Chapter 2
“Iam the master of Longbourn, and you must leave here at once!”
The Bennet women were in the sitting room trimming their garments in black when Mr. Collins had burst into the house with his wife at his heels.
What was he about, coming so soon? Since her father’s death, Elizabeth had dreaded her cousin’s arrival.
The memory of his severe response to her face was still clear in her mind.
The ridiculous man stood with his hands on his hips and an ugly scowl distorted his face.
He seemed to think his stance would demonstrate his expectation for them all to rise and walk out the front door.
She almost laughed out loud but stopped herself.
“But Mr. Collins, is it not the Christian response to allow the grieving family time to pack their own possessions?” Charlotte’s whispered comment to her husband was loud enough for all to hear. The hint was not a surprize to Elizabeth. Charlotte was a compassionate lady.
“I suppose you are correct.” Elizabeth turned her face away from his view but he gazed around the room and his eyes stopped on her.
She shrank into herself and did not dare look up.
“You! You bear the mark of the devil, and Lady Catherine advised me to cast you out of this house at once. Never return—or I shall spread the word of your evilness throughout Meryton.” Tears pricked her eyes before he finished speaking.
He had singled her out for an attack again! What should she think about his threats? She sank back into her chair and covered her eyes. This cannot be happening! As the object of his ire, what was to become of her?
“Mrs. Bennet, you and your other daughters have one week to leave my home. Come, my dear.”
Charlotte did not answer her husband, but as she was leaving the room, looked directly at her former best friend and mouthed the words, “I apologize.”
Moments after the Collins’s departure, her mother took control of the situation, which astonished Elizabeth.
“That greedy little man will never take ownership of anything that is ours. Pack your clothes; those can be of no interest to that avaricious nobody. Lizzy, find some old trunks for your father’s books; Mr. Collins has no right to Mr. Bennet’s library.
Jane, gather my wedding silver. Mary, help your sisters fill their trunks or assist Lizzy in the library.
We shall remove all our personal property from this house even if we must do so in the dead of night.
Thank heavens Jane and Mary have homes of their own although they are too small to take us in. ”
“Mama, can we live with Aunt Phillips?” Elizabeth prayed they would have a decent place to go when they left their home.
“I am going there first. If my sister cannot help us, I know not where we shall go.”
She and her sisters eagerly awaited her mother’s return.
Several hours later, Elizabeth’s heart constricted when Mrs. Bennet entered the sitting room to announce her news.
“I am to have my own chamber in my sister’s house, and Kitty and Lydia will share a small room.
Lizzy, there is simply no place for you to stay. ”
She was near to weeping again. She stared at the floor and said nothing, but she was now more agonized than ever.
If her Aunt Phillips could not take her in, where would she go?
Mary and Jane kindly offered Elizabeth a place to stay, but Mama declined on her behalf: their homes could not to accommodate another resident.
Her mother seemed to sense her daughter’s unease.
“Child, I shall write to my brother and see if you can live there.”
Until she was told the news of where she would be living, Elizabeth was a bundle of nerves.
Even now, she was disappointed she could not remain with her family or near her dearest Jane.
When she had travelled in the past, her family at Longbourn was there to welcome her home.
After a rapid exchange of letters, it was decided she would travel to London and live with her aunt and uncle.
The thought of being with her favourite relatives gave her something to look forward to.
* * *
Pemberley, Derbyshire
The spring day was splendid, and Darcy would rather be out riding his horse.
The crops were beginning to grow, and he would have liked to inspect the fields and ensure their progress.
Instead, he was confined to his study perusing his correspondence as was his duty.
The first letter to catch his eye was not one he looked forward to reading.
Markham House, London, 5 May
Darcy,
My father insists I visit you and set a date for the wedding. According to the marriage contract our fathers signed, we must marry before your birthday in December. As we have already discussed, I plan to marry, give you an heir, and return to my friends in London.
Beatrice
He tore the note into small pieces. Beatrice! His future wife! The very thought of the woman made his blood boil. Hundreds of times he had asked how his father could have condemned him to a doomed life alone at Pemberley.
As he continued leafing through his correspondence, Darcy was gladdened to see a letter from his cousin.
Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam was recovering from the latest injury he suffered fighting on the Peninsula and was stationed in London.
Darcy was concerned for his future wellbeing.
His latest missive imparted selected family news and several amusing anecdotes about the new recruits he was training.
His last paragraph was not a surprize but saddened Darcy, nonetheless.
Darcy, it is a well-known fact that your betrothed is openly having an affair with Lord Bertram, and there are rumours of several others.
Richard would never lie to him, and he dropped down into a chair with his head in his hands.
How should he respond to such news? The prospect of a loveless marriage of convenience broke his heart.
He had dreamt of having a loving marriage like his parents’, but it was not to be.
They would only be together until they produced an heir and then go their separate ways.
He was engaged to someone he could not abide but had no choice but to comply with the document his father signed.
His “wife” would cavort all over London while he was resigned to living a lonely life in Derbyshire.
Why must he be forced to wed an irresponsible doxy?
She was incapable of caring about anyone but herself, and he could only hope that after Beatrice gave birth, she would leave the child with him.
He dreaded her visit and prayed her behaviour had improved.
* * *
Darcy and his sister stood outside their home to greet their guest. "Lady Beatrice, allow me to introduce you to my sister, Georgiana.”
“Welcome to Pemberley, my lady.” Georgiana spoke softly as she curtsied.
He was disheartened at once when Lady Beatrice brushed past the young girl without bothering to glance at her future sister. She was so unkind—her snub was not necessary.
The moment his affianced entered the house, she looked up at the magnificent fresco adorning the ceiling of the great hall. “The first order of business is that must be painted over. Frescoes are so passé.”
Darcy frowned and shook his head. Listening to his betrothed’s senseless suggestions made him angry, but he gazed at her with impassive eyes.
“This is Harrison, my secretary. He will take notes on all the changes I wish to make before the wedding.”
As the tour proceeded, he became increasingly incredulous listening to Lady Beatrice’s proposed changes to every room in the manor house. Her secretary wrote all he was told.
“Everything must be finished by our wedding day. We shall host a ball in the autumn before returning to town for Yuletide and the Season.”
Darcy remained silent as she described the furniture and decorations his mother chose as tasteless and so long out of fashion in the ton.
“If we marry in the early autumn, the south of France will be just the place for our wedding trip!”
He should not have been surprized by her lack of awareness of what was happening in the world outside her boudoir.
“Madam, it is inadvisable to travel to the continent. You may have heard we are at war with France. The Darcys have traditionally honeymooned at Pembrook Cottage, which is a short distance from here. It needs repair, but I would be happy to show it to you now if you are not too fatigued from your trip.”
“I assure you I am quite able to continue. I am well known for my stamina.”
He refused to reply to her last remark. Her comment did not allude to her ability to walk long distances but her endurance in the bedroom. He began to stroll towards the cottage and offered her his arm. She ignored him and walked the short distance in silence.
“It will be made ready for our stay after the wedding. This level has a drawing room with a pianoforte, a small dining room, a library, as well as a kitchen and servants’ quarters.
Upstairs are two large bed chambers with a connecting sitting room.
Pembrook Cottage was originally built as the dower house but has not been used for that purpose since the new quarters for the dowager were built. ”
Mrs. Reynolds had accompanied them to the cottage and attempted to be helpful. “These are the silver goblets the newlyweds use for their first toast after the ceremony.”
Beatrice considered all she saw and turned and gave him a withering look.
“Fitzwilliam, it is so charming,” Georgiana said, which made him smile.
“Really, Mr. Darcy, my father is the eighth earl of Markham and my mother was a direct descendent of the Empress of Russia. Do you expect me to spend another moment in this filthy shack? Harrison, you need not write anything about this hovel. I shall never consider spending my wedding night here.”