Chapter 9
The confrontation with Lady Catherine de Bourgh left Elizabeth spent and discomfited, even though she immediately dismissed the woman’s pretensions.
Fortunately, she had been forewarned by the conversation with Mr Gardiner about Lady Catherine’s irrational behaviour and her unreasonable expectations, so she did not believe a word.
Of some importance, however, were the accusations against her.
Lady Catherine — and probably many others — sincerely believed that she had forced Mr Darcy into marrying her.
This might be the general opinion once the news of their wedding was out; she would have to face undeserved harsh judgment, which would ruin her name and damage her reputation forever.
Nobody would believe that Mr Darcy needed and had insisted on marrying her, so he would always be presumed a victim of her conspiracy.
Mr Gardiner’s name might be affected by association, as an accomplice, with damaging effects upon his business, credibility, and honour.
All of a sudden, her understanding with Mr Darcy appeared to be very dangerous to her and her relatives in ways that none of them had considered so far.
“Lizzy, my dear, I can see you are thoughtful,” Mr Gardiner said that evening. “I am sorry I was not at home to protect you from Lady Catherine’s vicious attack. Please do not allow her to hurt you. She is not worth the trouble.”
“I defended myself quite well, Uncle. No additional protection was needed. But I do have reasons for concern. Lady Catherine believes that you and I forced Mr Darcy into this marriage. She threatened a public scandal and retaliation against you, even to ruin your business. That is not to be disregarded easily!”
“No, it is not. I already admitted that Lady Catherine could cause some harm and a considerable amount of disruption. She has threatened me too many times to count since she discovered that Mr Darcy confided in me about his business affairs as well as personal matters. She somehow assumed I encouraged Mr Darcy not to marry Miss de Bourgh — and this must be the main reason for her rage and attack on you.”
“There are many strange, unclear, and questionable relationships in that family, and I wonder whether it is fair to help Mr Darcy at the risk of our own family’s peace and comfort.”
“Dearest, I thank you for being so protective of us. I shall only beg you to trust me. I would never put my family at risk, nor would I expose you to disagreeable circumstances,” Mr Gardiner answered.
“Do not mistake me—I shall discuss this visit with Mr Darcy as soon as he returns. He will know what measures are required to temper Lady Catherine.”
“Lizzy, did you mention anything to Lady Catherine about the real reasons for your engagement?” her aunt asked.
“Of course not. I only spoke of Mr Darcy’s insistence on marrying me and his efforts to persuade me to accept. I also declared that I am the most important person to him, and he would do anything to marry me. All in all, it is the truth, is it not?”
“The absolute truth,” Mr Gardiner answered with a smile. “I am proud of your strength and confidence, Lizzy.”
“Quarrelling with a furious elderly woman is one of my accomplishments since I have long practised it at Longbourn,” Elizabeth answered, laughing bitterly.
“I am sure Mr Darcy will not allow Lady Catherine to bother you again,” Mr Gardiner uttered.
“Speaking of Mr Darcy, the wedding is planned for the day after tomorrow. If you have received no news from him, I cannot imagine how it can still happen,” Elizabeth said. “Should you not inform the church about the delay? What is the procedure for such situations?”
“Mr Darcy is the most attentive, scrupulous man. He will take care of everything, including informing us and the church if a delay is necessary,” Mr Gardiner replied.
“You seem to have complete faith in Mr Darcy, Uncle.”
“I do, Lizzy. I do.”
“And so do I,” Mrs Gardiner added.
“I shall wait to form an opinion of my own,” Elizabeth concluded, impressed by the unshakeable trust her relatives had in their younger friend.
After this conversation, she felt slightly calmer. Since she had nothing else to do and no means to influence the circumstances, the only reasonable choice was to wait another day. The wait would not be long, in any event. He would come, and the wedding would go on as planned, or he would not.
As dinner was being served, a commotion of voices and hurried steps from the entrance hall interrupted them. Mr Gardiner stood and went to the door to see what was happening, but a moment later, they had an answer.
In the doorway appeared Mr Darcy, unshaven, his clothes and hair in disarray, with dark circles around his eyes.
“Mr Darcy!” Mr Gardiner exclaimed.
“Dear Lord, what has happened? Are you hurt?” Mrs Gardiner cried.
Elizabeth could not deny that his sudden entrance stirred some feelings within her — a mix of relief and anxiety combined with friendly concern. He looked very ill indeed.
“No, I am not hurt, just tired. My appearance is certainly appalling,” he responded, his voice very similar to his look.
“I deeply apologise to the ladies for presenting myself in such a state. I just returned from my journey, and I came to inform you, without considering I would be interrupting. I shall let you finish your dinner now.”
“You have just arrived in town? This moment? Come, take a seat,” Mr Gardiner insisted.
“Yes, just now. Please excuse me, I cannot sit. I could not disturb the ladies with my improper and filthy attire. I shall return tomorrow morning and—”
“Mr Darcy, this is absurd,” Mrs Gardiner interrupted decidedly, grabbing his arm. “Please allow John here to take your coat, and you must sit for a moment. You must at least eat something and have a drink. I cannot allow you to leave otherwise.”
Mr Darcy seemed in two minds, and he gazed at Elizabeth, as if asking her opinion.
“You should absolutely listen to my aunt, Mr Darcy,” she said with a smile. “Your attire is probably bothering you more than it bothers us.”
“Thank you,” he finally responded to all of them. “Mr Gardiner, if I am to stay for a little while, could you please send some food and drink out for my coachmen? It has been a long journey, and they are tired and hungry.”
“Of course!” Mr Gardiner replied and immediately conveyed instructions to a servant.
Mr Darcy sipped from his drink, then, somehow reluctant and uneasy, he filled his plate, glancing at his companions. Mr Gardiner resumed his place and, after allowing their guest some time to eat, eventually asked, “Mr Darcy, have you completed your business to your satisfaction?”
“No, unfortunately…the journey did not have the result I hoped for. Things are no better but not worse either.”
“You have travelled to the North and back in five days?” Elizabeth enquired, looking at him with increasing curiosity. It was obvious that he and her uncle were sharing a conversation with hidden meanings, and she did not dare to request any details.
“Yes,” he said, attempting a smile. “I should have probably refused to go, but that would have cost me my peace of mind. I had to decide either to follow my feelings or my reason.”
“I doubt you had time to sleep at all!” Mrs Gardiner interjected. “Such a journey requires at least seven or eight days in these winter months!”
“I slept in the carriage. We travelled at night, which I would not usually attempt, but we had good lanterns, changed horses often, and we had reasonably good weather. I am pleased that I returned on time, as I promised. That is all that matters.”
“My uncle and aunt had the utmost confidence in your word, but I confess I doubted you would cover such a distance in such a short time,” Elizabeth said in a light voice.
“I cannot expect you to trust my word, Miss Bennet, not without having the chance to judge my character for yourself,” he responded.
“My thoughts exactly, Mr Darcy.” They were addressing each other, sharing timid smiles.
“Besides, with the wedding planned for the day after tomorrow, delaying my return was absolutely impossible, was it not?”
He smiled, and so did Mr and Mrs Gardiner. Elizabeth felt slightly disconcerted.
“Miss Bennet, I deeply apologise that I was not home to welcome you, as I intended. I hope you visited the house, after all?”
“No, sir. My aunt insisted, but I felt uncomfortable going to your house in your absence.”
“I am sorry to hear that. Please do not feel uncomfortable in regard to anything that belongs to me, since it will soon belong to you too.”
“Considering the particulars of our marriage, I do not wish to assume too much.”
“Miss Bennet, please rest assured that, while we established certain clear boundaries and rules, our marriage will grant you all the rights a wife may expect. You cannot assume too much.”
“I shall need a little more time to become accustomed to that,” she answered, offering another smile. “As for the house, I greatly anticipate discovering it the day after tomorrow.”
“Good. Do you have any special requests?”
“No, nothing that I can think of, thank you.”
“My uncle and aunt — Lord and Lady Matlock — might come to meet you after the wedding. Not at the church but at home. This is what they told me when we last spoke.”
“I shall be honoured to make their acquaintance whenever they desire it. But…they might have changed their mind in recent days.”
Mr Darcy frowned and looked from Elizabeth to Mr and Mrs Gardiner. “Why would you assume that?”
Elizabeth took a moment to find the right words, exchanging glances with her uncle and aunt.
Before she spoke further, Mr Gardiner explained bluntly, “Your aunt Lady Catherine de Bourgh came to pay Elizabeth a visit two days ago. They had a heated argument, which I am sure Lady Catherine has shared with Lord Matlock and probably many others.”
Mr Darcy froze, holding his breath, looking at each of them in turn then back again. Then he lowered his fork, all thought of food seemingly forgotten.
“I beg your pardon? Lady Catherine was here?”
“Yes.”
“But how? Why? How did she know your address?”
“It was my stepmother’s fault,” Elizabeth explained.
“In fact, my father’s, since he could not be trusted to keep the secret, as I begged him.
Mrs Bennet was so overjoyed about our forthcoming marriage that she bragged to some acquaintances.
One of them was Mr Collins, my father’s cousin but also the rector of Hunsford and Lady Catherine’s most loyal servant. ”
“I cannot believe it! Such insolence! This is outrageous!” he whispered, his countenance revealing his barely suppressed tumult.
“It is…I deeply apologise for my family’s indiscretion,” Elizabeth said, mortified.
“I was not talking about your family but about my aunt, Miss Bennet. It is I who should apologise. I am afraid to ask what she said…what she did. I am very sorry I was not here, at the very least.”
His regret was genuine; his eyes pleaded forgiveness as much as his words. Relieved, Elizabeth returned a large, comforting smile.
“Mr Darcy, please do not trouble yourself so much. Indeed, it gives me no pleasure to repeat what she said, as some of her accusations were ridiculous and offensive at the same time. But I am not eager to repeat what I said either, as my response and my manners were far from faultless. I ended the conversation rudely, asking Lady Catherine to leave, as it was impossible to reach any civilised agreement.”
Her light tone gave Mr Darcy pause; clearly surprised, he remained silent a moment, then glanced at Mr Gardiner, who smiled too.
“In short, Lady Catherine accused us — Elizabeth and I — of plotting to force you in some way to marry her. Elizabeth offered no details but assured her that you were the one who insisted on the union and that this marriage is your strongest desire.”
“Which is perfectly true,” Mr Darcy finally said with a deep sigh of relief.
“Exactly. However, I am sure Lady Catherine conveyed her angry opposition to Lord and Lady Matlock — and probably to many others. It will be easy for people to listen to and believe her since this marriage will be the subject of curiosity and gossip.”
“The Matlocks know my side of the story, which is exactly what you told Lady Catherine. The moment I informed them about the engagement, I insisted that it was my desire and that I had required time and effort to persuade Miss Bennet to accept me.”
“I said as much to Lady Catherine. It seems we were in agreement,” Elizabeth said.
“Very much so. Miss Bennet, I promise I shall take care of this matter as soon as I arrive home. If Lady Catherine is still in London, she will have my opinion on this matter tomorrow morning.”
“You do not need to promise, Mr Darcy. I am sure you will,” Elizabeth said. “What I would rather is that you promise to rest properly. You look tired and pale. It is not a good look for a wedding, no matter the circumstances.”
He smiled back, his expression less strained.
“I promise that, too, Miss Bennet. It is my goal to win your approval on my appearance when we meet in church.”
“I have to say, I am pleasantly surprised that you seem to bear teasing better than I expected, Mr Darcy.”
“Teasing might be as good a basis for a marriage as any other, Miss Bennet. As long as you enjoy it, I would by no means suspend any pleasure of yours,” he said with a little bow of his head and his smile widening.
Shortly after, they finished dinner, and forsaking drinks, he took his farewell from Elizabeth and her aunt, as Mr Gardiner accompanied him out, discussing the final details for the wedding day.
Elizabeth was left restless, with a mixture of sensations she could not define and the certainty that in two days, she would be married to Mr Darcy. There were no doubts and no more obstacles to prevent that.