Chapter 18
They were finally ready to depart for London.
Still weak and dizzy, Darcy needed to be carried to the carriage, yet he was in a surprisingly cheerful state of mind.
Just before leaving, Anne asked for a private conversation, and Darcy reluctantly agreed.
He had accepted that she too had been a victim of Lady Catherine’s scheming, yet he still did not feel comfortable in her presence.
He refused to meet her alone and asked Elizabeth and Georgiana to remain with them.
Anne begged for his forgiveness and then asked permission to travel to London with the party. She gently declined her uncle’s invitation to stay in his house. Once in town, she wished to live in the house she had inherited from her father, the very place where that dreadful week had begun.
“I know what I have done can scarcely be forgotten or forgiven. But I trust in your generous heart, and even more in Miss Elizabeth’s kindness,” Anne said.
“It may sound selfish, but this tragedy has awakened me and given me the strength to leave my mother. I pray that you will allow me to join your company in the future. I hope I may witness your happiness and learn from it. Please, Miss Elizabeth…Darcy…do not hate me.”
“I do not,” Elizabeth replied with a smile. “All that matters to me is to see my future husband safe and well.”
“Everything in its proper time, Anne,” Darcy replied, with a trace of reserve still lingering in his voice. “I need time to put all this behind me. But I admire your courage in finally breaking the unhealthy bond that kept you tied to your mother.”
“It is now our duty to take care of you, and we shall,” Georgiana added, though she was the younger of the two. “I pray you will soon have a life of your own.”
“Now let us leave. We have remained at Rosings long enough,” Darcy concluded, and his words convinced Elizabeth that he was ready to travel.
Three carriages were prepared for the journey.
As Darcy wished to travel beside Elizabeth, they occupied the first carriage together with Georgiana and the colonel.
Georgiana, a little disappointed by how little her brother had spoken to her, wore a small smile that tried in vain to appear cheerful.
Mr Bennet approached her and, deliberately adopting a familiar tone, murmured, “Georgiana, I have recently lost three daughters, yet I could not be happier for them.”
Surprised and deeply touched by his confidence, Georgiana slipped her arm through his and replied, “Then I shall come and stay at Longbourn until you grow accustomed to it, Mr Bennet.”
Mr Bennet concealed a smile of quiet satisfaction.
It was exactly what he wished for Elizabeth and Darcy.
Then, glancing at the young lady who still held his arm, he realised that he would enjoy having this gentle, intelligent girl at Longbourn each morning, asking him all the questions in the world, just as Elizabeth had always done.
As they climbed into the carriage, Georgiana looked happy at last, her heart filled with gratitude for the family who had welcomed her with such warmth and made her feel that she truly belonged.
Another unexpected development came from Charlotte. She decided to return with them and asked Mr Bennet if she might travel in his carriage. She had to face a painful truth. Mr Collins cared far more for his position and Lady Catherine than for his wife.
He had decided to remain at Hunsford as its rector, and he spent the rest of the night caring for Lady Catherine.
It was he who carried her to her room, and after the maid had helped her prepare for bed, he returned and acted, perhaps for the first time, as the clergyman he ought to have been.
She seemed on the verge of death and repeatedly asked for forgiveness, speaking in a kind of delirium that made Mr Collins wonder whether she too had taken some of the laudanum.
The only comfort was that she appeared to remember very little of the past week.
He could only hope that, after a night’s sleep, she would never recover those memories and would forget that he had betrayed her.
That was all he told his wife before disappearing once more into Lady Catherine’s apartment.
Before leaving, Mr Bennet sought a private conversation with Charlotte, hoping to make her understand the consequences of the decision she was contemplating.
“I am sorry, Mr Bennet, but I cannot remain with Mr Collins. You have seen how he behaves. Besides, I have lived all my life in Hertfordshire, where I have never heard of a husband striking his wife. It is a disgrace I cannot endure. It may be only the beginning of an unhappy life. I shall return home and discuss the matter with my parents.”
“You know, my dear,” Mr Bennet said kindly, “it is most unlikely that you will obtain a legal separation from your husband. Under the present laws, it is virtually impossible.”
“I know, Mr Bennet. But I must return home and make my decision far away from this place. I tried to be happy here, but as long as we remain near Lady Catherine, Mr Collins will never change. She has a dreadful influence over him.”
Unfortunately, Mr Bennet knew she had no easy solution before her. Still, he agreed to take her back to Hertfordshire and allow her to decide her future from there.
“The colonel told me last night that every divorce must be approved by Parliament.”
Mr Bennet discreetly studied her with some surprise, wondering when she and the colonel had found time to speak amidst everything that had happened.
Hope lingered upon Charlotte’s face despite the bruises.
He felt deeply sorry for her. As a divorced woman, her future would be a difficult one, and he was certain that her father would oppose such a course.
Yet it was equally possible that, once he found her gone, her husband would reflect upon his conduct and strive to change for the sake of his wife and their future together.
The last carriage to leave for London was Anne’s.
It was laden with her belongings, for she had no desire to return to Rosings in the near future.
Mrs Jenkinson travelled beside her as her companion, both looking towards the future with renewed confidence.
Anne was a wealthy heiress. Most of her father’s estate belonged to her rather than to her mother.
At last she understood that, and she was determined to claim what was rightfully hers.
“If you marry one day, my dear,” Mrs Jenkinson had told her not long before, “everything you possess will pass into your husband’s hands, and I am certain that any honourable gentleman will know how to secure what your father intended for you.”
The journey to London seemed longer than ever. They were exhausted and impatient to be home, to leave the past week behind them, yet there were still matters to discuss.
Still weak and overwhelmingly tired, Darcy kept his eyes closed for most of the journey.
Holding Elizabeth’s hand, he reflected upon everything he had been told.
Little by little, his thoughts grew clearer, and the events before that dreadful week returned to him.
Only those lost days remained shrouded in complete oblivion.
Dreamlike fragments drifted through his mind, but he could not tell whether they were memories or mere inventions of his imagination.
“I confess I am somewhat troubled by the scale of the search that was undertaken in London,” Darcy said after a long silence, gently caressing Elizabeth’s hand. Seeing the anxiety in her face, he added at once, “It is no reproach.”
“We simply did not know what else to do,” Elizabeth replied softly, whilst Georgiana immediately came to her defence.
“We were desperate, Brother. The colonel arrived only yesterday. Perhaps he would have acted differently, but…”
“No,” the colonel interrupted. “They did exactly what I should have done. Let us concern ourselves with the present. The past cannot be altered. They acted as necessity demanded. No one will imagine Lady Catherine had anything to do with your disappearance. Everyone believed you had been robbed or injured, and they were only trying to find you.”
“I know, and I am grateful,” Darcy replied. “But we must decide what account we shall give the world. Do we wish our family to be exposed to such damaging rumours? Will our name recover after Lady Catherine’s actions?”
“I believe the safest course is to speak of an illness,” the colonel suggested. “You were delirious for several days and unable to communicate with your family. As soon as you recovered sufficiently, you sent word to us.”
“I fear very few people will believe such a story,” Elizabeth observed.
“Perhaps not,” the colonel admitted, “but it is the only version we shall acknowledge. If gossip arises, we shall simply ignore it until it dies away. What happened at Rosings last night is known only to those who were there.”
“And to an army of servants,” Darcy remarked.
“The servants belong to Rosings,” the colonel answered. “I think our secret is safer than you imagine.”
“You should have seen the maid in London,” Georgiana added. “She was terrified of revealing even one of Lady Catherine’s secrets.”
For the first time since awakening, Darcy looked at his sister with real attention.
Something had changed in her. During those few days she seemed to have grown from a timid girl into a young lady.
Then his eyes turned gratefully towards Elizabeth.
He knew instinctively that she had cared for Georgiana throughout that dreadful week and had given her the courage she needed.
The colonel’s voice drew him back from his thoughts.
“My father must know the truth,” he said. “He is the head of our family and must decide what is to be done. Lady Catherine should remain at Rosings for the rest of her life and never again come to London or near any of us.”
Darcy silently inclined his head.
“And Anne must be protected from gossip,” the colonel continued. “She deserves the opportunity to build a respectable life.”
“Yes,” Darcy agreed. Then he turned towards Elizabeth with a look of quiet adoration.
“But for the present I intend to concern myself only with my own life and my future wife. We shall marry within the next few days. More than three weeks have passed since the banns were published. It is time, if you approve, my love.”
Elizabeth blushed.
“I do, with all my heart. There is nothing else I desire, my beloved.”
“And what say you, Georgiana?” he asked, making it clear that he no longer regarded her as a child but as an adult member of the family whose opinion mattered.
“Me?” Georgiana asked, blushing with pleasure. “I think you should marry this lady as soon as possible, because we shall never find another like her.”
Everyone laughed at her use of we, for it revealed that she already thought of Elizabeth as her sister and welcomed her into the family with all her heart.
“And you, dear cousin?” Darcy continued, enjoying the light-hearted conversation that had at last brought a little cheer to the carriage.
“Well…” the colonel replied with a smile. “Do not let her out of your sight until the wedding, Cousin.”
“My dear friends,” Darcy said quietly, and they could all hear how weary he remained, “I do not possess words enough to thank you for everything you have done for me.”
Then, still holding Elizabeth’s hand, he closed his eyes and fell asleep once more, watched over by his family.