“No, indeed! I do not want her to be anywhere near Jane, oranyof us.” Elizabeth cried, and then let out a defeated sigh, “But I may have to, nonetheless. We are trying to repair our reputation, and publicly slighting mother will certainly set us back. My hope was to do it anyway and trust her to be tactful, but I fear that it is impossible. Mother cannot keep a private matter to herself.”
“Exactly.” Mary nodded sagely, “I had the same thought when Jane told me about it. I think I have a solution.”
Elizabeth’s eyebrows raised enquiringly. The gentlemen arrived from their own conversation, looking curiously between the women as they caught up with the discussion. Mary pointed over Darcy’s shoulder, where the hill descended into patchy woodland. A brook babbled and bubbled from near their feettowards the trees, joining other tiny eddies to form a stream. Meandering gently onwards, the finally poured into a decorative pond beside a pretty, shuttered house.
“The dower house?” Elizabeth asked, “We think we should get her to sleep there?”
“Sleep - eat -staythere! Far away from poor old Jane, and us, and even the men. You know that she will make them feel just as wretched as us!” Mary growled, “Set her up there like a true dowager, Lizzie. Give her servants and bells to ring, expensive candles and the freedom to run the house however she chooses. You know that she will be unable to resist, even if it does mean she cannot stay in the main house. We shall not have to lay eyes on her until the evenings, and if she does try to intrude the servants can warn us so we can be prepared.”
“Mama does not deserve it.” Elizabeth said slowly, “She has no right to the house, and certainly not to the respect that is rightly Lady Anne’s.”
“Lady Catherine can tell her that.” Fitzwilliam interjected with a mischievous smile, “My aunt cannot stand pretention. If she hears that a stranger is taking her dear friend’s place, then she shall make her objections known. Is your mother the type of person to be modest about her good fortune?”
“No, not at all.” Mary answered bluntly, “She is a ridiculous braggart.”
“Even better!” the man grinned, “If she exposes herself in public then Lady Catherine will feel quite justified in bringing her down. She has a true talent for discovering endless faults.”
“You seem rather eager to embarrass a stranger, cousin.” Darcy drawled, “What do you know of Mrs. Bennet?”
“I learned a little from Miss Bennet last night,” Fitzwilliam explained with a friendly nod at Mary, who blushed. “I must say that anyone who inspires such avid dislike in her own, lovely daughters deserves to be on the sharp end of our aunt’s tongue.”
“A cruel punishment, indeed. There is another matter, cousin, which must be considered. Lady Catherine is inclined to support the mother in this, not the daughters. Her rector, Collins, has manipulated her into interceding in an arranged marriage between himself and Miss Jane.”
“Appealed to the old lady’s pride, did he?”
“I assume so; it has always been rather effective. The point, Fitzwilliam, is that if we let Mrs. Bennet use the dower house and Lady Catherine does not take offence then we have just rewarded a malicious woman by treating her as the lady of the house.”
“That may not be a bad thing.” Mary said slowly, “She speaks of you, Mr. Darcy, as a drunken brute who should hang his head in shame. She tells everyone that Lizzie was headstrong and wicked to rush into marriage, and that it serves her right to be married to a wastrel.”
Fitzwilliam snorted. Mary shot him a quick look from beneath lowered lashes, then continued speaking seriously to her brother-in-law.
“Mother’s moral indignation blinds her to the truth. She simply cannotseeit. If she was forced to see your true nature, then perhaps she might finally understand that she does notneedJane to marry Mr. Collins. If she realises that she can get all of the security and comforts she craves by virtue of being your mother-in-law, then it is possible that we can end Jane’sengagement without having to speak to Mr. Collins at all! Even if it does not work, at least you will go up in her estimation.”
“What an honour for you.” Fitzwilliam sniped at Darcy. Mary rolled her eyes at the Colonel, in a playful gesture that Elizabeth did not miss.
“Mr. Darcy will go up; Mr. Collins will go down. Perhaps if we can find enough things to tip the scales against the little slug, we can squash him completely.”
“You have such a poetic flair, Miss Bennet.”
“Hush, Colonel. Let the adults finish talking.” she retorted, not missing a beat.
Elizabeth had to duck her head away and fake a coughing fit. Fitzwilliam had probably never been cut down so brutally in his whole life. What a revelation to hear Mary stand up for herself! Generally, the middle Bennet sister treated compliments with the suspicion of a woman who thought even the words ‘good morning’ were unnecessary. Now, seemingly out of nowhere, Mary was sparring with a handsome stranger with a smile on her face.
Dinner must have been very eventful!Elizabeth thought,I am sorry I missed it!
That made her think about the reason why she had missed dinner, and the reason why she had been late for breakfast. Blood rushed to her cheeks, and she had to look at the ground, trying desperately to collect herself.
Someone was speaking. Lizzie sheepishly blinked away her intrusive thoughts and listened. Mary was describing Mr. Collins’ advances towards Jane in colourful tones, for the benefit of the captivated Fitzwilliam. It was Darcy who had beenspeaking to Elizabeth. She smiled at him, bemused, and he repeated himself with a smile.
“I said, Elizabeth, that I agree with your sister. As much as I hate to reward bad behaviour, I think that housing your mother away from Pemberley is a fine idea. Will you discuss it with Mrs. Reynolds? There will be some work, I fear, if the dower house is to be ready in time.”
“Yes, and I shall write to mama as soon as we get back to the house.”
“I thought that we were calling on Georgiana.” Fitzwilliam protested, overhearing them.
“Who?” Mary asked.
They all fell silent. Darcy glowered at his cousin. Elizabeth opened her mouth to lie but was prevented by Mary answering her own question.
