by Kelly Miller
With the curtain pulled aside far enough to provide her with an unobstructed view but not so far as to allow her to be seen should anyone glance in her direction, Lady Catherine stood in the shadows behind and to the side of a window in the front parlour. The sonorous, joyful sounds of Bennet’s laughter and the dog’s barks taunted her resolve.
This uncouth display of childish conduct by Darcy was yet another example of the extent to which the woman had reduced her exalted nephew to her own base level. It was undignified for Darcy to engage in such play with the boy. Despite the fact that the three of them made a pretty picture, they were a family resulting from the treacherous plot of a scheming mercenary.
Elizabeth had invited Lady Catherine to accompany them and sit on one of the chairs outside, but she had declined. The woman could try all she wished to gain her favour, but it was a waste of time. What self-deluded arrogance the woman possessed—as if aught she did could make her forget the unrelenting injury done to Anne! If I had known then what I know now, I could have prevented this disaster! Darcy would be married to Anne instead of that strumpet. I underestimated Elizabeth then. In an unrivalled show of generosity, I bestowed undue attention upon her and invited her to my home—a deplorable mistake!
Memories of that fateful spring and the events that followed flooded her mind.
***
March 1812
Rosings, Kent
Lady Catherine had been reading the latest copy of Ladies Monthly Museum in the parlour when Anne entered, taking a seat beside her.
“Mother, I am now five and twenty. For as long as I can remember, you have spoken of Darcy and me marrying one day. In the past, I accepted it as the truth, but I have begun to have doubts that he has any intention of marrying me.”
What was this? Anne had never expressed such uncertainty before. Setting her magazine aside, she met her daughter’s timid gaze. “Of course Darcy will marry you! He knows very well that it was the favourite wish of his mother. I have told him so several times. He was excessively close to my dear sister, Lady Anne. I told my sister many times she indulged that boy with too much attention, but she never heeded my warnings. The material point is he would not go against his mother’s wishes.”
The muscles in Anne’s face compressed as her fingers gripped and twisted the fabric of her skirt. “When Uncle George was still alive, Darcy and I used to talk during his visits. We had engaging conversations back then on the subjects of literature, history, and music. After his father’s death, he was despondent for a long time, but even well past his mourning period, he stopped paying me anything but the bare minimum of attention. If he intended to marry me, would he not talk to me and spend time with me?”
She let out a derisive laugh. “Anne, you have been reading too many romance novels. Why should Darcy think to spend time with you now when he knows he will have the rest of his life to do so?”
Anne nodded. Soon thereafter, she took her leave and slipped from the room.
Lady Catherine, nevertheless, could not return to her magazine with the same calmness of temper as before. Was Anne’s fear unfounded? It must be so! Darcy’s every move in London was the inspiration for the gossip rags, so if he had ever shown an interest in any particular lady, she would have heard of it. She was certain there had not even been a dalliance with an actress, much less a mistress. He had given her no reason to doubt he would follow through and fulfil the plan that she and his mother had conceived so long ago.
Many young men were reluctant to get married, but Darcy was now seven and twenty. It was time for him to make the engagement with Anne official. She would bring it up again when he came for Easter. By the end of summer, they would be married.
***
April 1812
Lady Catherine and Anne were alone in the library when Anne lifted her eyes from her book and addressed her.
“Mother, did you notice Darcy’s unusual comportment last night?”
She closed her own book, setting it on her lap. “To what do you refer?
“He was more silent and austere than usual, yet he showed a singular interest in Miss Bennet. His eyes followed her throughout the evening.”
Lady Catherine formed a steeple with her hands. “Now you mention it, I did think it odd when Darcy followed Miss Bennet and Richard to the pianoforte.” She frowned. Unbidden to her mind came the image of the impertinent twist of Miss Bennet’s lips as she had responded to her inquiries at their first meeting. At times, it had almost seemed as if the young woman had been making a joke at her expense. It was a ridiculous notion! She would not dare treat a lady so far above her with such insolence. “I allow that Miss Bennet is an attractive girl in a common sort of way. I have no fears for Darcy where Miss Bennet is concerned. If there is one thing I know of him, it is that he knows his place in the world. He would never offer for one so below himself. Now, if Richard were wealthy enough to marry where he liked, I might have concern for him falling into her clutches. You have seen how she flirts with him.” What Lady Catherine did not say was that Darcy might make a lady like Miss Bennet an offer, but it would not be one of marriage.
“I am sure you are correct, Mother.” Anne’s lips formed a weak smile and she resumed reading her book.
***
October 1812
It was a dark and blustery autumn day when Catherine was forced to face the fact that she had made an enormous blunder in the matter of Miss Bennet.
Her rector, Mr. Collins, came to call, all aflutter over news Mrs. Collins had received from her family. When he was escorted to her parlour by the butler, the man’s face was an alarming shade of red, and perspiration dripped from his temples. He gave her his customary greeting and exaggerated bow. “My lady, there was an item in Mrs. Collins’s latest letter from her mother that caused me great alarm. I wasted not a moment in rushing here to tell you of it. I fear it shall result in great distress for you and Miss de Bourgh.”
She sighed. The toad-eater was useful in his way, but he had a tedious tendency to exaggerate the importance of every matter he came across. She gave him a curt nod. “Yes, yes. What is it?” She fluttered her hands towards him to urge him to speak.
“My cousin, Miss Jane Bennet, has become engaged to a friend of your nephew Mr. Darcy, a Mr. Charles Bingley. Mrs. Collins’s father, Sir William Lucas, has speculated that another betrothal could soon be announced, that of Mr. Darcy and my cousin Elizabeth Bennet! It is an absurd idea, and I cannot conceive of how my father-in-law could make such an outrageous statement. To have given voice to it, even in jest, is a glaring insult to your exalted nephew. Why Sir William would make such a wild conjecture is a mystery, yet it must be supposed that it originated from my cousin Elizabeth herself. No one else would have the audacity to start such a rumour, but she, I fear, is capable of such a ruse. I can only express my sincere regret that I ever allowed my wife to invite her here. Never could I have imagined my cousin would resort to such treachery! I am appalled and ashamed that I share a kinship with the woman.”
Her heart pulsed at an alarming rate; her earlier tranquillity had been destroyed. She could have ignored this statement from Sir William, a man who was neither intelligent nor intuitive, had it not been for Darcy’s odd behaviour in Miss Bennet’s presence during his Easter visit.
In an emotionless tone, she dismissed Mr. Collins, who gave her several deep bows before scampering away with his handkerchief held against his forehead.
With a growing heaviness in her gut, Lady Catherine queried her entire contingent of Rosings servants for any suspicious conduct they might have witnessed on the part of her nephew Darcy or Miss Bennet. With stammering speech, her steward admitted he had seen them out walking alone together in the grove on two or three occasions. Lady Catherine was so enraged that it took all of her self-restraint to refrain from hitting the man with her walking stick instead of merely dam
aging the narrow, oil-painted floorboards. The stupid man should have alerted her at the time!
She interrogated the servants at Hunsford and was dismayed to find that, in at least two instances, Darcy had been alone in the house with Miss Bennet. What a fool she had been not to suspect the woman’s artifice then!
Anne, when apprised of what she had learned, gave out a shrill cry, “Mother, what does this mean? Is Darcy to marry me or not?” Her daughter’s breath came in pants as she placed a hand upon her chest.
Lady Catherine rubbed her daughter’s back in an attempt to calm her. Anne’s delicate constitution could not handle the distress of such uncertainty. She assured her daughter she had no cause for anxiety; she would handle the situation. A plan of action had already begun to form in her mind. Upon her command, her bags were packed and her carriage prepared. She would confront Miss Bennet first. The woman must be the direct cause of any rumours circulating of an impending marriage between herself and Darcy. She left the next morning for Hertfordshire.
***
The following day
The confrontation with Miss Bennet was maddening on every level. The woman was disrespectful, headstrong, and refused to listen to reason. During a frustrating interview in which the woman persisted in providing rude and evasive responses, she had admitted, at length, that she was not engaged to her nephew. But the wench refused to promise not to enter into an engagement with Darcy!
After the unsatisfying meeting with Miss Bennet, Lady Catherine’s next stop at Darcy’s London residence was still more disappointing. Darcy maintained an unreadable expression as she gave him an account of her conversation with Miss Bennet. She outlined all the ways in which Miss Bennet was unqualified to marry a gentleman of his standing, and she ensured he was aware of the scandalous, patched-up business regarding the youngest Bennet sister’s marriage to the son of his father’s steward. That fact alone should have been enough to turn her nephew away from the woman.
Lady Catherine followed her diatribe against Miss Bennet with a plea for Darcy to foil the woman’s nefarious scheme by announcing his engagement to Anne without delay, but he refused. To her utter disappointment, the wilful dunderhead declared he had no intention of marrying Anne now or in the future.
Her nephew’s declaration, frustrating as it was, did not give her undue alarm. Despite his discouraging statement, he would come to his senses in time. In the past, Darcy had been consistent in demonstrating an attention to duty and honour. He would not make so grievous a misstep as to marry a woman with such abhorrent relations. The brief glimpse she had acquired of the woman’s mother and sisters had been enough to make her cringe. Would he make that slatternly matron his mother-in-law and that gaggle of giggling chits his sisters? Not only would it be offensive to the memories of his parents, but it would also impair the future of his own dear sister.
It was not surprising he resented her as the individual who reminded him of the many reasons Miss Bennet was below his consideration, and his statement must have been a reflection of that pique. Nevertheless, now he would never take Miss Elizabeth Bennet as his wife.
Upon her return to Rosings, she sought out her daughter, greeted her with a tall, erect posture, and reported that Darcy had been forewarned of Miss Bennet’s plot to ensnare him, and she was confident he would steer clear of the woman. Anne nodded, and the muscles in her face relaxed. Lady Catherine exhaled a deep breath.
***
One se’nnight later
Her calm was shattered; a letter from Darcy had arrived in which he announced his engagement to Miss Elizabeth Bennet! Exhibiting outrageous audacity, he proclaimed his own happiness at this development and expressed the hope that she would accept the news with grace and wish him joy. Had he taken leave of his senses?
With a flushed face and shaking hands, Lady Catherine composed a letter full of wrathful diatribes regarding his recklessness, colourful insults to Miss Bennet, and predictions of doom and unhappiness if he was so foolish as to go through with the marriage. As she pressed her seal into the lump of cooling wax on her letter, she reassured herself that her sensible nephew would not dare go through with this unholy alliance—not after reading her letter. In addition to reminding him that the ton was certain never to accept the former Elizabeth Bennet into their circle, she had gone so far as to threaten never to acknowledge him again if he did not break off his engagement; that was certain to alarm him into seeing reason.
She did not inform Anne of her nephew’s letter. Why upset her while she maintained hope of bringing Darcy to his senses? Leaving her daughter at home, she travelled to her brother’s town house in London, taking the letter from Darcy with her. She spouted off to the earl her list of objections to the woman their nephew intended to marry. She urged him to act with haste; until an announcement was made in the papers, she had every hope of Darcy ending this engagement with a minimum of scandal. By the time she left, her brother was cursing and sputtering as he vowed to speak to Darcy and “sort out this disaster.”
When she returned to Rosings, Lady Catherine was in much better spirits than when she had left. The marriage to the Bennet woman would never happen. Even though Darcy had refused to listen to her, he would not dare to ignore the head of the Fitzwilliam family, his uncle, the Earl of Matlock.
***
Several weeks later
A most shocking and disheartening turn of events wrought the destruction of Lady Catherine’s serenity. She received a letter from her brother, Lord Matlock, stating that while he had hoped Darcy would make a match from a prominent family with noble connections, he was not willing to break off his relationship with his nephew because of his marriage. Furthermore, his son Richard had declared his approbation of Miss Bennet, and upon meeting the lady himself, he believed she was capable of doing justice to Darcy as a wife and mistress of his estate. He added that even Lady Matlock had warmed to the woman and had promised to support her among the ton. The short-sighted dolt concluded the letter by urging her to put aside her objections and accept Miss Bennet into the family!
With her chest heaving, she crumpled her brother’s letter into a tiny ball and threw it into the fire. Was there no end to the list of people who would fall under that woman’s enchantment? It was as if the entire world had gone insane and she was the sole person who could see it.
Upon finding her daughter alone in her sitting room, Lady Catherine stood before her and leaned a fair portion of her weight on her walking stick. Speaking in a hoarse monotone, she told Anne the truth: despite her best efforts, Darcy had become engaged to Miss Elizabeth Bennet.
Anne uttered not a single word. She sobbed. Her tears fell unrestrained upon learning the news that forever changed her future. Lady Catherine could do naught but stand by, wringing her hands in utter helplessness, as her daughter exhibited her sorrow. Were it not for the powerful welling of loathing for Miss Elizabeth Bennet that rose in her, she might have collapsed. Mixed with the hatred was the recriminating knowledge that she bore part of the responsibility for this outcome. Indeed, as Anne peered up at her through her tears, was there not an accusation reflected in her eyes? Yes—her daughter blamed her for this. And why not? Would that she had been more vigilant last April. She could have acted to avert this disaster!
***
Over the next few years, Anne, who had always been quiet and introverted, became morose and unpleasant to be around; moreover, her health took a turn for the worse. She had ever been prone to colds and was plagued with a constant runny nose, but she began to suffer from insomnia, frequent headaches, and pains throughout her body. Anne’s physical decline served to sink her spirits even lower.
Dr. Finch, the well-respected physician who had cared for Anne her entire life, was left puzzled by her new symptoms and could do naught but offer a tincture mixed with laudanum for her relief. Unable to aid her daughter with either her infirmities or h
er depressed frame of mind, Lady Catherine found reasons to travel without Anne; a miserable, brooding daughter made life at Rosings unpleasant.
***
Monday, September 18, 1815
With a jolt, Lady Catherine was pulled from her ruminations, and her eyes were drawn back to the window at the sound of Bennet’s shriek of laughter. She glowered at the three of them, baring her teeth. It was insupportable that they were so joyous when Anne was so miserable! Mayhap she should have brought Anne with her to Pemberley. The sight of her angry, sullen daughter might have been just the thing to put a damper on the Darcys’ happiness.
“They are a beautiful family, are they not?”
With a sharp intake of breath, she dropped the curtain and stepped aside to face Mr. Graham, who was now giving her a proper bow. She inclined her head. “I suppose one might say so.” She leered at the strikingly handsome man. “I think Mrs. Darcy has an unusual beauty. You may not notice anything special in her appearance at first, but the more you see her, the more you realize how attractive she is.”
Graham’s eyes widened. “I admit your statement surprises me, Lady Catherine. I should have predicted you to be the last person to compliment Elizabeth.”
She shrugged. “I acknowledge that she has many admirable attributes; I recognised that when I first met her. Nevertheless, she is not an appropriate match for my nephew. She would be much better suited to a gentleman like you.”
He emitted a musical laugh. “I am certain that within your discerning statement was an insult to myself.”