Page 73 of Introducing Mrs. Collins
‘As do I,’ said Charlotte uncertainly.
‘Do you?’
Charlotte had some degree of alarm, but more than anything, she was tired of the obfuscation. ‘What is the matter, Lady Catherine?’
Lady Catherine sighed, as if Charlotte’s question disappointed her. ‘The matter,’ she returned, feeling the labour of the words, ‘is the affiliation between yourself and my nephew. It must come to an end.’
Charlotte stopped breathing. Her vision clouded, and she nearly stumbled. She reached out instinctively, and Lady Catherine allowed her to steady herself on her arm. She waited with uncharacteristic patience for a response.
Charlotte’s thoughts ran with an impossible speed. It was obvious that this was not a guess; Lady Catherine seemed sure. She would not take action in this way unless she was. Charlottetherefore asked the first thing that came to her, which was, ‘How did you know?’
‘I know more than you think I do, Mrs Collins. I see more than you think I do. I know that you are, in all other circumstances, a sensible woman. I know you are clever. I know you married someone beneath your intellect. I know your chances at marriage were low when you met him, and I know what freedoms he has afforded you. I know that there is some depth to thefeelingsbetween you and my nephew. I also know that there is no future there for you. I know you will make a wise decision.’
Charlotte blinked tears out of her eyes, tears formed from finally confronting the hopelessness of the case – and in such company, under such pressure.
After a moment, Lady Catherine encouraged them to continue walking. ‘Do I have your assurance that thissituationwill end?’
‘Do you have his?’
Lady Catherine was not pleased with this spark of defiance. She snapped back, ‘I do not. I consider you, like any woman, infinitely more capable of taking charge of the situation. And it is inyourinterests to do so. What do you think my nephew risks in this? Nothing. He will return to war within the year. His life will continue unaffected. Were his name linked to a married woman, what harm would it do to him, a single, eligible colonel, honoured by Wellington? No harm at all. He will be unchanged.’ Lady Catherine leant in closer to Charlotte’s ear as she said, vigorously, ‘And you will be ruined. You will have no place in society, either disgraced in divorce or tortured in your marriage. It is not he but you who will pay the price for this. So, I come to you, not him, to solve it.’
Charlotte looked at her, clear-eyed, and nodded.
‘But let me be clear: I am not persuading you; I am telling you. I will not brook further harm to Mr Collins. I will not have my parish be the subject of gossip and scandal. I will not have myfamily brought into disrepute. I ask you, finally: do you agree to put a stop to any connection between yourself and Fitzwilliam?’
Charlotte could not help but think of a similar scene that she had heard about in detail from her dearest friend. Lady Catherine had, only months before, paid a visit to Longbourn to entreat Miss Elizabeth Bennet to drop her connection to another one of her nephews. Charlotte almost found it funny to think that Lady Catherine was having to repeat the same threats, the same tactics, to persuade Charlotte now.
And yet, unlike Elizabeth, Charlotte knew Lady Catherine well enough to place some trust in her motives.
Unlike Elizabeth, Charlotte had half-expected this question to arise and had prepared herself for it.
Unlike Elizabeth, her answer would be, ‘Yes.’
CHAPTER XIV
Snow had fallen and settled overnight across Hunsford and Rosings Park. From her vantage point, Charlotte could see the village in the distance, lying still and peaceful but for the church bell ringing for eight o’clock. She had set off early, before Mr Collins had awoken, determined to face the task ahead without distraction. She had taken herself on a long walk through the grounds to gather her thoughts and prepare her words. She turned off the hill now and walked down to the copse below, her feet treading deeply into the snow, her face red from the cold.
She did not have long to wait. She knew his routine well enough now; he often walked the grounds before breakfast, his military training not allowing him to sleep in late. He saw her through the trees and came to her.
She was interested to see how well he walked now: hardly a hesitation, even on this rough ground. There was nothing to delay his return to the front then, she thought. This would be timely. It seemed as if it were God’s will that it should end now, if God’s will spared no thought for love.
‘Charlotte!’ His smile was broad, and under the cover of the trees, he kissed her and then held her in an embrace so encompassing, she no longer felt the cold in the air. She let herself be enveloped in him, knowing this might be the last time.
The letter he had passed her in church two weeks earlier had served its purpose and soothed their quarrel. She had set out tomeet him the day after receiving it; he, eager for reconciliation, had been waiting. They had met twice more since then, in the same spot where they stood now, and they likely would have continued their meetings as the snowdrops faded and bluebells started springing up around them – were it not for Lady Catherine’s visit.
He loosened his hold now to better look at her, and she took his hands. She could not meet his eyes, and he noticed immediately.
‘What is wrong?’
‘You are walking well.’
He frowned, puzzled by the comment. ‘Yes,’ he replied uncertainly.
‘You will have to return to campaign.’
His face relaxed. ‘Is that what troubles you? But I found out only this week that I have some grace before I am called; they have been willing to take my word on the subject of my own recovery.’
Charlotte nodded, still not looking at him.
