by Alexa Adams
He offered her his arm, which she gradually took, still averting her gaze from him, and they began their trek across the park. It wasn’t until he helped her through the gate to the grove that lined the parameter of the pleasure grounds that he spoke, taking advantage of the opportunity to retain her hand.
She stopped, inspecting the appearance of her own hand in his, and gazed up into his eyes. So accustomed to find humor there, she was dismayed to see his pained look. Instinctively, she acted to cheer him. “Will nothing ever cure you of your presumption, Sir James?” she asked with a slight, teasing smile.
The words were a balm to Sir James’ blistered soul. “You have a lifetime to try, should you want it,” he responded, placing her arm upon his and resuming their walk towards the house. “May I hope?”
“I fear you have a great deal of explaining to do before I can respond.”
“You believe my explanations might suffice!” he declared with a hint of his increasing glee. “That is already far more than I had expected.”
“Do you not think I ought to know the extent of the task you offer me before committing myself to its undertaking?”
He laughed – a sound to Kitty like music – and agreed wholeheartedly, describing to her amazement his adventures with Mr. Bennet and Mr. Wickham.
“Dear me! Lydia said something threatening in her letter, but I never believed she would really run away! I should have spoken to Mr. Darcy about it immediately, but I was so upset with you that I never even thought of it again!”
“There is no harm done! Besides, Mr. Beaumont really had no intention of following through with it, though I do wonder to imagine how he planned to resist her in the very end. You sister certainly will have the upper hand in the marriage.”
“From what you say, I rather think it is Miss Beaumont who will rule the roost.”
“You are probably right, clever lady that you are.”
Kitty began to protest, but he would not hear it. “I have Mrs. Rivers’ word on it, you know, and your father told me you had almost no music at all less than two years ago! Do you not know that it is much more difficult to acquire such a skill at your age? Almost any child can be taught to play decently, but an adult must have a very good ear and sharp mind to learn. You are a prodigy!”
She blushed, knowing how ill-suited such praise was to her meager talents, but offered no more excuses for herself. If Sir James insisted on placing her upon a pedestal, then she might as well begin to make her perch comfortable. Quite unconsciously, she laced her free hand into the one resting on his arm, so as to give it a gentle hug. His contentment soared to previously unknown heights as he, in turn, put his hand upon hers, and they smiled into each other’s eyes as they wandered, quietly, the remaining distance to Rosings.
Entering the house was like being released from a spell. Lady Catherine immediately called for them to appear before her in the drawing room, where all the household was assembled. In the glare of all her family, Kitty dropped Sir James’ arm ashamedly, backing away from him with all the modesty that she had so recently forgotten.
“Do not play coy now, Miss Bennet!” reprimanded Lady Catherine. “The time is quite past. Your father is with the Collins’, but I will represent his interests at this moment! I assume you are engaged?”
“N-n-no, ma’am,” she stammered.
“Then you should not be clinging to Sir James as you were! Darcy, tell her she must marry him.”
“I will not coerce Miss Bennet, Aunt Catherine, nor will I allow you to do so,” he firmly relied.
“Excuse me,” interrupted Elizabeth, addressing the young lovers, “but it does seem that you two have made amends, have you not?” Timidly, they both assented. “Perhaps you have not yet had the opportunity to discuss your future plans?”
“Quite right, Mrs. Darcy,” affirmed Sir James, seizing the opportunity provided. “Miss Bennet, you never did answer my question, though I met your demands. Will you not undertake the task of curing my presumption?”
“If you will pardon me for first presuming that you have already obtained my father’s permission?”
He grinned. “That was the reason for our falling out, was it not?”
“Then yes, Sir James, I believe I will. After all, someone must!”
He kissed her hand, and Georgiana hurrahed. Colonel Fitzwilliam, Miss de Bourgh, and the Darcys offered their congratulations, while a disgusted Lady Catherine declared: “Is that how you propose these days! Darcy was certainly more courtly. I was not there, of course, but this must be a freak of Sir James’. Wait until your Aunt Westingham hears of your antics!”
“Oh! That reminds me, Lady Catherine, that I have a message from her to deliver to you ...”
--
Despite all omens to the contrary, it was a merry Easter at Rosings Park that year after all. The excitement of an engagement to celebrate, and then another to announce, and then yet another to anticipate, once Mr. Brooks could be summoned, lent distinction enough to the party to satisfy even Mrs. Westingham. Never did conversation struggle, all shared good spirits, and an ample supply of champagne did much to add to the general air of merriment.
“Lady Catherine, if I might be so bold, I think it behooves me to say a few words on this celebratory occasion,” Mr. Collins addressed the table, glass aloft. “As a man of the cloth, matrimony is my particular interest, you know, and further, since the betrothed lady is my very own sister, to whose childhood home I am heir, I think it particularly incumbent upon me to speak on the subject. Being happily married myself does give me some additional authority, too, – do you not think so, Mrs. Collins?”
“I certainly do, Mr. Collins,” Mary readily agreed. “Few could be better prepared for such a task then a Rector, nor would the words of others carry such resonance, especially now that you speak with the added weight of a patriarch.”
“Indeed! My point precisely, my dear! Now that I know something further of not just the marital state, but the parental state too, I feel particularly well placed to make just such a speech as this occasion warrants.”
“You must get on with it then, Mr. Collins!” cried Lady Catherine, her patience with her rector quite gone. “We cannot be about this all night!”
“But who better to listen to on such a subject, Lady Catherine? Surely we gain much through rapt attention to Mr. Collins’ words, so eloquently chosen as they are!” Mr. Bennet said with humor, the antics of his heir being one of his greatest amusements. However, Mr. Collins had been quelled, satisfying himself with thanking Mr. Bennet for his kind compliment, who was left to be entertained by Lady Catherine. She was very interested, having suggested it herself, in the progress of a new drainage system he was attempting at Longbourn. It was a subject of particular felicity to both, for it was one on which Mr. Collins could have nothing to say.
“Simon told me that Mr. Collins was something of a character,” said Sir James quietly to Kitty, customary laughter in his eyes. “Apparently, you would not have hesitated to accept him, had he asked you to marry rather than your sister, yet you repeatedly rejected me. Am I so inferior to Mr. Collins?”
“That is not at all what I said to Mr. Brooks,” she replied with a giggle, “nor do I believe he told the tale in the manner in which you represent.”
“No one’s words ever were more easily misrepresented than Simon’s.”
She smiled playfully. “You know very well you are a thousand times the man my poor cousin is, and I will not be tricked into feeding your vanity.”
“Of course you will not!” he declared fervently, and both laughed, at perfect peace with the world and each other. It was one of the happiest evenings, amongst many happy evenings, in their long life together.
Chapter 22
“Had you told me just a year ago that Kitty would make such a triumphant match, I never would have believed it,” laughed Elizabeth to Darcy after they had said goodnight to the rest of the company.
“Are you the only Bennet permitt
ed ‘a triumphant match’?” asked Darcy teasingly.
“Certainly not, but I would not have thought that Kitty would be the one to make it, or myself, for that matter. Jane was always the beautiful one.”
“Jane is a very handsome woman,” Darcy conceded, “but men look for different things in women, you know. Her looks are classic, and she wears them with the passivity of a statue. I like a more dynamic lady: someone with spirit. Kitty is like you in that way, you know – matching beauty with substance.”
“This is no time to criticize my sweet Jane, Fitzwilliam,” she said seriously.
“I did not mean to appear so censorial,“ he cried, much struck. “Mrs. Bingley is one of the most admirable women I know, and just right for Charles, but she would not work for someone such as myself, let alone Sir James.”
“So a thinking man of great fortune may be depended upon to choose a challenging wife? Why seek peace and serenity when one might have stormy tribulation?”
“Now it is you who are being unfair to Charles, Elizabeth! I know you are concerned for your sister, but let it not soil this happy night,” he took her hands and laid them under his upon her expanding middle, adding with significance, “Let us instead concentrate on how very fortunate we are.”
“You are right, for nothing is to be gained sinking beneath that over which we can have no effect. We do much better to marvel at Kitty’s good fortune. That is unless …” her voice trailed off.
“What is it?”
She looked at him with wide eyes. “Unless Kitty was right all along, and marriage to Sir James proves a most disagreeable affair.”
“Elizabeth!” he cried incredulously. “You must be in jest?”
“Oh yes! Most assuredly,” she replied with a smile.
“If Sir James does lead her into rocky waters now and again, we must depend upon Kitty to weather them like the best of sailors. I think that is where she particularly is suited to him. She has natural sea legs!”
Elizabeth laughed. “If not, she had best develop them soon. Why all the nautical reference?”
“Sir James spoke of Greece as a honeymoon, and his talk has gotten into my head, quite as usual,” he confessed. “I must say I do not like it, and I sincerely hope he does not expect me to extricate them from any difficulties they might find themselves in, Turkish loyalties being known to shift about!”
“I doubt he would burden you so,” said Elizabeth coyly. “That is, of course, unless Mr. Brooks and Georgiana have already failed in a first attempt at rescue.”
Darcy’s posture shot to attention. “I will have to convince him to travel someplace safer,” he mumbled in alarm. “Do you think he could be content with Ireland?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” replied Elizabeth. “Do you know of any ancient Irish philosophers they might admire?”
He considered this seriously.
--
Elizabeth had sent a letter to Valeside before leaving town, letting her sister know she would be at her side whenever wanted; she need only ask. It was at this time that she received her reply, and it was not one to give much satisfaction:
My dear Elizabeth,
How I do appreciate your sweet overtures, but you must not trouble yourself to travel all this way. You have obligations to Miss Darcy and Kitty that must come first. I will be quite well, I assure you. I already am much improved and only troubled by some inevitable sadness, but such is to be expected. I will recover in time. Besides, how can you think of taxing yourself so as to travel here in haste? You must take care of your health, my dear Lizzy, and do no such thing. The new guest rooms are not yet ready, and I am afraid our arrival has rather impeded the workers progress. Charles thought that our presence would be motivating, but I am afraid he was mistaken.
You see I am all household cares, just as I should be upon homecoming. I will write more when stronger.
Yrs,
JB
She shared the letter with Mr. Darcy. “Do you think she does not want me there for some reason? I am very tempted to ignore her protestations and journey forth instantly, for she seems not at all herself, and her hand is quite weak.”
He shook his head. “Have you considered, my dear, that you might be the most difficult person for her to see right now?”
Her expression indicated that she had, and it was a cause of some distress. “Oh dear! Have I been insensitive? She might have feared I would take the house by storm, the way I wrote to her: declaring my determination to be by her side.” Tears welled in her eyes, “How terrible that I would only remind her of her loss!” Turning towards Darcy, she allowed herself to be folded into his arms, where she cried a great deal more. Finally composing herself, she apologized for her heightened emotions. “Everything seems to make me cry,” she complained. “I know it to be a common symptom of my condition, but it does leave me feeling so very unlike myself.”
“This is a hard time,” he consoled. “Your tears are understandable.”
She shook her head. “You do not know how very bad it has gotten! Last evening, when Mr. Collins spoke of his paternity, it was all I could do not to seek solace in my handkerchief, but my father would never have let me live such sentiments down, had I betrayed them!”
He laughed. “You should not make such confessions! I could be honor bound, as a son, to share with him your weakness. He would never forgive me were I to deny him the pleasure of such knowledge!”
“Fitzwilliam!” she scolded. “You shall do no such thing!”
“I suppose a wife’s confidence does rank above a father’s entertainment,” he acknowledged with a sigh. “I must hold me tongue.”
“Do not forget it,” she warned, and they proceeded with good humor to join the rest of the party now assembling for a walk to the Parsonage, where Mrs. Collins expected them for tea.
--
The next few days passed by in happy contentment. Any tinge of sadness only served to heighten appreciation for the current enjoyment, and when talk of engagements grew thin, Master Bennet-Collins was always on hand to enliven the company. Mr. Brooks’ arrival rendered the party most complete, and Lady Catherine boasted of their perfect number at table and cards, just as if she had so arranged it, and advocated fervently for a quadrille tournament, teams to be chosen by herself. It was with great relief that Kitty escaped such a fate, Miss de Bourgh firmly insisting upon her preference for Casino.
Sir James got to know the Collinses excessively well, quickly succeeding to a favored status in the young Master’s heart; and when the baronet was so seen to accept that family’s peculiarities in stride, Mr. Bennet was heard to remark that having thrown at him all their most trying relations, it was impossible Kitty should ever again doubt the steadfast nature of his attachment. It was the evening before the party was to break up and all guests return to London that Sir James was confronted with one last test of character. They were all peacefully enjoying their meal when a harried Mrs. Bennet burst into the room, brushing aside the scandalized butler. Her eyes swooped over the guests, quickly taking in the presence of both Sir James and her husband, the latter of whom she accosted with fevered anxiety.
“Mr. Bennet!” she demanded. “What is this I hear of Kitty rejecting Sir James? I have had the entire account from Mrs. Westingham and set forth immediately. Kitty!” she cried, turning on her daughter. “You must marry Sir James! I insist! If you do not, I never shall speak with you again!”
Though the couple was truly in love, not a person seated at that table did not consider whether Kitty should take her mother up on such a priceless offer.
--
To someone of your insight, Miss Austen, the future from here is transparently clear. As you said yourself: “Who can be in doubt of what followed?” But as you felt the need to provide some further explanation, so do I feel such an obligation to my gentle readers. The Darcys returned to London at their appointed time, of course bringing Mr. Brooks and Sir James in their wake, but also finding room in their carriage for Mr
s. Bennet, who refused to be parted from her dear Lizzy, that poor sufferer being unable to hide her condition from her mother. It was to the great relief of both Mr. and Mrs. Darcy that the good lady was easily persuaded to spend the bulk of her time in purchasing wedding clothes for her daughters, the bills for which extravagance Mr. Darcy happily paid. In their private moments, both Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth could acknowledge their relief that no one had informed Mrs. Bennet of her eldest daughter’s trials. Keeping their mother’s attention from Valeside was a real service they could provide the Bingleys, and at a time where they felt so helpless to assist, it was a welcome burden.
Mr. Bennet journeyed from Rosings directly to Barsington, where he made the pleasure of Miss Beaumont’s acquaintance. That lady, upon gratefully learning from the helpful Mr. Wickham of her brother’s current whereabouts, had immediately set forth to Somerset in order to lend the young couple countenance. Mrs. Westingham, instantly perceiving that the circumstances looked far less odd with Eustacia present, welcomed her to stay indefinitely. Upon Mr. Bennet’s arrival, the four members of the present party had quite settled in for a prolonged visit, Mrs. Westingham being fond of her little entourage, and the young people enjoying her liberal chaperonage. Lydia no longer seemed in any rush to beat her sister to the altar, but upon learning from her father that her mother was content to buy wedding clothes on her behalf, she allowed herself to be removed to London. The Beaumonts soon followed, having collected their mother, much against her will, from Freningham, and soon Lydia and Mr. Beaumont were married. Many a disgruntled matron complained that they knew not what to do with their still single daughters if eligible gentlemen would insist on robbing the schoolroom for their brides, but they found solace in the firm fact that there were no more single Bennets still available, ready to disrupt yet another season’s marriage prospects. Though occasional rumor spoke of three or four more in the schoolroom, no one who had the privilege of meeting Mrs. Bennet that year would allow such falsehood to go unchallenged, for the lady’s pride in having so satisfactorily ridden herself of daughters was unforgettable. Some might pity her sons-in-law such a mother, no matter how charming their brides, but never did one of them complain publicly of her enthusiasm, and all learned to appreciate her great solicitude, even when overbearing, for she could always be counted upon when needed.