“You speak of destiny, but you reveal yourself to be a fool! Lady Catherine intended her daughter to marry the previous Mr. Darcy, and whether he would have obliged her, I cannot say. My engagement to Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy is a longstanding connection over which Lady Catherine has no influence.”
“You will discover that she has all the influence she requires.”
“Lady Catherine is an odious woman, and you are a loathsome worm! Never shall I surrender before such madness as this.”
Mr. Collins offered a malevolent smile. “All I need to do is compromise you, then Mr. Darcy will have nothing further to do with you, leaving him free for Miss de Bourgh.”
On the heels of this pronouncement, Mr. Collins darted forward as much as his bulk would allow. As a nimble young woman, Elizabeth was far quicker, darting to the side and evading his grasping hands, though she managed to kick his shins as he went by. Mr. Collins howled in pain and rage.
Elizabeth turned to sprint down the path back toward Longbourn when a tall man appeared. The only thought she could summon was that William had come before he surged past her, grasped Mr. Collins by his lapels, and thrust him down onto the path.
Chapter XVI
Unaware though he was about the exact identity of the man in the clerical collar, Darcy’s anger at the man for accostinghisElizabeth was a raging bonfire of frustration, longing, and determination that no one would ever so much as lay a hand on her. It had taken longer to pursue them than he had thought, but when he approached and witnessed the oaf lunging for Elizabeth, watching with admiration as she sidestepped and landed a kick against his shin, Darcy reacted without thinking. The man could not defend himself, for Darcy stepped behind him, grasped his jacket, and threw him into the dust of the path where he belonged.
The sight of him reassured Elizabeth, who had been on the verge of flight, and she approached him, entering the circle of his arms. Darcy stood protectively over her while the parson rolled and struggled to his feet, bits of grass and leaves stuck to his black coat, coughing with the dust in his throat. Knowing it would be some moments before he collected himself, Darcy fixed his attention on Elizabeth, noting at a glance that she was unharmed.
“Had I known you were to come so soon, I would not have left the house.”
Despite his rage and the events of the past moments, Darcy could not help the tight grin at this evidence of her resilience. “Oh, I do not know, Elizabeth. Had I come in other circumstances, I might have taken great pleasure in discoveringwhere you had gone, for losing ourselves on the paths of your father’s estate after our separation is a most appealing thought.”
A gasp interrupted their reunion, even as Fitzwilliam entered the small clearing and approached Darcy to offer support. Darcy had no attention to spare for him, however, for his entire focus was on the rector.
“That ismostimproper! Have my cousin’s wild ways affected your judgment?”
“Elizabeth,” said Darcy, ignoring the man’s mewling, “who is this miserable person?”
“My father’s cousin and heir, Mr. Collins,” said Elizabeth, Darcy noting her glare on the man never diminished. “Until a moment before you appeared, I was not aware that he is also Lady Catherine’s parson.”
“Lady Catherine?” demanded Fitzwilliam, his harsh glare beating down on the unfortunate man. “You are Lady Catherine’s parson?”
The contemptuous glare Mr. Collins directed at Fitzwilliam informed Darcy that he had no idea who he was. “I have the immense privilege of her ladyship’s patronage. It was most fortunate in the current circumstance, for my connection to the Bennet family allowed her to act to protect her interests.”
“And what interests might those be?” growled Fitzwilliam.
“I have no notion whoyouare, sir, but my business is with Cousin Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy.” Mr. Collins turned away from Fitzwilliam. “Might I assume you are Mr. Darcy?”
“I am,” said Darcy. “And this is Colonel Anthony Fitzwilliam, the second son of the Earl of Matlock and Lady Catherine’s nephew.”
The sudden paleness of Mr. Collins’s face was most satisfying, for he regarded Fitzwilliam with something akin to terror. Fitzwilliam’s glower did not decrease in the slightest, though when he caught Darcy’s eyes, he suspected theirthoughts on the matter of Mr. Collins’s appearance and actions toward Elizabeth were aligned.
“I shall ask you again, Collins,” said Fitzwilliam, “what is your business with Miss Bennet?”
“Why, to prevent her from distracting Mr. Darcy from his duty. Lady Catherine must be obeyed, Mr. Darcy—you must put aside this business with my cousin and marry Miss de Bourgh as your aunt directs. As you are not at liberty to marry Cousin Elizabeth, I shall do so in your stead.”
The parson fixed Elizabeth with a contemptuous glare and added: “I will do so as my patroness has required it of me, but it will not be a pleasure. I must do much to alter her behavior enough to make it acceptable to a man of my situation.”
“This is the second time you have disparaged my betrothed,” snarled Darcy, stepping forward, flexing his fist and wishing to beat the man within an inch of his life. “If her name passes your lips again, I shall not be responsible for my actions.”
“But Mr. Darcy, you cannot!” cried Mr. Collins. “Your aunt’s instructions are inviolable; you must obey!”
“Lady Catherine is not my aunt!” roared Darcy. “She is nothing more than a meddling virago who has attempted to enforce her nonexistent authority on us. Not only have I been engaged to Elizabeth for more than a year, but Lady Catherine has no connection to me whatsoever.”
Mr. Collins appeared confused. “You are a Darcy, are you not?”
Unable to believe what he was hearing, Darcy pondered the man, wondering what he was about. Fitzwilliam stepped into the breach with information Darcy did not have but should have guessed.
“If you are considering his stupidity, you should know that Lady Catherine only surrounds herself with fools who will do what she says without question. I have never heard of one whowould stoop to assaulting a gentlewoman on her command, but so far as I know, Lady Catherine has never descended to such depths of depravity.”
