Chapter 25: Letters

The next day during breakfast, Georgiana expressed her desire to go for a ride.

"Fitzwilliam, it has been ages since I went along with you for a morning ride. Shall we go now?" She asked eagerly.

Darcy could not deny her request. He thought Elizabeth would join them.

But he was surprised to see Georgiana alone at the stables.

"Isn't Elizabeth joining us today?" He asked with hesitance.

"Fitzwilliam, she doesn't ride. She said she fell off her horse some years ago and didn't pursue it since then."

Georgiana was too innocent to question why her brother was unaware of such a simple detail about his wife.

Darcy was in deep thought. I don't know anything about her.

He could not understand his desire for her constant company. She did something to him, and he could not make out what it was.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, was thrilled to find letters from Jane and Charlotte.

She was confused to find Charlotte's letter enclosed in her sister's envelope. She read it hurriedly.

Dearest Lizzy,

It must be an eternity since I wrote to you. Believe me. I wanted to. But I chose not to. I hope you are well and settled in Pemberley. I received the last letter you sent from town. I did not respond to your letters since the time you wrote to me about the compromise at the Netherfield ball. I have to explain myself.

I settled in Kent, fully aware of the life I was getting into with my choice in matrimony. But you must understand that it is not only him that I had to worry about, but also his patroness Lady Catherine who influences him in every way.

Almost from the earliest visits to Rosings, I had to endure her criticism and authority. My husband follows everything she says blindly. I am sure you must know what happened to her daughter. She still speaks of her deceased daughter with so much resentment. Mr Collins was very tight-lipped about all the events of the past years. But the cook I employ in the parsonage revealed the whole story to me.

Mr Darcy was the one who saved Ms De Bourgh and Dr Nash from Lady Catherine's reproach. My maid told me that she even hit her daughter after she had learned about her love. Mr Darcy had stayed outside her room the whole night to keep her safe.

Lady Catherine talks about him with vengeance and curses her grandchild. How cruel could a woman be, Lizzy? She has not even seen the face of her grandchild. I am sure you will give the little one love and protection.

When you wrote to me about your marriage with Mr Darcy, I could empathise with your situation. But Lizzy, I am your well-wisher. I was happy that you were getting married to him. Please do not conclude that I found the match suitable for the financial situation of your family. I was happy that you were going to marry an honorable man. All the people in Kent have great respect and regard for Mr Darcy. They say that he was the one who rescued her from the clutches of Lady Catherine. I knew you wanted to marry for love, and I am sure that someday you will find that love in your marriage.

I was positive that if Lady Catherine became aware of your marriage, she would go to any lengths to stop it. According to her, there can be only one mistress to Pemberley. After the death of her daughter, she does not want anybody to have that position. I received several letters from Mr Bingley, and your uncle addressed to my husband. I was sure they contained information about your weddings. I did not want him to read them. I had to keep him and Lady Catherine in the dark about your wedding. And I am happy that I succeeded. I did not want to correspond with you during that time to feign ignorance on the subject. Finally, he got hold of one of the recent letters from your uncle. He was agitated beyond measure when he came to terms with the happenings in Hertfordshire.

Lady Catherine was taken by shock when he informed her about the marriage between you and Mr Darcy. She has been in bed for the past two weeks. She doubts me in concealing the letters from Mr Collins. So, my husband is monitoring all my correspondences. I had to send this letter to Maria, so that she could deliver it to Jane.

Once Lady Catherine is better, she plans to head to Derbyshire to question Mr Darcy about the marriage. She is angry and seems to have a grudge against you even without meeting you. Please be on the watch for her arrival. I understand that she has never visited Pemberley after the funeral of her daughter.

I hope you can inform your husband about her intentions. I sometimes feel she is delusional. She is capable of anything. Even if her daughter is dead now, I think that she would have been happy to be out of a distressing place as Rosings and marrying the one she loved.

I could feel your hopelessness in your letters about your marriage with Mr Darcy. Please, trust me, you will be happy. From what I hear about him, he is not only intelligent but very kind too. The servants in Rosings always praise his kindness. Though he severed ties with her long ago, my cook says he is in touch with the steward and checks on the welfare of Rosings often.

I know how stubborn you can be, Lizzy. He may not believe you about the incident at the ball. But no one acquainted with you can doubt your character for long.

In my case, there is no glimmer of hope in my marriage, but it would not be the same for you. You deserve the best, my friend. Please anticipate a visit from Lady Catherine, and I hope she does not cause much trouble.

Please send your reply to Jane. She will ensure Maria sends it to me.

I never thought that one day I would fear corresponding with my dearest friend, but that is the case. I cannot complain as the choice has been mine in my happiness and misery.

Yours,

Charlotte

Elizabeth was worried after reading Charlotte's letter.

Poor Charlotte! Trapped with such a man. Ironically, both of us are in a loveless marriage. She pondered on her situation.

I can never compare Mr Darcy to Mr Collins. That would be a grave injustice. Mr Collins is the most disgusting man ever. He has no self-worth, decency, or honesty.

She remembered his proposal at Longbourn and how uncomfortable he had made her feel. He had even tried to kiss her even after she had turned him down.

Heer husband had never made her feel uncomfortable in any way in his presence.

Mr Darcy may be proud and even prejudiced against me, but he has always been honest about his feelings.

She understood that except withholding details about Emma, he had been honest with her. He despised her for the compromise, and he has openly acknowledged it. And his principles were so high that he did not want to demand his marital rights with her. And after hearing the story behind Emma, she respected him for his good heart.

She opened Jane's letter and read it eagerly.

Dearest Lizzy,

I hope this letter finds you well. You may wonder why Charlotte has not written to you directly. This morning, Maria came to Netherfield with a letter for you. I think Mr Collins has forbidden her from corresponding with any of us.

And I know that he has reached his height of arrogance and spite. He has written to Charles and Uncle Philip demanding our family to leave Netherfield within this week. He has declined the offer of selling Longbourn back to us. Something is not right here, Lizzy. He was very greedy when he demanded such high rent from us. Now our offer to purchase Longbourn is higher than what anyone would expect, still he doesn't seem to be interested. Maybe he is angry that both of us are well settled now, and our family has more support.

Mamma is very upset to leave our home. But they have no choice. It seems he has already chosen a merchant from Meryton to move in immediately. We finalised a cottage in Meryton. Charles, Mr Darcy, and Uncle Gardiner have contributed to make it our own. They are buying it for us, and we do not have to worry about paying rent. I know how you feel about accepting assistance from Mr Darcy. But he has come forward to do this without any request from our side. Charles says he wanted to do his part as a member of our family. Lizzy, I have written too long without asking about you? Is Mr Darcy treating you well? Were you able to clear things with him?

I wish you were close by to confide your thoughts with me. I sincerely hope and pray that you are happy in your situation. Mamma worries about you too. She says she never spent time with you when you were at Longbourn.

Charles and I are planning our honeymoon trip next week, after settling Mamma in the new house. We are going to the lakes, and we will be stopping at Pemberley on our way back here. I am very eager to see you, Lizzy.

I miss you dearly. But sometimes, I feel happy that you are in Derbyshire. Moving out of Longbourn is not a happy prospect for any of us. I am glad to spare you this agony.

You were concerned about my relationship with my sisters here. They are very hostile towards me, but Charles has made it clear that they cannot interfere in my decisions as the mistress of the house. They want to leave to town soon, and I hope they feel happier there. There is something about Caroline that I cannot comprehend. If at all she speaks to me, she asks about you. I do not know why she is interested in your life. There is a strange iciness in her tone.

Lizzy, I cannot wait to see you. Who would have thought that we would be separated in life, so far away from each other? Netherfield is very demanding for me to manage. I was never involved with Longbourn estate like you. I cannot imagine how it would be to be the mistress of a grand estate like Pemberley. But, there is nobody in the world who would give it their heart and soul than my wonderful sister.

I look forward to seeing you, Lizzy. I shall pass my days here in anticipation of our trip. Please do write to me. Convey my regards to Mr Darcy and his sister.

Yours,

Jane Bingley

Elizabeth was not surprised to hear about the state of affairs in Longbourn.

From what I can understand from Charlotte, Mr Collins must be acting out of anger. He would think the only way to redeem himself in the eyes of Lady Catherine is by chasing out the family of the woman who married his nephew.

Finally, the day has come to leave our home. Poor Mamma!

She thought about the new cottage they had purchased. Her husband never mentioned anything about paying for it. She was embarrassed to accept his generosity due to his past accusations. She analysed Charlotte's words. Her friend was sensible, and if she was warning her about Lady Catherine, she was sure that there was something to be worried.

I need to find Mr Darcy. I have to warn him.

She left downstairs, and she saw commotion in the hallway.

One of the servants ran to her.

"Mrs Darcy, we have stopped her footman from entering the house. But we could not stop her. She is old, and we did not know how to restrain her. She is in the drawing-room demanding to meet you."

"I do not understand? Restrain who?"

The servant looked troubled.

"Master's aunt, "Lady Catherine" is here."

Oh! God! What am I to do now?