Chapter 21
As Elizabeth, along with Issac and Henry, sat in the sitting room with Lady Matlock a disturbance was heard in the foyer the next day.
"Now would be a good time to begin praying," Henry said with a groan.
"I've been praying since yesterday," Issac returned.
"I, for one, am quite curious to behold Lady Catherine," Elizabeth responded with a smirk.
"Children!" Lady Matlock said quelling them with a glare.
"So this is she," Lady Catherine said brusquely as she entered the room not waiting to be announced, followed by a thin pale young woman who quickly sought a seat while a woman of late middle years clucked over her. Lady Catherine studied Elizabeth who rose to her feet, meeting the older woman's eyes and lifted an eyebrow. Lady Catherine seeing this said to Lady Matlock, "You have verified the birth mark?"
"Allow me to present my daughter to you, Cathrine," Lady Matlock said rising from her seat smoothly, her voice calm. "Lady Elizabeth Anne Fitzwilliam. Elizabeth, your Aunt, Lady Catherine de Bough, and her daughter, your cousin, Miss Anne de Bough with her companion Mrs. Jenkinson."
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, my lady," Elizabeth said dipping a curtsy. She supressed a smile fairly certain this relation would not be physically embracing her without so much as a by your leave like her brothers had. "I have heard much of you."
"You certainly aren't a wilting flower," Lady Catherine observed brusquely. "I am given to understand you were raised by a family called Bennet who are connected to my parson?"
"Yes," Elizabeth said her eyes twinkling.
When she said nothing else, Lady Catherine demanded, "And? Have you nothing more to say about them?"
"What would your ladyship like me to say about them? I assumed you had the information you desired already given Mr. Collins reccent foray to Hertfordshire in search of a wife," Elizabeth said archly.
"I see you have the Fitzwilliam's courage. We do not suffer fools lightly," Lady Catherine remarked.
At this Elizabeth merely raised her eyebrow and smirked causing Lady Catherine to give an unexpected bark of laughter. "Point taken. Mr. Collins is perhaps the exception. I wished to have a parson that would heed my council, unlike Issac and chose him a fit of pique. I perhaps got more than I bargained for with him."
"I daresay he did as well. I understand he has added shelves to the closets at the parsonage," Elizabeth said conversationaly.
"I am afraid I was a bit irrittated with him and made the suggestion, not imagining he would take it seriously," Lady Catherine admitted.
"And if he brings a wife to his parsonage will you suggest he remove them?"
"Change the opinion I gave my parson?" Lady Catherine asked raising an eyebrow.
"Unless you find it beneath your dignity to admit a wrong. I had heard you were forthright and frank."
"Hosted on my own petard by a slip of a girl. I do claim my character to be celebrated for my frankness and honest opinions. You certainly are a Fitzwilliam. I like you. You aren't afraid to challenge me and you are intelligent, not one of these insipid things one finds running around the ton today. Perhaps the shelves would be more of a punishment for Mrs. Collins than Mr. Collins," Lady Catberine said and then with a hint of humor she added, "Being married to him will perhaps be a punishment enough. I understand he is to marry a Miss Lucas. He attended me as soon as he returned yesterday, after I received your father's express."
"And did he satisfy you to my character?" Elizabeth asked her eyes twinkling with mirth.
"Having heard you refused him assured me you were a sensible girl aware of your own worth. A sure sign of your innate superior breeding. For had you truly of been a penniless miss you would have accepted him and secured your future as would have been right and proper. As it was your nature rebelled against such a union. Breeding will out, in any circumstance," Lady Catherine said with authority.
"Your ladyship may believe that if you choose to," Elizabeth said smiling.
"You may call me Aunt Catherine," Lady Catherine said with a sniff. "Come Anne, we shall rest prior to dinner. I assume Fitwilliam and Georgiana will join us tonight?"
"They shall," Lady Matlock said with a smile. "Shall I show you to your rooms?"
"No, I know the way," Lady Catherine said with a wave of her hand.
Watching Lady Catherine depart, Issac said with a laugh, "That was marvelous. I have never see anyone make Aunt Catherine laugh."
"Absolutely brilliant! I thought for sure it would be up to us to protect you from her without father present and you needed no protection," Henry said grinning. "And not only that, so enaged with matching wits with you, she did not level any of her fire at us."
"You all do your aunt a disservice. The family name is important to her. Once satisfied Elizabeth was in fact a Fitzwilliam I expected she would offer her support. She holds the Fitzwilliam dignity to a lofty perch and does not wish to see it disgraced. Elizabeth is charming, no one could find anything wanting in her, therefore I knew Catharine would accept her. It was a fait accompli."
"Yes mother but even you could not have guessed that Lady Catherine would like Elizabeth. She doesn't like anyone!" Henry said with a chuckle.
"Nonsense. She likes all of you. She just is not very vocal about it."
"She is certainly vocal enough about everything else," Issac said with a smirk. "I've never even heard her say she likes Darcy."
"He has never made her laugh I suppose," Henry said grinning.
