Chapter Twenty
Rosings Park
Lady Catherine could not get the newspaper article out of her mind. She had received nothing from Darcy in response to her message, and was ready to write him another letter, even more scathing. But something else had occurred to her.
Given that the Darcys were now mired in scandal, would she still be willing to allow Anne to marry Darcy?
She had always thought it would be a great feat indeed to unite two such important estates as Rosings Park and Pemberley.
But would Anne, and indeed Catherine herself, not be tainted by association with the Darcys?
She did not bother to speak to Anne about this situation; the girl would do as she was told when the time came.
Lady Catherine decided that the best thing would be to write to Ellen Fitzwilliam and get her opinion. The Countess of Matlock had her finger on the pulse of Society; she would know what to do.
Ellen,
I am not ignorant of the dreadful scandal that has tainted the Darcys. I have long insisted that Darcy was not capable of raising a girl and I am sorry to say that this proves my point. I do not enjoy being proven right in this instance.
That is not, however, the reason for my letter to you.
As you know, Anne and Darcy have long been betrothed.
Given the scandal surrounding the Darcys, though, I wonder if it would not be best for Anne to withdraw from the betrothal?
I believe the betrothal to not be well known, so her withdrawal would be little remarked upon, and even were it to be talked of, it could hardly be wondered at, under the circumstances.
What is your opinion of this?
Catherine
As she allowed the wax to drip onto the folded paper, her butler announced the arrival of a visitor – Mr. Collins.
She glanced at the clock on the mantel; yes, this was the time he normally arrived to discuss the upcoming Sunday sermon. She remained silent as she pressed her seal onto the wax and then waited for it to harden. She then handed it to a waiting maid to be placed with the outgoing mail.
Only then did she reply to her butler. “He may enter.”
Mr. Collins walked into the drawing room, paused at the entrance, and bowed low. Lady Catherine generally liked his servile ways, but today she was in no mood for it. “Sit down, Mr. Collins,” she snapped.
His brows went up. He was an awkward man, uncomfortable in his skin and certain, at every moment, that he was being chastised for something.
His discomfort made Lady Catherine uncomfortable as well, and she often found herself snapping at him for no reason other than her feeling of discomfort.
Which, of course, made him more uncomfortable.
Lady Catherine sighed.
“Is something wrong, your ladyship?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“I would be honoured if you would confide in me, as I will do everything in my power to alleviate your distress.”
And then, for reasons that she would never understand, Lady Catherine told Mr. Collins about the newspaper article and her indecision as to whether or not the betrothal between Anne and Mr. Darcy should be terminated as soon as may be.
He listened in silence, then nodded, and said, “You are, as always, wise, Lady Catherine. Nothing is more important to a young lady than her reputation. It is as fragile as it is precious, and once lost cannot be easily restored.”
Lady Catherine nodded. “That is my thinking as well. Georgiana Darcy has lost her reputation, mainly because she was raised by her brother and not by myself, and I cannot allow that to ruin my daughter’s reputation as well.”
Mr. Collins nodded vigorously and began a speech about the Reverend Fordyce’s opinions on reputations lost.
Lady Catherine heard none of it; she sat for a long minute, considering her next steps, and then shook her head to dismiss the subject from her mind. Interrupting the flow of words, she asked, “Mr. Collins, what have you decided on for this Sunday’s sermon?”
***
A reply came from London just a few days later. Lady Catherine broke the Matlock seal open eagerly. She thought that she had quite made up her mind about the betrothal, but Ellen’s opinion mattered to her.
Dear Catherine,
I am quite in agreement with you. Had I a daughter betrothed to a family tainted by scandal, I would annul the betrothal at once.
You are correct that the betrothal is known only to our family, so no announcement of any kind need be made.
I believe a letter from Anne to Darcy would suffice.
He is visiting a friend; his direction is below.
Yours,
Ellen
Very well, then. The thing was best done quickly. She rang her bell and ordered the maid to have Miss de Bourgh brought to her at once.
“You asked to see me, Mother?”
“Yes; given the scandal surrounding the Darcys, I think it best that you break off your betrothal to Darcy.”
Anne opened her mouth to argue that the scandal would inevitably blow over, but realised at once that this was an opportunity not to be missed. She cast her eyes down as if deeply disappointed. “Yes, Mother,” she murmured.
“Would you like me to write it out for you?”
“No, Mother. I will write it myself. I think that is the very least I can do when I am jilting my own cousin.”
“Quite right, Anne, quite right.” Lady Catherine’s voice was approving. If only Georgiana Darcy had been sent to Rosings Park to be raised. She would now be as docile and biddable as her own daughter, and would never have considered an elopement, let alone with the son of a servant!
Anne de Bourgh felt downright giddy as she walked back upstairs to her room.
To be released from her mother’s fantasy of the cradle betrothal, and with so little effort from herself!
She had long imagined herself standing in front of a parson, refusing to say the words, and having her mother screaming at her from the front pew!
Or flinging herself into her little phaeton and driving, driving, driving as far away from Rosings Park as she could!
Or a hundred other scenarios she had considered to get herself out of a marriage she had long dreaded.
Not that she disliked Cousin Darcy. On the contrary, he was in every way an estimable gentleman.
But oh, heavens, he was dreary! And the mere idea of being the mistress of a large, busy estate like Pemberley was enough to send her to bed with a sick headache.
What she would do when she became mistress of Rosings was something she did not let herself consider.
She knew Cousin Darcy would not be upset by her letter, as she was certain that he had no interest whatsoever in marrying his little cousin, Anne de Bourgh.
No wonder she felt happy, happy, happy as she penned her letter, and sealed it up before her mother could read it.
Dear Cousin,
While I am deeply sorry for the circumstances, I know it will come as no unpleasant surprise to learn that my esteemed mother has determined that I am to withdraw from our so-called cradle betrothal at once.
This may be regarded as a not insignificant silver lining to the cloud under which you and poor Georgiana find yourselves.
I very much wish that I had words of wisdom to offer you both in what must be very trying times; perhaps the best I can do is to hope that the situation will reveal more silver linings, however dark the cloud.
Please pass on my love to dear Georgiana; I am certain that she is suffering a good deal just now, as I know her to be a gentle, sensitive soul.
Your affectionate cousin,
Anne