“Well, Miss Darcy, now we can have a little chat. Tell me more about yourself,” Elizabeth said, and to her surprise, Miss Darcy shook her head. “I am sure you know a lot about me, as my brother told me you spent almost two months together—”
“I would not saytogether.” Elizabeth smiled. Still, she immediately regretted that hint of sarcasm in her words as Miss Darcy blushed violently.
“Oh, I am sorry. Sometimes my words betray me.”
“No, Miss Darcy, I am sorry. Sometimes, my words are uselessly sarcastic. What would you like to know about me?” Elizabeth asked graciously, feeling utterly at ease.
But Lady Catherine’s vehement interruption halted their pleasant conversation. “What are you whispering about there? This intimate dinner is meant for everyone to engage in the same conversation!”
“I was asking Miss Bennet about herself,” Miss Darcy replied in her calm and charming way, looking directly at her aunt.
Lady Catherine spoke abruptly but not angrily. “We prefer you to discuss subjects interesting to all of us.”
Everybody thought that her ladyship would continue with one of her interminable speeches aboutherself,a subject she considered interesting to all of her guests, but to Elizabeth’ssurprise, Mr Darcy spoke. “To talk about oneself issometimesa pleasant and useful experience for any of us, but especially for Georgiana or Anne, who can benefit from meeting accomplished young ladies like Miss Bennet who have aspirations beyond merely being good wives and mothers.”
Elizabeth nearly choked upon hearing his words, which were, in truth, her own—echoes of a conversation they had shared more than once in Hertfordshire.
“And what might these aspirations be?” Lady Catherine grumbled. “Women have always wanted to be mothers and wives without complaint. I fail to see how you can judge Miss Bennet as accomplished when she has barely uttered a word.”
“That was what Georgiana intended to discover,” countered the colonel in a merry tone, and the two cousins laughed under Lady Catherine’s gaze. The others around the table froze, seemingly unable to grasp how free the two cousins were in the presence of their host, who terrified most of the guests. But surprisingly, Lady Catherine was silenced by this—an unexpected turn of events.
“I cannot say whether I am accomplished, as you suggest, Mr Darcy—”
“You are, Miss Bennet! I have some pertinent information regarding the young ladies from Hertfordshire,” the colonel said, glancing at Mr Darcy.
Elizabeth’s brows lifted in surprise. “I did not anticipate such favourable remarks about theyoung ladies from Hertfordshire.”
The colonel’s insight was only about Elizabeth. Still, he was a man of the world and knew how to save a situation. “And why this modesty, Miss Bennet? Looking at you and Mrs Collins, anyone could deduce that Hertfordshire boasts attractive young ladies.”
“Being attractive is not the same as being accomplished,” Lady Catherine interjected.
“Well then,” Mr Darcy replied, “I can vouch for both Mrs Collins’s and Miss Bennet’s accomplishments.”
Elizabeth silently thanked him, while Charlotte blushed with pleasure at being included in such a compliment.
“Thank you, Mr Darcy,” Charlotte murmured.
Despite the colonel’s skilful attempts to steer the conversation away, they were left to endure Lady Catherine’s relentless questioning. Her ladyship wanted to know whether Elizabeth’s sisters were older or younger than her, whether any of them was about to be married, whether they were handsome or educated, how many carriages her father kept, and what had been her mother’s maiden name and her age when she married. Elizabeth hardly endured the impertinence of her questions but answered them composedly. Miss Darcy did not mind not being the one to ask the questions; she was interested in everything Elizabeth said. She looked curiously from her aunt to Elizabeth, smiling with delight at the young lady’s replies.
Then, the older lady delved into Charlotte’s domestic problems, giving her plenty of advice on how to solve them all. She even instructed her on unexpected matters concerning caring for her cows and poultry. Elizabeth found nothing was beneath this great lady’s attention, which gave her plenty of occasion to dictate to others.
“Your father’s estate, Miss Bennet, is entailed on Mr Collins, I believe,” Lady Catherine suddenly said, her words emerging quite abruptly and far from the subject of their current conversation. Her aim, unmistakably, was to continue leading the discussion. “Yet for your sake,” she continued, her gaze shifting to Charlotte, “I am glad—”
“Lady Catherine,” interjected Mr Darcy with a vehemence that belied his previously amiable demeanour. “This topic is hardly suitable for the dinner table!”
“And why not?” asked the lady. “It is a predicament not unfamiliar to many, though, I confess, we have never faced such concerns in our family.”
“Why?” retorted Darcy, determined to defend Elizabeth. “I shall tell you. Entails, or such practices that attribute inheritance exclusively to male heirs, are highly questionable when there are daughters in the family.”
A profound silence engulfed the room, the weight of Mr Darcy’s words hanging heavily in the air. Only Elizabeth hid a smile because, again, Mr Darcy had repeated her views from a lively discussion at the home of Mr Phillips, who had contributed with his legal knowledge as a solicitor.
“I can only agree,” said Colonel Fitzwilliam. “But the matter extends beyond the fate of ladies. It also affects second sons like me.”
“Yet, in a woman’s case, regardless of her position in the family, she is invariably overlooked,” Elizabeth finally said.
“Women are supposed to marry,” said Lord Metcalf, who possessed an estate close to Rosings.
“The matter transcends mere inheritance laws,” Elizabeth ventured. “It is more about a father’s regard for his children, regardless of gender. I am convinced that had my father’s estate not been entailed, he would have endeavoured to divide it equitably amongst his daughters.”
