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Rosings was exactly as he remembered it to be and his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, was none so different either. She was as ever condescending, intruding, imposing, observant of the minutest details, wanting to know of all secret counsel and inclined to voice her opinions and commands upon every business of other people’s life.
Fitzwilliam Darcy had engaged the company of his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, for an Easter visit to their aunt in Rosings, her country house in Kent. They were newly arrived and their aunt was all smiles and graciousness in attending to them. She was immediately upon them to give her an account of their journey and before they could string three sentences together in answer to this request, she began to render her own account of how their journey must have been and what sights they must have seen- for in her own words, ‘she herself had travelled the same route a great many a times’.
Thankfully, a visitor was admitted into the breakfast parlour where they were received and Darcy could declare that he had never been so glad to see any person as he was to see Mr. Collins at the moment despite the acute recollection of Elizabeth Bennet that he brought with him. The introductions were made of which Mr. Collins proudly announced his fortune to be previously acquainted with him (not with Colonel Fitzwilliam, but he was delighted to make his acquaintance today nonetheless) at Hertfordshire and he proceeded to declare that:
“I daresay sir- that my sister, Maria and Miss Elizabeth, would be delighted to renew their acquaintance with you here in Rosings of all places.”
Darcy, who had heretofore stopped listening to the man, whom he thought was still as effusive, stupid and absurd as ever, renewed his interest in his words.
“Elizabeth Bennet?” he asked.
“Yes,” Mr. Collins answered with a diffident smile that spoke of his awe of the man before him. “She is a visitor of my amiable wife and myself, at this moment, at my humble abode in Hunsford Lane.”
Lady Catherine, who detested to be excluded from any conversation called his attention by asking in a querulous voice that still managed to be regal, “Indeed it will be nice to have you all renew your acquaintances over dinner sometime soon.”
Mr. Collins began to say how, indeed, Lady Catherine had been everything civil as to invite his visitors to dine with her every twice in a week, but Darcy listened no more. He dwelled on this new bit of intelligence- Elizabeth was within visiting distance of Rosings. Though he knew not what to call this- fate or coincidence, but she was just the sight he longed to see. It was on the exact four months and four days that he had last seen the one whom he had instructed himself not to dwell upon in his thoughts again. It was four months and four days that he had heard her lively laughter; four months and four days that those wondrously long lashes had looked upon him in fierce temper and disdain and aye, he would take those looks for none at all.
How he missed her.
All his reflections, however, had thus far done him no good for he was alas, forbidden from repining and the dictator of such decree was none other than himself. If he could be lenient with himself- which he certainly could not; not in her affair, his only wish would have been to look upon her face once more and ask her what her business at the tavern had been that night. Oh, blast that, thought Fitzwilliam Darcy. That particular incident had yet to stop him from falling violently in love with the woman- for aye; he could now admit it to himself now after four long, scarcely tolerable months that his feeling for Miss Bennet was one that defied all logics to grow into one of ardour and tenderness.
Immediately upon rendering his schemes to the Bingley sisters after the ball at Netherfield, they had agreed and were inclined to act upon it as soon as the plan would allow. So it was that they all bid Charles farewell the following morning, only to ride after him the next.
Immediately, it was upon him to dissuade an astonished Charles from returning to Netherfield in pursuance of further ally with Jane Bennet and her unscrupulous family- and this he had done with mastery and conviction that his friend, though hugely disappointed, could not fail to reason along with him. The ultimate point of victory had been rendered to Bingley- that Jane Bennet whom Darcy knew was the principal form of attraction for his friend in returning to Netherfield, had no reciprocation of the feelings that Charles harboured for her. The hurt in his friend’s eyes at this news was something of a novelty to Darcy- for he had never seen Bingley to be so despondent- that Darcy had wished for his friend’s sakes alone that the whole affair didn’t have to be so. However, he knew for certain that Jane had no difference in feeling to his friend. He had watched the two together and apart since Colonel Forster mentioned of the likelihood of a wedding at Netherfield and found Jane Bennet wanting- not in beauty, grace or attentiveness to Bingley, but in any feelings that bore a resemblance to that which was obvious to all in Bingley’s attention to her. Therefrom, Darcy had begun to form his scheme of removing his friend from her influence- her family after all was none too desirable- if at all as to encourage the attachment for their sake.
By so doing, all things about Hertfordshire were soon forgotten, or at least pretended to be forgotten. Darcy could not tell who suffered the separation the most- himself or his friend Bingley, for indeed, they both suffered- though his own be unknown to any. The winter did nothing to ease their suffering as there were little activities to occupy their time. When Jane Bennet came to town in Grace Church Street after Christmas with her uncle and aunt (the intelligence of which he gathered from Caroline Bingley), he had done all in his power to see to it that Charles was not apprised of the information. Ultimately, four months of business, balls, sports and other engagements did away the chief of all feelings, leaving in its decline something of a dull ache.
The dull ache, however, felt a sharp- reawakening at the proximity of its object of pleasure and became a persistent urge to see and verify.
“I believe it is of moral necessity to pay a visit to my friends whom I have long seen at the earliest and there could be no sooner time than now,” he heard himself say even though he had conceived no such thoughts at all.
Mr. Collins was most pleasantly surprised at this, but not Lady Catherine and she sought from dissuading her nephew from such action, but once said, Darcy must insist and they made their word to Hunsford Lane; each step bringing a trepidation to Darcy’s mind that bore no impressions, however on his countenance. Mr. Collins proudly admitted him into his parlour where the women of the house received them with utmost civility.
His first gaze upon Elizabeth informed him that she was as well as could be and that her eyes were as fascinating as he found them to be those months ago. However, she would not look directly upon his face, merely curtseying to him without saying a word. He applied himself to Mrs. Collins directly, lest he be caught admiring her friend.
“You have a beautiful garden here and the house in itself does not suffer the touch of a woman’s gentleness,” he said in kind observation, though his tone of voice came out with more civility than he intended.
The acceptance of the observation was taken up by Mr. Collins rather than his wife who was yet to open her mouth to make a demure answer before her husband opened his to give more praises of all other unseen parts of the house. Colonel Fitzwilliam rescued what would have been a long rendition of praises by entering into conversation with Maria Lucas and Mrs. Collins with an ease that spoke of his affability and a lack on Darcy’s side. Observing Elizabeth’s quietness, he spoke to her directly, glad for the opportunity.
“I do so hope your family is well when you left them coming to Hunsford?” he asked. It was the only subject he could think to ask in the awkwardness of their situation.
She answered that they were and added, “My eldest sister has been in town these three months. Have you never happened to see her there?”
The question was one he hadn’t expected, so his response was halting at best, “I was not so fortunate as to meet Miss Bennet,” he answered.
Elizabeth said nothing else to him but occasionally joined in Colonel Fitzwilliam’s conversation from which Darcy was totally excluded. The visit came to an end scarcely half an hour later and as it appeared, only the Collinses were mighty happy with the encounter, judging by the unreserved appreciation of the husband and the smiles on the face of the wife.