Darcy, Knight Errant (Elizabeth and Darcy True Love Multiverse)

18. Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

Darcy fixed his gaze on his sister, captivated by the sight of her animatedly chatting with Miss Elizabeth, her happiness palpable. This friendship had brought her so much joy and comfort, serving as a balm for her wounded heart after the disappointment with Wickham. He would forever be grateful that Miss Elizabeth came into both of their lives.

Though they were speaking loudly enough that he could hear them converse, he had paid no notice to the words, merely letting them wash over him, until he saw Georgianna’s expression turn to one of concern. Wishing that he had been paying better attention to the conversation until that point, he asked, “So do either of you have any ideas of what you will want to do while Georgianna is staying at Netherfield?” Hopefully he could understand what had disturbed his sister if he joined the conversation.

Miss Elizabeth and Georgianna shared a meaningful glance, and then Georgie spoke up, confessing, “Aside from wanting to spend as much time together as possible and meet your sisters, I didn’t really have any specific plans.”

Shrugging her shoulders, Miss Elizabeth said, “I did not have any plans either, though it might be best to limit your visits to Longbourn where possible.”

Georgianna frowned as she asked, “Why would you not want me to come to Longbourn?”

Blushing and stammering slightly, Miss Elizabeth hesitated before speaking. “With my father’s heir visiting, it might be best that you not come, at least until he returns to Hunsford to his parish next week,” she explained.

After his poor behavior the day before, Darcy could easily understand why Miss Elizabeth might want to protect his sister from spending time with so discourteous a man. Part of him wanted to ask if Miss Elizabeth was all right after her experience but did not want to embarrass her, so he only said, “I doubt he would behave badly while Bingley and I are there, and I am sure that Georgianna would put up with him if only so that she might meet the rest of your sisters.”

Darcy watched as Miss Elizabeth rubbed her fingers along her right arm and anger flared in his chest. He could only assume that there was a bruise beneath the fabric of her dress. Though Miss Elizabeth smiled, he could tell that it did not reach her eyes when she said, “I suppose that will be fine.” Locking eyes with Georgianna, she went on, “Although I don’t want to prevent you from meeting my other sisters, I feel obligated to warn you about Mr. Collins. He is by far the most outrageous individual I’ve ever come across, and it is not a pleasant experience to spend time in his company. In fact, I would never presume to label him a gentleman.”

Georgianna’s attention shifted from Miss Elizabeth to Darcy, her eyes filled with intrigue and a faint crease forming between her brows. It seemed his sister had caught on to Miss Elizabeth’s unease. As their gazes locked, Darcy felt a familiar sense of understanding with his sister, knowing she would approach him to talk about it once the Miss Bennets were gone.

Grimacing, Darcy decided that a change of topic might be best. So regarding his sister, he said, “It might surprise you to know that Mr. Collins is our Aunt Catherine’s vicar. That she would choose such a man to see to the people of her estate says much about our aunt. I have tried to keep him from discovering our connection to her, fearing he might try to win my favor in his oddly servile and obsequious manner.”

Eyes widening, Georgianna exclaimed, “Oh my.” Turning, she patted Miss Elizabeth’s hand and said, “I will take anything he says with a grain of salt, and I will not hold him against you or your family. It is not as if you could choose your father’s heir. Just like I cannot choose my aunt. Only you must promise me that if you ever meet Lady Catherine that you do not hold it against me.”

Regaining some of her humor, Miss Elizabeth chuckled. Then, sighing, she said, “I will not hold your aunt against you, and you will not hold Mr. Collins against me, and we will have a pleasant time chatting with my sisters about hats and ribbons and lace. We will have such a jolly time that we will drive your brother and Mr. Bingley to distraction.”

Having overcome the slight hurdle to their easy enjoyment, their conversation turned to common topics about preparations for the winter months and what they all enjoyed doing during the colder months. Time passed quickly and soon the ladies had to return home, but not before Georgianna and Elizabeth made plans to meet up the next day to spend time together, just the two of them. Elizabeth had promised to look over the medicinal garden with Georgianna and Mrs. Annesley to see if there was anything that might be collected and used for the benefit of the manse or tenants of Netherfield.

Georgianna saw them off with much enthusiasm, but as their carriage pulled away, she turned to her brother and demanded, “What exactly has Elizabeth so out of sorts? She was almost timid when it came to the mention of that man!”

Groaning, Darcy rubbed his forehead and gesturing her and Mrs. Annesley back through the front door. He said, “That is best discussed away from prying ears.”

In short order, they had all moved into Bingley’s study, and Georgianna was looking at him with an expectant gaze. When he glanced over at Bingley sitting behind his desk, he couldn’t help but notice the subtle shrug and the peculiar frown that creased his face. Directing his attention back to the ladies in the room, he said, “I know I mentioned in my letter that Miss Elizabeth’s family seems to encourage a match with her father’s heir. As such, he feels he can direct Miss Elizabeth however he might want to correct her behavior.”

Huffing, Georgianna exclaimed, “What can he have to correct? Elizabeth is everything that is good!”

“He is a fool, brimming with an unwarranted sense of superiority and blindly following our aunt’s misguided advice. Things came to a bit of a head yesterday when he realized that Miss Elizabeth was looking over the novels in the bookshop. Not only did he castigate her for such a choice and knock the book out of her hands, but he also attempted to drag her out of the store by force. Bingley and I happened to be at the shop and had to step in and aid Miss Elizabeth and her younger sister, Miss Mary.”

Bingley blurted, “Poor Miss Mary was shaking like a leaf, watching him mistreat her sister and being unable to do anything to stop him. He went so far as to say that as a man of God and a representative of Lady Catherine, we could not stop him from manhandling her.”

While Georgianna gave a short sort of shriek, Mrs. Annesley’s eyes turned equal parts hard and concerned, expressing, “What could he have been thinking? I hope he didn’t injure Miss Elizabeth.”

Looking away, Darcy clenched his fists, trying to contain his anger. He finally said, “He gripped her arm so tightly, I’m almost certain it left bruises.”

As Georgianna got up, a sense of restlessness filled the room. She paced back and forth, the sound of her footsteps creating a rhythmic pattern. Then, with a sudden stop, she spun around to face him, her voice filled with indignation as she said, “I cannot like it that Miss Elizabeth’s parents would push her toward a match with such a despicable man. I know she will refuse any proposal, but she cannot be comfortable in such a situation. Is there anything we might do to help her?”

Everyone in the room looked around at each other with various expressions of frustration. They all knew that there was not much that they could do. Society did not give women much autonomy besides refusing a gentleman’s request to marry her. They would have little choice but to wait and see how things progressed.

Finally, Mrs. Annesley said, “We shall be there for her, Georgianna, and give her the support that she needs at such a difficult time. Should anything in the situation shift, we will be available to offer any aid she may require.”

Fanny Bennet left her husband’s study unhappy with his flippant reaction to her concerns. She couldn’t help but notice that he considered his negligence towards her and their children as revenge for her role in forcing him into the marriage, leaving her with a strong sense of frustration. It became clear to her long ago that her mother’s notion of gentlemen swiftly recovering from compromises was completely misguided.

The life she had envisioned for herself, one filled with comfort and security, was nowhere to be found. Instead, the constant reminder haunted her that she would be left destitute and abandoned once he breathed his last at Longbourn. Despite her second daughter’s insistence that she would do better to save, Fanny saw her many daughters as her route to financial stability once her husband died.

While Jane and Lydia would certainly have wealthy husbands, she had other daughters to consider as well. Kitty would most likely do well for some friend of Lydia’s husband. She was pretty enough and men often like subservient wives, and she was such a follower that following her husband’s dictates would be nothing to her at all, or so Fanny assumed. Mary and Elizabeth were different, however. They were not like her, but that did not mean she would not use them. She would not waste any of her money once her husband died to support any of her daughters. They would marry or find their own ways in the world.

Mr. Collins’s arrival had proved a godsend. He was looking for a bride and she had plans to shift his attention to either Elizabeth or Mary. While Mary would be better at the role vicar’s wife, with her moralizing and bible reading, it was obvious from the start that Mr. Collins had fixated on Elizabeth, which she supposed was just as well. With one of her daughters as the heir’s wife, she would maintain her ability to stay on at Longbourn, whatever ended up transpiring.

She had always assumed that Jane or Lydia’s husband would invite her to live with them. She also liked the idea of staying on at Longbourn as mistress. Able to continue her position as one of the leading ladies. Yes, Elizabeth would marry Mr. Collins and Fanny could stay on when Mr. Bennet died and really, good riddance. So what if she trapped him into marriage? He needed a wife and had shown no interest in any other lady beforehand. He could not have gone on forever without marrying. She was an excellent hostess and had kept her figure even after five pregnancies. What did he expect of her? She had followed her mother’s advice and had not even been unfaithful to him.

Moving down the hallway in a huff, Fanny smiled when she spotted the unctuous little toad that was her husband’s heir. He was disgusting but easily led if you knew how to do it. “Oh, Cousin Collins, I am so happy to see you,” she gushed.

Smiling at her in his aloof way, he nodded. “Mrs. Bennet, lovely to see you. I have been looking for your daughters so that I may once again expound to them on the evils of reading on the feminine mind.”

Forcing herself not to roll her eyes at his commentary, Fanny answered, “Mr. Darcy’s sister and her companion have finally arrived, and they cordially invited Jane to join them for tea. Elizabeth, serving as a chaperone, accompanied her. Mary should be around here somewhere unless she is once again bringing aid to our tenants. The younger girls could be anywhere, but I do not know that you wanted to see them.”

Shaking his head, his expression crestfallen, he murmured, “I shall simply have to save my speech until after dinner this evening. Perhaps then more of them will partake of Lady Catherine’s wisdom.”

“Yes, I am sure,” Fanny spoke as she planned her escape for that evening. Perhaps she could develop a headache? No, that would not work. She could not force her daughters to pay attention to the man if she were absent. Mentally shrugging, Fanny figured she would think of something.

Deciding to get her plan in motion, she looked down the hall to see if they might be overheard. Then smiling, she stepped closer to Mr. Collins and, laying her hand softly on his arm, said, “My dear cousin Collins, I know you lost your mother and so might not have the ability to turn to an older lady for advice. You may have your patroness, but I know that there are some things you could not speak with her about.”

Looking down at her hand on his arm briefly, he tilted his head slightly before saying, “You are not wrong, madam.”

“As part of your family, if only distantly, I would like to help you. You are interested in finding a wife to share your life with. I worry you might hesitate to act for fear of offending someone or saying the right thing.”

Frowning, Mr. Collins agreed. “I have been instructed by Lady Catherine de Bourgh that it is not right for a vicar as important as myself to remain unwed. She sent me off commanding that I come back either engaged or married. However, I hesitate to act as I am uncertain how my words with be received. Then to I have not spoken with your good husband.”

“May I assume that because you wish to speak with my husband, you wish to pick one of my daughters as your future life mate?” asked Fanny, knowing full well where his attention lay.

Grinning, he agreed, “Yes, I have set my attention on Cousin Elizabeth as my future wife. Not only is she the heartiest, but she would also benefit from my instruction the most out of all her sisters.”

“How wonderful! If I might suggest a few things, to smooth your way?” Fanny waited until she saw his nod before continuing, “You do not know how it is for young ladies to wait in suspense, wondering when a man will propose. I suggest you put an end to the suspense and ask her at the first opportunity tomorrow.”

The presence of Mr. Collins sadly diminished the excitement Elizabeth felt about seeing Georgianna and Mr. Darcy later that day. At that moment, she regretted not returning from her walk earlier because now she had to watch him partake of his meal. She had only taken a few bites of her toast and eggs when he started in on his own plate like a hog at a trough. Elizabeth brought her serviette to her mouth in an attempt to hide her disgust.

He had piled his plate so high that Elizabeth wondered that there was any left for the rest of her family to have. Barely breathing in his gluttony, he shoveled food into his mouth in such a way that it defied explanation. Her father watched him, eyes dancing, and Elizabeth could only wonder at his attitude. Mr. Collins was the man that would take his place as master of Longbourn and instead of being concerned, he found the situation comical?

Even though she had lost her appetite, Elizabeth cautiously took small sips of her tea, doing her best to block out the sound of the man slurping and masticating across from her. Just as she thought it couldn’t get any worse, he let out a thunderous belch, a satisfied smile playing on his lips as he greedily continued to stuff his maw.

The memory came rushing back to her, vividly recalling his account of being invited to partake in a meal with his patroness at her house, an opportunity that had come his way only once. It made even more sense now, observing his complete lack of table manners. Though she wondered why such an autocratic woman would not have demanded he improve or rather gain some table manners.

Throwing down her serviette in disgust, Elizabeth stood and said, “I find I have lost my appetite. I am going to get ready for a day of visiting the tenants.”

As she moved to quit the room, Mr. Collins called out, his mouth full of half chewed food spraying as he said, “Oh, but Miss Elizabeth, I wanted to have a word with you this morning. You cannot leave Longbourn before I have had a chance to talk with you.”

Turning, Elizabeth faced him with a flat sort of smile. “I doubt you can have anything to say to me that I would want to hear. Or rather, you may not want to hear my response.”

Having said as much, Elizabeth turned and fled the room. Such a man would not importune her in her own home. Not if she could help it. However, her mother’s hand on her arm stopped her abruptly as she walked down the hall to her room.

Face florid in her anger, Mrs. Bennet declared, “Elizabeth, I insist you give Cousin Collins a moment of your time. I am sure he has something very important to discuss with you. You will hear him out and, of course, agree to whatever he asks of you.”

Refusing to wince at the strength of her mother’s grip, Elizabeth replied, “You may insist all you want, but I will not be obliging you.”

Elizabeth had always known that her mother’s fits of nerves had been a ploy to for attention and to get her way, but it was never more evident in her fury at that moment. Her mother exhibited no weakness or nerves when drawing her daughter closer with a jerk. She hissed, “You stupid, hateful girl. Do you think you will get a better offer? You have not half of Jane’s beauty or Lydia’s liveliness. With your bluestocking pretensions and hoydenish behavior, the only husband you might catch on your own would likely be a tenant farmer.”

Shaking her head, Elizabeth willed her tears not to fall. She had always known that her mother thought very little of her. More proof of it would not truly change anything. Focusing on her anger, Elizabeth ground out, “I care not what you think of me and my prospects. I still will not wed that man.”

“You will marry him and save our family from the hedgerows. I will not lose my position as mistress of Longbourn to some unknown chit!”

With her soft soled slippers offering little resistance, Elizabeth’s mother forcefully pulled her back to the breakfast room. To Elizabeth’s surprise, her mother demonstrated a greater ability to pull her along than Mr. Collins had shown. Mrs. Bennet flung open the door and forcefully thrust her smaller daughter into the room. Elizabeth crashed into a chair, knocking it over before she caught herself on the edge of the table. Continuing her rant, Mrs. Bennet exclaimed, “Cousin Collins, Elizabeth is here and ready to hear whatever you wish to say.”

The sight of laughter in her father’s eyes only served to amplify Elizabeth’s shame, as he seemed to find her mother’s rough treatment of her as something to be entertained by. Elizabeth found she could no longer view her father as intelligent if this was how he behaved. In his relentless search for amusement, he had forsaken his intellect and any compassion he had ever owned. If he could not comprehend or care about the distress she was experiencing, understanding the great philosophers of the past meant nothing.

Mr. Collins, for his part, only put down his fork and asked, “Is there something wrong with Cousin Elizabeth?”

Mrs. Bennet laughed, “No, my dear Mr. Collins, she is merely clumsy this morning. I am sure you will find that she is not always so.”

Ignoring the smear of grease on his chin, Mr. Collins tugged at his waistcoat absentmindedly before saying, “Well, then, Cousin Elizabeth, almost as soon as I entered the house, though I recognize your need for firm guidance, I singled you out as the companion of my future life. But before I am run away with by my feelings on this subject, perhaps it would be advisable for me to state my reasons for marrying.”

Elizabeth refused to hear anything else. Instead of letting him have his say, she spoke over him, crying, “Mr. Collins! You may have chosen me as the companion of your future life, but I urge you to look elsewhere. Because believe me when I say that I will not marry you under any condition. You may stop your prattle and return to the trough that you have created for yourself.”

Elizabeth’s delight at witnessing the astonishment on Mr. Collins’s face was short-lived, as her mother immediately intruded, violently seizing her and administering a sharp slap to her face. Cradling her aching cheek, Elizabeth looked to her father, hoping that finally he might step in. It was horrible to realize that he was chuckling at the display before him. Though they locked eye for a moment, he only looked away.

“Dear cousin Collins, do not mind my daughter or her false words. I fear her father has long let her have her way in things and it is time for her to understand her place. Her father and I will talk with her now and I am sure we can help her understand the inappropriateness of joking so with her intended.” So, speaking, Mrs. Bennet propelled Elizabeth back towards the door. “Mr. Bennet, it is time we speak with your daughter in your study.” Grumbling, Mr. Bennet stood from his seat leaving his paper and half eaten breakfast and followed his wife and daughter from the room.