Page 94 of Introducing Mrs. Collins
Charlotte tried not to betray her inward sigh. ‘I have heard all about her from Eliza, and I could not be happier for them all. I will meet Sofia in May.’
Mrs Bennet’s face fell once again into annoyance. ‘May? Why?’
‘Elizabeth is coming to visit me at Longbourn, with Sofia.’
Mrs Bennet turned puce. ‘Coming to Hertfordshire, and she has not yet informed herown mother! That is just like Lizzy. That girl! And she would not think that I would like to perhaps see my own granddaughter? No indeed. She comes to seeyou!’ She muttered a few more objections before Charlotte could attempt any consoling.
‘I am sure she is coming to see you chiefly, but she consulted me first as I can more easily provide accommodation,’ offered Charlotte.
Mrs Bennet looked rather pleased with the idea that Charlotte was more akin to a landlady in the arrangement. ‘Well, you are probably right. At any rate, Sofia is a sweet little thing.’
‘I am sure. You must be very proud.’
Once the sisters had taken their leave, Mrs Thacker said quietly to Charlotte, ‘You are very patient with her. She positively goaded you.’
‘I know, but… consider her situation. She is a widow who has lost her home – the home in which she raised her five daughters – thanks to some old legal papers she has never even seen. I think I would be angry forever. And look at my situation – a widow, but with the other side of that coin. I have that home, thanks to those very same papers. I am the lucky one – so yes, I can bear her jibes.’
‘Still, she has had luck of her own; some of her daughters have married very well!’
‘Indeed! She is lucky in many ways. I would have liked a daughter. I’m not sure I would have wanted five, though…’ Charlotte meant the comment with levity, but it disquieted her friend.
‘Yes, of course.’ Mrs Thacker paused, before adding tentatively, ‘You may have one yet?’
‘I do not think so.’ Charlotte looked at her friend with warmth, keen to ward off any pity. ‘But I have other blessings to be thankful for. And I am well occupied, thanks to your husband.’
Mrs Thacker gave her a look of mock outrage, muttering, ‘I beg your pardon!’ and Charlotte once more laughed loudly, earning disapproving looks from Mrs Bennet and her sister.
CHAPTER XIII
Elizabeth emerged from the carriage with a red face and a fraught expression, handing a wailing infant to Charlotte with outstretched hands. Charlotte took the little girl, unsure of quite how to hold her; Sofia was bigger than expected and rather unwieldy. Elizabeth was followed by a maid with green-looking skin; both looked relieved to alight.
Elizabeth exhaled and, grinning ruefully at Charlotte, exclaimed, ‘We are here! Quite a journey!’
The maid attempted a smile but, clearly suffering, begged to be excused and went inside with Mrs Brooke.
‘Shall I take her back?’ asked Elizabeth, arms out.
‘Only if you wish to – we are comfortable enough now,’ said Charlotte, and it was true; once she had worked out how not to drop the little girl, Sofia had stopped crying and seemed fairly content in her arms.
‘Then I will not, and I will be grateful for it. This bodes well for my stay. You may have her whenever you wish,’ Elizabeth said, grinning as she followed her friend into the house she knew so very well.
‘Oh!’ Elizabeth murmured as she entered, looking around. ‘Oh! It is the same, but it is different. How lovely to be here!’ She turned and embraced Charlotte, over Sofia’s head, who made a gargle of objection. She was a charming little thing: red-cheeked and with a mop of unruly blonde hair.
‘Oh, but I have not introduced you yet: Charlotte, meet Sofia; Sofia, this is Charlotte. I do hope you will be friends,’ Eliza declared with exaggerated formality.
‘I am sure we shall!’ Charlotte craned her head back to observe Sofia’s face more clearly.
Sofia regarded her, too, with serious eyes, forming a judgement of her. She looked very like her mother, but her current expression was all Darcy, Charlotte thought.
In the drawing room, Sofia crawled around, occasionally tumbling or pulling herself up into a wobbly stand like a tiny drunkard. Elizabeth filled Charlotte in on all that she had missed – which was, understandably, all about her daughter: her birth, her eating, her looks, her moods. Elizabeth leant into the difficulties and frustrations of motherhood, but it was clear from her face that she was exceedingly happy and proud.
‘Only Darcy could have hired a nursemaid with such a weak stomach!’ said Elizabeth, now recounting the journey they had just made. ‘Honestly, I told him that I should just take Mrs Reynolds on this trip, but he said it is not her role and that the journey would be too hard on her. I wish he had seen how hard it was on Frances! She puked every third mile from Derbyshire to Dunstable.’
Charlotte laughed hard. ‘Has Frances been Sofia’s nursemaid since she was born?’
‘No! She was hired for the trip and will likely stay on for a while, if this has not entirely put her off. We have not needed a dedicated nursemaid – which, as I am sure you can imagine, has shocked Lady Catherine out of her wits. But we have a very full household – so many staff! – including Mrs Reynolds, who adores Sofia. And then there are Georgiana and Kitty, who are also besotted, and even—’
Elizabeth stopped suddenly, quickly recovering herself before continuing, ‘Even Mr Darcy agrees that a nursemaid is unnecessary, but he thought it wise to have one for this trip and was reluctantto spare Reynolds. God forbid those two should be parted. My goodness! It is sometimes like living with one’s mother-in-law – if one’s mother-in-law had seen you in your undergarments.’
