Lady Catherine’s visit left Elizabeth deeply unsettled.
She could not stop thinking about it for hours.
Lady Catherine had actually traveled all the way from Rosings just to stop what she believed was an engagement between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy.
Elizabeth found the whole situation almost unbelievable.
But then she began to understand how the rumor might have started.
Bingley was Darcy’s close friend, and Elizabeth was Jane’s sister. Now that Jane and Bingley were engaged, people naturally assumed that Darcy and Elizabeth might be the next couple to marry.
Elizabeth herself had already thought about the possibility that Jane’s marriage would bring her and Darcy together more often.
The Lucases at Lucas Lodge probably heard about Jane and Bingley through the Collinses.
They had simply taken something Elizabeth considered possible in the future and turned it into something they believed was about to happen.
Still, Elizabeth could not stop worrying about Lady Catherine’s visit.
Lady Catherine had made it very clear that she intended to prevent the marriage.
Elizabeth began to wonder whether she would now go directly to Darcy and try to convince him to give Elizabeth up.
She did not know exactly how much Darcy respected his aunt or how much he depended on her opinion.
But she suspected that he valued her judgment far more than Elizabeth did.
And Lady Catherine knew exactly where Darcy was most vulnerable.
She would probably remind him of the difference between their families and everything he might lose by marrying Elizabeth.
To Elizabeth, those arguments seemed ridiculous.
But Darcy might see things differently.
He cared deeply about family reputation and social standing.
If he had already been uncertain about what to do, Lady Catherine’s advice might settle the matter.
Perhaps he would decide that the safest choice was to avoid Elizabeth altogether.
And if that happened, he might never return.
Darcy could easily meet Lady Catherine in London.
Bingley had promised to return to Netherfield, but if Darcy persuaded him to change his plans, Bingley might come back without him.
Elizabeth tried to prepare herself for that possibility.
“If Bingley returns without Darcy,” she thought, “I’ll understand what it means.”
“I’ll have to give up hoping that Darcy will remain faithful to what he once felt.”
“If he is satisfied simply regretting me, when he could have had my love and married me, then I will soon stop regretting him.”
The rest of the family was extremely curious when they learned that Lady Catherine had been their unexpected visitor.
But Elizabeth gave them the same harmless explanation her mother had accepted.
That saved her from having to answer a hundred questions.
The next morning, Elizabeth was coming downstairs when her father came out of his library holding a letter.
“Lizzy,” Mr. Bennet said, “I was just coming to find you. Come into my study.”
Elizabeth followed him.
Her curiosity immediately increased when she noticed the letter in his hand.
Could it be from Lady Catherine?
Perhaps she had written to explain what had happened.
Elizabeth felt nervous as she followed her father into the library.
They sat down near the fireplace.
“I received a very surprising letter this morning,” Mr. Bennet said.
“Since it concerns you, I think you should hear what it says.”
“I had no idea that I had two daughters who were both so close to marriage.”
“Let me congratulate you on such an important conquest.”
Elizabeth’s face suddenly turned red.
For one hopeful moment, she thought the letter might be from Darcy.
Perhaps he had finally explained his feelings.
She could not decide whether she was more excited that he had written at all or disappointed that he had not written directly to her.
Then her father continued.
“You look guilty already.”
“Young women usually understand these things better than their fathers.”
“But I don’t think even you can guess who your admirer is.”
He held up the letter.
“It is from Mr. Collins.”
“Mr. Collins?” Elizabeth said in disbelief. “What could he possibly want?”
“Something very interesting, I assure you.”
“He begins by congratulating us on Jane’s approaching marriage. Apparently, some of the very friendly and very talkative Lucases have told him about it.”
“I’ll spare you that part.”
“But here is what he says about you.”
Mr. Bennet began reading.
“After congratulating you and Mrs. Bennet on Jane’s marriage, I must mention another piece of news we have heard from the same source.”
“Your daughter Elizabeth, it seems, will soon stop being Miss Bennet once her older sister is married.”
“And the man she is expected to marry must be one of the most important men in the country.”
Mr. Bennet looked at Elizabeth.
“Any idea who he means?”
He continued reading.
“This gentleman apparently possesses everything anyone could desire: a large fortune, an important family, and powerful connections.”
“However, I feel obliged to warn my cousin Elizabeth and yourself about the dangers of accepting his proposal too quickly.”
Mr. Bennet stopped.
“Do you know who he means yet?”
He smiled.
“Now we come to it.”
“My reason for giving this warning is that we have reason to believe his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, strongly disapproves of the match.”
Mr. Bennet lowered the letter.
“So there we are. Mr. Darcy is the mysterious gentleman.”
“I don’t think even the Lucases could have chosen a more ridiculous name.”
“Mr. Darcy, who never looks at a woman except to find something wrong with her.”
“And apparently, according to them, he has never even looked at you!”
Mr. Bennet laughed.
“What a wonderful piece of gossip!”
Elizabeth tried to laugh with him.
She managed only a weak smile.
Her father had never made a joke that was less welcome.
“Isn’t this amusing?” he asked.
“Oh, yes,” Elizabeth said. “Please read the rest.”
Mr. Bennet continued.
“Last night, I mentioned this possible marriage to Lady Catherine.”
“She immediately expressed her strong disapproval.”
“It became clear that because of certain objections concerning the Bennet family, she would never approve such a disgraceful match.”
“I therefore felt it my duty to inform my cousin as quickly as possible, so that she and her noble admirer would understand the situation and avoid rushing into a marriage that had not received Lady Catherine’s approval.”
Mr. Bennet turned the page.
“There is more.”
“Mr. Collins also says that he is extremely relieved that Lydia’s unfortunate affair has been kept relatively quiet.”
“He only regrets that so many people know she lived with Wickham before they were married.”
Mr. Bennet shook his head.
“And now he has something to say about me.”
“He says that he cannot understand why I welcomed Lydia and Wickham back into the family after their marriage.”
“He considers it an encouragement of immoral behavior.”
“He even says that if he were the rector of Longbourn, he would have strongly opposed it.”
Mr. Bennet laughed again.
“According to Mr. Collins, we should forgive them as Christians, but never allow them into our company or even mention their names.”
“That is apparently his idea of Christian forgiveness.”
“The rest of his letter is about his dear Charlotte and his hopes of having a baby.”
Mr. Bennet looked at Elizabeth.
“But you don’t seem to be enjoying this.”
“I hope you’re not going to become offended over such a ridiculous rumor.”
“After all, what else do we live for except to entertain our neighbors and laugh at them when they give us the chance?”
Elizabeth forced another smile.
“Oh, I am amused.”
“But it is very strange.”
“Yes, exactly!” Mr. Bennet said.
“That is what makes it so funny.”
“If they had chosen any other man, the story wouldn’t be nearly as amusing.”
“But Mr. Darcy is completely indifferent to you, while you have always disliked him so strongly.”
“That makes the whole thing wonderfully absurd.”
He smiled.
“As much as I hate writing letters, I wouldn’t give up Mr. Collins’s letters for anything.”
“In fact, I think I enjoy his letters even more than Wickham’s.”
“And that is saying something, considering how much I admire Wickham’s shamelessness and hypocrisy.”
“Now tell me, Lizzy, what did Lady Catherine say about all this?”
“Did she come here to refuse her permission?”
Elizabeth could only laugh.
Her father had asked the question without the slightest suspicion.
So she was able to hide the truth.
But she had never found it so difficult to pretend that she felt something she did not.
She wanted to cry, yet she had to laugh.
Her father’s joke about Darcy being completely indifferent to her had hurt far more than he realized.
Elizabeth could only wonder how her father had failed to notice Darcy’s feelings.
Or worse, she wondered whether she herself had imagined those feelings and hoped for far more than had ever really existed.
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