Mr. Collins laughed hollowly, as though that was a joke. “It is impossible for any gentleman to have been the beneficiary of her conversation, and for them to not then deeply respect her wisdom—” Mr. Collins put his hand on Emily’s head when she shouted again at being handed the ball once more by Elizabeth. “Miss Darcy, be—”
His hand was removed by Mr. Darcy.
The gentleman had stood from his seat suddenly. He’d moved almost too fast for Elizabeth to see. He gripped Mr. Collins wrist with a dangerous glare. “Mr. Collins,do notadvise my child directly. I manage her welfare, and I will not have you touch her.”
“Sir, as a clergyman you must see that my prerogatives touch upon, as the Holy Book says, even the least of these. The children were suffered to come unto him, and—”
“Mr. Collins, you are notmyclergyman. And I will not suffer you anything. Go tell Lady Catherine that I do not concern myself with her advice. Not even when it is conveyed via the means of a clergyman. I care no more for what you say to me than I concern myself with my aunt’s advice when it is sent by letter or given to me direct.”
Darcy glared at Mr. Collins, who swallowed. Tension filled the room.
Mr. Darcy could be intimidating. There was a look about him of a man who would shoot to kill on a duelling field. Anyone who fell under his care would be kept safe.
The sun lit up his jawline, and his noble mien.
Elizabeth swallowed. He was beautiful.
Then Darcy picked up Emily, saying, “Em-Em, let’s take our walk. Do you want a walk?”
“Uh-uh,” the girl agreed, and Darcy left the room without any further apologies to anyone.
Mr. Bingley sat next to Jane, and had a wide smile as he spoke to her. He looked up and laughed as his friend left the room. “Collins, you rather offended Mr. Darcy. Excellent father, but he is particular about Emily.”
“He is not,” Mr. Collins replied. “And I have heard Lady Catherine advise at least three different members of the parish to never suffer their children of such a young age as Miss Darcy to run about in the cold air. She will surely catch her death, and then Lady Catherine will rightly place the blame upon me, for not having forced Mr. Darcy to take my advice.”
The clergyman rubbed his hands together nervously.
“Eh.” Bingley laughed. “Not much that anyone can force Mr. Darcy to do. Not when he is not of a mind to be forced to it — Mrs. Collins, fine man my friend, though I dare say half the awe we all hold him in is that he is twice as tall as anyone else.”
Now that Darcy had left the room, Miss Bingley deflated, let out a long breath, plopped herself on the sofa on the far end of the drawing room, staying safely away from the conversation. After a minute she stood back up and went to the shelves to find entertainment in the scanty selection of books.
Mr. Collins devoted himself to the boredom of Mrs. Hurst — Mr. Hurst seemed to listen, but Elizabeth rather thought from his expression that his mind was still on breakfast. Mrs. Long called with her nieces after ten more minutes and Mama and Elizabeth’s other sisters spoke to them. Jane and Mr. Bingley continued to speak and smile together. Elizabeth perceived thateven though the ordinary time for a call was coming near to its end, none of them showed any plan to arise and leave.
She stood, bowed to everyone, and excused herself briefly from the room, saying that she wished to admire the gardens.
A quick walk around the grounds left Elizabeth disappointed. She was about to turn back into the house and return to the boredom of the drawing room. But then she smiled widely as she heard Mr. Darcy’s voice coming faintly from a grove of trees. “That is a fine ladybird. No, no, do not crush it. Yes softly, softly back down.”
She walked up behind Mr. Darcy, finding him squatting low next to Emily as he held her hands firmly. Emily grinned and ran up to Elizabeth, but when Elizabeth stretched down to pick her up, she changed directions, and immediately ran back to her father.
“Why do you not show Miss Bennet that fine rock you collected earlier?” was Darcy’s advice unto his descendent, so said while he removed a perfectly ordinary rock from his coat pocket and offered it to the girl.
Emily immediately took the stone and ran up to Elizabeth holding it up high for her to examine. Elizabeth lowered herself to seriously study it, and then said, “An excellent specimen of the rock genus.”
The girl shoved it repeatedly in her face.
“Should I take it?”
“Uh-uh.” There was that little nod and grunt that seemed to meanyesfor Miss Emily. Elizabeth took the stone, slightly concerned that it might cause the child to burst into tears, but instead the girl was satisfied by the action. She ran off ten feet into the underbrush, and then sat down picking through stones, grass, and dirt.
Darcy stood closer to her. The two were silent for a minute. Elizabeth said, “I must apologize for my cousin’s appalling rudeness to you.”
He seemed startled. “Oh yes, he is also your family. That must be a terrible trial. I had considered the whole as being fromLady Catherine.”
“Mr. Collins is chiefly a trial to my sister,” Elizabeth replied bitterly. “Though I believe him to be mostly harmless.” Elizabeth grimaced at her memory of the conflict of this morning, one that was unfinished.
“You cannot be unhappy that he is settled in Kent rather than in Longbourn.”
“It was your aunt’s advice that led him to settle there. She had suggested he remain in the parsonage, where he might live splendidly with the income of Longbourn, and yet save money as he was not expected to keep up the same sort of consequence as he would be as one of the chief members of the neighbourhood.”
