“Miss Bennet,” Lady Catherine replied, her voice rising, “you must know that I am not one to be trifled with. However insincere you choose to be, you shall not find me so. My character has long been celebrated for its sincerity and frankness, and I shall not depart from either now, not in amatter of such importance. A most alarming report reached me some time ago—during your visit to Kent.”
Elizabeth turned to face her fully, ready to meet the attack. She felt composed, even strong, not in the least intimidated.
“I do not know to what you refer,” she said, with a smile she hoped would be as impertinent as possible before a woman unaccustomed to contradiction. And indeed, Lady Catherine’s temper flared all the more.
“You know very well! I have been told that my nephew made you an offer of marriage—”
“And I refused him,” Elizabeth replied.
Lady Catherine fell momentarily silent at those words as if gathering her strength. Then she resumed her original tone.
“I very much doubt you could refuse him, but, fortunately, my nephew’s moment of madness did not result in a union that would have been wholly illegal.”
“Illegal?” Elizabeth echoed. “How could a marriage performed in church between two unmarried people be considered illegal?”
“Because at the moment Darcy proposed—if indeed that happened in Kent—he was already engaged to my daughter. The engagement between them is of a particular nature. Since their infancy, they have been destined for one another. It was the favourite wish of his mother, as well as hers. While in their cradles, we planned the union.”
“Lady Catherine, I know Mr Darcy well, and whilst I admit he has faults, dishonesty is not among them. He is the most honourable man I have ever met. If he believed he had no obligation to your daughter, then I believe that to be the truth.”
“Obstinate, headstrong girl! I am ashamed of you. Is this the gratitude you show for my attention to you last spring? Do you owe me nothing for that? Understand, Miss Bennet, that Icame here determined to achieve my purpose, and I shall not be dissuaded. I am not accustomed to submitting to others’ whims or tolerating disappointment.”
“And what exactly is your purpose regarding me? If you already knew I had refused Mr Darcy’s proposal, what more could you possibly expect me to do to prevent his marriage to Miss de Bourgh?”
“Miss Bennet, do you know who I am? I am unaccustomed to being spoken to in this manner. I am perhaps the nearest relation he has in the world and am entitled to know all that concerns him most deeply.”
“Lady Catherine—”
“I will not be interrupted. You will hear me. My daughter and my nephew are perfectly suited. They are descended on their mothers’ side from the same noble line, and on the fathers’ from respectable, honourable, and ancient families. Their fortunes are great on both sides. They have the full approval of every member of their houses, and finally, they are engaged.”
Elizabeth stopped walking and looked at the older woman, and suddenly, Lady Catherine’s face held no anger—only an unexpected serenity. It could mean only one thing: the engagement had been renewed, not merely planned in childhood but made real recently.
“In one week, my daughter will be Mrs Darcy. The banns have already been read twice. And now I find, to my astonishment, that you and your family are staying in the very house where I was raised. You have come here, without scruple, to disturb what has already been solemnly promised between two people who have pledged themselves to one another.”
“That was never my intention,” Elizabeth answered with quiet dignity, though inside her heart was wracked by a storm. Mr Darcy was going to be married, and she had learnt of it in the cruellest possible way from a woman who took pleasure inbringing her the news. Mr Darcy had given her no sign because nothing was left to say. His silence, once thought rude, had only been meant to hide what he could not soften.
“Miss Bennet—”
“You can have nothing further to say,” Elizabeth answered, her voice full of restrained hurt. “You have insulted me in every possible way, Lady Catherine, and we have nothing more to discuss.”
“So you are leaving without further attempting to disturb his happiness?”
“We are indeed leaving. But you must understand that I never intended to disturb his happiness. I respect him, and I respect his decisions.”
And without another glance, she turned and ran back into the house—into the arms of her aunt.
“He is married,” she said.
“Married?” Mrs Gardiner asked, utterly astonished.
“Not yet married, but the banns have been read twice. Let us go home.”
Chapter 43
Darcy looked on with a quiet smile as Anne and Georgiana practised archery in the garden behind Pemberley. From a terrace on the top floor, he was enjoying a peaceful morning, far from Lady Catherine, to whom he had declared himself occupied. He could hear the laughter of the girls and of the few young guests from the surrounding area invited for what Georgiana proudly called thePemberley Tournament.
Anne had begun to blossom since they had left London—just as he had hoped. Away from her mother and in the company of Georgiana and other young people, she was slowly becoming less timid, freer, and perhaps, in time, happier. He could now imagine her as his wife, and the prospect of such an alliance no longer seemed impossible. The only matter left unresolved was ensuring Lady Catherine would not remain nearby—an obstacle difficult to manage since she never arrived by invitation or even with notice. She descended upon them like a storm whenever it pleased her, just as she had done a few days earlier, despite his hope of not seeing her that summer.
“Sir!” His valet’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. He turned to see Johnson approaching with an uneasy expression, pausing awkwardly between his words.
