Chapter 6

December 24 th

Anne de Bourgh gazed around the drawing room with deep appreciation for the holiday atmosphere.

It was Christmas Eve and by tradition, the main rooms of Netherfield Hall had been decorated with holly and evergreens, mistletoe and ivy.

Lady Catherine always ordered the servants to carry out the necessary decorating at Rosings, but here the gentlemen and ladies had done the necessary tasks. Anne had bundled up along with her cousins, Mrs. Darcy, Mr. Bingley and the unmarried Bennet girls, and together they had tromped to the nearest woods to find greenery. It had been tremendous fun and Anne had, to her surprise, found herself feeling vigorous and healthy. Was it possible that her languid life at Rosings was actually unhealthy? It seemed at least a possibility. She had not felt so lively in many years.

“And I told them, 10,000 pounds a year!” Mrs. Emma Philips exclaimed, pulling Anne’s attention away from the holiday decor. “10,000 pounds a year and a large estate in Derbyshire! That was enough to make them all forgive Mr. Darcy for behaving so rudely the day he met our Lizzy. Yes, and I told them about you as well, Miss de Bourgh. Mr. Collins, curse his black heart, has told us more than once about Rosings and how much the window glazing cost ! Oh Miss de Bourgh, what a triumph for my sister and indeed all of us! That will teach Mr. Collins to throw helpless women out of their home; the next thing he knew, our Lizzy had captured Mr. Darcy!”

Anne de Bourgh shot an ecstatic glance at Mrs. Jenkinson before turning back to Mrs. Philips, the elder sister of Mrs. Bennet. The lady was indeed incredibly vulgar, almost beyond belief. A more sensitive soul would be horrified, but Anne could only be pleased to be exposed to such an unfamiliar personality.

Mrs. Philips was without a doubt a kindly woman; she and her husband had nobly taken in Mrs. Bennet and Miss Kitty and Miss Lydia when they had been hurled from their home. Nonetheless, Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Philips were born to a solicitor and had not been raised as gentlewomen. Neither had embraced society manners.

“You will go to your room now !” Darcy ordered suddenly, causing Anne and her companions to look across the room in astonishment.

Miss Lydia Bennet was on her feet, her face flushed, her posture uncertain. Two steps away, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam was staring at the girl with genuine amazement and, Anne thought, a degree of embarrassment. Lydia wobbled slightly and lifted her pointed chin so that she was staring defiantly into her new brother’s face.

“I will not go to my room,” the girl cried shrilly. “I refuse. I have not seen a real gentleman in months and here is your cousin, a colonel in the regulars. He is so handsome and charming, and all I asked was for a little kiss for Christmas. I just want some fun!”

“Lydia!” Elizabeth hissed, striding over to the girl to grasp her by the arm. “You are drunk! Come, you must go to your room now!”

“I shan’t! I shan’t!” the girl squealed, taking an angry step backwards, only to slip on a rug and fall on her rump.

“Bingley,” Darcy said coldly, “would you be so kind as to assist me with our sister?”

Charles, who was red-faced with embarrassment over this crass display, hurried forward and together the two gentlemen lifted Lydia up by the arms and dragged her, kicking and wailing, out of the drawing room door. Elizabeth, with an anguished glance at Georgiana, hurried after them.

The silence which fell on the room was profound for all of ten seconds before Mrs. Bennet, who had been struck dumb by Lydia’s display, also began wailing.

“My poor Lyddy!” she protested. “She has had such a hard time of it since Mr. Bennet died and now, when she finally gets to attend a party with a real officer ... oh, it is not fair!”

She rushed to the door to chase after her youngest daughter, leaving Colonel Fitzwilliam alone with a bevy of startled ladies.

Anne, who was struggling between distress and amusement, felt her joy at the absurd situation quite quenched by the anguished look on Jane Bingley’s face. Really, how had two such lovely and well-mannered women grown up in such an odd household?

Anne rose to her feet and made her way over to Jane, where she placed a comforting arm around her hostess.

“Please, Jane, do not be upset,” she whispered. “It is quite all right.”

Jane had covered her face with her hands so that Anne could hardly hear her words, “I am so ashamed.”

“Do not be,” Anne murmured back, glancing over to see Mrs Jenkinson and Mrs. Annesley gather up Georgiana and carry her off to the corner of the room where a pianoforte was waiting in silent splendor. Even as she watched, Georgiana sat down and began playing a Christmas tune by heart.

Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, who had indeed been taken aback to be approached so boldly by a mere child of sixteen, turned to Kitty Bennet, who was standing near a window looking shocked, and quickly engaged her in conversation. The relaxed demeanor of the older man helped Kitty recover her composure, though she still looked shocked.

“Do not be ashamed,” Anne repeated to her hostess. “I assure you, none of us are distressed. Your family has been through a difficult time and your youngest sister is ...”

“A fool,” Jane finished acerbically.

“Very young,” Anne insisted. “Be at peace, my dear Jane. I assure you that Darcy is quite able to hold the line with Miss Lydia and none of us hold her behavior against you.”

One slim hand reached out to clutch Anne’s rather skeletal arm.

“Thank you very much, Anne.”