London
Chapter 22
Fitzwilliam had been fascinated by his new cousin’s elder sister from the moment he had laid eyes on Miss Bennet. He had heard a lot about Bella’s favourite sister while he was convalescing at La Bisbal and Bella was tending to him and keeping him company. While she spoke little of the rest of her family, Bella always spoke with such love and longing of her elder sister and best friend Jane, that he almost felt that he knew the young lady personally.
When he finally met her, he found that Miss Bennet was truly the most beautiful creature that he had ever beheld and that she indeed had the sweetest disposition he’d ever met with, just like Bella said she did. He could see that just like her younger sister, Miss Bennet had nothing of the artifice of the ladies of the ton whom he was just as disgusted with like his cousin had ever been, but her temper suited him much better than that of Bella since, unlike his cousin Darcy, he was not overly fond of heated debates, especially ones that he had no chance of winning.
With Jane and Mary now living at Darcy House, the two young ladies were included in all of the Darcys’ outings, outings to which they also often invited Fitzwilliam and he was more than happy to join them. He also noticed how much happier and outgoing Georgiana was becoming since Darcy brought home Bella, and Miss Bennet and Miss Mary joined them too. The girl had missed the society of young ladies closer to her in age than her Aunt Rebecca was, and she was blossoming into a beautiful and confident young lady under her new sisters’ care and their gentle friendship.
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Jane and Mary were very anxious while preparing for the dinner party at Matlock House, even though Elizabeth assured them that there was nothing to be overly nervous about and that both the Countess and the Earl were all that was kind and affable. Yet, both Jane and Marry were fairly quivering with nerves as they were standing behind Darcy and Elizabeth, waiting for Hawkins, the Matlock House butler to announce them.
As soon as the new arrivals were announced Fitzwilliam rushed to the door, offering his arm to Miss Bennet. Amused, Darcy offered his other arm to Mary and led her and Elizabeth into the room, leaving Jane in Fitzwilliam’s care.
“You look radiant Miss Bennet” Fitzwilliam murmured as he led her to his mother and delighted in her becoming blush. “Mother, this is Miss Bennet, Bella’s elder sister” he introduced Jane to Lady Matlock. “Miss Bennet, this is my mother, the Countess of Matlock.”
“I am very happy to meet you my dear Miss Bennet. Elizabeth spoke so much about you that I feel like I know you already” Lady Matlock smiled kindly at the beautiful young lady in front of her.
Jane released the breath that she had been holding ever since the magnificent doors to Lady Matlock’s parlour opened in front of her. “Likewise, My Lady” she muttered.
“None of this ‘My Lady’ stuff” Lady Matlock laughed softly. “You are family now. Call me Lady Rebecca.”
“Thank you, Lady Rebecca” Jane smiled up shyly at the kind lady who was welcoming her into the family. “Please call me Jane” she said with a twinkle in her eye that reminded Lady Matlock of Elizabeth.
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The dinner was a small affair by the ton’s standards, although still rather grand for Jane and Mary who were not used to such elegant and populous gatherings. The same was true for Elizabeth, but at least she had her husband to rely upon, Jane mused, and unlike her and poor Mary, Elizabeth was always immediately comfortable in any society.
“What could she possibly have to offer him that I have not?” Jane heard a furious whisper behind her. “I am far better qualified to be The Mrs. Darcy of Pemberley than this hitherto unknown nobody is.”
“Shush now Marjory” another lady’s voice tried to placate the first one. “You do not wish to garner Lady Matlock’s wrath and from what I understand, she very much approves of her nephew’s wife and their marriage.”
“Humph… she more likely tries to put up a god face in front of an unpleasant situation.”
“Be it as it may, Mr. Darcy is irrevocably married and creating a scene will do you no favours in society. You are now five and twenty and you have been unsuccessfully angling for a proposal from him for nigh on seven years. I do believe that you should focus on garnering someone else’s attention. Anyone else’s, if you don’t wish to end up a spinster, and now is not too soon to start doing so” the older lady hissed.
“But Mama, he was supposed to offer for me .” The first lady whined petulantly. “Lady Matlock was supposed to ensure that. Being Aunt Clarissa’s cousin she had promised that she will help!”
“Rebecca never promised that her nephew will offer for you. All she could do was to ensure that you will be invited to the functions which she knew that he will attend, but she would not go beyond that as you well know it. All the rest was up to you and him. The truth is that nothing you did got his attention.”
“But why?” the young lady cried in exasperation. “I was always so very agreeable to him! I never once did voice an opinion contradicting him. I made a point in always trying to show my deference to him and flattered him whenever the occasion presented itself” she stomped her foot in annoyance.
“Hmm… I wonder if that was not a big mistake. Mr. Darcy does not seem to enjoy any fawning or idle chattering and God knows, scores of young ladies were doing just that to him in order to garner his attention. You were just another one of them . Mrs. Darcy definitely does neither and she is a lady of determined opinions which she does not hesitate to express.”
“Then she is a fool. Men do not want opinionated wives.”
“All evidence to the contrary my dear, at least in what Mr. Darcy is concerned. To me it seems that he is very much taken with his wife and her determined opinions.”
Jane looked at Darcy who was standing by Elizabeth’s side, affectionately covering her hand resting on his right arm with his free hand, both engaged in a lively conversation with an elderly couple. She could see the happiness of the young couple and the deep love between them, and she could not be happier for her sister who so much deserved to be happy. Lizzy did not want to talk much about the battles she had witnessed and all the horrors that she had seen, but Jane could sense that her dearest sister was deeply marked and disturbed by her experiences.
Mrs. Bennet’s views and teachings had proved to be wrong in the extreme, just like Jane had now long suspected they were. The frustrated young lady she had just overheard was a stunning beauty and apparently, she even had some family ties to her brother-in-law, yet he had not considered her well suited to be his wife. Mrs. Bennet’s claims that all that a lady needed in order to induce a proposal from a gentleman was her beauty, proved to be utterly wrong. At least when the gentleman himself was a worthy one as, Jane had no doubt, there were probably plenty of gentlemen shallow enough who would be satisfied by looks alone.
Jane looked again at her sister and brother-in-law wistfully. If only she could find a gentleman who would love her for who she was and despite her lack of wealth, just like William loved Lizzy, she would be very happy indeed.
Her musings were interrupted by Fitzwilliam who joined her, wishing to introduce her to a friend of his. The brilliant smile that Jane turned on Fitzwilliam fairly took his breath away.
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“I am not going to allow for this!” Mrs. Bennet raged in her sister-in-law’s parlour. “I shall have my say in how Lizzy will handle the future of my daughters. She will ensure that my beautiful Jane and my dearest Lydia will be the toast of the Season and…”
“Fanny, I believe that you are out of your head” Mrs. Gardiner stopped her sister-in-law’s tirade short. “Lydia is but fifteen, nowhere near the age to be out in society, at least not in ’s society, let alone marry. That is not mentioning her appalling lack of proper behaviour. At this time all that she can attract is the attention of the rakes of the ton who, I assure you, will have no intention of marrying her.”
“How dare you disparage my Lydia thus? She is everything proper and all that any gentleman could wish for in a wife” Mrs. Bennet screeched.
“I assure you that any gentlemen of sense and some standing wishes for his wife to be able to conduct herself with decorum, and they are not in the least inclined to marry determined flirts with no accomplishments whatsoever. Thomas is an exception, of course.”
“Well, I say!” Mrs. Bennet cried out in outrage. “I think that it worked out quite well enough for Lizzy” she sneered, her face now resembling a ripe tomato.
“You cannot even comprehend how grand a lady Lizzy is, nor her value. Sometimes I wonder if she is truly your daughter, because to many of us who know you both it seems incomprehensible how such an exquisite lady could have been birthed and raised by you.”
“I shall not suffer such insults to my person. I shall…”
“By all means, feel free to leave anytime you wish Fanny” Mrs. Gardiner said coldly. “Nobody will try to stop you, I assure you.”
“Edward will not stand for this. He will not allow his sister to be thus insulted and abused by a nobody who…”
“That is enough Fanny” Mr. Gardiner’s voice came from the door. “Maddie did not say anything which is not true. I always knew that you were not the brightest or kindest of people but it was only a few years ago that I realized just how thoroughly ignorant, single minded, meanspirited and selfish you really are. As Maddie said, it is a wonder how well your daughters have turned out, especially the eldest ones. Since Kitty and Lydia still have a lot of growing up to do, I honestly hope that they too will prove to have inherited their wits from their father and ignore your ridiculous teachings. You were always vain and conceited. The fact that a gentleman who was infatuated enough with you to marry you, no matter how temporary that infatuation was, went to your head. However, as you well know, he regretted his mistake for over twenty years now. Do not try to shape your daughters after your own image. You will be doing them no favour as they will end up just as despised by their husbands as you are.”
“How dare you talk to me thus?” Mrs. Bennet spluttered. “I am the wife of a gentleman while you are only a lowly tradesman who…”
“Who happens to be your brother and share the same ‘lowly’ origins as you do. Marriage alone does not make you a lady Fanny. You must behave like one to be considered one. Shut up Fanny and go pack your trunks. You are no longer welcome into my house” Mr. Gardiner said angrily. Just noticing that Lydia too was in the room, huddled in a corner with her mouth wide open and eyes widened in shock, he turned to her kindly. “Lydia my dear, learn to behave yourself like your elder sisters do and not like your mother teaches you to. They are proper ladies and they will be respected and valued wherever they go. Where your mother leads you there is no happiness and no respectability.”
Poor Lydia could only nod in shock. Mrs. Gardiner took pity on the poor child and enfolded her in her arms.
“Lydia dear, I am sorry that I lost my temper and said things I should not have said in front of you. But the truth is that behaving like you did at Lizzy’s house and in general when gentlemen are present, is not the way a gentleman’s daughter behaves. It certainly gets you attention, but not the kind of attention you should wish for. No gentleman will marry a lady who brazenly flirts with everybody and who shows no signs of good breeding by being brash, loud and vulgar. If you wish to marry well and to be loved and respected by your husband, the way Mr. Darcy who is an outstanding gentleman of great station and wealth loves and respects Lizzy, you should strive to change your behaviour.”
Lydia nodded shakily. “Thank you Aunt. I have much to think about” she said in a small voice, “and I promise to you that I shall.”
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The day of the opening of St. Raphael’s House of Healing had arrived and Elizabeth, with the help of Lady Matlock and Mrs. Gardiner organised an opening ceremony to which Lord Wellesley was invited as a guest of honour.
They were all busy with the last preparations as the guests were to arrive in less than an hour, when Lady Catherine sailed into the large dining room which was to hold most of the guests. Elizabeth was directing the placement of the flower arrangements.
“You must undoubtedly be aware of my purpose in coming all the way to to see you” she said by way of greeting.
“Indeed your ladyship, I am not” Elizabeth said calmly, hoping to be able to make the disruptive lady go away without too much ado before the other guests started to arrive.
“I came to put an end to this hare-brained scheme of yours” the grand lady scoffed.
“And what scheme might that be?” Elizabeth raised a brow while pinning Lady Catherine with an unamused glare.
“Why, all the nonsense of this very establishment and your determination to be closely involved with it.”
“I do not think this is any of your business Lady Catherine” Elizabeth said levelly.
“Not my business?” Lady Catherine shrieked. “Not my business when you are ruining the good name of my family?”
“St. Raphael’s House of Healing is not in any way connected with the de Bourgh name” Elizabeth answered coldly.
“But it is with my nephew’s, the Darcy name.”
“If your nephew is not concerned by it, it should be nothing to you.”
“He should be concerned, but your arts and allurements made him forget all his duties and his dignity! You will be despised and shunned by all of society. Your name will be in disgrace and no one who is of any importance will ever utter it or receive you.”
“Those would be a heavy misfortunes indeed, but as our charity here would help so many other people, I am sure we shall find plenty of sources of happiness from it.”
“Obstinate, headstrong girl!” Lady Catherine was outraged. “Are you so lost to all that is decent as to not yield to the voice of reason?”
“I usually do yield to the voice of reason, whenever I do hear it.”
“This is not to be bourn! Do you know who I am?” Lady Catherine bellowed.
“Of course she does” Lady Matlock’s icy voice came from the door. “The question is, do you know who she is?”
“Why, she is the hussy who…”
“She is the lady whom William married because he recognized her worth. And to your information, he is not the only one who did. I for one am proud to call her my niece, and many of the ton admire her. What did you ever do in your life to earn any recognition, beside demanding it only because you are the daughter of an Earl? To your information. very few even respect you, either here in or at Rosings, while Lord Wellesley is expected to arrive here for the opening of this establishment you disparage. And rumour has it that the Prince Regent will accompany him.” Lady Catherine spluttered wordlessly, not able to retort. “Go away Cathy” Lady Matlock said softly. “Go back to Rosings if you do not wish to make yourself the laughing stock of the ton.”