“Thank you, Mrs. Bennet. We are all well at Lucas Lodge.”
Mrs. Bennet nodded, that imperious sort of response she often gave when she was displeased. “Have you decided on a wedding date yet?”
“Mr. Collins and I shall marry on January the ninth,” replied Charlotte without hesitation. “While my father believes that a longer engagement would be advisable, Mr. Collins’s position as a parson and the distance from Hertfordshire render it preferable to marry as soon as may be.”
“Yes, I can understand that,” replied Mrs. Bennet. She paused, then said: “Have you heard that Mr. Bingley has returned?”
Charlotte smiled. “Indeed, I have—my father is usually aware of such happenings when they occur.”
A beatific smile replaced Mrs. Bennet’s previous coldness, and she began speaking of Mr. Bingley. Charlotte, having the patience of a saint, listened and commented without taking offense, though Mrs. Bennet’s clear purpose was to crow about Jane’s good fortune and compare the benefits of Mr. Bingley’s suit to the drawbacks of Mr. Collins. That she did so while ignoring the points she had made to Elizabeth about the ability to stay at Longbourn and Mr. Collins’s position as extended family was not lost on her. It was her mother at her finest, and Elizabeth declined to dive into the fray.
At length, even Mrs. Bennet’s inexhaustible supply of words ran out, and she excused herself to see to some matter of the house, leaving Elizabeth in Charlotte’s company. Kitty and Lydia congregated on the other side of the room, arguing over something Elizabeth could not hear, while Jane took up some needlework. When Mary went to the pianoforte to play quietly, this left Elizabeth in Charlotte’s sole company.
“I see your mother is excited about Mr. Bingley’s return.”
It was an innocuous comment—this Elizabeth knew. While both were far too well-bred to speak of their mothers’ foibles—Mrs. Bennet and Lady Lucas shared similar characters—each understood the drawbacks of the unguarded behavior their mothers so often betrayed. Yet for some reason, the comment struck Elizabeth the wrong way. Later, when she had a chance to think about it, she could only suppose that a woman who had agreed to marry William Collins had no business speaking of another’s poor behavior.
Still, Elizabeth retained enough of her good sense to avoid saying anything she should not for the moment. Instead, she directed the conversation along a different path.
“She is, and Jane is incandescent with happiness.”
Charlotte, noticing nothing untoward, smiled. “I can well imagine it. This time, I hope Jane acts to secure him—remember that happiness in life is not a matter of chance. Jane will be happy, but she must act to ensure Mr. Bingley cannot live without her.”
The words recalled the exchange at Lucas Lodge after the Netherfield party’s arrival. This time, however, Elizabeth was much more secure in Mr. Bingley’s character and Jane’s regard for him to react as she had then.
“There is little chance of Mr. Bingley departing now that he has returned. When he visited yesterday, he all but declared himself to her.”
“That is excellent news, Lizzy,” replied Charlotte. “I cannot be happier for Jane—no one deserves happiness more.”
“With that, I cannot disagree.”
Charlotte regarded her, then she seemed to come to a decision. “Lizzy, it is not yet certain, but I believe my father shall come to Kent in the spring.”
Though she colored, Charlotte forged ahead. “It is still weeks before the wedding, so perhaps I should not speak with such surety, but I should like you to come with my father to visit me, if you are willing.”
“You wish me to come to Kent?” demanded Elizabeth, as if the very notion was foreign. “To Mr. Collins’s house? Do you suppose that he will recover from his affront enough to endure my presence in his home?”
“Mr. Collins is not vindictive, Lizzy.” There was a note of censure in Charlotte’s tone. “Mr. Collins will welcome you on the strength of my wish to have your company.”
“No, I dare say he is not vindictive,” replied Elizabeth. “But he made his displeasure with me very clear when he left with you that day, and every day he stayed at Longbourn after.”
“Perhaps he did. Can you blame him, Lizzy? You had just rejected a proposal of marriage from him.”
“He should have expected it,” said Elizabeth, becoming a little perturbed. “The man proposed to me despite an acquaintance of only a week. If he had any sense at all, he would have understood my disinclination for his company and refrained.”
Charlotte’s expression cooled. “And he proposed to me after only knowing me for four days. Tell me, Lizzy—do you resent me for accepting the position you declined?”
There were any number of responses Elizabeth could have made to defuse the situation. She could have assured her friend that she meant no such thing, that Charlotte’s decisions wereher own, but Elizabeth could not accept a man on so short an acquaintance. Yet Elizabeth, feeling vexed for needing to defend her decision to reject the proposal of a man she could not respect, said none of those things.
“That is certainly the mostsensiblething you have ever done.”
Sarcasm dripped from her words—Charlotte, as an intelligent woman, could not have missed it if she tried.
“To own the truth,” replied Charlotte, “I believe itisthe most sensible thing I have ever done, Lizzy. If you will forgive me,yourresponse to Mr. Collins was the foolish one between us. I remember your idealized notions of love and marriage, but I imagine they will be cold comfort on that day when you must leave Longbourn in favor of Mr. Collins.”
“Perhaps I shall be married before then,” replied Elizabeth, heat in her words. “You need not worry, Charlotte—should I remain at Longbourn until my father passes, I shall remove myself before Mr. Collins arrives. I have no wish to watch while he congratulates himself on his happy situation when he cannot understand the tenth part of it.”
Charlotte was not pleased, but she kept her voice soft. “I understand your opinion of my future husband, Elizabeth. Yet I would adjure you to recall that Mr. Collins is a good and moral man, not some demon you have decided him to be. No matter how irksome or dull you consider him to be,Ishall never regret marrying a man who will put my happiness above his own.”
