Mrs Jenkinson was scolded like a fury when Anne was a child. The young girl slipped unseen out of the nursery and into the grounds. She made her way into the woods and to the meagre home of the grounds man, and played merrily for hours with his almost-feral cat and her kittens. Lady Catherine’s wrath knew no bounds once Anne was found and safely returned to the house. Mrs Jenkinson was only saved from being cast from Rosings immediately by Sir Lewis, Anne’s father. Anne, however, did not fare well, either. The nursery door was bolted from the outside and she and Mrs Jenkinson remained under lock and key for a month thereafter. The only time the door was opened was for them both to receive meals or hot water for bathing. Anne was not angry, and never had been, at her treatment. She knew no different way of life. She did not know that most children usually have a scraped knee or dirt on their clothes from romping about. She did not understand the sad, pitying looks that she received from her cousins when they came to stay at Rosings, and she grew up thinking that was how girls and boys were treated – differently. Her three cousins were boys and, when they came to visit, they were permitted to run around the house and grounds and often rode the horses. It was only when her younger cousin, Georgiana Darcy, came along that she began to feel that her mother restricted her movements too much. The infant Georgiana crawled around the nursery and, when all the children went into the drawing room in the evenings before bed, her Uncle Darcy tossed the child in the air. Lady Catherine protested and Uncle and Aunt Darcy called her paranoid. Anne did not know what a paranoid was, but the word stuck in her memory. When she was able, she stole into her father’s study and looked the word up in his copy of Johnson’s Dictionary. The definition of the word perplexed her for many days and finally she asked her father one evening what it meant. He laughed at her and explained in words a child could understand. When her father sent her off to bed that night, she was still a little confused, but as the years passed, she realised that her mother was indeed paranoid. The full realisation and meaning hit her not long after her father’s death; her mother was paranoid about losing Anne, too. This was not borne out of some desire to control her, despite that being her nature; she was paranoid that she would die. Lady Catherine, Anne realised, had lost her parents to disease, her sister, Lady Anne Darcy, whom she was very close to, and her own husband, far too young. Anne also knew that her mother had two older brothers, both of whom died in their infancy. Her mother feared death itself, and being left alone. Anne’s heart deeply felt the pain her mother must have endured as she grieved for her own father. She then quietly buried her energetic nature inside herself upon this realisation and did as her mother bade her do from then on.
Now that Anne had grown to adulthood, her strong nature and determination reared their heads once again. One of her cousins was married – the one her mother had told her for years would be her husband – and the eldest Fitzwilliam was engaged, with the wedding planned that coming summer. Once Fitzwilliam Darcy was married to another woman and not her, she began to fear for her own future, and realised she might not ever have one. She was not angry with her cousin for marrying Miss Bennet, as her mother was. On the contrary, she liked the young lady. She had also never truly desired to be her cousin’s wife at all. What Anne realised then was that she knew no one; no one ever visited, she had no friends, and, most of all, she did want to be someone’s wife and, God willing, a mother. How was that supposed to happen if she never ventured out on her own?
She looked down at the list in her hand and wept bitterly. She knew her mother was acting in her best interests, despite how much it hurt her, but surely there was a better way to find a husband than to sell her off to the highest bidder like cattle? Anne realised, with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, that if she did not assert herself now and on this particular issue, she would quite possibly never be happy again.
* * *
The atmosphere at Rosings between the time Anne was presented with the list of young men and their arrival could be cut with a knife. Anne barely spoke a word to her mother, who seemed not to notice at all, as she hardly ever heard a word anyone said to her anyway. In the end, Anne need not have fretted too much over the coming party of visitors. Out of the fifteen young gentlemen on Lady Catherine’s list, only five actually replied in the affirmative to their invitations. Despite her nerves and irritation, Anne could not help but smile at two of the names of attendees: Charles Warrington and Walter Stapleton. Lady Catherine was pleased that the son of an army general and the heir to a wealthy landowner were to be present, but Anne heard the gossip surrounding these two men from Mrs Jenkinson. Her gossip was more than just hearsay; her information rarely contained a falsehood. Anne contented herself that she would be safe from these two gentlemen, at least, as it was rumoured that they preferred each other’s company to that of anyone else’s.
Anne allowed these thoughts to cheer her slightly as she waited the remaining days for the gentlemen guests. This was one occasion when she enjoyed the fact that her mother believed her weak and infirm. She refused to aid her mother in the preparations, which vexed Lady Catherine greatly, and smirked to herself when she heard her mother moaning loudly, “Must I do everything myself?”
* * *
Meanwhile, Lady Catherine had other things on her mind. She was surprised to learn of the recovery of Mr Collins and, even more so, the news that he was to vacate his position at Hunsford in favour of the living offered to him by Mr Darcy at Pemberley in Derbyshire. Lady Catherine felt her nerves become frayed more than ever by the news. She was sure that Mr Collins would die, and the sight of him walking into the drawing room at Rosings that morning and being presented made her feel quite faint. Lady Catherine tried to pull herself together; however, she was convinced that she was seeing an apparition and that the ghost of Mr Collins had come to haunt her. Her screams and cries for help brought Anne and Mrs Jenkinson scurrying in from the music room, where Anne was covertly being taught to play.
“Mama, what is it? What has happened?” Anne cried, her annoyance with her mother momentarily forgotten.
Lady Catherine could only manage to whimper and screech whilst pointing her finger at Mr Collins, who was hopping from foot to foot in his distress.
“My dear Lady Catherine, please do forgive me if I have caused you any distress by my presence in your gracious home this morning,” Mr Collins pleaded. He looked up at Anne. “I cannot imagine what I have done to effect such a change in your mother.”
It seemed the more Mr Collins spoke, the more Lady Catherine grew distressed, and so it was deemed better for him to remain out of her line of sight until she recovered. After being brought her smelling salts and drinking a cup of tea laced with brandy – for medicinal purposes, they assured her – Lady Catherine was finally able to gather and calm herself.
Anne remained by her mother’s side and whispered, “Mother, what happened?”
Lady Catherine looked at her daughter, wide-eyed, and whispered back, “I thought he was dead!”
“Mr Collins? You thought him an apparition?” Lady Catherine looked at Anne incredulously. Anne was stifling a giggle and that enraged her.
Her Ladyship took in a sharp breath through her nose and straightened up in the chair. Now that she thought about it, the notion was beyond ridiculous and she looked very foolish. “Do not mock me, child!” she snapped.
“Well, I see you are returned to your old self. I shall leave you to it,” Anne snapped, stood, and left the room without a rearward glance.
Lady Catherine barely noticed her daughter leave, or what she said in parting. She was staring fixedly, and with suspicion, at Mr Collins, who was nervously playing with the rim of his hat. She watched him creep towards her.
“Your Ladyship, I do apologise for distressing you so. If I had known that my presence here would have discomfited you, I would have sent a note ahead of me.” He simpered reassuringly.
Lady Catherine found her voice at last. “I am pleased, Mr Collins, to see you recovered. We w
ere concerned that you would not be long for this world.”
“Thank you, Your Ladyship. I believe it was touch-and-go there for a while, however, I…”
Lady Catherine waved her hand and stopped him in midsentence. “Yes, yes! But what vexes me is why my nephew and his wife were at the parsonage with you, and in your bedchamber, of all places!” She took another sip of her tea to calm her frayed nerves.
Mr Collins drew himself up to his full height. “That is what I have come to speak to you about, Your Ladyship.”
THREE
_______________________________
Lady Catherine took to her room not long after Mr Collins departed. Anne could not hear all that was said in the drawing room from her position at the piano, but she knew what he said drove her mother to shout at the top of her voice. Random words and phrases filtered through to her hearing, such as how dare you, insolence, and no regard for rank or person. Anne knew her mother felt insulted by something Mr Collins said or did, and as she watched Mr Collins scurrying out of the house, she retired to her room. Once there, she entreated Mrs Jenkinson to go down to the kitchen and find out what was going on at the parsonage. Anne wanted to know it all and knew the servants were privy to everything that went on under their own roofs.
By the next morning, Anne was acquainted with all the facts of the matter and knew that her mother was furious. Anne was surprised but genuinely pleased to learn that her cousin Fitzwilliam Darcy offered Mr Collins employment as the parson at Pemberley. She knew that it would be much better for Mr Collins and his dear wife, Charlotte, if they removed themselves from her mother’s control. She had caused too much strife in that marriage of late and Anne was acutely aware of it. Mrs Collins was a close friend of the new Mrs Darcy, so she knew there would be happiness there, and Anne hoped her cousin would be a good influence as well on Mr Collins himself.
As she made her way to breakfast, she uttered a prayer that the new parson would not be as easily manipulated as Mr Collins and, reaching the breakfast room, she once again prayed for an alternative to being sold off in marriage. She took a deep breath and entered, and released it almost immediately. Her mother was not there.
* * *
Lady Catherine felt faint. She had never been so insulted in her life. She was furious at everyone. Her maids attended her in her room and fled as soon as they possibly could to avoid partaking of her wrath.
Mr Collins was to remove himself and his wife from Hunsford. He resigned in person, in the drawing room. Lady Catherine could not quite believe the audacity of the man. No one refused her benevolence. No one resigned from her service.
Lady Catherine’s chest felt tight and her breathing was uneasy. She felt betrayed and scorned. She replayed the conversation with Mr Collins over again in her mind.
“Lady Catherine, I am here this morning, firstly, to thank you for your continued benevolence and attentions to my wife and myself.” Mr Collins bowed as he spoke. “Secondly, owing to my unfortunate accident, we were visited at the parsonage by my cousin Elizabeth, the new Mrs Darcy.”
“I am very well aware of who visited you in the parsonage, Mr Collins. I saw them with my own eyes.” Lady Catherine huffed.
Mr Collins looked uncomfortable as he continued. Lady Catherine wondered if he was intending to ask her forgiveness for having the Darcys under her roof. She was determined not to make it easier on him. She wanted to hear his full apology.
“Mr Darcy has made me an interesting proposition. One which I have felt duty bound, to my wife, to consider carefully.”
Lady Catherine raised an eyebrow. This was certainly not the conventional method of apologising.
“I have come, it seems, to the attention of Mr Darcy, and I am very sensible of it.”
Lady Catherine now began to doubt if an apology would be forthcoming at all.
“In short, he has made me the offer of the living on his estate of Pemberley, now that it has become available, and after very careful and serious consideration on my part, I have decided to accept. I must therefore tender my resignation, Your Ladyship.” He placed a letter on the side table that she supposed contained his resignation formally in writing.
Lady Catherine’s sat and stared in disbelief at the man before her. Had she heard him correctly? Had he truly resigned from her employ? She thought about what he said for a moment. “You felt duty bound, to your wife, to consider the offer carefully?” Her voice started off at almost a whisper and increased in pitch until she practically screamed at him. “You did not consider, then, what you owe to me? After everything that I have done for you and your wife! You selfish, unfeeling man!”
Mr Collins was astonished at her reaction, but for once stood firm against her, to her continued disappointment. “I had no idea of Your Ladyship’s taking the news so badly. I believe that I have made the correct decision for myself and my future family.”
Lady Catherine took a deep breath. “What care I for your family, Mr Collins? What do they mean to me? You have used me very ill, indeed. How am I to replace you? Have you considered that?”
“As a matter of fact, yes, I have, Your Ladyship. I have consulted with Reverend Oates in Westerham, and he has already begun to look for an appropriate person for you.”
Lady Catherine watched his triumphant smile slip from his face as she glared at him. “How dare you presume to make enquiries on my behalf! What insolence! You assume far too much, Mr Collins. This shall not be borne. You shall inform my nephew that you have reconsidered his proposal and cannot accept. I refuse to accept your resignation. You will remain here at Hunsford.”
For the first time in all the years that she had known him, Lady Catherine saw Mr Collins come within a hair’s breadth of losing his temper.
“Your Ladyship, with all due respect, I cannot and I will not do that. I am heartily sorry that you are unhappy. Unfortunately, that is unavoidable, but I must put the future happiness of my wife and myself first, above all else. I have accepted Mr Darcy’s offer of employment and I cannot be false to my word. I realise that I am a man with little to recommend him, but I do have integrity. I must maintain it and will not go back on my word.”
This only served to inflame Lady Catherine’s anger. “Insolent man! You have no respect for rank or person. Do you think that a mere clergyman can dictate to a person such as me? Mr Collins, do you think I can so easily be crossed?”
Mr Collins’ jaw clenched. “Your Ladyship, it was not my intention to cross you, nor would I purposely injure you in any way, you must believe me. However, as I have stated, in the best interests of my wife and myself, we are removing to Derbyshire. I recognise what is due to you, I am very sensible of that fact. Therefore, I give you one month’s notice and Mr Darcy has even made an offer of compensation to you. It can all be read in the letter.” He stood up and made ready to leave.
“Do you indeed? You deign to give me a month’s notice!” Lady Catherine’s face was so red that she could feel her cheeks burning. “Is that a fact?” She was shouting now. She was so angry that she did not know how to respond to him. Her mind raced and she could not think clearly. “Well, do not put yourself out! I would not wish to inconvenience you and your wife, Mr Collins!”
Mr Collins looked sadly at her and quietly said, “Good day to you, Your Ladyship.” He turned and headed for the door.
“Mr Collins, I want you out of the parsonage as soon as it can be arranged!” she screamed after him. She watched him close the door behind him. Snatching up the letter, she stomped out of the drawing room and went immediately to her bedroom to be alone. The tirade of abuse for Mr Collins that spilt out of her mouth was unintelligible. She was ranting and she knew it. Never before had she been left to deal with such a situation and felt so inept. It was usually the domain of men to handle such matters. Suddenly, she keenly felt Sir Lewis’ absence and sat down heavily on the chaise.
As the realisation hit her that she had told Mr Collins to go as soon as he could, she groaned. “Oh, what h
ave I done?” She knew her anger had made the situation worse.
* * *
Anne seated herself at the table and was served breakfast. She felt herself relax and all tension leave her shoulders as she basked in the silence of the room and her mother’s absence. She knew that her mother had better things to worry about than what was troubling her at present. Her mother would tell her that the houseguests and the matter of her marriage was a trifle in comparison to being snubbed by the Collinses and thus left without a parson. Anne was impressed by Mr Collins’ actions. He had never struck her as a strong or forthright man at all. In fact, he had always been a sycophant, and Anne had disliked him. That was until he married. After that, she could detect small changes occurring in him, and now he resigned his position at Hunsford and was to remove to Derbyshire. Anne was exceedingly curious about the particulars, especially after she heard her cousin Darcy was behind the move.
As Anne finished her repast and drank her tea, she understood that now was as good a time as ever to begin her climb to independence and freedom. Smiling to herself, she made her way back to her room, sat at her writing table, and began to write.
Rosings Page 2