Posted on Thursday, 15 August 2002
"Darcy, Colonel, you are most exceedingly late! Have I not impressed upon you the importance of punctuality?"
"Certainly you have Aunt, but there was little we could do to improve our punctuality. The weather is quite bad, and it hampered our journey." After a most unpleasant trip, Colonel Fitzwilliam felt himself almost equal to the conversation of his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. His cousin, Mr. Darcy, however, had already fallen into the silence that became him whenever they travelled into Kent.
Lady Catherine accepted the Colonel's explanation for their late arrival and began to welcome her nephews a little more appropriately.
"Come into the Eastern sitting room. The tea has been served, though it has been sitting there for some time. Watkins, get some fresh tea for the gentlemen."
On entering the sitting room, the two gentlemen made their addresses to their cousin, Anne. The young lady almost contrived to stand to receive her cousins, but her attendant, Mrs. Jenkinson, begged her not to overexert herself. Mr. Darcy was aware of a knowing look on his aunt's face and duly said, "I hope you are in good health Anne."
Lady Catherine seemed pleased, while her daughter just smiled and said, "Yes, thank you," politely. Then the Colonel, perhaps on purpose, made the mistake of sitting in the late Lewis de Bourgh's favourite chair. Lady Catherine's attention was taken away from her daughter and given fully to the reprimanding of her elder nephew.
Mr. Darcy never enjoyed his visits to Rosings. He found his aunt quite ignorant on most topics, yet having a decided opinion on every issue that may arise during the course of a conversation. Although she was really very fond of her nephews, her fondness did not create any moderation in her dictatorial manner. Colonel Fitzwilliam managed to be less effected by the atmosphere at Rosings. He complied with his aunt's wishes wherever possible and was easily humoured by her behaviour. Mr. Darcy, on the other hand, was only disgusted by Lady Catherine's behaviour. He did not have enough humour in his constitution to be amused by her.
Before he knew it, Lady Catherine had launched into an oration of the smallest concerns of her estate. If Darcy had listened more attentively, he would have realised that Lady Catherine was an excellent manager. She knew her estate extensively, down to the last head of sheep.
"Of course, as I told Harrison, there is no occasion for increasing the flock, for it would not be profitable...Darcy, did I tell you that I have found a young man for the living at Hunsford. Mr. Collins is his name. He is remarkably well mannered and shews a great deal of deference to rank, which you know I insist upon. He is receiving orders this month and then he will come to the parsonage."
"He sounds like a very good sort of man," Mr. Darcy replied, to appear interested. "Is he married?"
"No, though I think, and I shall tell him so expeditiously, that he should choose a wife, and quickly. A clergyman needs a wife to manage his household. He has too many important duties to fill his time."
Now that she was on the topic of marriage, Lady Catherine had something further to add.
"Of course, I believe all young men should marry sooner rather than later. So it was with your father and Sir Lewis de Bourgh," she said, addressing Mr. Darcy. "And of course, with my dear brother," she added to Colonel Fitzwilliam. She then made a pointed look that moved from Mr. Darcy to her daughter and back again. The subject of this glare stood abruptly and moved to the other side of the room to pour a glass of brandy. This did not dissuade Lady Catherine from conversation.
"Darcy, where is dear Georgiana at the moment?"
At the mention of his sister Mr. Darcy's countenance softened a little. "She is in London at present," he said, "but this summer she will travel to Ramsgate with Mrs. Younge."
"Ah, Mrs. Younge. I am glad you took my recommendation on that point. I have heard that she is a most scrupulous woman," Lady Catherine replied.
"I should think so, for the money she asks for," Colonel Fitzwilliam added.
"My dear nephew! I should not think that money was an object where my sister, Anne Darcy's daughter was concerned."
The Colonel smiled. "Of course not Ma'am."
Darcy was glad when it was time to retire for the night. Not only was he exhausted from trying to follow his aunt's conversation, but the weariness of the journey was also beginning to catch up with him. For the life of him, however, he could not get to sleep. There was something that concerned him deeply, and that he knew he had to resolve.
He had known for his entire life that Anne de Bourgh was intended to be his bride. He had never been told outright that it was expected of him, but he was a clever boy, and discovered his mother and his aunt's wishes from little hints and innuendos. He had accepted their views without ever taking them seriously. Marriage seemed such a long way off. He only saw Lady Catherine and Anne once a year and they did not enter his thoughts often in the meantime. After his mother's death, his aunt became more interested in the match and assured herself of its success. She more than once tried to get his father to promote a marriage between the two young people but he only smiled and nodded without giving his consent or disapprobation. His only statement either way on the match was to his son not long before he died. "Don't let your aunt force you into something you're not prepared to do," he said.
Mr. Darcy had thus far successfully avoided being forced into anything but he knew he could not elude his aunt forever. She was becoming more and more insistent about her dearest wish - the uniting of the great estates of Pemberley and Rosings Park. Darcy believed that had it not been for Colonel Fitzwilliam's presence during his visits to Rosings, he would have been in great danger indeed. It wasn't that he did not like Anne de Bourgh. It was just that she did not fit his model of a wife.
As a man of rank and position in the world, his wife would of course have to be from an equally well-bred family. In this respect, Anne was as good a candidate as any woman he knew. Her family connection too raised her in his estimation, as Darcy's pride was entirely familial. Yet there was a certain quality that he considered valuable in a wife that Anne could not offer him. He had always desired a wife with whom he could share the burden of his business affairs, someone to discuss estate problems with, and who themselves would be an efficient household manager. Anne had not been brought up to such a position. Her poor constitution had not allowed to attain that knowledge which is useful in a female, not would it be fair to expect her to exert herself as mistress of Pemberley.
He knew he must marry. It was the proper thing to do for a man in his position and he could certainly think of many benefits to a union. Not only would there be someone to look after Pemberley in the manner it deserved, but he felt that Georgiana would benefit from having a sister and a close companion. He did not like leaving her in the care of strangers such as Mrs. Younge, but at present there was no alternative. A wife would be able to fulfill the role of friend and chaperone and help his sister become more confident and, he hoped, happy. He would do anything to make Georgiana happy, but he knew that a new pianoforte here and some new gowns there was not a substitute for real happiness.
So if he was not to marry Anne, then who among his acquaintance would he rather choose? He had formerly been acquainted with many young women, but of late that number had reduced considerably as many married themselves or moved in different circles. He was not blind to the affections of those around him. Caroline Bingley quite obviously desired to bear the name of Darcy. He considered her to be one of the most elegant women in his acquaintance. She was an accomplished musician, artist and dancer. She had run her brother's household for some years since their father had died and had proved herself capable in this field. Despite her high recommendation, he did not want to marry her. There was a certain lack of propriety in her manners at times. He had observed a sneering condescension in her behaviour, which he found distasteful. It was also quite ironic that she frowned on all things mercenary when her own fortune had been made in trade. Another stroke against her was her relations, who, if truth be told, Darcy found quite supercilious, excepting of course the excellent Charles Bingley.
Above all things Darcy disliked imprudent marriages. Many of his friends from university days had been very unguarded and had married far beneath them. It was always a most embarrassing situation to be in. Heavens, one of his friends, the son of a Lord, had married a girl with only £500 to her name and with the most vulgar relations you ever could meet! It was not that he needed to make his fortune through marriage, but rather it was only respectable to marry someone from the same station in life.
Despite these considerations, there was something else that Mr. Darcy was looking for in a wife. He wanted to be married to someone that he loved. It is unknown to this writer how he came by such a romantic notion, as he did not read novels, the usual source of such desires. Perhaps it was from his study of poetry, which he considered to be the food of love. Whatever the case, this desire was firmly rooted in his soul, although he did not like to admit it, even to himself. But if he was honest, that was the real reason why he could not marry Anne de Bourgh or Caroline Bingley or any other woman he knew. Much as he respected them, he could not love them.
So how was he to solve this dilemma? He agreed that it was best to marry soon, both for his own sake and to put a halt to Lady Catherine's plans. The problem was that there was not a woman in his acquaintance that he felt he would be happy with. So on that stormy night, when the rest of the occupants of Rosings Park were fast asleep, he made a pact with himself. One year. He would give himself one more year, and if at that time he had not met a woman that would make him truly happy, then he would give in to the pressure and marry Anne de Bourgh. At his annual visit the very next year he would make his final decision on the matter.
I will not pretend that having made this decision, Mr. Darcy found it easy to drift off to sleep. Rather, he spent the rest of the night considering the enormity of his decision and wondering where and if he would meet a woman that would please him. But then, a year is a long time, and we all know what next Easter would bring.