Judith Brocklehurst - Darcy and Anne

“You were in the library when we arrived, I believe, Miss de Bourgh,” the Duchess said. “Are you a great reader? Are you a reader of novels, or do you despise them?”

“No indeed, I enjoy them very much,” said Anne. She had a feeling that the Duchess would not like to hear that she was writing one. “But Mr Darcy has an excellent library on general topics as well, and I have been reading about the curious rocks and minerals of Derbyshire.”

“Dear me! That sounds very serious. I never think that we poor women should tax our intellects too hard.”

“It always seems very unfair to me,” said Elizabeth, “That if a woman reads novels, she is called frivolous; and if she reads more serious works, she runs the risk of being called a blue-stocking.”

“And if she reads nothing at all,” said Darcy, “whatever she is called, she will be very stupid indeed.” Anne had to bend her head to hide a smile.

After this, the conversation ranged, with amazing insipidity, from the weather, to the countryside, to the amenities of Burley, and Anne wondered why they had been so anxious to meet her. Perhaps they had brought a letter from her mother? But none was produced. Lord Francis, the introduction once made, barely spoke again. They moved into an adjoining saloon, where refreshments had been laid out; the refreshments were praised; the room was praised, the pictures on the wall were praised.

Eventually the visitors got up to leave, and the Duchess, smiling graciously, said, “You will see us again, you know, at Lady Louisa's ball; we shall be pleased to see you. She has not yet sent out her invitations, but do not be afraid, you are all asked, and we are very pleased. But your mother tells me you do not dance, Miss de Bourgh? Is that so?”

“No, madam,” Anne replied. “It is not the case any more. There was a time, when I was in poor health, when dancing was too much for me, but I am recovered.”

“I am afraid I may not be able to give you the meeting,” Colonel Fitzwilliam said. “I am being recalled; I have had letters this morning.”

“Well, we shall see the rest of you there. Goodbye,” and she graciously held out her hand.

“Haw,” said Lord Francis, speaking to her for the first time. “Haw. Dog. Little dog. You like dogs, Miss de Bourgh?”

Trying not to laugh, Anne said “I like this one, sir.”

“Haw. So do I. Nice little creature.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Glad you dance. Must dance with me, at the ball.”

“Certainly, sir. Goodbye.”

“Well,” said Georgiana as soon as they had gone. “What was all that about? I was never so frightened in my life; and they did not seem to like us one bit. Why did they come? Cousin Fitzwilliam, are you really being recalled?”

“Certainly I am; did you think I would tell a lie? The Army has decided that it must take a look at me, and decide whether I am fit to go back and be shot at again, though they have not yet told me when they will send for me. I am quite ready, and I think I shall do very well. I need action; I miss my comrades. You have all been very good to me, but it is time to be gone. But tell me, Darcy: why do you think the Duchess and her precious brother came here? For they brought no message from Lady Catherine, not even a greeting. I have a very good idea that they came without Lady Catherine's knowledge.”

“A thirty-mile drive, for the sake of an hour's visit,” Darcy said. “Is our society really so desirable?”

“I am afraid that I may have done harm there,” Fitzwilliam confessed. “I think my little stratagem for avoiding Lady Catherine's anger awakened these people to the fact that her daughter was staying in the neighbourhood. I think they knew before that Anne is a rich heiress, but did not know how rich; and in any case, assumed her to be sick, and at Rosings. I think they came here on what we would call in the Army a reconnaissance expedition; I think they came to take a look at you, Anne.”

“Why Anne?” Mrs Darcy asked. “Why not Georgiana, too? She is just as much an heiress as Anne; they could see two of them, for the price of one.”

“It could be a very good match,” Darcy said. “Lord Francis has rank, good looks, and a splendid position in society, and he appeared good-natured. He would do for either of you.”

“But he is old!” said Georgiana. “And he is so stupid!”

“I do not think him at all clever,” said her brother, “but many clever, well-educated women marry stupid men, and are quite happy with them. His lack of money alone must make either of you acceptable to him; he could not do better. I shall not flatter your vanity by telling you that you are both pretty girls.”

“And if he needs money as badly as they say,” Elizabeth added, “he would probably be quite willing to marry both of you, if he were allowed.”

“Well, that may be,” said Georgiana. “He does seem very good-humoured. But I do not intend to marry an old, stupid man, however high his rank may be. I want to marry somebody young, who likes the things that I like. Do not you, Anne?”

“Yes, indeed,” said Anne. “I think a similarity of ideas is the most important thing for happiness in a marriage, and surely a similarity of age must be part of that, for older men do not like the same things as young women.”

“You are both of you far too nice,” Darcy said. “If it were left up to you two, I do not know what would become of all the stupid men. Somebody must marry them, or what will become of us all?”

“I do not see that at all,” said Elizabeth. “If nobody married any of them, the race of stupid men must die out.”

“Well,” said Georgiana, “however that may be, I am glad that I do not have to dance with Lord Francis. What shall you say to him, Anne? Haw? Haw?” and they all began to laugh.

This attention from Lady Catherine's acquaintances brought something to Darcy's mind; he and Elizabeth both thought that it was time Anne paid a visit to her mother. Anne could not but agree with them; for a daughter to neglect her mother for any greater length of time would be unacceptable. The only wonder was that Lady Catherine had not written to request her presence.

“I think the reason is,” said Colonel Fitzwilliam, “that she is really very happy in Burley. She is the most admired woman in the place.”

“She used to be a handsome woman, I remember,” Darcy said.

“Well, she looks splendid now that she is fashionably dressed; the Duchess and Lord Francis spend part of every day with her; the baths are doing wonders for her; and remember, she has not seen, as we have, the improvement in Anne's health—she thinks of her as a sickly, timid creature, who would find life at Burley too much, and be a disadvantage to her.”

“Well, we must go; we cannot send Anne alone; some of us must go and see her,” said Fitzwilliam, and the end of the week was quickly fixed upon for the expedition.

It only remained to decide who should go with Anne, to settle details of carriages, etc, and to write to the hotel to bespeak rooms for them all, for a fifteen-mile drive, each way, would consume far too much of the day. It must be an overnight stay at Burley; nay, two nights, for Saturday would be an assembly night, which would allow them the pleasure of attending the dance, and then they would stay over Sunday, and return on Monday.

Georgiana and Colonel Fitzwilliam said they would go, but Darcy felt he must stay at Pemberley with his wife. Mrs Annesley said she would stay, too, knowing that Lady Catherine would not have the slightest wish to meet her; but to everyone's surprise, Mr Bennet announced that he would accompany them. Of course, he said to his daughter, he was very much alarmed, but he could not resist the opportunity to write to Mr Collins and tell him that he had met Lady Catherine, and give him his impressions of her. Another consideration, he admitted to Anne, was that Darcy had told him that Burley possessed a bookstore, which was held to be remarkably well stocked.

They started early, and well before noon, were actually promenading round the Pump Room with Lady Catherine. She was, indeed, dressed in the height of the fashion, and in as good a mood as Anne had ever known, delighted with the attention, and strongly approving of Georgiana's looks, and quiet, ladylike demeanor. But her highest praise was reserved for her daughter. “I never saw you in better looks,” she said, “and your health seems much improved, too.”

“It is, indeed, madam.”

“Well, now we must drink the water, for it does a great deal of good.”

Anne had tasted the water already, and disliked it. She had hoped to do a little shopping, for, like Mr Bennet, she had her eyes on the famous bookstore. But Lady Catherine was already heading over to the pump. However, the plan of drinking the water was quickly overthrown, for at this moment the Duchess and her brother came into sight. If Lady Catherine had been genial before, she was effusive now, and so was the Duchess in her turn. “We seem to be witnessing a great meeting of minds,” Mr Bennet observed quietly to Colonel Fitzwilliam.

“I think it is rather a great meeting of interests,” the Colonel replied.

It had to be made clear, with a great deal of repetitious detail, that there was no need of introductions, for they had all met each other; and then the Duchess proposed a country walk. None of the other ladies had shoes for such an undertaking, but Her Grace's word was enough for Lady Catherine. She immediately agreed, and, no opportunity being given to anybody else to give an opinion, or ask to do anything different, they all presently found themselves walking up the main street, in the direction of the open country.