Reunited at Rosings (Sweet Standalone Pride and Prejudice Variations #5)

Chapter 6

December 4, 1812

Not long after their arrival in Kent, an invitation arrived for them from Rosings. Despite Charlotte’s conjectures, Elizabeth had not expected it. When he had visited them at Longbourn to express his condolences over Lydia’s folly, Mr Collins had made it clear that Lady Catherine knew of the scandal and was utterly disgusted with them all. Blameless as Elizabeth was in the matter, she could not imagine Lady Catherine receiving her with any pleasure. Surely, Lady Catherine had to know about her visit with Mr and Mrs Collins for the birth.

“Are you sure you ought to risk it, Charlotte?” Lady Lucas asked.

Charlotte had startled everyone by announcing that she would also like to attend the dinner. After all, she still had a few weeks before the baby was born. “Yes, Mother, I am quite sure. It will likely be my last chance to venture out before the baby comes. And I could use a change of scenery. I must confess, I am growing restless being cooped up inside.”

“But it is not proper, Charlotte dear,” Lady Lucas whispered. She glanced at Charlotte’s now very large belly and shook her head. “Is it not rather too daring?”

“All shall be well, Mama. Of course, I should not think of it for a more formal visit. If we did not know Lady Catherine and Miss de Bourgh so well, it would be quite a different matter. But I rather think they would be disappointed if I did not come.”

Mr Collins stepped up, nervously licking his lips before he contradicted his mother-in-law. “As the invitation did not omit my wife, I do not see any reason that she should not go. And my dear wife is right. It would be good for her to get some fresh air and exercise before her confinement.” He smiled tenderly at Charlotte, who returned the smile gratefully.

“But the chill air! That is another thing you do not take into consideration, my dear. What if you were to catch cold while we are walking to and from Rosings? It would not do. I say, it will not do!”

“Mama, all will be well. Miss de Bourgh has sent the carriage for us, so I will not have to walk all that way, even though it is only across the green.” Charlotte leaned close to her mother and kissed her on the cheek. “And with Papa’s carriage at your disposal, we shall all be quite warm and safe. Now, do stop worrying. I want you to enjoy yourself this evening.”

Mr Collins clicked his tongue. “Besides that, it would be offensive for us not to accept the invitation. Lady Catherine, poor soul, has been bedridden for months. Perhaps she will want me to say a prayer for her before we go in to dinner.” He stopped and looked at the clock on the mantel. “And if we do not set off now, we will be late. Do not worry, Lady Lucas. Mrs Collins and I will meet you at Rosings.”

Charlotte and Mr Collins set off in Lady Catherine’s carriage, while the others left immediately after, following in Sir Lucas’s carriage. If she had thought they had heard the last of Lady Lucas’s disapproval, they were sorely wrong. All the way to Rosings, she and Maria had to hear about what a mistake Lady Lucas feared Charlotte was making. “One’s health is all one has, after all! And is it not too daring to appear in such a state?”

Elizabeth sighed and bit back the many replies she could have put forth. It would not do any good to argue with the older woman, especially since it was her daughter who was with child. Lady Lucas was likely nervous about the impending birth. Even with Charlotte’s apparent good health, any number of things could go wrong, heaven forbid, and so they must all have some forbearance with her.

“I am sure all will be well, Lady Lucas. And it will do Miss de Bourgh good to see Charlotte. I believe they have greatly enjoyed each other’s company since Charlotte came into the county.” Elizabeth tried to allay Lady Lucas’s fears.

The carriages pulled up in front of Rosings and the front door opened before they could all climb down. Light flooded the darkness and as they walked up the steps, she saw that a young woman was waiting for them on the front stoop.

“How very odd,” Mr Collins remarked. “It is not like Miss de Bourgh to behave so informally. I do hope she does not catch cold.”

In the next moment, they were close enough to see that the figure was not Miss de Bourgh. For her to greet them at the door would have been unusual, but the truth turned out to be still more surprising.

The young woman was none other than Miss Darcy! Elizabeth’s heart skipped a beat as she walked up behind Mr and Mrs Collins. She might have visited her aunt alone, of course, or have been left there by Mr Darcy. It would not do to hope too much.

“Welcome, all of you! Please, come in out of the cold,” Miss Darcy said quietly. She stood aside and allowed the guests to pass by her. She waved Elizabeth over and lowered her voice. “Miss Bennet! How good it is to see you again. What a surprise it is to see you here. But a pleasant one, indeed.”

“It is indeed a pleasant surprise, Miss Darcy,” Elizabeth said. The warmth of her tone came easily, for she had found Miss Darcy to be a very pleasant young woman during her visit to Derbyshire. She pressed Miss Darcy’s hand in a show of friendship. “Have you come to stay with your aunt for Christmas?”

“I have. It was growing dreadfully lonely in that big old house, what with my brother being here for the last few months to help our cousin run the estate.”

Elizabeth’s heart stilled. “Mr Darcy? Mr Darcy is here?” she asked.

“Yes, indeed. You did not know it?” she said. She waved off the thought. “Anyway, he has been here since the beginning of October. He travelled here as soon as he heard the news that my aunt had fallen ill.”

Miss Darcy looked at the open door and linked arms with Elizabeth. “But we should go inside and get out of this cold. Come. My brother will be overjoyed to see you!”

When they walked into the foyer, Mr Darcy was indeed one of the party. Elizabeth found that the months apart had not dimmed one bit of his handsomeness in her eyes. Indeed, after months without them, the uncommonly perceptive glint to his eyes, the determination of his chin and the strong set of his shoulders seemed to have grown more precious to her than ever. She could not entirely conceal her sensibility, but thankfully, Mr Darcy looked equally affected on seeing her. Elizabeth could not bring herself to attend to the formal greetings, and was forced to hope afterward that she had said all that was proper.

He was not the only member of the party known to her. But where Mr Darcy seemed totally unchanged, Elizabeth found she hardly recognised Anne de Bourgh. The sickly, pale woman with nothing to say for herself was quite altered, and for the better.

True, the traces of long illness could still be seen about her, in the thinness of her figure and some shadows under her eyes. In all else, she was quite different. Her expression was alert and engaged, not to mention more smiling than Elizabeth had ever seen her. Colonel Fitzwilliam, who stood next to her, seemed sensible of the change, for Elizabeth saw him glance at her almost wonderingly, before looking away with a small smile. For his part, the Colonel was not changed in the least, and seemed as charming as ever.

“It is so nice to have guests after such a long absence from society,” Miss de Bourgh said. “And later this evening, we shall have to convince Miss Darcy to play for us. My cousin really is quite the protégé.”

“That would be lovely,” Lady Lucas said.

It was not long before they were shown in to dinner, yet even the short time they waited seemed to crawl by on snail’s feet. All the while, Elizabeth could not help stealing glances at Mr Darcy’s face, trying to ascertain what he thought of seeing her again. Perhaps she should have pressed Charlotte harder and convinced her to stay home. They could have had a nice, quiet evening together. As it was, she could not tell if he was displeased or simply being quiet in the presence of Lady Lucas and Maria.

All through dinner, Elizabeth noticed how much more Miss de Bourgh talked. Nor was her conversation at all standoffish or supercilious. Everything she said seemed marked by friendliness and good sense. Anne de Bourgh was altered indeed by being out of her mother’s shadow. Lady Catherine was not present for the dinner, since she was still very weak from her ordeal. Unable to walk or even stand unassisted, Lady Catherine did not choose to be carried down. Perhaps she did not wish to show weakness, even to her family. It was a wonder to see Miss de Bourgh looking so much stronger and healthier. Elizabeth hated to think it, but perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that Lady Catherine had fallen ill. And that Anne de Bourgh looked to Colonel Fitzwilliam all throughout the dinner did not escape her. Could there be a romance budding between them? The thought pleased her. After all these years, it would be wonderful for her to find someone to share her life with, to leave behind the sadness of her past filled with sickness and loneliness. Perhaps Lady Catherine’s wish that Anne might marry her cousin would come true after all, albeit in a different form than she had envisioned.

When dinner was over, the ladies retired to the drawing room for cards and coffee. But as they were just sitting down to a game of whist, the men appeared. “Forgive us, ladies, but we could not very well leave you alone,” Colonel Fitzwilliam said.

Elizabeth and Charlotte exchanged a knowing glance. It was more likely that they did not choose to spend any longer listening to Mr Collins droll on about how grateful he was that Lady Catherine had chosen him to shower her favour upon.

“Well, we were just sitting down to cards. Georgiana, would you play for us?” Miss de Bourgh asked.

Miss Darcy was more than willing to oblige. She invited Maria to stand with her by the pianoforte and flip the pages for her. Elizabeth smiled, glad to see her coming a little out of her shell.

“I am glad to hear Miss Darcy play again,” Elizabeth remarked. “I certainly have heard no one so accomplished since.”

Miss de Bourgh and Colonel Fitzwilliam exchanged a glance. Mr Darcy joined them, standing just to the right of Miss de Bourgh’s shoulder. Right where he could see Elizabeth best. Her heart fluttered at the look in his eyes.

“You have met my cousin Georgiana before?” Miss de Bourgh asked.

“Yes, I have. We met at Pemberley when I was travelling through the Peaks District with my aunt and uncle.” Elizabeth raised her gaze to Mr Darcy’s. That had been right before he had rushed off and saved Lydia. Right before Jane and Mr Bingley had been miraculously brought back together. And she knew much of it was due to Mr Darcy’s kindness.

Throughout the game, Elizabeth could feel Mr Darcy’s eyes on her. She fumbled with her cards, made innumerable mistakes, and was certain by the end of the first hand that she had made a complete fool of herself. “Really, Lizzy, I do not think you are trying at all,” Charlotte teased. “And I thought my brain had left me, due to my condition…” she added, her voice so low that only Elizabeth could hear.

“Forgive me. Perhaps I am not up for cards this evening,” she said, letting out a self-deprecating laugh. In truth, she found it difficult to focus with Mr Darcy standing so close by.

“Miss Bennet! Come and play for a little while. I should like very much like to hear you again,” Miss Darcy suggested. Elizabeth relished the chance to get away from Mr Darcy for a little while, if only to gather her thoughts.

“Of course,” she replied. She rose and went across the room to the pianoforte, busying herself with selecting a piece of music. When she had made her decision, she set up the sheet music, sank onto the piano stool, and was about to start playing when she saw Mr Darcy making his way across the room toward her.

Warmth spread through her stomach. Her heart was beating so fast it was difficult to catch her breath. It was impossible not to remember the first time he had come to listen to her play all those months before. How wrong she had been then, wrong about his motives, his character, and particularly his feelings towards herself. A lifetime had seemed to pass since then, for she was not the same person she had been.

Elizabeth wet her lips and looked away, splaying her fingers over the keys. She began to play as he neared, the hair on her neck and arms standing on end, making her all the more aware of his nearness. It was so very nearly the same, and yet so very different — for she was different.

Her heart was utterly different, for it was irrevocably his. Elizabeth would have given anything to know whether he felt the same.