12

Jane and Elizabeth returned to Longbourn the following day. Their friends at Netherfield politely protested, despite the scandal and subsequent chaos. Mrs. Bennet’s vexation that her daughters had not remained a few more days was no surprise. She did not notice the tension between her two eldest daughters as she lamented that if her girls had remained a few days longer, Miss Bingley would not be the only one on the brink of such a fortunate alliance.

Elizabeth had nothing at all to say on that subject; Jane perpetuated the lie. It was what they had all agreed upon, to tell the whole neighbourhood that it had been a longstanding engagement. “I am surprised you have never heard of it before,” Jane chided her mother, prompting Lydia to boldly declare that she had known all about it, but found the principal parties concerned too tedious to be interesting. Kitty looked wounded, and bitterness welled in Elizabeth’s heart.

She had planned to confront Jane about the scheme when they returned to Netherfield, but even between the two of them, Jane was determined to keep up the ruse of illness. She asked Elizabeth to share a bed with Mary while she recovered, and kept to her room for most of the next week, avoiding all of her mother’s questions, Mr. Collins’ attentions, and any reproach Elizabeth could make.

Elizabeth was anxious when the day of the ball arrived and she had not seen anything of Captain Darcy since her departure from Netherfield. He had been kept away first by the snow, and then by his brother’s nuptials in London. Elizabeth felt herself a fool for holding out some hope that he would call on her, and in such a state of turmoil, it was impossible that her family should not vex her.

Their cousin Collins had threatened to dance with all the Bennet sisters, which pleased only poor Mary. Kitty was resolved that she should be miserable all evening, seeing Marcus wed to another, and even Lydia could not – or would not – cheer her.

“I am sure my heart is broken that Colonel Fitzwilliam is gone away. La! What a fine joke if he should be back again for the ball! He shall see me making merry with all the other officers, and be mad with envy! But am sure there enough officers for even you, Kitty. I shall not make them all in love with me, though Mamma thinks I certainly shall.”

“I care nothing for the officers,” Kitty wailed.

“Very prudent of you, my dear cousin,” Mr. Collins interjected. “Your younger sister is hardly of an age to consider matrimony, least of all to young men who could not support her in the style to which she is accustomed, as a gentleman of property, or even a well-favoured clergyman might do.”

The younger girls ignored him, and though the family was on the verge of departing the house for the ball, a lengthy squabble ensued. Lydia declared she might help herself to some of Kitty’s finery if Kitty was determined to be so glum, and Kitty began to say she would not attend the ball at all. She locked herself in her room for a quarter of an hour before her shrieking mother could prevail upon her to make ready and join them downstairs.

Their tardy departure only heightened Elizabeth’s anxiety, for she had promised her first set to Captain Darcy, and felt she could only know peace once she was standing up with him. Only then would all truly be well, when she could be assured that the aftermath of the compromise and hasty marriage of his brother – and Jane’s obvious involvement – had not altered his affection for her.

They were the last of the guests to arrive, and were greeted by the newlyweds, the Hursts, and Mr. Bingley; the latter wasted no time in whisking Jane off to join the dance that had just begun. Elizabeth moved past her mother, who offered Mr. and Mrs. Darcy such hearty congratulations as brought a blush to Elizabeth’s face before she could make her escape.

She moved through the elegantly decorated ballroom, where couples clad in finery had begun dancing, while other guests milled about, remarking on the Darcy marriage and speculating on what other engagements may follow. It was all a blur to Elizabeth; she searched only for his face. But she did not find Captain Darcy anywhere.

Instead, she found Olly – or rather, he found her, and approached with a sense of purpose. “He is not here, Lizzy,” he said softly.

His words hit her like a physical blow. “What? Why?”

He raked a hand through his hair, as if he was as distressed as she was at Captain Darcy’s absence. “Dance with me and I shall explain.”

She let him lead her to join the set, her heart practically in the pit of her stomach. Fortunately, it was a dance that would allow them some semblance of private conversation as they went through the movements, and after a moment of collecting his thoughts he began to explain.

“I hate to say it, but you missed him by a quarter hour.”

Her despair curdled into cold fury as she recalled her family’s delay in leaving Longbourn. She might have wished to throttle Kitty, were it not for her sudden commiseration with what her younger sister must be suffering. “What happened?”

“I arrived early. Bingley summoned me to ask my opinion of the arrangements, though really, I think he wished some excuse to speak to me about your sister – to ascertain whether she might be amenable to his addresses if he were to ask her a certain question this evening….”

Olly waited for her to show some reaction to this hint, and Elizabeth could scarcely muster the felicity he seemed to expect. She forced a smile, not wishing to explain her true feelings or the reason behind them, and nodded for him to go on.

He spun her in time with the other dancers and then his face grew serious. “Will had just come downstairs with his mother when an express arrived from London. Apparently your cousin and his have both been busy fellows. The colonel first made the mistake of mentioning Marcus and Miss Bingley’s hasty nuptials to his father, the Earl of Matlock, who sent an express to Pemberley, urging the elder Mr. Darcy to intervene. Instead, it only sent him into a fit that left him bedridden. And yesterday morning, Lady Catherine de Bourgh arrived at Pemberley, no doubt appraised of events by her officious parson.”

“Why not come here if she objects? It is closer, and she might make her complaints to the parties directly involved. Why prevail upon an invalid?”

“It seems she wished to take possession of her granddaughter – Marcus’s sweet little girl – Lady Catherine insisted the child cannot be raised by the scheming daughter of a tradesman.”

“But is she not a gentleman’s daughter? She is not a Bingley by birth, or so I was told.”

“She is close enough that the great lady must smell the stink of trade – from all that I have heard of her, she is rather a gorgon, and not a person to brook any disappointment when she wishes to carry her point. Even if it gives her brother by marriage apoplexy.”

Elizabeth gasped. “Good God! Is he…?”

“He still lives, or did when the note was dispatched, though Miss Darcy was quite beside herself, and painted a rather grim picture. Lady Anne fainted when she read the letter, and when she was roused, she began to call for their immediate departure. The new Mrs. Darcy is determined to have her triumph this night; she and Marcus will depart first thing on the morrow, but Will obliged his poor mother and called for their carriage directly.”

They spun again and went down the dance. Elizabeth was shocked and terribly sad that Captain Darcy should face such a dreadful ordeal, and her sympathies extended to Lady Anne as well. Her own selfishness paled in comparison to what they must be suffering, and yet the pain of being so abruptly separated from the man she had come to love still remained.

“He did try to wait for you. He insisted that he be permitted to say his goodbye to you in person. But as more and more guests arrived, Lady Anne grew anxious that they would be detained, or prevailed upon to remain here until the morrow. As it is, I doubt they will travel more than twenty miles tonight.”

He had waited; she had been too late. Tears pricked at Elizabeth’s eyes. What might he have said to her? Surely he could not have asked her the question she had been hoping to hear this night, the question her sister would be rewarded with despite her duplicity. But to see Captain Darcy one last time, to know they parted with the same sentiments in their hearts – the comfort denied was a terrible ache in her chest.

“He did write you a letter – a short note of explanation – which he has left in my keeping,” Olly said. “I shall give it to you when there are not so many eyes upon us.”

It was not until after the dance, the remainder of which was a silent and agonizing thing, that Olly led Elizabeth toward the ladies’ retiring room, and discreetly passed her the letter. “I cannot say if it contains more than the information I have imparted; but perhaps he may have expressed such tender regards as to give you hope of his return. Read it in privacy – I will send Charlotte to you in a little while.”

Elizabeth removed to the quiet of the room set aside for the ladies to refresh themselves; so early in the evening, it was blessedly empty. She allowed herself to shed a few tears as the din of the ball ebbed away and she focused on the note in her hands. They trembled as she unfolded it.

My dearest E,

I hardly know what I write at such a moment, but I cannot depart without expressing my regret that I shall lose the pleasure of dancing with you. I know not when I might anticipate that which has long occupied my every thought since I last saw you. Olly has informed you of my urgent need to be away. If it is too late – but I cannot think what my mother shall suffer, what I myself will feel, and Marcus, if we do not reach Pemberley in time.

Georgiana has given us little hope that we shall return to find my father recovered; the best we might wish for is to have some little time yet before the worst occurs. Despite my own wishes for this evening, I cannot deny my mother’s anxiety to be at her husband’s side. A love of thirty years cannot be set aside for any consideration, no matter how tempting the prospect of what the ball might have held.

Our carriage is ready and still you have not appeared, but I must convey my warmest regards and be off at once.

Yours ever,

FD

Elizabeth held the letter to her face, drinking in the lingering scent of him as she pressed a kiss to the place where tears had smeared the ink – his tears at parting with her. Was it a comfort to know that he was as pained to be parted from her as she now found herself? She knew not what to think or how to feel, for her sympathy warred with her own breaking heart, even as she silently seethed with blame directed at the new Mrs. Darcy and her own treacherous sister.

Charlotte had entered silently, draping an arm over Elizabeth’s shoulders to make her presence known. “Oh, Lizzy. Tell me everything.”

And over the next hour, Elizabeth did.

***

Charlotte listened, betraying every proper sentiment in reaction as Elizabeth spoke of her attachment to Captain Darcy, their curricle rides and morning rambles, their many discussions, shared looks and little touches, and finally, of all the events that took place at Netherfield.

Elizabeth was not without a little shame in exposing Jane’s actions and shading her character thus, and though Charlotte faithfully promised her discretion, Elizabeth felt incapable of any generosity toward the sister that had played a role in her present anguish.

As Charlotte commiserated with a weepy Elizabeth, Kitty entered the room with a wild look about her. Elizabeth tucked the letter from Captain Darcy into her bodice and then extended a hand to her younger sister, beckoning for her to join them on the settee.

She recalled Kitty’s tendre for Mr. Darcy, which she had always considered to be a small thing compared to what she had felt for Captain Darcy. At such a moment, she was far from discounting the girl’s feelings. “Oh, dearest, I know you must be suffering, too.”

Kitty joined them, pale and fidgety, and she took Elizabeth’s hand. “I wonder which is worse,” she mused. “To be separated from the object of one’s affections without any notion of when he might return, or to see the gentleman you admire wed to another – and to a nasty harridan! And with both of them likely to soon lose their father!”

Elizabeth reached up and wiped away Kitty’s tears, nodding her head emphatically. “We are both wretched creatures, are we not?”

“It is worse than you might imagine,” she cried. “Jane just became engaged to Mr. Bingley – he is speaking to Papa even now, and of course Mamma and Lydia are babbling to everyone who will listen about wedding plans and….” Kitty broke off, dissolving in tears.

Charlotte took each of them by the hand, poised as ever, but with emotion glistening in her eyes. “It is no surprise, of course, but you both have every right to indulge in your own feelings at such a time, when you each had cherished hopes of similar happiness. Of course you will celebrate Jane’s wedding when the time comes, but at present you must spend your grief and begin to overcome the disappointment.”

Elizabeth nodded again, unable to make such a pretty speech, but feeling all the wisdom of her friend’s encouragement. Kitty, however, still looked rather wild. “There is more,” she whimpered.

When Charlotte and Elizabeth only looked at her in apprehensive surprise, Kitty was obliged to continue. “I knew he was wed, of course, but I could not bear to see how he smiled at her as they danced so near to me. I had no notion he actually liked her! And so I could scarcely finish my dance with Mr. Collins, and I fled out to the veranda to cry in private and collect myself, and Mr. Collins pursued me – by design, I think. He was very kind, though he said I ought not to have aimed so high in my admiration of Mr. Darcy. But he embraced me and told me such lovely things – that I am pretty and good-natured, that the tenderness of my heart was most becoming….”

“Very true,” Charlotte said, resting a hand on Kitty’s shoulder. Elizabeth sat up straighter, a mounting sense of dread dispelling every thought of her own troubles.

“Kitty, he did not impose himself upon you, did he?”

“I hardly know,” Kitty cried. “That is – he kissed me, after all his compliments and consolation – and I rather liked it. Perhaps I thought a little of Mr. Darcy, but then I thought of how kind Mr. Collins was to think of me – nobody ever thinks of me! But then Mamma came outside and discovered us, and she was not at all surprised. Lizzy, I think she meant for it to happen, for him to come to me and for us to be found out in such an embrace, for now she is speaking of our marriage as well, and Mr. Collins means to go to Papa after he has spoken to Mr. Bingley.”

Elizabeth saw red. “Mamma arranged for him to compromise you?”

“She was very happy that he should wish to marry me, for he offered to do so directly. She said that it had to be me, for Jane shall have Mr. Bingley, you might have Olly if Captain Darcy does not come back for you, Mary is too plain and Lydia shall someday have a lord when you and Jane are well settled. Oh, what am I to do?”

“Do you wish me to prevent it? I could speak to Papa,” Elizabeth cried, rising from her seat indignation. “It was very wrong of Mamma to take advantage of your low spirits. First she pressed Jane into going to Netherfield in the rain, and now this – it is not to be borne!”

“But if your mother is already speaking of it so publicly, there may be little you can do,” Charlotte said evenly. “And as you say, Kitty, he has been kind to you. It is evident that he came to Hertfordshire to select a bride from amongst you all, and you shall be mistress of Longbourn someday. Then you shall be in the position to check your mother, and I daresay even Lydia. Your disposition would be well suited to this, as much as being the wife of a parson. And surely that he is on such amicable terms with Lady Catherine de Bourgh must be a fine thing. He has shown you as much admiration as anyone can expect on entering the marriage state – would it be such an ill thing?”

“Would it?” Kitty echoed Charlotte’s words. “I do not know – I had never thought of it. I suppose it would be a fine situation, and Mr. Darcy is out of reach now, as much as he ever was, I suppose.” Her eyes shifted with the rapidity of her thoughts, before she cried, “Oh! And if I am to reside at Hunsford, that is very near Rosings Park, where Captain Darcy is to act as master – is that not so, Lizzy?”

“It is,” Elizabeth said, her heart twisting at the thought of her sister settled so close to him. “I will say that I think Captain Darcy may yet temper some of Mr. Collins’s silliness; already I have seen him attempt to do so, and our cousin has seemed to respond well to such guidance. But can he make you happy, Kitty?”

“What you say is true, Charlotte,” Kitty said. “He is an honourable man, though not a handsome one. But I could like being preferred above any other; I never have been before. And even Lydia cannot best me in this, for I shall be the one to save us, to save Longbourn. And then, someday, it will be mine. I can – I shall use my position to curb Mamma and Lydia when they would embarrass me. No more stolen bonnets, no more scolding whenever I so much as cough at the wrong moment. I shall have some importance in the world. I shall have new friends in Hunsford, and as a leader in the parish I shall be admired – nobody there will think Lydia prettier or better than me,” Kitty mused aloud. She began to laugh. “I think I must accept him – I think I should be very happy to do so.”

Elizabeth could understand her sister’s reasoning, though anger battled disappointment as she considered how it had come about. “Are you certain?”

“I am,” Kitty said, straightening her spine and lifting her chin. “Indeed, I wish to be married at once – the first of my sisters. How it shall vex Lydia!”

“That is hardly a good reason.”

“But then I shall be away – when I think of what my life might become, I wish to begin as soon as may be. And, oh! Oh, Lizzy! You must come to visit me. Captain Darcy shall be at Rosings, is it not perfect? I shall be the means of reuniting you, and then I shall have you near me always. That is certainly a happy thought.”

Before Elizabeth could reply, Charlotte stroked Kitty’s cheek and smiled. “I think it a right thing that you should become Mrs. Collins. He is a good man, for all his folly – and who among us is without fault? But many a gentleman might have kissed a girl when she was in such a state of sorrow, merely for the chance at taking liberties. He has done the honourable thing in offering for you, and your consideration in the matter proves you to be well suited to him. I must congratulate you, my dear.”

Elizabeth looked at her sister, whose countenance had gone from panic to poised resolve; she could not but agree. “I am proud of you, Kitty. I cannot say how I might have acted in such a situation, but I doubt I would have shown your grace and good sense. If you believe you can be happy, then that is just what I wish for you. But I beg you would not think of me – let us say no more of Captain Darcy for a long, long while, if you please.”

The three young women declared themselves ready to rejoin the ball, after such a long and thankfully uninterrupted interlude. Charlotte slipped out first, as Kitty and Elizabeth tarried to share a tearful embrace.

When they emerged from the retiring room, Jane happened to be passing by, arm in arm with Mrs. Darcy. The two women did not notice them as they moved toward an alcove and began speaking, and Elizabeth found herself drifting closer to them, sensing their collusion. Kitty followed, and the sisters held hands as they attempted to listen to Jane’s conversation.

Elizabeth was prepared for what they would likely hear, but she squeezed Kitty’s hand, knowing the girl would be shocked indeed if the subject turned in a certain direction. And so it did.

“I have congratulated you, Jane, but you have not yet thanked me,” Mrs. Darcy purred.

“Thank you, Caroline,” Jane said with resigned obedience. “For whatever you said to Charles on my behalf, thank you.”

Mrs. Darcy gave a vicious laugh. “Perhaps you thought I would not uphold my end of the bargain? That having gotten what I want, I would be satisfied with the success of our scheme and abandon you to your odious relations when we remove from this ghastly backwater? I confess, the notion did cross my mind.”

Jane let out a gasp, but Mrs. Darcy continued her condescending speech. “I will admit that before your stay at Netherfield, I did not think there was any merit in your marrying my step-brother. I wanted Georgiana Darcy to be his bride; but we have contrived an easier path to my becoming Mrs. Darcy, without waiting for that trembling little chit to grow up. In truth, I begin to think it might have been an ill thing – she might run to her brother and be doted upon, might even turn my husband against me should there be any quarrel betwixt us. She is the darling of the family, after all. No, I must have some power in my position. And thus I would be a fool to pass up the chance of having a sister so perpetually beholden to me. You do not bring wealth or status to the marriage, but you offer something just as valuable.”

“I do?” Jane’s voice trembled.

“Certainly. You see, I believe I shall have an ally in you forever. The Darcys cannot be insensible to my efforts in catching Marcus, but I do not think anybody is aware of your role in the compromise. And you will, no doubt, do everything in your power to ensure it remains a secret, even from Charles. Whatever I may choose to ask of you, I can be sure you will oblige me.”

Kitty stirred at Elizabeth’s side, the questions written plainly on her face, but Elizabeth could not but listen further, horror and pity and anger all churning in her chest.

Mrs. Darcy let out an affected sigh of contentment as she toyed with Jane. “And so it shall be, as we are bound as sisters forever. I admit I shall relish the power I feel at such a thought, as much as I delight in my new position as mistress of Pemberley. I have gotten all that I ever wanted and more. And so I make free to wish you joy, as well, Jane. Perhaps once we have settled into our married lives in London, and found our footing amongst your aunt’s noble connections and all the new acquaintance that will bring, perhaps I shall teach you a little of my talent for guiding my step-brother’s mind as well as I have always done.”

“I only wish to make Charles happy,” Jane said quietly.

“Of course you do. I daresay you shall make the whole family happy, and Charles will remain quite content. To begin with, you must distance yourselves from Hertfordshire and your odious relations. Your sister Eliza would have made an acceptable connection, had she managed to secure Captain Darcy before he left the county, but the rest of your family will only hold us back as we traverse the first circles in London. It is fortunate, I suppose, that the captain remains single, for he shall be quite a catch as the master of Rosings. He will likely seek a society bride, and so much the better for us, when we can wait upon such a fine lady.”

Elizabeth looked over to see tears streaming down Kitty’s face at the slight. She tugged at the girl’s hand as if to lead her away, but Kitty was rooted in place, her eyes fixed in the direction of the alcove.

Mrs. Darcy continued her honeyed monologue of self-importance. “After a stay in London, you must take an estate in the country not far from Pemberley. We will have so many new acquaintance that we might host joint house parties, perhaps a Midsummer ball – you must host, of course, as Lady Anne may still be in mourning. Take care that you do not become with child too rapidly – Louisa gave me a pamphlet instructing me on certain measures I shall impart to you another time, regarding the delicate timing of one’s wifely duties to avoid that delicate condition, and engaging in other activities that do not result in an inopportune pregnancy. We ought to first establish ourselves in society; it would never do to swiftly disappear and miss all the best social engagements because of a ghastly confinement!”

“But surely Charles will want an heir, and other children besides,” Jane replied. “I want children.”

“And who will ever marry those children, if you do not begin forming alliances of your own, so that they might make fortunate alliances themselves? Charles will become a gentleman of wealth and property, and with your fine looks and easy manners, your offspring will be well favoured to make grander matches than we have done, if you provide them with the appropriate opportunities to do so. After I have given Marcus an heir and a spare, I shall have a daughter destined for Charles’s heir. You really must learn to think dynastically, Jane.”

Elizabeth could listen no further as Caroline Darcy planned out the rest of Jane’s life, which had become so dreadfully entwined with Mrs. Darcy’s. Again she attempted to lead Kitty back into the retiring room, and this time her sister silently followed. Again within the privacy of the room, Elizabeth let out a heavy sigh as she sat down beside Kitty, who was nearly paralyzed with shock.

At last, she asked, “Am I to understand that Jane assisted Miss Bingley in compromising Marcus Darcy?”

“Yes.”

“And you were aware of the plot?”

Elizabeth wrapped an arm around Kitty to still her own fidgeting. “I suspected there was some secret pact between them when I went to Netherfield. Jane did not appear very ill, nor would she allow me to attend to her. I daresay those who believed her to truly be sick must have thought me a very poor nurse. Miss Bingley made the most of the chance to present herself as a doting hostess, and she and Jane grew very vocal in promoting one another to their respective suitors. I thought that was all that was in the scheme, until the night of the compromise. It was Jane who discovered them, and I knew at once that it had been contrived by design.”

“Have you spoken to her about it?”

“No; she has afforded me little opportunity to do so.” Elizabeth pursed her lips as she considered a new angle of the sad situation. “I begin to think I had better not. After what we have just heard, I think Jane shall be punished enough for what she has done. I rather pity her, and cannot countenance adding to her shame and regret, for she is sure to feel a great deal of both ere long. Mrs. Darcy will make sure of it. It seems cruel that to all the trouble Mrs. Darcy is sure to give her, Jane might be further burdened with the knowledge of my utter disappointment in her.”

“But she has been the cause of your disappointment, and my own,” Kitty cried. “If she had not done this horrible thing, Mr. Darcy would not be married and your Captain Darcy would not have gone away, for I know it is the scandal that has made him return to his ailing father – Olly told me.”

Elizabeth rested her chin on Kitty’s shoulder and sighed again. “I am melancholy enough that he should go away, perhaps forever. I do not wish to fall out with Jane. She will marry and move away, apparently; if we part on bad terms, I may never see her again.”

“I hope I never see her again,” Kitty snarled. “But I suppose she and Mr. Bingley shall visit Captain Darcy at Rosings sometimes, and she will see me at the parsonage, wife to half the man that Marcus Darcy is. I hope she feels very guilty over it.”

“I am sure she shall,” Elizabeth said. “But let us leave it. She has acted badly, but she is a good enough person that she is sure to feel it, likely more than even I could wish. We will recover, Kitty; we must endeavour to be happy, and not merely to spite her.”

Kitty offered her a feeble smile and rested her head against Elizabeth, squeezing her hand as they held the sisterly pose a while longer. Elizabeth had spent the last week repining what had been lost with her elder sister, but her heartache eased a little as she felt the unexpected closeness she had gained with Kitty. She had not long before she would lose her cherished younger sister to marriage, but she clung to the comforting notion of visiting her in Kent.

As if Kitty could sense the turn of Elizabeth’s thoughts, she mused aloud, “Perhaps you might go to London after my wedding, Lizzy. A stay with our Aunt and Uncle Gardiner might be a balm to your spirits. Mama will likely plan a far grander affair for Jane than she will do for me – I think I should prefer to wed quietly just after Christmas. Amidst all the preparations for Jane’s wedding, you will not be missed; I daresay you might remain in Gracechurch Street until Easter, and then come directly to me in Kent. I fear you shall grow despondent if Captain Darcy does not return.”

“You do not think he will?” As Elizabeth spoke, she realised that she did not believe it, either. Between the perilous health of his father and the obligations that awaited him at Rosings, she may not see him again until Jane’s wedding. She held her sister more tightly, and her heart wept.