10-15-2007, 01:09 AM
âJane!â Elizabeth exclaimed as she saw her sister and Mr. Bingley emerge from the carriage. She ran down the steps of Pemberly in her simple navy blue gown. She embraces her sister tightly until she couldnât get any closer.
âYou look fantastic,â Jane told her..
âThe elegant gowns arenât my fancy.â Elizabeth looked at Mr. Bingley and she bowed to him. âHow are you doing by the way, Mr. Bingley?â
âIâm doing very well, thanks,â he said smiling. Mr. Darcy looked at him emotionlessly and bowed.
âPlease, come in,â Mr. Darcy invited. Jane and Mr. Bingley locked arms and followed behind Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth looked back at Jane who was looking at the manor in awe. She couldnât help but laugh.
âCharles, I hope you donât mind, but Iâm going to spend some time with my sister,â Jane said in her soft tone.
âOh, of course.â There was another smile. Jane returned one before turning around and running away. Elizabeth walked through the halls with her soft steps only making a slight echo when combined with Janeâs. She saw Janeâs eyes move about the corridors admiring the general slender.
âThis house is certainly that of a man who makes ÂŁ10,000 a year,â Jane commented.
âMost certainly. It is quite a change and a hard adjustment. I have gotten lost more than once. Is that pitiful?â
âNot really because this house is enormous!â Elizabeth took Jane into a side room off a corridor with dozens of marble statues of people such as warriors, goddesses and the Darcy family. Elizabethâs bust would soon be added.
The room was a drawing room. There were three sofas with elaborate fabrics. Charlotte was already there. She looked up from her stitching of one of her husbandâs jackets. There was a large window on the far end of the room with a bench in front of it. The curtains were made of scarlet polyester.
âOh Jane!â Charlotte exclaimed in almost the exact way Elizabeth had.
âItâs so wonderful to have you both here!â Elizabeth said. âWe havenât really had time to write letters and discuss news. âWeâll start with you Jane, if you donât mind. From what Iâve noticed, Charles isnât bumbling on when talking anymore,â Elizabeth commented.
âHe hasnât since our marriage, thought he did start up again when I was giving birth to Matthew. Then he stopped. Iâm thinking now that it was a factor of nervousness.â Jane sighed and started to laugh. âAnd to think that before our marriage I thought it was a fault in him.â
âYou never think ill of anybody!â Jane let out a laugh. âSpeaking of ill, Charlotte, what is wrong with Mr. Collins?â
âHe is ill indeed,â she said quietly.
âMay I ask what he is ill with?â
â Ill with insult. You know of Miss Anne De Bourg, yes? SheâŚshe passed away last week. That left Lady Catherine in such grief. She nearly turned Robert and me out of the house.â Elizabeth was shocked. Anne had to be only thirty or so years old. âWhen Robert went to comfort her, she was so angry that she insulted his height! I know he isnât like Mr. Bingley or Mr. Darcy, but sheâs never done that before! So ever since the incident, he hasnât been eating or working in the garden. I try to help but he ends up shooing me away.â
âI told you he was ridiculous!â Elizabeth blurted.
âAnd now Iâm starting to believe you! He says having a child may cheer him up, but it makes me uncomfortable thinking about it. I feel like I was pushed into this marriage. A house and protection doesnât make up for a husband who doesnât listen to you.â
âIf he doesnât listen, donât talk, do something!â
âIf you donât, you will have no voice and both of you could perish! In fact, letâs go find him now and try to act some sense into him! Jane, grab some fruit from the basket over there. Charlotte, get Fordyceâs Sermons off the shelf. They are in order by title.â The girls ran about the room gathering the needed items. Jane nearly tripped over the arm of one of the sofas when one of the apples slipped out of her hands and under her foot. Charlotte ran her fingers over the bookâs bindings to find the desired title. Elizabeth peaked out the door for anyone who may know of the menâs whereabouts. She saw Georgiana round the corner.
âMiss Elizabeth!â she exclaimed.
âGeorgiana, since your brother and I are married, you can call me Lizzie. Miss Elizabeth sounds too proper.â
âSorry MissâŚLizzie.â Elizabeth looked at Georgiana. She had the cutest smile, almost cuter than Mr. Bingleyâs.
âHave you seen your brother, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Collins?â Elizabeth asked.
âNo, I havenât,â she replied looking into the room when Charlotte screamed when she feel on the apple Jane had dropped. âWell arenât you enjoying yourselvesâŚâ
âWould you like to help us help Charlotte with her ridiculous husband?â Elizabeth asked.
âCertainly! My fingers are tired from practice but I havenât gotten my share of amusement. Is your husband Mr. Collins?â
Charlotte nodded.
âThen most certainly! Heâs miserable normally, and if he is more so than normal then Iâm sure many people will follow considering heâs a minister. May I ask what is making him miserable?â
âLady Catherineâs d-â Elizabeth caught herself because she remembered that Anne was not only Lady Catherineâs daughter, but Georgianaâs cousin. âLady Catherineâs disgusting comment about his height.â
Georgiana wanted to giggle, but like Elizabeth and Jane had done during the story, she didnât want to ruin the moment.
âGeorgiana, is there a Bible in this room?â Elizabeth asked as she looked over the bookshelves.
âOh yes!â She ran over to the window seat and opened a drawer underneath. She rummaged through many papers and ink bottles before pulling out a black bound book with pages that looked golden from the outside.
âDoes anyone know any verses dealing with miracles?â Elizabeth said while laughing. Each of the three girls said something different. âAny miracle that would be fitting?â There were a few moments of silence.
âJesus feeds the five thousand!â Charlotte said. Jane and Georgiana both nodded in agreement.
âItâs agreed then! Letâs go!â Elizabeth said. Jane had gotten tired of dropping fruit so she grabbed the whole basket. Charlotte had Fordyceâs Sermons against her chest and Georgiana did the same with her Bible. They ran through the halls, sounding like four little girls running through the house like it was a clear pasture. Elizabeth and Jane put their ears up to doors to listen for any conversation on the other side. Georgiana ran up to a door with a small side table with several books and documents on it. As she put her right ear to the door, she heard Mr. Collins.
âItâs amazing that the news has not yet reached you, Mr. Darcy. After all, you were her cousin.â
âI never said I hadnât gotten the news of her death. I just preferred to keep it quiet about it to Georgiana and Lizzie,â Mr. Darcyâs voice added. Georgianaâs eyes widened.
âHiding it from them, Georgiana especially, will only make it worse when they find out on their own.â That was Mr. Bingley.
âYouâre right. Iâm going to go tell them now.â Georgiana heard Mr. Darcyâs chair get pushed back and she gasped. She turned around and took off running. She grabbed Elizabethâs shoulders and pushed her and the Bible forcefully against the wall.
âYou know some I donât, Lizzie. Which one of my cousins is dead?â Georgiana was using a tone that Elizabeth had never heard come out of her mouth. She was angry and extremely upset. âTell me!â
âAnne De BourgâŚâ Georgiana let go of her shoulder and the Bible dropped to the ground with a loud âBANG!â Elizabeth heard a door close and footsteps start toward them. She saw Mr. Darcy standing right in front of them.
âSo I assume Charlotte told you?â he asked. Elizabeth nodded.
âItâs quite alright, Lizzie. I just need some time to get over shock is all.â She bent down to pick up the Bible.
âDarling, we need to talk to Mr. Collins, but not alone. In fact he canât be alone.â Elizabeth looked at everyoneâs feet. âJane! Take off your heels!â Mr. Darcy gave Elizabeth a perplexed look.
Mr. Darcy opened the door and the girls walked inside. Mr. Bingley and Mr. Collins stood up and bowed. Mr. Collinsâs face was so pale it looked as if he had just come out of bitter weather. He looked like he hadnât shaved in a week. When he sat down he rested his elbows and lower arms on his legs. It caused him to hunch over, something none of them had seen before. Another thing that surprised Elizabeth was that he wasnât talking, but sighing.
Charlotte walked over to her husband and set her book in front of him. He looked up at her for a few seconds without a smile, only a sigh. Charlotte looked at Georgiana. She had marked the passage with her thumb. She opened the Bible and held it on her palm.
âFrom the book of Luke: When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had doneâŚâ Georgiana kept on reading while Jane passed out fruit to Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley. Mr. Collins looked at both of them with the most innocent eyes Elizabeth had ever seen. She could hear his stomach growl as the two other gentlemen ate their apples.
âWe have only five loaves of bread and two fish-unless we go and buy food for all this crowdâŚâ
Jane put the basket outside and she handed an apple to Elizabeth and Charlotte.
âThey ate and all were satisfied. About five thousand men were fed, not including women and children.â Georgiana closed the Bible. Elizabeth and Charlotte took bites out of their apples while Jane got one for Georgiana. The roomâs only sounds were the crunching of apples and the growling of Mr. Collinsâs stomach. He buried his face in his hands and sighed before shouting at the top of his lungs âWhy must you torment me so?!â
âMr. Collins, in the passage it said ânot including women and children.â You are acting like a child! Being married to men such as Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley still gives us the status of women but we would be included in the count. I would as well because Iâm Mr. Darcyâs sister.â
âYou think your life revolves around Lady Catherine, but that is far from correct,â Elizabeth added.
âShe was grieving and as you just proved, oneâs emotions can take them over,â Jane continued.
âOne comment shouldnât put you in this state, my dear,â Charlotte said calmly.
âThatâs because it wasnât any ordinary comment. She said it so forcefully. Her exact words were âA ferret like you shouldnât be here to pollute the air with contaminated words mocking the Lordâs book! Anything done decent around here should be done by men who can reach the top shelf of my bookcase on their own!â Not only did she insult my height, but my preaching as well.â Jane saw him over his eyes with his palms and sob. âHow would you feel if Lady Catherine insulted you like that?â
âShe has, Mr. Collins! She has insulted me in every possible way. I stood up to her and she stormed out of the house as insulted as I was.â Elizabeth was recalling the night before Mr. Darcy had proposed to her for the second time.
âWeâre thinking thatâs what you should do as well, Mr. Collins,â Georgiana said. âItâs time you listen instead of talk and donât care what people say about you.
âMost certainly,â Mr. Collins said. Jane handed him an apple and he ate it like it was the last on Earth, and to the surprise of everyone, he got up and embraced Charlotte so tightly that she couldnât move her arms. And even with his scratchy voice, he laughed.
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