Chapter Thirty-Eight
There is something I believe I must share with all of you,” Mr. Collins began. He was breaking his fast with the Bennet family one last time before returning to Kent.
“What is it, Mr. Collins?” Mr. Bennet asked, cordially. Against all odds, he had become rather fond of his cousin during his visit. Mr. Collins had proven to be a sensible man and quite evidently disposed to be kind to his cousins.
“I have not said anything before, as it did not seem my place to do so, but I feel that it is my duty to my family to speak now. Mr. Darcy is the nephew of my patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh.”
“What!” Mrs. Bennet dropped her fork.
“Yes. I have deliberately withheld this information, as I did not know if he would wish the relationship known. But I tell you this now because I think you should all know that Lady Catherine seems to think he is engaged to her daughter, Miss Anne de Bourgh.”
“Really? Engaged?” Jane’s voice rose. “Why, he was at Stanford House in London in order to meet Miss Stanford! How could he do that if he was engaged?”
“Miss Bennet, please note that I said that Lady Catherine seems to think he is engaged. Her opinions are not always based on fact. He might be; he might not be. But I would be unhappy should any of my cousins form an attachment to the man until this is better understood.”
“Thank you, Mr. Collins; that is very kind of you,” Elizabeth said.
***
Now that Mr. Collins had left, Mrs. Bennet put away the expensive wax candles and put tallow candles around the house instead.
“They smell terrible, Mama!” Kitty complained.
“We have never had tallow candles before,” said Lydia. “Why…” And she trailed off. A sudden look of comprehension animated her face. “We are so poor that we can no longer have wax candles?”
“We talked about this, Lydia.” Elizabeth was exasperated.
“I did not really understand, I suppose.” Lydia’s voice was small. “And do you know, I asked Papa for my pin money and he laughed at me! So there is to be no more money for ribbons and bonnets?”
Elizabeth said, “No, Lydia, no more ribbons and bonnets. So do take good care of what you have.”
Jane added, quietly. “We must try to keep the neighbours from knowing, of course. But economies must be whenever possible.”
***
Elizabeth had felt rather distant from her sister since their heated conversation the night of Jane’s return, but this new information about Mr. Darcy’s engagement was too important not to be thoroughly canvassed by the two of them that night.
“Are you disappointed, Jane?”
“No…well, perhaps a little. There is no attachment on either side, of course, but he does seem quite the gentleman. And I understand from Aunt Madeleine that he has a vast estate in Kent, so he is everything eligible.”
“Except for the small problem of him being engaged,” Elizabeth said.
The thought of Mr. Darcy being engaged was disturbing to Elizabeth, and not because he would no longer be a prospect for Jane.
But she chose not to pursue that thought.
She forced a chuckle. “Poor Miss Bingley! She has her cap set for him.”
“Perhaps engaged,” Jane corrected her.
“Yes, perhaps. But you seem to like Mr. Bingley quite well, so all is not lost if Mr. Darcy truly is engaged, or if he ties himself to Miss Bingley,” Elizabeth said.
“Mr. Bingley is yours, Lizzy. I will not poach him from you.” Jane’s voice was stern.
“Jane, I beg you to hear me. He went straight to your side when they visited yesterday.”
“Mr. Bingley has all but proposed to you, Lizzy!”
“No, truly not. He visits nearly every day, but that may speak to nothing more than boredom at Netherfield.”
“Lizzy, look at me.”
Elizabeth complied.
“Can you tell me, honestly and sincerely, that you have no attachment to Mr. Bingley?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, you have an attachment??”
“Yes, I have no attachment! Jane, my heart is not at all touched by Mr. Bingley. I would be happy – nay, delighted! – were you and he to marry one another. But my fear is that if I release him, he will dash off before marrying either of us, and that would be a disaster for our family.”
The two sisters stared at one another for a long minute, and then together, with one voice, they said, “What are we to do?”