Dinner at Rosings that evening was the usual sumptuous affair. By luck, Elizabeth was seated next to Mrs. Jenkinson whose other neighbor was Miss de Bourgh. Lady Catherine sat at the head of the table and Mr. Collins sat at the other end. With a slightly louder conversational voice than normal to make sure that Miss de Bourgh could hear her, Elizabeth began to inquire about the older lady's impending grandmotherhood.
When she heard that Mrs. Graham, the daughter, would likely have a difficult birth, and Mrs. Jenkinson longed to be with her daughter at this perilous time, Elizabeth found the opening she was wishing for. She raised her voice a little further, hoping that Mr. Collins' high-volume laudatory oration on the magnificent dinner would cover her voice and prevent Lady Catherine from hearing her, and said to her dinner companion, "Mrs. Jenkinson, would it not be wonderful if you were offered a generous pension so that you would be able to go see your daughter without worries? You would then be able to welcome your grandchild in person while taking care of your daughter."
She looked over to Lady Catherine and saw her engaged in conversation with Charlotte and said a silent thank to her best friend. Miss de Bourgh was as quiet as a mouse during the whole exchange. At the end, though, she looked in Elizabeth's direction very briefly and without expression.
"Miss Bennet, there is no use wishing for something that will not come true. I am content that my grandbaby will not lack booties and frocks. Miss de Bourgh is very lenient with me on how I spend my spare time. Are you enjoying this delicious turbot?" Mrs. Jenkinson changed the subject.
From then on, the conversation stayed on casual topics.
When the party gathered in the drawing room after dinner, Lady Catherine set up one card table for herself and the Collins party, and asked Elizabeth to provide some music on the pianoforte. Elizabeth immediately complied. She observed that Miss de Bourgh and her companion bent their heads together and appeared to be in an earnest conversation. Lady Catherine surveyed the room from time to time. Seeing that her daughter was talking to the companion instead of sitting and looking bored, she spoke up, "Jenkinson, what are you saying to Miss de Bourgh?"
Elizabeth tensed in hearing this question from her ladyship. She prayed silently that if Miss de Bourgh had been discussing the offer of a pension with Mrs. Jenkinson just now, the elderly lady would not betray her charge.
Mrs. Jenkinson answered pleasantly, "Madam, Miss de Bourgh and I were discussing that she would like to go for another drive in the phaeton tomorrow. She greatly enjoyed the one this afternoon."
Lady Catherine turned to Elizabeth, assessed her for a moment and asked, "Miss Bennet, Jenkinson told me you went driving with my daughter. I had meant to ask you about it. What did you two talk of that my daughter wants to do it again so soon?"
Elizabeth paid close attention to every word Lady Catherine uttered as she was already fully aware of the noblewoman's shrewdness. She answered carefully while continuing to play a soft, plaintive melody, "Madam, the drive itself is likely the reason that Miss de Bourgh wants to repeat the experience tomorrow. I did enjoy the sunshine and fresh air immensely, as did she, I reckon. Miss de Bourgh's skills with the phaeton were superb! The ride was so smooth that I could continue reading my book. You understand very well that Miss de Bourgh is not one of these chattering girls who talk to anybody and everybody. I am not of your sphere, your ladyship, and Miss de Bourgh knew your preference for preserving rank. I assure you that she did not talk more than necessary to me, as she should. I was grateful that Miss de Bourgh allowed me the pleasure of driving around in such a fine vehicle."
"What book were you reading? Was it the one you let my daughter borrow?" Lady Catherine asked with her eyes narrowed to just slits.
Elizabeth did falter this time, and she decided to stop playing completely. She said, "Indeed. Miss de Bourgh asked to borrow it after I had finished reading it. Since I have already read the book twice, I let her have it right away. Did I do rightly, madam?"
"Why did you do that? She will not have time to finish it before you leave Hunsford the day after tomorrow," inquired Lady Catherine while staring intently at Elizabeth.
Elizabeth took a deep breath and tried to think fast – who could have given Lady Catherine this piece of information? She had sent off the letter to her aunt just that afternoon. Could there be a spy in the Collins household? She began to panic until she noticed a smug look on Mr. Collins' face. It was plain that Mr. Collins had opened her letter and read it before it was taken to the village post and then communicated the content to his patroness. She could not help heaving a sigh of relief that the letter for the earl was not among those sent by post.
"Madam, please excuse me for not informing you sooner about my departing earlier than planned. My father has needs of me to return home sooner, and my sister who is staying with my uncle and aunt in London has made plans for some outings. To accommodate them, I have decided to leave here a few days earlier. Miss de Bourgh could give the book to Miss Lucas when she has finished, as Maria's travel plan has not altered."
"Miss Bennet, let me give you a word of advice. Novels trivialize the mind and should be avoided. I allow my daughter to read one from time to time because she has been trained to be steady in her character, and her mind is not so easily polluted. Other young women of less noble lineage are not able to stand the onslaught of moral corruption caused by such trash. This particular one concerns the lives of the lower class, and I have decided that there is no harm for Miss de Bourgh to read about lowly creatures with whom she will never come into contact."
Elizabeth had a strong urge to remind Lady Catherine that a lowly creature was even then in front of her noble presence, but instead of retorting with sarcasm, which was her wont, she responded pleasantly so as not to cause complications with her yet unexposed plan:
"Madam, I am gratified by your gracious condescension in bestowing such sage advice. I shall be much more selective in choosing reading materials from now on."
Lady Catherine then changed the subject, having completely discarded the card table, "Miss Bennet, there can be no occasion for you to leave early. A father cannot possibly need a daughter for anything so urgently. Daughters are never of much consequence to a father. Your mother could certainly spare you for another fortnight. I expected you to stay two months complete and had told Mrs. Collins so even before you came."
"You are all kindness, madam, but I must abide by my travel plan as my uncle would have made arrangements for a servant to meet me at Bromley."
"Your uncle, this is the one in trade, is he not?" Seeing that Elizabeth nodded her head, she continued, "A tradesman being able to afford a manservant, that is something at least. I see that your mind is set. At Bromley, if you mention my name at the Bell, you will be attended to."
Lady Catherine asked many more questions concerning her journey, and Elizabeth felt rather relieved that there were no more questions on why she suddenly decided to leave early.
Before bed that night, Charlotte sat with Elizabeth in the guest chamber to sum up the day. They closed the door to the chamber and talked in whispers. After the scare of having a spy in the form of the master of the house, they needed to be much more vigilant.
Elizabeth asked, "Did you know that Mr. Collins reads all the letters at this house whether they are addressed to him or not?"
Charlotte replied apologetically, "I did not until just now, when you told me. I am truly sorry, Eliza. I never suspected that he would stoop so low. However, it also makes me more determined to help," Charlotte lowered her voice further and continued, "remove the tyrannical force that turns decent people into indecent ones."
Elizabeth had no doubt about Charlotte's loyalty, but the renewed reassurance from her friend and ally was comforting.
She looked around the room and asked cheerfully, "So where do you hide your stash of novels in this house from Lady Catherine's sharp eyes and claws?"
Charlotte started at this question and exclaimed, still softly, "Eliza, how did you know that the hiding place is in this room? I fancy I am the only person within fifty miles who knows of a perfect nook such as the one in this wall!"
"Oh, there is one, and it is here? I have heeded your warning of not reading my novels when Mr. Collins is around the house, and I have not seen you reading your favorite novels since I came here, even though it is clear you still love them judging from how you devoured my 'S&S'. So where are they hiding?"
Charlotte led Elizabeth to the wall next to the door and pushed hard on a panel to make it swing open. Inside were more than just novels. There was a copy of Mary Wollstonecraft's 'A Vindication of the Rights of Women.'
"Charlotte, I never figured you to be a radical! Have you read it? My father did not purchase it for his library though he is open-minded in many ways. He said he had read it when it was first published twenty years ago but did not like much of it, except for the parts on the education of females which he practiced anyway. I have not yet had the chance to purchase it for myself." She omitted to tell Charlotte that she had instead allocated the money for Lord Byron's new book of poetry which was all the rage in London just now.
"This book was left behind by Mrs. Wilford, the wife of the former vicar. She appeared to sympathize with Mrs. Wollstonecraft's sentiments. She could not tolerate Lady Catherine's despotic rules right from the beginning. Lady Catherine was enraged when she came to inspect the house like she does with me several times a month. When she saw Mrs. Wilford's book collection, she demanded them to be burned. Instead, Mr. Wilford built this secret nook in the stone wall to store the 'unsuitable books' for his wife. A year ago, Mrs. Wilford went in a hurry to London to attend a gravely ill uncle who passed away and left her a grand fortune from trade. Mrs. Wilford never returned to Hunsford, and Mr. Wilford quit the living soon to join his wife, leaving virtually everything behind including these books. Lady Catherine took away whatever she found that had not belonged to the parsonage, but she did not find this nook."
"How did you find it then, Charlotte?"
"Mrs. Wilford wrote to beg me to send her a few things she valued for personal reasons inside the nook. She said I could have anything else that was in there."
"I wonder why they are still here after Mr. Collins read Mrs. Wilford's letter?"
"I believe he was not doing it then. He had been vicar here for only a short while when he came to Meryton last year. Many of Lady Catherine's instructions had not been implemented yet when we were first married."
"Charlotte, how can you stand this?" Elizabeth asked, a bit exasperatedly.
"Eliza, I suppose I was like Miss de Bourgh, thinking that there was no choice. Now it feels different. I can no longer be sanguine about her unreasonable interferences in so many aspects of our lives, and my husband seems more and more subservient to her every whim."
Elizabeth thought to herself that it could not have been possible for Mr. Collins to be worse than when he first came to Longbourn. For Charlotte's sake, she hoped that Mr. Collins would gain a backbone and at least refuse to follow Lady Catherine's orders that were blatantly unethical.
"Eliza, if you would like to read Mrs. Wollstonecraft's book, you may have it. I think it is too dangerous for me to ever take out of the nook. Mr. Collins will certainly not approve."
"If that is the case, Charlotte, I shall gladly take it off your hands. Well, it is late. 'To bed, to bed, to bed!' – what is it that compels me to quote repeatedly from 'Macbeth' today? Let us go to bed now or your husband may start listening at the door to discover what we may be scheming."
Charlotte almost grimaced with embarrassment and apologized to Elizabeth again for her husband's dishonorable transgression. She left the room after asking her friend to leave the book in its present location until it was Elizabeth's time to depart the parsonage.