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A Proposal at
Hunsford
Darcy moved quietly
through the house, careful not to alert his aunt to his purpose.
He succeeded in his aim and was soon ensconced within Mrs. Parks'
rooms, listening to his cousin play the pianoforte. That is,
if one could count doing scales as playing the pianoforte.
As Darcy moved over
to a chair his movements caught Anne's eye. "Zounds! I am
discovered!"
Darcy shook his
head as he sat. "'Zounds' indeed! It is confirmed - you
have been spending too much time in Richard's company, Anne."
Or not nearly
enough, she sighed.
"(sniff) I suppose Richard told you about my little secret."
"He did. I
am proud of you."
"Thank you,
Fitzwilliam. (cough) Where is he, by the way?"
"Outside. I
believe he was walking about the gardens with the Miss Bennets
earlier."
"And you did
not join him?"
Darcy colored. "I
could not, Anne; I was with the steward for hours. We have in
fact just completed our ride. The ladies will return for tea
with the Collinses, I understand."
Hmm…here
is an opportunity.
"Mrs. Collins is very (cough) fortunate in her sisters,
do you not think so?"
Darcy became very
uncomfortable with this conversation. He did as he often did
when uncomfortable: he rose and walked to the window. "The
Miss Bennets are in every way very lovely and agreeable ladies,"
he replied as he scanned the grounds of Rosings. "It is
well that they have secured your friendship. Their connections
are such that they have few opportunities to meet with superior
people."
"Fie on you,
Fitzwilliam Darcy! (cough, cough) You sound as proud as my mother!"
Darcy turned open-mouthed
to his cousin. "That was un-called for, Anne! I do not sound…I
mean your mother…oh, drat!"
Anne smirked. "You
cannot say anything against her; can you, even outside of her
hearing? (sniff)"
Darcy returned to
his perusal of the grounds outside the window. "We both
know how your mother is, Anne. There is no reason to disparage
her. It is unseemly."
"Bah! She does
not deserve you, Fitzwilliam, or your deference." Darcy
said nothing. "But I know of one deserving lady, my dear
cousin."
Darcy turned his
head slightly. "Of whom are you speaking of?"
Anne returned to
her scales. "Jane Bennet is all sweetness and light. Never
have I met with a more agreeable person. Her face and features
- exquisite! (cough) And her conversation is what it ought -
not too much or too little, and never an unkind word." She
paused as she finished the scale. "And she would bore you
to death."
Darcy's face was
one of puzzlement during the majority of this declaration. At
the denouncement, he flushed and turned away, to hide the laugh
he strained to contain. "That…that would be one whose
heart would be difficult to secure. But she is a very admirable
lady."
"To be sure
- (sniff) - but her feelings are committed elsewhere."
The uneasy feeling
that had been hovering about Darcy for the last fortnight returned.
"Indeed? It is a fortunate man indeed that wins Miss Bennet."
"If the man
is worthy of her. (cough) She is disappointed in love, Fitzwilliam."
Darcy started. "What!
Do you know this for certain?"
"I cannot say
more; trust me, I know of what I speak."
Darcy found himself
falling into a chair. Good Lord! Could it be true? Is she
speaking of Bingley? But…there was nothing! I observed her
most closely! Could I be deceived?
Anne looked at her
cousin and was alarmed at his expression. "Fitzwilliam,
are you well?"
He looked back at
her, hiding his confusion. "Never better. I hope Miss Bennet
finds solace soon."
She returned to
the pianoforte. "(sniff) And Miss Elizabeth Bennet? Do you
have the same wish for her?"
Now it was Darcy's
turn to cough. "Of…of course."
Anne smiled; her
sally had hit its mark. "Now there is a rare treasure,
indeed. Brightness of mind and wit; and not a disagreeable visage,
either." Darcy nodded unconsciously. "Not every man
would appreciate her; (cough) they would be jealous or intimidated.
But to a man worthy of her and her mind…"
Darcy shuddered
as he thought of anyone else securing Elizabeth Bennet's affections.
"…he would
be very happy, I think. (sniff)" Anne stopped and turned
to Darcy. "Oh, cousin, are you blind?"
Preoccupied, he
could only respond, "W…what?"
"Fitzwilliam,
it is my opinion that Miss Elizabeth is not indifferent to you."
~~~~}+{~~~~
"What do you
mean you shall not go to tea?"
Elizabeth bid that
Mr. Collins lower his voice. "Jane is ill and I must attend
her. Please give Lady Catherine our regrets."
"Ill? Jane
is ill?" cried Mary. "What is the matter?"
"A headache,
only - but a painful one."
"I cannot leave!
Husband, we shall all stay!"
Mr. Collins thought
he was going to have a heart attack. "N…no! That will
not be necessary! Eliza said herself that Jane has only the headache.
Our servant can stay with her. It is not necessary for us to
so disappoint Lady Catherine de Bourgh so completely over so
trifling a malady!"
Mary's eyes narrowed.
"A servant - watch over my sister? Mr. Collins - of what
can you be thinking of?"
I am thinking
I shall spend very little time in your rooms in the near future, thought the clergyman morosely.
Elizabeth interjected.
"No - no. This is unnecessary. I shall stay with Jane. You
attend to Lady Catherine and Miss de Bourgh. We shall be fine."
To Mary: "Should there be any hint of something serious
I shall send word directly."
"I do not like
this, Lizzy."
Mr. Collins realized
that one Mary in the hand was better than three Bennets in the
bush. "Eliza is being quite reasonable, my dear. She shall
take care of poor Jane, and we shall do our duty to our noble
patroness."
Mary wanted to wish
her "noble patroness" to the Devil, but instead said,
"Very well, Lizzy - we shall go without you. But I am most
seriously displeased."
~~~~}+{~~~~
Darcy walked his
cousin to the sitting room, in full expectation of enjoying looking
upon Elizabeth Bennet's lovely face. Instead he found only his
cousin, his aunt, a clergyman and his wife.
"But what is
this?" he blurted out. "Where are the Miss Bennets?"
"A thousand
pardons, my dear Mr. Darcy," began Collins. "My sister
Jane is indisposed and Miss Elizabeth waits upon her. I tried
to convince my younger sister to entrust Miss Jane to our most
attentive housekeeper, but she would not hear of it. She is …rather…strong
minded for one so young."
"Mr. Collins!"
cried his wife. "Had not Lizzy insisted I attend today,
I assure you that I would be with her at the parsonage this instant!"
"Of course,
my dear wife; you are most attentive to others' needs…"
Lady Catherine weighed
in. "You are very right, Mrs. Collins - hired help cannot
always be counted on to be attentive when one is ill. Miss Elizabeth's
choice is right and proper; I hope that Miss Bennet shall recover
quickly. She should stay out of the sun; she spends far too much
time in it for it to be healthful for her. We shall all miss
your sisters, but we shall endeavor to carry on, I dare say.
You are looking very well, Anne; especially on Darcy's arm. Does
she not look well, Richard?"
"She is all
loveliness, Aunt."
Anne blushed. If
only you meant that, Richard!
On his part, Darcy
heard hardly a word. Miss Bennet ill? Is it catching? I must
see to this! "Aunt Catherine! Forgive me, but I have
just recalled to my mind some business that must be attended
to this instant. I shall see you at supper." He rose and
headed for the door.
"Nephew! Where
are you going?"
"Yes, Darce,"
chimed in Fitzwilliam. "Surely your business can wait until
after tea."
"No! I must
not tarry a moment longer!" He fled out of the room; within
moments he was on the road to the parsonage.
"Well, I never!"
exclaimed Lady Catherine.
Anne simply smiled
to herself. Elizabeth, you are going to be a very happy woman!
~~~~}+{~~~~
When they were gone,
Elizabeth, as if intending to exasperate herself as much as possible
against Mr. Darcy, chose for her employment the examination of
all the comments and actions which Jane had made or done since
her being in Kent. They contained no actual complaint, nor were
there any revival of past occurrences, or any communication of
present suffering. But in all there was a want of that cheerfulness
which had been used to characterize her character, and which,
proceeding from the serenity of a mind at ease with itself and
kindly disposed towards every one, had been scarcely ever clouded.
Elizabeth noticed every movement conveying the idea of uneasiness,
with an attention that it had hardly received on the first notice.
Mr. Darcy's shameful boast of what misery he had been able to
inflict gave her a keener sense of her sister's sufferings. And
now that it was out in the open, Jane's misery was complete.
It was some consolation to think that his visit to Rosings was
to end on the day after the next; and a still greater, that in
less than a fortnight she and Jane would quit this hateful county,
and enabled to contribute to the recovery of their spirits by
all that affection they held for Hertfordshire.
She could not think
of Darcy's leaving Kent without remembering that his cousin was
to go with him; but agreeable as Colonel Fitzwilliam was, he
had been Mr. Darcy's messenger, and therefore she did not mean
to be unhappy about him.
While settling this
point, she was suddenly roused by the sound of the door bell,
and to her utter amazement, she saw Mr. Darcy walk into the room.
In a hurried manner he immediately began an enquiry after her
sister's health thusly: "I understand that your sister is
ill."
Barely containing
her composure she answered. "I thank you sir, but it is
but the headache. I assure you she is in good health."
"You did not
come to tea today; they said Miss Bennet was ill." This
statement was more to himself than anyone. He sat down for a
few moments, and then getting up, walked about the room. Elizabeth
was surprised, but said not a word. After a silence of several
minutes, he came towards her in an agitated manner, and thus
began,
"In vain have
I struggled! It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed.
You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love
you!" With that he took a knee at her feet. "In spite
of all my endeavors, I have found it impossible to conquer the
strength of my feelings. The inferiority of your family, the
miserable connections; the denigration; the lack of judgment
I display. The harshness that I will be rightly judged by my
family - all this is as nothing against my attachment to you!
I have struggled greatly, and I hope I shall be rewarded. Miss
Bennet - will you accept my hand in marriage?"
Elizabeth's astonishment
was beyond expression. She could easily see that he had no doubt
of a favorable answer. He spoke of apprehension and anxiety,
but his countenance expressed real security. Such a circumstance
could only exasperate farther, and when he ceased, the color
rose into her cheeks, and she said,
"In such cases
as this, it is, I believe, the established mode to express a
sense of obligation for the sentiments avowed, however unequally
they may be returned. It is natural that obligation should be
felt, and if I could feel gratitude, I would now thank you. But
I cannot - I have never desired your good opinion, and
you have certainly bestowed it most unwillingly! I am sorry to
have occasioned pain to any one. It has been most unconsciously
done, however, and I hope will be of short duration. ''
Mr. Darcy, who was
still on one knee with his eyes fixed on her face, seemed to
catch her words with no less resentment than surprise. His complexion
became pale with anger, and the disturbance of his mind was visible
in every feature. He was struggling for the appearance of composure,
and would not open his lips, till he believed himself to have
attained it. The pause was to Elizabeth's feelings dreadful.
At length, after
getting to his feet and crossing to the mantle, Darcy turned
and in a voice of forced calmness he demanded, "And this
is all the reply which I am to have the honor of expecting! I
might, perhaps, wish to be informed why, with so little endeavor
at civility, I am thus rejected. But it is of small importance.''
"I might as
well enquire,'' replied she, "why, with so evident a design
of offending and insulting me, you chose to tell me that you
liked me against your will, against your reason, and even against
your character? Was not this some excuse for incivility, if I
was uncivil? But I have other provocations. You know I
have. Had not my own feelings decided against you, had they been
indifferent, or had they even been favorable, do you think that
any consideration would tempt me to accept the man, who has been
the means of ruining, perhaps for ever, the happiness of a most
beloved sister?''
As she pronounced
these words, Mr. Darcy changed color; but he listened without
attempting to interrupt her while she continued.
"I have every
reason in the world to think ill of you. No motive can excuse
the unjust and ungenerous part you acted there! You dare not
- you cannot - deny that you have been the principal, if not
the only means of dividing them from each other, of exposing
one to the censure of the world for caprice and instability,
the other to its derision for disappointed hopes, and involving
them both in misery of the acutest kind! Can you deny that you
have done it?''
"I…I do
not deny that I did every thing in my power to separate my friend
from your sister, for I had good reason to do so at the time.
I have recently been given over to other thoughts on that matter…"
"Other thoughts!
Sir, my sister lies inconsolable upstairs due to your interference!"
Darcy could not
bear her look and turned away.
"Oh, yes turn
away! Are you afraid to see the fruits of your labors? But you
must be; why else but to send your cousin to inform us of your
triumph? Wicked man!"
Darcy turned back.
"My cousin…?"
"But it is
not merely this affair on which my dislike is founded!"
Elizabeth continued, talking over the question Darcy was trying
to form. "Long before it had taken place, my opinion of
you was decided. Your character was unfolded in the recital which
I received many months ago from Mr. Wickham.''
His eyes flashed
in anger. "You take an eager interest in that gentleman's
concerns!''
"How can I
not, knowing what his misfortunes have been?"
"His misfortunes!''
repeated Darcy contemptuously; "yes, his misfortunes
have been great indeed.''
"You have reduced
him to his present state of poverty! You have withheld the advantages,
which you must know to have been designed for him! He was your
childhood friend! You have deprived the best years of his life!
You have done all this! Yet you can treat the mention of his
misfortunes with contempt and ridicule!''
"And this,''
cried Darcy, as he walked with quick steps across the room, "is
your opinion of me! This is the estimation in which you hold
me! My faults, according to this calculation, are heavy indeed!"
He moved to her. "But perhaps, these offences, real or otherwise…"
"Otherwise?!"
"…might
have been overlooked, had not your pride been hurt by my honest
confession of the scruples that had long prevented my forming
any serious design. These bitter accusations might have been
suppressed, had I with greater policy concealed my struggles.
But disguise of every sort is my abhorrence. Nor am I ashamed
of the feelings I related. They were natural and just. Could
you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your connections?
To congratulate myself on the hope of relations, whose condition
in life is so decidedly beneath my own?''
Elizabeth felt herself
growing more angry every moment; yet she tried to the utmost
to speak with composure when she said, "You are mistaken,
Mr. Darcy, if you suppose that the mode of your declaration affected
me in any other way, than as it spared me the concern which I
might have felt in refusing you, had you behaved in a more gentleman-like
manner.''
She saw him start
at this, but he said nothing, and she continued, "You could
not have made me the offer of your hand in any possible way
that would have tempted me to accept it! From the very beginning,
from the first moment I may almost say, of my acquaintance with
you, your manners, impressing me with the fullest belief of your
arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings
of others, were such as to form that ground-work of disapprobation,
on which succeeding events have built so immoveable a dislike.
I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last
man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry!''
A very pale Darcy
held up his hand, and he spoke in a very subdued manner. "You
have said quite enough, madam. I perfectly comprehend your feelings,
and have now only to be ashamed of what my own have been. Forgive
me for having taken up so much of your time, and accept my best
wishes for your health and happiness.''
And with these words
he hastily left the room, and Elizabeth heard him the next moment
open the front door and quit the house. She herself could not
stir for the world; frozen as she was to her chair.
"Elizabeth…?"
She looked up at the sound of her sister's voice. Jane had opened
the door and moved to her. "Whatever is the matter? I heard
voices raised."
"Oh, Jane!"
She threw herself into her sister's arms.
~~~~}+{~~~~
A very agitated
Fitzwilliam Darcy strode along the road connecting Hunsford and
Rosings. His mind was in turmoil, and he was occupied in making
some sense of it. Something must have happened recently! Anne
was so confident! How could they have known about Bingley? Why
did I ever get involved with that? Miss Bennet upset? Fitz said
nothing about her being… Fitz! "My cousin?" Oh,
God, Fitz - what have you done? What did you tell them? You could
not have been that stupid!
He did not notice
that Mr. and Mrs. Collins walking from Rosings nearby. "My
dear, Mr. Darcy looks quite upset. We should go and offer comfort."
"No, Mr. Collins;
I do not believe he is in any mood right now. We should not beard
the lion in his own den. Come along; we must see to Jane."
What has happened? Did Elizabeth do something foolish?
Darcy was minutes
later flying up the stars of Rosings, with the sound of his aunt's
unanswered command that he explain his absence from tea ringing
along the halls. Colonel Fitzwilliam was changing after tea when
the door to his room flew open. "Darcy! There you are! Where
the devil had you gotten to…?"
He could say no
more as Darcy's fist connected with his jaw.
~~~~}+{~~~~
The tumult of her
mind was now painfully great. She knew not how to support herself,
and from actual weakness sat down and cried for half an hour.
Her astonishment, as she reflected on what had passed, was increased
by every review of it. That she should receive an offer of marriage
from Mr. Darcy! That he should have been in love with her for
so many months! So much in love as to wish to marry her in spite
of all the objections which had made him prevent his friend's
marrying her sister, and which must appear at least with equal
force in his own case, was almost incredible!
It was gratifying
to have inspired unconsciously so strong an affection.
But his pride, his
abominable pride, his shameless avowal of what he had done with
respect to Jane, his unpardonable assurance in acknowledging,
though he could not justify it; and the unfeeling manner in which
he had mentioned Mr. Wickham, his cruelty towards whom he had
not attempted to deny, soon overcame the pity which the consideration
of his attachment had for a moment excited.
Once she had gathered
control of her emotions she explained all that had befallen her.
Jane for a short time forgot her own sorrow, so great was her
amazement.
"Mr. Darcy!
Proposed! You cannot be serious!"
"He did, Jane;
not a quarter hour ago."
"Mr. Darcy,
in love with you all this time. It is astonishing!"
"I have refused
him, of course!"
"Of course.
But…poor Mr. Darcy!"
"Jane! You
have not forgotten about what he did to you?" Elizabeth
instantly regretted her words, as Jane broke down again.
It was to the sight
of the Bennet sisters weeping in each other's arms that greeted
the returning Collinses. After a few aborted attempts to mollify
the young ladies, the tall clergyman admitted defeat and retreated
to his study. It was only then that all was explained to Mary.
~~~~}+{~~~~
The Bennet ladies
were deep in discussion deep into the night. Mr. Collins, a loyal
believer in Mr. Franklin's "early to bed; early to rise"
axiom, had already retired, and so the ladies were under no fear
of discovery.
"I knew it,"
Mary declared. "I knew there was some admiration on his
part towards you, Lizzy."
Elizabeth was still
in an agitated state. "Be that as it may, Mary; how could
he, in good conscience, expect me to accept him? Him, the destroyer
of all of dear Jane's hopes!"
Jane was in tears
again. "Elizabeth…please. If you truly liked him…"
"I do not -
especially after his cruel treatment of Mr. Wickham! You should
have heard him - he almost boasted of it!"
Mary frowned. "As
I have said before, I do not have the high opinion of that man
that you do, sister. From what Miss de Bough tells me…"
"Oh, Mary…they
are all alike! Do you truly expect Miss de Bourgh to go against
her family?"
Mary grew very still.
In a cold voice she said, "I trust my friend, Elizabeth;
and I would ask you not to speak of her in such a manner."
Elizabeth saw how
pale Mary had become, and was ashamed. "I am sorry, Mary.
I had no right to talk ill of Miss de Bourgh. Please forgive
me."
Mary nodded. "Thank
you. If you knew how much she liked you, you would never say
such a thing." Elizabeth blushed. "And I will tell
you that I am quite vexed with Mr. Darcy's interference with
Mr. Bingley."
Jane said nothing.
A few minutes later she excused herself to bed. The other ladies
soon followed.
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