Chapter 46 #2
Not one to take such bait, Lady Catherine waited.
“What have you surmised?” Elizabeth finally asked when it became obvious she would not outwait the lady.
“I was not born yesterday. I have known Fitzwilliam man and boy. He came to Rosings confused. Midway through his visit, he became briefly happier than I have ever seen him. Later the same day he looked like he had been beaten with a stick, and a day later, he was… well, I cannot quite work out what he was when he left. He was a changed man, and your Mr Occam suggests you must have wrought the change.”
The reference puzzled Elizabeth, but Lady Catherine continued, “You left Rosings, but your sister remains and she is not known for reticence. And, of course, my recently abandoned daughter at Longbourn still has pen and paper. I have learnt a great deal about you.”
“And what is your conclusion, if I might be so bold as to ask?”
“I will not give you a conclusion. Let us look at the alternative definitions for that word. The first, which I am certain you employed, is ‘a judgement or decision reached by reasoning’. It may also mean ‘the end or finish of an event or process’. At the moment, I have opinions supported by reason, but they are half guesswork. As to the end or finish, I am in no way convinced that the story of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy is anywhere near a conclusion.”
Elizabeth stared at her. “I can see I need to—”
“Need to what, Miss Bennet?”
“Never mind. If you are pushing me towards an alliance with Mr Darcy, you will simply join a long line of others who precede you.”
“And yet you do not agree?”
“I do not know. I am… well, I do not quite understand how I feel.”
To confess anything so weak as confusion was hard, but Lady Catherine seemed as good a confidante as any.
“You put me in mind of Plato’s shadows[xxiv],”
“I do not know about those.”
“It is from his Allegory of the Cave, from The Republic. Plato imagines a group of people who live their entire lives chained to the wall of a cave, with a fire behind them. They spend all their time looking at the shadows on the wall. They give them names, study their movements, and try to work out the natural laws of shadows.”
“Do go on. It sounds fascinating.”
“Suppose the prisoners manage to break their bonds one day, escape to the light, and discover the world was not as they had known it. Would they accept the new world in all its confusing glory, retreat to their chains, or spend the rest of their lives vacillating between the two?”
“That last part sounds like you made it up.”
“It is an allegory—intended to encourage thought, not rote memorisation.”
“I agree. So, what about this allegory reminds you of me, or what about me reminds you of the allegory?”
Lady Catherine kept hold of her hands and continued gently, “In some ways, many of us were the poor creatures chained in the cave, and you helped us break free. I know I exaggerate for effect, but the sentiment is the same.”
“As much as I would like to dispute your reasoning, I assume you will demand evidence to support my refusal,” Elizabeth replied softly.
“Probably, but why do you assume that?”
“My father did… and—”
“And I suppose Darcy did as well?”
Elizabeth nodded, unable to add more.
“Now, let us imagine that you are this mysterious chain-breaker, but you, in fact, never left the cave yourself. The shadows all came from a fire, so when you broke the creatures free, all you did was move them a few yards from their original positions so they could see the fire.”
“Yes—”
“Then someone comes along, who takes you entirely outside the cave. You would have become quite comfortable in your position as liberator, having saved the poor creatures from their chains, but supremely confident that, since you knew all there was to know about fires, you were master of the world. Suppose you went outside and were exposed to the sun. What then?”
“I feel sorry for poor Plato, considering how badly you abused his metaphor, but I understand. You suggest I am afraid to embrace the next reality of my life.”
Lady Catherine patted Elizabeth’s hands a few times. “That is more or less right, though I would have spent less time critiquing the quality of the discourse.”
Elizabeth laughed, her spirits restored. “Based on your story, I am outside the cave, looking in wonder at my first butterfly and wondering whether it is real or a fever dream.”
“You are young, and you have time. You need not work it all out today. May I ask a boon?”
“Of course!”
“Might I attend your sister’s wedding?”
The request perplexed Elizabeth, yet her answer came at once. “Of course! What a silly question. You are naturally welcome. Why would you even ask?”
“I am not entirely certain why. It seemed impolite to presume, and I do not know if you mean to keep me away from Anne entirely for this year.”
“As you can see, I abandoned Anne to her fate. In truth, I believe I did all I could within minutes of the Frogs in Pots episode, but it was my father who suggested I leave.”
Lady Catherine laughed. “I can honestly say that you are likely the only person in my life to ever call me Little Frog.”
Elizabeth smiled; it was all in fun.
“Speaking of Frogs, would your aunt and uncle object to my swapping Miss Lucas’ company for yours? I would like to speak more with you, and that seems the perfect opportunity.”
“I see no reason why not. I have been at their house for two months and will be travelling with them for weeks after the wedding. I imagine they will have their fill of my company. What do you wish to talk about?”
Lady Catherine smirked. “We shall start with Frogs and Pots.”
“I thought we exhausted that topic.”
“Not quite. I feel it my duty to inform you that if you put a frog into a teapot and subsequently swap the pot on the poor butler, the frog will definitely jump out when he is presented in the company of a duke. He might even land in the part of a lady’s anatomy that is ordinarily frog-free.”
Elizabeth laughed in consternation. The image of Lady Catherine with a frog on her was too much to bear.
“Who was the vile prankster who did this terrible deed to the poor defenceless frog?”
“And what of the poor defenceless lady?”
Elizabeth did not dignify that with a response but raised an eyebrow in question.
“Of course, the miscreant was one or both of my nephews. I have no idea who instigated the scheme, but Darcy was perfectly willing to take the blame or credit as appropriate.”
Elizabeth gasped. “Mr Darcy did that?”
“All that and more. That is why I want you to ride with me. I plan to regale you with tales of my two nephews, who were more often in trouble than out in their youth. Perhaps you might find it helpful to talk to a naturalist as you examine this butterfly to see if it is real.”
“It will be my pleasure. I can never let pass an opportunity to learn from an expert on frogs.”