Chapter 12 #3
Darcy glanced at his sister’s letter, envying her the opportunity of receiving news from Elizabeth.
Then he returned his attention to his own envelope, which he hoped was from Mr Bennet, and his heart skipped a beat; the writing on his letter was similar to that on Georgiana’s.
He took his letter to the library and closed the door behind him.
With tentative fingers, he opened it, and his eager eyes travelled along the paper.
He read it repeatedly, each time discovering different meanings in the words, which he did not dare trust.
The last part of the letter seemed to have been written from her rather than Mr Bennet; it was not necessary for the news she intended to share, but she wrote it nevertheless.
And she thanked him—with perfectly proper words—but there was a warmth that came through the cold paper, and he did not miss it.
He held the letter to his chest, closed his eyes and leaned against the armchair. Alone in his library, in the darkness lit only by the fire, Darcy smiled.
∞∞∞
Elizabeth waited for Miss Darcy’s letter with a good deal of eagerness, though she knew she should not expect special news.
However, the first letter she received was from Charlotte, who found many things to relate about her peaceful happiness in Kent and all the satisfactory arrangements, including Lady Catherine’s kindness.
Elizabeth read it in a hurry and put it down; she loved Charlotte dearly, but she could not bear the details about a pretended happy marriage with Mr Collins. It was simply too much.
Charlotte continued to insist that she should visit them in Kent, but Elizabeth was sceptical about accepting such an invitation.
She felt a sort of curiosity, which she admitted to be highly improper, regarding Miss Anne de Bourgh, but it was not enough for her to make such a long visit to Rosings.
Two days later, the letter from Georgiana arrived with another letter for Mr Bennet from Mr Darcy himself. After she read Georgiana’s letter several times, a servant asked her to the library. To her surprise, her father invited her to enter and handed her a piece of paper.
“This is for you, Lizzy. It is a short note from Mr Darcy. He put it inside my letter, opened, so I could see its contents. Very considerate of him, do you not think?”
She felt her cheeks flaming, and her lips suddenly became dry; she could not think properly of all the implications of such a gesture. He wrote to her and asked her father’s permission to do so? Did he realise what that could mean?
“Thank you, Papa, I shall go to my room,” she said hastily, and her father smiled as he turned the page of his book.
Once inside her chamber, Elizabeth lay on the bed as she ran her eyes over the letter. She laughed nervously, remembering Miss Bingley’s comment about the evenness of his writing.
Miss Bennet,
Thank you for your considerate message. I am pleased to know your journey went as well as I hoped.
I am also pleased that Mr Bennet enjoys the books, but as I informed him personally, there is no reason to hurry—he may keep the books as long as he wishes.
I trust he will take as good care of them as I would.
I shall look forward to sharing opinions with Mr Bennet regarding this subject some time very soon.
I shall give to my sister the pleasure of filling her letter with all the details of our last days in London.
I am sure she will tell you that it snowed again and that she deeply regrets she missed the opportunity to skate with you, as I am sure she will tell you that your presence is already missed—as she has told me more than once.
I shall only add my best regards, and please allow me to repeat that there is no reason to thank me for doing something I did most willingly.
Fitzwilliam Darcy
She read the letter repeatedly, her heart beating more wildly each time.
There could be no misunderstanding: he told her he would come to Hertfordshire soon, and he let her know he still remembered they did not go skating together as had been planned right after the ball and just before their argument.
And he told her she was missed! Yes, he did!
He dared to do so with the risk of being noticed by her father.
And he declared once more that everything he did for her father was most willingly done.
She threw herself on the bed, the letter to her chest, and closed her eyes. No, there was no misunderstanding!
The next weeks passed slowly with lots of snow, visits from Mr Bingley, and hopes of a marriage proposal from him.
Mr Wickham rarely visited. She saw him only three times in more than five weeks.
He was as polite and friendly as ever but more restrained.
The news was spread in the neighbourhood of his interest in Miss Mary King, a pleasant young lady with a dowry of ten thousand pounds.
Elizabeth felt equally relieved for her tranquillity and worried for Miss King, hoping her family would protect her from any imprudent alliance.
Mr Bingley’s sisters did not return to Netherfield by the end of February. Despite Elizabeth’s hopes, Mr Darcy also remained in London with his sister.
Elizabeth knew he maintained a regular correspondence with her father; also, she and Georgiana wrote to each other at least once a week, and each letter received from Miss Darcy contained some reference to her brother, which Elizabeth was pleased to read.
He did not write another letter to her personally, but more than once Mr Bennet told her that Mr Darcy commented about something concerning her.
Overwhelmed by Charlotte’s insistence and disappointed for her fruitless waiting amid daily hopes and speculations, Elizabeth decided to visit Kent for two weeks.
It would be a pleasant change from her own thoughts, and she could not forego the chance to meet Lady Catherine and admire the windows of Rosings.
She told Georgiana of her intention to accept Charlotte’s invitation, and she was highly amused by Georgiana’s reluctance to express an opinion.
She began the journey the last week of March, together with Sir William and Maria Lucas, with her spirits in a high state that was difficult to understand.
When they arrived at the parsonage, Elizabeth realised how much she missed her dear friend and how little marriage had changed the parson’s manners.
Mr Collins welcomed them with the liveliest pleasure and ostentatious formality to his ‘humble abode,’ and punctually repeated all his wife’s offers of refreshment.
The first evening was spent chiefly in talking about Hertfordshire and making plans for their stay in Kent.
More than once, Mr Collins expressed his hope that they would be invited to dine at Rosings at least once and that they would be overwhelmed by Lady Catherine’s kindness and generosity.
In the solitude of her room that evening, Elizabeth meditated upon Charlotte’s degree of contentment and the meaning of happiness in marriage.
Just before sleep took her, she briefly wondered when Mr Darcy last visited Rosings.
As Mr Collins anticipated, an invitation for dinner at Rosings arrived the next day, and his triumph could not be quelled.
He repeatedly assured Elizabeth that she had no reason to feel unease for her modest gowns, and then he pointed out that Lady Catherine was very strict regarding punctuality; finally, he made sure that everybody was aware of the import of such an invitation and that it was all due to Lady Catherine’s favourable opinion of him.
The moment they entered, both Sir William and Maria were awed by the grandeur surrounding them. They both turned silent by the time they were introduced in the enormous room where Lady Catherine, her daughter, and Mrs Jenkinson, the companion, awaited them.
Lady Catherine was a tall, large woman with strongly marked features, which might once have been handsome.
Her air was not conciliatory, nor was her manner of receiving them such as to make her visitors forget their inferior rank.
Whatever she said was spoken in so authoritative a tone as marked her self-importance.
Miss Anne de Bourgh was quite the opposite: thin, sickly, and pale, intimidated, and glancing around as if frightened. She spoke little except in a low voice to Mrs Jenkinson. There was neither in figure nor face any likeness between Lady Catherine and her daughter.
The dinner was exceedingly handsome, and it mirrored precisely everything that Mr Collins promised in terms of servants, plates, and dishes.
During and after the dinner, there was little to do but listen to Lady Catherine. She addressed a variety of questions to Maria and Elizabeth but especially to the latter.
Once her curiosity was satisfied on the subject of the Bennet family, Lady Catherine seemed unwilling to speak much with Elizabeth.
She demanded everybody play cards, and the rest of the time passed in such a way.
From time to time, Elizabeth could feel her ladyship’s insistent stare upon her, but she bore it reasonably well.
With great amusement, Elizabeth imagined what would have happened had she accepted Mr Darcy’s marriage proposal two months earlier and been presented to Lady Catherine as her future niece.
Now that would have been a memorable moment, indeed!
At the end of the evening, Mr Collins spared no effort to thank and praise Lady Catherine until the moment they left the house.
The next morning, Elizabeth woke early and, as the house was still silent, took the chance to escape for a walk in her surroundings. She allowed herself to be distracted by the beauty of the estate in the early spring until the parsonage remained far behind.