Her Indomitable Resolve

by Jann Rowland

  Collins, Bingley had decided, was a blight upon the Bennet family. While he understood why Mrs. Collins had made the choice she had, Bingley wondered if it had been worth it. The Bennets would have been destitute long before he arrived in Hertfordshire, and Bingley would not have made Jane’s acquaintance, so from that perspective, he was grateful. But the connection was a millstone around the necks of everyone in the family.

  “Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Bingley,” said Gardiner.

  While Bingley paced about the room, muttering imprecations at the absent absurd former parson, Gardiner sat at his desk as soon as he was informed and drafted the letter. Calmness, patience, and the ability to think when one would rather rant and rave were qualities to be prized in a man of business. Bingley did not think he would have been so successful had his father left him the family business instead of a fortune to be used to purchase an estate.

  “It is no trouble,” replied Bingley, distracted by his thoughts. “I would never allow Collins to have his way in this or any other matter, particularly when it pertains to Elizabeth.”

  The snort with which Mr. Gardiner responded portrayed his feelings. “Even if Lizzy had simply ignored the letter, I cannot imagine Collins would have done anything about it. He rants and storms and attempts to promote a façade of implacability; I suspect he would not have lifted a finger to prevent her if we had refused to answer his summons.”

  “In most situations, I would agree with you,” said Bingley. “However, in a matter concerning his former patroness, I cannot say he would not act. His slavish devotion to her is shocking, especially after so long as his own master.”

  Gardiner nodded. “You may be right. Regardless, it is done now, and I have little doubt Collins will back off. Of more concern is the future.”

  Turning to face his wife’s uncle, Bingley said: “What do you mean?”

  “Just that I do not wish Lizzy to live in Mr. Collins’s house again.”

  “She will come with us to the north if we find an estate. If we do not, she will return to town; she has already agreed to this.”

  “And I thank you for agreeing to have her live with you,” replied Mr. Gardiner. “I could keep her in this house, but I think she will be happier with you and Jane. If, however, it becomes necessary for her to leave your home for whatever reason, please send her to me, for I will not see her return to Longbourn.”

  “There is no reason she would need to leave my house,” replied Bingley. “The problem of her living conditions may be resolved before long anyway.”

  Mr. Gardiner looked on with interest, one eyebrow raised in question. “Can I assume you refer to Mr. Darcy?”

  Laughter escaped Bingley’s lips. “It should not surprise me that you have ascertained my friend’s interest in Elizabeth.”

  “We were together too briefly to know for certain. But I had wondered, I will own.”

  “Darcy is as cautious a man as I have ever known,” said Bingley. “He claims he does not yet know her enough to understand what he wishes, but I suspect he will be unable to resist her charms.”

  “Excellent!” said Mr. Gardiner. “Then if Mr. Darcy solves our dilemma for us, I shall give the gentleman my warmest thanks. If he does not, Elizabeth shall live with one of us. Let us not allow Collins to have any more influence over her.”

  “What of your sister?” asked Bingley.

  Gardiner pursed his lips in thought. “Maggie is in no danger from Collins and has no desire to leave Longbourn; it has been her home for almost thirty years if you recall. Should the situation become uncomfortable for her there, we could remove her. At present, however, I doubt there is any need.”

  “Very well,” said Bingley. Approaching, he shook Mr. Gardiner’s hand, saying: “Then I shall return to my home.”

  “Your sister is a menace, Bingley!”

  The words, spoken into the room as soon as the door opened, startled the room’s occupants where Darcy sat with Bingley in his study, speaking and sharing a glass of brandy. Hurst was no dandy, but at present his appearance was unusual in that his hair was disheveled, his face blotchy from anger, and his clothes rumpled. Had the fire in his eyes burned any hotter, Bingley thought anything he looked at might combust without warning.

  “You will get no argument from me, Hurst,” said Bingley. “At this moment, however, you have intrigued me, for you are usually more apt to laugh and poke at her vanity than rage and storm.”

  “If you had endured her company these past days, you would be ready to do murder too,” said Hurst with a scowl. The man gestured at Bingley’s drink as he threw himself into a chair. “Pour me a glass of that if you would, for I am in desperate need of it.”

  Bingley obliged, and Darcy looked on with interest as Hurst threw his head back and drained his glass in one motion, then clenched his teeth as the liquid burned its way down his throat. That did not prevent him from holding the glass out for a refill.

  “You are fortunate you still have a younger sister, man,” said Hurst, his filled glass held tightly in one hand. “I was ready to sell her to the gypsies or, perhaps, to some Arabian slavers. Had she persisted, I would have!”

  “What has Caroline done now?”

  “What has she done?” demanded Hurst. “She raised her hand to my wife and would have struck her had I not intervened! Louisa was trying to help her, to induce her to see that her pretensions toward Darcy here are futile. Caroline became so incensed, she tried to strike Louisa!”

  Bingley grimaced and shook his head, taking a sip from his glass. Darcy, knowing the discussion had little to do with him and not wishing to make matters any worse, remained silent and watchful. This news of Miss Bingley’s attempt at violence did not surprise him as much as he thought it did Bingley; though Miss Bingley presented herself as a sophisticated woman of the world, Darcy had long suspected her capable of anything in her rage.

  “I sent Caroline to her room and instructed her to remain there until she could behave like a rational woman,” continued Hurst. “But not before I gave her a piece of my mind, though she had no appetite for it. I swear to you now, Bingley, if she ever assaults Louisa, I shall put her out of my house with nothing but the clothes on her back. Even the worst snowstorm in the dead of winter will not be enough to stay my hand!”

  “And I would not blame you,” replied Bingley.

  Hurst grunted and sipped from his glass, then began swirling the liquid within in circles, watching as it flowed around, leaving dark brown rivulets running back down to the portion still contained within. After a moment of contemplating them, he looked up again at Bingley.

  “Louisa still has told no one other than me, but she is with child.”

  “That is excellent news, Hurst!” exclaimed Bingley, reaching out and slapping his brother on the back. “Please convey my congratulations to my sister.”

  With a muted thanks, Hurst continued: “I will not have Louisa distressed during this delicate time, and I certainly will not allow Caroline to abuse her. I have cowed her for now, for I berated her when I stopped her from striking Louisa, but if she becomes too much trouble, I shall send her to you and wash my hands of her. At present, Louisa and I have judged it best that Caroline does not know of her condition, but it will become apparent before long, and we shall not be able to hide it. Should she learn of it, I am concerned she would create some reason to force me to send her to you, even if you are still at Pemberley.”

  “If she becomes too trying, put her on a carriage to Aunt Esther’s house,” said Bingley, before Darcy could say anything about his refusal to allow Miss Bingley in his home. “Caroline hates it there—she will do anything to avoid it.”

  Hurst barked a laugh, the first time he had shown anything other than raging anger since arriving. “She will at that!”

  “And you may inform her that I shall not receive her at Pemberley,” added Darcy. “If she wishes to hear confirmation from me in person, I shall visit your house and deliver it.”


  The barked laughter turned into a roar. “That would be a sight to see. I shall inform her. If she takes your offer, then at least she will know, and it will provide us all with a laugh.”

  This seemed to restore Hurst’s mood, for he turned to sipping his drink while listening to Bingley and Darcy’s conversation. The matter of Miss Bingley decided for the moment, they returned to their previous subject of Mr. Collins and his attempt to interfere in Miss Bennet’s life.

  “I know I have told you this before, Bingley,” said Darcy, shaking his head with disgust, “but Collins is a serious drawback to any man interested in marrying into the Bennet family.”

  “That he is,” replied Bingley. “Had I not loved my Jane to distraction, I may have reconsidered my intention to offer for her.”

  “Has there been some trouble with your brother?” asked Hurst with some interest.

  Though he appeared to little like it, Bingley repeated what he had told Darcy of Collins’s letter. When he had completed his account, Hurst shook his head with utter disdain.

  “That Collins is a man like no other I have ever met.”

  “That he is,” said Bingley.

  “Do you think he will come to London to press his point?” asked Darcy.

  Bingley huffed and sipped his liquor. “It is unlikely. Gardiner has had to step in to stop Collins from overstepping his bounds several times. Every time Gardiner slaps him down, Collins does his best to avoid attention for a time.”

  “As well he might,” said Hurst, continuing to chuckle. “If you ask me, Collins is nothing more than a coward. He attempts to dominate Miss Bennet, as he sees her as a young, underage female, one who cannot stand up to him. And yet, his wife, from what I understand, runs the estate and makes the decisions, and he allows her to do so without protest!”

  Darcy nodded his agreement, noting that Bingley acknowledged his brother’s point too.

  “The bigger issue,” said Darcy, “is that he is likely to raise Lady Catherine’s dander. There is little doubt he will write to her, and when my aunt hears of my invitation to you all, she will not be sanguine.”

  “You have hosted Bingley before,” replied Hurst. “For that matter, we have all been at Pemberley and she has not protested. Or did you keep it from us?”

  “Lady Catherine always has something to say about every situation,” replied Darcy. “Her protests concerning your prior visit were not so strident, for she did not consider Miss Bingley to be a genuine threat due to her background. Miss Bennet, however, is the daughter of a gentleman, and must be a greater concern to her ladyship’s designs.”

  The way Hurst regarded him, Darcy thought he suspected what he had not said. Though Hurst was an irreverent man, one who did not think much of social niceties, he kept his peace. Now, if he would refrain from informing Miss Bingley of his suspicions. Darcy would not put it beyond Miss Bingley to come after her perceived rival with a pitchfork in hand!

  “What do you suppose she will do?” asked Bingley.

  “Nothing, though she will level vigorous protests by letter,” replied Darcy. “Lady Catherine has supreme confidence in her ability to persuade, and she will not go to the trouble to journey to make her objections unless she feels her designs are in danger. In this instance, I suspect I will receive a barrage of letters indicating her displeasure. She may even write Lady Susan and complain to her, though Lady Susan is not a woman to allow it.”

  When Darcy had said this, Bingley allowed the subject to drop, and they devolved into more desultory subjects, until Hurst excused himself to return home to “ensure Caroline has not pulled down my house,” in his own words. Bingley and Darcy continued to speak for a short time after until Darcy returned to his own home at length. With Miss Bingley controlled by Hurst and Mr. Collins cowed for the moment, perhaps his plans of hosting Miss Elizabeth in the peace and privacy of Pemberley would bear fruit. Darcy could only hope.

  The day of their departure from London arrived, and Elizabeth was as eager to be leaving town as she had been to leave Longbourn. In the past, the Bennet family had conducted most of their visits in the cooler months, her father’s distaste for London ensuring he would not go except under the most favorable circumstances. This meant that the only time Elizabeth had experienced London was those years the Gardiners hosted the Bennets for Christmastide, and Elizabeth had only heard of the discomfort of the city in summer rather than experienced it. Though it was only early June when they departed, she already understood the truth of what she had heard.

  “So much has happened in London since we came, Lizzy,” said Jane as they settled into the carriage which would take them to Mr. Darcy’s house. “Are you sorry to be leaving it now?”

  Elizabeth turned a smile on her sister. “I am not, as you know,” replied Elizabeth. “Our time here has been interesting, and I have enjoyed the amusements, but I am, at heart, a girl from the country. I am not sorry to be returning to it.”

  “In previous years,” said Mr. Bingley, “I might have disagreed with you. Now, however, London and the season does not hold so much of my interest. It is on my mind that I wish to find a permanent home where we may settle for the rest of our days.”

  The look the gentleman bestowed on his wife was filled with hope and affection, and firmed Elizabeth’s resolve on a matter she had been considering for some time. Jane returned Mr. Bingley’s look, and for a moment, Elizabeth thought they would become lost in each other again, as they often did. A few moments later, they recalled the task at hand, and Mr. Bingley turned back to Elizabeth.

  “Are you sorry we are not to stop in Hertfordshire on our way north?”

  Elizabeth considered the matter for a moment before she responded. “In some respects, I miss my home. But I also understand it is no longer my home, for I shall not live there any longer, except perhaps a few short weeks after I return from visiting Lady Susan. Then I shall go with you wherever you are bound when you give up the lease on Netherfield.”

  “I hope it shall be an estate,” said Mr. Bingley. “But we shall see.”

  “Life is change, I suppose,” said Elizabeth, reflecting on the changes her life had undergone these past months. “Though we do not always wish our circumstances to alter, I prefer to look at the future as full of possibilities and opportunities.”

  “That is my sister, Lizzy,” said Jane with fondness.

  Elizabeth nodded at her sister and smiled before she turned her attention back to Mr. Bingley. “As for Hertfordshire, I am now coming to understand it has not been my home for some time, perhaps since my father passed. I will forever associate Longbourn with my father, and now that he is gone, it is not the same.”

  “If you were to consider the current occupant of your father’s study to be a usurper, I should not blame you.”

  “That is an accurate portrayal,” said Elizabeth with a laugh. “At least Mary has taken him in hand.”

  The three travelers shared an amused grin, tinged with exasperation. Mr. Collins was a weak-willed man, one incapable of even presiding over his own home. A few days after her uncle dispatched his letter to Mr. Collins explain certain facts to him, a return letter had arrived from Mary, explaining her husband’s change of heart and how he had dropped his opposition to her journey to Derbyshire. Though Mary did not say it in so many words, instead speaking of how she had persuaded him to change his mind and not become involved, they all knew Mary had likely commanded her husband, though not in so many words. Mary was the true master of Longbourn, and though Mr. Collins congratulated himself and simpered over his good fortune, rare was the occasion in which he would oppose her.

  At length, the Bingley carriage arrived in front of Mr. Darcy’s house to find the Darcys waiting for them, ready to depart. The families exchanged greetings and thoughts of the coming days, and though none were eager for the three-day odyssey, all were eager to depart. It was then that Elizabeth put her plan into motion.

  “If you do not mind, Mr. Darcy,” said Elizabeth, “I
think I should like to ride with you and Georgiana.”

  “You do not wish to ride with us?” asked Jane, surprised by Elizabeth’s determination.

  “As Mr. Bingley has so aptly stated several times since I have come,” replied Elizabeth, “I have commandeered much of your attention. I am certain he would appreciate having you all to himself for the next three days, even if it is in a moving carriage.”

  The Darcys laughed at Elizabeth’s jest as Jane scolded Elizabeth for her impertinence, Elizabeth, however, grinned at her sister and remained unrepentant. Mr. Bingley, it seemed, had no objections, for he ushered his wife to his carriage, allowing Elizabeth to join Mr. and Miss Darcy, and Mrs. Annesley in the Darcy carriage.

  “How much fun we shall have, Elizabeth!” exclaimed Georgiana when they had situated within and the carriage shuddered into motion.

  “Even with Miss Bennet’s presence, it will still be a lengthy journey,” interrupted Mr. Darcy.

  “But we shall have much to discuss. And Pemberley waits at the end of our journey.”

  “Yes,” said Mr. Darcy. “That is so. I am eager to be there again.”

  And Elizabeth also found herself eager. The sight of this man’s home would unlock a piece of the puzzle that was Fitzwilliam Darcy; of that, she was certain.

  Chapter XXII

  Pemberley, Elizabeth decided, was even more than she expected, and this after her friends had praised it to the skies. Georgiana and her brother had downplayed the reality of it, if anything, no doubt from a sense of modesty, of not wishing to boast. Upon seeing it, walking through its halls, and marveling in the sheer quality of the house, Elizabeth understood Miss Bingley’s desperate desire to become Mr. Darcy’s bride, though she could not emulate it. Seeing the reality of it, she could only reflect that to be mistress of Pemberley would be something, indeed!

  “Your home is lovely,” said Elizabeth as they sat down to dinner the evening of their arrival. “I cannot imagine there are any who would not approve.”