Chapter 13 Her Ladyship Strikes Back
by Stephanie Vale
Rosings Park, Kent
The last man in the world. The last man in the world. The. Last. Man. In. The. World.
Darcy stormed out of the parsonage, having failed in his mission to see the “indisposed” Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Was she avoiding him?
How long must I endure this torture? What must I do to secure her hand?
Judging himself entirely unfit for company, Darcy embarked on a circuit of the park in an attempt to regain sufficient equanimity to return to the house. Passing the stables, he borrowed a lantern before the sun set entirely.
This is intolerable. I cannot allow it to continue. It will consume my life if I allow it.
He had always loved the outdoors. The scents and sounds of spring soothed his temper as expected, and as he calmed, he slowed his stride around Rosings Park.
Darcy’s absence had not gone unremarked.
Angry, Lady Catherine had refused to delay the meal, and the party had dined without him.
She suspected he had gone to call upon Elizabeth Bennet at the parsonage for reasons she vigorously disapproved of.
It was time to put an end to his foolishness and whatever silly flirtation was going on with Miss Bennet.
And she knew exactly how she would do it.
Every minute he stayed away caused her more consternation about the possibility that he played at something irrevocable.
Still, whilst she could not snap her fingers to drag him back to Rosings, she certainly could take appropriate measures under her own roof.
With a sideways look at Mr Collins, Colonel Fitzwilliam pointedly eschewed any separation of the sexes, so the party had all gone through to the drawing room together after the meal and drank their tea with little conversation.
After a short time, Mrs Collins begged her Ladyship to excuse her family to return to their home so she might check on her friend.
Lady Catherine, already planning her next move, agreed with alacrity, and a carriage was summoned to return the Collinses and Maria Lucas to the parsonage.
Charlotte was somewhat relieved to see that Mr Darcy was not present and that Elizabeth had already retired. Waiting for her husband and sister to find their own beds and promising to follow soon, she went to the kitchen to speak with her housemaid, Sally.
“Sally, did Mr Darcy visit this evening?”
“Aye, ma’am. He came to see how Miss Bennet fared, but she remained upstairs and did not receive him.”
This did not sound very romantic to Charlotte, and she wondered where Mr Darcy had gone afterwards. Of course, Sally could have had no idea about this, so Charlotte excused her for the evening and sought her own bed.
At the great house, Lady Catherine set her plan into motion.
“Mother!” Anne almost shrieked. “You want me to do what?”
“You heard me, child. You are going to Darcy’s rooms and getting into his bed. When he returns and gets into the bed with you, I will enter with Mrs Jenkinson, and I will force his hand.”
“Mother, I do not want to force Cousin Darcy to marry me.”
“Nonsense. As an outcome, it can hardly be shocking to him, as he is well aware that it was his mother’s dearest wish.”
“But his bed! I do not want to be in his bed!”
“My child, you will spend the rest of your life in his bed often enough. It is time you became accustomed to the idea. He is not so bad. I suspect you will derive more satisfaction from your marital duty than I did.”
“Mother!”
“Be quiet, Anne. You know not of what I speak. Trust me on this.”
Anne, defeated, took a deep breath. “How would we even manage it?”
“We will wait for his man to go into the dressing room, then you will enter by the main door, climb into the bed, and close the curtains. When Darcy returns, his man will help him change for bed and then leave him alone. When Darcy opens the bed curtains, you will scream, and that will signal Mrs Jenkinson and me to serve as witnesses to your compromise. A gentleman alone in his chamber with a gently bred lady!”
“But Mother. Everyone will know I came to his bed.”
“No explanation necessary. My footmen will say what I tell them to say. Darcy will not escape his duty again.”
“I cannot like it, Mother. What will he think of me to have come to his bed? It seems so deceitful.”
“The real deceit has been Darcy’s refusal to offer for you, as his mother and I agreed he should do. By taking matters into your own hands, you are only reminding him of his obligations to his family. Now do as I bid you. All will be well.”
Anne had never been able to gainsay her mother, and this scheme was no exception.
As Darcy returned to the stables, he found Colonel Fitzwilliam waiting for him. “I knew I would find you here, Darcy.”
“How so?” He left the lantern with a waiting lad, and they started back to the house.
“How thick do you think I am? Or perhaps I should ask, how thick are you? You disappeared abruptly from the drawing room shortly after the good parson disclosed that Miss Bennet was unwell and had remained at the parsonage. It was obvious to everyone present…well, perhaps not to Mr Collins… where you had likely gone. And then you stayed away for such a long time. Am I to wish you joy?”
“No.”
“Are you telling me that you did not call on Miss Bennet at the parsonage?”
“No.”
“Then where have you been?”
Darcy was stubbornly silent.
“You are obviously distraught, Darcy. Tell me something. Tell me what I can do to help you.”
“I am in no humour to discuss my evening.”
“That is obvious. But if you confide in me, I might be able to help you fend off Aunt Catherine.”
“Fend her off?”
“Yes. When you were absent for so long, I saw her murmuring with Anne. They appeared to be hatching some sort of scheme. If you return to Rosings a free man, as you say you are, her Ladyship will find a way to get you into the parson’s mousetrap before this visit is over.”
“Never.”
“Let me help you make sure of that. I am on your side, Darcy. Now tell me.”
Darcy hesitated, then gestured towards a nearby bench. “I did visit the parsonage, but only briefly.”
“To enquire after her well-being?”
Darcy sighed heavily as he sat, crossing his arms and lowering his head.
Joining his cousin on the bench, Richard said, “I don’t understand you, Darcy.
It has been obvious to me, and frankly, to the rest of us, that you are attracted to Miss Bennet, that you have developed some real affection for her.
Under the circumstances, I thought perhaps that you had gone to offer for her. ”
Darcy murmured, “I did.” True enough. No need for him to know the exact time and date of my foolishness.
“You did what?”
“I offered for her.”
“I do not understand. Do you mean that she refused you?”
“Yes, she refused me,” he said in a hushed voice.
“Good God, Darcy, why? I would not have thought her to be so stupid.”
“She is not stupid. She—she—she learned somehow that I was responsible for separating Charles Bingley from her sister—”
The colonel gasped. “That story you told me about sparing a friend from a most imprudent marriage…was that Bingley?”
“Yes.”
“And the lady was—”
“Her elder sister. They are very close.”
“That cannot be.”
Darcy nodded. “ ’Tis.” His voice was low, almost imperceptible.
“I am afraid that I must bear the responsibility for her learning of your interference with Bingley’s love life. I told her just this morning.” The colonel’s head was in his hands.
“Why on earth would you have told her that?”
“I apologise, Cousin. I thought I was doing you a favour. I knew Miss Elizabeth did not like you—”
“You knew she did not like me? How on earth could you know that?”
“It was obvious from the way she spoke with you and avoided you when she could. And it was also obvious to me that you liked her. But as we are now discussing this matter, Cousin, please help me understand how Miss Elizabeth’s sister was an objectionable match for Bingley, whilst Miss Elizabeth herself was good enough for you. ”
Darcy rubbed his eyes. This was truly horrific.
How many times would he be required to revisit the most painful experience of his life since Ramsgate?
But at least he understood the source of much of her antipathy.
He needed to tell her the whole story, although he doubted she would welcome another visit from him so soon.
Could he use the colonel as an intermediary?
Or should he write her a letter? A letter would be improper, but if he put it directly into her hand, there would be no harm done. Perhaps a letter would be the thing.
The colonel still waited for an answer. “Well, Darcy? Can you explain why you considered Miss Bennet not good enough for Bingley?”
“It is a long story, Richard. You may have gathered that Miss Bennet comes from a boisterous family.”
“I have heard her describe her sisters, yes.”
“Her mother seemed a hundred times worse than her sisters. Shrill, grasping, shallow. Seemed to care only about gossip and gowns. Desperate to see her daughters married off to wealthy men.”
“Like most of the mothers in the London ton, then.”
Darcy had never thought about it in that way. “I take your point. But Jane Bennet’s demeanour and countenance are so placid, so reticent, that I detected no sign of authentic interest in Bingley.”
“You are saying she is reserved, like you?”
“Yes, well, it would seem that I did misjudge her. I feared that Mrs Bennet would pressure her to entice and accept Bingley for material reasons. You have met Bingley. I wanted to spare him a marriage without affection, especially since his own affection for Miss Bennet was so strong.”
“Bingley loved her?”
“Yes.”
“And you took it upon yourself to decide that she did not love him, because her behaviour was…too proper?”
“Good God, Richard, you wrong me.”
“That is not my intention.”
“Upon reflection, I think I encouraged Bingley away from Miss Bennet because I wanted to separate myself from Elizabeth.”
“All those months ago?”
“She drew me in from almost the first day I met her. I knew I could not pursue her….”