No one spoke for a few minutes, all just stared at Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth included. Finally Lady Catherine could bear it no longer,
"Fitzwilliam" she cried, shrilly. "Surely you jest. I don't know why you are coming to this, this trollops defense, but you must desist from it". She demanded.
"I am telling you the truth", and with this, he walked over to Elizabeth to stand by her. She did not so much as look at him, her humiliation growing.
Mr Darcy knew that what he was about to say would forever seal his fate as the most arrogant man alive in the eyes of the one he loved, but he chose to say it anyway,not to save himself, but to save her.
"Miss Bennet has done nothing wrong today Aunt", here he paused, gathering up his strength, " the fault was entirely my own, but we will be married".
Elizabeth audibly gasped. The smug look that had graced Mr. Collins face all afternoon, fell swiftly and turned to a look of sheer terror. He could see his well thought out plan unraveling before his eyes; cousin Elizabeth would not be the humiliated one today, it would be him, once again. Only Lady Catherine's countenance failed to change, her anger seemingly flowing out of every pore, she brought her fist down hard on a small side table next to her chair, startling everyone.
"You have not, and you never shall bring such worthlessness into our family. The Bennet's are nothing, nobodies, they have no connections; no accomplishments. I will not have it". She exclaimed.
"Aunt Catherine," he started, keeping his composure intact, hard though it might have been, "You said it yourself, I heard you say it before I entered the room, that the man who kissed Miss Bennet must marry her. I kissed Miss Bennet, and so we shall be married."
"It is not to be, it cannot be". Lady Catherine glared at her nephew, but he would not be moved.
"It is not for you to say", he replied coldly, "I love her and there is nothing you can do about it".
His statement hung in the air like dense fog; Lady Catherine could make no suitable argument, especially in light of the public knowledge of her good morals and high standing. She gave one parting glare to Mr. Collins as she quit the room; foolish man! How could he miss the one important fact in this story of his? Mr. Collins followed her meekly out of the room, but as she left the house, she slammed the door in his face, never looking back.
Charlotte excused herself, and as she left, she threw Elizabeth a smile, but Lizzy only glared at her, not smiling at all.
"How could you?" she asked him as soon as Charlotte closed the door behind her.
"I know you will not believe me, but I did not do this for myself". He answered, plainly.
She did not believe him, that was abundantly clear, "I do not wish to marry you, sir"!
"Believe me, you made that quite apparent to me this morning, Miss Bennet" here his voice took on a sharper tone, "I do not wish it either at this moment. But the charges against you are my fault, I am the one who took liberties where I had no right. I am the one who must bring it to a better ending.".
"and you think by marrying me you will bring it to a better ending"? She asked incredulously.
Mr. Darcy sighed, "Do you honestly think you will be able to marry well when this gets out? Do you think your sister's will make suitable matches? I have brought low your virtue, Miss Bennet."
"and you do this solely for me? What of your reputation"? Truly he did not think she believed he was thinking only of her, did he, she wondered?
Mr. Darcy rubbed his temples, and sighed, "I might be thought of as a rake, but most men are. It is totally overlooked in London, it would not affect my eligibility at all". He said, plainly; not liking to admit the double standard but knowing of it just the same.
Elizabeth tried another avenue, "Who besides the people in this room know? Who would speak of it"?
" My Aunt was very loud, I heard her accusations before I entered the house. If I heard them, the servants heard them. And as you probably know, Miss Bennet, since you have servants, they talk amongst themselves".
Elizabeth pondered that a moment, and also the fact that at some time during the next few days, her father would be receiving a letter that undoubtedly would fall into her mother's hands as well. She fell silent as she came to the realization that Mr. Darcy was right, they would have to marry. She cared not one iota for herself, but there was Jane to consider, and Lydia, and Kitty, and Mary.
"Although there is so little agreement between us, Miss Bennet, I think we can agree on this; that neither of us wanted a marriage of convenience, we both had envisioned much more for ourselves. I am only sorry I cannot give you that. If it is any small consolation, I can give you everything else. Pemberley has a vast library, I know how well you like to read". Mr. Darcy's voice had taken on that emotional tone again, the one that reminded Lizzy of what lead up to that fateful kiss.
But Elizabeth quickly banished that memory from her mind, and in a moment of clarity realized Mr. Darcy could give her something that she wanted.
"Bring Charles back to Jane", she said as evenly as possible, "I will go along with this marriage, but it will be in name only, to save my sisters".
"yes, of course", he answered, also evenly. It amazed him that she acted as though she had a choice, but he supposed it was the only way she could stomach it.
And so they parted, not as a loving couple about to be betrothed, but that of two people lost in their own thoughts. His—imagining what could have been if only she loved him. Hers—wondering how she would ever survive the rest of her life living with a man she did not love.