Imperative: Volume 2, A Tale of Pride and Prejudice (101 page)

“I only meant to be kind.  Obviously Mrs. Darcy is quite busy with her own affairs.  If she cannot join us after dinner, she must be overwhelmed with her duties as mistress.” 

“It
is
an enormous house.”  Jane looked around the drawing room.

“Particularly for one who was not raised for the position.”  Caroline tutted as maids arrived bearing the tea service and set it down on the table before the ladies.  She glared when the china rattled as a young maid set down her heavy tray.  “Watch yourself!  That Spode was purchased for Mr. Darcy’s mother upon her last birthday!  It is very special to him.” 

“Yes, Miss Bingley.”  Susie whispered and noticed Elizabeth watching from the doorway.  Catching Susie’s eye, she smiled reassuringly as the girls hurried past and then returned her attention to her guest. 

“How do you remember that, Caroline?  Did you make a study of every object that Mr. Darcy owns?”  Louisa laughed.  “And really, do you expect Mr. Darcy to think fondly of china?  I imagine that it was Mrs. Reynolds’s effusions that you remember rather than Mr. Darcy’s.”  Elizabeth’s hand went to her mouth to stifle her laugh.

“Is it wrong to appreciate beautiful things?”  She sniffed and began to go about serving the tea.

“Should we not wait for Elizabeth?”  Georgiana suggested cautiously.  “It is her office to serve.”

“But where is she?”  Caroline sighed and set down the pot of hot water.  “I do hope that she is not using her wiles upon Mr. Darcy again.  Such a brazen display to have witnessed as we entered the courtyard and then as we left the dining room!  Are you subjected to such things frequently, Miss Darcy?  I am sure that Mr. Darcy is mortified by her forwardness.  I am glad that we never see such manners from you, dear Jane.”

Elizabeth’s hands balled into fists,
He
was
mortified!  By you!
 

“He seemed to be enjoying it.  In fact, I would say that he instigated both events.”  Louisa added dryly, “Besides, it was merely a kiss, hardly something worthy of an announcement in the scandal sheets.”

“My parents certainly never expressed such feelings publicly.  Mr. Bingley would not think of kissing more than my hand before others.”  Jane said quietly as Elizabeth’s eyes widened. 

Oh, yes he would!  What have you done to that passionate man?

“Of course not, he was raised properly.  And certainly Mr. Darcy was raised similarly.  Do you not agree, Miss Darcy?  Would you ever behave so recklessly?”  Elizabeth’s attention turned instantly to her new sister.  “I cannot imagine
you
breaking any rules of propriety.”

Georgiana looked up and found Elizabeth standing at the doorway.  She could feel the embrace from across the room and following her sister’s lead, lifted her chin. 

“I cannot help but wonder what wiles Mrs. Darcy used to capture him.”  Caroline finished. 

“Caroline,” Louisa warned.  “Remember where you are.”

“My sister
did
capture my brother,” Georgiana turned to Caroline and declared, “and I thank heaven every day for it!  She is the . . . best and kindest sister anyone could ever wish to have.  I . . . I do not care to consider how unhappy Fitzwilliam and I would be if any other had come to live in our home.  I pray that . . . someone loves me as much one day.”  She wiped her eyes and looked at Jane.  “How can you not defend her?  After all that she has been through?  And all that she has done for us?” 

Jane gaped and closed her mouth as Elizabeth entered with a warm smile.  “Please forgive my delay, did I miss anything?  I see that the tea has arrived.”  She took a seat next to Georgiana and gave her hand a tight squeeze.  “I appreciate your sitting in for me, but you can relax now.” 

“Good.”  Georgiana whispered and squeezed back. 

Elizabeth laughed and began warming the teapot.  “I was on my way when Mrs. Reynolds stopped me.  She was quite aflutter.  Since you did not bring your servants with you; she was asking who we should assign to look after you all.  It never occurred to me that you would travel without your personal servants, but since I know that Fitzwilliam’s relatives certainly will, it should be no trouble to accommodate you.”  Pouring out the water, she added the tea leaves to the pot and then the fresh water, and sat back to smile as it brewed.  “There is always something to be done.  You can imagine with a houseful of guests I may seem neglectful from time to time, so please excuse me if my attention must necessarily be elsewhere.  Of course you would understand that, you have all served as mistress of a home in one way or another.” 

“Just a townhouse, it is hardly the same as a mansion.”  Louisa smiled and watched curiously as Elizabeth peeked into a small teapot on the side of the tray. 

Jane watched her, too. “I am afraid that I will not be mistress until Mr. Bingley finds an estate.” 

“Did you not take charge of Netherfield?  Mr. Bingley was its master, even if it was as a tenant.”  Elizabeth looked between Jane and Caroline.  “The moment I was introduced to the housekeeper, all decisions regarding the household were directed to me.  It was overwhelming, but Fitzwilliam made a point of staying out of it unless I asked for help.”

“I was busy looking after Papa.”  Jane said quietly.

“I was busy combating ugly rumours and innuendos, battling challenging relatives and most important, caring for a husband who was badly injured.  But it did not stop me from taking my rightful place, no matter how nerve-wracking it was.  At least you had our sisters, Aunt Philips, and Mama to help you.  Not to mention the support of your husband when you came home.”  Elizabeth met her eye and then began pouring out.  “Tea?”

“Yes, thank you.”  Jane’s colour was high.

Louisa watched the sisters curiously.  “Those rumours have disappeared almost entirely, Mrs. Darcy.  The mills found something else to work upon.”

“Thank heaven for that!” She laughed.  “Winning over Lady Catherine was a great help, as was our absence from the Season.  I am glad to have avoided it this year.”

“Mr. Bingley missed attending.”  Jane noted.

“Naturally, he enjoys frivolity and joy.  He would have loved to dance and show off his new wife, but as a man who has experienced the death of his parents, he knew where his responsibilities lay.  With you.” 

“Mr. Bingley was very understanding.”  She said softly and looked from Elizabeth down to her own lavender gown.  “You do not wear mourning?” 

Elizabeth heard defensiveness in her sister’s voice.  “No.  Papa ordered me not to at all, but I did for a time, and then Fitzwilliam and I agreed that it had been enough.  If we had been living in the vicinity of Longbourn, yes, we would have worn it longer, but in Scotland . . .” She smiled at Georgiana when she squeezed her hand.  “If it were not for the wreath our housekeeper felt determined to display on the door, I doubt that anyone would have known.  Now then, I think that we should leave any further discussion of Papa to a time of privacy between us.  I am sure we can find much more pleasant subjects to discuss that all of us may enjoy?  Tell us about your trip.”

“You did not do anything for him?”  Jane stared.  “You did not care?”

Elizabeth paused and internally drew herself up.  “I did.  And I do not appreciate any intimation that my absence from Longbourn at the time of his illness or passing was done because I felt otherwise.”  She spoke clearly.  “I loved him dearly, I revered him, I respected him, I was grateful for his attention . . . and then he used me.  As a consequence, my eyes were opened to who he was.  He was a very selfish man who looked after his interests and allowed disappointment to keep him from securing ours.” 

“Is that not why he promised a daughter to Mr. Collins long before we met our husbands?  To secure our home?” 

“No, Jane.  Not a daughter.  Me.”  Elizabeth looked at her hands.  “I was chosen without regard for my feelings because Papa knew that he was dying, and he wanted me to stay by his side and care for him to the end.  In his mind, I would be compensated for the sentence of marriage to this clearly unsuitable man by the gift of Longbourn, a place I apparently loved more than he did.  Mr. Darcy’s offer ruined everything for him.  It was not Mary’s age that made him hesitate to give her to Collins.  It was not Mama’s desire to see you married very well that saved you.”

“He wanted you to be his nurse?”  Jane stared. 

“Ask Uncle Philips or Uncle Gardiner if you do not believe me.”  Elizabeth felt months of repressed anger welling up in her breast.  “He felt that I would care for and entertain him the best.  For a few months of attention, I would forever be Mrs. Collins.  That is fine for Mary who unfathomably loves him, but not for me.  Marriage to him would have been the end of my life, not the beginning that I now have with Fitzwilliam.  Perhaps now you can understand why I had no interest in returning after we said our final goodbyes.”

Shaking her head, Jane said plaintively, “I wish that you had been there, you are the one who always cared for the ill people.  I was good with Mama.”

At last Elizabeth’s frustration came to the surface, “I am sorry if the reality of caring for an ill parent disrupted your serene existence, but honestly Jane, you are quite old enough to take on some of the ugly burdens of life yourself instead of leaving it to others.  Sitting with a woman who has spent a lifetime heaping you with unending praise does not strike me as particularly burdensome.”  Jane gasped.  “Do I have sympathy for your experience?  I did until you tried to make me feel less of myself.”

“I never did that!”

“You did every time that you implied I was neglecting the family.  And you know that you did.”  Elizabeth willed her sister to think beyond herself.  “If I had been there, what would you have done?” 

“I do not know.” 

“You see, Jane.  That is the trouble.  I
do
know what you would have done.  And smiles and pretending that all was well would not have helped anyone.  I am glad that you had this experience.  I just hope that you do not scurry back to the person you were before.  I doubt that Mr. Bingley wants that woman, does he?”

Jane’s blushing face became white.  “You have changed.”

“Marriage makes that necessary.  I was forced to mature in a great hurry when I accepted my Will.”  Elizabeth’s eyes welled up.  “He learned the truth of Papa’s intentions for me independently and rescued me.  He said that he was already bewitched by me then, but had not planned to act so quickly.  Papa forced his hand.  Fitzwilliam knew that I needed him.” 

Jane whispered.  “But . . . he asked you to save his life . . . What does that have to do with Papa?” 

“Absolutely nothing.”

“I do not understand.” 

“He needed me.”  Elizabeth found her handkerchief and wiped her eyes.  “That was all I needed to know.”  Remembering the other women in the room, she served them and then poured herself some peppermint tea.  Adding sugar she stirred vigorously and taking a sip, looked away from her sister and to the other source of stress in the room.  “You do remember the moment Mr. Darcy decided to propose, Miss Bingley?  I will never forget his kiss.”

“I will never forget the way he looked at you.”  Louisa said softly.  “As little as I thought of you, I could not help but wish I was in your shoes.” 

Elizabeth felt the tension break and laughed.  “I hope that I have grown on you!”  

“I think it is the opposite, Mrs. Darcy.  If your opinion of me had not improved, I sincerely doubt that you would have invited us here for the purpose of finding my sister a husband.” 

Elizabeth set her cup down.  “Well, you have, and my husband enjoys Mr. Hurst’s company.  But I should make it perfectly clear that we are kind, but not that altruistic.  We are delighted to see our family again, but the purpose of this event is to introduce me as the Mistress of Pemberley to all of our tenants and the gentry of the neighbourhood.  This has been anticipated for some time.” 

“Of course.”  Louisa quickly looked at her sister’s pale face.  “Our connection is not close enough for you to go to such expense simply for Caroline’s benefit.”

Elizabeth smiled, “As you recall, Charles arranged the ball at Netherfield for Jane’s benefit, but of course, he very much wanted to please her.” 

“I am sure that he simply wished to introduce himself as a new neighbour.”  Jane blushed.

“Is that the case, Miss Bingley?”  Elizabeth tilted her head.

“I . . . no.”  She sighed and looked away.

Nodding, Elizabeth returned to the subject, “Miss Bingley, my sister and brother did ask us to have a house party as a means to marry you off.  We have invited a wide variety of guests as well as a few of Mr. Darcy’s friends.  There will be plenty of other ladies in search of husbands in attendance; it will be your duty to recommend yourself to the suitors.  Obviously whatever you have been doing in the past was disastrous, so have you considered your failings and where you might improve?”

“My failings!”  Caroline cried.

“Something must be wrong.”  Elizabeth looked over her gown.  “Lady Catherine will be curious of your wardrobe.  I would not put it past her to come and examine your closet.  She does love to be useful.  I am curious, what modiste did you expect to escort my sister to?”

Caroline realized that Elizabeth had heard everything that she said, “Well . . . yours, of course.”

“Ohhhh, so that you would have access to that you otherwise would not?”  Elizabeth nodded sagely.  Mrs. Annesley stifled a snort behind her napkin.  “Well, whenever we take Georgiana to Town, we will be glad to take her to the finest places.  And when we leave, Mrs. Annesley will, of course, be her escort.  My Aunt and Uncle Gardiner have agreed to look in on you from time to time as well.”

“They have?”   Georgiana clapped.  “Oh, how nice!”

“The relatives from Cheapside?”  Caroline stared.

“Yes.  They are great favourites of my dear husband’s.  Your brother has met them and enjoyed their company, has he not?”  Elizabeth smiled widely at Caroline.  “My goodness, how many of your notions have been challenged today?  Mr. Darcy’s value must be falling in your esteem like a rock!  Not only does he marry me and express his admiration in public, but he happily associates with a tradesman!”  Clucking her tongue, she shook her head, “What, oh what, is the world coming to?  My goodness, perhaps you should run from here as fast as possible.  Shall I call up your carriage?  There is time; you might manage to exit the county by sundown.”