Chapter 17
Having achieved no success last night with Henry’s excellent ideas, Charles braced himself for another challenging day. His only consolation was the promise of spending time in Jane Bennet’s company later that morning.
“What shall we do this morning, Mr Darcy?” Caroline inquired at breakfast.
“Charles and I plan to call on Longbourn,” Charles said, glancing at Darcy.
“Again?” Caroline said in disbelief. “You’ve already called on them this week.”
“No, indeed, we haven’t,” Charles said. “We ran into the Bennet sisters in the village, but they were…in undesirable company, so we didn’t linger.”
“I don’t suppose you’d care to join us,” Darcy said with a sly smile.
Caroline pressed her lips together, probably to smother a scathing retort. “Maybe another time,” she said.
Charles had no doubt she would have said much worse had Darcy not been in the room, or the man whom she perceived to be Darcy.
As he and Darcy approached Longbourn’s gate, Charles could barely contain his joy at the prospect of seeing his angel again. Having only had a brief glimpse of her on Tuesday, he was eager to see her this morning.
Upon being announced to the drawing room, Mrs Bennet and her three younger daughters rose to receive them, but Jane was nowhere in sight.
“What a pleasure to see you again, Mr Bingley,” his hostess said in a lilting tone, then added with less enthusiasm, “and Mr Darcy, also.”
Charles found this cool reception somewhat puzzling. He could only suppose that Mrs Bennet was still perturbed by Darcy’s poor performance at the assembly. Was it possible that she didn’t know that Elizabeth had received and accepted an apology for that offence?
A tall, rotund clergyman boldly stepped forward. “Do I have the pleasure of addressing Mr Darcy of Pemberley?”
From this speech, Charles supposed that Darcy was also unacquainted with this man. “I am Darcy,” he said.
The man offered a ridiculously servile bow.
“Mr William Collins, my good sir, delighted to make your acquaintance. I have been blessed with the parsonage and rectory of Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s parish in Kent, and am pleased to inform you that her ladyship enjoyed the best of health when I last saw her this past Monday. ”
Although Charles had no idea to whom the parson referred, he assumed Darcy was acquainted with the lady. “Excellent,” he said, glancing briefly at his twin who regarded the clergyman with a furrowed brow. “Please allow me to present my friend, Mr Bingley.”
Collins bowed to Darcy, then returned his attention to Charles. “I apologise for not informing you sooner, but I had no idea of your being in the vicinity.”
“No offense is taken,” Charles said, hoping this was what Darcy would have said.
“My parsonage is within a half mile of Rosings Park, and her ladyship has been kind enough to invite me to dine with her and Miss de Bourgh on several occasions.”
Dear Lord, how much longer does he intend to rattle on about this lady?
His mortification only increased as Kitty and Lydia giggled like schoolgirls at the absurd scene.
“Won’t you be seated, gentlemen?” Mrs Bennet said, gesturing to two empty chairs near the windows. “Jane and Lizzy will join us presently.”
Collins continued. “Her ladyship has been excessively kind to me, and just last Saturday, she invited me to join her pool of quadrille.”
Not wishing to encourage the man, Charles merely nodded at this comment.
“Mr Darcy has often mentioned his Aunt Catherine and Cousin Anne in Kent,” Darcy said, offering his assistance on the subject.
Ah! Although Charles was unable to recall any previous references to Darcy’s family members in Kent, he now understood the connection.
“As well I can imagine, for I have never met a more amiable and distinguished lady in my life,” Collins said. “She has even once condescended to visit my little cottage and—”
“Here they are now,” Mrs Bennet said, gesturing to her two eldest daughters.
Charles had never been more relieved when Jane and Elizabeth entered the parlour, interrupting the parson’s diatribe about his exalted connections. Rising to his feet, he drank in Jane’s glowing countenance.
“Jane is in her full beauty, as you see, Mr Bingley,” Mrs Bennet said, pushing her eldest daughter to the chair beside Darcy, effectively displacing Charles from his seat.
Giggles filled the air as Charles moved to a sofa beside Miss Elizabeth; however, he wouldn’t complain. From this vantage point, he had a better view of his angel, who blushed violently at her mother’s blatant manoeuvre. When the tea tray arrived, she poured a cup and offered it to Darcy.
“As I was saying, Lady Catherine has already invited me to dine twice at Rosings and once paid me a visit at my humble cottage,” Collins said, inspiring a new round of giggles from the younger girls.
Elizabeth offered Charles a cup of tea. “Would you care for a lemon biscuit, Mr Darcy?” she inquired with a crooked smile.
Thankful for the intervention, Charles helped himself to the sweet, sensing that she found the parson’s antics somewhat amusing. She leaned in closer to whisper. “My father’s heir is rather devoted to your aunt.”
He nodded his understanding, although this didn’t explain why the man was so encroaching. One would think that a clergyman would behave with more modesty.
“I shall write to her ladyship immediately to advise her of today’s meeting. Who could have predicted that I would encounter her esteemed nephew in my cousin’s house? How wonderfully these sorts of things occur.”
Not wishing to encourage the man to continue, Charles turned his attention to Miss Elizabeth. He might as well lend his assistance to Darcy while he was here at Longbourn. “Are you well, Miss Elizabeth? We miss you at Netherfield.”
She smiled, her eyes twinkling. “Oh yes, we are all well, Mr Darcy. My sisters and I are looking forward to the assembly next week. We hope to see you there.”
“Of course,” Charles said. “We wouldn’t think of missing it.”
“Now that Jane has fully recovered, you should hold a ball at Netherfield, Mr Bingley,” Lydia said, to which Kitty added her earnest agreement.
Glancing over his teacup, Charles observed Darcy’s scowl.
He could only assume that the garrulous parson and the girls’ deplorable manners had pushed Darcy to his limit.
Jane, too, appeared ill at ease, keeping her focus on the carpet and blushing at the awkward position her mother had forced her into, her long-winded cousin, and Lydia’s boldness.
Charles couldn’t help feeling sorry for her.
“An excellent idea,” Darcy said in a measured voice.
Under normal circumstances, Charles would enjoy nothing more than inviting all his neighbours to a ball at Netherfield.
It would be a perfect opportunity to establish his solidarity with his neighbours, and, more importantly, to dance with Jane.
However, given his present situation, this was impossible.
When Mr Collins spoke at length about her ladyship’s excellent suggestions for improving the parsonage, Charles stole a quick glance at the mantle clock.
His precious time in the presence of an angel was being denied by the chatty cleric.
Although he didn’t regret the decision to visit Longbourn, he couldn’t have predicted that a man with connections to Darcy’s family would also be in residence.
He sincerely hoped he hadn’t raised the parson’s suspicions.
When the hour chimed, Charles rose, eager to make his escape. “We must be going now. Thank you for your hospitality.” He took his leave of the party, observing every courtesy, and led Darcy to the door.
While they waited for their horses to be brought to the front of the house, Miss Elizabeth entered the vestibule with a pained smile. “I beg your pardon for my cousin and sisters, Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy. They can be a bit…much.”
Darcy smiled for the first time since they had arrived. “We all have our foibles, do we not, Miss Elizabeth?”
She pursed her lips together and nodded. “I’m afraid so.”
“Think nothing of it, Miss Elizabeth,” Charles said, knowing his own sisters had not behaved much better during her stay at Netherfield.
Darcy reached out to take her hand. “We hope to see you again soon.”
“We shall look forward to it,” Charles said, repeating the gesture, which evoked an engaging smile from the lady. He lingered for a moment, hoping for one final glance at Jane, but she remained in the parlour.
Once they had claimed their horses and set off through the gates, Darcy vented his spleen. “I can scarcely believe the audacity of that insipid toad eater, bandying my aunt’s name about to elevate his own consequence. Does he now suppose he’s free to do likewise with my name?”
“I daresay he’s not like any clergyman I ever met. According to Miss Elizabeth, he’s the heir.”
“Is he? An encroaching fool, in my opinion, although I can easily perceive why my aunt endures him. She has an exceeding high opinion of herself and encourages everyone who crosses her path to agree with her,” he said, finally relaxing his shoulders.
“Thank you for sitting with Elizabeth. From her easy manners, I believe she has truly forgiven me.”
Although Charles had been given no other choice in the seating arrangements, he wouldn’t complain. He had seen his angel and that would sustain him until their next meeting. With any luck, the Bennet ladies would call on Netherfield in a day or so, hopefully without the encroaching toad.
***
After supper, Darcy remained in the dining parlour and accepted a glass of wine from his host.
“You should have come with us to Longbourn this morning, Henry. We met the most absurd creature,” Charles said, grinning broadly.
“Who was that?” Henry said, lighting a cigar.
Darcy shook his head in disgust. “Mr Collins, the rector from my aunt’s parish. Once he heard my name mentioned, he introduced himself.”
Charles chuckled at the memory. “He droned on endlessly about Lady Something-or-Other, but I’d never heard of her.”
“What’s his connection to the Bennets?”