~~PoP~~
Frustrating facts
Friday morning Elizabeth was frustrated. The weather had turned, and a light rain had just set in. It was not heavy enough to be likely to cause any damage, but it was a good soaking rain which would have left her wet to the skin in a very short time. As a result, she could not go for a ride, which was the cause for her frustration.
At breakfast Mr Bennet commented, 'I hope that the rain does not cause any problems for James on his journey.'
Mrs Bennet glanced out the window. 'I expect that it will slow him down.
Between the rain making outside activities inadvisable and waiting for James Bennet to arrive, the day dragged on for the family.
In the afternoon, Darcy and Fitzwilliam called on the ladies. They partly succeeded in distracting them, although Elizabeth in particular could not help but frequently glance out the window.
It was late afternoon and already starting to get dark, when Elizabeth's impatience was at last satisfied. A rider was coming up the drive. Despite him being muffled in such a way that only his eyes were visible, she immediately recognised him.
'James,' she cried and, completely forgetting decorum, jumped to her feet and rushed out of the parlour.
She threw open the front door just as her brother raised his hand to knock on it.
'Lizzy, still as impetuous as always, I see,' he drawled with a wide grin. The grin became even more mischievous as he reached out and touched her face with icy hands.
Elizabeth had been about to throw herself into his arms when his touch made her aware that such an action would be ill-advised. 'Ugh, you are frozen,' she cried, and removing his hands from her face pulled him into the house.
Hill, who had been a little slower to get to the door, closed it behind the pair and was ready to take James' outer garments. The moment it was safe to do so, Elizabeth gave James a fierce embrace which he returned in equal measure.
They enjoyed the closeness for a minute or two until Elizabeth pulled back a little and started to scold her brother. 'Why did you not let us know where you were and when you were coming. We have been worried about you.'
'I had an errand to run, which took a little longer than I expected,' James defended himself.
'Some errand,' Elizabeth huffed. 'Grandfather said that you were spending time with friends…'
Before they could argue further, Mrs Bennet called from the door of the parlour, 'Children, you can argue later. Come in here where it is at least warm.'
Elizabeth at last noticed the shivers which James tried to suppress and was immediately contrite. 'I am sorry. I should have thought…' she exclaimed and releasing James from her embrace, took his hand and pulled him into the room.
~PoP~
James cheerfully greeted his family. His quick embrace and whispered, 'You have grown quite lovely,' caused Mary to colour. He was marginally more restrained greeting Mrs Bennet. James offered a heartfelt handshake to his father, before being introduced their visitors.
'James, do you remember Colonel Fitzwilliam?' Bennet said, before addressing the Colonel. 'Colonel, I believe that you have already met my son, James Bennet, Viscount Markwell.'
James grinned as he said to the Fitzwilliam. 'I do remember the Colonel as we were briefly introduced in London, and I was most impressed meeting a major in the regulars. But I expect you do not remember me as I was too young to be of interest and you were too busy ogling my sister.'
Fitzwilliam drew himself up to his full height, which was at least a couple of inches greater than James' and said in mock indignation, 'I never ogle a lady, especially as Miss Bennet is not my type.'
'I shall pretend to believe you, Colonel,' James said and turned to Darcy who was staring at him. 'Do I have mud on my face?'
'Good gracious, you two could play Viola and Sebastian and make it quite believable,' Darcy exclaimed.
'Well, Lizzy and I are twins, so a certain family resemblance is inevitable. I gather that you are Mr Darcy?'
Now it was Elizabeth who informed her brother, 'This is indeed Mr Darcy… your soon to be brother. Mr Darcy, I would like you to meet my favourite brother, James Bennet, Viscount Markwell.'
Darcy gave him a small bow and said quite formally, 'It is a pleasure to meet you at last, my lord. I have heard a great deal about you.'
James pulled a face as he said, 'As we are to be brothers, you might as well call me Markwell, but you have the advantage of me. I have heard very little about you.' He gave Elizabeth a sideways glance and said, 'Lizzy only wrote a mere ten pages singing your praises.'
'I distinctly remember it was no more than nine and a half pages. The other half a page was dedicated to the rest of our family,' Elizabeth responded, trying not to colour.
While the young people were getting to know each other, Mrs Bennet arranged for hot tea and some food to be served.
As James sat down to partake of the offering, he was hindered by a satchel he had slung over his shoulder, and which was hanging down his back. 'I almost forgot about this,' he said as he pulled it forward, making himself comfortable.
He took a quick sip of the tea to which Mrs Bennet had added sugar and Mr Bennet had fortified with a tot of brandy. 'Ah, that's the thing,' James sighed in contentment. He put down the cup and opened the satchel from which he took a package wrapped in oiled paper. 'Here is the reason I was so late.'
He handed the package to Elizabeth. 'Happy birthday, Lizzy.'
'You arrived four days later than our grandparents because you were buying a book?' Elizabeth was all astonishment as she unwrapped the package. Her brow furrowed as she exposed two volumes of Sense and Sensibility by A Lady.
'It was only released three weeks ago, but I had the devil of a time to find a copy,' James said. 'I know you have never read anything by this author as this is her first work. But when I heard who purchased the very first copy, I simply had to buy it for you.'
Elizabeth was curious because James was dragging out his explanation. 'So, who bought the first copy?' she asked with some asperity.
Her brother grinned. 'The reason it took so long to find a copy is that it is selling out rather quickly because you are in excellent company as the owner of this book.' James paused again to raise the suspense. 'It appears that the very first person to purchase a copy, two days before it was officially released, was the Prince Regent.'
The Prince regent is reading novels?' exclaimed Elizabeth, a sentiment which was echoed by several members of their party.
'I do not know if he read the novel, but he did buy it.'
~PoP~
Soon after, Darcy and Fitzwilliam excused themselves to give the family a chance to catch up without their presence.
While they had been talking, James' carriage and luggage arrived. He took the opportunity to have a hot bath and get changed for dinner. When he rejoined the family, Elizabeth presented his birthday present on behalf of the ladies.
James appeared awestruck when he examined the waistcoat. 'While I generally like simple styles, this is a perfect compromise. Because of the exquisite embroidery it is quite opulent but still elegant as you kept to my favourite colour.' He smiled at the ladies. 'Thank you. This is perfect, and I have just the coat to match it perfectly for the ball tomorrow night.'
Dinner was relaxed and the conversation focused on the happenings of the last few months. When there was a lull in the conversation, James remarked, 'It seems strange being in this house after all these years.'
'You could have visited since Collins Senior died,' Bennet reminded him.
'I know, but grandfather kept me rather busy.' James sighed. 'Many people envy our wealth and position, but none of them understand the amount of work involved in looking after an earldom.'
'Do you regret being the heir?' Mary asked quietly.
'Not really. I am in a position to do some good. There is much to be said for that.'
'Grandfather is exceedingly fortunate that his legacy will be in such good hands,' Elizabeth expressed the feelings of them all.
~PoP~
It was late afternoon when Collins arrived back at Hunsford. He had been fortunate that the rain which had frustrated Elizabeth had not impeded his journey, as he was travelling in the leading edge. It was wet enough for most of the dust to have settled, but not enough to have turned the road to mud.
He considered calling on Lady Catherine but thought that by the time he could hurriedly wash off the dust of the road, change into clean clothes and have a bite to eat, it would be too late in the day for a polite visit. Instead, he had a leisurely bath to warm up and an even more leisurely dinner in front of the fire.
It was Saturday morning when he presented himself at Rosings in good spirits. He maintained his good humour despite Lady Catherine's obvious peevishness.
She barely responded to his polite greetings before asking. 'Well, how goes your inheritance and when will I get to welcome your new bride? I do hope that you gave precedence to the older daughter, as you will have an easier time of marrying off the younger girl.'
'I am afraid that any inheritance I might receive will be in the very distant future. My cousin, Mr Bennet appears to be in vigorous good health and even his mother is still fully active and managing his house excellently. My cousin has also reminded me that I am the heir presumptive, as any son he might have will take precedence over me. Not only that, if such a son should survive to reach his majority, they can break the entail, cutting me out of the line of succession forever.'
'How dare you lied to me, telling me of your expectations.'
'My most humble apologies, your ladyship. I merely related what my own respected father communicated to me. Being a man of the cloth rather than of the law, I was unfamiliar with the exact rules pertaining to an entail,' Collins pointed out politely.
Lady Catherine harrumphed as she said, 'Let us hope that your cousin does not chose to attach himself to a young wife who can produce an heir apparent.' She sat back in her thronelike chair as she asked, 'But what of your bride. I do hope that you have at least achieved one objective.'
'I have indeed come back as a most happily engaged man. And I hope that you will be pleased to welcome my bride, who is everything you have specified that I should look for. She is a gentlewoman who is amiable, sensible and quite conversant with running a house on a modest budget. As you suggested, I respected seniority and chose the older daughter of Sir William Lucas.'
'Is not your cousin a Mr Bennet?'
'Indeed, he is.'
'Then why are you engaged to the daughter of Sir William Lucas and not the elder Bennet girl?'
'I am afraid that the young lady already has a suitor who is courting her,' Collins said carefully, biding his time to drop the bombshell.
'Surely the girl would set aside whichever yokel is courting her for a more eligible man. Especially if that man is the heir to her home.'
'I could not ask it of them, as it appears that they are quite genuinely attached to one another.'
'What about the younger sister? Did you not say that she is also old enough for marriage?'
'Miss Mary is indeed old enough, and while she was not being officially courted when I left Longbourn, she had raised the interest of a gentleman who was visiting their neighbours.'
Lady Catherine's ire rose with every word Collins uttered. It was not to be borne that his two cousins, who were of no consequence, were both being courted even though neither had yet reached her majority. Yet her own daughter, at the age of five and twenty, languished in her home because Darcy refused to propose to Anne and take her to Pemberley.
In her frustration, and without thinking, she uttered the fatal words, 'Who would be interested in such an inconsequential girl?'
'The gentleman was introduced to me as Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam. I was given to understand that he is your own nephew.' Collins smiled beatifically. 'Just think of it, my lady. If they eventually do make a match of it, we will be related.'
Lady Catherine sprang from her chair and shouted, 'What kind of triple damned fool would introduce my nephew to your cousin?'
'I believe it was your other nephew… Mr Darcy. The one who is courting Miss Bennet,' Collins delivered his final line with apparent innocence.
For a full minute, Lady Catherine stared at Collins in open-mouthed shock. When she regained her powers of speech, she shouted, 'What arts and allurements did that disgusting harlot employ to divert my nephew from his duty to his family. How dare she think that I would allow such a low-born creature to pollute the hallowed shades of Pemberley. I shall never permit Darcy to put aside my daughter for some insignificant country chit.'
When Collins opened his lips to explain his cousin's family connections, Lady Catherine cut him off. 'Be quiet. I have not the slightest interest in hearing another word about your despicable family.'
She stopped any further protest by saying, 'I will not have you speaking to me about those Bennets ever again. Darcy shall marry Anne. I shall brook no opposition to my wishes.'
Her shouts had attracted the attention of her butler, who came into the room asking, 'Are you quite well, my lady? Is there any service I can perform for you?'
The lady whirled to him and demanded. 'Have my travelling carriage readied for my immediate departure for Hertfordshire and have my maid pack a small trunk of essentials. She shall accompany me.'
Ignoring Collins, Lady Catherine stormed from the room to ready herself for the journey.
As Collins turned to leave, he saw Anne de Bourgh sitting quietly at the back of the room. Her hands were covering the lower part of her face, but her twinkling eyes proclaimed her tears streaming over her hands as being caused by extreme merriment.
Shortly after Collins had returned to the parsonage, he saw Lady Catherine's barouche box, drawn by six horses, pass his home at the best speed possible for such a large conveyance. A few minutes later, a footman arrived with an invitation from Miss de Bourgh to return to the manor.
~PoP~
A/N: I am sorry that some of you find the story boring. Perhaps you should have heeded my comment at the beginning of chapter 1. This was intended as a bit of fluff, which by definition is not serious and certainly not full of angst. Sometimes some of us just need a bit of fun. 😊
~~PoP~~
A Plethora of Peers (working title) by Sydney Salier, Copyright © 2023
