~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
When the three cousins left Jane’s chambers, Anne had an idea. “What if we ask the bishop to annul Jane’s marriage, given the offences that man committed, and he was excommunicated, after all. Thus, she would not be forced into the farce of mourning a man such as Collins.”
Charlotte and Elizabeth agreed with Anne’s idea and went to recruit their husbands to the cause. While they talked to their spouses, Anne made the suggestion to her Uncle Reggie.
Chapter 31
Before dinner, Jane entered the drawing room tentatively. She could not believe she would be welcomed into the company of the assembled party. Any discomfort she felt was dispelled as Lizzy approached her, a look of genuine welcome on her face for all to see.
“Welcome, Jane,” Elizabeth stated, wrapping her arm around that of her older sister’s. Elizabeth then introduced Jane to the members of her new family still unknown to her older sister.
“We feel like we know you already, Mrs. Collins,” Lady Elaine stated after the introduction. “Anne has been writing to us about you and your charitable works in the parish since the two of you became friends.”
“Did I not tell you that all would be well, Jane?” Anne asked.
“You did, but I never understood your meaning. I certainly did not expect to be welcomed by your family members,” Jane said softly. “The last thing I expected was to see Lizzy and for her to forgive me so readily.”
“My husband and I may have shared what Anne told us about you with your sister,” Lady Elaine revealed. “Do not forget, you did us a great service by keeping the dragon unaware of Lizzy and William’s betrothal, which kept her in her lair.”
Jane noticed Lizzy and Mr. Darcy stood away from the others, so she approached them slowly. “Please allow me to make my apologies to both of you. I know you said there will be time to talk, Lizzy, but I have to say this now, for my own peace of mind,” Jane beseeched.
“If it will make you feel easier, please do so,” Elizabeth told her sister after her husband nodded.
“It would take me the rest of my life to enumerate all of my offences against you, Lizzy. Please know it has been some months now since I have understood the depths of my betrayal of the friendship and love you offered me freely and unconditionally. I cannot but think on the past with abhorrence. Although they were my mother’s lessons, I chose to follow them even though I saw how you gave lie to her words.” Jane paused for a moment to think. “She stroked my vanity, but now I know all she was doing was admiring herself and that true beauty comes only from within. I believed I would never see you again to tell you how very sorry I am for my past behaviour. I beg you will be able to forgive me for my multitude of offences in the past.”
Jane turned to Darcy. “Speaking of atrocious behaviour, my attempts to catch you as my husband were disgraceful. I sank so low as to attempt to compromise you. When you laughed at my inept attempt to entrap you, I thought I had reached my lowest point—until I had to marry my late husband. Please forgive me for my madness, Sir.” Jane waited to hear the verdict from her sister’s husband.
“You know I have already forgiven you, do you not?” Elizabeth asked as she took Jane’s hand in her own. Jane nodded as her tears fell. “For everything. As my wise aunt says,” Elizabeth directed her eyes to Lady Elaine, “‘It is not who youwerethat is important, it is who youaretoday.’”
“For my part, I grant you my pardon in full measure,” Darcy gave Jane a half bow. “Please call me William; we are brother and sister after all.”
Jane’s tears fell in earnest now. “Could it be true that I deserve your forgiveness?” Jane asked both as she took Darcy’s offered handkerchief to dry her tears.
“Yes, you most certainly do. You have shown who you are today not by words, but by deeds,” Elizabeth stated firmly. “You did not boast about your actions or do it to be seen. You put others ahead of yourself and in so doing you learnt what is truly of import in life. So yes,Sister, you absolutely are due the forgiveness we, all of us, offer you.”
“Jane, do you remember my friend Mr. Bingley?” Darcy asked.
“Yes, I do.” Jane burned with shame as she remembered how she treated him. “He is another whose forgiveness I need to seek.”
“He is recently betrothed,” Darcy revealed.
Before Jane could ask to whom, Elizabeth, with a huge smile, stated, “To our Mary.”
Jane remembered how the middle Bennet hid her light from the world. Before she could ask more, the butler announced dinner.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Lady Catherine was most displeased. Who was her brother to order her imprisoned in her chambers? Who were all of the people she did not recognise and why were they at her estate?
Then she remembered a very troubling fact. Anne’s betrothed had a prettyish woman on his arm. The looks the two were exchanging seemed to indicate the lady had captured his attention with her arts and allurements. At tomorrow’s meeting, she would take charge of the situation and set everything to rights.
She did not care about the untimely passing of Mr. Collins; she cared about the way her authority had been challenged. Her sickly daughter had turned on her and Mrs. Jane Collins just stood there and watched while she was being humiliated in her own home.
Rosings Park was hers and no one would take it from her. She cared not what Sir Lewis’s will stated. It was hers! She decided she would use some of the money she had hidden in her chambers to locate some unsavoury men to teach her family a lesson. If that was not enough, she had the de Bourgh jewels as well.
Lady Catherine opened what she believed was a secret compartment in the wall behind her bed. She reached in, expecting to find her ill-gotten gains, but to her consternation she found nothing, except for a single ha’penny. All the money she had hidden over the years was gone. She scrambled to the loose floorboards below one corner of her bed to retrieve the jewels, but that place had been emptied as well.
In her fury, Lady Catherine beat on her door, but no matter how much noise she made, no one opened the door. When a footman and a maid entered her chambers to deliver a tray for dinner, Lady Catherine tried to push past them, but the footman restrained her until the maid placed the tray on a table; once the maid left the room, he released the furious woman and quickly locked the door.
