23. Chapter 23

June 20, 2014 - Relax, I got home a little late today. Here's your daily fix.

A bit-o-Austen in this chapter since its time to meet Lady Catherine.

Chapter 23

The morning dawned bright and clear that Palm Sunday. Elizabeth was strangely anxious for the morning service. She had never heard her cousin from the pulpit and was anticipating it with a perverse sense of curiosity. She was convinced that there was a decided lack of originality in the mind of Mr. Collins. She secretly hoped she would be able to pick out quotes from Fordyce's Sermons that Mary used to recite at every opportunity. Undoubtedly his sermon topic had been selected by Lady Catherine.

The party from the parsonage arrived at the church in good time. Elizabeth sat between Maria and Charlotte in the pew; Sir William sat at the end. Elizabeth was quietly contemplating the morning's reading when Mr. Collins stepped up to the pulpit. What followed was perhaps the most boring sermon Elizabeth had ever heard. How he extrapolated familial duty from the Parable of the Tares* she would never be certain. About half way through the sermon Elizabeth gave up and began surreptitiously observing the people around her. Anne had entered trailing behind a rather imperious looking woman whom Elizabeth presumed to be her mother, Lady Catherine. The latter exuded an air of superiority that was difficult to miss. To her amazement, Elizabeth detected a similarity in appearance to her brother the Earl of Matlock.

Upon further contemplation, she realized that this should not be so surprising. They were brother and sister after all. She could even trace resemblances to the picture of Lady Ann Darcy that hung in the hall at Darcy House. She had stopped many times in front of that picture pondering the woman depicted. Would she be pleased with her children now?

Her eyes wandered to Anne. Georgiana had told her Lady Catherine expected her brother to wed their cousin but that neither of them had ever shown any inclination to do so. Anne appeared trapped between being the woman her mother thought her and being the woman Anne wished to be. Elizabeth was filled with great compassion and resolved to befriend this young woman if she was given the opportunity.

After what seemed an eternity, the final hymns were sung and Mr. Collins rushed out of the church to prepare to offer his salutations to his noble patroness. Elizabeth watched in amusement as her cousin bowed deeply and fawned over Lady Catherine and her daughter. Elizabeth also noticed, for the first time, an older-looking woman attending Anne. This must be her companion. Whoever this woman was, she gave off the air of a subservient mouse who would obey Lady Catherine without question.

Outside the church, the objects of Elizabeth's observation were introduced to her party. Sir William bowed low to the great lady and was too affected to speak. Likewise was Maria. Only Elizabeth seemed unaffected by the introductions. Anne hid a faint smile as her mother looked down upon Elizabeth. It was clear Lady Catherine was accustomed to the cowering of those she met who were of such low rank. Confronted with one such person who refused to be intimidated was a novel experience. Strangely, she was not provoked. She only repeated the invitation to take tea and strode off to her carriage to journey the short distance back to Rosings.

As they walked back to the parsonage, Charlotte procured Elizabeth's company.

"Elizabeth, what did you think of Lady Catherine?" Charlotte asked.

They had been friends too long for Elizabeth not to be completely honest with her. "She does not appear to be a woman often gainsaid," she answered. "I doubt if anyone ever dares question her authority or her opinions and I imagine she is quite used to getting her own way."

"I believe you have once again, taken an accurate measure of a person, Elizabeth." Charlotte replied sagely. "However, I think Lady Catherine, in spite of herself, likes you."

"Whatever do you mean, Charlotte? I hardly think such a woman as Lady Catherine deems me worthy of her notice."

"Nevertheless, I still believe she likes you. I have known her only a short while, but I have never seen Lady Catherine INOT look on another person without distain. She looked on you with curiosity, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth was doubtful of the accuracy of Charlotte's conclusions on the matter. Lady Catherine would never see her as anything other than the cousin of her clergyman.

The party from Hunsford approached the great house for tea later that day. Sir William had yet to recover from the earlier meeting. His eyes were as round as saucers and his mouth kept groping like a fish gasping in the air. Maria walked on silently with a wild, fearful look in her eyes. Elizabeth thought that if she shouted, the young Maria would startle and flee back to the parsonage like a spooked deer. Mr. Collins joyfully related all the particulars he had learned about the house and garden, spending no little time on the glazing of the windows, while Charlotte tried to ignore his endless prattle. And Elizabeth walked along, once again amused by the folly surrounding her. She could not comprehend the fuss one woman could inspire.

Elizabeth allowed her concentration to wander to her surroundings. The Park between Hunsford Parsonage and Rosings itself was quite lovely and she looked forward to exploring its many lovely paths and glades. As they approached nearer to the house the appearance of the vegetation changed. Gone was the whimsical randomness of the trees, shrubs and grasses. In its place were carefully arranged, carefully manicured, hedges and topiaries. The flowers were arranged in an almost military precision. Nothing was left to chance; spontaneity was crushed. Elizabeth wondered how much this mirrored the character of the Mistress of the house.

Upon arrival, Mr. Collins confidently strode into the house, past the butler and into the sitting room. However, once he crossed the threshold into the room a bizarre transformation occurred. Mr. Collins' shoulders hunched forward and his right shoulder dropped even further. His head lurched forward and his jaw jutted out in an awkward angle, seemingly in opposition to the slight bowing of his head and the lowering of his eyes. A ridiculous smirk overspread his face whenever he spoke with Lady Catherine. In short, he became the groveling, sniveling man Elizabeth had the misfortune of sharing a house with during his residence in Hertfordshire. She shivered with abject disgust at the memory.

The great lady spoke to her subservient clergyman, "Mr. Collins, you are late! What do you have to say for yourself?"

Elizabeth was shocked. They were actually five minutes early and they would have been even earlier had not Charlotte restrained her husband from fairly running to Rosings.

"Your Ladyship, please accept my humble apologies for the tardiness of our arrival. We must have misjudged the amount of time it took to walk here."

"See that it never happens again. You know how highly I value punctuality!"

"Of course your ladyship, again I apologize for any inconvenience our late arrival may have caused you. I am mortified that any such lapse on my part should in any way injure you. Indeed such an important personage as yourself deserves every effort of servility and…"

"Yes Mr. Collins, that is enough." Lady Catherine effectively ended his soliloquy. Elizabeth was astonished to detect a hint of amusement in Lady Catherine's features. Of course! Lady Catherine was purposefully tormenting him. She knew he was early and yet still decided to have a little sport with him. It was quite astonishing! Lady Catherine presented herself as a very complex individual. As quickly as the hint of amusement occurred it was replaced with a look of haughty superiority.

Lady Catherine then proceeded to spend the next five minutes pontificating on the necessity of punctuality. When she was finished she turned her attentions on Elizabeth. Not one to mince words, Lady Catherine addressed Elizabeth.

"Miss Elizabeth Bennet, I believe your father's estate in Hertfordshire is entailed upon Mr. Collins."

"Yes Ma'am. It is."

"I also believe that you are the second of five daughters."

"You are correct, Lady Catherine."

"How many of your sisters are out?"

"All of them."

Elizabeth was beginning to be annoyed at this line of questioning but sat calmly, not betraying her annoyance.

"All five out at once! The younger before the elder are married! Your younger sisters must be very young." Lady Catherine responded indignantly.

"The youngest is not yet sixteen and is too young to be in full company. But really your ladyship, I do not think it right to deny the younger ones their share of society and amusements just because the older ones do not have the means or inclination to marry early. Do you not agree, Sir William?" Elizabeth asked, determined to deflect the focus of the party away from her.

Sir William was still too much in awe of Lady Catherine and thus unable to answer Elizabeth's inquiry.

"How old are you, Miss Bennet?" Lady Catherine asked, determined not to be moved from her line of questioning.

"With three younger sisters grown up your ladyship can hardly expect me to own it?"

"Come now, Miss Bennet, you can hardly be more than twenty, I am sure." Lady Catherine replied.

'I am sure you are,' Elizabeth thought to herself. Not wishing to incur the displeasure of her hostess, no matter how rude she believed her to be, Elizabeth answered, "I am not one and twenty."

"Hhmm. Miss Bennet, I understand you have made the acquaintance of my nephew and niece, Mr. and Miss Darcy."

"Yes, your ladyship. They came to stay at an estate near our own. Miss Darcy is a delightful young woman." Elizabeth decided it was best to keep her prior meetings with Georgiana to herself at this time.

Mr. Collins saw his chance to interject himself back into the conversation. "Your niece is a beautiful and talented young woman your ladyship, such manners and affability to condescend to look down so kindly on my poor cousin Elizabeth."

"Georgiana plays the pianoforte with great proficiency. Did you have the opportunity to hear her play, Miss Bennet?" Lady Catherine asked dismissing Mr. Collins' attempted intrusion.

"Aye, Ma'am. I have had the pleasure of hearing her play. She is very accomplished." Elizabeth offered.

"Yes, I have encouraged her to continue to practice most diligently. It appears she has taken my advice." Elizabeth struggled to keep at bay the smile that threatened to show itself. Georgiana would never credit her Aunt's advice as the reason she worked so hard at mastering her music.

"Do you play, Miss Bennet?" Lady Catherine continued.

"Yes I do, but I am afraid my skill and proficiency fall well short of Miss Darcy's."

"I would suggest that you would do well to emulate her practicing then. You may use the pianoforte in Mrs. Jenkinson's room. You will be in nobody's way there."

"Thank you, Lady Catherine." Elizabeth wasn't surprised at Mrs. Jenkinson's eager acquiescence to Lady Catherine's offer of her room. The woman appeared to be everything Elizabeth had guessed when she had seen her first that morning. Anne's companion was nothing if not inconsequential.

Lady Catherine continued with her interrogation of Elizabeth. By this point Elizabeth was resigned to her fate. Lady Catherine was determined to know everything about her no matter how hard Elizabeth tried to steer the conversation away from herself. Lady Catherine was shocked to find that the Bennets never employed a governess.

But secretly Lady Catherine found herself liking this young woman from Hertfordshire. Elizabeth had borne with grace and dignity every deliberate attempt by Lady Catherine to discompose her. Lady Catherine despised simpering fools, especially when they were women. On the rare occasion that she did meet with a lady of strong character, she enjoyed herself immensely. The eyes of the world would never see this though. Lady Catherine de Bourg had a reputation to maintain! Her vanity and sense of self-importance made her blind to the incongruity of her manner of domineering over her daughter while holding a preference for strong-willed women. It could only be said that Rosings could only tolerate one such strong personality in residence at a time.

When the evening was ending, cards being the pastime of choice, Lady Catherine offered the use of her carriage back to the parsonage. Whilst they waited for its appearance, Elizabeth had the chance to once again speak with Anne.

"You may not believe this, Miss Bennet, but I believe my mother likes you." Anne said to a surprised Elizabeth.

"If this is how she displays her fondness, I should hate to be one she dislikes." Elizabeth replied.

"Actually, she normally asks several of her candid questions. If she does not care for the answers, she ignores that person. So even apparent condescension is a sign of respect, Miss Bennet."

Just then the carriage was announced and the Hunsford party returned to the parsonage.

Elizabeth spent her mornings exploring the paths through Rosings' Park. Her second morning found her climbing a small hill. She knew that it must overlook Rosings but was pleasantly surprised at what was awaiting her at the top. There stood a round building that looked like a Grecian Temple. The columns rose majestically to support a domed roof. Elizabeth was delighted. She could imagine walking up here to have a picnic with Georgiana after she arrived. The timber had been removed to form a lane and it offered an unencumbered view of the great house. But as delightful as this building was, the real beauty was the wood that guarded its approach. The rhododendron bushes that lined the path were substantial and were beginning to show their blooms. In the weeks to come they would be magnificent. Elizabeth was anticipating their intoxicating fragrance to be almost overpowering. She was also delighted to find that the current owner of Rosings did not see fit to arrange for the careful ordering of the plants so far from the house in general. Nature was allowed her purview here. Only in the pathways was nature imposed upon. Up here, the only allowance for the Mistress of Rosings' authority was the cleared lane between the temple and the formal lower gardens. The garden staff apparently was sent occasionally to uproot any offending sapling or bush that invaded the grass which covered the lane up the hill. Upon closer inspection, Elizabeth found a variety of wildflowers in this lane whose color was hidden from view lower down, furthering her enchantment with the place.

When the time for lunch was approaching, Elizabeth reluctantly left the hill's crest and began descending to level ground. Wild game was abundant and twice she spotted rabbits scurrying for cover upon her unwelcome intrusion. Elizabeth's keen eyes spotted a few glades visible from the heights and determined to seek them out the next day.

Sir William had departed for Hertfordshire just after breakfast that morning. Elizabeth found the dinner conversation varied little with his departure, as Mr. Collins still took every opportunity to praise Lady Catherine and everything associated with her.

The next morning, Elizabeth struck out on a path she was sure would lead her towards a hidden glade she had spotted the previous day. She wandered for nearly an hour before she spied a faint, overgrown trail. Sensing that she had found the access to that glade, she immediately drew up her skirts and went in search of it. Her instincts did prove correct for within ten minutes she came out of the wood and entered into the hidden glade. No signs of man's interference were present save for a crudely carved bench at the edge of the clearing. Elizabeth was delighted once more to have found such a lovely place to bring Georgiana. Elizabeth availed herself of the bench and drew out the book she had brought with her. It was Shakespeare's Sonnets, her old and trusted friend. Many hours she had spent pondering the words of the Bard. She could recite many of them by heart.

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate."**

Elizabeth was in the mood for contemplation. Georgiana would arrive tomorrow. Elizabeth was thrilled to see her again so soon but that thought was tempered with the knowledge that her brother and her cousin would be accompanying her. She was eager to meet Colonel Fitzwilliam, since Georgiana had often spoken of him in the most glowing of terms. If he were as amiable as his parents, he would be a delight to know. But Elizabeth was ambivalent about seeing Mr. Darcy again. She knew she was deeply attracted to him. His very presence excited her yet brought about an uncomfortable knowledge that he could never lower himself to take notice of her. He was always polite but maintained a discernable emotional distance. Yet, at times he slipped into an easier demeanor and engaged in the teasing she adopted with Georgiana.

It was no use, her heart was in danger and it was no one's fault but her own. She should have declined Charlotte's invitation and overcome her desire to see Georgiana so soon. She should have taken more time to prepare herself, but the deed was done and tomorrow the object of her admiration would be ensconced at Rosings.

She was brought out of her reflections by a bird that suddenly called out from a nearby tree. It was time to return to the parsonage for lunch. Elizabeth sighed, closed her book and rose from the bench to begin the journey back. It was only three weeks. She would school herself to hide her emotions for 3 weeks. As long as Georgiana did not ask any penetrating questions, her secret would be concealed. Oh whom was she kidding! Georgiana would most naturally ask such probing questions. She had been attempting to match Elizabeth and her brother her entire stay in London. If it became too uncomfortable she would have to speak openly with her friend. Elizabeth dared hope it would not come down to that.

* The Gospel of Matthew 13:24-30

**William Shakespeare, Sonnet 18

I've always thought that Lady Catherine liked Elizabeth Bennet and once she got over her outrage of Darcy marrying her instead of Anne. that she allowed herself to be reconciled to them again after a proper length of time because she admired Elizabeth's spirit.