"I told you, did I not?" said Kitty.
"You did. I will admit it," conceded Elizabeth.
"I knew the man was besotted with you. His eyes always followed you and he always sought you out."
"I knew he sought me out, but I had no notion that his feelings were anything beyond what he feels for any other of my sisters."
"And what do you feel now?" asked Jane.
"I hardly know," said Elizabeth, "He is my friend. He is handsome. He is good to all he meets. He is intelligent and challenges me in debate. And he says he loves me."
"He loves you! Lizzy, are you betrothed?" asked Kitty.
"I am not. He offered for me, but I asked for a courtship instead."
"Unbelievable," whispered Kitty.
"I still find it hard to believe such a man holds me in affection."
"That is not my meaning. You refused Mr. Darcy of Pemberley? Is that why he was so cross at the ball?"
"I did not refuse him. I simply asked him to delay the asking of that question and to court instead."
"I would not be as fastidious as you, Lizzy. You are very fortunate that he did not withdraw his suit altogether," said Kitty.
"Kitty, be kind. She acted as she ought. Elizabeth and I have always wished to marry for love. Mr. Darcy is not so proud as to turn his back on her because she wishes to be certain of her own feelings." Jane appealed softly, "After all, you did not accept Mr. Collins because you do not love him."
"I did not accept Mr. Collins because he does not wash, and he is infatuated with Lady Catherine. Were he as handsome, well-groomed, and well-mannered as Mr. Darcy, I would have accepted him."
"Your wishes and Elizabeth's differ. Be happy for your sister in her courtship. I have no doubt that Elizabeth will fall in love with Mr. Darcy, and they will be married eventually."
"I wish you every happiness, Lizzy. I am simply astonished." Kitty said.
"And what of you, Kitty?" asked Elizabeth.
"I do not have the pleasure of understanding you," said Kitty.
"Lord Barlow. I thought you disliked him, yet you waltzed with him and seemed distressed before Darcy said which cousin was to marry."
"I like him very well, Lizzy," said Kitty, "I thought he believed himself above his company, but he is only exceedingly shy. It does not help that ladies often pretend to like him for his title. Yet I will not allow my heart to be broken by him. I know that he must marry someone of a similar status to himself. If Lord Matlock does not approve of you for his nephew, I can hardly think he would approve of me for his son."
"That is wise, Kitty. Let him be an amiable acquaintance," said Jane.
The three sisters, having discussed the all-important subjects of the gentlemen in their lives, finished dressing for dinner and went down to join the rest of the family.
"I will see Miss Elizabeth Bennet immediately!" came a shrill voice from the front of the house, interrupting the dessert course of the dinner.
"I fear my aunt has arrived," said Darcy, rising from the table. He bowed and saw himself out of the room, so he might greet his aunt.
"Darcy!" said Lady Catherine upon catching sight of him.
"Aunt Catherine," said Darcy with a bow, "To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?"
"You know very well," said Lady Catherine tersely. Darcy led her into a sitting room well away from where the rest of the family dined so they might not hear the discourse that would undoubtedly be quite loud.
"Indeed, you are quite mistaken, Aunt. I am afraid I have not been at all able to account for the honour of seeing you here."
"Darcy," replied her ladyship in an angry tone, "You know very well that I am not to be trifled with. A report of a most alarming nature reached me several days ago. I was told that upon my daughter's miraculous return to the bosom of her family, she was engaged to Richard instead of you! You and she are formed for each other. Why will you not honour the engagement that was your mother's favourite wish?"
"I will not marry Cousin Anne," said Darcy, "And her reputation is quite intact due to Richard's offering for her. I cannot account for why you wish to alter the current state of affairs."
"Richard is but a penniless second son!" exclaimed Lady Catherine.
"The second son of an earl and a good man who will care for your daughter," said Darcy.
"It is not to be borne!" said Lady Catherine, "You and she were meant for each other. I will not have you deny your engagement!"
"There is no engagement!" said Darcy, "And there never has been! Richard must marry her, for I will not!"
"Instead you wish to unite yourself with a country trollop!"
"Miss Elizabeth is a gentleman's daughter. If you were a man, I would call you out for speaking of her in such a way!" Darcy hissed.
"A gentleman's daughter, perhaps. But who is her mother? Who are her uncles and aunts? Who is her brother-in-law? Are you to connect yourself with the son of your father's steward?"
"If I have no objection to her connections, they can be nothing to you!"
"She has drawn you in! She has made you forget all that you owe to yourself and to your family! Her arts and allurements have caused such an infatuation as to blind you to her low station and connections."
"She has done no such thing!"
"This match can never take place!"
"Should Miss Elizabeth accept my suit, nothing will stop our marriage from taking place. I love her, Aunt. You will not turn me from my course. You will leave this house now, and you will never again be welcomed in Darcy House, nor at any of my estates. How dare you speak of a gentlewoman thusly! How dare you?"
"I am your closest relation! It is my right to see that you are not taken in!"
"I am the head of my own family," said Darcy, "I do not rely on you for my livelihood. I do not require your blessing or your consent. Indeed, the only person on this earth who might turn me from Miss Elizabeth Bennet is my sister, and she is quite fond of Miss Elizabeth."
"You bring your sister into such company!" said Lady Catherine, horrified.
"Lady Catherine! My sister is a gentleman's daughter, as are Miss Elizabeth and her sisters. They are equals. Now I have asked you to leave. Should you not do so, I shall call for a footman to remove you!"
"You would not do so!" said Lady Catherine, "I did not arrange all of this for you to end up married to some country hoyden!"
Darcy went to the door and gestured to the footman who was waiting outside the door. He looked pale at the prospect of removing the lady, but squared his shoulders and rang the bell for further assistance. When three footmen had gathered, Lady Catherine was bodily removed from Longbourn.
Lady Catherine was seriously displeased. She had not, perhaps, considered that she would have to stay overnight at an inn when she first set out on her journey. The inn at Meryton was small and not at all what Lady Catherine was used to. Thankfully, her party took up all the rooms that the inn boasted, so she was not required to reside with whoever might be travelling through the town.
"Your cousin is most disobliging," said Lady Catherine to her daughter as they sat in the parlour taking their dinner.
"I do not know why you supposed you would be able to prevail upon him. I do not mind that I shall wed Richard," said Anne.
"He is a second son! Barlow or Darcy is much more suitable for you!"
"They need heirs, Mother," said Anne, "which I most likely cannot provide them."
"Nonsense," said Lady Catherine.
"I shall retire," said Anne, not wishing to hear anymore from her mother. She and her companion went up to their adjoining rooms and away from the disagreeable older woman. Anne thought to herself that her mother would have to accustom herself quickly to not getting her way. Anne now would have a husband by her side who would ensure that Rosings was under the purview of its proper master and mistress.
"It is well that you did not marry into such a family, Mr. Collins," said Lady Catherine when he attended her the next day before her departure.
"Indeed. Miss Lucas is much more suitable."
"I understand that her family is very intimate with the Bennets," said Lady Catherine with a frown.
"Perhaps," said Mr. Collins, "but Miss Lucas will be away from such negative influences once she becomes Mrs. Collins. She will benefit greatly from your guidance."
"Indeed," said Lady Catherine.
"May I just say that I am glad to see your fair daughter looking so well after her ordeal?" asked Mr. Collins, although he had already made such a statement many times since Miss de Bourgh's return.
"Yes, well, I am glad for it, else it would be truly all for naught," said Lady Catherine.
"What do you mean, Mother?" asked Anne.
"Nothing, dearest," said Lady Catherine, dissembling. "Only that it would have been a shame if you had been harmed in any way."
Mr. Collins did not consider himself an unintelligent man. Yet, there had been several things in the past week that he could not make sense of. Comments, such as the one that Lady Catherine had just made, had occurred with some frequency. He did not know if she knew she had said all of them aloud, for Lady Catherine often murmured under her breath. He knew this was the way of elegant females, and he tried to pay attention even to these mutterings. More than once had he learned of some infraction he had committed by listening closely. In this case, though, he could not make out their meaning. Knowing his betrothed to be a woman of some intellect, he mentioned the comments to her.
"Mr. Collins, are you certain that is what she said?" asked his dear Miss Lucas.
"I am," said he, "But I cannot make out her meaning. I do not wish to displease her ladyship if she needs assistance or if she fears her daughter was injured by her confinement."
"I do not know any way but one to understand her remarks," said Miss Lucas, looking at the list she had made.
It is too soon. It should have been another day.
She was supposed to ensure she drank all the water.
He wouldn't dare give me up.
It was supposed to be Darcy who found her.
Yes, well, I am glad for it, else it would be truly all for naught.
"And what way is that?" asked Mr. Collins hopefully.
"I believe that Lady Catherine arranged for her daughter to be taken."
"You cannot mean it!" exclaimed Mr. Collins, standing and beginning to pace about the room, "You must not slander her ladyship so! I am most shocked by your speech, Miss Lucas! That you could propose such a thing!"
"Mr. Collins..." said Miss Lucas, but Mr. Collins continued.
"You do not understand her ladyship at all! I am certain she could not! How? She was so very distraught over her daughter's disappearance. She is a most attentive mother! She would never harm her daughter!"
"I am not saying she ever intended her daughter to come to harm. Indeed, Miss de Bourgh has said herself that she was taken care of well enough, even if she was dosed and confined."
"How dare you slander Lady Catherine!" he yelled.
"I do not," said Miss Lucas calmly, "I simply offer one explanation. Did she not wish for an alliance between Darcy and her daughter? Would not a compromise of this sort be something that could bring such a thing to pass, should he have been the one to find her?"
"I suppose, but surely Darcy would have offered for her if Miss de Bourgh had not accepted Colonel Fitzwilliam already!"
"Perhaps, but let us consider," said Miss Lucas, "Why would she say anything about the amount of water Anne drank? Who is the she mentioned if not Mrs. Younge? Who is he and why would he give her up?"
"He is no doubt Mr. Darcy, as she is referring to the betrothal," said Mr. Collins with self assurance, but Miss Lucas did not look convinced.
"Why would she have wished her daughter's rescue to be delayed for another day?" asked Miss Lucas.
"Surely she meant only that it should have been sooner and I misunderstood."
"I do not think so," said Miss Lucas.
"She couldn't have," said Mr. Collins. Yet, somewhere within himself, he knew that Miss Lucas had the right of it. Lady Catherine wished for the alliance between her daughter and Mr. Darcy. As Mr. Darcy had told her that it would never come to pass, she needed to resort to other methods. As it seemed that Mr. Darcy was growing attached to Miss Elizabeth, as Lord Matlock had said in his letter, Lady Catherine was undoubtedly concerned that her nephew would make an imprudent alliance.
"I believe she did," said Miss Lucas.
Mr. Collins collapsed into a chair and sunk his head in his hands, sobbing.
"Is Mrs. Younge still not to be found?" Colonel Fitzwilliam asked Captain Andrews.
"A woman matching her description was seen boarding a cargo ship the day before yesterday, sir," said Captain Andrews.
"Are you certain it was her?"
"I am not. We will continue to look, yet we must consider the possibility that she has escaped."
"Where was the ship bound?" asked Colonel Fitzwilliam
"India, sir," said Captain Andrews.
"And the other man who my betrothed saw?" asked Colonel Fitzwilliam.
"We still do not know his identity. Her description was rather vague, if you don't mind my saying so, sir."
Colonel Fitzwilliam sat back in his chair and rubbed his face. He wondered if it was worth it to continue to expend resources in this search for the other two people who had held his betrothed. He could not feel fully secure with them out in the world, but nor could he look for them forever.
"What of the jewels?" asked Colonel Fitzwilliam.
"No doubt Mrs. Younge took them with her. We have asked at many pawnbrokers and have seen nothing matching the descriptions. Even when bribes were given to solicit answers at the less reputable places of business."
"It is useless, then, to continue?" asked Colonel Fitzwilliam.
"Unless we receive a more exact description of the other man," said Captain Andrews, "I think it may be. No doubt he has left for distant shores as well."
"Very well. Call off the search but keep me updated on the whereabouts of my betrothed. I do not wish to hear of her mother whisking her off again. I want guards about her until I am wed to her."
"Very good," said Captain Andrews, "I did take the liberty of having men follow their coach at an inconspicuous distance."
"You did well, Andrews," said Colonel Fitzwilliam, "Now just ensure they reach Rosings safely, and I will be indebted to you."
"You owe me no debt, sir. I am happy to be of service."