From Longbourn to Pemberley - Winter 1810-1811

by M-C Ranger

  While Charles Bingley did not appear to show much susceptibility to the offensives of his sister’s friends, others appeared to succumb, the more quickly, the better. This is what Darcy learned while distractedly leafing through London Magazine that morning. And thus Willoughby, John Willoughby, who had deployed all his talents in an attempt to seduce Miss Crawford at the ball at Netherfield Park, was getting married - but not to Miss Crawford! It seemed he preferred the substantial dowry of a certain Miss Grey. Darcy thought momentarily of the young women this seducer had charmed and who had now been left behind, betrayed, broken. This reminded him of another and he smiled bitterly: Willoughby, Wickham… chasers of skirts and fortunes, not suffocated by scruples. Darcy stood up quickly and went to the little music salon, where Georgiana was playing a Beethoven sonata, which he particularly liked; he approached her quietly. His kiss, placed on his sister’s primly braided curls, made her jump slightly. Surprised, the young woman blushed slightly and bestowed upon him one of her most beautiful smiles. This was all that was needed, and Darcy forgot his sombre thoughts; it could rain as much as it wanted over London, but nothing could steal this brief moment of sunshine from him.

  *****

  Elinor Dashwood’s visit had greatly pleased Jane and Mrs. Gardiner was overjoyed. She had gone to the nursery to take care of her two youngest, happy to let the two friends talk in the salon. Sensitive to the melancholy that her niece attempted to make as discrete as possible, Madeline Gardiner had come to the realisation that the fondness Jane had for the young tenant of Netherfield Park was more than temporary, more than the latter wished to admit, and this distressed her. Elizabeth’s letter, which had arrived from Longbourn the day before, had put a smile on the young woman’s lips for a few hours. And now, Miss Dashwood’s visit would distract her, at least that is what she hoped. Of this she was wrong, but for nothing in the world would mild-mannered Jane have wanted to disappoint her aunt’s expectations. It is for this reason that the young woman decided to keep to herself the sad news that had just been confided to her. And then she decided, while answering her sister’s letter, to open herself up to the latter. She would understand her in very few words, of this she was certain.

  ...I have been spending much time with the two oldest, they have made great progress in their reading, and you should see them do their writing exercises, they are adorable!

  But I hope that you are not worried about me, Lizzy. I have recovered, and soon, it will be no more than a memory - a pleasant memory. Believe me, I feel no rancour. You know, there are people who are much more affected than I was. I had written to you a few times about my new friends, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. Well yesterday, Elinor came for tea, and she was very sad; her sister seems inconsolable since the evening of the grand ball. While Elinor didn’t mention much more about it, I came to understand that poor Marianne’s heart had been broken. The latter, no longer enjoying the atmosphere in London, had expressed her desire to return to Devonshire. Oh! Lizzy, is there only sorrow and regret with regards to emotions? Life seems to me to be so cruel at times!

  Even if this letter was about Marianne Dashwood, Elizabeth could not help but see this as a lamentation issued from deep within her sister’s heart. Jane suffered in silence and retained her compassion for others; Charles Bingley was right when he said she was an angel. But she was an aggrieved angel and Elizabeth felt rather powerless on reading this letter. Even more so, because her sister ended on a note that was not very optimistic.

  Dear Lizzy, I believe that my friend, also, is hiding a broken heart... Poor Elinor! Let us hope that she shall recover soon, and that all this will be nothing more than a memory, and that she will not look back on it with bitterness. My lord! Lizzy, I shall end my letter on the same note I began with... Do not believe there to be any link, because I am certain that what they are experiencing is much more distressing than my situation. You believe me, do you not?...

  Suddenly, the attention of the recipient was distracted by the noisy arrival of Kitty and Lydia in the small drawing room where she was seated, away from the incessant comings and goings of the house. It was pointless.

  ‘Lizzy, Lizzy! Oh, there you are! Help us convince our father to let us go to Meryton,’ exclaimed the youngest, slumping rather than seating herself beside her older sister.

  ‘And why so?’ inquired Elizabeth, hastily folding Jane’s letter.

  ‘Aunt Philips told mother that the latest lace and muslin had just arrived in all the spring colours that the ladies and young women of the region could ever have desired. As you can see, this is very important,’ Kitty insisted.

  ‘No, I will not see Father and intercede for something as frivolous as this...’

  ‘Lizzy,’ interrupted Lydia, ‘you don’t understand...We have to get there before this Miss King. George Wickham may have been more enraptured by her than by us, but we wish to seek revenge!’

  ‘Oh! Lydia, when will you stop letting your life revolve around officers? And you, Kitty, can you not occupy yourself otherwise? You are two years older than she!’ exclaimed Elizabeth, discouraged by her younger sisters’ lack of maturity. ‘Pick up a book, and for once, act more responsibly.’

  When Elizabeth saw Lydia’s sullen face, it was clear to her that her intervention had been met with resistance. Kitty was about to reply when her eyes lit up. She leaned towards her accomplice and whispered something in her ear. It was their older sister who, in lecturing them, had given her the idea to go see their father in his lair and ask for his permission to go to... the bookstore! After all, Elizabeth was correct; they had to start being more serious, to open their minds through reading, and Mr. Bennet was always conciliatory when it came to books. The fact that, when they made their request, it would not come to his mind that the bookstore was two steps from the haberdashery made the request almost impossible to refuse. Both rose quickly, a slight smile of complicity on their lips and then, just before leaving the room, the youngest remembered that Mrs. Hill had given her a letter for Elizabeth. She placed it on her sister’s lap, laughing, and left in a flurry, Kitty in step behind her.

  Elizabeth sighed with the realisation that the behaviour of the two youngest of the house had scarcely improved, and nobody seemed to wish to address this, except for Jane and herself, from time to time, to avoid the most excessive outbursts.She lowered her gaze and smiled when she saw Anne Elliot’s even and slightly slanted handwriting. She broke the seal and started reading. After a few moments, she stopped and sighed for the second time... One could say that this day would bring her nothing but worries. She reread the passage, a thoughtful look on her face.

  ... My dear Elizabeth, I must confess to you that I met your sisters’ young friend, Miss Catherine Morland, a few times. I met her at Longbourn and found her utterly charming. You know how little I appreciate Bath, because, among other reasons, people go for walks there to see and be seen. This is the case for a certain Miss Isabella Thorpe (whose name should remind you of something); she seems to have some sort of influence over the young Miss Morland, who has very innocently entered into her game...and this is without mentioning the brother, Mr. John Thorpe, whom I would not grant my trust. Perhaps it is in your power to warn your relative with respect to these acquaintances before this young woman compromises herself in an unfortunate situation?

  Good heavens! Poor Catherine...and this Isabella Thorpe, who Lydia had so admired during the Meryton evening! Elizabeth’s thoughts took her back to that same evening, sitting beside Miss Thorpe, who was very occupied with making herself seen, and whose shameless words towards her had clearly shown her who she was dealing with. No, it was important to not say a thing, neither to her younger sisters nor to her Aunt Philips, as their defining virtue was most definitely not discretion. Perhaps she could send a missive to the Fullerton parish; Mr. Philips’ sister, who, while she was very busy with her numerous offspring, seemed to her to be a sensible woman the few times they had met.

  ...As I had already pointed
out to you, Elizabeth, I wonder what it is that my father and my sister find so interesting in Bath. Just like you, I yearn for my charming corner of the country... I miss my dear Kellynch Hall terribly. But do not think that I am complaining; that would be very ungrateful on my part, particularly since I recently learned that Louisa Musgrove is recovering nicely and that she will return home shortly. I am very happy, because after a fall such as this, it could have been terrible...

  And then one final matter had been added as a postscript, one that left Elizabeth perplexed, as she didn’t know whether she should be worried or happy for her friend.

  ...In fact, I must confess that my stay in Bath has felt somewhat less distressing in the past few days, as Admiral Croft and his wife, whose company I have come to appreciate over the last months, have just arrived and will be staying for a few weeks. However, I am troubled by a fortuitous encounter; I met Captain Wentworth at Molland’s yesterday.

  Since her correspondence had left her preoccupied, she decided that only a good walk would help her settle her thoughts. And so she donned her coat and her hat and disappeared just before Mrs. Bennet requested her presence so as to not have to be alone with herself, her nerves and her cup of tea.

  *****

  Mrs. Annesley put the teapot on the tray and looked tenderly at Georgiana Darcy, hunched over her page, her quill pen in the inkwell. Her suggestion had been welcomed enthusiastically by the young woman. She was overjoyed. If Eleanor Tilney had been like a big sister to Georgiana at the boarding school, it was certain that inviting her to Pemberley over the summer could only do the somewhat scarred soul of her young companion some good. The latter had confided in her that Miss Tilney, having also lost her mother, had taken her under her wing, her, the young resident recently registered at M***. This had greatly eased her life so far from Pemberley and her older brother, on whose shoulders all the responsibilities of managing the estate and the family fortune had fallen after the death of Mr. Darcy. Although Miss Tilney was five years older than Georgiana, her great sensibility had drawn her to this very young, timid woman, and she had been able to bring a certain joy back to the life of the young orphan, who spent too much time alone. Of course, Miss Tilney had left the boarding school a few years before her young protégée, but they wrote to each other frequently...until last summer, until the stay at Ramsgate. Since then, Georgiana had withdrawn into herself. But now, after several months, the calm presence of Mrs. Annesley had restored her confidence.

  ...Dear Elinor, please accept my apologies for not having replied to your last letters, I found myself quite contrite. A distressing event over the course of last summer shook me, but I am recovering from all this. I especially did not want to worry you, as you had been so good to me during those years. You wrote that you and your brother Henry would be visiting one of your father’s sisters in Leicester, so you will therefore not be far from Pemberley. You cannot find yourself so nearby without coming to see me. Please excuse me. I do not wish to impose upon your voyage, but it would be wonderful if we could see each other again! The last time was in April of last year, when we saw each other in London, where we enjoyed some ice cream at Gunter’s. Please allow me, after all this time, to invite you and your brother to join us at our residence in Derbyshire. As you so enjoy the outdoors, I will show you the beauty this region has to offer. In addition, remember how wonderfully Henry seemed to get along with Fitzwilliam. But what kind of accomplished young woman would pressure her friend to such an extent! However, I cannot help but do so...

  Thus, my dear friend, Fitzwilliam and I would like to invite you to stay at Pemberley, where, I assure you, you will be received with the greatest pleasure.

  My most sincere regards to your family.

  Sincerely,

  Georgiana Darcy

  *****

  And if we had been able to follow the different paths taken by the emotions of young women, we might have found ourselves in the Hunsford parish with Mr. and Mrs. Collins at teatime.

  ‘My dear, I believe that Lady Catherine could be a precious source of help to you. You are familiar with her great indulgence; she would most certainly consent to provide you with advice with respect to your young cousin, Miss Price.’

  ‘Perhaps you are right, I shall give it some thought,’ Charlotte Collins replied, without conviction, already regretting that she had expressed herself in the presence of her husband.

  It went without saying that she would not whisper a word about Fanny Price’s situation to Lady de Bourgh... This would clearly run the risk of attracting the wrath of their benefactress, something Charlotte did not wish in the least. She had managed to establish a balance that allowed her to remain on good terms with the mistress of Rosings Park, all while being respectful of the attention, never mind the devotion that Mr. Collins felt towards his protector. And thus an idea occurred to her that she hastened to confess to her husband so that her confidences would not cross the threshold of their home.

  ‘Mr. Collins, do you remember what happened to the eldest daughter of the master gardener, Mr. Hutton?’

  ‘No, not really. What is it you wish to say, my dear?’

  ‘Well, she had refused a marriage proposal that seemed very earnest, and her father had complained to Lady Catherine about his daughter’s ingratitude...attracting the ire of the former. So much so, that this young woman’s name must no longer be uttered in the presence of Rosings Park residents.’

  ‘Yes, of course, I remember now. Her Ladyship had been greatly affected by this gesture, which she judged to be selfish, as it was! Who better than Lady Catherine to judge a matrimonial affair with such acuity?’

  ‘Well,’ continued Charlotte Lucas, ‘considering the wise words you have just pronounced, I would not risk incurring the anger of her Ladyship by speaking to her of Fanny’s situation. After all, she returned to her family, and Sir Bertram will most certainly move on to other things soon, do you not think?’

  ‘By all accounts this is exactly what I think, my dear Charlotte. Have I never told you that it increasingly appears to me that we were created for one another?!’

  And with these words, which he held to be true, Mr. Collins went to his office; he had a sermon to write and above all else, he needed to make sure he was there in case a carriage from Rosings Park were to pass by. Charlotte quietly finished her tea, relieved to have escaped with such finesse...and somewhat discouraged at having learned that someone up there had seen her as the source of bliss for William Collins down here.

  Hunsford, the 16th of March 1811

  Dear Fanny,

  Your letter touched me deeply. I hope your return to your parents went smoothly. Rest assured that it is not up to me to judge your decision. I can imagine your quandary, as it is you who must experience this strange situation. And you are right; on the one hand, your family cannot understand your choice; having lived for such a long time at Mansfield Park, you have the impression of living between two worlds... And perhaps you are. On the other hand, there is a good chance that Sir Thomas only wished for your happiness, that he deemed it to be his responsibility that you marry well...do you not think that this was so? I know you to be wise and thoughtful; your decision, while surprising, was most certainly not made lightly; you must have your reasons, and I am convinced that they were judicious.

  I thank you for having taken the time to explain the situation to me and please know that this in no way negates the pleasure that I will have in welcoming you, if the situation were to become difficult with your parents. A short stay here in Hunsford would allow you to rest and reflect in tranquillity...After all, perhaps your decision is not final, and this young man might still be deserving of your affection. But, dear Fanny, I must stop. Knowing you, you do not need advice, and mine is doubtless not relevant. With respect to relevance, I would like to reassure you that this will not be discussed in the presence of Lady Catherine and Mr. Collins. The principles that are valued by Her Ladyship, and, categorically, by my husband, leave n
o room for any understanding of a situation such as this. Fortunately, life here is peaceful and the region’s beauty might be a source of pleasure to you...