23. Chapter 23

Ch 23

The next morning, Lizzy followed Charlotte into the family pew of church while Mr. Collins made his way to a screened off section at the other side.

"What is that?" Lizzy asked, staring at the elaborately carved wooden screens that shielded several pews.

"Lady Catherine does not want her presence to be a distraction to those who ought to be listening to the sermons," Charlotte whispered in her ear.

"How singular." And how incredibly arrogant… She rubbed her lips with her knuckles. …or perhaps thoughtful? There is no doubt that she and her daughter would be the source of many untoward stares. Surely they do not like to be stared at. Mr. Darcy has expressed his dislike of London for that reason. She sighed. I am far too ready to believe badly of them and I have not even met them yet. Even if I cannot believe Mr. Collins effusions, Charlotte speaks well of her as does Mr. Clark. Papa would be disappointed with my rush to judgment. I must improve my attitude.

Several minutes later, Mr. Clark approached the front of the church and service began. At first Lizzy was surprised that Mr. Clark was preaching, surely Lady Catherine would rather have had her vicar, not the curate teach. Listening to him, she had to grudgingly admit her estimation of Lady Catherine improved. Mr. Clark was, without a doubt a much more pleasing man to listen to, and she confessed to herself, he even seemed to believe in what he was saying. I wonder if Lady Catherine directed his sermon for him. Somehow I feel certain she could not have allowed anything to pass scrutinized with in her realm.

After the final "amen," the De Bourghs filed out first. Miss De Bourgh stayed between Lady Catherine and Mrs. Jenkins, her head down, face obscured by her bonnet as she hurried out the door, pausing only briefly to acknowledge the vicar and curate.

I have heard of girls so shy, but still… Lizzy shook her head sharply and turned away when she realized she had been staring. She followed Charlotte out of the church, pausing at the door for Charlotte to make introductions. Lady Catherine blinked at her briefly as she passed. From the corner of her eyes, she saw the phaeton, driven by Mrs. Jenkins hurry away. "She seems in a great hurry to leave," she whispered, leaning close to Charlotte.

"Miss De Bourgh is very uncomfortable in such large groups, so does not stay after service. That has been her habit for quite some time, and no one expects her greetings." Charlotte smiled at an ample woman whose hat sported an entire bird. "Mrs. Whittles, what a pleasure it is to see you this morning. My I introduce my friend…"

Scarcely anything was talked of the remainder day but their impending visit to Rosings. Mr. Collins was carefully instructing them in what they were to expect lest the sight of such rooms, so many servants, and so splendid a dinner wholly overpower them. Lizzy felt certain that the mere stateliness of money and rank she expected to witness would not overwhelm her senses. She quickly tired of his verbosity and was happy for the moment when the ladies separated for their toilette.

On the way to the stairs, Mr. Collins pulled Lizzy aside. "I have noticed, Cousin, you have suffered from a number of headaches since you have been with us." His heavy brows crowded low over his eyes.

"Yes, sir, it seems that I have." Lizzy tried to edge past him, but he placed his foot on the next step up effectively blocking her way.

"Will you be well tonight? Lady Catherine will be most displeased if you become indisposed during our visit. Fortunately, my dear Charlotte does not suffer from such weaknesses as her ladyship in her great wisdom, considers such complaints a female affectation of which she has little tolerance. If you feel you will be overcome tonight, perhaps it would be best for you to remain here at the parsonage. I will be most happy to explain your absence, and you need not fear her disapprobation for she is a paragon of Christian mercy and will not hold your absence against you. "

Lizzy straightened her back, lifting her chin. "Thank you for your concern, sir. I assure you, I am quite well." She hurried up the stairs biting her tongue painfully along the way.

As the weather was fine, they had a pleasing walk of about half a mile across the park. Mr. Clark's tales from the day before allowed Lizzy to become lost in her own thoughts and ignore Mr. Collins enumerating the windows at the front of the house and their original cost to Sir Lewis De Bourgh.

"You seem quite distracted," Charlotte observed as she lingered back behind the men.

"I suppose I was a little. Pray forgive me, I promise I will be more attentive." Lizzy sighed. "Do you, too, fear I will embarrass you tonight?"

"Certainly not. That is not to say I do not fear discomfiture this evening, only that I do not believe it will come from your quarters." Charlotte frowned slightly as her eyes wandered to her father and husband.

When they ascended the many steps up to the front door, even Sir William lost his calm demeanor, though Charlotte smiled and tried to encourage both Maria and him.

Lizzy struggled not to roll her eyes and offer a biting remark. It is a house and nothing more, grand though it may be! You would think we were being ushered into the throne room of heaven itself.

A liveried servant greeted them in the foyer and brought them to a richly appointed room. Lady Catherine awaited their arrival in an elaborated gilded chair reminding Lizzy of nothing so much as a throne. She rose slowly form her perch, turning somberly to Charlotte.

Charlotte curtsied deeply, "Lady Catherine, may I present my father, Sir William Lucas."

He bowed deeply, but found himself so awed by the grandeur of his setting that he could not utter the speech he had so carefully rehearsed. Instead, he took his seat, his brow glittering with a faint sheen of perspiration.

"—my sister, Miss Maria Lucas—"

Maria, very pale and trembling, managed not to lose her balance as she curtsied. She tried to stammer something, but failed and hurried to sit beside her father. From the safety of the settee, her eyes daring around the room, moving from one treasure to the next, her mouth formed in a little round 'o' of wonder.

"—and my friend, Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn."

She managed a curtsey with complete aplomb, losing no color in her cheeks as she took in the great lady. Her nose is not nearly so large as I expected it to be.

Charlotte stepped back and indicated Lizzy should sit beside her.

Collins took the opportunity to rush forward. "Lady Catherine, we cannot express enough the depth of our gratitude at your most magnanimous generosity in extending…"

Lizzy's eyes wandered about the room, from one fine piece of furniture to an elegant tapestry on the walls. Eventually she noticed a tiny mouse house in the baseboard beneath a fine chest of drawers. A pink nose and tiny whiskers poked out for just a moment, then darted back into the darkness. She pressed her lips tightly together and struggled not to laugh.

"You seem quite amused, Miss Elizabeth Bennet." Lady Catherine stared down her nose.

Lizzy swallowed and blinked. "No indeed, madam." She felt Collins's eyes upon her. "I was merely taking in the very excellent taste with which this room was furnished."

"What in particular has garnered your notice?" Lady Catherine cocked an eyebrow.

Lizzy smiled slightly at her now pale cousin, then addressed her hostess, "I was admiring the roses so delicately painted along the ceiling above us."

"And do you know their significance?"

Collins opened his mouth to speak, but Lizzy cut him off.

"The rose is said to be sacred to Harpocrates, the god of silence It is often placed in the ceilings of rooms destined for the receiving of guests," she turned to her cousin with a wry smile, "implying that whatever is transacted there should not be made public."

Collins cheeks flushed and he drew in a sharp breath. A small quiver coursed through Charlotte as she tried to suppress a giggle.

Although her expression remained neutral, Lizzy thought she might have seen a flicker of amusement in Lady Catherine's eyes. "I am pleased to see you have refinement enough to recognize the finer things when you are presented with them. There are so many young people today," she cast a sidelong glance at Collins, "are unable to tell the difference between the gauche and true refinement."

Maria gasped and turned to her father. Sir William only shrugged, his eyes wide.

"Your ladyship is of course an expert…" Collins leaned forward.

Lady Catherine waved him down. "Yes, yes," she turned back to Charlotte . "Your friend seems like a very genteel, pretty sort of girl, Mrs. Collins. You said you have known her all your life."

"Indeed, I have." Charlotte nodded.

"Her family is well respected in our fine community." Sir William edged closer, the glimmer in his eyes suggested he was pleased to finally have something to say.

"Her father is the principal land holder in Herdfordshire?"

"No, madam," Lizzy replied. "There are a few others with estates of the same size— three, I believe. But their estates are not so near to Meryton that we enjoy easy society with them. We only meet a few times a year."

"Really, I am surprised. I imagine you often host dinners and balls at Longbourn?"

"No, madam, we do not."

"You must understand—" Collins interjected.

Lizzy huffed and cleared her throat loudly. "My mother passed five years ago. My father still mourns her loss and does not prefer to keep company in large groups. We do not host large gatherings. But we do often enjoy the company of our nearer neighbors."

"I understood from Mr. Collins that you had many sisters."

"There are five of us."

"Five? That is quite an inconsiderate number of girls for your mother to have delivered to your father. She should have borne him an heir."

As you did for Sir Lewis? Lizzy's cheeks burned. "Really, I do think it quite a burden that it should be considered the mother's fault that the offspring are not of the socially desired gender, do you not, madam? As I recall you yourself gave birth to a girl."

Collins turned white and clutched his chest.

"Upon my word, you give your opinion very decidedly for so young a person. Pray, what is your age?'' Although Lizzy could not be certain, she thought that one corner of Lady Catherine's lips twitched upwards.

"With three younger sisters nearly grown up, and none of the elder yet married, your ladyship can hardly expect me to own it.''

Lady Catherine seemed quite astonished at not receiving a direct answer. "You cannot be more than twenty, I am sure; therefore, you need not conceal your age.''

"I am not one and twenty.'' Elizabeth suspected herself to be the first creature who had ever dared meet the lady's dignified impertinence in equal measure.

"That is a very sensible age to be; there is no need to prevaricate regarding that."

"I am glad that it meets your approval." Lizzy glanced at Charlotte, who turned away to stifle a wayward giggle.

"Has your governess left you? Though if you have no mother in your house, I can hardly imagine you being without—"

"We never had any governess."

"No governess! How was that possible?" Lady Catherine rose halfway in her seat to glare down at her audience. "Five daughters brought up at home without a governess! I never heard of such a thing. Your mother must have been quite a slave to your education while she lived."

"She was very attentive to our education. She was quite adamant about the skills an accomplished lady of our sphere should acquire."

Collins drew a breath, but Charlotte shot him a warning glance.

"All of the Bennet sisters are quite accomplished—" William tried to join the conversation.

"Had I known your mother, I should have advised her most strenuously to engage a governess." She eased back down into her chair, the fine silk of her gown crinkling softly as she sat. "I always say that nothing is to be done in education without steady and regular instruction, and nobody but a governess can give it."

"Indeed, my lady, such wonderful advice should not be disregarded…"

This time, Lizzy was certain she saw Lady Catherine roll her eyes. "It is wonderful how many families I have been the means of supplying in that way. I am always glad to get a young person well placed out. Four nieces of Mrs. Jenkinson are most delightfully situated through my means, and it was but the other day that I recommended another young person, who was merely accidentally mentioned to me, and the family are quite delighted with her." Without pausing for breath she turned to Charlotte. "Did I tell you of Lady Metcalfe's calling yesterday to thank me? She finds Miss Pope a treasure. 'Lady Catherine,' said she, 'you have given me a treasure.'"

You would so freely recommend someone that you do not even know? Perhaps your advice is not so sage as everyone here seems to believe.

She turned back to Lizzy. "Do you play and sing, Miss Bennet?''

"A little." But having no intention of becoming a governess myself, I found it more profitable to study my sums instead.

"Oh! then some time or other we shall be happy to hear you. Our instrument is a capital one, probably superior to – You shall try it someday. Mrs. Collins is able to make quite passable music on it despite her inferior instruction."

Charlotte grimaced, but quickly recovered her tight smile.

"Do your sisters play and sing?''

"One of them does. Our middle sister had the greatest interest in all of us in performing. She has recently become accomplished enough that she is often requested to play in company."

"Why did not you all learn? You ought all to have learned. The Miss Webbs all play, as Mrs. Collins has heard from herself. Their father has not so good an income as yours."

Lizzy scowled and gritted her teeth. What exactly would you know of my father's income and how would you have come to that knowledge? Does Mr. Collins have no discretion…what am I thinking? I know he does not!

"Do you draw?''

"No, not at all.''

"What, none of you?''

"Not one. It is not a skill highly valued by my father."

Maria coughed loudly, her brows knit in distress.

"That is very strange. But I suppose you had no opportunity. Your mother should have taken you to town every spring for the benefit of masters.'' Lady Catherine leaned back, tapping her fingers together, her brows drawn together over deep-set eyes.

"My mother would have had no objection, but my father does not prefer to travel extended distances. His health does not permit him the luxury of much travel.''

"But it is a sacrifice he should have made…"

"Yes, there is a great deal to be benefitted by travel to London for the season. But really, Ma'am, I think quite a difficult thing to insist that the only way a young woman may be accomplished is to be instructed in London or that the only accomplishments appropriate for a young woman are those which are defined by London society."

"And what accomplishments would you consider necessary for a young woman?"

"Will we be graced with the company of your lovely daughter tonight?" Collins asked suddenly a little breathless.

Lady Catherine turned away from Collins and looked from Lizzy, to Maria and Sir William, then finally to Charlotte. In a very soft voice she asked, "What you have told me of Mr. Bennet is true?"

Lizzy's brows shot up, and she stared pointedly at her friend.

Charlotte nodded somberly.

Lady Catherine reached across a small table and rang a silver bell. A servant appeared in the doorway. She waved toward the stairs then curled her fingers toward herself. The man bowed and hurried away.

The party waited in silence for several moments, then Mrs. Jenkins appeared at the door. "Your ladyship?"

"Come in, Mrs. Jenkins, Anne."

As Mrs. Jenkins entered, the party rose. Behind her, Anne De Bourgh slowly entered, turning her face, no longer hidden by a large hat brim, toward them.

Lizzy gasped more loudly than she realized when she recognized the blank expression in Anne's eyes—she was completely blind! Without a thought, Lizzy's feet carried her to Anne's side.

Collins stepped forward, but Lady Catherine held him off. "The Collinses have brought their company tonight, the young woman who approaches—"

"I am Miss Elizabeth Bennet," Lizzy interrupted.

Anne turned toward the voice, her brows lifted high, her lips parted. "You are not shouting. Everyone shouts at me when they are introduced."

"Well, that makes precious little sense does it not, for your ears work perfectly well; it is your eyes that do not." She smiled and dipped in a deep, perfect curtsey. "And if you could see me, you would know that I am making you a very pretty curtsey in honor of our acquaintance."

Collins and Anne gasped, then the room became silent, the only noise, the skittering of the dormouse into its hole.