Hi!

I believe people have been looking forward to this chapter so I hope it satisfies expectations. I didn't want it to draw too heavily from P&P and be entirely unoriginal but there are definite references to the original which I'm sure you'll notice. To some of you Jane might seem overly OOC in this chapter but this is how I see her. She is an older sister and I find it hard to imagine her being totally passive in the face of insult to her family.

Enjoy!

Sunday passed with no sign of Lady Catherine's wrath coming down upon them but rather than calming Elizabeth, this only served to agitate her further. She had thought the great lady foolish and impulsive leading her to hope that her intervention would merely consist of shouted insults that could be easily ignored, but she had the power and influence to do untold harm if she set her mind to it.

The unease must have been clear on her face for when their parties met after the church service finished Mr Darcy asked repeatedly after her health. Her assurances that she was well were contradicted by her obvious distraction and worry, leading the gentleman to eventually inquire whether he had done something to offend her. This was sufficient to shake her from her worries long enough to show that he was not the cause of her perturbation, though when his group departed for Netherfield her concerns returned in full force.

Jane, being the only person who knew the cause of her anxiety, soothed her with assurances that there was no cause for such alarm. Perhaps Lady Catherine had recognised that it would be wrong to try and force her nephew into a marriage she desired when it would not bring him happiness and she would leave them in peace. Finding her sister's words less than convincing, Elizabeth tore up the letter she had written for Charlotte the day before and threw the pieces into the fire. Jane may call her overly cautious, but if there was a chance that Mr Collins would read the letter and find out Charlotte had warned her then it was not worth taking.

She was on tenterhooks for the rest of the day, losing twice to her father at chess and completely ignoring Lydia's request that she pass the potatoes at dinner until her sister resorted to prodding her arm to get her attention. When sleep alluded her that night she attempted to read but found she could not concentrate on the words. It was very late when she finally fell into a restless slumber, dreaming of strange catastrophes that were somehow all caused by Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

On Monday Bingley was forced to call upon the Bennets by himself as some unavoidable business had come up for Darcy, the Hursts had no inclination to make the journey and Georgiana found herself too fatigued to visit that day if her brother was not to go. He did not mourn the absence of the rest of his party at all, though, when he found himself herded out into the gardens with his beautiful betrothed.

Mary was sent with them as a chaperone for the sake of propriety but she ignored them entirely and upon finding a comfortable bench promptly sat and began to read. The couple, already several strides ahead and completely absorbed in one another, did not notice that she was no longer with them and continued on, though neither even considered breaking the rules of propriety despite their solitude.

They strolled pleasantly together for some time, each basking in the other's company, until they reached a point in their walk where they strayed close to Longbourn's driveway and witnessed a fine carriage race by. The colour drained from Jane's face when she caught a glimpse of the grand personage within. Although she had never set eyes on the great lady before, there could be no doubt in her mind as to who this was or what her purpose at Longbourn could be.

'Forgive me sir, but I am needed back at the house.' She told Mr Bingley hurriedly, desperate to return to her sister and give whatever protection she was able to.

'Of course, but please tell me what is the matter. Can I not assist you?' He answered with concern.

'No, sir, I must beg that you do not try to. Please wait for me by the hermitage, I will return as promptly as I am able to.' With that she left his side, not waiting for a further response which might delay her return.

A moment later upon hearing someone race by Mary looked up from her book but seeing no one about thought that she must have just imagined it. For a moment she thought that she had seen a flash of Jane's blue petticoat disappearing through the trees, but she knew that her eyes must have been deceiving her as her staid eldest sister would surely never run. Unaware of Mary's musings, Jane continued to hurry back the way she had come at a strictly unladylike pace, cursing the fact that in their distraction they had strayed so far from the house.

Thankfully, just as she emerged from the woods onto Longbourn's front lawn she saw Lady Catherine and Elizabeth coming out. Immediately she slowed her pace and began to walk towards them with as much dignity as she could muster. Surprise flashed across Lizzy's face as she noticed her sister approaching, but she hid it quickly.

'Your ladyship, may I present my eldest sister, Miss Jane Bennet. Jane, Lady Catherine de Bourgh.' Elizabeth made the necessary introductions when her sister joined them on the gravel walk a few minutes later. Jane offered a dainty curtsey in greeting, no signs of her recent dash through the woods showing in her serene countenance.

'Miss Bennet, your sister and I are taking a turn in that pretty little wilderness over there. Your company will not be necessary.' Lady Catherine stated dismissively.

'It is excellent weather indeed to be out of doors your ladyship. It is no trouble at all for me to accompany you.' Jane answered as sweetly as she could, determined not to leave Lizzy's side.

With her full energy focused on coming to the defence of her sister, she did not notice that they were walking in the direction of the hermitage where she had asked Mr Bingley to wait for her. Seemingly startled by the lack of deference shown to her by another Bennet sister, Lady Catherine paused to examine the eldest Miss Bennet for a moment before replying again.

'I have heard, Miss Bennet, that you are on the verge of being most advantageously married. Surely there are wedding preparations that you must attend to inside.' The noble lady emphasised her words as though speaking to someone of greatly deficient intelligence, gesturing away from them as though Jane was an irritating fly she might swat.

'Oh, but I insist on accompanying you, your ladyship. I could not let my own selfish matters take precedence over your noble condescension in calling upon us.' Jane's eyes glinted with a rare show of determination. She had no doubt that if Lady Catherine sought privacy with Lizzy then it was to berate her mercilessly and was the last thing that she should be given.

'Miss Bennet, I am clearly telling you to go indoors. You will not mock me by feigning ignorance or misunderstanding. You take my meaning perfectly well. I had hoped to find you reasonable, but I see that you are every bit as stubborn and intolerable as your sister is.' Lady Catherine accused in anger.

Her words, however, did not have their intended effect on Jane who was unruffled and replied with all of her younger sister's impertinence, 'Thank you, madam, I consider that to be high praise.'

'Insolent girl!' Her combatant cried back. 'What I have to say is of no concern to you. It pertains only to your sister and my nephew.'

'With respect madam, you can have nothing to say to my sister which you cannot say in front of me. If it pertains only to Elizabeth and your nephew then the discussion can only be between them and there is no place for either of us. As your nephew is not present and you are, that is clearly not the case, so my presence can be no barrier to anything you may wish to say.'

'You refuse to leave then? Very well, my character has long been celebrated for its sincerity and frankness, I shall have no qualms in addressing the both of you. You can be at no loss, Miss Elizabeth, to understand the reason for my journey hither. Your sister's response to my demands has only confirmed it.' Elizabeth, set almost entirely at ease now for having witnessed her sister's determined protection, was able to respond with complete lightness.

'Well I have heard you say that you wish to speak regarding only myself and your nephew madam, but cannot suppose what it is you wish to address. Perhaps you bring some message for me, but Mr Darcy is not three miles away at Netherfield so it is hardly likely that you have journeyed all this way to bring me tidings of him. I must, therefore, imagine that you wish to speak to me of another of your nephews, and as the only other to whom I am acquainted is Colonel Fitzwilliam then I must assume it is him, though I know not why.'

Having heard the discourteous way in which her ladyship addressed all of her closest family, Elizabeth did not feel a shred of guilt at her slight dishonesty. She was in truth completely aware of the lady's purpose in coming thanks to Charlotte's letter of warning, but she certainly did not wish to put her dear friend in danger of the wrath of Lady Catherine or Mr Collins by revealing this and she was also unwilling to in any way confirm the report her ladyship had heard by confessing her knowledge of it.

'Do you think I am a fool, Miss Elizabeth, that you might deceive me by speaking so? It is not the Colonel but Mr Darcy who I come to speak of, as you well know! Your insincerity, madam, appals me, but you shall not find me so dishonest. I shall not stoop to entertaining your charade of ignorance. I know not what arts and allurements you and your sister have employed to catch your suitors, but I demand that you cease them immediately.' Lady Catherine cried, self-righteous anger at the grievous misconduct of these presumptuous Bennet girls that she was certain she was the victim of fuelling her rage.

'I must certainly pity you, your ladyship, that you feel so ill-used, for whatever report you have heard has obviously alarmed you greatly, but I can speak only on what I know. My so-called charade of ignorance is no charade at all. I am aware only that two weeks ago my sister entered into an honest engagement with a gentleman to whom we have been acquainted since late last year and if this is the suitor you refer to then I may assure you that no arts and allurements were employed whatsoever.' Elizabeth replied coolly, any slight towards Jane appearing a thousand times worse in her eyes than a slight towards herself.

'That may be so,' Lady Catherine conceded, having little real concern over that affair as it had no impact on her own plans, 'but what of my nephew? What of your actions towards him?'

'On that regard I do not think myself fit to speak, your ladyship, for if I had sought to use my arts and allurements on Mr Darcy then I should certainly be the last person to confess it. But I believe for an assessment of my good conduct you may safely apply to my sister as she has been party to most, if not the whole, of my interactions with him. Or better yet you may apply to what you yourself have witnessed, for I believe I have only met your nephew on three or four occasions since we both departed from your company at Rosings and you observed us together often enough there.' Furious at the great lady's presumption in having spoken to her so, Elizabeth could not resist this glib response, although she knew it would only antagonise her ladyship to give further insult.

'I am not naïve enough to believe that you would act towards him in the company of his family as you might act towards him in the private moments you have no doubt engineered with him, madam! In fact, you spoke so little to each other while in my presence as to make me suspect that you were deliberately avoiding it in order to prevent my attention from being drawn to you, and so to evade the possibility of your schemes being worked out-'

'Well, I may settle your concerns on that front madam! My sister has always been entirely proper in her behaviour towards Mr Darcy, whether or not some relation of his has been present.' Jane interrupted, losing patience with Lady Catherine's wild accusations.

'Oh, but I know better than to trust your testimonial, Miss Bennet. I know what a sister's partiality may account for, and more that you are likely her accomplice. But it shall not be! Mr Darcy is engaged to my daughter, what say you to that?'

'Only this; that I have heard already that Mr Darcy is intended for Miss de Bourgh, and if such a claim is true then you can hardly expect your nephew to pay his addresses to me! You must think very ill of him indeed if you would accuse him of refusing to honour such an agreement.' Elizabeth challenged.

'Do not take such a tone with me! It is true that the engagement between them is of a peculiar kind, agreed by their mothers from their infancy, but my nephew will come to see the wisdom of the match. He cannot be ignorant to the wishes of his family and friends, to what he would stand to lose by entering into matrimony with one such as you. Every ruling of society, every law of nature, every better feeling is against it.'

'With one such as me, madam? If these numerous faults you seem to find with me are so severe then I am certain you can be in no fear of how your nephew will choose to behave towards me. If, however, he is not deterred then I feel no obligation to act as you demand that I do when his own actions prove your concerns mean nothing to him. Therefore, I am determined to do only what I believe will bring myself and my family the best chances of happiness, completely irrespective of your selfish concerns. Now if you will excuse me, you have wasted enough of my time with meaningless petitions and platitudes.'

'Just you wait, young lady, I have more to say to you!' She cried as Elizabeth tried to turn away. Growing tired of this seemingly endless tirade, Jane intervened once again.

'I think you have said quite enough Lady Catherine. You have made your disdain for us and for our family perfectly clear, though we have done you no harm. I believe you have accused us of every possible evil for no crime more than having met Mr Darcy. Surely you can have nothing further to add. Whatever your nephew may choose to do is his own concern, but I would thank you to berate my sister for it no longer!'

'No harm indeed? Yet you insist on being unreasonable! Very well. I shall know how to act. Do not think, madam, that your ambitions will ever be gratified. I take no leave of you, either of you. Your behaviour disgusts me. I shall see myself back to my carriage.'

With that the great lady swept away, leaving Jane and Elizabeth to stare after her. Each was equally incredulous at her tenacity in attempting to meddle in affairs that were not her own. The silence stretched on in her wake until Elizabeth turned to her sister, knowing how such conflict must have pained her gentle character.

'Thank you for everything you said Jane, but you did not have to come to my defence. I could have faced her alone.'

'I know, Lizzy. You could face everything alone. But that does not mean that you have to, or that you should.' Jane replied sincerely, squeezing her sister's hand in her own.

At that moment a twig snapped behind them and they both turned to see Mr Bingley looking rather guilty. If his face was anything to go by, he had witnessed at least part of what had just happened.

'Charles!' Jane exclaimed, his first name slipping out in her shock at seeing him there. She was suddenly painfully aware of every brazen word she had just uttered and she flushed in shame. 'If you wish to be released from our engagement sir then I understand perfectly. I will not hold it against you.' Unable to meet his eyes, she stared resolutely at his feet as she waited for his reply.

'Release you? Good God woman, I would marry you right now if it were possible!' He cried incredulously, then looked almost surprised at the vehemence of his response. 'That is, if you still wish to have me?' He added more gently, finally managing to catch her eyes. On hearing the certainty in his voice Jane positively beamed back at him and for a moment they were so caught up in each other that they quite forgot Lizzy was present at all.

'I should go back to the house and … tell Mama that Lady Catherine is gone.' She murmured, feeling like an intruder on a private moment. Shocked back to reality by the sound of her sister's voice, Jane was quick to assure Bingley that she too desired nothing more than their union, though she could not help but apologise again as she did so.

'Of course, I wish for nothing more. But really, sir, I must apologise for what you witnessed. I am afraid my comportment was not that of a lady at all. I would never wish for my country ways to bring you embarrassment. Caroline-'

'Caroline has not been ladylike in her behaviour towards you at all! She could not possibly imagine caring for another besides herself enough to defend them as you have defended your sister. Your care for your family, that is one of the things that first made me love you. I would wish to believe that my own sisters would defend me such. You could never be an embarrassment to me, for your manners far surpass those of even the highest circles of the ton.

'Where was Lady Catherine's ladylike behaviour? Where were her manners as she intruded on your home, insulted your family and presumed to meddle in affairs not her own? You were entirely justified in everything you said to her and I will not hear another word on the matter.'

Silent tears of happiness flowed down Jane's face to hear the one she loved defending her so and the most she could offer him in response was to take his hand in her own. Their actions from then on were perhaps not so proper as they had been before Lady Catherine's intrusion, but really, mere weeks away from marriage who could begrudge them a stolen kiss or two in the woods?

Around this they found time to dwell on the great happiness that must come when Darcy and Elizabeth finally resolved to marry, for to both of them this now seemed an absolute certainty and they could only imagine the joy it would bring to become one family. Neither of them was built for anger or misery and as such they quickly forgot Lady Catherine's interference entirely.

©Isabelle Lowe, 2018