A/N
Chapter 8. Some interaction between the sisters. All the chapters till now were from Darcy's perspective. Now that circumstances have changed for the sisters so suddenly - a chapter from their viewpoint. I do hope you all enjoy.
As usual will appreciate your thoughts on this instalment. Especially do share your thoughts on the length and the depth of the sisterly interactions : ) And thank you so very much for all the feedback, suggestions, and support - cheered me up no end! I do try to respond to all of you personally (all those with valid user IDs), If I have missed someone – it was an inadvertent mistake - apologies.
To Lisa – As always, thank you so much for the kind help!
A Little Magic Chapter 8That night as Elizabeth sat brushing her hair before retiring, her thoughts kept straying back to the surprises the day had brought with it. The day had begun badly. Papa had somehow managed to avoid talking to her whole of yesterday. She had been near despair when she had gone to meet him this morning and found that he had not come down at all. She had felt the first stirrings of hope only when Mr Darcy had come into her mother's parlour, and although, the incidents following had not transpired as she had hoped, her predicament had been resolved in a more satisfactory manner than she had dared imagine. And all because a man she disliked had taken upon himself to meddle in their affairs. His interference had removed the Damocles sword hanging over her head - and if Mary and Mr Collins sorted things out between themselves - then Mama's fear of hedgerows would also be gone forever. She could never have imagined that Mr Darcy could play a matchmaker or that she would be grateful to him for doing that, but both the things had happened on this very day. And she would have still found it difficult to believe it, had Mr Collins not made it amply clear throughout the day that his preference had changed. It had been almost comical to see the amazement of her sisters when he sat next to Mary on the bench as she played pianoforte for their entertainment this evening. And while the first couple of his attempts to turn the pages of her music sheets had been disastrous, somehow Mary had soon got their musically challenged cousin to fall in with the rhythm. Another surprise had been Mama's easy acceptance and even outright encouragement of Mr Collins' change of heart. Lydia and Kitty had expectedly giggled when he had bumbled while turning the music sheets, but very unexpectedly they had been rebuked by their mother for their ill-mannered behaviour. While Kitty had subsided with an apologetic look, Lydia had left the parlour in a huff.
Elizabeth's lips twitched as she remembered Jane's surprise at the unfolding events. "What is happening here, do you know, Lizzy?" she had leaned towards her to ask in a whisper.
"Although nothing has been said formally, it does appear as if our dear cousin has switched his choice of bride, Jane."
"Hmm... and Mama seems to be quite happy with the turn of events," Jane replied thoughtfully.
"So long as Longbourn remains in the family, I do not think she cares how it happens." Elizabeth had not been able to mask the bitterness.
"Lizzy!" Jane had chided gently, then asked, "And Mary... do... do you think she is happy about all this?"
"Well... I have not had a chance to talk to her, but from what I observed earlier in the day I think she is not averse to what has happened... What is your reading of the situation?" Elizabeth had jerked her head towards the couple near the pianoforte and raised her eyebrow inquiringly.
Jane had turned her head and observed Mary and Mr Collins for a long moment. "Mary never does wear her heart on her sleeves, but I do believe that you are right," she had said slowly. "Although, to be honest, I am finding it a little difficult to comprehend this sudden change in Mr Collins. Yesterday he wanted to offer for you, today he has started favouring Mary, and everyone involved appears much happier. It is almost as if someone waved a magic wand to make everything all right – for all of us!" she had added in a surprised voice.
Elizabeth had been unable to prevent a snort from escaping her. "You will not believe me if I tell you exactly who waved this magic wand."
"Huh? Do you mean to say someone is actually behind this miraculous and very welcome change?"
"Yes... and I will tell you, but you have to keep it to yourself. I... I do not want Mary to know about it and mayhap... feel bad."
"Of course. You really did not have to say it, Lizzy."
"Well then, Mr Collins has been nudged into making this choice by... Mr Darcy!"
"What?" Jane had exclaimed, then looked around self-consciously. "You are hoaxing me, Lizzy, why would Mr Darcy do such a thing?" she had protested in softer tone.
"Because of his aunt – Lady Catherine."
"Excuse me?"
Elizabeth could only smile at Jane's bewilderment. "It seems Mr Collins told Mr Darcy that he was planning to marry one of us due to Lady Catherine's advice," When Elizabeth had paused to draw breath, Jane nodded slowly. "Ah... yes... Mr Collins did say something to this effect in the parlour last morning, but what of that?" she had asked in confusion.
"Don't ask me... On hearing about his aunt's advice, for some reason, Mr Darcy took it upon himself to ensure that the said advice should not be the cause of distress to any of us."
"How odd. I cannot imagine someone like Mr Darcy wanting to meddle in such an affair for any reason whatsoever," Jane had said, still looking puzzled.
"Well, maybe he could not help it. Someone as arrogant as he is bound to believe that he always knows best." Elizabeth had felt ashamed as soon as the unkind words were out of her mouth.
"Well in this case he did seem to know the best, did he not? And if things proceed as they currently appear between our cousin and Mary, then he has single handedly saved you much unhappiness and simultaneously secured the future for us Bennets," Jane had replied calmly enough, but Elizabeth had still been able to hear her displeasure.
"Oh, Jane! I know I have much to be grateful to him, and I am. It is just that it... it irritates me to have to be beholden to someone I do not like very much, and now... now as I remember his kind words and his gentle smile of this morning... I do not know what to think anymore. It is almost as if he is a totally different man from the one, I knew till two days ago – a man who stared at me so coldly when I questioned him about Mr Wickham?"
"I think you should once try questioning Mr Wickham about Mr Darcy across a dance floor and find out how he gazes at you then," Jane had retorted dryly, and Elizabeth's eyes had widened at the implied rebuke. "Lizzy, I told this to you earlier also, I find it very hard to believe that anyone who Mr Bingley thinks so highly of could be as bad as you chose to think. And where Mr Wickham's allegations about Mr Darcy are concerned I still feel that there is some misunderstanding between the two. A man who took so much trouble to ensure his aunt's advice should not discommode mere acquaintances like us, would hardly ignore his father's words for a childhood friend - purely on a whim," Jane had added more gently and for the first time since she had heard and completely swallowed Mr Wickham's tale of woes, Elizabeth had been willing to consider that there might be another side to that particular story.
"Anyhow, now that you have seen a gentler, more reasonable side to Mr Darcy, you would not really find it a hardship to spend time with him to humour Mama like you decided yesterday. Or... mayhap there is no longer any need for that?" Jane had asked, after a swift glance at Mr Collins and Mary.
"Oh, no... no... I am not upsetting that particular apple cart. Until Mr Collins has asked Mary for her hand and she had answered in the affirmative, I will continue to do what Mama expects."
"Well then, be careful that pretense does not become a reality for you sometime in the future."
"Oh, there is no chance of that happening – ever, Jane. I might have a reason to be grateful to Mr Darcy at the moment which tempers my dislike, but he has none to start dangling after a female that he does not even find tolerable enough to dance with," she had replied airily.
"Ah... but apart from the duty dances with his host's sisters he seemed to find only you tolerable enough to dance with that evening," Jane had challenged her with a cheeky smile.
Just then, Mama's loud voice praising Mary's performance had interrupted their conversation and she had lost the opportunity to respond to her sister's teasing. Now as she finished tying her hair, she remembered the conversation and her heart gave an uneasy lurch. 'Why had that disagreeable man asked me for a dance that day?' the question came to her mind unbidden. She obviously did not know the answer, but what she did know - for certain - was that she no longer found him disagreeable. Whenever she had thought of him today - and she had done so more often than she would have liked – the things that immediately popped in her mind were his kind eyes, and that annoyingly attractive smile.
She huffed in irritation as that smiling face rose before eyes once more. All of them had been amazed at the swift change in Mr Collins... but was the change in her own feelings any less swift or amazing? 'Jane is right, it was almost as if someone has waved a magic wand and wrought these changes,' she thought uneasily. And there was to be no respite for her. She was going to meet him once again tomorrow, because Mr Bingley had proposed a picnic to the nearby ruins of a castle. To take her mind off her disturbing thoughts she decided to choose the dress she would wear for their excursion tomorrow. She took out two morning gowns from the dresser – one in a bright shade of yellow and the other in pleasing shade of green. Before she could ponder over the merits of one over the other, there was a knock at her door. She put down the gowns on the bed and called, "Enter."
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The door opened and Mary peeked inside. "Can we talk, Lizzy?"
"Of course, Mary, please come in." Elizabeth replied, patting her bed invitingly. She felt surprised, it was not often that Mary knocked at her door at night for a cozy chat, neither, for that matter, was the reverse true.
Mary came in and sat beside her on the bed. She appeared a little ill at ease and Elizabeth could not help but ask, "Is something the matter?"
"No... nothing is the matter. It is just that..." She broke off with a sigh, then began once again. "You... you must have noticed that Mr Collins has been showing me marked attention since this morning... oh... we did talk earlier also... but this is different... I want to know if it is fine with you."
"Of course, it is fine with me. I think you are already aware of my feelings. You were there when I told Jane about Papa's advice?" Mary nodded when Elizabeth raised an inquiring brow. "But a more important question is are you happy about this?" Elizabeth asked.
Mary nodded. "Had I not been, I would not have revealed my interest the way I did. I suppose, you noticed that as well?"
"Yes... yes, I did, but... are you sure, Mary? I... I hope you have not taken this decision under any duress?" Elizabeth asked her sister earnestly. Truth be told, she had been very relieved when she had seen how well Mary and Mr Collins had been getting on together since this morning. However, if there was even a small chance that Mary was unhappy with the situation, then she would not like her sister to take the burden of what had basically been her cross to bear.
"No, Lizzy, I am quite content. I have given this a lot of thought and in some ways, I even tried to bring this situation about - ever since I realized how unhappy you were with this unwanted alliance."
For a moment, Elizabeth stared at her sister, then asked, "I do not understand... what do you mean that you have tried to bring about this situation..." her voice petered off. 'I never even realized Mary's caring heart...' she thought, her own filling with sudden warmth.
"You must have seen that we... Mr Collins and I, talk to each other most evenings?" Mary looked at Elizabeth questioningly and at her nod she continued, "I deliberately tried to engage him in these conversations with a vague notion of making him realize that... that he had more things in common with me than anyone else. But during these exchanges I realized that I could talk to him of things I find of interest without worrying about him rolling his eyes in exasperation, or bursting in giggles at my preachy discourse," she smiled faintly as Elizabeth looked away guiltily. "I also came to understand that not only do we share interests, but despite some of his... his peculiar mannerisms, he does have a kind heart."
Elizabeth tried but she could not prevent skepticism from showing on her countenance and Mary was quick to observe that. She shook her head with a rueful smile. "You must know, Lizzy, that he... he could have easily married an eligible girl in his own parish. After all, in addition to having a satisfactory living, he is the heir to Longbourn. But he came here as he was genuinely interested in healing the breach between our families and was hoping to... ah... recompense a little for depriving us of our inheritance."
Elizabeth sighed as she was forced to acknowledge the unpalatable truth of this. 'Mary could look at the other side of the coin, where all I and Papa did was to derive amusement from the pompous way Mr Collins declared his intentions in his letter,' she thought guiltily
Mary smiled at the changing expressions on her sister's face. Then with a sigh stretched out her hand to take her Elizabeth's in her own. "I have to confess that when I started engaging Mr Collins in conversations, my aim was to help you if possible... and to... make Mama appreciate me at least once in her life without any reservations." Wordlessly, Elizabeth squeezed Mary's hand, who squeezed it back with and added, "When Mr Collins did not appear to appreciate my efforts... and asked Papa's permission to propose to you, frankly, I was more upset for you than myself. But... after whatever has happened since this morning, I can truthfully acknowledge that I would actually be quite contented with my lot... if... Mr Collins does offer for me as he has indicated."
"Oh, I am fully aware that I cannot measure up to his first love, but then I was never very romantic in the first place, unlike you or Jane," Mary added.
"His... his first... love?" asked Elizabeth in confusion.
"Lady Catherine," Mary replied with a straight face, although her eyes glinted with amusement.
Elizabeth let out a surprised crack of laughter at that. 'Mary really seems to be quite sanguine about the turn of events!' she thought with a sigh of relief.
"Do you know he decided to come here now, only because Lady Catherine decreed that a good parson is one who is married, and it was high time that he fulfilled his duty?" Mary asked with a wry smile and added, "And while he had this vague idea of offering marriage to one of us when the time came, it was her prodding that firmed up his resolve." When she saw Elizabeth regarding her with her brows raised, she replied firmly, "I just want you to know that... that I am aware of what I am up against where Lady C is concerned, but despite all that I believe that we - Mr Collins and I, would be able to deal well with each other."
Elizabeth nodded, finally . "So, has he asked you already?"
"Oh, no... he has to ask Papa's permission to address me... and I suppose... he is a little hesitant to tell Mama and Papa about his sudden change of heart. Frankly, even I am at a loss to understand what is really behind the shift. Perhaps it was something Mr Darcy said... or maybe it is the miracle that I had wished for all of us... I have decided not to think too much"
"Then how do you know whether he plans to..." Elizabeth paused delicately.
Mary smiled ruefully in response. "He does not have the capacity to dissemble, Lizzy. He wants to be circumspect but is quite unable to practice it. Today we talked extensively about the Hunsford parish, its people, and the school he runs there, and I have lost count of the statements he began with... when you see for yourself you will realize... etc... "
"Hmm..." Elizabeth noticed that Mary had picked up her yellow gown and was absentmindedly rubbing its material between her fingers. 'Ah yes... at one time yellow was Mary's favourite colour and it suited her rather well too...' she recollected as she absentmindedly noted the dull brown of Mary's dress. 'I do not remember exactly when or why she started wearing these drab colours...' Elizabeth thought in surprise, even as she noted the wistful glance with which Mary was gazing at her gown. Suddenly an idea occurred to Elizabeth. 'Mary the dear girl, has been so caring of me... perhaps I can do something in return for her. Although, I am not so sure whether she will actually approve... but then Mr Collins surely would.' Elizabeth's lips twitched.
"Yellow always did look well on you, Mary. Umm... why don't you wear this gown when we go out for the picnic, tomorrow?" she asked.
Mary dropped the gown as if it suddenly burnt her fingers and gazed at Elizabeth in consternation. "I... I believe that one should be appreciated for what one is from inside and not... not how attractive one makes oneself with outer adornments," she said finally.
And just like that the self-righteous Mary was back. Elizabeth did want to roll her eyes at the preachy tone but easily controlled herself. 'This is going to be tricky,' she thought, but since she had seen the almost covetous look Mary had given her gown, she decided to press her point forward as delicately as possible. "No one can disagree with you on that, my dear. But I do not wear pleasing clothes or other adornments to influence others. I do so to please myself. I got out on my morning rambles because the fresh air, the beautiful sky, the bright flowers and the chirping of birds all make me happy, just as much as these clothes..."
Mary sat quietly for a while, trying to digest what she had heard. "I... never thought about in this manner... but now that you say it... it appears so... so obvious," she said thoughtfully.
Noting the iron was hot, Elizabeth decided to strike at that very moment. "Good! Here - you take this gown to your room now and try it on... I do not think much alteration will be required, but you never know. And tomorrow morning, come to my chamber as I want to dress your hair. I recently bought the prettiest yellow flowers to go with the gown," she said lightly.
Mary caught hold of the gown and blinked at the sudden flurry of words. "Oh, all right then. I will see you tomorrow morning, good night, Lizzy."
Mary Bennet hardly ever laughed if she could make do with a smile, and this time also she did not laugh. But the smile she gave her sister was one of the broadest to grace her face in a very long time. Elizabeth looked at it, and grinned in response, then she suddenly leaned forward to give her sister a quick hug. "Good night, Mary," she replied softly.
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A Little Magic
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