Chapter 42

21st January, 1812

Pemberley

Dear Miss Bennet,

I assure you that the last weeks have only strengthened my admiration of you. As much as I relish being back at my own estate, I often find myself listening for your lovely voice and am disappointed when I realize that you are many miles away.

I have not the gift of some gentlemen in expressing myself in a romantic way. I have, indeed, been accused of writing too many words of four syllables. Part of me thinks that I ought to attempt to think up delicate compliments, but on the other hand, you spoke sensibly and honorably of your desire for a marriage of true respect, and how will you know me as I am if I pretend to be what I am not?

It is, I hope, enough to say that I admire you, and I care for you very much.

If you have any questions about me or of Pemberley, or really any topic, I beg that you will ask them.

Sincerely,

Fitzwilliam Darcy

/

Rosings

Kent

21st January, 1812

Mr. Collins,

I daresay your mother-in-law is a very good sort of woman in her own way, but since she is but a solicitor's daughter, it is not surprising that she is inclined toward being too generous with the tenants and servants. The boxes you gave out on 26th December were, I am afraid, far too lavish and expensive. One cannot be too careful in dealing with the lower classes, especially since you are but a clergyman and have recently inherited the estate. If you give such people an inch, they will take a mile. If you had asked my opinion before Boxing Day, you would have known to be less generous!

Finding another clergyman to fill the Hunsford living has proven surprisingly tedious. Twice I have chosen a candidate, only to discover that the man in question had accepted a position elsewhere! It is most exasperating, especially when I have done them the very great honor of bestowing my approval on them.

For now, a curate from a nearby parish is assisting by overseeing the Hunsford church on Sundays, along with managing weddings and funerals and the like. He is a young man and, regrettably, not at all appropriate for Hunsford, as he seems to have some peculiar and offensive beliefs about the upper classes. Not that he is actually rude to me – he would not dare! – but he does not show me the respect that is due my station in life.

I trust that you will continue to write me with great detail about your future doings. It is obvious that, while you have good intentions, you need my wisdom and instruction in managing your estate.

Lady Catherine de Bourgh

/

Matlock House

London

25th January, 1812

My dear Anne,

I was glad to hear from Darcy that your health is good. It seems that Rosings and Kent did not agree with you. Either that or your mother did not agree with you. Given Lady Catherine's appalling behavior after your interrupted wedding ceremony, I am guessing that your mother was at least partly to blame for your poor health. I suspect that she kept you wrapped in cotton wool with such diligence that you were never permitted to develop any stamina.

At your request, my solicitor has been poring over Sir Lewis de Bourgh's will. In truth, it was not well drawn up, and the disposition of the estate is not as clear as it should be.

Now one thing is clear; once you are married, Rosings is yours or, to be more exact, your husband's, depending on the settlement papers. I am well aware that when Darcy wrote up the settlement papers for you, he made Rosings entirely yours. If you marry someone else, the details of the disposition of Rosings must be described with great care from a legal perspective.

With you unmarried, the situation is sadly more confusing. Your father, God rest his soul, made me and your mother joint overseers of Rosings and the estate's income until you are married or thirty years of age, whichever comes first.

I confess that in years past, I was largely content to allow Catherine to rule Rosings as she saw fit. I have a great deal of responsibility for my own estates, after all, and your mother has always been exceptionally strong willed. I suspect that your father included her as one of the overseers because she goaded him into it, but it is difficult because, while I wish to hand over Rosings to you right now, she most assuredly will not!

The best thing would be if you were to find a man to marry. Is that in any way a possibility?

In any case, I have thus far managed to prevent a new clergyman from being settled at Hunsford. Two men have been offered the post, and I succeeded in enticing both away with alternate livings. Our solicitor informed them that the disposition of the living was somewhat uncertain because you might well be the legal mistress of the estate, and that was sufficient to convince them to choose my alternative option.

Get moderate exercise, eat well, and enjoy the fresh air of Derbyshire.

God bless,

Your Uncle Stephen

Earl of Matlock

/

2nd February, 1812

Mr. Darcy,

Thank you for your kind letter.

Since we are being direct, I will ask the following questions.

What role do you envision your wife filling at Pemberley?

What are your plans regarding your lovely sister? Will she have a Season? What kind of man would be worthy of her hand?

I am well aware that I am not a particularly accomplished woman in that I do not speak foreign language with ease, nor am I an excellent musician, and while I am, I think, well read, my taste in books is eclectic. Would that be a source of disappointment to you?

I am confident that your older relations, especially Lady Catherine de Bourgh, believe that you should marry a woman of wealth and consequence. Would their disapprobation distress you if you and I were to wed?

In other news, we are now nearly eight weeks into our season of deep mourning. We are living very quietly, of course, which I truly do not mind. We all find ourselves more tired than usual, probably due to grief and upheaval.

I hope and pray that you and your family remain healthy and well.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Bennet

/

10th February, 1812

Miss Bennet,

I do not care in the least about my older relatives' views on my marriage. That is, I admit, a profound change from only last Autumn. My Cousin Anne de Bourgh and I were actually on the very cusp of marriage, in the church at Hunsford in Kent, under the oversight of your brother-in-law, Mr. Collins, when Anne expressed her loathing at the thought of a union between herself and me.

It was a shock, but not an unwelcome one. At the time, I was operating under the belief that I owed it to my dear mother, Lady Anne, and her namesake, my Cousin Anne, to enter into a marriage which did not, in truth, match my desires in the least.

In fact, I now recognize that it was remarkably stupid of me, but in my defense, I inculcated a strong sense of duty from a young age and believed I was taking the honorable path. I am incredibly thankful that Anne called a halt to the proceedings, in spite of Lady Catherine's outrage.

I have realized that to find a woman who genuinely loves and respects me, and whom I love and respect in return, is of far greater import than all the riches of Solomon himself, and the connections of Solomon as well!

I promise that if you would do me the great honor of accepting my hand in marriage, I will never regret it, nor will I ever permit either relative or friend to insult you in any way.

Georgiana is a shy girl, and while I hope that she will one day have a Season, I suspect it will be several years before she is ready for such a thing. Indeed, if she finds the entire idea repugnant, I will be quite at peace with avoiding the whole affair.

What is an accomplished woman? I believe an accomplished woman loves God and her fellow men and women and seeks to carry out her tasks with care and diligence. I am proud of Georgiana's musical ability, certainly, but then, I admire your singing and playing very much.

One of the things I most appreciate about you is not only that you have read very widely, but that you have strong views on what you have read. I have met plenty of women who have read Shakespeare, or at least claim that they have, and when we discuss a certain play, they have no particular opinions and simply agree with everything I say. How very dull!

My dear Miss Bennet, I admire you so very much, in so many ways.

God bless you,

Fitzwilliam Darcy

/

11th February, 1812

Netherfield

Darcy,

Yes, Jane and I are utterly and completely, well, it is hard to put into words…

Jane and I are very, very, very happy together, and that in spite of Mr. Bennet's death. Well, he was not a particularly good father, and that is the sad truth. Jane is an angel, and naturally she grieves, but I understand that Longbourn is more peaceful with Mr. and Mrs. Collins in residence.

Given that Mr. Collins is a thoroughly peculiar odd unusual sort of gentleman, that is somewhat surprising. You know that I enjoy the company of most people, but Collins talks rather too much about your aunt, Lady Catherine, and her words of wisdom.

He is not vicious, and I appreciate that, but I am always pleased when Mrs. Collins softly reminds him it is time to depart for Longbourn. She manages him very well, my sister by marriage!

Mr. Bennet's daughters will be finished with their mourning by early May, and if your invitation to Pemberley still stands, we will likely journey north to visit you in the middle of that month. We will, in fact, be wishful of escaping Mr. Collins and I think by that time, Jane and I will both be ready for both different scenery and different company.

God's blessing on you and your family,

Charles Bingley