Chapter 12 #2
The man seemed untouched by guilt, “oh my dear Charlotte is beyond blessed. I wish I could reside under this magnificent roof. I would welcome any illness if only I could be this close to my noble patroness.”
Jane gasped and tried to hide her horror.
However Elizabeth had no compunction about offending the pompous and unfeeling man, “Not that the great lady would visit you anymore than she has visited Charlotte.” She spat angrily.
Mr Collins turned a red and angry face towards Elizabeth, “Cousin Elizabeth, I am ashamed of you, how dare you…. how ungrateful of you! And about your kind hostess, no less!”
“Yes Mr Collins how dare I? Dare I ask if you have visited your wife today? Or any other day since she came to stay here?”
“I am a busy man Cousin Elizabeth. You would not understand.”
“I understand that you make time for Lady Catherine every day. But somehow you are too busy to visit your own wife.”
“Lizzy!” Jane touched Elizabeth’s arm and gently steered her out of the way of the parson, who quickly bowed and exited the house without looking back.
Mrs Quinton, the housekeeper was waiting for them at the foot of the grand marble staircase. She smiled at Elizabeth and nodded her approval, “Well done miss, somebody needs to remind that man about the treasure that he has ensconced in this house and it is not Lady Catherine.”
She then directed the ladies to Jane’s bedroom. The woman was remarkably friendly for one who had worked so many years for the unbearably rude Lady Catherine.
“Here we are Miss Bennet, I hope you will be comfortable and if there is anything you need, please let me know. But avoid making your requests known to the lady of the house, or your need will go unanswered.” She chuckled.
As soon as Mrs Quinton left the room Jane looked at her sister curiously, “So, Lizzy, you seem to be keeping some secret.”
“Secret? Surely not.” Elizabeth laughed nervously.
“Oh Lizzy you are so bad at lying.” Jane said with a loving smile.
“Oh Jane I missed you so much.” Elizabeth took one step towards her sister and hugged her again.
“I missed you too. But surely that is not why you asked me to come to Rosing's Park so urgently.”
“No indeed it is not.”
“What is the real reason then?” Jane asked, turning to the large bed and patting the space beside her for her sister to sit down.”
“Very well, it would be cruel to surprise you with him when we go down to dinner.”
“Him?” Jane said with a mischievous smile.
Elizabeth nodded slowly. “Yes, him.”
“Who?”
“Mr Bingley!”
Jane paled and looked as if she might faint. “Oh Lizzy, please do not be cruel, I do not deserve your mockery.”
“Oh my beloved I am not mocking you. It is true, Mr Bingley is here.”
Jane went from pale to beet red, “Mr Bingley? Here? How?”
“Mr Darcy!”
“Mr Darcy?”
“Precisely!”
“You know Lizzy, I really hate when you are vague. Do you really, truly believe that I can read your mind?” Jane said more firmly than Elizabeth thought possible.”
“You are right; I am being vague, am I not?”
Jane simply glared at her sister.
Elizabeth chuckled, “You know, you look even more beautiful when you are incensed. You should try it more often.”
“Elizabeth Rose Bennet!” Jane said placing both fists on her hips in extreme annoyance.
“Oh very well, now I know I am in real trouble,” she chuckled, “well let us start by saying that Mr Bingley is here as a guest of Mr Darcy.”
Jane looked at her sister blankly.
“So have you got something you wish to say to that? Mr Bingley is here.” Elizabeth repeated.
“Why would Mr Darcy invite Mr Bingley to come here and more to the point, why would you ask me to come here also?”
Elizabeth got up from the bed and paced a few times around the room. “Do you not want to see him? Do you not have a few questions that you would like to ask him, such as why did he run away from Hertfordshire without even taking leave of his friends?”
“We did not have an understanding Lizzy, he owed me nothing. He did not break his word to me.”
“Why then did you agree to go to London and seek out his pernicious sisters? Moreover why have you been disconsolate all these months?”
Jane’s eyes filled with tears.
“Oh Jane please forgive me, I did not mean to make you more unhappy than you are already.”
Jane shook her head and the tears fell. “Oh Lizzy I am terrified of meeting him again.”
“Why Jane, this is silly. Why should you be afraid?”
“What if he wished to escape from us, Lizzy, escape from me? What if he had no desire to meet me again and Mr Darcy has simply forced his hand?”
“I am sure you are mistaken Jane.”
“Miss Bingley did say that he knew that I was in London but he was too occupied with others to make time to see me.”
“And do you believe that woman?”
“I do not have any reasons why I should not.”
“I do. Simply because she is false Jane, she detests us all including you. Her pretence at friendship is just that, an act!” Elizabeth said impatiently.
“Why would she do that?”
“I do not know. She is a mystery... a nasty mystery.”
Jane winced. She fixed a look on a point on the wall... seeing nothing...far away.
“Please, Jane. Please tell me you will come down to dinner and give Mr Bingley a chance to make his own excuses. You owe yourself at least that after all the suffering you have been through.”
“And if he does not care for excuses and simply asks why I am here… what am I meant to say then?”
“Then we shall shake the dust of this place off our feet, turn back home and think of Mr Bingley no more.”
Jane released a slow breath, “Very well, let us meet him then. Heaven knows I must have some manner of closure, be it for comfort or for sorrow.”