaware of the tension enveloping the entire party from the two undeclared lovers.
Mr. Darcy offered his arm to Jane, and the Colonel did likewise to Elizabeth, as they entered a great hall decorated in an opulent style like that of Northampton house except with a different color scheme.
Kennington Castle, with its ancient Norman great hall, appeared rustic by comparison.
Were the rooms branching off Rosings’s center hall decorated in the same way?
If so, she would soon be blinded by all the glittering gilded trim and banisters.
The architectural curiosity distracted Elizabeth enough to calm her palpitating heart, brought on by standing so close to the man who owned it.
Since the journey from Oxfordshire to Rosings took two days, Mr. Darcy suggested his guests rest until dinner, and he would have refreshments brought to their rooms.
“Where are they, those daughters of a duke?” demanded Lady Catherine, who had been invited to act as hostess during the ladies’ visit, as Anne was too ill to perform those duties.
“Aunt, Lady Jane and Lady Elizabeth are resting in their chambers. It was a long trip from Oxfordshire,” replied Mr. Darcy.
“In my youth, I was never tired. What excuse do they have to delay meeting me? If their father were not a duke, I would be seriously displeased.” Lady Catherine voiced her discontent rather loudly.
If the visiting ladies were not in the other wing, they surely would have heard the complaint, and Lady Elizabeth, just to put the self-aggrandizing daughter of an earl in her place, would have answered, “As daughters to a duke, we understand lower-ranked ladies should feel privilege to wait on us.”
Jane and Elizabeth were indeed tired and hungry after traveling over eighty miles in two days. They had been assigned suites situated across the hall from each other. They convened in Jane’s sitting room to enjoy the tea tray.
“Until now, I had never seen a more ornate residence than Northampton House. I wonder if Mrs. Darcy will redecorate.” Elizabeth looked out of the window while drinking her tea.
She could not get the thrill of seeing Mr. Darcy again and the sensation of touching his hand out of her mind.
She hoped rather than believed that the beautiful, though conspicuously cultivated garden outside, along with casual mention of his wife, might distract her from the extremely unwanted, inappropriate thoughts of a married man.
“Lizzy, you can talk to me. I have never seen you so… ruffled.”
“Oh Jane! I do not know. All my life, I have never felt so… my mind is in an upheaval. What is there to say? I am being ridiculous. It must come from being inexperienced in love. I met a man to whom I am inexplicably drawn, and I lost all sense and reason.”
“Has it come to that, my most sensible sister?” Jane sounded worried. “If being in love makes one insensible, then I could say for certain I have never been in love.”
“Ha! That is the answer. We are novices in an unknown land. We knew of nothing to disrupt our tranquil lives in Hertfordshire. Naturally, we are confused. I solemnly vow that we shall overcome these irrational feelings. So never mind my silliness—I plan to get up early tomorrow morning to take a good long walk. Being shut up in a carriage for two full days is enough to put me in a strange mood all by itself.”
Jane smiled. She liked that her sister seemed to have reverted to her confident, cheerful self.
“So, Jane, Mr. Bingley is not here. Papa showed me the letter he sent to Mr. Darcy. The hint papa gave Mr. Darcy was extremely vague. I pointed it out to him, but he refused to be more explicit, as he claimed he had already gone further than he wished in attempting to be a matchmaker. What will you do, Jane, if this trip does not turn out as we hoped?”
“I do not know. As it is, I feel rather foolish pursuing a man like this. It is undignified. Having witnessed your reaction to seeing Mr. Darcy, I should reassess my feelings toward Mr. Bingley. It is likely that what I feel is not love but, as you have surmised, a yearning for our life before these monumental changes occurred. For instance, seeing Charlotte gave me a warm feeling I have not felt for a long time.”
Just then, they heard the dinner gong. The anxiety that had been draining away from Elizabeth rushed back like a tidal wave.
But there was no avoiding Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth hoped Mrs. Darcy would be there, because no one would be better at shattering this bewildering passion she felt for a married man.
No matter how incomprehensible her emotions had become, she had not sunk so low as to covet the lady’s husband in front of the lady’s own eyes.
Dinner in the Rosings state dining room was quite an occasion.
Elizabeth paid attention to every move of the servants and how every dish was served so she could report the information to her mother, who was terrified about giving a dinner party.
Mrs. Trimmer’s reassurance had only partially lessened her anxiety.
Mrs. Darcy made a brief appearance before dinner.
Elizabeth was shocked to see her frail appearance as she whispered into her husband’s ear.
Mr. Darcy announced to the assembled that the mistress of Rosings apologized for not attending dinner.
Elizabeth noticed he said neither ‘wife’ nor ‘Mrs. Darcy.’
Is she truly not long for this world?
Mrs. Darcy’s absence at the dinner table, necessary as it was for that lady, ruined Elizabeth’s plan to befriend the mistress. Fortunately, Lady Catherine did not let a single moment pass without comment.
“Lady Jane, Lady Elizabeth, have you acclimated to the society into which you have been thrust? It must have been quite a shock. How did your mother deal with the turmoil?”
“Did you mean to say Her Grace, madam?” asked Elizabeth. She smiled innocently, remembering her promise to Miss Darcy that she would remind Lady Catherine of the distinction of rank.