Kitty’s voice held a spark of anticipation. “We shall, of course.”
Jane’s tone was gentler, more measured. “If all is well.”
Elizabeth clasped her hand tighter around her cane. She felt the weight of it in her hands—the familiar texture, the reassuring stability it offered. It was her constant companion, but also a subtle announcement of her struggles.
“I believe,” she said, her voice calm, “that we shall manage it very well.”
Elizabeth did not return to the morning room. Mr. Collins had indicated he desired her presence in his study. And so, she turned from the garden path and made her way toward the smaller side entrance that opened into the back hall—a route she preferred when the day was fair. The air there was cooler, shaded by the angle of the house, and the threshold itself had a slight rise she had long since learned to anticipate.
One step. A pause. Then over.
The stone floor within gave back a different sound beneath her shoes—firmer, more contained—and Elizabeth adjusted her pace accordingly. The corridor here was narrower than the front hall, but more predictable. Nothing was ever moved. Nothing was ever left in her way.
Not anymore.
There had been a time, in those early months, when such constancy had not existed. Chairs shifted. Tables drifted from their usual places. A forgotten basket would appear where none had been before. It had not been carelessness—not truly—but habit. A lifetime of movement without consequence did not alter itself in a day.
Elizabeth had stumbled more than once. Not disastrously, but sufficient to bruise, to jar; enough to remind her—sharply—that the world no longer adjusted itself to her expectations.
After that, things had changed. Gradually. Subtly. Without announcement.
Now, as she passed along the corridor, her free hand brushing lightly against the wall to confirm her direction, she encountered nothing unexpected. The small table near the door remained precisely where it ought. The stand that once held an assortment of walking gloves—often scattered—was now neatly arranged, each pair folded and set aside.
Even Lydia, Elizabeth thought, would not have believed herself capable of such order two years ago.
Elizabeth reached the study door and paused.
Within, she could hear the faint rustle of paper and the loud clearing of a throat—Mr. Collins, no doubt, in the midst of some serious consideration.
She lifted her hand and knocked lightly.
“Come in,” Mr. Collins called.
Elizabeth opened the door and stepped inside. The room was dimmer than she preferred, the curtains drawn halfway against the sun. She angled herself slightly, allowing what light there was to fall across her left side as she moved toward the desk.
“You wished to speak with me, sir,” she said.
Mr. Collins looked up at once, his expression brightening with what appeared to be genuine pleasure.
“Miss Elizabeth, yes—pray, come nearer. I have been engaged in the most instructive review of the estate accounts and find myself desirous of a second opinion.”
Elizabeth suppressed a smile.
“A second opinion,” she repeated, coming to stand at the edge of the desk. “Or a listener?”
Mr. Collins hesitated, then allowed, “Both, perhaps.”
She had a strange sort of fondness for the elder gentleman, despite him having usurped her father’s position. Elizabethrested her hand lightly against the surface of the desk, orienting herself before she spoke again. “Then I am at your service.”
He gestured toward the open ledger before him. “You will observe—if it may be said that you observe—the expenditures of the past quarter. I have taken great care to reduce unnecessary outlay.”
Elizabeth inclined her head. “I have no doubt of it.”
Mr. Collins seemed encouraged by this. “Indeed, I have found that a more restrained approach to household management yields considerable benefit. Where formerly there may have been a tendency toward excess—”
Elizabeth did not glance toward him, but she could not quite prevent the flicker of amusement that passed through her. They had discussed this before.
“—we now find ourselves in a position of greater stability,” he concluded.
