“Are you all right ma'am?” she asked upon hearing her gasp.
“Yes, very well thank you. Mr Collins is giving our guest 'the grand tour'.” she blurted out quickly to cover her shock at what she had witnessed outside.
Mrs Higgs placed the tea things on the table, came to stand by her side, and watched the gentlemen walking around the garden.
She shook her head as she went back to the kitchen, “Poor Colonel Fitzwilliam.”
* * *
However, it seemed that Colonel Fitzwilliam had enjoyed his tour of the garden, or so he said when the gentlemen finally came in to take tea before lunch was served. Charlotte fought down a smile as he talked about how lovely he thought Mr Collins garden was. Mr Collins then began to talk about the gardens at Rosings, the variety of plants therein and how many gardeners were needed for its upkeep. Charlotte knew it would be some time before his discourse was over. She stole a glance at Colonel Fitzwilliam who was the object of her husband's attention, saw he nodded and smiled in all the appropriate places, and knew he had learnt to do that at his aunt's home and seemed quite skilled at feigning interest. Charlotte drank more tea than she desired in order to disguise her amusement at the scene in front of her. It seemed that Mr Collins had found someone new to fawn over; she shook her head in disbelief. When would he stop such sycophancy?
Lunch was a light collation and the Colonel informed Mr Collins of gardens he had seen on the continent. Charlotte was surprised, that his mild mockery of her husband had turned into interest in the subject and she wondered if they would notice if she slipped away. As if he had read her mind, the Colonel fixed her with a gaze that took her breath away as he continued to describe the gardens at Versailles.
They returned to the sitting room and Mr Collins excused himself claiming that he had to write some notes that Lady Catherine had insisted he include in his sermon the following Sunday, before he forgot. Amidst promises that he would not be long, he departed and left Charlotte alone with Colonel Fitzwilliam.
Mrs Higgs came into the room to refresh the tea things and lay out some cake and the Colonel struck up a conversation that was ambiguous enough not to raise the housekeeper's curiosity.
“Did you walk out this morning Mrs Collins?”
“Yes thank you Colonel, I did.”
“And did you have a pleasant walk?”
“It was most pleasant.” She hesitated, blushing, “I enjoyed it very much.”
“I am most pleased. Was that your usual walk or did you try something different this morning?” he smirked at her from across the room.
She paused hardly knowing what to say, “I admit that I had intended to walk my usual route but I found myself taking another, more interesting path instead.”
The Colonel raised his eyebrows, “More interesting? How exactly Mrs Collins?” he asked knowing she was growing more uncomfortable with his questions and that only they knew their meaning.
She looked over at Mrs Higgs as she set the cake plates on the table, “It was more interesting Colonel as I chanced to see some fauna I had never seen there before.” Two can play at this game, she thought.
“Oh,” he exclaimed enjoying the game immensely, “some fauna?”
“Yes.”
“From Rosings?”
“I believe so, yes.”
“Which kind?”
“A stag.” she smiled triumphantly as she saw his colour rising.
Mrs Higgs curtseyed at Charlotte and left them to their conversation.
“A stag?” he repeated, “And you do not often encounter a stag?”
Her blush deepened her cheeks on fire. “Not in that part of the woods, no Colonel.”
“Were you fortunate enough to observe the stag for long, Mrs Collins?”
She stared at him uncertain as to whether to reveal herself or not. Flirtation was generally acceptable in society, just not in hers. Nor was she sure this was merely flirtation, but she was feeling dangerous after their encounter that morning and she pressed on, “I believe I did for some time, although I admit, for my liking, it was not long enough.”
He smiled and indicated with his hand that he would like some tea. Charlotte rose and poured two cups, handing one to him.
He looked her into the eyes, “Not long enough.” he mimicked.
She returned to her seat, stirred her tea, and took a long drink from the cup, all the while her eyes were locked on his, “It is my observation, Colonel that such encounters are rarely of any duration.”
The Colonel almost choked on his tea, “Really?” he managed to ask.
“Really.”
“Perhaps if the frequency of such encounters were increased, then they might last longer and provide you with more pleasure.”
It was Charlotte's turn almost to choke on her tea. It was obvious to both that this conversation was getting out of hand, but neither wished to stop such intimacy.
“I do not know Colonel, I have no experience in such matters.” she pressed on brazenly, their meaning now thinly veiled.
“That is a shame, if it were in my power, I would see to it that you could spend as long as you wished with the stag... Charlotte.”
She gasped to hear him speak her name so expressively.
“Did I say something amiss?” he enquired not having missed any of her reaction.
“Not at all.” her voice was husky, her throat dry.
“Then perhaps I might venture some advice?”
He waited to see what her reaction would be. Her breathing was shallow and she barely nodded however, he saw it and pressed on, “Perhaps if you were to continue to return to the same place, the stag might become accustomed to your presence and might stay longer. He would become acquainted with you and you may enjoy a sort of familiarity as you slowly tame him by your continued presence.”
Charlotte paused with her cup halfway to her mouth at his invitation to meet her again there in the clearing. She did not know how to react. Her mind screamed that she was a married woman and that her husband was a clergyman but her body and heart had other ideas.
“Perhaps you are right Colonel.” she returned the cup to the saucer, regaining her composure.
“Maybe you are uncertain because you do not wish to frighten the creature away?”
She smiled, “I think Colonel, that there is more chance of the stag scaring me away.”
He raised his eyebrows at her over his cup, “Really Charlotte? Then we shall have to see what we can do to calm your fears.”
“What do you suggest?” The room was suddenly airless and Charlotte forced herself to resist the desire to rush to the window, open it, and breathe in deep gulps of air.
“Oh I can think of one or two things,” he said with a smirk, “but in such cases as these it is best to proceed slowly. So as to permit time for yourself and the stag to get to know each other, so to speak.”
“Yes, I see the wisdom in that.”
At that moment, they were re-joined by Mr Collins who came into the room expressing a desire for a cup of tea. He chatted away pleasantly to the room in general and was oblivious to the tension in the air between his wife and his guest.
The Colonel and Charlotte remained staring at each other for a few moments before Mr Collins' chatter drew their attention to him and they were forced to join in his conversation.
23
The following day Charlotte was prevented from walking by the weather, the clouds had built up over night, and they poured down a steady stream of heavy rain all the day through. The proceeding day was much the same as was the day after. On the fourth day the weather had relented somewhat and reduced the quantity of water falling from the sky to drizzle. On the fifth day, she almost leapt out of bed upon seeing the sun streaming through the curtains but when she went to the window to see if the world around her had dried out, she was disappointed to see it had not and resembled the Norfolk marshes.
She went about her daily routine despondently. This did not go unnoticed by Mr Co
llins who did all he could to raise her spirits and entertain her. This only caused to irritate her, she did not wish to be read to from one of his sermon books, and when she stated as much, he thought that she was coming down with some illness, and threatened to send for the apothecary.
She tried to settle and read her novels, but in her mind she was every heroine and every dashing hero was the Colonel. This would not do and she hunted to find some occupation before she went out of her wits, although everything either bored her or reminded her of him.
At length, Mr Collins produced the backgammon board and enticed her to play but she lost all but one game due to her mind being otherwise engaged.
* * *
The next day dawned bright, clear, and much drier; however, as it was Sunday there was no prospect of seeing Colonel Fitzwilliam other than across the church. Charlotte did not dare to look at the Colonel directly during the service for fear of her face betraying her and instead kept her eyes straight ahead or on Mr Collins as he preached. She felt rather than saw Colonel Fitzwilliam's gaze upon her throughout the entire service and knew she was blushing. She sincerely hoped that no one noticed. He followed his aunt out of the church as soon as the service was over and did not even exchange a greeting. She knew that was down to her Ladyship, and that she was still unforgiven by her. However, Charlotte did not care one jot about Lady Catherine; she had other concerns to occupy her now.
* * *
Mr Simmons had been prevented from visiting with Mr Collins on Tuesday owing to the amount of rainfall and the ensuing state of the roads. He offered his sincere apologies to Mr Collins who accepted them graciously.
“I suggest, if my dear wife is agreeable to my proposal,” Mr Collins looked at Charlotte; she guessed was supposed to mind read and respond to what he was thinking, she merely smiled. “That we all return to the parsonage now and see what can be done to set a date for your union Mr Simmons, Miss Thomas, before the weather can conspire against you once more.” He laughed at his own wit while the others merely nodded in agreement.
Mr Simmons was desirous that the marriage take place as soon as possible and over tea they consulted Mr Collins’ diary and agreed a date three weeks hence. Charlotte and Louisa sat and discussed plans for the wedding, the flowers, the dress, and the latter's hope for the future while Mr Collins and Mr Simmons became better acquainted.
“I find I am quite excited Charlotte. And it is not too late, you know.”
“I am glad you are excited, but pray, what do you mean by it not being too late?”
Louisa lowered her voice so that the gentlemen could not overhear, “It is not too late for me to provide George with an heir.” She blushed deeply at the implication.
“I am very glad to hear it, and I wish you every success.”
“Although, I admit I am nervous, but Anne has told me what to expect and I am as ready as I can be, I believe.”
Charlotte was not entirely sure she wished to discuss this with Louisa while the gentlemen were present but she could not prevent her without seeming rude.
“I am having a dress made. It is a gift from George. Mrs Owens did such a superb job on the dresses we had her make that day we went to Westerham that she is making my wedding gown also. I confess I always wanted to be married in pink, that is what I planned the first time and so that is what I have chosen this time around.”
Charlotte smiled at her friend's excitement and was pleased to allow her to chatter away. She could only imagine the relief and happiness that Louisa must have been feeling. To have all her hopes and dreams dashed by pure cruelty and then years later to find that the man she loved, loved her still in return must have been overwhelming. The very thought brought tears to her eyes.
“Oh my dear friend. Why do you cry?”
“Louisa, I am so happy for you, to finally get your happy ending.” she chuckled at the girlish sound of that statement.
Louisa leant forward and hugged her, “You are such a dear, caring friend Charlotte. You are so correct in what you say. I never dreamt this day would come. I was unable to forget him, in fact I did not wish to forget him, I loved him deeply then and I love him even deeper now. So, you can imagine, I am sure, the felicity I feel now, knowing that after all this time I will indeed be Mrs Louisa Simmons as I always dreamt I would be.” She paused to dab away the tears that were welling up in her eyes, “But...” she giggled, “after all, does not every girl deserve a happy ending?”
* * *
Mr Simmons and Louisa stayed until it was close to dinnertime, which they usually had in the middle of the day on Sundays. Charlotte had rarely seen someone who could bear Mr Collins' company for so long but Mr Simmons it seemed could, and appeared to enjoy himself. Charlotte was pleased as it meant that upon her marriage Louisa was not likely to give up her friendship.
Charlotte was loathe to tell them that it was time for them to leave and so she drew Mr Collins aside and suggested that he invite them to stay for dinner. However, Mr Collins went even further than that. He invited them to take a collation with them then, and suggested they all attend Evensong together, hear the first reading of the banns, and return to the parsonage afterwards for dinner. He was sure at Evensong they would find a boy who for ha'penny would run into Hunsford and inform Mrs Thomas of their plan so that she would know that Louisa was in safe hands. Louisa was ecstatic at the plan and Mr Simmons could not have been happier.
Charlotte watched Mr Collins and Mr Simmons conversing while Louisa talked to her of the dress she was having made for the wedding, once again. Charlotte saw that Mr Simmons had a way of drawing out the sensible side of Mr Collins' character, and as this was the side she personally preferred she thought it best to encourage Mr Simmons to visit as often as he pleased. In the time she had been acquainted with Mr Collins, she had also never known him to have a friend. Someone to rely on, to share burdens with, and to confide in. She was the nearest thing he had to a friend and she was sure he kept a great many things from her. However, in recent weeks she had discovered that Mr Abbot and Mr Simmons seemed to be able to tolerate her husband reasonably well, and hoped that it boded well for the future.
She returned her attention to Louisa and discovered that she was continuing to describe lace and silk. She smiled at her; in the last few days, it seemed that Louisa had become visibly younger. As though this new happiness, which the renewal of their love had brought had lifted all the years of hurt from her. He skin was more radiant, her eyes glistened, and Charlotte knew that her friend would be very happily married.
Her thoughts then drifted to Colonel Fitzwilliam momentarily, what was she doing with him? What did she expect from such flirtation? She knew she ought to put an end to it but was reluctant. She had never felt before the way she did when she was with him and did not wish to lose his friendship, therefore she decided to let him down easily by acting a little more distant each time they met.
“What do you think you will wear to the wedding, Charlotte?”
The sound of her own name snapped her out of her reverie and back to reality, “Pardon?”
Louisa giggled, “You were lost in thought, no doubt imaging the dress I was describing to you. I asked you what you thought you might wear.”
“Oh I do apologise. Yes, I was indeed imagining.” She smiled trying not to blush, “I have two new evening dresses that we had made in Westerham, and I thought one of those might suit. One is a striped blue silk and the other is a silk of palest green. They are nothing very grand, but thanks to Mr Abbot's discount I was at least able to purchase silk.”
“Oh yes, what a wonderful day that was! I thank God for that day Charlotte. For if we had not visited Westerham and I had not told you of my disappointment then you would never have had the presence of mind to have invited Mr Simmons to your card party!” She excitedly squeezed Charlotte’s hands.
“Louisa, I have said before that it was no design of mine although I was thinking on the subject and I did, I admit intend to bring you two tog
ether somehow.”
“There you see, you have admitted it! You intended to do it and Providence gave you a helping hand!”
They both giggled and Charlotte shook her head at her friend. Mr Simmons had not needed much of a push to encourage him once more. She remembered that he often sat at the back of the Church when he attended once a month and would enter as the service began and would leave as it ended, thereby avoiding all contact with Louisa. She supposed he must have been just as injured as Louisa had been and could not face her in his pain.
Charlotte excused herself and went off to the kitchen to arrange luncheon. There was no leftover meat, as the only meat available was the lamb for dinner and so Mrs Higgs suggested that they have vegetable soup and apple pie for dessert. Charlotte knew that would be acceptable and also that the dinner in the evening would be a much grander affair now that the staff had more time to prepare.
She left the kitchen having asked for tea and returned to the sitting room where she found Mr Collins telling their guests about Charlotte's parents, Lord and Lady Lucas and their home, Lucas Lodge in Hertfordshire. Charlotte sat and listened to what he had to say. She watched him as he spoke with awe and admiration of his father-in-law, the one-time Mayor of Meryton. About how gracious they were to him on every occasion that he had the pleasure of being in their home. She had to admit she was very gratified to hear him speak of her relations in such a manner and so she repaid the compliment to him by speaking of his relations and declaring them her oldest friends and dear to her heart.
Mr Collins stood by and watched his wife speak in a manner that reflected his own only moments before and knew she was paying him a kind compliment. He felt that feeling, which was now becoming more and more familiar, tugging at his heart. He knew his love for her was growing, but while he listened to her he felt no inclination to quash it or to harden himself against it, it felt good to hear her praise his relations and in so doing praise him also.
Charlotte - Pride and Prejudice Continues Page 15