Mrs. Bennet already treated her as an honored guest, who for some mysterious reason insisted on sleeping in the smallest bedroom.
But the very rich, we must indulge their little eccentricities.
Much of Elizabeth’s time was spent in the library with Mr. Bennet, continuing their old practice of switching between Greek and Latin for an hour each day, or playing chess with him.
But besides Mr. Bennet, once Mary returned to Kent, Elizabeth chiefly talked with Lydia.
Kitty had never been close to her, and she acted in a manner that showed a little resentment about Elizabeth’s sudden elevation far over her. Elizabeth had recommended to Papa that he spend some effort to comfort her, and he had in fact talked at length with Kitty, but without seeming to change her fundamental unhappiness in any way.
Mary and Mr. Collins brought the hard news that Mr. Darcy had engaged his honor to a woman who was not his fair cousin to Rosings.
The letter Lady Catherine sent in reply cannot be said to havenoresentment on behalf of her daughter, but there was not a great deal. Certainly, Lady Catherine reminded her forgetful nephew that however great a dowry Elizabeth was to receive, which was acknowledged as very good indeed, and worthy of the house of her brother-in-law, Anne was in possession of an estate not less in size than Pemberley itself.
Elizabeth, however, wasLadyElizabeth, the possessor of fifty thousand pounds, and what was even more, Lady Catherine’s own niece by marriage, and thus Anne’s cousin. Mr. Darcy’s choice was wholly unexceptional, and Lady Elizabeth’s presence would, without doubt, please the shades of his father and mother.
That Elizabeth was also related to the quiet and small Anne de Bourgh had not occurred to her until Darcy showed her his aunt’s letter.
The legal requirement that the legal guardian approve of Elizabeth’s right to marry proved not to require a visit to the south of Scotland, as Elizabeth had feared it might.
She of course was utterly unwilling toaskfor Lord Rochester’s permission to marry.
Fortunately, Lord Rochester had sent a legal paper empowering his son to sign documents about Elizabeth’s care upon his behalf. In the letter sent with this document, heencouraged Robert to simply let Elizabeth decide what to do in any such case, as he was confident that she knew better what to do than Robert possibly could.
Despite being pleased that the banns could be said from Longbourn, this only gave Elizabeth more reason to despise Lord Rochester. He used the existence of a daughter who had the sort of “stomach” he admired to shame his son. Robert showed pain when he read these messages, but he shrugged and said that this was his father’s usual manner.
The regular letters which Elizabeth received from Mary informed her that Lord Rochester had not recovered very well from this second attack of apoplexy. The first events had been milder, but after two weeks he still had great difficulty walking, and his speech was more slurred than before. He remained this whole time at Rosings, rather than returning the nine miles to Ironwood Hall.
The arrival of the express from Rosings was therefore not entirely unexpected.
The doctors did not expect that Lord Rochester would live out the week after this new attack. While he was weak and unable to walk, he still could speak, and he had asked to see both Elizabeth and Robert.
Robert’s eyes were clouded and sad when he put the letter down.
“You still hoped, didn’t you.” Elizabeth put her arms around her brother, a man she was coming to love. “You can cry.”
He did so. “I always find it easy to cry. That is what he dislikes most about me.”
“My dear brother, you are exactly as you should be.”
He wiped at his eyes. “I still…I only wish. Shall you come with me?”
Elizabeth found that she did not have any fear of seeing him. She was curious. And he was a close blood relation. It was proper to show so much respect as to attend him at his deathbed.
Even though he’d killed her mother.
Papa’s way of looking at the situation, that the Almighty would judge Lord Rochester as having done a brute murder, had become Elizabeth’s. But she had never spoken about the matter again with Robert, and she never would unless he made her.
It also would be proper to wear a black armband, delay her wedding for six months, and certainly not throw a huge ball at Pemberley to introduce herself to the neighborhood in a few months.
But even though she certainly would not wear a symbol of unhappiness forthatman, she still decided to attend his deathbed.
When she explained her decision to Papa, he nodded. “You have always been a curious girl. I’d do the same in your position. But I shall come with you.”
Elizabeth smiled at him. “Afraid that he may still try to kidnap me?”
“No, no. You shall be the one bringing the gun. Not me. I will depend upon you to protect us both in such a situation. You may not need any comfort afterwards, but I will be there if you wish to have it.”
They set out at first light the next morning in Darcy’s carriage and arrived at Rosings around four in the afternoon.
