“I supposeyoumust be Mrs. Bennet, the mistress of this place?”
“I am,” replied Mrs. Bennet, the woman’s tone provoking more than a hint of belligerence. “Again, I ask you—who are you and why are you here?”
The woman’s eyes blazed, but she seemed to understand she would get nowhere if she did not introduce herself. “I am Lady Catherine de Bourgh, aunt of Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. I understand my nephews are known to you.”
“Lady Catherine!” exclaimed Mrs. Bennet, the light of understanding illuminating her face. “Oh, yes, of course! How good of you to visit today. Will you not sit and take tea with us?”
Trust her mother to misinterpret the woman’s purpose here. Though Elizabeth had heard much of Lady Catherine from Mr. Collins and a little from Mr. Darcy, the most important point was what Mr. Darcy had told her at the Collinses’ wedding reception. Elizabeth could not suppose that Lady Catherine knew anything about Mr. Darcy’s recent actions, but Mr. Collins himself had tried to take Jane to task for allowing Colonel Fitzwilliam to express interest in her. Thathad provoked Lady Catherine to act, it appeared.
“No, I shall not take tea with you,” snapped Lady Catherine.
Mrs. Bennet’s jaw fell, but Lady Catherine did not give her time to recover.
“When my parson, Mr. Collins, returned from his wedding, he related a most alarming tale to me. Though I wondered at the audacity of the young lady in question, I could not allow this travesty to proceed without making my sentiments known to you. So, I ask you again, Mrs. Bennet—which of these girls is Miss Jane Bennet?”
The flick of her eyes to Jane told Lady Catherine all she needed to know, though the lady waited for Mrs. Bennet to confirm. The wait was long, for Mrs. Bennet appeared to understand at last what sort of woman had invaded her home, her pale features a testament to her sudden consternation.
“Well, woman?” demanded Lady Catherine. “Are you witless as well as ambitious?”
That provoked a little of Mrs. Bennet’s spirit to return. “Ambitious? I know not what Mr. Collins has told you, but the Bennets of Longbourn are not avaricious.”
“And yet, you have allowed your daughter to pursue my nephew, a man far above her by every measure, in defiance of all decency. Did you not suggest my parson mind his own affairs when he warned you against raising your eyes too high?”
“You are mistaken, Lady Catherine,” said Jane, drawing the lady’s attention to her. “Neither I nor anyone in my family said anything to Mr. Collins on the subject—the response belonged to your nephew.”
Lady Catherine’s eyes narrowed. “So,youare Miss Jane Bennet?”
“I am,” said Jane, betraying not a trace of hesitation.
The lady turned and stalked to her. “Then my business is with you. The rest of your family may depart and leave the room to us so that I may make my sentiments known to you.”
“If you believe I shall depart and allow you to abuse my daughter in private, you have mistaken my character.”
It was a more courageous stance than Elizabeth expected from her mother, and it drew Lady Catherine’s ire.
“Do you not know who I am?”
“We know who you are,” said Mrs. Bennet. “That does not give you the right to assault my daughter.”
The lady’s jaw appeared hard as diamond, but she understood that she would not carry her point. She directed her next words to Jane.
“Very well, if you wish me to humiliate you in front of all yourfamily, that means nothing to me. Miss Bennet, you are treading on thin ground. My nephew is a younger son, but he is also the son of an earl, destined to marry a woman who will provide connections and wealth to the family. Given the estate on which you were raised, you cannot provide my nephew what he has a right to expect, to say nothing of your connections, which include my parson, no less. This match to which you aspire is impossible.”
“Colonel Fitzwilliam has made no promises to me,” replied Jane. Elizabeth noted how her sister kept her calm demeanor, appearing unintimidated by the lady’s denunciation. “I am a woman who may only accept or reject a man who presents himself. If you wish to understand Colonel Fitzwilliam’s purpose, perhaps it would be best to ask him.”
“I am asking you,” spat the lady. “Though my nephew knows his duty, any man may be taken in by the seductive allure of a siren.”
Lady Catherine turned to regard them all, a sneer curling her lips. “Mr. Collins has told me about your sister’s rejection of his suit—it is clear you have other men of greater consequence in your sights. No doubt, one of you already schemes to ensnare my other nephew, Mr. Darcy. Fortunately, Darcy knows his duty and will not shirk.”
It was all Elizabeth could do not to laugh at the irony—had Lady Catherine understood how close Mr. Darcy was to shirking his duty, her current anger would be but a pale shadow of the displeasure she would unleash. Mrs. Bennet understood something of this, for her eyes found Elizabeth, uncertainty written on her brow. Elizabeth replied with a minute shake of her head, and her mother understood that to speak now would be to unleash a storm unlike anything the old house had ever seen.
As Lady Catherine turned her attention back to Jane, Elizabeth decided at once that there was only one who could force the lady to retreat. With quiet efficiency, determined not to provoke the lady’s notice, Elizabeth went to Mrs. Hill.
“Please summon Mr. Bennet at once.”
The woman nodded, curtseyed, and hastened from the room. Elizabeth turned her attention back to Lady Catherine and Jane.
“Now, I demand that you tell me at once—has my nephew made you an offer of marriage?”
