Chapter Five
“Mr Collins.” The party in the drawing room at Netherfield stood as the new guest was announced to the room as they all assembled for dinner. He had arrived earlier that day when Elizabeth was with Jane, but it was obvious that he knew all of the occupants well, even Miss Bingley.
“Miss Elizabeth Bennet, allow me to introduce Reverend Collins of the parsonages of Lambton, Kympton, and Hunsford,” Mr Darcy supplied the introduction.
“How do you do, Mr Collins?” Elizabeth dipped into a curtsey.
“Miss Elizabeth, I understand that we are cousins,” said the man nervously.
Elizabeth watched him bow, his prematurely balding pate shiny, but free of grease or dirt. He was slightly heavy, but well groomed, and though he carried a mild air of uncertainty, his address was polite and hopeful.
“That is my understanding as well, although I learned of your coming only this morning.” Elizabeth handed him a folded note. “My father’s reply to your letter, sir.”
Mr Collins did not read it aloud, though Elizabeth had seen it written and sanded before her father handed it to her.
Longbourn,
Meryton, Hertfordshire
Mr Collins,
Your coming on the tenth of October is not objectionable. I will be in my study on the afternoon in question.
Yrs,
Thomas Bennet, Esq.
“Your father is a man of brevity, Miss Elizabeth.” Mr Collins smiled at her. “I look forward to meeting him tomorrow. I understand that your sister is upstairs unwell with a cold. How does Miss Bennet fare?”
“She will be uncomfortable for some days, but she will live, that is, if she can get enough rest.” Elizabeth dipped her head as she spoke, then narrowed her eyes at Miss Bingley.
Elizabeth was not in the finest of moods.
Jane–her own sister–of all people–had not been happy to see her, for perhaps the first time in their lives, and had been dismissive of her all day.
Elizabeth had stood firm that morning with Mr Jones’s agreement.
Jane must sleep, and Elizabeth would not leave Miss Bingley alone with her to giggle and keep her awake.
She read from a small pocket volume of Shakespeare while Jane slept, until Miss Bingley entered late in the afternoon with a maid and a cart with tea and refreshments for Jane, and woke her for no earthly reason that Elizabeth could determine.
Jane, who seemed to have learnt quickly that her new friend did not care for Elizabeth’s company, had dismissed her sister the instant Miss Bingley entered the room.
“You must be aching to be outside, Lizzy. Why do you not go for a walk? She is worse than a hound, never happy inside the house.” Jane turned her attention abruptly to her new friend.
After spending two hours walking to Netherfield–and that was after her early morning walk to Oakham Mount–Elizabeth felt no need for further exercise.
She spent the rest of the afternoon in the music room with Lady Priscilla, Georgiana, and Mrs Annesley, and was only readmitted to Jane’s room when it was time to change for dinner, which she did in Jane’s dressing room with the evening dress she brought in her valise.
“Mr Collins, my father and Mr Darcy tell me that you have an impressive range of parishes,” Elizabeth offered a topic to her cousin when the party was seated at the table and the first course was served. “That must keep you very busy.”
“Very, Miss Elizabeth.” Mr Collins, seated on her left, took up her conversation.
He seemed well-meant, though perhaps with just a touch of nervousness.
“I am grateful for my curates, though I spend a great deal of time travelling from one parish to another to ensure that everyone’s needs are met.
Mr Darcy is my patron, and he ensures that my task is not arduous by supplying all I require to perform my work. ”
“You must be capable indeed to earn the trust of a gentleman with such responsibilities,” Elizabeth said encouragingly.
“You are too kind. Mr Darcy is too kind, though he prefers me not to sing his praises too liberally. It was by his kindness that I was elevated to such a position, although I will not mortify him by elaborating upon his generosity.”
“I am sure your patron must be everything sensible and dependable, to successfully manage so many concerns and give such opportunities to those who deserve them.” Elizabeth noticed Darcy redden slightly from across the table. My cousin is correct. Mr Darcy dislikes particular attention.
“Miss Elizabeth, I am working on trees in my sketching. Priscilla is helping me, and I would like to try my hand at the sycamore we saw when we visited your tenants at Longbourn. It is such a magnificent tree.” Georgiana spoke up from two places down on Elizabeth’s right.
Elizabeth smiled at Mrs Annesley, who was between them.
“General Sycamore is well-known in these parts, Georgiana. You may visit Longbourn to draw whenever you please, as long as your brother has no objection. To view it from the top of Oakham Mount would be the best advantage for drawing, I think. Whatever you do, pray do not attempt to draw the view from the top of the great tree itself, which I did when I was seven. I lost my paper and pencil less than halfway up. None but John Lucas had the courage to climb high enough to bring me down. I will be glad to accompany you if you wait until Jane is well.”
“Poor Eliza, if you had informed us of your preference for the outdoors, I am certain we could have found a tree for you to eat your dinner in,” Miss Bingley interrupted snidely.
“Not at all, Caro. As we can all see, I am no longer seven,” Elizabeth returned.
Miss Bingley glared at Elizabeth’s familiarity of her first name, as if she had not quite improperly begun such forward addresses herself. “Sketching trees. How rustic.”
“And how refreshing!” Lady Priscilla said from further down the table at her place by Mr Bingley. “Sketching landscapes and verdure is a very desirable accomplishment for a girl your age, Georgiana. And such a peaceful, ladylike occupation.”
Bingley sought to lighten the moment, seeing that his sister was–not for the first time–coming close to insulting Miss Darcy, something that Lady Priscilla would be sure she regretted.
“To lovely, ladylike occupations!” He stood and raised his glass. “And to Miss Bennet’s swift recovery.”
Everyone drank, except Miss Bingley, who smirked at Elizabeth. “And to the true friends who remain faithfully by her bedside instead of chasing new connections.”
Elizabeth flushed bright red in indignation.
“Now see here!” Priscilla interrupted angrily, before she was interrupted by Mr Darcy.
“Bingley, did you notice that more than half of the roofs on Longbourn’s cottages were new? Miss Elizabeth, is that a developing project that your father is working on? A number of Netherfield’s cottages require new roofs as well. Are there enough labourers locally to attend to such repairs?”
“Oh! Yes, indeed, Darcy and I were wondering who ought to be hired. We meant to speak of it to the steward tomorrow.” Bingley was quick to assist in turning the conversation and Elizabeth answered gratefully as the next course was brought in.
Later that night, Elizabeth changed into the nightgown she had brought with her while Miss Bingley bade Jane good night. The woman had deserted her other guests to race Elizabeth up the stairs, and Elizabeth had no desire to tolerate her company.
Elizabeth emerged from Jane’s dressing room. Miss Bingley was gone and a maid was about to leave the room as well.
“I am sorry, but I was never shown to a room,” she apologised.
“A room, miss?” The maid hedged nervously.
“Miss Bingley understood that I was to remain until my sister returns to Longbourn. Surely she had a bed prepared.” Elizabeth could tell that not only was there no bed, but that Miss Bingley must have refused to have one prepared, and the maid had been nervously expecting this inquiry.
There was no point in abusing the servant over the matter, she was not at fault.
“Miss Bingley ordered nothing, Miss Bennet.” The maid dropped a curtsey and fled.
“You were aware that Miss Bingley was expecting another guest, yet you still imposed yourself, Lizzy,” Jane tutted. “Imagine, entering another lady’s home during a house party and demanding a bed.”
“I was sent by Mama, Jane!” Elizabeth was exasperated.
“Miss Bingley could hardly expect your family to allow you to remain here alone, it is simply not done, and if our hostess was raised a gentlewoman, she would know this! And may I mention, you have always been my dearest friend, and you have never in all of our lives been less than delighted to see me, so how was I to expect how unwelcome you would find me? I wish more than anybody that I had not wasted my morning rushing to your side, but now I must stay as long as you stay. If you want me to go home, perhaps you ought to get dressed and ask for Mr Bingley’s carriage.
Mama will not permit you to remain as a guest here unless someone from home stays as well. ”
“I am not well enough to go home. Caroline says Mr Bingley likes me, I will not risk coming down with a fever and spending a month in bed.” Jane was firm. “I am not sleeping well, Lizzy. You will disturb me if we share. You will have to make do with the sofa.”
“Miss Elizabeth, are you quite well? You are holding your head rather oddly.”
Elizabeth turned her entire body from her waist rather than move her neck to look at Mr Collins as he spoke to her at the breakfast table.
“I am certain she is fine, only nervous to have been indoors so long, Jane says she is worse than a hound when kept in the house,” Miss Bingley interrupted before Elizabeth could answer.
“You must be aching to go out walking, but do not fret, I will stay by your sister’s side again.
Indeed, dear Jane is no burden at all, at least not to some people. ”
“Nonsense, did you not rest well, Miss Elizabeth?” Lady Priscilla, all too familiar with Miss Bingley’s cruel machinations, pierced Elizabeth with her gaze. “Your poor neck is obviously affected, you must have slept quite wrongly.”
“Perhaps Miss Elizabeth is unused to such comfortable accommodations. I have heard of the lower orders struggling to adapt to better circumstances before,” Miss Bingley continued insistently.
Georgiana gasped.
“Perhaps I am only used to sleeping in an actual bed and not on a sofa,” Elizabeth finally answered irritably. “Jane was too fitful to share, I am afraid. I could not very well disturb her rest.”
“Caroline!” Mr Bingley objected, scandalised at Elizabeth’s implication, that his hostess had been less than inviting to his home.
“But surely you were offered a bed of your own!” Lady Priscilla’s eyes were blazing. “Not even Miss Bingley would be so inhospitable.”
Miss Bingley bristled at the insult, but Darcy and her brother had been close for years, and since the Fitzwilliams had begun to perceive her as a threat to Darcy’s liberty and happiness, Lady Priscilla was always near when Caroline found an excuse to reside under the same roof with him.
She was quite used to Lady Priscilla, and had given up her hopes of becoming friends with the earl's daughter–and her ambitions of her brother marrying the woman–long ago.
“Dear Jane insisted that she and Miss Elizabeth were content to share, but perhaps Miss Elizabeth does not feel the same.” Miss Bingley was obviously not going to cease this direction of insistence. “We had an expected guest yesterday, in addition to a sick friend in the house. I was occupied.”
Elizabeth could only be grateful that her hostess had finally ceased calling her Eliza when Elizabeth began to address her with equal familiarity.
“Well, we are expecting no guests today, Caroline, so please, have a room next to Miss Bennet’s prepared for Miss Elizabeth without delay.” Bingley was firm with his sister. Elizabeth sympathised with him. Lydia was difficult, but Elizabeth would take six more of her over even one Miss Bingley.
“Oh no, we could not possibly allow Miss Bingley to go to such trouble, not when Georgie and I dearly wish to become close friends with Miss Elizabeth, and this is the perfect opportunity,” Lady Priscilla objected.
“Georgie may share with me, and Miss Elizabeth may have her room that connects with our parlour. I will even share my maid with you, my friend. It will be no trouble for Miss Bingley at all. Though I will trouble our hostess to have a hot bath sent up to Georgie’s dressing room without delay.
Miss Elizabeth looks sincerely uncomfortable, she must have a long soak, and my maid has a marvelous salve that is good for such things.
We shall have our new friend well looked after.
It will all be very sisterly, will it not, Georgie? ”
“Oh yes! I would like that above anything!” Georgiana agreed with alacrity.
“I thank you for your kindness, Lady Priscilla, but I still must look after my sister, that is, when she is not otherwise occupied with Miss Bingley. I came to nurse her so that our hostess would not be inconvenienced, even though I find myself de trop.”
“Miss Elizabeth, it would please me very much if you would call me Priscilla, both in company, and in private,” the other lady invited.
“Thank you, Priscilla, I should like that very much. Please call me Elizabeth, or Lizzy, as my sisters do.” Elizabeth noted that Mr Darcy nodded approvingly at his sister and cousin for their kindness, while Miss Bingley appeared to be steaming from the irritation of having never been invited to address the Earl of Matlock’s daughter with such familiarity.