Chapter 10
Elizabeth was starting to see another side of Mr. Darcy—one she appreciated.
He must think well of her to lay his sister’s history bare before her as he did.
One thing she was sure of was that Mr. Darcy was a reserved man, and careful about whom he shared himself.
As she entered the house, she noticed Charlotte looking at her knowingly.
“Charlotte!” Elizabeth coloured. “Why are you looking at me so?”
“So we allowed Mr. Darcy to kiss our hand, did we?” Charlotte stated, causing Elizabeth to turn bright scarlet.
“It is possible you were correct about the man and I incorrect,” Elizabeth owned.
“Mama always knows best,” Charlotte teased.
“You do not hold the office yet!” Elizabeth jested in return.
“I would recommend you two be more circumspect until Mr. Collins leaves the area. Have you not heard his drivel about his patroness claiming a betrothal between Mr. Darcy and his cousin Miss de Bourgh? I believe Wickham alluded to it as well,” Charlotte reminded her friend.
“It seems our delusional cousin has a patroness who is herself delusional. I have learnt my lesson and I know Mr. Darcy to be honest to a fault, so when he stated there was never a betrothal between his cousin and himself, I did not doubt him,” Elizabeth allowed.
“We have we come a long way, have we not? I take it he is no longer the proud, hateful man you thought him?” Charlotte asked with raised eyebrows.
“Do not remind me of my wrongheaded words then. In cases such as these a good memory is unpardonable,” Elizabeth decried.
“Is it still your opinion he looks at you to find fault?” Charlotte pressed.
“No, Charlotte, it is not,” Elizabeth acknowledged, and the admission caused her to blush all over again.
“I have been watching Jane and Mr. Bingley. He is rich to be sure, but I do not think he is a good match for Jane,” Charlotte opined.
“Why is that?” Elizabeth asked. She knew Jane was infatuated with Mr. Bingley, but Jane had not yet shared with her that she felt any tender feelings for the man.
The two sat in the drawing room. “Each time I have heard Mr. Bingley extol Jane; it has only been for her looks. Not once have we been in company with him where he has complimented her character. I believe him to be both capricious and weak-willed, as he has proven with his sister.” Charlotte looked at her friend, awaiting her answer.
Elizabeth’s first inclination was to defend Mr. Bingley, but then she sat back and thought before voicing the first thing that entered her head.
The more she considered Charlotte’s words, the more they rang true.
“When Jane was ill at Netherfield Park, I remember how he told us if he decided to leave the area, it would be the work of a moment.” Charlotte nodded her head, as she and Eliza had discussed the sisters’ sojourn at Netherfield Park in detail.
“He is led by his sisters, and they believe we are below them even though they are a tradesman’s daughters.
They—especially Miss Bingley—will never allow him to offer for Jane, and he will not have the gumption to go against their wishes.
” Elizabeth realised Charlotte’s perspicacity was keener than her own; she had relied only on her own judgements previously, believing them infallible.
This was one more example of her friend’s slower, deliberative process being superior to her own quick judgements.
“You have made my point for me,” Charlotte stated.
There was no gloating about her being correct, just satisfaction she had helped her friend look at the situation after a deeper examination of the facts.
If she could help Eliza realise her suppositions were not a substitute for facts, it would be well for all, especially Eliza herself.
“Do not expect me to call Miss Bingley a wit just because it seems you might have been correct about Mr. Darcy admiring me,” Elizabeth smiled.
“When have I ever asked you to lie, Eliza?” Charlotte smiled. “We can add her to the delusional group. I had not known her for long when I realised she was the last woman in the world Mr. Darcy would ever marry, yet she is blind to all the subtle and overt indications she is given by the poor man.”
“Yes, she is rather pathetic. She chases after him like a hound chases after a bitch in heat, does she not? I am sure with two sons of an earl in residence—one of them a viscount—Miss Bingley may be expanding her marriage targets.” Elizabeth shook her head at Miss Bingley’s blindness.
“Speaking of the Viscount, did you notice the way he was looking at our Jane?” Charlotte asked passively.
“I did. I am not that blind,” Elizabeth stated with mock affront.
“Then you noticed at whom his brother the Colonel was looking?” Charlotte asked conspiratorially.
“I cannot say I did. Who, as it only leaves Mary?” Elizabeth asked.
“He seemed to be looking at Mary quite frequently,” Charlotte revealed. “Their looking at your sisters means nothing at this point. However, unlike Mr. Bingley and rather like Mr. Darcy, I surmise those two are not men who are led around by the nose by anyone!”
“I dare say you are entirely correct, Charlotte,” Elizabeth allowed.
Her tour complete, Charlotte made for the study to meet her father and her betrothed to go over the settlement.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Jane and Elizabeth were sitting in the drawing room when Matilda was announced. “Welcome, Matilda,” Jane stated for both sisters as the three curtsied to one another.
“It is good to see you, Jane and Lizzy, I apologise. I have been caught up in the planning of my wedding and have not had time to see both of you as much as I would like,” Matilda owned.
“Is your betrothed not with you today?” Jane asked.
“Your family does not like him much because, according to him, he is to inherit your home,” Matilda opined.
“That is not it at all, my friend. As it would be impolitic to speak negatively of the man in your presence, we will leave it at that,” Elizabeth returned, with no little emotion in her voice.
“I know you well enough to know that neither you nor Jane would prevaricate, so I will leave it there,” Matilda stated.
The truth of the matter was she did not want to know.
She believed happiness in matrimony was a matter of chance, and not knowing too much about one’s betrothed before the wedding was preferable to her.
Both Jane and Elizabeth felt sorry for their friend.
They had seen the bully emerge in Mr. Collins and had no doubt he had a vindictive side to him.
Just then Charlotte joined them. She, her father, and her betrothed had just signed the marriage settlement, and she was looking for her friends before she returned to Lucas Lodge.
“Hello, Matti,” Charlotte greeted Matilda after she had done the same with the two Bennet sisters present in the room.
“My, you seem to be visiting our friends even more than usual lately, Charlotte,” Matilda observed.
“Sometimes I see them more than others. This morning my father had business with Mr. Bennet, and I walked with him,” Charlotte related. Nothing she said was untrue.
“Be that as it may. It is fortuitous you three are here together, for it will save me the walk. I would like to invite you to visit me in my new home in March of next year and remain for Easter,” Matilda proffered.
Seeing Jane and Lizzy were uncomfortable, as neither would enjoy telling Matilda they would not want to be in Mr. Collins’s house under his so-called protection and power. “Jane and Eliza, you did not forget you will be spending Easter with me and the family?” Charlotte asked.
Matilda did not notice it, but both Jane and Elizabeth visibly relaxed. Again, Charlotte had not lied, although her wording led Matilda to believe the sisters would be her guests at Lucas Lodge; no one corrected her misapprehension.
“We thank you for your kind invitation, Matti, but Charlotte has the right of it. I am sure Papa will not countenance a change of plans at this point. But we will see you when you visit your father,” Elizabeth stated.
Although Matilda was not as intelligent as the three other ladies in the drawing room, she understood enough to grasp that her friends would not accept an invitation to reside under her future husband’s roof for their own reasons—even for a short time.
For the first time, serious doubt about her decision to marry Mr. Collins began to take root.
“I need to speak to Papa.” Matilda stood abruptly and swept out of the room as fast as her legs would allow. The three friends looked to one another, each one having a good idea what was bothering their friend.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Darcy decided to leave the same day to collect Gigi and return in the morning rather than follow through with the plans he had shared with Miss Elizabeth.
Neither Andrew nor Richard wanted to remain in the house with the cloying Miss Bingley, so they joined their reserved cousin in his carriage for the overnight trip to London.
“William, if I did not know better, I would say you are a man in love,” Richard said after watching the emotions play over his cousin’s face for the first half hour of the journey.
“I am,” Darcy said simply.
Richard was not sure what to say, and neither did Andrew, as they had not expected William to admit to it so openly.
“Who?” Andrew asked carefully, hoping that their stoic cousin would for once be open with them.
“It is Miss Elizabeth, is it not? I should have known when you asked for the opening set and the supper set. You never dance the first. I was blinded by the vision of a serene, blond lady,” Andrew owned.
“Andrew, you did not tell me that. When did this occur?” Richard asked incredulously.
“After you left to have your fun with Colonel Forster,” Darcy averred. “That scoundrel is at Newgate, is he not?”