Chapter 26
Dining Room
Longbourn
Later
The usual clinking of silverware against china and the soft ringing sounds of water glasses were entirely subsumed beneath an endless flow of Mr. Collins’s inane pontificating chatter.
Elizabeth had focused primarily on the excellence of her dinner, listening with only half an ear as their loquacious cousin expounded at length on the Darcy family and their magnificent estate of Pemberley.
Not only was the esteemed Lady Catherine the aunt of Mr. and Miss Darcy, but it seemed that their uncle was also an earl.
The estate of Pemberley was apparently a worthy home for so illustrious a family.
Mr. Collins, though having not had the honor of seeing the cradle of the Darcy family for himself, had heard many a story of it, and thus felt himself qualified to expound at length on its magnificence, its beauty, and its glory, second only, he was sure, to the estate of Rosings.
Elizabeth, unfortunately placed right beside Mr. Collins, focused on her plate.
To her other hand sat her father, who was of no help.
He had not spoken a single word since sitting down at the table, and his eyes had a glazed, abstracted look as he mechanically took bite after bite without noticing what he was putting in his mouth.
Elizabeth well knew the signs that Sir Thomas was in the grip of genius and forbore to disturb him, instead finding solace in her meal.
“It will not be long before Mr. Darcy carries his new bride home to Pemberley,” Mr. Collins burbled.
Lady Bennet had also been looking bored at their guest’s endless remarks, but she straightened at these words and asked, “Mr. Darcy is engaged?”
“Erm, yes? It is well known that Mr. Darcy is to marry his cousin, Miss de Bourgh, the only child of my esteemed patroness, and a glorious match it will be. The two estates of Rosings and Pemberley will thus be united in one family. Oh, what joy there will be among the haut ton!”
Elizabeth, staring at the parson, was startled to realize she was vaguely disappointed. Why?
She was disappointed, she realized, because she had grown to admire Mr. Darcy.
After that initial insult at the assembly, Elizabeth had thought him arrogant and disdainful of those around him, but he had apologized for his words, and asked her to dance, and while still reserved, he had been entirely courteous of late.
Moreover, she was impressed by his intelligence and diligence in carrying out his duties.
He obviously looked after his sister with care and had been determined to remove the evil Wickham from their midst, even if that had gone horribly wrong.
It seemed a pity that he would marry exclusively for dynastic reasons, though even then, she was probably being unfair.
Perhaps he was fond, or even in love with, his cousin.
“Lizzy,” Lady Bennet said as Mr. Collins stopped speaking in order to take a bite of particularly tasty beef roast, “pray will you not tell your cousin about Emerald Island? I have only been there once, you know, and he is quite curious about the estate.”
Elizabeth turned a surprised look on her cousin, who was looking back at her with a strange glint in his eyes.
“Emerald Island?” she repeated.
Mr. Collins finished masticating and produced a smile. “Yes indeed, Cousin, I am most interested in the estate. I understand from your esteemed mother that you are responsible for managing the tenants and the house, which, if you do not mind my saying so, seems too great a burden for a lady.”
Elizabeth glanced at her father worriedly, but he showed no signs of having heard their guest’s remark.
“Not at all,” she replied coolly, turning back toward her cousin. “It is not as if I am doing it all alone, as we have a bailiff who interacts with the tenants.”
“Yes, but still, it seems as if it would be far better for a gentleman to be managing the estate,” Mr. Collins said portentously.
“You presume too much, Mr. Collins,” Mary said, to Elizabeth’s considerable surprise. “If my father is happy with the arrangement, and Lizzy is as well, who are you to say we are wrong?”
“Oh,” Mr. Collins replied, a startled look on his rather porcine face, “my heartfelt apologies, Miss Mary. I did not mean … that is, I can only imagine that if my cousin Elizabeth was married to a gentleman of sense, it would make her situation so much easier!”
Elizabeth drew back a portion of an inch and frowned. “Married? Mr. Collins, I do not…”
“My dear Lizzy,” Lady Bennet interrupted, a smile fixed on her lips, which was quite in contrast to the anxious look in her eyes, “I confess I do not even remember how far Emerald Island is from London. Is it forty miles? Thirty?”
“It is about thirty miles,” she said coolly.
“And there are, erm, fishermen and the like, I believe?” her mother continued quickly.
Elizabeth compressed her lips for a moment and then said, “Yes, there is a village on the island, and many of the families earn their living by fishing or harvesting oysters. There are also several tenant farms, and while the soil is rather sandy in some areas, the crops are decent most years.”
“You are obviously a very clever young lady to know about soil,” Mr. Collins said in an avuncular tone, which made Elizabeth want to box her cousin’s ears.
“Oh, Lizzy is very clever,” Lydia interpolated from the end of the table, “but I know that Lady Catherine must be even more intelligent given that she is mistress of such a grand estate. What kinds of crops are grown at Rosings, sir?”
“Lady Catherine is a positive genius, of course,” Mr. Collins replied, turning toward his youngest cousin with a gratified smile.
“As for crops, I know nothing of such things, but I am confident that my patroness is well informed of the best crops for each field, not that she needs to be, as she has a most diligent steward, but Lady Catherine is always aware of everything that is happening, and by all means…”
Elizabeth, thankful to no longer be the focus of the parson’s direct attention, turned back to her meal. What was the man speaking of in mentioning marriage? She had no intention of marrying anytime soon.
“Naturally, Lady Catherine is a most unusual and remarkable lady. Not many women are capable of managing estates, and thus they require the guidance and direction of a husband or father,” Mr. Collins remarked and turned a significant eye on Elizabeth.
It took every ounce of breeding and self-control to conceal her revulsion, the only betraying sign of her appalled consternation a slight tightening of her hand on her fork.
So that was what lay behind his baffling words!
This babbling, conceited fool had somehow chosen her as his desired bride?
How could it be that after observing her and her sisters, Mr. Collins had chosen her?
Lady Bennet’s own mysterious behavior suddenly made a great deal of sense.
She approved of the match between her clever second daughter and this windbag of a parson.
Little wonder her good spirits had been restored, though surely, surely, she could not expect Elizabeth to actually accept their cousin’s offer!
Every fiber of her being recoiled at the thought.
It would be unbearable to marry Mr. Collins, to endure his incessant droning day in and day out as he swung between sycophantic flattery of his patroness and condescending stupidity towards his own wife.
Nothing on earth could prevail upon Elizabeth to consider for so much as a moment even the possibility of accepting Mr. Collins’s hand.
No tantrum of her mother’s, no threatened loss of home, could change her mind or shake her conviction by even an iota!
Another glance to her side showed a disheartening sight.
Sir Thomas remained oblivious to his family and all happenings at the dinner table, entirely engrossed in his own thoughts and also entirely unaware of his daughter’s acute distress.
Elizabeth could only hope that he would share her distaste and, if necessary, forbid the match.
***
Dining Room
Netherfield Hall
Darcy thought that Miss Bingley ought to marry a duke.
Certainly the tables she set would not be out of place in a ducal dining room, though she would have succeeded better in her true aims had she taken the time and effort to discover that Darcy preferred simpler fare, rather than assuming that because he was wealthy, he desired complex and lavish dishes at every meal.
He knew that Miss Bingley's actual goal in ordering a dinner fit for a party each night was to impress him, and now Georgiana as well.
Here, perhaps, Miss Bingley had met with more success.
Darcy, surveying his younger sister, observed with pleasure that she had filled her plate and that it was now half empty.
She, too, would have been content with more typically simple provender, but since such a variety of dishes were available, she was partaking freely and enthusiastically.
“The next time you visit Longbourn,” Miss Bingley said from her position at the foot of the table, “I hope you will wait so that I can go as well. Miss Bennet is such a dear girl, and her father is very interesting! Do you not think so, Miss Darcy?”
“I did not have the pleasure of meeting Sir Thomas,” Georgiana said softly and looked at Darcy, who continued, “I daresay he and Miss Mary were closeted in the library discussing star maps or something.”
“Rather an eccentric gentleman,” Miss Bingley said with a soft laugh, “though apparently brilliant. I do wonder at his decision to give the family’s other estate to Miss Elizabeth. It seems very odd given that the lady is the second daughter.”
Both Darcy and Bingley put down their forks at this statement, and Bingley said, “What is that you said, Caroline?”
“Oh, you did not know? It seems that Miss Elizabeth is now the legal owner of the Bennet estate of Emerald Island in Essex, not Sir Thomas!”
The pair exchanged wondering looks, and then Bingley turned back to say, “However did you hear that, Caroline?”
“Why, from my maid, who heard it from the housekeeper in the Hall, who heard it from one of the maids who has a sister who works at Longbourn. You know how gossip spreads among the servants!”
Darcy frowned at these words. It was hardly the action of a lady to listen to the servants’ gossip …
no, that was not true. It was hardly the action of a lady to admit that she had listened to the servants’ gossip.
Most women were passionately interested in tidbits of information about their neighbors, and Caroline Bingley was always eager to ferret out facts about friends and enemies and acquaintances.
“If that is true,” Louisa Hurst said with a frown, “it is more than eccentric to my mind. Miss Bennet is all that is lovely and charming and sensible. Why would Sir Thomas pass her over in favor of a younger sister?”
“Perhaps Sir Thomas thinks that Miss Elizabeth is better able to manage an estate?” Mrs. Annesley suggested.
Darcy turned a startled look on his sister’s companion and then found himself nodding.
“I suspect that is the reason,” he concurred. “As you say, Sir Thomas is an unusual gentleman and likely chose the daughter whom he thought could best oversee the family’s estate.”
“It still seems incredible to me,” Mrs. Hurst remarked. “It also seems most unfair to Miss Bennet.”
“Yes,” Miss Bingley agreed instantly, her eyes fixed thoughtfully on her brother. “It would be far easier for Miss Bennet to make a good marriage if she were an heiress.”
Bingley narrowed his eyes and said, “If you are speaking of my increasingly ardent interest in Miss Bennet, I assure you it does not matter in the least whether she is rich or poor!”
Darcy turned a surprised look on his friend. He knew, of course, that Bingley admired Miss Bennet, but it sounded as if the younger man was considering actually making the lady his wife.
“Being wealthy is always a good thing,” Miss Bingley replied in a practical tone, and Darcy could not help but nod in agreement. He and Bingley could both afford to wed a penniless lady, but that did not mean it was a sensible decision.
He was fond of Bingley and wished for his friend to have a successful marriage. He would need to speak to the younger man soon.