Charlotte

by Linda Phelps

  Charlotte, who had ushered her other guests into the parlour, recognized Elizabeth’s dilemma. Left to himself, Mr. Collins would have spent the rest of the day on courtesies.

  “Dear Elizabeth, pray enter the house. Mr. Collins, I’m sure our guests will like some refreshment after their long drive.”

  “Of course, my dear Charlotte. Miss Elizabeth, please enter my home.”

  However, he paused once they had entered to point out the proportions of the entry hall before allowing her to proceed. Charlotte feared that Elizabeth would soon lose patience with his constant demands for praise. Once he had escorted his cousin into the sitting room, he repeated his formal welcomes to his “humble abode”, which Elizabeth accepted with calm thanks.

  Sir William and Maria had been allowed to enter the house immediately and had wandered the sitting room, showing by looks and words their approval of what they found. It was, however, Elizabeth’s approval that Charlotte most wanted. Perhaps if Elizabeth recognized what she, Charlotte, had gained from this distasteful marriage, she would better understand that it had been not a sacrifice, but a means to a desired end. She repeated her offer of refreshments for the guests.

  “Oh, yes,” said Mr. Collins. “My wife and Lady Catherine have consulted most earnestly on the selection we have to offer you. Lady Catherine herself suggested the small sandwiches and petit cakes, which suggestions Mrs. Collins was eager to follow. If you feel you would like them, our maid will bring them immediately, You will then have evidence of Lady Catherine’s ready knowledge about what is proper and pleasant to eat and drink.”

  Charlotte saw an expression of Elizabeth’s face that she recognized from their years of friendship. Elizabeth very much desired to say something sarcastic but was reining her tongue for the sake of manners. Charlotte imagined the unsaid words to be, “Do you think that your wife is not able to order proper refreshments without consulting with someone else? You, sir, are a fool, who does not appreciate the abilities of the woman you were so uncommonly lucky as to convince to marry you.”

  The party deferred to Sir William, who, convivial as always, called for food and drink. As they partook, Mr. Collins drew their attention to every item in the sitting room. Not a chair nor a table nor a picture nor even the fire screen lacked a narration. Charlotte felt herself blush from time to time at some of the details he provided.

  “This painting hung once in the cook’s room at Rosings,” said he, “but when that lady took a pension, Lady Catherine felt it was too good for the new cook, and gave it to me, with instructions that it hang exactly between the windows in the sitting room. As you can see, Lady Catherine’s taste is exquisite. Can you not see how it gives the room an air?”

  The painting itself was a gloomy portrait of a bygone male de Bourgh, for which the man had apparently posed when not in good health or spirits. Charlotte detested this image and daily wished she could spirit it back to the cook’s room, where its presence would undoubtedly adversely affect the quality of the food that appeared in the Rosings dining room. She had, reluctantly accepted that this portrait was a permanent addition to her furnishings. Mr. Collins would not listen for a minute to any suggestion that it be transferred to an unused bedroom or even that it be hung in the little attic which housemaid Nancy inhabited. Lady Catherine would be sure to notice its absence immediately she stepped into the room.

  Charlotte interrupted her husband’s catalogue of their possessions to ask the travelers about any hardships they had encountered and especially about their overnight stay in London. She was curious to know if Jane Bennet had yet encountered Mr. Bingley, and, if so, what had been the outcome of the meeting, but those questions must wait until the two friends were alone together.

  “Let us all stroll through the gardens of our modest home,” said Mr. Collins, rising to lead the way. “I tend to the garden myself, with the help of our man Mark and sometimes Mrs. Collins.”

  “I encourage Mr. Collins in this pastime, “said Charlotte. “It is a healthy activity and provides him with much needed respite from his clerical duties. Were it not for the garden, he would be forever inside, toiling at his sermons and accounts. He is so diligent when it comes to his work for the parish.”

  The garden was large, and well laid out, cultivated in readiness for the onset of spring. “I have here prepared a bed for salad,” Mr. Collins said. “Lady Catherine was kind enough to express her belief that the sun will shine exactly properly for such a vegetable in this area. And here you see cloches, a gift of Lady Catherine. She has instructed me to grow seedlings that might not survive a late frost.” He lifted one or two to show the growth to them. “She is all useful instruction. And here I am in the process of pruning these pear trees to keep them tidy, as Lady Catherine suggested. Here I have roses, although they are not yet worth viewing, and here there will be colorful beds of pink and blue hyacinths and tulips. You can see that they are only beginning to show their heads. Lady Catherine feels they will bloom just in time for Easter.”

  The three travelers expressed their appreciation of all that they saw, although not to the extent that Mr. Collins felt no need to join in. He then had the ultimate pleasure of leading them to a spot where Rosings could be viewed in its entirety. The handsome building inspired the group to praise, into which he joined with a minute list of details about the brick and windows and roofing tiles. In no time, his words had stripped the building of its beauties and left its admirers with only an impression of numbers and tonnage to admire.

  “And now let us observe the meadows. There are two, both of which you can see from here, but you will better understand their size and quality if we walk through them.”

  “My dear husband,” said Charlotte. “We ladies are not properly shod for such an adventure. Another day will be soon enough.” And without waiting for his acquiescence, she turned and led Elizabeth and Maria back to the house. Sir William obligingly accompanied his son-in-law, and as they departed, the ladies could hear him praising all he saw with heartiness likely to gratify even Mr. Collins.

  Grateful for the absence of her husband, Charlotte took her female guests through the house, satisfied that all was neat and comfortable. “I suspect you have done much since you arrived here to bring things to this state of perfection,” Elizabeth said. “It is no less than I have expected. You have made a pleasant home for yourself and Mr. Collins.”

  “I believe I have,” said Charlotte. “and I have taken great pleasure in so doing. It is so comfortable to have a home of one’s own. Do you like the rectory, Maria?”

  “It seems small,” said the girl, “but much like Lucas Lodge in its details. I shall have a fine time here with you. However I do wish you and Mr. Collins would go to town, so I could visit you there.”

  Charlotte laughed. “You must not expect that, Maria. “We have an excellent income, but not one that will afford us such pleasure.”

  Chapter Two

  MR. COLLINS CARVED THE joint at dinner. “It is fortunate for all of us that Lady Catherine lingers at Rosings this year. She does not think it wise to take Lady Anne into town while she is not in health.”

  Elizabeth agreed that the situation was fortunate for all.

  “Yes, Cousin Elizabeth,” he continued, “you will have the honour of seeing Lady Catherine de Bourgh on Sunday next at church, and I need not say you will be delighted with her. She is all affability and condescension, and I doubt not that you –and my father and sister—will be honoured by some portion of her notice when the service has ended.” Maria looked somewhat frightened by this prediction, but Sir William nodded. “Such are the manners of the truly well bred,” said he.

  “And I have scarcely any hesitation in saying that she will include you and my sister Maria in every invitation with which she honours us during your stay here. Am I not right, my dear?”

  “Indeed, Mr. Collins, you speak truly,” said Charlotte.

  “Lady Catherine’s behavior to my dear Charlotte is charming, as you will
see. We dine at Rosings twice every week and are never allowed to walk home.”

  Suspecting that her guests were growing tired of these accolades, Charlotte said,” Lady Catherine is a very respectable, sensible woman indeed, and a very attentive neighbour.”

  “Very true, my dear, that is exactly what I say. She is the sort of woman whom one cannot regard with too much deference.”

  Charlotte chose to attend to her soup rather than look at Elizabeth. She well knew that her friend did not think there was a person alive who deserved such a degree of deference. She wondered what would happen when the two strong willed women met.

  The next day Lady Anne’s phaeton pulled to a stop at the door. Charlotte and her husband left the house to invite the girl and her companion, Mrs. Jenkinson, to stop a moment and meet her guests, an invitation loudly repeated by Mr. Collins throughout the conversation, but they refused, having an errand in the village. Lady Anne at the mention of guests pulled her shawl more tightly around her shoulders.

  “We should not want to interfere with your pleasure,” she said. : “After all, you do not now need us for company.”

  Sir William, hoping to be introduced, bowed in the direction of the ladies.

  “Oh, my dear Lady Anne” cried Charlotte. “I am always happy to spend time with you. You and Lady Catherine and Mrs. Jenkinson have been so kind to me since I arrived. I hope I am not so ungrateful a neighbour as to forget that. You are welcome here any time.”

  “Yes, Lady Anne,” said Mr. Collins. “You cannot think that we would not respect Lady Catherine, your mother, who has been so amiable and generous with us.”

  Lady Anne looked doubtful. Then she nudged her guardian who signaled the driver to walk on.

  Once back in the house, Mr. Collins, more than usually proud of himself, said, “I congratulate all of you. We are invited to dine at Rosings tomorrow. Who could have expected such an honour? And the invitation tendered by Lady Anne herself. You must be prepared for a degree of grandeur of a kind you have not seen before.”

  “I will prepare them, Mr. Collins,” said Charlotte. “Be at rest on that account.”

  “I confess,” said Mr. Collins, “that I should not have been at all surprised by her Ladyship’s asking us on Sunday to drink tea and spend the evening at Rosings. I rather expected, from my knowledge of her affability that that would happen. But who could have foreseen such an attention as this? Who could have imagined an invitation including the whole party so immediately after your arrival?”

  “I am the less surprised at what has happened,” replied Sir William, “from that knowledge of what the manners of the great really are, which my situation in life has allowed me to acquire.” There was no harm in reminding his son-in-law that he was himself of a higher rank.

  “I know not how to admire this example of Lady Catherine’s affability,” said Mr. Collins.”

  The guests at the rectory helped him admire the example for a few moments.

  In time, Mr. Collins, satisfied with their comments, ceased rejoicing and led Sir William to his study where they were soon heard to be playing backgammon.

  “So that was Lady Anne,” said Elizabeth when the women were settled in the sitting room. “She is so small. I had not expected that.”

  “She has not been raised as you and I have. She has almost no exercise, and her meals are often of a richness that is not, in my opinion, conducive to health. Doubtless you will see what I mean after we have dined at Rosings.”

  “Oh, sister,” cried Maria. “What shall I wear? Is my blue muslin fine enough?”

  “Do not worry,” said Charlotte. “I may say of Lady Catherine that she does not judge one on one’s clothing. In fact, she prefers that her guests dress more plainly than she and her daughter do.”

  “I will lend you a necklace, Maria,” said Elizabeth. “I have brought two, and one of them will perfectly set off your blue muslin, if it is the one you wore to the last Assembly Ball.”

  Charlotte had many questions about this event. Who had danced with whom? What had Elizabeth worn? Which officers had been attentive to which young ladies? She saved her questions about Mr. Wickham until she and Elizabeth would be alone together.

  “Rosings, from a distance, seems even more grand than Netherfield,” said Maria, undoing some stitches which had fallen prey to her nerves. “Shall I know how to act? I would not like her to think me ill bred.”

  “Do not worry,” Charlotte said. “Remain silent, but attentive. If you are asked a question, answer it politely. This event is not meant to be an ordeal, my dear sister, but a pleasant venture into society.”

  “Oh, I know I will not sleep tonight,” cried Maria. “What if—”

  “As Mr. Collins will surely tell you, we can expect further invitations. In no time you will be accustomed to them. But now, I think you should go to your room and attempt to sleep. You will want to look fresh in the morning.”

  Scarcely anything was talked of the next day but their visit to Rosings. Mr. Collins was carefully instructing them in what they were to expect, that the sight of such rooms, so many servants, and so splendid a dinner might not wholly overpower them. This only served to put Maria into a state of terror, while her father confined his comments to situations which referenced his days at court.

  When the ladies were separating to prepare themselves, Mr. Collins took Elizabeth apart to say, “Do not make yourself uneasy my dear cousin, about your apparel Lady Catherine is far from requiring that elegance of dress in us which becomes herself and daughter.”

  “I am grateful to know that, cousin,” said Elizabeth solemnly.

  “I advise you merely to put on whatever of your clothes is superior to the rest. Lady Catherine will not think the worse of you for being simply dressed. She likes to have the distinction of rank preserved.”

  Charlotte, overhearing this exchange, saw that Elizabeth was strongly tempted to answer him in an unambiguous way. She interjected, “Now, husband, let the ladies worry about their dress. It is not your concern”, and she saw Elizabeth into her room, where Nancy waited to help her.

  But while they were dressing, Mr. Collins came repeatedly to their doors to urge haste. Lady Catherine did not like to be kept waiting. Maria Lucas, completely undone with fear at this point, came to the front door so promptly that she was quite in a state of disarray, which her sister soon put to rights.

  As they walked the half mile to Rosings, Mr. Collins spoke rapturously of the beauties around them. When they did not respond with the reverence he expected, he switched to enumerating the number of windows in the building, what they had cost, and what the tax burden for their existence was on the estate. This was not a topic that could elicit comments from the others. All were relieved when they ascended the steps to the hall, where a different sort of ordeal was anticipated.

  “Notice the fine proportions of this room,” ordered Mr. Collins, once they were in the entrance hall. “And here, this mirror with its gilded frame exactly complements the candlesticks on this table. The walls—”

  “Come, my dear,” said Charlotte. “Lady Catherine awaits us.” She put her hand reassuringly on Maria’s trembling arm and fell in with the others behind her husband.

  Lady Catherine sat with her daughter and Mrs. Jenkinson in the drawing room. When the party appeared, she graciously rose to receive them, which fact they would be reminded of later by Mr. Collins. Charlotte had arranged with her husband to perform the introductions, which while simple, were smoothly achieved. Lady Anne made no notice of their entrance, while Mrs. Jenkinson merely nodded as she readjusted the fire screen to shade her charge’s eyes.

  Maria, as soon as it was feasible, relieved her trembling legs by sitting stiffly on the edge of a chair. Almost immediately she was required to rise and join the others in looking through a window to admire the view. Once reassembled, the party did not fall into comfortable conversation, nor was there need for them to do so. Lady Catherine introduced the topic of the weather, and at i
ntervals paused to wait for one of her guests to agree with her. Maria was spared even this task, Mr. Collins being determined to state the opinions of all.

  Although the dinner was exceedingly handsome, Charlotte scarcely knew what she was eating. She trusted that, as always, her husband would elaborately praise each dish, and in time her father came to echo him, which relieved her of those responsibilities. Elizabeth, at her side, could be counted on to offer what was proper. She was able to direct a meaningful glance at Maria, so that even the terrified girl uttered an expression of gratitude and admiration for the fare.

  Still, for her guests’ sake, she was disappointed that the conversation was not of more general interest. She knew Elizabeth would compare this dinner with the more informal ones at Longbourn and Lucas Lodge, where events of the day and even of the world were discussed with varying degrees of knowledge. She found that she was wishing for Mr. and Mrs. Bennet at the table. Now that would be a dinner to remember. She even wished that Lady Anne would utter a complaint. The girl remained silent, not even speaking to Elizabeth, at whose side she sat.

  The meal seemed to last for hours. It came to a point where Charlotte, reading her friend’s mind, hoped for one of the servants to drop a tureen of soup on the floor. Charlotte, and Elizabeth surely, would welcome anything that broke the monotony..

  “I know I speak for all of us here at the table when I express my gratitude for this magnificent dinner in these splendid surroundings,” said Mr. Collins again.

  Sir William added, “Not even at St. James have I had such superb things to dine upon.”

  Maria hazarded a smile and nodded her head.

  Perhaps Lady Catherine’s desire for praise was sated, for she rose and led the ladies back to the drawing room, leaving Mr. Collins and Sir William to a bottle of port and a basket of walnuts.

  The early part of the conversation after dinner consisted of a number of questions directed to Charlotte, who readily answered them in detail. She had not previously been annoyed when Lady Catherine inquired into the state of her larder or her livestock, but with Elizabeth present, it occurred to her that such answers as she made bordered on servility.