Chapter 20 - Mrs Bennet's Interference

Elizabeth came down just before dinner, leaving her father soundly asleep, to find that their guest had already left. Mrs Bennet's voice filled the room, her hands fluttering excitedly as she moved from one topic to the next without pause, her eyes bright with animation. How pleasant Mr Bingley had been. How rude his friend had been.

Elizabeth's spine stiffened, her eyes widening as she glanced at Jane for confirmation. Jane nodded. Mr Darcy had been at Longbourn!

Jane's usual gentle chatter was absent, her gaze fixed on her plate as she pushed her food around without eating. Elizabeth caught her eye, but Jane just shook her head, they would talk when they were on their own later that evening.

Mr Collins' face beamed, his chest puffed out as he regaled them with yet another anecdote about Lady Catherine's wisdom. He asked how Mr Bennet was.

"I believe he is a little better, he hopes he will be able to join us tomorrow," Elizabeth said, trying to make light of his illness.

"I am glad," Mr Collins said, "Lady Catherine always say that a drought of boiled holly bark in goat's milk is the very thing for a bad cold."

"I will be sure to arrange a drought for him tomorrow," Mrs Bennet said with a smile. "You are so kind to us Mr Collins."

"It is the most disagreeable thing in the world that my father should be ill," Lydia said suddenly, surprising her sisters, "for we cannot go out as much as we should like."

"Lydia!" Elizabeth warned, for she feared her sister would say something of the nature of his illness.

"I know you agree with me Lizzy. You are not an old married woman yet," Lydia continued boldly, "Aunt Philips misses our company a great deal and we should, as good nieces, go and wait on her. Do you not think, Mama?"

"Why yes my dear. Of course, you must go and visit my sister. And I am sure Mr Collins will go with you, will you not Mr Collins?"

"Indeed Madam, I would be honoured to see your most excellent sister again."

Lydia's eyes lit up, a mischievous grin spreading across her face as she clapped her hands together in excitement, "We shall go tomorrow then," she declared.

Jane retired to bed early that evening and Elizabeth soon followed her.

"Lizzy, I need to ask you a difficult question. Please understand that I would not ask it unless I felt it was important. But you must promise me to answer it truthfully?" Jane said.

"You are so serious tonight."

"This is not a joke Lizzy. Will you answer truthfully or not?" Jane said sternly.

Elizabeth's shoulders sagged. She closed her eyes briefly, then met Jane's gaze. "Of course I will," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What is your opinion of Mr Darcy?"

Whatever Elizabeth had been expecting. it had not been that.

ooOoo

"Well, that was interesting," Bingley commented as they were leaving Longbourn.

"Indeed," Darcy replied, mounting his horse. "But will Mrs Bennet truly prevent Miss Elizabeth from attending?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Bingley spurred his horse slightly. "I'll mention to Miss Bennet that we hope for her sister's company. If only we could leave Mr Collins behind."

Darcy's laugh was short and sharp. "Let us hope Miss Elizabeth Bennet will be there, and not pray for miracles," Darcy said and then on impulse, "What are you waiting for? Your happiness is not as complicated as mine, I would have thought you would jump at the chance to secure her elder sister?"

Bingley laughed again, spurring his horse forward. "There's no rush. We've barely known each other six months. I'm enjoying her company, discovering more about her. I don't believe I'm in danger of losing her."

Darcy smiled, "Bingley, you're a lucky man. I'd give anything to court my lady at leisure."

"Your situation is not so hopeless, Darcy. Anyone can see there's no affection between Miss Elizabeth and Mr Collins."

"Then why the engagement, Bingley? Did Miss Bennet offer any explanation?"

Bingley spoke slowly choosing his words carefully, "She was rather reticent on the subject."

"And?" Darcy pressed.

ooOoo

"Why do you ask?" Elizabeth said quietly turning her back to her sister so that she could not see her face.

"Please Lizzy, answer the question."

"My opinion of him, you know how much I disliked him. I could not stand him, he was so proud and so disagreeable."

"And now?"

"I hardly know, I was completely wrong about him and he has been so attentive lately."

Jane's lips curved into that particular smile Elizabeth had come to associate with their father's illness - a blend of hope and worry that made Elizabeth's stomach clench. She averted her eyes, unable to bear the weight of her sister's optimism.

"Jane, don't smile like that at me."

"Oh, my dearest sister, I believe you are on your way to be very much in love."

"What, in love with Mr Darcy? How can you talk so?"

"Very easily, I believe he is very much in love with you too."

"No, Jane, you are mistaken."

"He has been very attentive to you, since he found out about your engagement. You were the only lady outside his own party he asked to dance at the ball at Netherfield. And the only lady at the Middletons' ball."

"No, Jane you are mistaken. Mr Darcy cares no more for me than he does for Kitty or Lydia. I was mistaken to judge him so hastily with no real reason to do so. But I am not in love with him, nor is he in love with me."

"He came today with Mr Bingley and I watched his face when ever you were mentioned. I have watched him now for some time, ever since he dined with us and he coughed while drinking his wine. It is very clear, even my mother has seen something there. He even tried to come up here to personal deliver a letter from his sister, but Mama would not hear of it."

"Mama has been acting very strangely around him. But I cannot believe that he is in love with me."

"She does not want you to go to the dinner at Netherfield, I will speak to her about it, and you will see for yourself if Mr Darcy is in love with you or not."

Jane did speak to Mrs Bennet about Elizabeth going to Netherfield and at last talked her mother into the idea. Mary was to stay with their father and as Elizabeth was the only other one who could play and so would not be involved in the dancing, Mrs Bennet agreed. Jane's brow furrowed slightly, her lips pressed into a thin line. She nodded reluctantly, clearly not entirely pleased but willing to accept the compromise.

"It is such a pity, my dear Eliza, that I will not have the pleasure of dancing with you again," Mr Collins said very solemnly.

"I am sure there will be plenty of other chances." Elizabeth said, trying to remove herself from his presence.

"Indeed there will be. For I am sure you will realise very soon that we move in the first circles of society with the assistance of Lady Catherine."

ooOoo

"She said very little," Bingley said.

"Yes, you already said that." Darcy's jaw clenched, his fingers drumming an impatient rhythm on his thigh as he waited for Bingley to elaborate.

"She mentioned Longbourn's entailment. Mr Collins is Mr Bennet's heir."

Darcy's eyebrows shot up. "With five daughters? That is most unfortunate."

He had always for his sister's sake been pleased that Pemberley was not entailed. Not that she would need it with a fortune of £30 000. Elizabeth Bennet on the other hand was not nearly as lucky.

Darcy mulled this over as they approached Netherfield. The entail explained the large family, but not Elizabeth's hasty engagement. Mr Bennet wasn't so old… Unless…

"Is there more to Mr Bennet's condition than we know?" Darcy asked abruptly.

"There's more, Darcy, but we were interrupted. I fear there's a urgency to this situation we don't yet understand."

ooOoo

After breakfast that morning, Lydia reminded them of the plan to walk to Meryton to visit their aunt and as it was a fine morning and not too cold they agreed. Elizabeth declined as she would be leaving her father that evening, she did not want to be parted from him again.

"Lizzy, are you sure you will not join us?" Jane asked her quietly as she was putting on her gloves.

"Yes, I am sure. Give my apologizes to our aunt, for me please, Jane," she said. Jane cast a worried glance at her sister, noting the dark circles under Elizabeth's eyes and the pallor of her usually rosy cheeks. She smiled reassuringly and disappeared into her father's room. He had managed to get out of bed this morning and had come downstairs.

"Close the door my dear," he said as she entered the room. "Mr Bennet hunched in his armchair, the firelight casting deep shadows across his gaunt face. An open book lay forgotten on his knee, his trembling fingers absently tracing the worn leather binding. "I hear your sisters and Mr Collins are off to Meryton this morning and you got stuck looking after me?"

"You know very well, father, that I would much rather be here with you than anywhere else. Please try to rest." Elizabeth said as she picked up the book and was about to start reading from it when he interrupted her.

"Mr Collins came to see me again this morning and he is very insistent about fixing a date. I have stalled him as much as I can, but I doubt I will be able to stall him much longer. I fear my child that you must be Mr Collins' wife before the summer."

The firelight cast deep shadows across Mr Bennet's face, accentuating the new creases around his eyes and mouth. His once-robust frame seemed to sink into the armchair, as if the very air weighed heavily upon him.

"So soon?"

"There is little else to be done. We can hope that Mr Bingley makes Jane an offer soon, but I fear it may be too late by then. I dare say he will sooner or later, and we can only hope for sooner."

"What can he be waiting for?" Elizabeth cried, "Jane has been encouraging him in every-way she can."

"Maybe I should send her away? A little distance will help him along?"

"Or make him forget her completely."

"I do not think there is any danger of that. I have seen them together. No one could doubt his affection," Mr Bennet said shifting around slightly, trying to get more comfortable. "One of the problems with being unwell, is not being able to move around enough and becoming stiff."

Elizabeth smiled sadly at him, as she moved his foot stool and arranged his pillow. A dull ache had settled behind Elizabeth's eyes, and her movements were slow, deliberate, as if she were wading through molasses.

"Jane tells me that you will be joining her at Netherfield this evening and leaving me to Mary's care."

"If you do not want me to go father, I will stay with you."

"No child, of course you must go. I was merely thinking that Mary enjoys playing so much before company, that she must go as well. Your mother may stay at home with me and keep me company."

"But Mama said-"

"There is little I can do Elizabeth to insure the happiness of my daughters. If this one small act will bring pleasure to my daughters then I will do it. Will you call your mother for me?"

She smiled, "You are too good to us." After making sure he was comfortable she called her mother and left them alone in his book-room, as she did not want to hear the conversation that took place.

She went to sit in the parlour and to write a letter to Charlotte Lucas. Elizabeth reached for her teacup, her hand trembling slightly. She blinked hard, trying to focus on the words before her, but the letters seemed to blur together. She had finished her letter and started one to Miss Darcy when her mother's voice reached her ears, "You have no regard for my nerves!"

Elizabeth stood quickly, not wanting to hear her parents argue. When Mrs Bennet's voice came again, "He is out to ruin us, if he had any interest in her, he would have acted like a gentleman and courted her before-"

Elizabeth didn't wait to hear more. She bolted from the house, barely remembering to snatch her coat as she fled. The crisp air stung her cheeks as she burst into the garden, but she welcomed the shock. Her lungs expanded gratefully with each deep breath, as if she'd been suffocating indoors. Even as she shivered in the unexpected chill, a weight seemed to lift from her shoulders with each step away from the house.

Elizabeth's pace slowed, her lungs burning as she gulped in the crisp air. Her legs trembled, and she sank gratefully onto a fallen log, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.

The rustling leaves and distant birdsong enveloped Elizabeth, the chaos of the house fading with each passing moment. Her tense shoulders began to relax, the knot in her stomach loosening slightly.

She needed to be away from Longbourn. Away from her mother. Away even from her father, for as much as she loved him, it was slowly killing her to watch him slip away. She knew she was watching him die. She had tried to ignore it for as long as she could but the truth was there. She had tried to tell herself that he was not dying, that he would get better. But there was a voice inside her who knew better and was smug about it.

Elizabeth's eyelids felt heavy, each blink a struggle against the weight of sleepless nights. Her shoulders slumped, and she caught herself stifling yet another yawn. She had sat up all night with him.

The memory of last night's vigil haunted Elizabeth - her father's pained groans, the acrid smell that filled the room, the endless hours of holding the basin and wiping his clammy brow until the first light of dawn crept through the windows. She had not been able to tear herself from his side.

He tried to put on a brave face, but she had watch the way he moved, flinching in pain more and more. His eyes were slowly turning yellow and he seemed to get smaller with every passing day.

ooOoo

As Elizabeth grappled with her family's turmoil, miles away at Netherfield, Darcy found himself equally unsettled.

Darcy had left Netherfield early that morning, in no mood to sit and be still within doors. His thoughts, constantly drifting to Elizabeth and her inexplicable engagement, drove him to seek solace in physical activity.

Darcy paced the length of his room, his fingers drumming an impatient rhythm against his thigh. Unable to contain his restless energy any longer, he strode to the stables and called for his horse. It was not long before he realised that his path was taking him towards Longbourn.

Darcy's brow furrowed, his hand tightening on the reins as he glanced back and forth between the path to Longbourn and the open countryside. His horse shifted restlessly beneath him, sensing his indecision.

He still had his sister's letter in his pocket, a pretext to see Elizabeth. But would she even be there? Mrs Bennet seemed determined to keep her second eldest daughter away from him.

After a moment's hesitation, he shook his head and turned away from Longbourn. He needed to clear his head before attempting to see Elizabeth again.

He had failed at the first step in his endeavour, to speak to Elizabeth and determine if she was as unhappy about her engagement as he thought she was and if she felt anything like what he did for her.

Darcy's hand hovered over his horse's reins, his gaze fixed on the path leading to Longbourn. After a moment's hesitation, he shook his head and turned his mount in the opposite direction. Instead, he rode further afield, trying to lose himself in the winter landscape.

He dismounted from his horse and walked on, the air was cold but crisp and refreshing. A rustle in the under-brush ahead caught Darcy's attention. His horse's ears pricked forward, its muscles tensing beneath him as it shifted its weight nervously from hoof to hoof. Slowly and carefully not making any noise he moved forward, in the hope of seeing a fox or maybe a deer.

As he rounded a clump of trees, movement caught his eye. His heart leapt, irrationally hoping it might be Elizabeth, before reason reasserted itself. Still, he urged his horse forward, curious about what had disturbed the quiet winter morning.