And now she stood near the gates of the parsonage waiting for the misses Darcy and De Bough to arrive in their carriage. Behind her, pretending to be busy with the hedges, fluttered her loathsome cousin waiting for another chance to make his abeyance to those two ladies and no doubt his apologies on her behalf. It was all too much. In her mood she could only see more unhappiness ahead of her by allowing herself to enjoy the company of these women or worse still possibly encountering Mr. Darcy once more. And therein lay the truth. Since the night at the theatre he had never been far from her mind. It was the fear of his presence that so unnerved her. Why this should be so she could not interpret. He was only a man after all. In her twenty years she had met with all kinds of men that had left her amused, disgusted and indifferent. Why Fitzwilliam Darcy should have this effect on her was exasperating and left her in a state of confusion. She had not exchanged a word with him beyond the usual civilities when introduced. Instead he had this bewildering habit of staring at her with those penetrating dark eyes that sent her pulse racing.
She heard the sound of the carriage approaching still hidden by the trees and hedges that guarded Rosing's Park. Before she knew what she was about, she slipped through the gate of the parsonage and broke into a run across the narrow lane and down the path that led to the manor house. Sure enough the small phaeton was slowly approaching and easily pulled to a stop a few yards from where she had come to a halt. If Anne thought it strange that Elizabeth had not waited for her at the parsonage gate, she did not remark on it but greeted her with a broad smile, "climb in, Miss Bennet."
When Elizabeth obeyed and settled down next to Georgianna Anne expertly flicked the reins and the carriage began to move. "Miss De Bourgh, I give you fair warning that Mr. Collins is hovering near the gate of the parsonage."
Anne laughed hardily, "thank you for the warning, Miss Bennet. I will be eternally grateful for that information." When their carriage reached the lane Mr. Collins, hat off and bowing deeply was planted on the side of road. Anne urged her horse for more speed and the carriage passed Mr. Collins by stirring up a cloud of dust and didn't slow down until they reached the village of Hunsford a half-mile away. Once through the village she guided them up a wide steep track that eventually led them to a plateau that looked down on the surrounding area. Here she pulled to a stop and leapt down and loosely tethered the reins to a thick branch allowing her horse to graze. "We made it all safe and sound," she grinned.
Elizabeth returned the smile, "did you have any doubts?"
Georgianna laid a gentle hand on Elizabeth's arm, "Anne is a very good driver, Miss Bennet. We always arrive safe and sound."
Elizabeth laughed, "that's very good to know, Miss Darcy."
Anne shook her head in amusement at her young cousin and shared a look with Elizabeth. "I hope you have a good appetite, Miss Bennet. I, for one, am starving."
The next two hours were the most pleasant Elizabeth had enjoyed in months. Georgianna Darcy proved to be a sweet and shy young lady but with a gentle humor and eager to please and be pleased, much like Jane. Anne Debourgh on the other hand seemed more a kindred spirit. As she described her life in the country her remarks were full of ironies that had Elizabeth and Georgianna laughing out loud. She even spoke at length about her mother and what she described as her eccentricities with surprising fondness.
"You find her amusing?" Elizabeth asked trying not to sound too impertinent.
Anne smiled at the look on Elizabeth's face. "I don't know how much Mr. Collins has told you, but after my father died, I became ill and despite consulting with the finest physicians in Town they could find no cause. From a girl who embraced life I sought my bed where I happily slept round the clock. I lost my appetite and was so tired I could hardly lift a spoon to my mouth. Doctors could only prescribe bed rest, a variety of tonics and hope. I lost every ounce of strength and energy. I became a prisoner in my own house.
"Did they ever discover what ailed you?"
Anne shook her head. "They had seen the same symptoms in other young people. The best they could advise was that it eventually went away by itself. Small comfort! I was seventeen years old and had my whole life ahead of me and I couldn't get out of bed without the aid of a servant. There were no longer trips to Town, no shopping sprees, no longer the long walks in the countryside. I couldn't visit Pemberley or Matlock. Darcy and Richard no long visited Rosing's Park. Richard went off to Cambridge and eventually went into the army. Darcy finished Cambridge and took up the reins of Pemberley after his father died. I missed my debut into London society and life passed me by. But to tell you the truth, by that time I hardly cared and found my refuge in sleep. That's when my mother's personality began to change. Many a night I'd awaken to find her sitting by my bed talking to herself." Here, Anne laughed gently, "she still does in case you haven't noticed."
"It must have been terrible for both of you."
"In many ways it was worse for my mother. She had me late in life and was always protective of me. She would not leave me. She no longer accepted invitations to the dinners and balls that are so integral a part of the London season and eventually the invitations dried up. We both became isolated from the life we had once known. Eventually she took an interest in the going's on of Hunsford village. She had no life of her own so she began to interfere in everyone else's life. Then, two years ago I began to slowly regain my health. By that time mother had become truly eccentric and she hatched a plan that I would marry a certain cousin of mine. Of course, my cousin and I have different ideas but that doesn't stop her from insisting on the marriage going so far as to pick out the names of our children."
Elizabeth and Georgianna laughed at the expression on Anne's face. How differently did everything now appear in which Lady Catherine was concerned though it didn't explain all. After a moment, Elizabeth dared, "and what of Mr. Collins? How does he fit in?"
Anne laughed out loud. "She's old, bored and lonely and I'm ashamed to admit that my mother finds great amusement in Mr. Collins. Many a lonely night has been brightened by her tales of your cousin's latest attempt at instructing his flock."
"And she hired him knowing just how stupid he is?" Elizabeth couldn't decide whether she was more amused or appalled at how cavalierly the rich could manipulate the people around them.
Anne shrugged, "I told you she was bored. And besides who else would have hired him? But enough about me. Tell us about Hertfordshire."
Anne's openness about her mother prompted Elizabeth to open up about her life in Hertfordshire and especially her family life. "If your cousin the colonel ever decides to visit Hertfordshire, warn him to bring an armed guard to defend himself. No telling what will ensue if Lydia or Kitty spy a Colonel dressed in full regalia. And of course it goes without saying that my mother would need an extra bottle of smelling salts when she discovered he was unmarried," Her audience of two were convulsed at her description of her two younger sisters and her mother.
"And what of your sister Mary? Anne managed when she was able to speak again.
"Once Mary discovered Fordyce's Sermons there was no end to the homilies the family was subjected to. Did you know that a lady should appear to think well, rather than speak well of books? Or that a woman's business is chiefly to read men in order to make ourselves agreeable and useful?" Elizabeth shrugged in disgust. "Then she discovered Beethoven. I've often wondered if Beethoven perhaps went deaf when he overheard her playing one of his compositions."
These remarks sent the ladies into another spasm of mirth. Elizabeth's droll way of speaking had the ladies enthralled and enchanted with their new friend. It wasn't long before they were addressing each other by their first names and feeling a little tipsy with the wine coolers that went so splendidly with the dainty chicken and watercress sandwiches they were nibbling on while exchanging intimacies of country life.
"Will you tell us about your sister Jane?" Georgianna asked gently.
"There really isn't much to say about Jane. She looks like an angel and acts like one. She honestly doesn't believe that evil exists in the world. Sometimes her naiveté drives me crazy but I love her dearly and feel very protective about her. She's a gentle spirit and I pray daily that one day she'll meet the man of her dreams and live happily ever after."
Elizabeth felt a blush at her mawkish sentiment but Georgianna touched her hand in sympathy "it does you credit to want your sister to be happy, Lizzie."
"Is she your best friend?" asked Anne
Elizabeth considered her answer and finally shook her head. "She's my favorite sister and a very dear friend, but my best friend might as well be on the other side of the moon. She lives in Norfolk and is a governess to a stranger's children." To Elizabeth's dismay tears sprang unbidden to her eyes and she wiped at them angrily. "Forgive me. I thought I was over shedding tears for Charlotte."
Georgianna could never abide seeing someone shed tears without shedding her own. "Oh, the pair of you," cried Anne dabbing her own eyes. "if Darcy and Richard catch us like this they'll lock up the wine cellar and throw away the key."
Anne's words had the desired result and the three ladies shared a laugh before lapsing into a comfortable silence.
After several minutes Elizabeth began to speak of Charlotte Lucas and about the day that Charlotte called early at Longbourn to tell her that she had taken a position as governess in faraway Norfolk. As she spoke the memories of that day washed over her. She remembered the shock and disbelief that her parents would willingly send their eldest daughter off to the other side of the country as a governess in a house of strangers. Neither Charlotte nor her parents even knew these people. They had acted solely on the recommendation of a friend who had it from a friend who had it from another friend that the family in Norfolk were decent people who were in need of a god-fearing, genteel, unmarried woman of a certain age to govern their four children. Charlotte had no say in her fate. She was after all a plain and poor woman who had reached the age of seven and twenty with no prospects of marriage. Never mind that she was intelligent, obedient and the dearest creature in the world. To her parents it came down to economics. She was simply another mouth to feed, another body to clothe. Elizabeth's mother saw not a tragedy but a warning to females who did not procure husbands. When Elizabeth refused to marry William Collins her mother never ceased to remind her of the fate that had befallen her best friend and what was in store for all woman who didn't marry to ensure their future.
Elizabeth heard the bitterness in her reflections but could not constrain herself. "Though seven years separate us Charlotte always treated me as an equal even when I was but a child of six and she was just thirteen. There's a certain tree on the Lucas estate where I could always find her reading a book which she'd lay down happily to engage me in conversation. There was always an extra sandwich or cake or a bit of fruit that she shared with me. We would talk for hours. I would ask her innumerable questions about life and the world we lived in; about the books she loved; about her dreams of the future. No question was too silly or even indecent but was always treated with respect and consideration and answered as best she could. I look back now and wonder how she endured my childish curiosity when she was not more than a child herself. But endure she did. Eventually we became the dearest of companions. There was nothing that happened in our lives that didn't call for a meeting to share our happiness or grief. There isn't anything I would not do for her. She's been gone for six months now and I still miss our talks. If she were married and happy I would be delighted for her but knowing her life will be one of misery and loneliness is unbearable. She's so far away from the only life she has ever known living on an estate ten miles from the nearest village with no one to comfort her. I'm angry and bitter at the injustice of it all and I can't or won't shrug it off and forget it. It would be the worst betrayal of our friendship."
"And what of your dreams, Lizzie?"
"I'm not sure I have any, Anne. As far as marriage goes, I've seen too many marriages that were such sad affairs at best. My own parents are a perfect example of a couple whose love eventually descended into boredom. Their love couldn't survive the birth of five daughters and no son. Instead of accepting what fate had handed them, she turned silly and he withdrew to his library. I think marriage requires passion as well as affection and friendship. Or perhaps I read too many novels."
Anne laughed, "on the contrary. I think passion is an integral part of marriage though my mother would be appalled at such a declaration. She is determined to marry me off to Darcy who is more like my brother than a future husband."
Elizabeth was stunned. Darcy was the cousin Lady Catherine wanted Anne to marry? "And will you marry him?"
"Be not alarmed, Lizzie," Anne smiled. "Darcy looks upon me as a sister as well. No, he is looking for passion as well and is determined to find it."
Elizabeth stared back at Anne. Had her face showed alarm? It was disquieting to think so. She glanced at Georgianna who was smiling gently at her, "my brother is an excellent man, Lizzie. He's a bit standoffish when with strangers but once you get to know him he's very sweet and funny."
Good grief! Are they playing matchmaker? If so, they were wasting their time. That Fitzwilliam Darcy would even consider her as a possible bride was laughable. That knowledge didn't stop her pulse from racing. That she would even allow herself to think of that possibility was the height of insanity and would lead to her ruin. "I'm sure your brother will have no trouble in finding a bride in the Ton. There must be dozens of women dying to marry your brother."
"Do you think so?"
"Well of course, Georgie. He's God's gift to women. That is to say," Elizabeth hastily amended, " he's not bad looking. And...and I suppose he is wealthy. If he wants to marry I'm sure he can find someone to suit him."
"Of course, they would have to climb over Miss Caroline Bingley to do so," Anne allowed with a wry smile.
Elizabeth shook her head in bemusement, "and dare I ask who Miss Caroline Bingley is?"
"She is my brother's suitor." Georgianna collapsed on the blanket rolling in glee.
"His suitor?"
She is the sister of Will's best friend, " Anne responded. "From the moment she met him seven years ago she determined to have him. Or rather, she determined to become mistress of his estate. She is cold and calculating and nothing deters her from her pursuit. If she showed a sign of affection towards him she'd be pathetic, but there is nothing of the sort. She has a caustic wit which passes for humor. She treats her brother with disdain and Charles is the dearest young man. He actually sounds like he'd be perfect for your sister, Jane. She compliments Georgie to endear herself to Darcy. And there's something in her eyes that lowers the temperature in any room she enters."
Georgianna laughed, "poor Miss Bingley."
Poor Miss Bingley indeed. But Elizabeth suspected that Mr. Darcy would prefer Miss Bingley to an impertinent chit who played pool and didn't know the difference between Mozart and Beethoven.
When Anne and Georgianna returned to the house they were summoned to the drawing room for the usual interrogation by Lady Catherine. "And how did you find Miss Elizabeth Bennet?"
Anne had no hesitation in pronouncing Elizabeth Bennet as delightful and Georgianna agreed. "She's a wonderful young woman, Mother. Intelligent and witty and very kind."
"I found her exceedingly impertinent," Lady Catherine stated firmly.
Georgianna offered, "She's very sad, Aunt. She's lost a very dear friend
Lady Catherine sharp eyes fixed on her niece, "A friend died?"
"No. Not exactly."
"Georgianna, it is impossible to not exactly lose a friend."
Anne interceded, and told her mother about Charlotte Lucas and the fate that had befallen her as a plain, poor woman of gentle birth. Through her recitation Lady Catherine listened with narrowed eyes but had nothing to say. "She misses her friend sorely, Mother, and Georgie and I feel sorry for the poor girl."
"She might have thought of her friend when she turned down Mr. Collin's offer. The same fate may be in store for her."
"Oh, Mother, can you just imagine her as the wife of that idiot?"
Lady Catherine sighed. "No, I can't, daughter, but a woman makes many sacrifices. It's a man's world and according to them, sacrifice is our lot in life."
"But she doesn't have to like it."
"Few of us do. And now I think that both of you should lie down before dinner. I will assume that your flushed faces are due to the April sun and not from the wine coolers you had packed in your basket. And by the way, Mr. Collins was here earlier and begged forgiveness for Miss Elizabeth's egregious behavior last night."
"And did you forgive her, Mother?"
"Of course. What else would you expect from such a noble, kind and condescending patroness?"
Anne leaned over and kissed Lady Catherine's cheek. "Nothing less, Mother."