Chapter Thirty-One

T he Colonel and Mr. Darcy hastened to Longbourn as soon as courtesy would allow. As they handed their mounts' reins to Longbourn's stable boy, the Colonel put a hand on his cousin's arm, stopping their progress.

"Darcy, I will ask once more – you are serious about gifting me an estate?"

"I am, of course. I am thinking of an estate not far from Pemberly called Chestnut Creek. I think it might do for you. It brings in about three thousand pounds a year. You would have to bend that military mind of yours to estate management, you understand."

"I have no words to express my grati-"

"Stop, Richard, I beg you. I think of you as a brother; would I not make certain that my brother was able to marry the woman of his dreams?"

"Well, then, I will save my breath. And you, Darcy, you spend a good deal of time with Miss Elizabeth."

"She is a most unusual young lady."

"She is indeed; I have never before heard of a young lady studying Middle English."

"And that is not the half of it! She speaks French and Italian, and studies history and mathematics, as well!"

"Do the two of you spout Middle English to one another while walking about in the back garden?" The Colonel poked Mr. Darcy in the ribs.

"Hardly. We speak a good deal about my family. And Georgiana."

"Georgiana?! Does she know about Georgiana's situation?"

"She does; she happened upon me in the library at Netherfield one night when I was feeling particularly low and I found myself telling her what had happened at Gretna Green."

"You are such a private person, Darcy. I am astonished that you confided so much to her. How did she react?"

"With such caring and understanding that I immediately felt better."

"I assume you have no doubt of her ability to keep this information to herself."

"None whatsoever."

The two men mounted the steps up to the entryway. The butler opened the door with a smile and admitted them. Entering the parlour, they were surprised to find a man there that they had not previously met.

After the usual courtesies were exchanged, the man was introduced as Mr. Collins, a distant cousin of Mr. Bennet's and the heir presumptive to Longbourn. Upon hearing the names of the newcomers, Mr. Collins' eyebrows shot up.

"Are you, perhaps, related to Lady Catherine de Bourgh?" he enquired of Mr. Darcy.

Mr. Darcy looked unhappily surprised. "I am her nephew," he replied, warily.

"Oh! Then I am in the happy position of being able to inform you that I left your aunt in the very best of health, as was your betrothed, Miss Anne de Bourgh."

All the ladies in the room gasped, and the word "betrothed" was repeated several times in shocked whispers.

"I most certainly am not betrothed to Anne!" Mr. Darcy snapped.

"But her ladyship says –"

"Her ladyship still thinks the sun revolves around the earth and more specifically around Rosings Park; that does not make it true."

"But –"

"I must ask you to stop now, Mr. Collins. You do not know of what you speak."

"But –"

Mr. Darcy turned to Elizabeth and said, tightly, "Miss Elizabeth, might we take a turn in the garden?"

She nodded, her eyes troubled. Mr. Darcy offered her his arm, but she pretended not to see it.

The Colonel immediately said, "Miss Bennet?"

Jane rose and took the Colonel's arm.

The four left the house through a side door. The Colonel placed a gentle hand on Jane's arm and whispered, "Let us give them some privacy." He invited Jane to sit on the little bench near the roses.

"Mr. Darcy is not truly betrothed, is he?" Jane asked, worry in her voice.

"Not at all; my Aunt Catherine is not entirely sane." His voice was cheerful.

Jane replied, "Oh! I am so relieved. Elizabeth would be disappointed."

"She is coming to care for my cousin, I hope?"

"I think she is, though she says very little about it."

"He is worthy of her regard."

"And she of his, Colonel, I assure you."

"The love shared by you and your sister is evident," the Colonel said. He almost told her about Chestnut Creek and its proximity to Pemberley, but it seemed rather too soon for that. Instead, he said, "May I venture a rather personal comment, Miss Bennet?"

She gazed at him, blue eyes wide and open. "You may."

"You and Mr. Bingley were not well-suited."

Her eyes dropped to the ground.

He continued, "You are everything that is gentle and good, Miss Bennet. The difficulty lies in the fact that Mr. Bingley is much the same. It is not advantageous for husband and wife to be too much alike."

"Truly? I would have thought similar personalities to be a good thing in a marriage." Her eyes lifted back to the Colonel's face.

"No. In an ideal marriage, there is opportunity for growth for the two individuals involved. That growth usually comes from some amount of conflict."

"My parents are not at all alike and I am sorry to say that theirs is a marriage I would not like to emulate," she protested. Then she flushed at having given such information to a stranger.

"Ah. Then I should amend that to say that there should be some conflict, but also a determination on both sides to resolve that conflict in a mutually beneficial manner."

She smiled at his correction, and then said, thoughtfully, "And Mr. Bingley and I would never have had that conflict to start with."

"No; I think it more likely that each of you would have been far too eager to simply let the other have their way."

***

Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth walked several yards away before Elizabeth said, quietly, "You have told me a good deal about your family, but a betrothal was never mentioned."

Mr. Darcy groaned. "My Aunt Catherine has insisted for years that she and my mother agreed, while we were yet in our cradles, that Anne and I would marry."

Elizabeth's forehead wrinkled. "Surely that is unenforceable, even if true."

"Precisely. There is no documentation, no evidence at all that such a conversation ever took place. Moreover, given that Anne is sickly and unlikely to be able to bear a child, neither of my parents would countenance such a marriage today."

Elizabeth blushed at this, but said, "Why does your aunt persist?"

Mr. Darcy snorted inelegantly. "She believes that if she insists on it long enough and loudly enough, I will fall in with her wishes."

"And Miss de Bourgh?"

"She has even less interest in wedding me than I have in wedding her, if that is possible."

"I see."

"Miss Elizabeth, I am a man of honour. Think you that I would have paid this much attention to you, were I betrothed to another?"

She shook her head, but did not respond. In silence, they walked back to the bench where the Colonel and Jane sat.