Miss Lucas Page 3

  “I would apologize for Lizzy’s temper on the subject, but we both know it wouldn’t be quite genuine, or do a bit of good to resolve things between you. All I will say is that you have always been a dear friend to my niece. She is frightfully clever, but you have the rare ability to mediate her on a subject even after the rest of us have failed quite miserably. I consider that best sign of a friend.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Gardiner,” said Charlotte, unaccountably touched by such kind words.

  “However, I would hope that you remember that such influence goes both ways, my dear. As you have moderated my dear Lizzy, she has made you a bit livelier. Without having even met Mr. Collins I can scarcely imagine what a torment a lifetime with him would be to a woman of such sense. I trust that you expect you will be able to transform him into someone tolerable—for if anyone is capable of the task, it is you—but even your best efforts will not make him bearable for the rest of your days.”

  Charlotte rather prided herself on her ability to keep a placid expression no matter the conversation. However, it seemed that gift had abandoned her in the face of Mrs. Gardiner’s lecture. Charlotte smoothed out her countenance, but Mrs. Gardiner knew precisely what it meant and tried to recover their discussion. “Of course, should Mr. Collins renew his affections towards you, and should you decide to accept him, I will support you. I will remind Lizzy that she has chosen to be unbothered by Mr. Wickham’s rather mercenary turn away from her and towards Miss King, and thus she ought to extend you the same courtesy.” Mrs. Gardiner paused. “But still, I would forever fault myself if I had not made clear my high regard for you, Miss Lucas. And in truth, I had wished better for you than Mr. Collins.”

  It was the lady’s tone more than anything that stung Charlotte. Mrs. Gardiner gave her hand a gentle pat and wished her well, no matter how things might turn out.

  Charlotte did not know quite how to feel. Mrs. Gardiner was adept at that impressive layering of guilt and support that it seemed only mothers could manage properly. Were Charlotte to go to her parents and tell them that Mr. Collins had proposed, they would be thrilled for her and stunned that spinster Charlotte had managed to secure anyone. That the proposal was from Mr. Collins would barely factor into their excitement. In their opinion, at this point, any man at all would do. There would be no thoughts in their heads that perhaps, even at this age, Charlotte might be able to do better.

  Mrs. Gardiner meant her scolding kindly, Charlotte knew. Mrs. Gardiner was no great beauty and perhaps she knew better than Elizabeth what it meant to be in Charlotte’s position. But the lady’s opinion meant nothing when her husband sat across the room chatting with Mr. Lucas while her children were safely tucked in their beds at home in London. Charlotte might have been more touched and less offended were she being criticized for something she had done instead of something she might have done and that it increasingly looked like she would never have the opportunity to do.

  Perhaps what made the matter worse still was that when Mrs. Gardiner stepped away she went straight to Elizabeth’s card table. Charlotte was certain that if she had looked away from Mrs. Gardiner at any point in their conversation she would have seen Elizabeth watching the proceedings out of the corner of her eye, likely hoping that Charlotte’s great respect for Mrs. Gardiner would transform Charlotte’s opinion in a way that Elizabeth’s displeasure had not.

  Like awry lovers, Elizabeth glanced at Charlotte across the room, hoping to find some comfort in whatever she saw in Charlotte’s face. However, Charlotte could offer her no relief.

  Charlotte could not count the number of times she had confided in Elizabeth how irritating she found it to be pontificated at by a lady who had happily married young. Those women had no concept of Charlotte’s position or why she made the decisions she did. For all that they might disagree with Charlotte’s choices, she was making them with experience they would never understand. Elizabeth knew that, and still, she had chosen to send Mrs. Gardiner to lecture. It was an insult upon Charlotte’s already mortified disposition and so insensitive that for the first time in weeks Charlotte did not long for Elizabeth’s company.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The silence between Charlotte and Elizabeth might have gone on forever were it not for a letter from Mr. Collins arriving at Lucas Lodge. It read as follows:

  “My Dear Mr. Lucas,

  “My good sir, may I offer my most profound apologies for the protracted amount of time it has been since I was last able to pay my respects at your lovely home. When we last spoke I shared with you my sincere intentions to return to Longbourn as soon as possible after the beginning of the new year. As you yourself are aware, a man of my position bears burdensome responsibilities to his parish and his patroness—though they are a responsibility I feel myself blessed to endure—and Christmas was such a time when the good people of my parish were so requiring of my counsel. Also, I am afraid that, although it was he agreed upon amount of time for me to be away, Lady Catherine was left shouldering a large part of my burdens.

  Which is not to say she did not do an admirable job in my absence. In truth, I believe Lady Catherine to be so fine a lady that my role in caring for her people is inferior to hers. For truly, she considers them her people and no one is so involved in their cares and concerns as Lady Catherine, not even her parson. I imagine that I would be necessary for nothing more than services on Sunday, so magnificent is Lady Catherine at seeing to the needs of her parish, were Miss Anne de Bourgh, Lady Catherine’s estimable and striking daughter, not of such a delicate and ladylike constitution that the change in weather these last few weeks has been of particular impact on her health. I comfort myself with the knowledge that I have put forth my best efforts to console the entire household in this time of trial. Though Miss de Bourgh has not yet regained the entirety of her former gentle strength, she is much improved from the first week of January. On the presumption of your amiable disposition, I have conveyed to Miss de Bourgh yours and the entire Lucas family’s wishes for her speedy and complete recovery.

  “Trusting in your good nature sir, I am certain that you will understand these requirements of my profession and of my devotion, both to my patroness and to the sheep of my little flock. I am also certain that you will not begrudge me the difficulty in fulfilling my promise to return and visit when I am constrained by the deference I must show to my good uncle in all matters pertaining to his neighborhood. As I am sure you are far better informed than I, things at the Bennet household have been feverishly occupied over the last few months. I would not be so impolite as to disrupt their home with my presence when my dear Uncle has made it clear that they are otherwise engaged. Despite my recently renewed experience in this area, I imagine that it is the responsibility of one to bear the pain of a long separation for the good of family instead of succumbing to one’s own desires and insisting on a visit simply because one is anxious to renew the delightful company of their acquaintances.”

  At this point in his recitation of the letter, Sir Lucas looked up at Charlotte with a small smile. “You and I would never do a friend the discourtesy of pretending to be occupied when we are not, but I suppose we must extend Mr. Bennet a bit of understanding. In all the years I have known him he has never been one for company, even company as pleasant as Mr. Collins.”

  Charlotte was rather more amused by the thoughts of what would happen at Longbourn when Mrs. Bennet realized that Mr. Bennet had spent months denying Mr. Collins the chance to come for a second visit while she had daughters still unwed. Then Charlotte recalled she would be deprived of Elizabeth’s dramatic recitation of the quarrel and her smiled faded.

  Her father resumed reading.

  “I know that things at Longbourn remain so frightfully busy that I will not soon be able to return to Meryton and all the new associations there that I so value, but I would count myself grateful at the opportunity to visit with even a few of my dear friends while I wait for the chance to return to you all. I have discussed the matter with La
dy Catherine, and she has agreed wholeheartedly that I should not risk allowing any of the newly constructed relationships between us to wither away because of such extensive time apart. With that purpose, and because she is nothing but a fount of generosity to all who know her, Lady Catherine has offered to let whichever of my cousins who are able stay in her glorious home of Rosings Park. Though I understand that in their youth and conviviality my cousins might be hesitant to come and visit me, my life being one of service and contemplation as it is, I cannot imagine how any of them would be unwilling to partake of Rosings Park in all its glory when they have the rare opportunity to not only dine and visit within its walls but to stay.

  “I have conveyed my request to Mr. Bennet, thanking him for his leniency in allowing me to write him so many times seeking out permission to return to his home, and asking that perhaps some portion of my cousins might be allowed to visit. However, I turn to you, my dear Sir Lucas, for an additional favor. While I am overjoyed at the opportunity to perhaps see my cousins once again when I had feared that I might not be able to interact with my so recently re-discovered family until summer at least, I write to you with a particular appeal. Although I trust my young cousins to show all the proper deference for Lady Catherine and all gratitude for the condescension she is showing them by allowing them to remain within her home, I confess that there is no better influence in their young lives than Miss Lucas. So I ask that you might permit her to join my cousins on their trip to Rosings. Of course, I also extend the opportunity to visit to whichever of Miss Lucas’ younger sisters you feel might benefit from the experience.

  “I trust that you will take this request as the highest of compliments towards Miss Lucas’ exemplary behavior. I am certain that she alone will have the capacity to superintend whichever of my cousins comes to visit, ensuring that the introduction between my family and my most generous of patronesses will go well.”

  The rest of the letter once again extolled the virtues of Lady Catherine and all that might be gained by any young woman making her acquaintance, but Mr. Collins needn’t have bothered. Even as Sir Lucas read the words, Charlotte could tell that he was already in favor of her going and Maria’s half-terrified expression meant that she was thinking of coming along as well. As for Charlotte, she was reluctantly impressed by how well Mr. Collins had engineered a way around Mr. Bennet’s objections to his presence at Longbourn. Mr. Bennet could not keep this letter from his wife, not with the risk of Lady Lucas being the one to tell her all about it. Mrs. Bennet would then insist that Elizabeth go and easily permit whichever of the other sisters deigned to go, or to not. No one would question the inclusion of Charlotte because she could be trusted to keep Elizabeth from accidentally offending Mr. Collins more than she already had.

  All of that was as well structured as Charlotte expected from such an obsequious little fellow as Collins, but how well he had feigned asking for Charlotte, that was a deft turn she had not anticipated. It was beyond even Charlotte’s own father’s comprehension that Mr. Collins might have designs upon her, and so they all imagined that Mr. Collins could only want Charlotte’s presence to handle the slew of Bennet girls that Mrs. Bennet would undoubtedly send. That Mr. Collins considered Charlotte more necessary to handling the Bennet girls than their own older sister was a compliment to Charlotte that her father could not miss, and thus could not deny.

  Of course, Mrs. Bennet would ignore the insult of Charlotte’s necessity and seize only upon the opportunity to thrust more of her daughters into Mr. Collins’ path. To her, it was laughable that perhaps Charlotte might be a stumbling block in their path to marriage. Charlotte could be nothing but a comparison in her girls’ favor, a reminder of all the unpleasant brides Mr. Collins was risking with every day he didn’t propose to a Bennet.

  Lady Lucas was so pleased with the offer that she, Charlotte, and Maria were soon out the door. On their approach to Longbourn, the three women were greeted by the faint echoes of Mrs. Bennet’s shouts. Both Lady Lucas and Maria flinched as though they were tempted to turn back and wait for the Bennet women to come and visit them, in case whatever objections Mrs. Bennet had were rooted in the Lucases presence in an invitation that she no doubt thought out to be only for her girls. Armed with the truth that the Bennet girls were only invited along because their own father being difficult, Charlotte wasted no time dallying on the front stoop. She took her mother and her sister by the arms and tugged them inside, unconcerned with the noise.

  Lydia met them at the door, all frantic giggles over the echo of her mother’s displeasure. “Did you get the letter?” Lydia didn’t wait for an answer. “You must come in! Mother is telling Lizzy she must go, and Lizzy is refusing!”

  “Did your letter tell you that Mr. Collins invited along Charlotte and I as well?” Maria said in a breathless whisper.

  Whatever answer Lydia might have given was drowned out by a shout of, “Oh, Mr. Bennet!”

  Charlotte put aside whatever else Lydia might tell them and went straight into the sitting room that Mr. Bennet had already vacated, leaving his daughters to find their own ways to flee their mother’s displeasure. Mrs. Bennet darted over like a frenzied bird, grabbing Charlotte by the hands and dragging her across the room. “Oh, Miss Lucas. You must talk some sense into Lizzy! She is refusing to go visit Mr. Collins when he has made her the offer to come and stay with Lady Catherine! He even offered to have my other girls come with her when we all know that Mr. Collins doesn’t care to pay them one lick of attention! But Lizzy refuses to accept the compliment! Come make her see sense!”

  Charlotte was all but shoved onto the sofa beside Elizabeth. She wasted a long moment straightening her dress and casting a pointed look at her mother until Lady Lucas pulled Mrs. Bennet away. When Charlotte felt they had something resembling privacy—and she had summoned up her courage—she turned to look at her friend properly for the first time in weeks and realized that above all else Eliza looked… tired. The fiery will that led Lizzy through her days was dampened as she met Charlotte’s eyes with something close to regret.

  Poor Elizabeth must have thought that this situation was over and done with, supported as she was by her father’s desire to avoid dealing with Collins ever again. But now it was brought back in such a way that everyone in the house must consider Mr. Collins’ invitation to be all but a declaration of intent towards Elizabeth. She was the only one who knew the truth. But still, even though her family’s demands and speculations must have been painful for Elizabeth to endure, she had kept Charlotte’s silence. It was a terrible penance to pay for confiding in her Aunt.

  Charlotte did not wait for Mrs. Bennet to pause in her demands to all and sundry that Elizabeth be made to listen. “Mrs. Bennet, I do believe that Eliza has made her opinions on marrying Mr. Collins perfectly clear. However,” she continued before the lady could transfer her displeasure, “I agree that visiting Kent would be an enjoyable break in these winter months. And perhaps we might stop over in London at the Gardiners to visit with Jane before we carry on.”

  “We?” Mrs. Bennet looked thrilled for half a moment at the prospect of being a young lady going visiting.

  “Mr. Collins extended his invitation to me and my sisters as well so that whichever and however many of your daughters chose to visit him would still have company.”

  “Oh! Then we don’t have to go!” Lydia all but cried her relief. She and Kitty were on their feet in a moment and out the sitting room door before their mother could stop them. Charlotte left her mother to handle pacifying Mrs. Bennet while not flinching away from the truth that Charlotte intended to go to Rosings, no matter that Mrs. Bennet had likely intended to ignore the invitation.

  That mattered handled, Charlotte turned her attention to Elizabeth, who leaned in with her most level expression to keep from drawing attention to their conversation. “Do you really intend to go through with this?”

  Charlotte didn’t say that of course she was going to go through with it. She had no other option
but to go through with it. Neither did she say that she could not comprehend how Elizabeth so easily found understanding in her heart for Mr. Wickham and none for Charlotte, nor did she explain that even if she had been apathetic towards Mr. Collins after the last several months of silence, such efforts to have her in his neighborhood were very nearly a proposal. Instead, Charlotte simply gave her the most conciliatory of smiles and said, “I do.”

  Elizabeth wanted to shout at Charlotte again, but she bit her tongue. Charlotte watched as a hundred emotions flickered over Elizabeth’s face before she settled on something stern and certain that Charlotte couldn’t quite interpret. If Elizabeth were a different woman, Charlotte might guess that she had decided to refuse to go at all. But as furious as Charlotte could see Elizabeth still was, that did not change that she was the best kind of friend. Elizabeth jutted out her chin and gave Charlotte a sharp nod that she did not want to give at all, but it was enough.

  Their mothers were still loudly conversing. Mrs. Bennet complained that despite all her efforts, Lydia and Kitty were refusing to go as well. All of that concern faded away the moment Elizabeth sighed and turned to her mother to say that she would go to Rosings Park with Charlotte and bring along whichever other of her sisters might choose to go. Mrs. Bennet nearly squealed in enthusiasm. Charlotte gave Elizabeth’s hand a small squeeze, grateful that despite the obvious pain the words gave her, to Rosings Park they would go.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The best that might be said for the preparations for their journey to Rosings Park were that they were less uncomfortable than they might have been. Mrs. Bennet took Elizabeth’s agreement to visit as a sign that she might agree to a proposal and so paid not one care about Kitty and Lydia refusing to go, or Mary’s unexpected agreement to attend, or Maria’s subsequent decision to remain home.