“I do want to,” she finally said. “I am not someone prone to quitting. Only that I realised I had strong feelings for him a day too late.” Elizabeth spoke with a sad smile. “From everything I know about men, my refusal is too great an affront to be forgiven.”
“And that is precisely why Fitzwilliam is in great danger. He wishes to marry and to forget what happened in Kent. I fear he will propose to a woman without giving it much thought.”
“I shall meet him.” Elizabeth spoke in that determined characteristic manner of hers; she did not require long to make a decision, yet this time, it was not her mind that she allowed to decide but her heart.
“The matter at hand is of such importance that any indiscretion could have dire consequences. Even for me. I dare not speak of this matter to anybody other than Richard—the colonel. It could be taken as if I am betraying the family by encouraging Darcy to marry someone other than his cousin.”
“I understand. Even Mr Darcy would be loath to know someone is interfering in this manner in his life.”
“But there is no time to waste. Lady Catherine had scarcely arrived from Rosings when we were inundated with her plans.”
Elizabeth averted her gaze, but Lady Oakham saw the change on her face; her jealousy was a good sign as it betrayedthe affection she held for the man whose proposal she had rejected—a reality she may not yet have fully embraced.
“I intend to tell only Georgiana what happened in Kent, but I wished to confer with you first.”
Elizabeth, puzzled, did not immediately respond.
“Georgiana is yet young, but the events of last summer gave her a maturity beyond her years in some ways. She has often told me that she hopes her brother will marry someone like me. Fortunately, we are remarkably close. I am sure she would like to know about you and will not enjoy the idea of Fitzwilliam marrying Anne too much.”
“Why is that?” Elizabeth asked, trying to imagine Mr Darcy’s sister.
“Georgiana hopes for a sister-in-law who will make Pemberley what it was in her mother’s time, and Anne is hardly that person.
“But you also have another advantage—Lady Catherine has an unshakable conviction in herpersuasive abilities, which renders her ignorant to everything else. Furthermore, she fails to comprehend Fitzwilliam’s deep affection for his sister, which is a huge oversight. Failing to secure Georgiana’s support is a grave mistake that I trust you will not commit.”
“Lady Oakham!” Elizabeth exclaimed, shaking her head, clearly annoyed as she had never liked those schemes she often heard about and sometimes even witnessed in her own family. “Please, no!” she said. “After all, Mr Darcy has every right to choose his own wife—”
“And he has done so!” the lady interjected. “He did so at the Parsonage. Regrettably, he did not find the best way of speaking to your heart.”
“He found his way,” Elizabeth whispered, her cheeks flushed. “Perhaps not the right entrance…”
“My goodness, let us use more direct language. He acted foolishly and conceitedly, passing judgment on your family rather than asking himself about his own. His mother, I assure you, would have been mortified by his conduct. I knew her for less than a year but adored her. Her premature death a decade ago likely played a part in his transformation. Cousin Darcy’s enjoyment of life perished with her, and their once-harmonious family ceased to exist. This may account for Fitzwilliam’s aloofness.”
“He did not seem aloof when speaking of his inner struggle.”
“That behaviour was fuelled by his love for you! You, Miss Elizabeth, brought him back to life. You are his only chance to be happy again. With Anne, he will be buried in tedium, duty, and a life outside the family.”
“What am I to do? I am not inclined towards such schemes as those used by Lady Catherine—or my mother, to be completely truthful.”
“Rest assured, that is not what you must do. You are an intelligent lady. All you need is to meet him again and let him see you have changed.”
“That, I can do,” Elizabeth murmured, her demeanour regaining a determination that had seemed lost at the beginning of the conversation.
“Miss Elizabeth, I would never have resorted to such tactics if Anne de Bourgh genuinely loved him. I would have stepped aside and let him marry a woman whose sole aim in life would be to bring at least peace to his life. Unfortunately, Anne will remain the way she has always been, no matter how elegant we make her look. Besides, he does not need her dowry—that is certain. He is rich enough and not the type of person who is always in search of more wealth.
“I first heard discussions regarding Lady Catherine’s intentions at Christmas. My father-in-law is not opposed to the marriage—they appreciate that Anne’s fortune would remain within the family, and my mother-in-law told me that Lady Catherine was concerned that Darcy had grown too close to certain persons in Hertfordshire.”
“Lady Oakham!” exclaimed Elizabeth. “It has been quite some time since a conversation has carried me through so many emotions. Now, I cannot help but laugh. Close to certain persons in Hertfordshire? That is, without doubt, the most inaccurate interpretation of Mr Darcy’s visit to our neighbourhood.”
“And yet, the story was told to Lady Catherine in this form—”
“By Mr Collins,” Elizabeth said, suddenly seeing that man as the only explanation for news travelling to Rosings. “Only he could have informed her about events in Hertfordshire, and only he could hold such a distorted view of reality. Mr Darcy was never close to anyone.”
“Except for you, perhaps,” said Lady Oakham, and Elizabeth searched her memories of that time. The dinners at which Mr Collins had been present, the walks, and then the ball at Netherfield. Each time, she found Mr Darcy within that circle…always not far from her.
“Yes, without doubt, Mr Collins informed her, perhaps not explicitly about me, but there was certainly a great deal of attention surrounding him and Mr Bingley.”
“At Christmas, Lady Catherine had already begun her assault, already scared she might lose him.”
