Chapter X
Though she kept it to herself, Elizabeth had more than a notion of what to do about Mr. Wickham.
She knew how to handle it—she only needed the right opportunity to put her plan into motion.
Fortunately, she had another matter that needed to be rectified, a matter she had allowed to fester too long.
This business gave her the perfect occasion to deal with both at the same time.
Before she could do this, however, Elizabeth had the rest of the evening to endure, knowing her thoughts would plague her with all her misconceptions.
Jane was no help—her happiness with Mr. Bingley was nearly complete, and Elizabeth would not intrude upon this time of joy.
The rest of the family would remain equally ignorant for the moment, for they would either lecture, minimize, or insist that Mr. Wickham was far too handsome for any such tale of him to be true.
Foremost among Elizabeth’s thoughts was how courageous Georgiana had been to share such a secret with her.
In truth, she thought Georgiana’s courage was far more substantial than what Mr. Darcy had shown.
Elizabeth was humbled that her friend had shared such a traumatic experience with her and determined that she would not put her friend’s reputation at risk.
Her feelings for Mr. Darcy were more complicated.
Elizabeth still viewed Mr. Darcy with annoyance—he was proud, often disagreeable, and held those who did not meet his idea of proper breeding with contempt.
Yet, she could not blame him for wanting to protect his sister.
It was complicated, she supposed, all of it—the history he shared with Mr. Wickham, the desire to remove himself from Mr. Wickham’s intrigues, the responsibility he felt for Georgiana.
Though she could not condone the gentleman remaining silent and offering no warning to the neighborhood, he had not acted to ruin Mr. Wickham for caprice.
When Elizabeth finally retired that night, she hoped for—though she did not expect—a night of uninterrupted sleep.
Upon opening her eyes the following morning, she was surprised and gratified that she had found rest. That day, she woke with a new determination, an unshakable intention to ensure Mr. Wickham could not do in Meryton what he had done in other places.
At the start of visiting hours, Elizabeth presented herself at Lucas Lodge’s entrance, asking to be shown to them. There were only two she needed to see, but she had not been there in several days, since before she argued with Charlotte. Thus, she appreciated the opportunity to visit them again.
“Elizabeth,” said Lady Lucas when she entered the room. “How good of you to visit. Why, I declare we have not seen you here for far longer than usual.”
“Good morning,” said Elizabeth, smiling at her dearest friend’s mother. “I am glad to be in your company again.”
What pleased Elizabeth even more was that Charlotte had not shared the details of their disagreement with her mother.
Had she considered it, she would not have supposed that Charlotte would do such a thing.
Lady Lucas possessed a similar character to Elizabeth’s own mother—she would not have appreciated Elizabeth’s disapproval.
Charlotte, who was standing with her mother, peered at Elizabeth as if trying to discover her motivations, but Elizabeth only smiled back at her friend.
The first few moments of her visit passed in the usual manner.
Maria spoke of the officers, Lady Lucas regaled Elizabeth with tales of her recent doings, and Sir William, who was present, spoke of his pleasure for the Netherfield party’s return—or at least those who had graced the district with their presence again.
Elizabeth participated, laughed, and commiserated as required, waiting for her opportunity to speak to Charlotte in private.
As she had known it would, that opportunity came within fifteen minutes of her arrival.
Lady Lucas, knowing of the firm friendship between Elizabeth and her daughter, excused herself not long after, taking Maria with her, while Sir William departed for his study.
When the friends were alone, Elizabeth turned to her friend, noting Charlotte’s curious look.
“Charlotte, my friend,” said Elizabeth, taking her friend’s hand. “Please allow me to apologize for the unconscionable words I said to you when last we met.”
Though Charlotte searched her eyes and did not speak at once, Elizabeth noted a certain tension in her shoulders ease. Elizabeth did not wait for her to speak.
“I was wrong to say such things to you about your fiancé. Long have I known the differences between us, and while I will own that I was surprised by your announcement, I should not have said what I did.”
Charlotte expelled a long breath, though Elizabeth did not know if it was relief or vindication. “Thank you, Lizzy. I confess that I have missed your company and regret what passed between us.”
“If my approval is required, you have it.” Elizabeth offered her friend a smile. “You know enough of my nature to understand that I would never wish for a marriage such as that you have agreed to enter.”
Charlotte laughed and patted Elizabeth’s hand. “Well do I know it. I was not surprised that you rejected Mr. Collins, Lizzy. That he would be willing to propose on so short an acquaintance was curious, but I never expected you to agree to anything he offered.”
Now Elizabeth was interested. “Then you conceived of the idea to draw him to you when you came to Longbourn that morning.”
“Almost as soon as I heard the news,” confessed Charlotte. “The invitation to Lucas Lodge I offered because I knew it would give you relief, but I had some notion of making myself indispensable to Mr. Collins by then.”
“And you had no doubt you could persuade him.”
This time, Charlotte appeared a little rueful. “It seemed likely, given Mr. Collins had proposed to you on the strength of a week’s acquaintance.”
“Of course,” said Elizabeth. “Mr. Collins came to Longbourn to find a wife—I suspect returning to Kent, having successfully secured an engagement, was foremost in his mind.”
What Elizabeth did not say, that the identity of Mr. Collins’s future bride was not as important as the success of his endeavor, she did not think her friend misunderstood. Neither said the words, though both knew it to be true, which allowed it to remain a polite fiction between them.
“Then when do you mean to marry? I cannot suppose that Mr. Collins will wish to wait long.”
Charlotte colored a little but did not hesitate to speak.
“We shall wed on January the ninth. Mr. Collins will return once more between now and the wedding. As we will only be together in the same county once between now and then, my father feels that the proprieties are met—no one will raise an eyebrow at the speed of our union.”
“No one would think that anyway,” said Elizabeth, pressing Charlotte’s hands with affection. “Your reputation is spotless, Charlotte—they will understand.”
With a grateful smile, Charlotte nodded.
“There is a practical reason, of course. As a parson, Mr. Collins cannot be away from his flock for long. When we discussed the timing of the wedding, Mr. Collins agreed that it was preferable not to enter a long engagement where we must remain apart for most of it. Far better to marry without delay than to endure such circumstances.”
The way Charlotte phrased it suggested that she had argued Mr. Collins to that position.
Elizabeth suspected that was not true. Mr. Collins had proven his lack of sense—she doubted he would see anything amiss with a hasty marriage that would catch the attention of those about them.
In such cases, many assumed there was a particular reason for the couple’s wish to wed at once.
In this case, Elizabeth thought Charlotte was correct.
“Lizzy,” said Charlotte, “I must ask for your indulgence in frequent contact over letters. Since I doubt I shall return to Hertfordshire soon, your friendship will sustain me as I take on my new duties.”
“Why, Charlotte!” exclaimed Elizabeth, certain she could tease her friend about this, at least. “Mr. Collins has informed me all about Lady Catherine de Bourgh—surely a lady as great and attentive as your future patroness will consider sustaining you her sacred duty!”
Charlotte laughed, proving Elizabeth’s suppositions correct. “I have every expectation of finding the lady no less than determined to be of use.”
“That is one way of putting it.” Elizabeth’s mirth drained, and she fixed her friend with an earnest look. “I would not injure you by supposing you do not understand, Charlotte, but Mr. Collins paints a picture of a woman who instructs and expects to be obeyed.”
“That much is true,” replied Charlotte. “While I do not suppose that I can openly defy her ladyship, I suspect I will have no trouble convincing my husband that I have complied.”
“For shame, Charlotte,” teased Elizabeth. “Do you mean to mislead your husband?”
“Nothing of the sort!” Charlotte offered a serene smile.
“Rather, I suspect both Lady Catherine and Mr. Collins will not trouble themselves to verify that I have carried out their instructions. When Lady Catherine’s advice is sound, I shall follow it to the letter.
When it is against my own judgment, I should think it best to do what is right and not trouble them with reasons why I wish to do otherwise. ”
“It sounds like you have considered this at great length, Charlotte,” said Elizabeth.
“Much of what I do will depend on my early assessment of Lady Catherine. But yes, I mean to ensure that I am as much the mistress of my own house as I can manage.”
“Excellent. I wish you the best.”
Elizabeth turned her attention to the other matter that drew her to Lucas Lodge. “There is another matter of which I must speak to you, Charlotte. I hope that I can count on your assistance.”