Fearing that the chance would be missed by the two older women, Elizabeth asked, “What is the nature of your connection to Mr. Darcy?”
What followed was a story of a will being ignored, of a man who had every right to preferment being punished, and of a shocking lack of honor, filial piety, and even kindness upon the part of Mr. Darcy.
To hear this tale left Elizabeth shocked and confused. At first she felt a horror at thinking that a man who she admired and thought very well of could do such a thing.
No, no. She would not believe it.
But perhaps she merely did notwishto believe it.
Elizabeth tried, with a frown that made her barely able to attend to her cards, to pay close attention to Wickham’s words, and to compare what he said to what she knew to be true. To judge the general probability of his statements. In a word, she tried to think of it all as Mr. Bennet would.
It did not fit.
Mr. Darcy had shown Elizabeth many kind attentions, even though she had no consequence at all. Perhaps if he had only been kind to her, she would wonder if the unsavory motivations that Mr. Bennet had worried about were the cause.
But Elizabeth had seen him many times act with an unceasing kindness and consideration for the wellbeing, time, and feelings of the servants.
When the whist party broke up, Mr. Collins told Mrs. Bennet how the beneficence of Lady Catherine de Bourgh meant that he was in such a position that he need not fear losing the few shillings which he had lost this evening.
When Mr. Collins returned to his conversation with Mary, Mr. Wickham informed them all that Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Lady Anne Darcy were sisters, and that Mr. Darcy was to be married to Anne de Bourgh.
Elizabeth felt herself go pale and still.
She hoped she was not observed. Her chest was suddenly tight. The edges of her eyes were going tight.
You must not cry.
She could not even take in and let out deep breaths.
Lord, but she was stupid.
There was no reason that Elizabeth should be surprised that he was engaged to his cousin. He had never pretended to be able to court her, and he never would have.
Sheknew.Knew, knew, knew.
Any connection between them had always been impossible. This in no way made it more impossible than it had been before she heard. Sheknew. She had never imagined anything could happen between them. She had never hoped.
Why was she on the verge of tears?
It would be just as stupid if a private gentleman made himself unhappy over Princess Caroline’s engagement.
It was only with half an ear that Elizabeth heard Mr. Wickham describe another family scandal that touched on Lady Catherine.
After the decease of her husband, Sir Lewis de Bourgh’s mother had married again, and thus Sir Lewis’s half-brother was the famed Earl of Rochester, who fifteen years ago had murdered his wife and daughter. This gentleman had escaped all prosecution by convincing the inquest that they had fled.
“The whole family stood by him,” Mr. Wickham explained, “and Sir Lewis himself was the chief investigator. Mr. Darcy is close friends with Lord Rochester’s son—Viscount Hartley was the child of the earl’s first wife. I am certain that Mr. Darcy knows the truth of the matter, but he does not care to offend those of his connections who are more highly placed than him. But then that is the way of the world. Those with very great titles and power can do what they wish, whilst the interestsof a poor man such as myself can be blasted forever by a few intemperate words and the jealousy of an unhappy son.”
“I remember that story of Lord Rochester and his wife.” Lady Lucas said, “It was from before Sir William made his speech before the king. Mrs. Bennet, was it not in the same year that Mr. Bennet brought Elizabeth to live with you?”
“Lord! Remembering anything from so many years ago? But Lizzy came to us in the year after Lydia was born. Lydia could not yet crawl when Mr. Bennet brought yet another child for me to care for. You can very easily imagine how I yelled at him. All his concern should have been for our daughters. And he had said nothing about bringing a child home when he’d left. He rode off by horse and returned a few days later in a post-chaise with a girl without any warning to me.”
Elizabeth had heard this story many times.
Fifteen years had not been enough to make Mrs. Bennet cease to complain. She added, “And Mr. Bennet says Elizabeth does not cost us very much, but I know she does. It was only a few months after that a footman left, and Mr. Bennet would not let me hire another one, on account of the expense. Hesaidit was not about Elizabeth, but I know it must have been.”
The story still always interested her. Elizabeth wondered if Mr. Bennet had even known that she existed when he set out. But it also would have been very like Mr. Bennet to know that he was retrieving a child who he would present as afait accompli.
“Even though I dislike Mr. Darcy very much, I am shocked,” Mrs. Bennet returned to another pleasant subject of conversation, and she smiled to show that it was a delighted sort of shock, “to hear that he is connected with something so awful as wife and child murder.”
