18

Jane pasted a smile on her face as she exited the carriage once it had come to a stop in front of the parsonage; her relations were already assembled to greet her, surprise and concern written on all their faces. She had sent no advance notice of her arrival for fear of being rebuffed, as Kitty had been almost as cold to her as Elizabeth in the weeks between the Netherfield ball and Christmas.

A pang of guilt tore through her chest as she realised the panic she had caused, for their greetings were followed by frantic inquiries about the health and safety of their relations in Meryton. “Everybody is quite well, I assure you,” she said evenly. Everybody except for herself, but it would not do to show her uneasiness.

“I cannot imagine your mother is pleased at parting with the object of all her effusions at present,” Mr. Bennet chuckled. “But then perhaps she does not require your presence to continue her lavish wedding preparations. Needed an escape, eh?”

Jane schooled her countenance into the same expression of serene amusement she always wore in the face of her father’s teasing. “It is wedding planning that has brought me here. That is, I have come to beg a favour of my new brother.”

Mr. Collins smiled warmly at her, ushering her inside and pointing out a few of his favourite aspects of the well-appointed house as he led them all into the drawing room. When they were seated comfortably together, he prompted Jane to explain herself.

“Captain Darcy is unable to stand up with Mr. Bingley due to his being in mourning, and of course the same can be said for Mr. Marcus Darcy. The two are his dearest friends,” Jane said, refusing to look at Elizabeth as she spoke.

“The tragic loss of his father weighs upon my friend greatly, I fear,” Mr. Collins said, looking rather proud of the connection he claimed to the new master of Rosings.

“Which is why Mr. Bingley has asked me to deliver this letter to you, as you are now my brother – I believe he would like for you to have that honour, sir.” Jane produced the letter from her reticule and handed it to Mr. Collins, who began to read it directly. She turned to Kitty, who was eyeing her not with the hostility she had expected, but something utterly inscrutable and terribly cold in her gaze.

“Captain Darcy suggested Mr. Bingley come into Kent and make the request in person, but I worried there would not be enough guest rooms to accommodate him, while I might at least share with Lizzy.” Jane finally turned to look at Elizabeth, and drew in a sharp breath at the alteration in her sister’s appearance. Elizabeth was thin and pale, and there was no trace of the usual spark of mirth in her eye. Nothing in her gaze bespoke any remnant of the affection that had once existed between them, and Jane knew she only had herself to blame.

But she could not stray now from the course set out for her; Jane had no choice but to save herself from the truth, from the dreadful possibility of a marriage of misery and recrimination. It was an ever-present threat, even with Caroline now at Pemberley. The new Mrs. Darcy’s elevated position only made her a more formidable opponent, and Jane had not the temerity to defy her.

“I am sure we could manage for a night,” Elizabeth said, each word more icy than the last. Elizabeth flicked her gaze to Kitty, while their father merely rose his brows.

Kitty rested a hand on Mr. Collins’s knee before he could speak. “I daresay Mamma cannot spare you for long, for I am sure we are not three weeks away from your wedding. You would not wish to be absent when the banns are called on Sunday, for I know you shall relish all the congratulations that will flow in. I shall have your things placed in the fourth bedroom. It is meant to be a nursery someday, but it can accommodate you for the night without disrupting Lizzy.”

Mr. Collins finished reading the letter and looked up with a bright smile. “I shall compose a reply, with gratitude for his generously expressed sentiments – and my hearty consent, of course,” he said. “And you are welcome here for as long as your excellent mother can spare you. Indeed, if you can extend your stay just a few days, you might have the opportunity to hear your new brother deliver a sermon; surely this might tempt you to forgo the pleasure of hearing the banns called on one of the three occasions it shall occur.”

As Jane eagerly nodded her assent, Mr. Bennet chimed in. “And you cannot go back to Hertfordshire without being introduced to the right honourable Lady Catherine de Bourgh! Would you deny your mother the delight of hearing your triumph at making such an acquaintance?”

“Did my letter perhaps go astray?” Jane smiled through the falsehood; there had been no letter, but for the one instructing her to come here. “You all look so surprised, but I sent word last week – I should like to stay a few days, if it is possible. I should very much like to meet her ladyship, and I understand she has a guest. Caroline has written to me recommending I pay my respects to Lady Amelia and convey her regards.”

Elizabeth stiffened, and Jane knew she had said too much. A tour of the house was offered, providing some escape from her sister’s scrutiny, but Jane had been relying on Mr. Collins’s verbosity as a buffer, and he was exasperatingly laconic as he and Kitty took her through the house and then showed her to the room where she was to stay. She was both relieved and disappointed. She had expected that her erstwhile suitor would be keen to show her what she had lost in attaching herself elsewhere before he could pay his addresses, but all the boasting had been done by Kitty. Still dreading that Mr. Collins would at any minute resume his unpleasant pomposity, Jane suggested they call on his noble patroness directly.

“I find I am in want of a little exercise after fifty miles in the carriage,” she said. “And I confess I am eager to meet the woman I have heard so much of – I have heard just as much of Lady Amelia from Mrs. Darcy.”

Kitty regarded her with suspicion, but Mr. Collins readily agreed, for he had intended to visit the dower house that afternoon and bring Lady Catherine a few blooms from his finest rosebush. “Alas, her ladyship's garden is not situated in the proper lighting, and her own roses have not yet bloomed, but I daresay that as pleased as she will be to have a few of my roses, the three fair blossoms I shall bring to call upon her will be equally welcome,” he declared.

Jane concealed a cringe, but Kitty only smiled at her husband, a pretty blush spreading across her face as she linked her arm through his. Jane blinked. The room seemed to spin for a moment as she realised that the Collinses seemed rather sincerely attached to one another. And then another thought occurred to her. “The dower house? Does Lady Catherine not reside at Rosings Park, with Captain Darcy?”

“Not any longer,” Mr. Collins said, without any trace of the umbrage she might have expected him to feel. “She has removed to the dower house now that Captain Darcy has taken up residence there. He has no need of a hostess due to his mourning, though I understand his mother is to return in a few weeks when the family goes down to half-mourning.”

Jane attempted to cover her disappointment with a jest. “Oh dear, Mamma shall be disappointed that I will not return with a report of the opulence of Rosings. I hope I may at least enjoy some view of it from afar; perhaps I might join Lizzy on one of her rambles about the countryside.”

“There is a fine view of it from the garden; no doubt you will wish to refresh yourself after travelling, but we shall take you through the garden when we walk to the dower house,” Kitty said before ushering her husband away and leaving Jane to a few minutes’ frantic recalculation.

Half an hour later, Mr. Collins and the three sisters were shown into the elegant parlour of the dower house. Mr. Bennet had lamented that he should miss the chance to verbally spar with the dowager, but he had an appointment to play chess with Captain Darcy’s excellent steward, Mr. Taylor. Jane was relieved that there should be one less pair of eyes upon her, but this comfort lasted no longer than her discovery of Captain Darcy taking tea with his aunt and cousin.

Kitty happily performed the introductions, and Lady Amelia greeted Jane with glee. “I have heard much of you from our mutual friend, the new Mrs. Darcy,” she said, taking Jane by the hand. “I feel as though I know you already. And I recall your family has some acquaintance with my dear cousin.”

Captain Darcy bowed. “I have been reviewing some household matters with my aunt,” he said, as if explaining his presence there to Elizabeth, who smiled boldly at a frigid stare from Lady Amelia.

“You have been infinitely obliging in ensuring our comfort,” Lady Amelia said merrily. “Do I not have an attentive cousin, Miss Bennet? Indeed, I must press him to indulge me a little further, for we must all dine at Rosings tomorrow! Truly, I am delighted to have you amongst us, Miss Bennet – Caroline will be so pleased that we are to become fast friends. Pah! But I have not congratulated you – you are to wed Fitzwilliam’s dear friend, are you not? We shall all be quite the set in London together!”

Lady Catherine echoed this insistence that they dine at Rosings, but Mr. Collins actually interrupted her. After shaking hands warmly with Captain Darcy, Mr. Collins told him, “My sister Jane brings word from Mr. Bingley, who is to be my brother ere long, and as such has asked me to stand up with him at his wedding! Capital notion! I am glad you thought of it, my friend.”

Had the world gone mad? Was Captain Darcy clapping her cousin on the shoulder, actually smiling at him? Absurd that they should truly be so friendly! But Kitty and Elizabeth both observed the gentlemen with smiles of pride and not the slightest trace of astonishment.

Lady Amelia drew nearer to Jane. “My aunt will undoubtedly carry her point in arranging a dinner at Rosings so that we might become better acquainted. In the meanwhile, perhaps I might show you the garden?”

Jane nodded her assent, allowing Lady Amelia to whisk her away before Elizabeth could perceive the guilt she feared was written plainly on her countenance. The garden was unremarkable, indeed less happily situated than the fine garden at the parsonage, but the view of Rosings was better advantaged by its proximity – Lady Amelia took in the vista with a look of unmasked avarice.

“I am delighted that you have come so soon, Miss Bennet. Ever since I heard how helpful you were in the events which turned Miss Bingley into Mrs. Darcy, I have been most eager to make your acquaintance. I have little in common with our friend, being of a far finer pedigree and a much more obvious choice for the match to which I aspire. Even so, I hope that you might extend to me the same manner of friendship as you have done for Caroline.”

Jane smiled nervously. Was this really to be her role, conspirator in a compromise once again? “I fear there is little to be done if you are not staying at Rosings Park.” Jane prayed she would be given some reprieve, that Lady Amelia would accept defeat gracefully; eligible as she was, she might be persuaded to set her sights elsewhere.

“But like Caroline, I do wish to be a Darcy, by any means necessary,” Lady Amelia said, glancing over her shoulder and smiling at the assurance of their privacy. “I am not a guest of Rosings, it is true, and when Lady Anne returns – well, I understand my aunt was not best pleased at what she discovered that night at Netherfield. No, I believe it must be a fait accompli before she returns. And yet, I do not think a compromise will be possible.”

“Even if we were both lodging at the manor, I doubt he would be taken in so recently after the events of his brother’s betrothal.”

“I would not need to resort to such measures, if it were possible to advance our acquaintance naturally, of course,” Lady Amelia said silkily. “Unfortunately, he has been rather distracted.”

“He is in mourning and has taken on the responsibilities of a grand estate,” Jane suggested.

Lady Amelia rolled her eyes. “All the more reason he should seek a bride, especially one so intimately acquainted with the family. I might shoulder the burden with him, might offer him comfort and assistance at such a time. But he cannot be made to see my merits as a wife when he is blinded by the shine of another.”

Jane’s stomach twisted. “Elizabeth?”

“I know it all, Miss Bennet,” Lady Amelia said triumphantly. “Your foolish sister told her husband all about it.”

“And he told you? Or, no – he told Lady Catherine?” The ninny probably could not resist. But Kitty knew of what she had done? Jane again felt dizzy.

“My aunt was calling on the parsonage one morning and happened to hear her nephew’s name from an open window. You can understand her curiosity, I am sure. The daughter of an earl would not stoop to eavesdropping if not for the dignity of her family name.” Lady Amelia squared her shoulders in a haughty pose.

So she knew of Elizabeth’s attachment to Captain Darcy. “Surely you might find a husband in London. You are too beautiful and refined to settle for a man who prefers another,” Jane said.

“Fitzwilliam and I are designed for one another. I knew it when he refused the living at Kympton and joined the navy. I could never wed a parson; I knew he meant to distinguish himself, to make his own fortune, which, when joined with my dowry, might purchase us one of the finest estates in the county. And when Anne died and there was talk of Fitzwilliam coming to Rosings, I was sure my prayers had been answered and all would be as it should. He is just what a gentleman ought to be – handsome, intelligent, powerful, well-bred, and respected everywhere he goes. I mean to have him, Miss Bennet, and he will esteem me as a wife, just as he ought, just as duty requires, and just as I deserve. We have only to remove one pesky little obstacle.”

Jane swallowed, pressing her eyes closed for a moment before she looked over at Lady Amelia. “She is my sister.”

“So too shall Mrs. Darcy be – and I know you should hate to disappoint her.”

Jane said nothing, feeling panic ripple through her. She had known it would come to this, and yet on the precipice of such an enormous and odious thing, she could not believe herself capable of it. Was she to ruin Elizabeth’s happiness for the sake of her own?

“And who better than the chit’s own sister to dissuade Captain Darcy against the match? You know her better than anyone. Indeed, you must know everything about her, including something which might tarnish his regard for her.”

“I believe he would be quite shocked if I were to speak against her,” Jane insisted. Not only did she have little wish to sabotage her sister, Jane was not at all confident she could accomplish it.

“You need not slander her,” Lady Amelia replied. “You might simply segue from talk of your own wedding to a secret hint at your sister’s nuptials. Caroline tells me there is chatter in Meryton about a certain Captain Lucas.”

Her mother had certainly not been discreet about that line of speculation, though she had privately acknowledged Elizabeth’s attachment to Captain Darcy. Jane feared that Caroline might spread some rumours throughout Meryton, and after Olly had gone to London with Elizabeth in January, the gossip might be believable enough to do Elizabeth some damage. Jane was about to raise another objection, when a flash of prescience stilled her.

She would fail. Yes, she would fail, utterly and completely, and she would not be punished for it. She would spin whatever tale Caroline and Lady Amelia liked to Captain Darcy, and he would not believe a word of it. Elizabeth and Olly made no secret of their friendship, that they were as brother and sister to one another. Captain Darcy must know Olly very well indeed, and if the whispers about him in Meryton were true, Captain Darcy would know that, too. Indeed, the rumours had to be true, for Jane could think of no other reason why Olly would not be in love with her sister.

And Elizabeth had grown so close to Captain Darcy. Jane knew the couple spoke far more candidly together, and more often than she had with the man she was to marry. He had to know Elizabeth too well to doubt her.

And so Jane smiled and relented. She gave every appearance of acquiescing to Lady Amelia’s schemes, said everything required to convince the woman of her complicity, and described exactly what she would say to Captain Darcy the following evening at dinner. And privately, she considered how she might save herself.

***

On Sunday morning, Elizabeth rose early to walk in the grove to the east of Rosings Park. Under the watchful eye of Lady Catherine, and amidst the fawning of Lady Amelia, Elizabeth had not much opportunity to speak privately with Captain Darcy the previous evening when they had all dined at Rosings Park. Even Jane had conversed with him for a rather long time, heightening the vexation Elizabeth had felt since her elder sister’s arrival. It pained her to consider that she was looking forward to Jane’s departure on the morrow, when she ought to have been savouring these last weeks of her sister’s company before the wedding.

The dashing figure waiting for her in the grove sent a rush of happiness through her, and she quickened her pace as she approached him. As had been their custom when walking together in Hertfordshire, Captain Darcy took her hand, bowed, and placed a gentle kiss atop her glove. “Good morning, Elizabeth.”

“Good morning, sir.” She glanced upward and observed, “I am glad we agreed on such an early hour, for I do not think we will be able to walk far before it rains.”

“Then I shall relish the time we have together. I am sorry we had little chance to speak last evening. My relations can be demanding.”

“Mine are not always obliging, either,” she drawled. Mr. Collins had been wildly indiscreet in seeming to wish to manoeuvre some chance for Captain Darcy and Elizabeth to converse unobserved, and Kitty had been his faithful assistant in the attempt, but Jane and their father had been as exceedingly obtuse as the great ladies. Mr. Bennet had likely been disobliging as a lark – Elizabeth could not bear to think what her elder sister had been about.

As if sensing her curiosity and doubt, Captain Darcy said, “I had a conversation with your sister which I believe I ought to impart – you have always allowed me to speak candidly with you, and it is vital that I do so presently.”

The first droplets of rain began to fall, but Elizabeth ignored them. She dreaded to hear what Captain Darcy might say, but she nodded for him to elaborate. “Of course I will hear you. I hope you know you might say anything to me.”

“I wish to say a great many things to you.” He sighed and raked his fingers through his hair in agitation. “But first I must tell you that Miss Bennet informed me of a long-standing engagement between yourself and Captain Lucas.”

Elizabeth froze. “She did what?!”

“Your cousin was speaking of his felicity in standing up with Bingley at the wedding, and when he moved away, we continued discussing the happy occasion with Lady Amelia. It was then that your sister told me of your entire neighbourhood’s expectations regarding you and Olly.”

“Surely you do not believe it! You know our friendship is nothing more – not like what we – and I am sure you know… his secret,” she stammered.

“Of course I know of it,” he said softly. “I cannot tell you how many times I have been grateful for it, that there could be no foundation for the expectations your mother gave voice to so many times in my hearing.”

Elizabeth closed her eyes and sighed. The rain drops grew heavier, and Captain Darcy steered their path back toward the parsonage as Elizabeth seethed. She had resented her mother’s indiscretion in Hertfordshire, Jane had known that. And now Jane was wielding that against her, no doubt to do Lady Amelia’s bidding at the behest of their mutual friend.

“Tell me everything she said to you,” Elizabeth said, ready to rage over every treacherous word.

Captain Darcy looked as if he knew it would only give her pain to oblige, but he did so nonetheless. “She told me that your mother had long expected the match between you, that the understanding was celebrated by both your families. She hinted that Olly joined the navy so that he might amass a fortune that would compensate for your lack of a dowry, so that you might purchase a nearby estate and remain close to your families until he inherits Lucas Lodge. She also indicated that his travelling with you to London after Christmas has confirmed the rumours amongst your circle in Meryton, and that your neighbours all believe you travelled there to purchase a trousseau and acquaint yourself with some connections of his late mother.”

They quickened their pace as a peal of thunder rolled over the darkening countryside. “And all this, I suppose, was said with your cousin at her side to encourage her?”

“Exactly so.”

Elizabeth hesitated, but forced herself to ask the hardest question. “Was there any… any slander of my character?”

“Not exactly,” he hedged. “Miss Bennet asserted that you are a friendly and gregarious young lady, as I know to be the truth, and that your open manners have previously drawn strangers to you in social gatherings. My cousin was not pleased by this sterling account of your character until your sister twisted its meaning, suggesting that I had misinterpreted the charming geniality that you show to everyone, taking it to mean more that it does – more than it could.”

They were in sight of the parsonage now, the rain still pelting them. Elizabeth shivered, and Captain Darcy removed his coat and draped it over her shoulders. She pulled the dark wool tight around her, smiling appreciatively at him as they passed through the garden gate.

He would not call their courtship what it was; while he was in mourning, his principles would not allow it. She did not blame him for the discretion, for though the uncertainty pained her, she admired his integrity. He would make her no promises until circumstances allowed him to honour those promises. She could see in his eyes all that she had doubted during those long months in London. But she was not so guarded. She would, she had to give him some reassurance of her constancy.

He spoke before she could. “There is more, Elizabeth.”

They were near enough to the parsonage now that Elizabeth could see her elder sister looking out the window upstairs. Darcy followed her gaze upward, and then looked back at her. The cold rain had drenched them both, and the sight of him as his white shirt clung to his muscled body only made her need to declare herself more urgent.

She took a step closer, locking her eyes on his. “You must know that the nature of our acquaintance is beyond anything I have ever experienced, ever felt for anybody.”

“Elizabeth,” he breathed, his eyes drinking in the sight of her trembling beneath his heavy coat. She took it off and offered it back to him, smiling as his hands covered her own. It was happening again, she could see that he was about to kiss her, just as he had nearly done that fateful night at the library. Finally, after months of agonising over him, fearing he had forgotten her, his lips parted and he tipped his head downward, leaning his body toward hers.

The back door opened and Jane was calling out to her. “Lizzy, there you are! Good Heavens!”

Once again, Jane had spoiled the moment Elizabeth desired above anything. She rounded on her sister and glared. Jane looked startled at Elizabeth’s hostility, and then flicked her gaze to Captain Darcy. Fear and anger blended in the grimace she gave him, and a moment later her countenance shifted back to concern for Elizabeth.

“You must get inside and make ready for church, for Mr. Collins wishes us to arrive early. I was nearly about to come looking for you.”

“Were you, indeed? I am all astonishment, as you have not been able to look me in the eye since you arrived,” Elizabeth spat.

Jane’s face flashed with betrayal as she again jerked her head toward Captain Darcy. Had the fool really not known that he would confide her treachery to Elizabeth? Jane and Mr. Bingley may have little to say to one another, but Elizabeth and Captain Darcy were honest with one another, they spoke from their hearts always, and thus they shared a love like nothing Jane would ever know.

Captain Darcy took a step back and donned his coat before taking Elizabeth’s hand in his own and repeating the intimate gesture of their greeting. “We must speak later,” he said before giving Jane a curt nod and retreating toward Rosings.

Jane lingered in the doorway, and once Elizabeth was within the house, she asked, “What did he tell you of last evening?”

“Everything, as I daresay you would have liked to prevent, if indeed you meant to come after me,” Elizabeth hissed. “How could you, Jane? I know that awful woman put you up to it, but it is no excuse. You chose her – no, you chose yourself over me. And for what, to avoid a match with Mr. Collins, who as it happens is a perfectly lovely person in need of the right sort of influence? Instead, you shall have a lifetime of misery protecting your secrets so that your new sister does not poison your marriage.”

“I am trying to subvert her influence, Lizzy! Can you not see that I am trying?”

“What, by spinning a story so outlandish Captain Darcy would never believe it?”

Jane nodded, tears streaming down her face. “Yes! It is the best I can do.”

“The best you can do?” Elizabeth laughed derisively. “The best you could do would have been to refuse to play any part in your friend’s schemes, the moment you arrived at Netherfield. But it is too late for that, and it is too late for your feeble efforts to recover my respect. Certainly you shall have no sympathy from me when you are blackmailed into doing that woman’s misdeeds for her. You shall deserve every bit of misery it brings you. I must wish you every happiness your marriage brings you, Jane, for you shall pay a very steep price for it.”

“I know I shall,” Jane wept. She reached out her hand, but Elizabeth swatted it away.

“Do not touch me. Do not speak to me, not ever again.” Elizabeth held her sister’s heated gaze for a minute longer, letting the anger turn the last lingering pity and affection for Jane to frozen steel, and then she swept from the room.