Darcy had an air of being pleased by the conversation. “I am willing to be castigated for my errors, but I wish the criticism to be for a view I adhere to.”
“Do you think,” Elizabeth asked, “that the differences are wholly a matter of convention? That any woman could — in mind if not in body — be the equal of a man on the battlefield, just as you claim yourself the equal of any woman in the nursery? — have you changed the clouts and swaddling clothes, or only provided the cuddles and embraces which are ordinarily a mother’s place to bestow?”
“I had believed that amongst the class of people to which both of us belong, it is ordinarily the place of aservantto changethe diaper,” Darcy replied, with a frown. From his expression Elizabeth thought she’d just delivered the poor man a new matter to feel guilt about.
“Poor Nell! — I have many times cleaned and changed the cloths. Including twice in the case of your own daughter.”
Darcy flushed.
“She has you, coz.” Colonel Fitzwilliam chuckled. “She has you straight.”
“I shall rectify the matter,” Darcy said stoutly, “and ask Nell to teach me the trick to changing the clouts.”
“I shall admire you exceedingly for having done so,” Elizabeth replied, “if you make true on that promise, even though it undermines my point.”
“That many differences are a matter of convention not nature? No one doubts that,” Darcy replied.
“The different spheres of the male and the female amongst humans were ordained by the Almighty,” Mr. Collins said, “and any who seeks to undermine the natural ways of the man and woman commits a crime against all society.”
“It is evident to anyone of sense,” Darcy replied in a tone that made Elizabeth suspect he excluded Mr. Collins from that group, “that often the Almighty operates to make the sexes different through the education we separately give to men and women.”
“And you wished to educatethat girlas a man?” Lady Catherine asked sceptically. “That would explain all matters. But not even you are such a fool.”
“Georgiana was chiefly educated by my father. And following his death in accordance to the recommendations he had made to us about her schooling,” Darcy replied. “There is ample blame that falls upon me for the… unpleasantness of the previous winter. Butnotin the matter of deciding where she would be schooled, and upon which model. And I do not thinkthat her education, except in so far as it left her quite naïve, had anything to do with the matter.”
Lady Catherine looked unsatisfied by this reply.
Darcy said to Elizabeth, “Some differences between us are clearly a matter of nature. And I think the primary reason that society encourages men and women to be yet more different is due to a rational reaction to the differences that already exist in nature.”
“No, no,” Elizabeth replied. “I wished for you to say something that I could decry as the rankest foolishness.”
“Ah, I apologize,” Darcy replied with a grin, “for disappointing you.”
“And I command you all to cease the nonsense of this conversation,” Lady Catherine said. “It smacks of radicalism and the sorts of notions that were popular in the last years of the previous century. You will all cease to speak of such things.”
When the women withdrew after dinner to the drawing room, Elizabeth had a chance to think about the conversation.
That had not gone well.
She had enjoyed herself far too much.
She also hadnotmade clear, in any way, that she was particularly frustrated with him. In fact, there were things she had said which might suggest that she pined for him, though only if he wished to interpret them in such a way.
The solution for what she must do for the rest of the night was obvious, and she would act upon it, no matter unpleasant: Conversation with anyone but Lady Catherine and Mr. Collins was now forbidden.
As soon as they re-entered the room, both of the gentlemen gravitated immediately towards Elizabeth. Darcy had retrieved Emily from the nursery and the girl was happily perched in her father’s arms. Though as soon as she was let down, Emily immediately ran to a massive doll house which had beenassembled in the middle of the drawing room while they were at dinner.
She was quite too much the adorable pet.
Unfortunately paying attention to Emily distracted her from her resolution to only speak with Lady Catherine or her cousin. This gave Colonel Fitzwilliam the opportunity to pounce. “You and your sister did claim you could provide music for us. The time has come to prove it.”
“Oh, no,” Elizabeth replied. “I do not wish to put myself forward.”
“You might as well play,” Lady Catherine said. “Your fingering at the piano is tolerable enough.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam said, “Her voice will be as beautiful as a bird’s.”
“But is the bird,” Elizabeth replied, “a nightingale or a dying goose?”
