First I want to thank everyone for the reviews/follows/favourites ! Also it's the first time I write since high school (something other than history essays) and I'm not English, everything is very new/strange so if you have any advices or corrections to share, don't hesitate to review or pm me.
Actually I've a question that someone will be able to answer : when do you think Darcy and the Colonel would have called at the Parsonnage in my story ? Darcy doesn't know Lizzie yet so he wouldn't have came back with Mr. Collins, right ?
The journey from Longbourn to Hunsford was planned to take two days, the first would bring Elizabeth to London where she would spend the day with the Gardiners, the next day she would arrive in Kent.
Upon her arrival at Gracechurch Street she was greeted warmly by her uncle and aunt as well as Lydia and her four young cousins. The day was spent in the most pleasant way, the morning was for shopping and the evening for the theatre. It was there that Mrs. Gardiner and Elizabeth were able to talk on their own, mainly discussing Lydia and Mary.
During the day Elizabeth had witnessed several changes in her sister. Lydia had not lost her good-humoured countenance, nor her self-confidence, but she seemed less self-involved, less self-entitled, and more patient. Apparently, the company of their four cousins, and the task of watching over them, seemed to benefit the young girl.
Finally, they came to talk about Mary and Elizabeth's trip, the niece confided to her aunt her impatience to see her younger sister but also her anxiety. The weeks before the wedding had brought the two girls together, but Elizabeth feared that the months apart would have changed their relationship again. Mrs. Gardiner did her best to reassure her niece, reminding her of their voluminous correspondence was a sign that their new friendship was deeper than a moment of sentimentality. It was true that during the past three months the two sisters had scrupulously written each other weekly. These letters helped not only to solidify their friendship but to reassure Elizabeth about Mary's marital status. She often recounted her conversations with her husband, showing discreetly the changes, that Mr. Collins seemed to have begun since their marriage.
Thus, the next day, as Elizabeth was traveling the five and twenty miles to Hunsford, the girl's thoughts were much happier. It was the first trip she made to this area and she was happy to be able to focus only on the landscape and not her anxiety. In a few weeks she would make the opposite trip and she would then have the opportunity to admire the changes that spring would have brought.
Finally, after almost six hours of travel the carriage left the main road and Elizabeth knew that she would soon be with her sister, she was frantically searching for the parsonage, believing to see Mary at every turn. Fortunately for her nerves the rectory was quickly seen, and Mary was there, standing on the threshold of the door, watching anxiously for the arrival of the carriage. The driver stopped in front of the little black gate, Elizabeth was barely out of the carriage that Mary was in front of her, the two sisters hugging each other with joy, laughing at themselves.
When they came to their senses, Elizabeth saw that Mr. Collins had taken the previous place of his wife and she was surprised to see that Mr. Collins was giving them a radiant smile, she thought the pastor would not have approved their demonstration of sentimentality.
After this reunion, the Collins didn't detained Elizabeth too long at the gate, they brought her in, ensuring that she receives all she could be in need of. To her surprise his cousin was more concerned about her welfare than with pointing out the advantages of the rectory or the benefits of being the wife of a Parson. At first he had asked news about her family but without his former formal civility, and he seemed to hold no bitterness against Elizabeth and her refusal. Mary was guiding the conversation, choosing the topics carefully to please everyone, and he seemed happy to follow her. Thus the day was spend in a pleasant discussion about music and books and the events of the past months, at Longbourn and at Hunsford. Elizabeth could only admire the change in her cousin and the calm influence her sister had over her husband.
During the following days Elizabeth was happy to see that the marital joy that Mary had presented to her in the letters was true, the admiration she had initially felt for Mr. Collins seemed to have changed during their time in Kent into a sincere love. Elizabeth was even more pleased to witness the reciprocity of these feelings, it was undeniable that Mr. Collins not only greatly admired Mary but felt great affection for her. It was not by direct speeches, he wasn't declaiming his eternal love in a flowery address, but he showed it by subtle gestures and particular attentions, which only a man seeking to please his wife would do. Through these different observations all the fears of Elizabeth disappeared, and the girl was glad to concentrate her mind only on the pleasure of being in Kent, with a sister she loved and a brother she didn't despise.
An invitation to dinner at Rosings was given a few days after Elizabeth's arrival and, when Mr. Collins informed her, he could not help but praise Lady Catherine and their good fortune in a long and pompous speech. She could not restrain a smile at this outburst, apparently there were still some remnants of former Mr. Collins in him, however she withdrew any judgment, for the benefit of Mary. Fortunately, the conversation quickly changed of subject, her cousin went back to his pleasant self and thankfully the dinner was only discussed again only when they were on the way to Rosings.
It seemed that the closer the Parson was to Rosings the more he found his former flaws that had displeased Elizabeth so much in Hertfordshire. The walk was very pleasant, the girl was able to admire Lady Catherine's park, but she did not enjoy hearing Mr. Collins discuss Rosings' number of windows and their cost. When they arrived, Elizabeth turned to her Mary, she did not seem particularly embarrassed by her husband's attitude or even anxious to see Lady Catherine, which reassured Elizabeth. She had never been one to be impressed by a person's wealth or rank, and nothing that Mr. Collins had told her had given her a reason to be nervous.
On their arrival they were greeted by three ladies, Lady Catherine, her daughter, Anne De Bourg, and Mrs. Jenkinson, her companion. Elizabeth took great pleasure in observing these new acquaintances, Lady Catherine was formidable both in her physique and in her character. The lady was tall and broad, and her face, which now bore the signs of the passing time, had strong features as if her body was a representation of her psyche. During the evening Elizabeth could compare the portrait she had drawn of Lady Catherine by the descriptions of her cousin and sister to the truth, and she was rather proud to not have been totally mistaken. Her manners were authoritarian, almost dictatorial, and she took great pride in her rank and wealth, never letting her guests forget their inferiority.
Her daughter was her perfect counterpart, in her physique and in her temperament, Miss de Bourg was small and frail, never speaking except when she answered, murmuring, to Mrs. Jenkinson's questions. Her face could have been pretty if she had not been so pale and sick, and Elizabeth could not help wondering what sickness the girl was suffering.
The dinner was exceedingly handsome and impressive, although the two Bennet sisters were not particularly impressed by all the food and the elaborate dishes, they had always preferred simple dishes to complicated ones. But Mr. Collins was enthusiastic enough to satisfy his patroness.
Lady Catherine took a great interest in the Bennets and wanted to know as much as possible about them, their family and relationships and their education. She had already asked this question when she first met Mary but want to hear them again, especially since her older sister was there. She claimed that Mary's great application was perfect for Mr. Collins, and that although her accomplishments were not varied, she had some talent for the pianoforte. Lady Catherine even invited Elizabeth that evening to accompany her sister to Rosings so that she too could enjoy the pianoforte in Mrs. Jenkinson's room, they would be in nobody's way in that part of the house.
If Elizabeth's feelings were varied regarding Lady Catherine, she acknowledged that her invitation to use the pianoforte, although formulated rather unsavoury, was generous. Mary had always been assiduous in her practice of music and Elizabeth had no doubt that she must regret that the presbytery does not have a pianoforte. Lady Catherine must have been informed, probably by Mr. Collins, and had solved the problem, for which reason Elizabeth was grateful.
Lady Catherine seemed particularly intrigued by Elizabeth, questioning her at length about her accomplishments and her interests but also about the gentlemen she knew or met in Hertfordshire. The girl had been somewhat troubled by these questions but was used to these manners and did not let nervousness, or annoyance, win her.
Elizabeth was relieved to observe that although Mary listened attentively to Lady Catherine and appreciated Lady Catherine's generous patronage, she did not blindly follow her advice. Mary had too much pride and character to blindly follow anyone, even though her vanity had gradually faded during the last months.
Finally, after the dinner was consumed, the sexes separated, the tea drunk and the card games played, Lady Catherine offered the carriage to Mrs. Collins, who accepted graciously. After a last thank from Mr. Collins to Lady Catherine, they were on their way to the rectory. In the carriage Elizabeth was immediately questioned about her impressions of Lady Catherine and all she had seen, drank, and eaten at Rosings, her cousin eagerly awaiting her praise.
That night, when she was alone in her room, Elizabeth did not know what to think of her cousin. Until that dinner she had changed her mind about him, gladly acknowledging that Mary had worked miracles with her husband, but now she doubted, maybe Mr. Collins had not changed, after all did one could change only through the influence of his beloved ?Hher worries about her sister's future resurfaced.
After this evening at Rosings, the days passed by pleasantly at the Parsonage, they were spent either in the garden or in the dining parlor to read, write or talk. Regularly Miss Bourg came with her phaeton and was sometimes convinced to take some refreshments inside. Several times in the week Mary and Elizabeth went to Rosings to practice the pianoforte, sometimes Miss de Bourg and Mrs. Jenkinson even came to attend their performances.
The only unpleasant moments for Elizabeth were when Lady Catherine came to visit them because these visits brought out all the faults of her cousin. At the sight of his patroness he became again the most pompous and obsequious of men.
Barely ten days after her arrival, while they were dining in Rosings, they learned that Lady Catherine would also receive family, her two nephews, a Mr. Darcy and a Colonel Fitzwilliam, were coming soon. Mr. Collins and Mary seemed to have heard of gentlemen before, but Lady Catherine seemed happy to find an audience unfamiliar with her nephews in the person of Elizabeth. She was particularly pleased with the arrival of Mr. Darcy, whom she spoke with the greatest admiration and was apparently the future fiancé of her daughter.
Lady Catherine was eager to excite the curiosity of her guests and especially Elizabeth, she seemed to have a certain pleasure in emphasizing the importance of her nephews and the rank gap that existed between them and the Collins. However, neither Elizabeth nor Mary were of a superficial nature and they preferred to judge men not on their wealth or rank but on their character, thus, the two young women felt no nervousness about meeting Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam.
Elizabeth was not sure she would like the company of the two gentlemen if Lady Catherine's description was true, but she was happy nonetheless to meet new people. She was enjoying her stay in Kent and was glad to be close with her younger sister again, but Mary was a married woman now and had responsibilities that sometimes forced her to leave her sister alone. Elizabeth understood this perfectly, and she did enjoy some solitude, but she like novelty too and studying peoples' characters, Lady Catherine's nephews could only be interesting cases.
The young woman did not even wait for their arrival to begin to draw their portraits. Elizabeth did not know what to expect from the gentlemen, but she took a certain pleasure in imagining them, relying on the different descriptions of their physiques and their characters made by Lady Catherine. She had few illusions, the two men were probably similar to their aunt or cousin, and frankly she didn't know which one of the two was best. If her imagination was right, she hoped that the dinner invitations at Rosings would then be diminished, which was very likely anyway since Lady Catherine did not seem eager to share the company of her nephews with the Collins and their provincial sister.
Elizabeth could not resist sharing her thoughts about the mysterious Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam with her sister, and although Mary laughed heartily at her ideas, she could not help but notice a slight frown.
"Why this grimace? "
At this question Mary looked away and blushed slightly.
"Your portrait of Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam is very amusing, but I do not think he is very charitable. It would not be fair to attribute the merits or flaws of a parent to their children. We must judge a man only by his own merits or defects, and not allow our prejudices to obscure our judgment. "
Elizabeth felt chastised, and for a few moments just stared at the garden through the window. She had to admit that Mary was right and that she had let her mind have fun at the expense of fairness.
"I guess you're right but still you have to admit that it's likely to be the truth, Lady Catherine herself insists on Mr. Darcy's pride"
"Certainly, but there is no harm in family pride, especially among men of such rank, Colonel Fitzwilliam is the son of an Earl after all. And one cannot know if their aunt's description is true or not, a parent may have a truncate opinion about a family member. Imagine what mother would say of her different daughters and I think that neither you nor I would like a stranger to get an idea by mother's description or opinion "
After this conversation Elizabeth gave up her thoughts about the Rosings gentlemen and did not think about them until the day Mr. Collins came back one morning to announce that he had seen the gentlemen's carriage passing by. The next morning, he hurried to Rosings to pay his respects, and Elizabeth had a hard time holding back a mocking smile.
