Vol 2, Chapter 4
The coaches for the Fitzwilliams and Bennets from London arrived a little after eleven.
After the arriving family members had washed and changed, they made their way down to the drawing room to meet the rest of those in residence at Rosings Park.
The first order of business before the travellers went to change was for those who had not been able to do so yet to personally to wish the betrothed couple happy.
Before they could enter the drawing room after changing, Elizabeth requested that her parents, Jane, and Andrew follow her to a parlour.
Bennet and Priscilla looked at one another with raised eyebrows when Elizabeth stated, “William, Mr. Darcy that is, apologised to me for his behaviour in Hertfordshire. He made no excuses and told of his intention to apologise to all of you when he has the chance. The apology was made before I revealed our true situation to him. I disclosed the truth to him because his entreaty to pardon him was entirely sincere,” Elizabeth related.
She saw that both of her parents were giving her knowing looks.
“No need to gaze at me with that ‘I told you so’ look!”
“I am proud that my cousin has endeavoured to change the parts of his character that were wanting,” Andrew stated with pleasure.
“What have you learnt from this, Lizzy?” her mother challenged.
“Not to be so quick to judge, and to not allow my prejudices and conjectures to stop me from considering the facts,” a chastened Elizabeth responded.
“It seems that Mr. Darcy is not the only one to learn and grow from all of this,” Bennet added sardonically.
“Papa, I almost forgot. He intends to ride to Meryton when he is able and apologise to everyone he offended,” Elizabeth informed them.
“That would be most of the four and twenty families in the neighbourhood,” Jane pointed out.
“Should we join the others?” Priscilla asked, taking her husband’s arm and leading the way when he nodded.
In the drawing room, Anne was introduced to Mr. Gardiner, who Richard told his cousin was the man Elizabeth had spoken of to help her dispose of any unwanted items. The two agreed to talk later when Anne would be able to show Gardiner more of the house and the items which she wanted to be rid of.
“Did we miss anything?” Bennet asked as they joined the rest.
“Only my obtuse cousin eating crow and apologising to my uncle and aunt,” Anne related with a smile. It was not every day that she was witness to her once-haughty cousin humbling himself.
“You seem to be making somewhat of an apology tour, Mr. Darcy,” Priscilla quipped.
“It is nothing less that I must do, Lady Priscilla,” Darcy bowed to the Bennet matriarch.
“Lady Catherine,” Priscilla acknowledged the silent lady. She could not remember a time that she had ever seen the woman not trying to command any room she was in.
“Lady Priscilla,” Lady Catherine replied calmly.
“Before I start, this young lady,” Darcy pointed to where his sister was standing with Elizabeth, “is my sister, Georgiana, whom we all call Gigi.” Darcy then turned to face Lady Priscilla.
“As you have succinctly pointed out, your ladyship, I am on my apology tour so…” Darcy apologised to all of the Bennets.
After again congratulating her on her betrothal, he especially apologised to Jane for his misguided attempt to interfere in his cousin’s courtship of her.
He also related a brief synopsis of his break with the Bingleys.
After looking to his wife and oldest daughter and receiving nods, Bennet addressed Darcy.
“On behalf of my family, I accept your apologies without reservation. And as we will soon be family, please call me Bennet. Now to…” Before Bennet could carry on with what he wanted to say, Lady Catherine stood, still not looking anyone in the eye.
“With your approval, Mr. Bennet, I have something I would like to say,” Lady Catherine looked to Bennet questioningly, and he nodded as it was her house of residence, to be asked at all was shocking.
“Like Fitzwilliam, I owe all of you many apologies, except I think I have far more for which to beg your pardon.”
“No reason to fight over which of you have committed more offences,” Lord Matlock teased, trying and lighten the sombre mood a little.
“It is not lost on me that for many years I have been dispensing unwanted and wrongheaded advice. I was aware of what I was doing, but I felt that it was the best way to control those around me. It was a vain attempt to remain relevant. Rather than learning the facts, I pontificated without regard for anyone else. Sometime while growing up, I forgot what Mother and Father taught us, Reggie, and in its place, I told myself that my rank made me right, regardless of the facts.” Her brother had to pinch himself to make sure he was awake, as he had never, not in his wildest dreams, thought he would ever hear these words uttered by his sister.
“As much as I welcome your words, Cat, what happened to cause this level of self-examination in you?” Lord Matlock asked as the rest of her relatives watched, none as surprised as their Anne.
“After Collins passed last night, Anne said something that shocked me to my very core,” Lady Catherine’s eyes teared up as she again considered it.
“Was it that I thought you might harm me to keep control of Rosings?” Anne repeated the question when she got no response, paying no attention to the aghast looks of surprise on the others' faces.
“That is it exactly,” Lady Catherine confirmed, trying to blink away the tears in her eyes.
“Oh Mama, I did not mean to wound you so.” Anne went to her mother and hugged her.
“No Anne, it is I who owes the apologies, not you. Were it not for what you said, there is no guarantee that I would have been able to see what I had become. That I was so bad, so grasping, and so much of a fortune hunter that my own daughter thought I would harm her for gain? It was the blow I needed. I am not sure if I can be forgiven, but I am deeply sorry. And if it will make it easier for you, Anne, I will remove myself to the dower house today,” Lady Catherine offered with all sincerity.
“That is not needed, Mama. All I ever wanted was to have a good relationship with you, which was impossible as things were. I, for myself, forgive you and look forward to discovering the person that my mother can truly be,” Anne hugged her mother and kissed her cheeks, both crying tears of relief.
“On behalf of the rest of your family, you are forgiven, Lady Catherine. More importantly, I have missed you, Cat,” her brother hugged her next, using his handkerchief to dry her tears.
“It seems that most of what I was needed for is already taken care of. Bennet, do you know if your cousin had a family plot somewhere?”
“Not that I am aware of. And given the split that was caused by his grandfather in our family, the Bennet graveyard would not be appropriate,” Bennet shrugged, smiling sadly at Charlotte.
“Then he will be interred in the Hunsford Church’s graveyard,” Anne decided. “Charlotte, did he leave anything for you?”
“I have my dowry as he had not yet spent any, I believe he may have one hundred pounds saved from his time at Hunsford,” Charlotte replied.
“That money will all stay with you, Charlotte. We will pay any costs to have him buried,” Bennet stated with finality.
Charlotte knew the Bennets well enough not to argue when Mr. Bennet decided something like he just had.
It would be foolhardy, for he would allow none to gainsay him.
“On behalf of my family and myself, I thank you for your continued generosity, even if my family is not aware how much we are in debt to the Bennets.”
“Jane, Lizzy, did either of you tell Charlotte?” Bennet asked.
“They said nothing to me, Mr. Bennet, I suspected all on my own that the scholarships to Oxford were from you, though until you confirmed it right now, I was not sure,” Charlotte blushed a little at the subterfuge she had employed.
Rather than be upset, Bennet was impressed at the effective use of her wit.
“Do we need to notify the parishioners so they will know when the funeral is?” Bennet asked Anne.
“It is doubtful many of them would come, as Mr. Collins was not well liked.” Anne looked apologetically at her friend and Charlotte waved her concerns away.
“My late husband’s faults were well known to me. I managed him as well as I could, but there were some areas where I was not successful in steering him onto a new course,” Charlotte smiled cynically.
“The same way you steered me when you needed me to change one of my nonsensical pronouncements that Collins took as gospel?” Lady Catherine quirked an eyebrow.
“You knew?” Anne asked in surprise.
“Not at the time. My ego would not allow me to admit, even to myself, that I was so easily managed. When I started to think about everything, I was able to see what you had done so skilfully,” Lady Catherine genuinely smiled at Charlotte.
The admission by Lady Catherine broke the serious mood in the drawing room, and there was a smattering of giggles and laughs, none as sweet as Georgianna’s. “As we do not need to wait for anyone else, let us have the funeral conducted on the morrow. Did Collins have a curate?” Bennet asked.
“He was too tight fisted to take on one. When he travelled, the curate from St. Anselm’s in Wye would conduct services and be paid the minimum possible.
Mr. Bamber is loved by the parishioners in this parish who, I would wager, would have been happier had Mr. Collins never returned each time that Mr. Bamber filled in for him,” Anne explained.
“In fact, he is my first choice to offer the Hunsford living.”