Jane bit back a wild laugh and shook her head. Catching Bingley’s hands, she led him to the settee and they sat down together.
“I can scarce believe it.” Jane breathed, then looked around the room with a happy sigh, “The last time I was here the thought of marriage was torture for me. I could not think of leaving this home with a smile on my face. I imagined only… only degradation. I never dared to think of happiness, much less love, and now you have given me both. How can I thank you, my dearest?”
Bingley smiled and kissed her forehead tenderly, “By putting such thoughts from your mind, forever. They shall not hurt you again. I will not allow it.”
“How very lyrical you are.” Jane replied with a slight smile. She relaxed into his arms with a shiver of pure contentment. “Youalready have my heart, Mr. Bingley. You need not seduce me further; I shall not falloutof love.”
“Miss Jane!” a strident voice rang out. Jane sat bolt upright with a yelp as a plump woman in a smart servant’s gown walked in front of them. The woman’s face was fixed in disapproval and her head tipped slightly to the side. “You will want to go and rest from the journey, I am sure. Mr. Bingley must have business in Netherfield Park to attend to, and cannot bealonewith you, miss,alonein the morning room! What will people say?”
“We are engaged, Mrs. Hill.”
“That is no reason to hold hands! Your father said… he sent me to…”
“Ah. Yes, we must not court disaster.” Jane smiled sweetly but could not resist giving Bingley a tiny kiss on his cheek. “I shall be a good daughter. Goodbye, my dearest.”
“Goodbye, Jane. I shall come back first thing in the morning.” Bingley kissed her hand and stood up, then awkwardly scratched his nose. “Uhm. After such a formal farewell I feel like I should leave, Mrs. Hill, but I would like to wait for my friend. May I, er…”
“Of course you can stay, sir.” she smiled at him in a fluttering, sheepish way, “Just not alone with Miss Jane.”
Bingley bit back his amusement and gave her a respectful nod. The woman bundled Jane away with the long practice of someone who had known her all of her life. In a moment the house was silent.
He yawned and looked around the room. He had not Fitzwilliam’s inquisitive mind and made no study of books or bonnets. He did not wonder which sister occupied which corner, nor which hobby she preferred. His eye fell upon the most well-padded chair and his feet gladly followed it. He sat down with a sigh, enjoying the unfamiliar bliss of a seat that was not rattling around. The journey had been long and uncomfortable, but worth it. So very, very worth it.
Bingley yawned again, leaned his head back, and was asleep in seconds.
Chapter 82
Mr. Collins was the first one to leave Pemberley, banished on the oldest carriage Darcy could provide. It was sure to rattle the man’s broken toe all the way to Hunsford, but at least they would be sure he would arrive.
The rector was tearfully grateful to be going back there at all, after he sobered up enough to understand how close he had come to banishment to some lesser parish. He had no notion that Lady Catherine was keeping him under her eye to make sure he did not have the opportunity to do anything worse. While he was nearby, she could control his every move.
Should Longbourn be made available to him, Lady Catherine said sternly, he was to allow the Bennets to stay there as lodgers for as long as they wished. Rosings Park would bear the expense, for the sake of keeping the rector in his parish for a few more years. Should he decide to break this arrangement then she would ensure that everyone in Meryton knew how pathetic he truly was. He would spend his time there as a laughing stock, and never again be taken seriously.
Lady Catherine also assured the family that, if Collins ever courted another woman, he would treat her with at least a modicum of respect. The man’s scathing comments aboutDelilahs and Eves had hit rather close to home. The future Mrs. Collins would have a very determined protectress, although agreeing to marry Collins would mean she would never be worthy of Lady Catherine’srespect.
Mrs. Bennet was the next one to leave. She parted in a much different manner to her erstwhile accomplice. She had only been in Pemberley for a few days, yet the things she had witnessed there had broken her firmly from the delusion that Mr. Collins had smothered her in.
She had seen for herself that Darcy, although stern and distant, was no drunken beast. The sight of her daughters, utterly transformed under Elizabeth’s gentle care, made her realise how terrible their life had been in Meryton. Jane’s love for Bingley had been impossible to ignore, and was so pure that even their elopement had not horrified her.
Most of all, Mrs. Bennet’s love for Lydia had made her realise that, for a year, she had only thought about the girls as responsibilities and not as her children. That, combined with the shocking conduct of the increasingly deranged Collins, made her utterly ashamed of her behaviour.
It was obvious now that the family was safe without Mr. Collins’s help, and that the assurances that Darcy had made to Mr. Bennet had not been lies, as Collins claimed. They had been trying to convince her of that, but she had been too angry to hear it as anything other than a conspiracy against her.
Her explanation to Lady Catherine was humble; her apology to her family was heartfelt. She told them that she was going home at once to try to set her home in order, and to be with her husband as his caring wife, not as a frightened widow. Since Bingley and Fitzwilliam would be staying in Netherfield Park,she would be able to get to know them more charitably and, hopefully, heal some of the wounds between them.
Mary at once offered to join her on the journey. The only condition she made was that Elizabeth let her choose some books from Pemberley’s library to take with her. She was eager to see Fitzwilliam again, having found her few days without him undeniably tedious. Mrs. Bennet was grateful for the company - and ecstatic when Lydia and Kitty asked to come, too.
Mary soured at this, for it meant that the carriage would be very crowded, but on the whole the party was quite cheerful. The younger girls missed their home and their friends, not to mention their father, and did not want to miss out on all of the gossip about Jane and Mary’s engagements.
If they had remained in Pemberley for another day, then Elizabeth would have been able to provide some of that gossip for them. Jane had promised to write to her as soon as things were settled; finally, it had arrived.
My dear Elizabeth,
With all of my heart, I am sorry for the delay in sending you this letter. I know that you must have been waiting impatiently for news. My silence was unavoidable, yet when I tell you the cause I hope you shall forgive me.
First, I must set your mind at ease!
Father agreed to the marriage between myself and Charles, and has assured us that no other voices shall drown him out. He is very unwell, my love. I was truly frightened to see the transformation that even a month's absence has allowed. Yet his mind is hale, on the better days, and he is as stubborn as he ever was.
