Rapid Revelation
DISCLAIMER: "Pride and Prejudice" will forever be beyond my reach, whether it is Ms. Austen's delightful novel or Joe Wright's 2005 film adaptation. This is merely a humble tribute.
NOTE: I promised an update in December and here it is, just before the year ends! I'm glad I made it and though not much happens in this, I hope it is still enjoyable. I've tried to give the other characters in the story some more interaction so this isn't focused simply on our favorite pair. The story is progressing nicely and hopefully, this is to your satisfaction.
I will only add: Belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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The next few days in Hunsford passed uneventfully, much to Elizabeth's dismay.
There had been, as expected, a great hullabaloo at her sudden sodden arrival with Mr. Darcy and Mr. Collins had not known how to deal with such an unexpected turn of events. Detailed explanations had to be given and much was discussed.
Charlotte fussed over her friend and worried about Elizabeth's health while the unfortunate Darcy was left to the profuse attentions of Mr. Collins. But as Elizabeth had noticed on their way to the parsonage, Darcy seemed preoccupied by the uncertain situation of the Smiths, so much so that he was even able to tolerate Mr. Collins' emphatic courtesies with relative serenity. At length, after simply making sure that Elizabeth was well, Mr. Darcy took his leave.
"I'm afraid my aunt will be expecting me at Rosings," he said, "and I shall have to make some explanations to her as well."
"Of course," Elizabeth replied, "we must not detain you any longer, sir."
He made a short bow and for an instant, gave her a look that clearly expressed his reluctance to leave. But the moment passed quickly, and soon he was out the door and to her surprise, Elizabeth gave a small sigh.
"Am I sorry to see him go?" she wondered at herself, but chose not to dwell on it.
The afternoon's events had left her too fatigued to even pursue any complicated train of thought. She needed to rest and collect her spirits before she could sufficiently understand how she felt. Everything was so unclear and uncertain.
Charlotte observed her friend carefully but did not ask any questions. Having always been a prudent and discreet woman, Mrs. Collins decided not to pry into her friend's affairs. When Lizzy was ready to speak about what was going on, Charlotte would be there to listen, and listen quite eagerly.
Nevertheless, Charlotte was a very perceptive woman and there was very little that escaped her notice, especially since there was not much to notice in a small parsonage and with a husband whose ways were more predictable than the seasons. She had always had her suspicions about Mr. Darcy's interest towards her friend and seeing the way the two had acted just then confirmed some of Charlotte's theories. It was growing evident that he was quite smitten by Elizabeth, but as to how the latter felt about him was still subject to some conjecture.
But after that little adventure, Charlotte surmised that Mr. Darcy seemed to have improved significantly in Elizabeth's eyes. No amount of prejudice against him could blind Elizabeth to the fact that his actions had been truly heroic, and Elizabeth was not the type of person to deny merit where it was due. She had seen firsthand the kind of selflessness and generosity he was capable of and that had done a great deal to change her formerly severe opinion of him.
Seeing all this, Charlotte was extremely happy for her friend. Such a fortunate match could not have been anticipated, not even by Mrs. Bennet's overactive imagination. Nevertheless, the clergyman's wife was also aware of the difficulties her friend would have to contend with should she accept Mr. Darcy's proposal, his aunt's disapproval being a certainty. Fortunately, Elizabeth was one of the few women in the world who had the strength of character to withstand Lady Catherine's wrath. If anyone could brave the storms that would follow, it was Elizabeth Bennet.
"Besides, I'm getting ahead of myself," Charlotte thought, "It is far too early to think of all these things. Lizzy herself does not seem certain yet of how she feels about Mr. Darcy. But I do hope, for both their sakes, that everything turns out for the best."
Mrs. Collins then busied herself with taking care of her dear friend. The afternoon's events had taken their toll on Elizabeth and in spite of her strong constitution she still suffered a slight headache and developed a bit of a cough. She was advised to take as much rest as she could in order to recover from the ordeal.
As much as she wanted to pursue the topic of the mysterious predicament of the Smiths, Charlotte would not allow it.
"I am sure that things will be settled somehow," Charlotte consoled her friends, "but for now, we cannot take any chances with your health."
"I thank you for your generous attentions, my dear Charlotte," Elizabeth replied, "but I am not as ill as you seem to think. You know that I was never of a very sickly disposition."
"I know that as well as anyone, my dear friend," Charlotte replied cheerfully, "but don't deny me the opportunity of fussing over you just as any host would do for her guest. I am rarely accorded the opportunity to act as the mistress of this household."
"Then, I shall by no means deprive you of that right," Elizabeth agreed with a smile.
Nevertheless, Elizabeth's mind was occupied by all that had happened and she longed for some news not just of the situation of the Smiths but also of Mr. Darcy. She could no longer deny that she took an interest in that gentleman's welfare and she wished, at the very least, to know if he was all right. For surely if her health had succumbed to the elements despite her limited role in the adventure, he would be likewise affected, no matter how sturdy his constitution. After all, he had braved the cold and deep waters by himself and it had taken some time before he was returned to the warmth and comfort of his aunt's house.
Charlotte could see that despite her silence, Elizabeth was eager for some news from Rosings so the former made it her business to relay whatever information she received from her husband to her guest. For the first time, Mrs. Collins was taking an active interest in the affairs of Lady Catherine and this greatly pleased Mr. Collins though he could not have suspected the real reason for such enthusiasm. He mistakenly attributed his wife's fervor to the fact that she was finally seeing things his way, finally seeing the utter superiority and wonder that was Lady Catherine de Bourgh.
The ladies at Hunsford did not see much of Mr. Darcy in the next few days, although Charlotte noticed that her friend seemed unusually eager to see him again. But they did not want for company since Colonel Fitzwilliam often called upon Elizabeth to see how she was faring. Where once Elizabeth preferred his company to that of his cousin, she now felt a strange change come over her. Nevertheless, she still enjoyed his visits and he was as pleasant and attentive as ever.
He had heard some of the particulars of the rescue from his cousin and Elizabeth confirmed what he already knew and added the rest. He listened to her account with some astonishment and much pride, as he had always thought very highly of his cousin. And he knew, even before coming to Kent, that Darcy had a good opinion of Miss Bennet, no matter how hard the former tried to conceal it. This unusual circumstance was what had piqued his interest in Elizabeth when they first arrived. And seeing how she was a pleasant and intelligent young woman, it did not take long for the colonel to admire her, even without his cousin's approval.
During Elizabeth's several visits to Rosings, Colonel Fitzwilliam had tried to gauge if his cousin's fondness was somehow returned. But it had been difficult to determine this. It was clear that Elizabeth knew much of Mr. Darcy from their short acquaintance in Hertfordshire, but her opinion of him remained a mystery to his cousin. She conversed with Darcy cleverly and teased him on occasion, in ways no one had ever dared to do before. Fitzwilliam could see that Darcy enjoyed their banter even if he did not always show it but how much Elizabeth was pleased with Darcy was less discernible. There were even moments when Fitzwilliam suspected that she might even dislike the man.
But after the momentous incident of the child's rescue, Elizabeth's position towards Darcy seemed to have improved, much to the cousin's delight. Though she tried to conceal it, she was anxious to hear any news of Darcy, which his cousin eagerly provided. As expected, the recent events had taken their toll on the man's health and he had needed to rest for a day or two. But he quickly recovered and went about settling some urgent matter.
"I am not yet sure of the particulars, Miss Bennet," Colonel Fitzwilliam explained, "but I am certain that my cousin considers it very important indeed. If it were not so, I am sure he would not delay calling on you even by an hour."
"I am flattered that you think so," Elizabeth replied, "but you may be overestimating your cousin's concern for me."
"I think not," the colonel said with a smile.
Getting uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking, Elizabeth changed the subject and they discussed other things.
Once the colonel took his leave, Elizabeth retired to her room and began to ponder on what he had said about Darcy. She had a powerful suspicion that whatever urgent business he needed to attend to involved the Smiths somehow and she grew very curious about it and spent several nights trying to figure out what it could be.
Fortunately, she was not left in suspense for very long. One day, Charlotte returned home excitedly, bearing some news.
"It is the most extraordinary thing, my dear Lizzy," the friend exclaimed, "I have only just heard from Mr. Collins, who is currently still discussing certain matters with his esteemed patroness, that Mr. Darcy has been responsible for rescuing the Smiths once more!"
Lizzy immediately took her friends hands and begged for details, which Charlotte was only too happy to give.
"It is as you had suspected," Charlotte explained, "the Smiths were having some problems with Lady Catherine, although they tried their best to hide their plight. It wasn't anything they did themselves, but a circumstance that affected them by association. You see, from what I have heard, Mr. Smith has a sister who has recently brought disgrace upon the family by eloping with an officer of ill repute. When the news reached the brother, he set out to try and resolve the situation but it was too late. His sister had already gone off to Scotland with her officer and the latter could not be convinced to marry her. But she was stubborn and refused to listen to her brother's pleas.
So he returned, and unfortunately, the bad news followed him. And though neither he nor his wife and children have ever done anything deserving of reproof, Lady Catherine seemed to believe that the entire family's reputation was forever tainted by association. And though it had not yet been decided, there was a very real threat of evicting them from their home because of this unfortunate circumstance."
"But how horrible!" Elizabeth exclaimed, "Surely Lady Catherine cannot be so unjust as to deprive a whole family of their livelihood simply because one member has acted imprudently."
"That is exactly what I thought," Charlotte agreed, "although I could not say anything to my husband, who is always inclined to side with Lady Catherine even when he can see the injustice in her actions. And I fear he is not the only one who is so in awe and fear of her as to never question her judgments. The Smiths are similarly humble people who would not dare stand up to her Ladyship even if it meant their utter ruin."
"But you said that Mr. Darcy had some hand in saving them," Elizabeth asked, "And how did this come to be?"
"Well, my dear Lizzy," Charlotte continued, "Mr. Darcy suspected as much as you did and even before he was fully recovered, he confronted his aunt about the matter. She revealed everything, confident that her nephew would support her decision. You can imagine her surprise when he argued that she change her mind. He has tried to convince her to see reason, and that has not been an easy endeavor. But he is just as obstinate as his aunt and neither of them would back down.
But he championed the Smiths cause relentlessly and at length, his aunt, either out of some sense of justice or out of her fondness for her nephew or a combination of these factors, she retracted her previous decision and allowed the Smiths to maintain their livelihood."
"How wonderful," Elizabeth exclaimed in awe.
"But there's something even more extraordinary," Charlotte added, "Mr. Darcy even managed to extract a promise from his aunt that in the future, she would not act as hastily and as unjustly as she has just done, not just for the Smiths but also for any of her tenants should they ever be in such circumstances. The nephew knew her well and decided very wisely to appeal to her sense of superiority. He convinced her that she would be a paragon of kindness and generosity if she acted thus and that the whole community would only grow in respect of and gratitude towards her. Her vanity was appeased and she agreed to it after some convincing."
"It seems that Mr. Darcy knows how best to work on his aunt," Elizabeth said with a smile, "He is more than a match for Lady Catherine's domineering personality."
"He truly is," Charlotte said, "and I'm sorry that that is all I have to report."
"Oh, but this is the most interesting news we've had all week," Elizabeth said, "and I am very grateful for it."
"Besides, I am sure that we shall learn more of the particulars soon enough," Charlotte added, "Colonel Fitzwilliam is bound to call, and perhaps, now that the matter is settled, Mr. Darcy himself will tell you of his triumph."
"For all the pride I accused him off, I do not think he would boast about this," Elizabeth observed, "and I confess, I did not expect such effort to be expended on his part all for the sake of a poor family he had only just met. He had already showed them extraordinary kindness and generosity but this, this is truly remarkable."
"I don't know why you should be so surprised, Lizzy," Charlotte teased, "After all, you were the one who witnessed his heroism firsthand. Should it be so astonishing that he is capable of more than simply saving a drowning child?"
"No, indeed," Elizabeth replied soberly, "but even you must admit that his behavior here in Kent has made a stark contrast against the way he acted when we all first knew him in Hertfordshire."
"You are right, Lizzy," Charlotte agreed, "Although even back in Hertfordshire I did not know him as well as you did. I certainly did not have the honor of dancing with him during the Netherfield ball."
"Oh, Charlotte," Elizabeth said, this time blushing slightly, "You are making too much out of a small thing."
"Am I indeed?" Charlotte asked, giving her friend a knowing look. Elizabeth did not want to take the bait.
"Well, it seems that Mr. Darcy's character had been judged too hastily and too harshly," Elizabeth declared and then added to herself, "by me most of all."