Thank you, ilex-ferox, Saralee, Joan, Achelois, Jansfamily, Nanciellen, Jolanda, Majorie, Colleen, Sacredwoman, Gedoena, Gabyhyatt, MrsSP9, liysyl and guests for reviewing. I love the speculation that Lady C might have poisoned her husband. Also, Lady C might have killed Charlotte, thinking that she was Lizzy. They are all great speculations. Hello to Newfoundland's Achelois! Let's see if Charlotte would flee to your land. Was the drunken man Hurst, Wickham or Richard? Now, I present to you the trial. Happy reading and commenting!
Chapter Eighteen
Darcy deemed it wiser to refuse Lord Metcalf's invitation to stay with him during the trial, thinking it would be better to avoid antagonizing the Fitzwilliam family more than was necessary.
The magistrate initially recommended Lady Catherine and Collins's charge regarding Mrs. Collins be dropped, but the Lucas family's insistence changed his mind. Metcalf intended to make sure the trial would prove that Mrs. Collins ran away, instead of fallen victim to Lady Catherine or Mr. Collins. His intention was re-inforced by the message he received from Darcy that Lady Lucas had received a letter from Mrs. Collins, most likely after her daughter's disappearance. Lord Metcalf wanted to put Lady Catherine and Lady Lucas on the stand to force them to reveal Mrs. Collins's whereabouts. The Fitzwilliam family viewed Lord Metcalf's action as a betrayal of his magistracy duty and was furious with him. Darcy found a room at the local inn, although with some difficulty, for the area was crowded with reporters who had gotten wind of the scandalous trial.
Likewise, the court, held outside the Assembly room in Maidstone, was filled with onlookers the day the trial was set to begin. Darcy found a decent enough seat, which was regrettably not far enough away from his uncle and cousins to shield him from their wrathful glares at his presence. They had evidently made good on their vow to bring every influential lawyer and friend they could gather from London, for they sat surrounded by several grave and important looking men.
Lady Catherine was led into the court, bringing about first a general hush, then an excited murmuring. She looked older and frailer than Darcy remembered, but was dressed in the finest of clothes, and additionally wore outraged dignity as a garment. Mr. Collins, by comparison, seemed to have lost the few shreds of dignity that he ever possessed, and entered the room cringing and flinching, at one point having to be very nearly dragged forward by his guards.
The entrances of the two accused were by far the most interesting events of the trial. Darcy was forcing himself to attend to a painfully dull refutation of one of Doctor Layfield's comments regarding the severity of Sir William's injury when suddenly a stir at the back of the court halted the droning proceedings.
"What is the meaning of this disruption?" demanded the judge, shaking himself slightly and straightening the wig which had threatened to slip askew as he slumped closer and closer to sleep in the overly warm weather.
"My apologies, Your Honour," replied the determined looking man who was striding briskly towards the judge. "But I have a witness here who will, I believe, shed quite a bit of light on at least one aspect of this trial, and I thought it best not to wait."
Darcy could hardly believe his eyes as he recognized his investigator as the man who was, incredibly, accompanying Mrs. Collins to the front.
"Charlotte!" Sir William cried out hoarsely, leaping to his feet at the sight of her. While Sir William was ecstatic to see his daughter, Lady Lucas's were breathing fire. Charlotte, her plain little face quite red, looked involuntarily towards her father, but then ducked her head down quickly, pulling the hood of the travelling coat to cover her face.
"Who are you, sir? And who is this woman?" the judge asked, slipping his spectacles back up the bridge of his nose and leaning forward over his podium.
"My name is Horace McGuiness, a private investigator in the employ of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, nephew to the accused, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. I have been charged these past few weeks with the task of locating Mrs. Collins, the missing wife of Mr. Collins who is on trial here."
"And this is Mrs. Collins?"
"It is!" Mr. Collins exclaimed triumphantly, the first occasion in recent weeks that he was willing to draw any attention to himself. "I cannot possibly be accused of her murder or disappearance if she is standing here. I said all along this was an unjust and spurious accusation with not a shred of truth. I am the victim in this case and I ought to receive reparations for the damage to my health and my reputation. I demand-"
"Silence!" roared the judge, turning to Mr. Collins with unmitigated annoyance. "You are still in no position to demand anything, Mr. Collins, and are in no way entitled to disrupt these proceedings. Are you Mrs. Collins nee Charlotte Lucas?"
"I am, Your Honour," Charlotte murmured, to gasps of shock scattered throughout the court.
"Order! I do not need such rackets in my court! And you located her, did you, Mr. McGuiness?"
"Yes, sir I requested that she come with me, knowing the urgency of this trial and the great concern of her family and friends to see her safely returned."
"Mrs. Collins, I am afraid that I must insist that you speak with me privately before this trial proceeds any further," the judge decided, rising. "This court will take a recess."
Darcy hastened to motion McGuiness over to him as there was a mass exodus from the court, everyone exclaiming at the top of their lungs, it seemed, over this new development.
"That was excellent work, McGuiness, you have my gratitude. How on earth-"
"Is there anywhere we may speak more discreetly?" interrupted McGuiness, noting several avid eavesdroppers close by. "I can tell you the entire tale better without all these people about."
"Yes, certainly," Darcy agreed, rising and moving around to the back of the Assembly Room. Once they were relatively alone, McGuiness launched into the details of how he tracked down Charlotte's location, which interested Darcy less than the situation that he had found her in, which he pressed McGuiness to relate.
"She is residing in a newer house in Whitecliff, Poole, which is far removed from any relation or connection she could possibly have. I observed her movements for a day, perceiving that she was in no immediate peril. She is living with an older gentleman around mid-40 years old, a Mr. Lugaid Doyle." McGuiness paused. "Is this Mr. Doyle known to you, sir?"
"Unfortunately, no." Darcy replied with a frown. He didn't know why the name bothered him.
"The house is used as a school for young ladies. It is only the two of them living there with some servants, from what I could tell," continued McGuiness. "I recognized Mrs. Collins at once by the likeness you provided me. To obtain further proof, I waited when she was out one day, alone, and called out 'Mrs. Collins'. Seeing her panicking countenance, I felt that her identity was confirmed. She was most unwilling to speak to me. When I related to her that Mr. Collins had been under suspicion of her murder, and that he had attacked and nearly killed her father, she agreed to return to Kent with me. I allowed her some time to leave a note to Mr. Doyle with the servant and to set the house to rights, but we made all possible haste otherwise."
"You did exactly right, McGuiness. I am deeply grateful for your service." Darcy dismissed the man and returned to the Assembly Room, waiting eagerly for a glimpse of Charlotte. He could see Sir William and his wife speaking heatedly at another part of the grounds.
He did not have to wait too long, for Charlotte presently exited, signs of relief upon her face. Darcy asked to speak to her and she agreed. They slipped out of the Assembly Room, avoiding her parents and the crowd, and walked west, to the grounds near an inn about 15 minutes away.
"Mr. Darcy, I should not be surprised to see you, as Mr. McGuiness told me that you had employed him to find me, yet I am confused as to your motivation." Charlotte spoke in a calm voice.
"I will be perfectly candid with you, Mrs. Collins, if you will do me the same courtesy," he stated gently.
"I will, but oh, please do not call me Mrs. Collins. The name is thoroughly hateful to me! Just call me Charlotte."
"Of course. When I first learned of your disappearance I was rather confused, because I had been given false information and led to believe that your friend Miss Elizabeth Bennet was engaged to marry Mr. Collins. I have harboured a deep and undying devotion to Miss Bennet ever since my visit to Hertfordshire, and I was quite overcome with despair at the thought that she had been harmed."
"You – you were in love with Lizzy?" Charlotte gasped incredulously. "I can hardly credit that, you were so condescending when you were in Hertfordshire! Why, she overheard you saying at the Assembly that she was tolerable but not enough to tempt you to dance with her."
"I cannot deny making that remark, although I am grieved to know that she overheard me," Darcy winced at the recollection of his former behaviour. "But I was then engaged in a foolish and futile attempt to deny my heart. My unchivalrous joy at finding that she had not married Mr. Collins and was not lost to me broke down my last defences and I could deny my love no longer."
"And Lizzy returns your affections?" Charlotte asked, thinking back of the biting comments her friend had made regarding Mr. Darcy, which seemed to have taken place a lifetime ago.
"Winning her affection was not the simple matter that I arrogantly told myself it would be," Darcy admitted ruefully. "But I believe that now she does love me, and she has agreed to marry me."
"That is the most wonderful thing I have heard in a very long time. But you must think me a fool for growing so happy when I have brought about so much trouble for my family and friends," Charlotte subsided, losing the momentary happiness that had sparkled from her eyes.
"Not at all, I can be nothing but pleased to have the approval of my beloved's oldest friend. I have continued to employ Mr. McGuiness after my initial misunderstanding was clarified because your disappearance caused Miss Bennet such great pain, and I would do anything for her happiness. I know she will be incredibly happy to know that you are safe and well, as I myself am."
"I will be very surprised if Lizzy, or any of my former friends, for that matter, will acknowledge me after this all comes to light," Charlotte sighed. "But I knew that before I made my decision and even know, having to suffer the humiliation of my scandal being made public in this manner, I cannot claim to regret what I did."
"Do not doubt your friend's affection and loyalty to you, by any means. We both intend to support and help you in any way we are able. During the course of our investigation into the matter, it became painfully obvious that even if Mr. Collins did not commit violence towards you, he could be nothing but a hideously intolerable husband. He seems more decidedly unfit for that particular role than perhaps any man I have ever heard of. Will you do me the courtesy of telling me what did happen that caused you to leave him? I can promise you my utmost discretion."
"Very well. It will be something of a relief, I suppose. I am only grateful that the judge did not deem it necessary for me to recount the entire tale to the court and allowed me to go. He informed me, after hearing what I could tell him, that I need only sign a written confirmation of my identity and that I received no physical harm at the hands of Mr. Collins or Lady Catherine. Which I can do, honestly enough."
"The other matter is really the only one with merit," Darcy explained."the magistrate believes as well as I do. Mr. Collins really did assault your father at Lady Catherine's behest. The only person insisting upon this charge of your murder is your mother, she has maintained that the only possible explanation for your disappearance was that Mr. Collins killed you on your wedding night."
"But Mama knows I am alive!" Charlotte protested indignantly. "I wrote to her as soon as I was at a great enough distance that I could be sure she would be unable to find me. I did not want Papa to worry about me."
"Yes, she mentioned that accidentally, but she hadn't tell your Father before he made the journey. He visited Hunsford as planned on the 5th of March. It has not changed her insistence on charging Collins either, I am afraid."
"Well, I suppose that makes sense, in a way. She would not like to have to listen to her neighbour's ostensible pity for her ruined daughter. She preferred me dead than scandalized. I am ashamed to say that I blamed her for my predicament in the letter. Now, I think I am as much to blame for being weak. But to answer your question, Mr. Darcy, I will rely on your discretion, for I cannot make myself understood without referring to rather delicate matters," Charlotte stated uncomfortably, blushing.
"I understand, and please be at ease as much as possible. Miss Bennet and I have spoken at length with Mr. Collins in an attempt to understand why you left and possibly where you went, and I gathered the impression that the evening you spent with him was decidedly unpleasant."
"It was hideous. I was already distressed, during the journey to Bromley and during our supper at the inn, because he spoke at such great length of Lady Catherine's involvement in our future home and lives. I was not such a fool as to suppose that she would have no influence, anyone who spoke to Mr. Collins for longer than five minutes would know of his obsessive worship and submission to her. But it was not until then that I understood how little I should have to say in my own home.
"You must understand, Mr. Darcy, that my sole motivation in marrying Mr. Collins was to have a home of my own. Lizzy was shocked at my decision, which had nothing to do with affection. I was angry with her for speaking her opinion, as I did not want to hear it. What marriage of affection might I expect, after all, as my mother said? Plain and growing older, no fortune. I have lived with such dread of becoming an elderly, impoverished spinster who was forced to rely upon the charity of my brothers. Mr. Collins was the only chance I had to escape such a fate, and mother said I should take it unapologetically. I had no affection for Mr. Collins, and truly, even then I shared Lizzy's disgust for him, but I thought I might manage him to an extent that would allow me some portion of enjoyment of my home. I was determined to do my best, different from my mother, to provide him with a comfortable home and good children.
"But when I learned that Lady Catherine had selected our servants, had given our cook orders as to what sorts of meals we ought to have and how they ought to be prepared, had decreed how every stick of furniture in the parsonage must be arranged, that she held the keys of my household. I was very near to despairing. I could not help but realize that I had made a very poor bargain after all."
"I do not think that any woman would find such a situation tolerable," Darcy assured Charlotte, seeing that she seemed to beseech him mutely for his understanding. "My aunt is one of the most interfering and unpleasant people I have ever met, and I at least have the freedom to deny her wishes outright. I cannot imagine being so helplessly under her power as you would have been."
"I might have still attempted to make the best of it, truly that was my intention," Charlotte continued, blushing deeper as she thought of what she must say next to this handsome gentleman. "But after supper, oh it is shameful to speak of it, yet I must. We retired to our room and Mr. Collins...availed himself of his marital privilege."
"Did he hurt you?" asked Darcy with concern, for her eyes were filling with dread at the memory.
"Not particularly, not in a physical sense of the word at any rate, although it was the most thoroughly unpleasant experience of my life. I was not upset by that, but by the thought that I now belonged entirely to the man, and that was not the worst of it. What made me resolve to leave Mr. Collins at the first possible opportunity, what made me realize that being disgraced and reviled by all of society was a better fate than being trapped with him for the rest of my life, was the fact that he spoke...incessantly...of Lady Catherine before…and while… performing his marital duty. It was like three of us in the marriage bed." Charlotte's face heightened with anger. Darcy stared at her incredulously for a moment, too stunned to respond to her fury.
"Madam, I had thought up until this moment that it was not possible for me to have a lower estimation of Mr. Collins. I see now that I was wrong, sadly."
"I am afraid that many will think I should have borne it," Charlotte replied, regaining some of her calm composure. "That is not meant to be a pleasant experience, I know, and whatever a husband chooses to do a wife is expected to endure. I simply couldn't! For him to be gasping and panting, saying how Lady Catherine had instructed him to do this, or Lady Catherine had mentioned that I might grow to enjoy that, or he was inclined to try the other but Lady Catherine had expressly forbidden it, was a mortification such as I have never known. Not only for his part, but because I was under the control of a woman who thought it perfectly acceptable to meddle in the most intimate details of someone else's marriage and my life.
"I knew that Mr. Collins's worship of her was idiotic, of course. I suppose I had thought that she had much the same contempt for it as everyone else. But that night I realized that Lady Catherine encouraged, or even possibly demanded his folly. And I could see perfectly well that she would leave no part of my life untouched, nor countenance any dissent. Mr. Darcy, I have lived my entire life with a bullying mother who would not tolerate anyone's wishes and whims but her own, and I traded that lot for one far worse. I ought to have listened to Lizzy when she tried to speak to me about the choice I was making! Surely no one can have pity on me, for I made my decision out of selfish reasons and have no one to blame but myself for not liking the results."
"I have nothing but sympathy for you, Madam," Darcy exclaimed sincerely. "So much that I find I cannot adequately express my sympathy. I hope you can feel some small comfort in knowing that you shall have all the support that you need in the future. But tell me, what exactly did you do to escape?" As Darcy finished the sentence, he noticed a fashionable gentleman walking towards them. Darcy's eyes widened and his face paled. He looked as if he had seen a ghost and blurted out, "Uncle Lewis!"