Finesse
Mrs Charlotte Collins
Hunsford Parsonage, Kent
My Dearest Charlotte,
I must beg your forgiveness, my dear friend, for leaving without a note, but it could not be helped.
I was away from my accustomed place when I received intelligence distressing enough to render my immediate departure for Town imperative.
I had almost no time to catch the post with a matron of my acquaintance as chaperone and wrote at the first opportunity.
I know this was unconscionably rude, and I hope you were not overly distressed.
I pray you may forgive me when I have the chance to explain.
If all has gone well, I hope you have lately returned from Rosings, and I shall explain in more detail as soon as I might, but for the moment I must be off.
Pray assure your husband and Maria that all is well, but I simply had some urgent business to attend to.
I always wanted to use that phrase, since men use it whenever they want to excuse their absence from something they prefer to avoid; and this time, it is even true.
Do not worry. I am not injured, nor distressed, nor has anything terrible happened.
You do not even know the people involved, as they are recent acquaintances.
Nothing short of the most urgent need would have driven me to this degree of incivility, but the matter is not one to cause any real distress.
It just must be dealt with in a timely manner, and quietly, for another’s sake.
With deepest apologies,
Lizzy