Page 36 of Eavesdroppers Never Hear
Elizabeth gaped. “Our father said that?”
“He did.”
“I am all astonishment!”
“As were we,” Jane admitted. “He even directly quoted something Mr Darcy said while he was asking permission to call: ‘Undoubtedly, there is a meanness in all the arts which ladiessometimes condescend to employ for captivation. Whatever bears affinity to cunning is despicable.’”
Jane giggled. “You can imagine how Mama took that bit of verbiage.”
Elizabeth laughed heartily. “That sounds like something he might say… though I have yet to sketch his character well enough to know whether he would be serious or half-jesting. He does have a sense of humour.”
Mary chuckled. “That he does. Of course, I doubt Papa planned on us listening at the door, but if he does not understand Longbourn by now, he never will.”
“He knew you were there. It was the fastest way to spread it to the whole house.”
They laughed a bit, and Jane asked, “Why were you so angry, Lizzy. I have not seen you ready to commit murder since Netherfield.”
“I can assure you that things with Mr Collins will not work out as they did with the Netherfield lunkheads.”
All three laughed uproariously.
Jane was like a dog with a bone. “Did Mr Collins’ assertions make you question Mr Darcy’s sincerity? As you said, you could not stand him Sunday morning, and you do not know him all that well. He would not be the first charming rogue who wanted one last fling before being leg shackled, and you have spent a grand total of three hours speaking with him.”
“That is all I have been thinking about since I returned. The reaction was instinctive, visceral, and quite surprising to me. I had to think for a bit to sort it out.”
“What is your conclusion?” Mary asked.
Elizabeth gave a grim smile. “I was livid, because Mr Collins was casting aspersions onmyMr Darcy.”
“Have you decided then?” Jane asked with a concerned expression, apparently worried about the pace of change.
“Of course not, but I will not be diverted by the likes of Mr Collins. I now know more about Mr Darcy’s family, and once he explains his mercenary aunt, I will understand more. One day, I will know it all.”
“I am not certain you will ever know it all,” Mary observed.
“I will know enough!”
17.Consultation
Tuesday morning found Elizabeth unexpectedly encountering her mother in the drawing room long before breakfast. She looked to the matron suspiciously but not in alarm. The conversation with her mother about her suitor was overdue, aside the fact that he had only been her suitor for a couple of days.
“Good morning, Mama.”
“Good morning, Lizzy… and you may put away that suspicious look. I just want to talk.”
“I admit to some trepidation, but I do not like to be at odds with you. Was Papa too harsh last evening?”
Mrs Bennet laughed, which surprised Elizabeth since she had not really heard her mother laugh in some time. “The day your father can intimidate me is far in the future, my girl. Sometimes it is best to just let him have his say… though I will comply in this case.”
Elizabeth thought for some time. “Well, he does not have his say all that often when you get right down to it. He mostly just laughs at us.”
The matriarch shrugged. “He has been laughing at me since I was eighteen years old. I am well accustomed to it by now.”
“Does it bother you?” Elizabeth asked, surprised that she had never really thought about it before.
“Not especially. He has his area of our family life, and I have mine… though, to be honest, his has been getting smaller for the last decade.”
“Do you resent that?”
