Chapter Fifty-Eight
It did not take long for Mr. Collins and Charlotte to reach an understanding; in truth, it took Charlotte longer than her prospective bridegroom.
At first, she was unconvinced that she could be happy with him, but she finally realised that she would be miserable living under her brother’s roof for the rest of her life.
Armed with this irrefutable logic, she was able to endure the lovemaking – such as it was – of Mr. Collins.
When next she went to Longbourn with her mother, she was an engaged woman.
Mrs. Bennet was kinder than Charlotte had expected.
“If we have to lose Longbourn, then I will rest easy knowing that it is in your hands, dear Charlotte. I will not deny that I had hoped one of my own girls would have stepped forward, but that was not to be.” Mrs. Bennet managed not to look hard at Mary as she spoke.
Elizabeth hugged Charlotte tight and whispered, “We will be cousins, Charlotte!”
Mr. Collins, who was present for this visit, was downright intolerable. He preened and pranced, and finally said, “Charlotte, my dear, shall you not accompany me to the mistress’ bedroom to suggest any changes you might want made?”
Mrs. Bennet promptly went white with rage, but Charlotte quickly whispered, “Mr. Collins, this is highly inappropriate, given the presence of the existing mistress.”
“Oh! Oh, indeed,” he said, immediately contrite. “I apologise most heartily, my dear Mrs. Bennet. I assure you that I had no intention of being disrespectful.”
Mrs. Bennet and Lady Lucas could only shake their heads in wonder at him.
“I fear you will have your hands full with him, Charlotte,” Elizabeth murmured to her friend.
“I fear you are right, Eliza,” Charlotte sighed.
Mr. Collins announced, “I must leave first thing in the morning, to inform Lady Catherine that I have secured the perfect wife, and to prepare my humble home to receive its mistress.”
The Bennets almost succeeded in concealing their relief.
***
When Mr. Darcy and Georgiana were announced, Elizabeth suddenly felt very self-conscious. She had not yet told Charlotte about her courtship with Mr. Darcy, so could not explain her heavy blush when he strode in, dark hair tousled by the wind, an enormous smile on his face.
Georgiana’s smiling face told Elizabeth that she had been told the news. She sat beside Elizabeth and squeezed her hands for joy, while Mr. Darcy took the chair opposite.
Lady Lucas was no stranger to drawing room undercurrents, and she immediately looked to Mrs. Bennet for an explanation.
“Mr. Darcy and Lizzy are in a courtship,” she explained.
Charlotte looked at Elizabeth, who nodded, reddening even more.
Mr. Darcy was immediately aware that Elizabeth was uncomfortable and decided to get them both out of the room. “Miss Elizabeth, might we not take a walk?”
Elizabeth looked to her mother; Mrs. Bennet nodded. Elizabeth dashed upstairs for her outerwear, and the two were soon out in the back garden. “Oh, heavens, that was awkward!” she said.
“I am sorry,” Mr. Darcy said. “Had I known that you had visitors, I would have delayed my visit.”
“I am glad that you did not delay,” she said. She stopped walking, turned to him and said, “I confess I was surprised at your request.”
“Were you? I did fear that I had been too opaque in showing my preference.”
“Well, I thought you liked me well enough, but…” she trailed off.
“But not well enough to have led you to expect a courtship,” he concluded.
“Exactly.”
“I apologise if you were taken unaware.”
“No apology necessary. I was happy to accept.”
“I was not certain that you would, but of course am entirely delighted.”
“Mr. Darcy, there is something I must ask you.” Elizabeth stopped walking and turned to the man beside her.
“Wickham, I suppose?”
“Yes. I admit it was a shock to see Colonel Fitzwilliam standing over…” she could not speak the rest.
“A dead man? Yes, I imagine that it was. I am very, very sorry that you witnessed that.”
“Did you know about it?”
“I knew that Richard wanted to kill Wickham, of course. Indeed, he had a veritable army of men in London, searching for him. I was completely astonished when I discovered Wickham right here in Meryton.”
“How did you meet him?”
“I did not meet him, actually; I saw him as Bingley and I were about to go into the card party at Lucas Lodge, and immediately left the grounds.”
Elizabeth nodded her understanding. “If he had seen you, he would have left Meryton at once.”
“Deserted, you mean, but yes. I sent a message to Richard and you know the rest. Do you disapprove, Miss Elizabeth?”
“Of murder in general, I think I must. Of this one in particular, all I can say is that I understand the Colonel’s reasoning.”
“But it still sits ill with you.”
“I admit that it does.”
Mr. Darcy spread his hands wide. “What should we have done? Brought him to court with charges of – of what? Of misleading a young girl? Of being a cheat, a gambler, a seducer of innocents? Even if such charges could mean anything in a court of law, my sister’s name would be dragged through the courts and she would be humiliated in the papers. I could not allow that to happen.”
“I do understand, of course, Mr. Darcy.” Elizabeth laid a hand on his arm.
“But can you forgive me?”
“For loving your sister? Of course.” But her tone was still uncertain.
Mr. Darcy could not allow her to remain in any doubt of his actions.
He took her hands in his and stared into her eyes as he spoke.
“Elizabeth, imagine for a moment that it was Jane. Jane, who had been led astray by a scoundrel, whose heart had been broken, whose confidence had been destroyed, whose name had been published in a newspaper! What would you do to the man who had done that to her?”
Elizabeth closed her eyes and imagined it.
Jane weeping, Jane’s future destroyed, Jane unable to forgive herself.
Jane running up to her room, tears rolling down her cheeks, Jane, not about to become the happy bride of Mr. Bingley, but a defeated Jane, a Jane whose life was over before it had even begun…
Then she opened her eyes and stared straight into the dark, intent, questioning eyes of Mr. Darcy. “Why, I would kill the man, of course.”
He reached out and almost hugged her; he restrained himself just in time, and put his hands back in his coat pockets. “Of course you would. And I would honour you for it.”
She was aware of what had almost happened; she would not have objected to his touch in the slightest, but they both knew it was too early in the relationship for it to be proper.