“My dear cousin, would you walk out in the gardens with me while we wait to leave for church? I have not yet seen the orchard or the hermitage.”
Elizabeth turned slowly to face him and forced a smile, though her eyes were fierce. “Thank you, sir, but I must run upstairs andfinish my toilet. My hair is coming undone, and I need to repair it. Excuse me.”
She deliberately plucked a pin from her hair, and a long curling lock tumbled down past her shoulder.
Mrs. Bennet looked at her. “How came you to do such a poor job of your hair, Elizabeth? You will make us late. Ring for Alice and have her dress your hair properly. Hurry on, you untidy girl, or you will make us all late.”
Elizabeth fled from the room.
The two youngest sisters had not yet gone down to eat, and the carriage was never called for before nine o’clock. It was only eight now. She had time to repair her hair and spend the remainder of the hour reading safely locked away in her room.So this is how the little foxes must feel during a hunt,she thought.
As forewarned, Elizabeth later sat crushed between Mr. Collins and Jane in the carriage. Mrs. Bennet was intent on fixing an attachment between the rector and her second daughter.
“Elizabeth, you will allow Mr. Collins to escort you into church. He is a stranger among us, and we must do all we can to make him feel welcome,” Mrs. Bennet declared.
Elizabeth raised her eyes to her father, seated opposite. He was studying Mr. Collins’s face and evidently did not like what he saw. She glanced up and found her cousin smirking at her. When their eyes met, she saw amusement flicker there. He was enjoying her discomfiture.
Mr. Bennet intervened. “No, Mrs. Bennet. I asked Elizabeth to escort me in. My gout is acting up, and she is strong enough to support me.”
He paused, then turned to his cousin. “On second thought, Mr. Collins can offer me his arm. He is much better suited to help an old man.”
Relief flooded Elizabeth. She looked at her father, hoping he understood her gratitude.
When they arrived, Mr. Collins hopped down and handed her mother and sisters out. Elizabeth turned to her father. “Papa, let me carry your prayer book, and I will hold your walking stick while you disembark.”
He handed both to her, and Mr. Collins assisted him down. Turning back to his daughter, Mr. Bennet reached out his hand and gave her a wink. She smiled in return as she handed him his walking stick.
“Come, cousin, our box is at the front to the right,” Mr. Bennet said.
Elizabeth followed behind and wedged herself between her father and the armrest. She kept her eyes lowered except during hymns and prayers, but she was aware of her cousin’s gaze upon her throughout the service.
When the last prayer was over, she took her father’s prayer book and handed him his walking stick. She nearly giggled when he affected a limp. He was quite good at it. He caught her eye, and she saw the glimmer of amusement there, which loosened the tightness in her chest.
Outside in the courtyard, Mr. Bennet turned to his cousin. “Collins, come, I will introduce you to Goulding. He owns one of the principal estates in the county. It is well for you to know him.”
Elizabeth remained half hidden near a garden wall, watching her father exert himself to introduce his fair cousin to every head of household present. He was a good father. He had seen her distress and rescued her. She wiped moisture from the corner of her eye with a gloved finger when she heard a sickening sugary voice at her side.
Miss Bingley.
“Why, Eliza, have you dust in your eyes, or are you crying?”
Elizabeth looked up at the slender, elegantly dressed woman who peered down at her.
“I cannot say I blame you for weeping,” Miss Bingley continued smoothly. “Mr. Darcy certainly offered you an affront at the assembly. And in such a public way. I doubt you will ever live it down.”
Elizabeth’s spine stiffened. She smiled coolly. “Not at all, Miss Bingley. It had never entered my mind. If I was tearful, it was only because I have such an affectionate, thoughtful father.”
She turned to look for him and saw that her father was introducing Mr. Collins to Mr. Watson and his wife. Charlotte stood with Miss Watson, and both smiled at Mr. Collins. He was a handsome man, and he would inherit Longbourn. Why could he not be respectable as well?
Her eyes narrowed. Miss King drew near to Mr. Collins and curtsied.Perhaps one of them will catch his attention and spare me any future attentions from him,she thought hopefully.
Miss Bingley broke into her musings. “I do not believe you. You are weeping because Mr. Darcy does not consider you handsome. My dear, do not trouble yourself. He is courted by the very flower of London society. Why, Lady Isabella has beenpursuing him since Easter. She is a duke’s daughter. Of course, an earl’s grandson cannot be tempted by the likes of you.”
Miss Bingley then looked toward the fair-haired rector, now surrounded by several young women. “Your cousin is just the man for you, and if you do not hurry to his side, you will lose him to another. I hear Miss King has just inherited ten thousand pounds.”
Elizabeth’s brows rose, and she stared at the woman in surprise. How did Miss Bingley know such a morsel of gossip when her own mother did not?
“Ah, I see you are surprised,” Miss Bingley went on with a smirk. “I am sorry, Eliza, but you will lose the only eligible suitor in your limited circle. How can a woman of modest looks and no dowry possibly compete with a younger, prettier, well-dowered one?”
