30. Chapter 30

Since I missed last week due to publishing deadlines, I'm posting two chapters this week. I am including a special bonus preview of 'The Future Mrs. Darcy, Given Good Principles Vol 2" at the end of Ch 31.

Chapter 30

Lizzy left the stable and turned toward the parsonage. She stopped after only a few steps, realizing the Collinses had been invited to tea at Rosings that afternoon and would be getting ready for the visit. Mr. Collins would certainly not welcome her intrusion now. He is displeased enough by attendance upon Lady Catherine. 'My dear cousin, you must certainly be sensible to the extreme honor which you, a most undeserving individual, have been granted.' She shuddered, his grating voice ringing in her ears.How pleased he would be if he could say that to my face. He would be even more pleased to inform Lady Catherine of my extreme unsuitability.

She pushed loose hair out of her face. How am I going to return to Rosings now? Mr. Darcy did not tell them of the agreement we had, though. Perhaps he will not mention it and we can leave Lady Catherine in ignorance of the whole thing. Pretend as though it never happened. A deep pain stabbed her gut. I knew it could not be. I am not…he is not…oh what have I done? What am I to do? She choked back the sob that sat in her throat, suffocating her.

Resigned to the inevitable, she trudged back to the manor, hoping to slip in without notice. But a sharp-eyed servant immediately approached her and led her to the parlor.

Of course, how could be it otherwise. She She

She ground her teeth.

"Her ladyship requests your immediate presence." The footman bowed and opened the door to usher her in.

Steeling herself with a deep breath, Lizzy edged into the room.

"Miss Bennet, I am not accustomed to my guests disappearing without notice." Lady Catherine snapped her fan closed with a flourish. "I most certainly did not anticipate such rude behavior from you."

"Forgive me, your ladyship; I should have left word with a servant. I apologize." She dipped her head and stepped closer, eyes focused on the elaborate patterns on the carpet. Her tongue felt as if it were wrapped in cotton wool, fuzzy and thick.

"Sit down, Miss Bennet; it appears there is much that needs to be discussed, and the Collinses are to arrive soon. I hope that we might complete our conversation prior to their arrival. I do not like to leave business unfinished before tea." Lady Catherine drew a silk handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her brow. She flicked open her fan again and fluttered it rapidly.

"What do you wish to discuss?' Lizzy asked, squaring her shoulders and rubbing her tongue against the roof of her mouth.

"You can be at no loss to understand the need for this meeting." She tapped her fan sharply on her palm.

"I am sorry, but I truly have no idea to what you are referring." Lizzy wondered if Lady Catherine could hear the tremor in her voice.

"Sit, sit, Miss Bennet; do not stand there like a quivering servant. You have told me enough times that you are not one, so stop behaving like a sulking scullery maid!" Lady Catherine rapped her knuckles sharply on the table, panting heavily.

Lizzy gritted her teeth, but slipped into a large, gaudily upholstered chair opposite Lady Catherine."Are you well, my lady?"

"As well as can be expected under the circumstances. All this carrying on is most disagreeable, you know." She pressed her hands against her abdomen and grimaced. "It cannot surprise you to know that my daughter's reaction to the truth of your visit did not improve after your untimely departure."

"It was to be expected." Lizzy bowed her head and pressed her lips together. How could Mr. Darcy have expected anything but disaster?

"There is no accounting for it; I do not understand it." She blew out a deep breath and set the fan loudly upon the table and leaned back in her seat. "I am afraid this whole incident has fatigued me most dreadfully. I fear I shall need to retire very soon." Lady Catherine gulped air as if she had run after Darcy's stallion. "I expected his support in convincing Anne to avail herself of the assistance you offer, but he turned on me. Can you imagine?"

"Hardly, madam. How did he turn on you?" Lizzy's face turned cold.

"He disappeared, as you did. When he returned, he was raving like a madman. He insisted he would not marry Anne, even if she were willing to accompany him to Pemberley! Can you imagine—refusing my daughter?" The handkerchief fluttered around her face to mop the sweat trickling down her flushed cheeks. "I am most seriously displeased."

"Indeed." Lizzy swallowed hard to flush the taste of bile from her mouth.

"He declared he was already engaged to another, some unconnected nobody from the country."

Vertigo wooshed over Lizzy. She scrunched her eyes shut and clung tightly to the chair arms.

"Said he should have put an end to this farce long ago—he called his engagement to my daughter a farce. It does not matter. The issue," Lady Catherine sniffed, pulled out her chatelaine*and fumbled for her vinaigrette**, inhaling deeply from it, "the issue is that we must both bring everything we have to bear to work on both of them."

"What would be the point in that?" Lizzy worried her hands together, noticing every callous and hangnail. "It sounds like they are both quite decided upon their course of action. She will not have him under these conditions and he will not have her. What is there to do about it? Who are we to try to convince them to do other than they would desire?"

"Who are we indeed? How can you say such a thing? It is quite clear neither one of them is in possession of their right mind at this moment. Anne does not have any idea of what is good for her or what she needs. And my nephew!" Her hand flew to her chest and she gasped, wincing. "I cannot understand his sudden dereliction of his family duty. He has been raised from his earliest days knowing this was his destiny. I am almost his nearest relation, and entitled to direct him in his course of action. "

Lizzy turned aside to roll her eyes.

Lady Catherine leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "We must convince him that he needs to do his duty, and give up the wanton who turned his head in that godforsaken little market town he visited."

Lizzy ground her teeth, hot fury creeping up her neck and onto her cheeks. "I am not certain I can be of any assistance to you in this, madam." She breathed shallowly, the offensive words tight around her chest.

"Nonsense! Utter nonsense! I have rarely heard more good sense coming from anyone! In just the last few days you have proven yourself a font of good advice and wisdom, despite your youth. Who better to work on my daughter? Moreover, you are a prettyish sort of girl, just the kind to attract the attention of a young man. Perhaps my nephew will be more apt to listen to you because of your fine eyes."

"I am quite certain this is a bad plan. I cannot…"

"I will not hear another word." Lady Catherine brandished the folded fan like a rapier. "You agreed to help me with Anne, and this is most definitely part of assisting her—"

The butler opened the door. "Madam, Mr. and Mrs. Collins." He pushed the door open further and the Collinses walked in.

"We so appreciate your most gracious invitation," Mr. Collins bowed deeply and waddled in. "My father-in-law and sister were most sorely vexed to know they would be deprived of your delightful company when they left—"

"Yes, yes, do sit down, Mr. Collins." Lady Catherine waved him off and nodded at the butler. "Have tea sent."

Charlotte hurried to Lizzy's side. "Are you well? You do not look like yourself at all, nor does Lady Catherine," she whispered.

"Oh, Charlotte!" Lizzy gulped. "We must find some way to talk privately!"

Charlotte patted her hand. "We will."

"Do not whisper like that! I must have my part in the conversation!" Lady Catherine leaned forward and drummed her fingernails against the table.

"Lizzy was just inquiring after my father's travels, and if we had yet heard of his safe arrival back home." Charlotte glanced from Lady Catherine to her husband and smiled uneasily.

"And have you?" Lady Catherine flicked her fan open again and fluttered it around her face. "How strange for it to be so warm this time of year," she muttered.

"No, not yet, your ladyship. He is not an apt correspondent. I am sure we will have a letter from my mother soon." Charlotte sat close to Lizzy.

"How are you enjoying your stay at Rosings Park, Cousin Elizabeth?" Collins smiled, the grin of a cat eyeing an errant dormouse.

The skin on the back of Lizzy's neck prickled, and she suppressed a shudder. "I am—"

"Quite awed, I suppose." He looked down his nose at her. "I am sure the grandeur here is almost too much for your senses, is it not? How can one from a humble home like yours not be overwhelmed by the luxury and magnificence you are surrounded by here." Collins gestured to the room around him. "I can only imagine your gratitude and acute awareness of your good fortune in being invited here."

The coldness in his eyes stole the words from her. She closed her mouth slowly and nodded instead. A jealous man is a dangerous one, dearest. Do not inspire jealousy, and if you see it, flee, for it poisons everyone in its path. Her father's voice rang in her ears.

"You have been afforded an opportunity that few have enjoyed." Collins scowled at her through narrowed eyes.

Charlotte swallowed hard and glanced at Lizzy, a worry in her eyes.

He cleared his throat with a grating rasp. "I hope you never forget the good fortune you have experienced…"

"Did you complete those letters I asked you to write?" Lady Catherine cut in, kneading her left shoulder distractedly.

"Yes, your ladyship. I have them right here." He fumbled with his satchel until he produced several neatly written sheets of paper and handed them to Lizzy. He waved at her to pass them along to Lady Catherine.

Lizzy cast a sidelong look at the papers. He does have a lovely hand.

A commotion at the door distracted them all. It burst open, slamming back against the wall behind it.

"Is she still here?" Anne demanded with a shrill voice, stumbling slightly as she entered.

"Of whom do you speak?" Lady Catherine asked softly, clutching her temples, her eyes squeezed shut.

"That…that…chit!"Anne stomped halfway into the room. "That deceptive, manipulative, horrible woman!"She parked her fists on her hips and turned as though to scan the room.

Lizzy leaned back, her face pale.

Charlotte looked from Anne to Lizzy to Collins. She reached for Lizzy's hand.

"I heard you! Where are you?" Anne stepped closer to the settee where Lizzy sat.

Lizzy slowly rose. "I am here." She pulled herself up straight, shoulders back and lifted her chin with more bravado than she felt.

"What are you doing here?" Anne crossed the last few steps to stand close to Lizzy.

"Joining your mother for tea." Lizzy's voice was tight and controlled, but her heart thudded painfully in her chest, loud enough that Anne must certainly have heard it.

"I do not want you here." Anne stomped her foot and tossed her head. A hairpin went flying and bounced off Lizzy's cheek.

Lizzy flinched and, with as much dignity as possible, removed the errant pin from where it had lodged in the neckline of her gown. "I believe that is your mother's choice, not yours." Lizzy cocked her head and tried to mask the quiver in her jaw.

"What have you done!" Collins sprang to his feet and rushed between Lizzy and Anne. "I cannot apologize enough for my cousin, however she may have insulted you, Miss de Bourgh. I am certain that your most gracious mother…"

"She has not insulted me! She has conspired against me in the most heinous of ways!" Anne screamed, tears flowing down her face.

"No, that is not possible!" Charlotte's hands flew to cover her mouth. She looked at Lizzy, clearly hoping for an explanation.

Collins loomed impossibly large over Lizzy, baring his teeth in a silent snarl.

Lizzy inched back, repulsed by the bits of his last meal that lingered between his teeth and breath that stank of stale tea and cheese.

Anne turned toward Charlotte, accusation in her voice, "Oh, it is not only entirely possible, it is also entirely true. She has betrayed my trust and conspired against me to force me against my wishes—"

"Oh no, Miss de Bourgh," Collins stepped in front of his wife's seat, "No one can force you to do anything, most especially something against your will. Please accept my humblest apologies on behalf of my cousin; I am certain that despite her rough and offensive country ways, that is certainly the farthest thing—"

"Stop your sniveling, Mr. Collins!" Anne snapped. "Do not treat me like a simpleton. I know precisely what I am talking about."

Collins recoiled, staggering slightly.

"Anne, you will stop this unseemly temper tantrum right now, and you will sit down and properly entertain our guests," Lady Catherine commanded. She heaved herself up from her seat and shambled unsteadily toward her daughter.

"How could you side against me with this devilish shrew who has insinuated herself into our home?"Anne's face screwed up into a mask of petulance.

"She is no shrew, nor has she insinuated herself anywhere. She is here on my invitation." Lady Catherine braced herself against the arm of the settee.

"How could you plot against me, Mama? I told you, I will not leave Rosings, not for you, not for Fitzwilliam, not for anyone!"

"You will marry your cousin, and since he requires you to live at Pemberley, you shall do just that. Miss Bennet will assist you in the process. Her own father—"

"I do not care what that old man is said to be able to do. I will do no such thing!" Anne pumped her fists. "I won't marry Fitzwilliam either. Miss Bennet has seen to that as well."

A collective gasp went up in the room. Lizzy grimaced and covered her face with her hand.

"Did you not know? Not only has that harlot turned you against me, she has stolen my betrothed!" Anne pressed her hands to her chest.

Lady Catherine rolled her eyes with a disguised huff. "Sit down now, Anne. You do not know what you are talking about. I will not have you spewing such nonsense any longer."

"It is not nonsense; the undergardener came and told me. I have promised him a reward for bringing me such information."

Lizzy bit her lip, tasting a drop of blood before she stopped.

"He overheard her talking to Fitzwilliam in the garden. Fitzwilliam has thrown me over for her! The little country nobody who turned his head. It is entirely her fault that he is not willing to marry me. It has nothing to do with where we live— it is all about her!" Anne launched herself at Lizzy, but Lizzy sidestepped.

Collins caught Anne as she stumbled, carefully righting her to her feet.

Lady Catherine shook her head and looked at Lizzy as though for the first time. "Is this true? You are engaged to my nephew?"

"We have an understanding," Darcy's voice answered from the doorway.

"No, sir, we do not," Lizzy said, whipping around to find Darcy.

"How dare you!" Collins shrieked, stomping toward Lizzy. "How could you possibly pretend to such a lofty position? You, the daughter of one afflicted by God? You do not deserve to be a guest in this house, much less engaged to one of its blood!"

Immediately Darcy was by Lizzy's side, stepping between her and Collins.

Lizzy welcomed his towering presence to shelter her from her cousin's fury.

"What do you mean 'afflicted by God'!" Lady Catherine shouted, her face reddening and eyes bulging. She pulled herself to her feet and commanded attention. "How dare you—"

"Your ladyship!" Collins's posture crumbled into that of a kicked dog. "I only…"

Charlotte grabbed Lizzy's arm and pulled her away. "Come, we must leave now." She towed Lizzy from the parlor and out the front door. "Hurry! We should not be here."

"But, Charlotte," Lizzy tried to escape, "I must make them understand—"

"No, you do not want to be around Mr. Collins right now. I suspect Lady Catherine will be most displeased before the explanations are all out. You will not want to be in her company either." Charlotte tugged at her most urgently, surprising Lizzy with her strength.

"But I need to …"

"No, the worst thing you could do right now is to get caught in the middle of that hornet's nest. You will come to the house with me, and you will tell me all, now. I might be able to explain it to Mr. Collins, and perhaps we can smooth out this misunderstanding and put it all to rights."

Lizzy nearly tripped down the impressive stairway as Charlotte determinedly dragged her toward the parsonage.

I am not sure anything will ever be right again. Lizzy swallowed hard against the knot in her throat.

Charlotte pressed her head back against her chair and sighed. Lizzy had explained the entire story to her twice and still she kept asking Lizzy to repeat it.

Lizzy squirmed in her seat, eyeing the front door nervously.

"If anyone else had told me such a tale, I would have called them a liar," Charlotte said.

"I suppose it is rather fantastical when you put it that way," Lizzy clutched her temples. "I can hardly fathom it myself."

"A secret engagement? That sounds so unlike you. I can hardly believe you would ever consider such a thing, much less that your father would accept such an arrangement." Charlotte frowned and looked ready to scold.

"Charlotte, you should have seen the way Papa took to Mr. Darcy; it is unprecedented. He even allowed Mr. Darcy to guide him. I cannot explain the bond that developed between them. Papa trusted him entirely."

"I have never known your father to walk on anyone's arm but that of a family member." Charlotte's eyes grew wide.

"I know; I did not know what to make of it. Now I know why Mr. Darcy was so good with him. Clearly he understood what to expect from his dealings with Miss de Bourgh, although how he learned anything from her, I can hardly imagine. Could you imagine her allowing anyone to guide her?" Lizzy pushed back curls that escaped her hairpins.

"He knew her from childhood and grew up around her, so he certainly would have been comfortable with your father, as well. He was expected to marry her, after all. Perhaps she allowed him liberties—"

"Do not say another word on that thought! I care not to consider that possibility. Ugh!Nor do I think it possible that even Mr. Darcy could ever take… Oh! It is too awful to consider." Lizzy swallowed hard. "He never told me! How could he have proposed to me when he was already engaged?"

"He must have been quite taken with you. He is known for being a man of great propriety. For him to make such a break is truly extraordinary." Charlotte tapped her chin with her index finger.

"Well, it is of little matter now. Our understanding is at an end." Lizzy tossed her head, trying to sound very confident.

"Surely you cannot mean that, Lizzy. It would not be wise to throw off a man of such great consequence." She glanced down at her hand, twisting the thin band of gold around her finger.

"One that is already engaged to another! Or have you forgotten that small detail?" Lizzy felt the muscles in her shoulders knot and pain stabbed up her neck.

"Is it so hard to believe that the engagement is only in the minds of Anne and Lady Catherine? It is clear that you mean a great deal to him if he has already told them of his engagement to you. If you have already accepted him, you cannot mean to break—"

"I most certainly do. I have told you for years that I would never marry. I am not fit for marriage, and this taste of society has just proven that to me all the more clearly." Lizzy huffed and sagged into the cushions.

"You cannot judge by Lady Catherine."

"I cannot? Truly?"Lizzy clutched the arms of the chair and leaned forward. "What better example of high society do I have?"

"You are being uncharacteristically impulsive. Has he offered you some explanation?"

"What does it matter? What possible reason can he give for…for…for any of this? He did not trust me! How much of this could have been prevented if only he had done just that much?"

Charlotte leaned back, shaking her head and frowning. "With how much have you trusted him? Does he know of your father's sister, whose plight 'tis not unlike that of his sister?"

"What do you know of Mr. Darcy's sister?"

"Miss Darcy told me herself when we met in the spring."

"I have said nothing about Margaret. But it happened before I was even born. How could it matter now?" Lizzy squirmed, trying to get comfortable, but the prickling sensation across the back of her neck would not allow her to settle.

"Does not Mr. Darcy deserve to know the family scandals of the woman he has offered for?" Charlotte's eyes narrowed. "Does he not deserve to know about Horace Carver? Did you tell him?"

Lizzy covered her face with her hands. "No, I did not."

"Why did you not trust him? What if he had found out from someone sharing remaining traces of gossip in town? How would it have been for him to hear that from another?"

"It was so long ago. No one remembers—"

"People have long memories, particularly when remembering is inconvenient for someone else. You know that very well. Especially when a young woman is thought to have been compromised."

Lizzy's blood ran cold. "I was not! You know that— none of that story is true!"

"True or not, it does not matter. There are some who would believe it easily enough simply because of your father. Did not Mr. Darcy deserve to know the reputation of his future bride?" Charlotte's foot tapped rhythmically against the carpet.

"You know it is not true. How could you bring that up again?" Lizzy's chest ached and her stomach knotted. She wrapped her arms around her waist.

"The point is that there is a material reason why he would need to know something like that, particularly when he made you an offer. You are being a hypocrite of the worst kind, accusing him of the very actions you justify in yourself!" Charlotte crossed her arms tightly over her chest and tapped her foot loudly. "Lizzy, please listen to yourself!"

Tears gathered in Lizzy's eyes. She rubbed them away brusquely.

"You, who fears nothing, are afraid. I am certain seeing here at home has done nothing to improve your impressions of the married state. For that, I am very sorry. Be realistic. You are very well matched for Mr. Darcy. Marriage to him would be much better suited to your disposition. Do not use me as an excuse for this foolishness!" Charlotte extended her hand.

Lizzy jumped to her feet. "You do not understand! I am not fit to be his wife! To be anyone's wife! I am not. There is no point in arguing this any further. I am quite decided—"

The front door flew open, and Mr. Collins stormed in. "You!" he screamed.

Charlotte and Lizzy turned to stare at him.

"Mr. Collins?" Charlotte said hesitantly.

"How dare you pollute my humble abode? After what you have done to Lady Catherine! To her daughter! How could you come here?" he shrieked, stomping toward Lizzy.

"She is my guest, Mr. Collins." Charlotte's face lost all color.

"You will be quiet. I am the master of this house, and I will not have this slattern, this wanton, this harlot here a moment longer."

Lizzy could feel his hot, foul breath on her face.

"How can you make such accusation?" Charlotte wrapped her arm in Lizzy's.

"How else could a female such as herself—an improper, immodest excuse for a woman—attract the attention of a gentleman such as Mr. Darcy? She distracted him from his duty, from his promises to Miss de Bourgh! She is no better than an adulteress!" Collins grabbed Lizzy's arm and pulled her away.

"Unhand me!" Lizzy screamed.

"I will, when you are out of my house!" He dragged her to the door and pulled both of them through. "You will leave my house and never return. Remove yourself from the grounds of Rosings Park and stay away. You are not wanted here, and the next person who finds you here will have you arrested for trespassing. Away with you! Away!"

"It is the middle of the night! Where do you expect me to go?" Lizzy stammered and wrenched herself free.

"I do not care. It is not my problem. Just get away from my home and my wife. Do not show your immoral face here ever again. If I ever see you on these properties again, I will deal with you most directly!" He shoved her forcefully down the steps, where she fell at the base of the stairs, and slammed the door loudly.

Lizzy could hear raised voices within, but she ignored them. She struggled to her feel and tried to take a step, only to be stopped short by a sharp pain in her ankle. She fell to her knees and sobbed into her hands.

*Chatelaine: A decorative belt hook or clasp worn at the waist with a series of chains suspended from it. Each chain is mounted with a useful household appendage such as scissors, thimble, watch, key, vinaigrette, household seal, etc.

** Vinaigrette: A small container with a perforated top, used to contain an aromatic substance such as vinegar or smelling salts, especially popular for women in Victorian era to combat the aroma from the waste products common in cities.

[b] Author's note: [/b] How many of you recognized Lady Catherine's symptoms throughout this chapter?If you did not, please check out: health/heart-disease/HB00040 and heart-disease/features/her-guide-to-a-heart-attack. The life of someone you live could depend on it.