The Gentleman & The Rake

A Man of Few Words: Chapter 5

Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Meet Again, and Darcy Makes a Huge Miscalculation 

Darcy hardly thought of Miss Elizabeth over the next four months. In London and at his Aunt Fitzwilliam's (a brief weekend visit that coincided with a ball), he found himself comparing the young ladies present to Miss Elizabeth. They always fell short. That was to be expected. Miss Elizabeth set a high standard of kindness, sisterly devotion, and genial, unaffected good manners. 

He certainly didn't dwell on her personality. Perhaps, he remembered one of her merry quips. Perhaps, he retained a clear image of her smoke-colored eyes. Perhaps, he even mentioned her to Georgiana once or twice--without suggesting any kind of attachment, of course. But he was sure when he arrived at Lady Catherine's estate of Rosings with his cousin, Colonel John Fitzwilliam, that given a few more months he would mostly have forgotten Miss Elizabeth. 

Lady Catherine greeted Darcy and Fitzwilliam with complacent condescension. 

"The Collinses have the oddest visitor," she said at the dinner table. "A friend of Mrs. Collins from before she was married. I can't speak to modern manners, but the friend seems a very forward sort of person. Of course, she claims to know you, Darcy, but I can't believe--" 

Mr. Collins had married Charlotte Lucas, a friend of Miss Elizabeth's (in Darcy's world, reports of marriages and death seemed to travel faster than special messenger). Darcy set down his knife and fork and concentrated on his aunt. 

"--and very self-assured which I'm sure is not entirely proper for a young lady, even a young lady of twenty--" 

Will she never state the visitor's name? 

"-and all five sisters already out." 

It was Miss Elizabeth. Darcy's stomach churned. 

"Five sisters," John was saying in his mild humorous way. "Good heavens." 

"Astonishing, isn't it," Lady Catherine said without hearing John's irony; she never did. Had Miss Elizabeth tried to laugh at her? If so, Darcy couldn't imagine the encounter had been a success. 

"Do you remember this Miss Elizabeth?" John asked on their way to the drawing room to play cards. 

"Yes," Darcy said. 

"A bit more entertaining than our aunt?" 

"Yes." 

* * * 

John was all for meeting the single ladies--Mrs. Collins's unmarried sister was also visiting. The next morning, they headed to the Hunsford parsonage, encountering Mr. Collins in the lane. Mr. Collins bowed, reminded Darcy of their last meeting, and apologized for forcing Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam to walk all the way from Rosings without his companionship. Darcy decided that Miss Elizabeth's current living situation provided her with a surfeit of follies and nonsense. 

He entered the parsonage parlor after John. "Hello," John said, striding up to Miss Elizabeth. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance." 

Darcy turned to Mrs. Collins. With is easy affability, John could bypass such basic courtesies; no one ever noticed. Darcy remembered Mrs. Collins vaguely from Hertfordshire and was surprised all over again that Mr. Collins had snagged such a calm, self-possessed young woman. Presumably the benefits of having her own household outweighed the drawbacks of her odd, ineffectual husband. 

Darcy sat beside the imperturbable Mrs. Collins and watched John discuss the Kentish countryside with Miss Elizabeth. She responded with a glance at Darcy. Their last conversation had been at the Netherfield ball, where they had discussed Wickham. He could hardly raise that subject now. He could ask her about poetry, but no, that was too complex a subject for this brief meeting. John had already asked her about the countryside. Darcy could ask her about her travels to Hunsford, but no, John had covered that topic too.