Kent: March – April 1812
Lizzy's first week at Hunsford parsonage was an enlightening and pleasant experience; it was clear that marriage suited Mary very well. The always-overlooked sister had blossomed into a confident and practical woman with a purpose in her life. She had taken to her role as a vicar's wife with care and diligence; she usually spent several hours per day visiting the poorest tenants and helping in the management of the parish. She was respected and liked by the people of Hunsford and even some young women asked her for advice.
Mr. Collins was a very attentive and affectionate husband, he was still a little ridiculous, but was, in essence, a good man. He was deeply in love with Mary. In his eyes, Mary was the epitome of feminine perfection, and he was the luckiest of men to have her as his wife.
The house was much smaller than Longbourn's but well-appointed and comfortable for the young couple's needs. In the garden, there was a small orchard where different vegetables and flowers were grown.
Only a few days after arriving, Lizzy was lucky enough to be invited to have tea at Rosings Park, and she met Lady Catherine and her daughter Anne de Bourgh. Lady Catherine was a robust woman in her fifties, accustomed to commanding and being obeyed, and with very old-fashioned convictions and ideas. Her daughter, on the other hand, was a very thin, shy, and sickly 25-year-old girl.
During the visit, Lady Catherine asked her all sorts of questions, to which Lizzy answered with aplomb. Apparently, after the extensive interrogation, the great lady was satisfied.
A couple of days later, Elizabeth was walking along one of the lanes in Rosings when, to her surprise, she ran into Mr. Darcy.
During the last three months, Darcy had been an active participant in London's high-society parties. He had met many young debutantes, and even for a short time, he had thought of courting one of them. But, after getting to know Lady Isabella better, he realized courting her was a mistake.
Despite all his efforts, there was not a day he did not think about Miss Elizabeth Bennet. He even passed by the door of her London house in his carriage several times hoping to see her and visited his sister every time he knew Miss Elizabeth was there.
A couple of weeks ago, Georgiana had told him Miss Elizabeth Bennet was going to travel to Kent on the last week of March to visit her cousin. So, he decided to move up his trip to Rosings Park by three weeks. It was the perfect opportunity to see her without the prying eyes of the Ton and decide if he was willing to marry a woman who was not from high society and probably would bring little money to the marriage.
A few days later, he arrived at Rosings. His aunt Lady Catherine greeted him with the usual enthusiasm, and that same night at dinner, she reiterated her longstanding wish: it was time for him to formalize his engagement to Anne. To avoid conflicts, he diverted the conversation to safe topics related to the administration of the estate. Anne smiled at him gratefully, since it was useless to argue with her mother on the presumed engagement.
The next morning, he went to visit some tenants' houses and the fields, and to his pleasant surprise, he found Elizabeth walking along one of the many paths in Rosings.
For several seconds, they stared at each other. Darcy was the first to recover from his surprise - since he had known she was visiting Kent - and with a slight bow, politely greeted her, "Miss Bennet, what a pleasant surprise to meet you in Rosings. Where are you staying?"
"Mr. Darcy, I didn't expect to see you here. I am staying with my cousin, Mrs. Mary Collins."
He nodded slightly. "How long have you been in Kent?"
"Only one week, and you, Sir?"
"I arrived yesterday afternoon." He paused and decidedly added, "I am on my way to the parsonage to greet Mr. Collins and your cousin. May I escort you?"
Elizabeth nodded. Darcy offered her his arm and for several minutes they walked towards the house talking about their impressions of Rosings and Kent.