Forced to Marry Page 2

  “I cannot let you leave yet.” Mr. Collins’ unexpected statement stopped them.

  “And why is that?” If Mr. Darcy’s voice had been a whip, it would have drawn blood.

  “As my cousin Elizabeth’s only male relation here, I must insist that you do right by my cousin. She has been compromised.”

  Elizabeth closed her eyes and groaned. That odious Mr. Collins. If he could just keep quiet, she could get back to the parsonage and nothing would be forced to happen. “I am completely fine, Mr. Collins. I tripped on a tree root. I just want to go back to the house to clean my scrapes.”

  Elizabeth stepped forward again, which pulled Mr. Darcy with her as his arm was still around her waist.

  “My cousin has been compromised. You must offer for her hand! I will not let her taint our association. I am a parson and cannot have a cousin ruined! Lady Catherine de Bourgh would be most displeased!”

  Elizabeth heard agreements muttered by the village women. Mr. Collins was lucky he was not near Elizabeth. She was furious with his assignation that she exposed herself on purpose and his thinking only of himself. Elizabeth hobbled faster. She did not want to be married to Mr. Darcy, and she most assuredly did not want to be forced into marriage to Mr. Darcy.

  Elizabeth’s thoughts of silencing Mr. Collins and getting away unscathed were short-lived. Mr. Darcy and Col. Fitzwilliam slowed and then stopped walking altogether.

  “Why have we stopped? I need to get to the parsonage.”

  Elizabeth’s heart beat rapidly. She had to get to the parsonage as soon as possible before she broke down crying at how unfair it was. She was sure if it had just been Col. Fitzwilliam she could have convinced them that everything was fine and Mr. Darcy did not need to offer for her hand. But not with Mr. Collins and two village women as witnesses.

  Mr. Darcy had considered ignoring Mr. Collins, helping Elizabeth to the parsonage and leaving her. His pride and his vanity were still hurt from her rude denial of his marriage proposal. That she had believed George Wickham’s lies angered him fiercely. But he knew he could not do that to Elizabeth, for he still cared and yearned for her even though he was so very upset. And even though he knew she detested him, he was still thrilled at the physical contact he had with his arm around her waist. He would not let himself think about what he had seen when he had first come upon her.

  “Yes, Mr. Collins, you can be assured that I will do the right thing. I do not however, want an audience for it.”

  Mr. Darcy continued with Col. Fitzwilliam helping while Elizabeth hobbled. They entered the parsonage and sat her down on the sofa.

  “Thank you. I am grateful for your assistance, but I will go upstairs now and take care of my injuries.”

  Col. Fitzwilliam stepped forward. “Your leg is hurt as well though, is it not? I believe you need a physician.”

  “I do not think I need a physician. It is just a fall and I will be fine resting it.”

  Mr. Darcy removed his beaver hat and stepped forward, throwing a look at Col. Fitzwilliam. Col. Fitzwilliam raised his eyebrows, bowed, and then exited the parsonage.

  Elizabeth closed her eyes. Not again, and in the very same room.

  “I am sorry to bring up this business that you found so distasteful before,” he said. “However, I am bound by propriety to offer for your hand in marriage as we have been assuredly compromised.”

  Elizabeth continued to look down at her walking boots. She clenched her teeth so fiercely that she was sure Mr. Darcy could hear them grinding. Elizabeth realized then that Mr. Darcy had only stated he needed to make a marriage proposal. Was he not even going to ask her?

  “I fear I do not have an answer for you as I have not been asked a question,” she said.

  She knew she was being rude, especially after Mr. Darcy helped her even though he certainly did not need to. He could have spotted her trying to get up and then walked off. But he was a better man than that and had helped her with her dress and walking to the parsonage. Unfortunately it caused them both to be seen by Mr. Collins and the village women.

  “Elizabeth Bennet, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  That had come out more of a statement than a question, but at this point Elizabeth wanted him gone. She knew she was having trouble holding herself together, and she did not want Mr. Darcy there to see her cry. She was infuriated that she was forced to marry this man who ruined Jane’s happiness, who had disparaged her family, and had also ruined the future of George Wickham. There was absolutely nothing she could do if she did not want to forever ruin her sister’s chances at marrying.

  “I accept your offer.”

  Mr. Darcy bowed and immediately left. It was the most unromantic marriage proposal ever. It was even worse than the proposal Mr. Collins had made. And it was far worse than the proposal Mr. Darcy had made not even an hour earlier.

  Elizabeth finally broke down and cried, and that was how the servant found her.

  Chapter 3

  The Collins’ maid helped Elizabeth upstairs to her bedchamber. It was not too difficult as she could brace herself on the walls and hop up the steps. The maid returned with a bowl of water, towels, and liniment.

  “Oh my! Your hands look painful. Whatever happened?”

  Elizabeth had planned on keeping that quiet, but now that the village women, Mr. Collins, and Col. Fitzwilliam had seen her, she doubted anything would be kept quiet. Especially by Mr. Collins. “I was walking in Rosings Park when I tripped over a tree root and tumbled. My hands are scraped and my knee as well.”

  The maid lifted Elizabeth’s dress and made exclamations of horror at her knee. Her scrapes were washed, covered with liniment, and then linen. Nothing was done for her pride, however. The maid helped her change, then Elizabeth lay back on her bed and stared at the ceiling.

  It was interesting how fast one’s mood could change when their future was no longer their own. Elizabeth’s was now bound to Mr. Darcy. She closed her eyes and did not even bother brushing away the tears running down her face.

  Col. Fitzwilliam caught up with his cousin, who had darted out of the parsonage. Mr. Darcy had not stopped so that Col. Fitzwilliam could walk with him. “How is Miss Elizabeth? Were her injuries quite severe?”

  “I would imagine not.” Mr. Darcy’s terse answer did not ease Col. Fitzwilliam’s concern.

  Something had happened between Miss Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy before he had arrived upon them, Col. Fitzwilliam was sure of it. He knew how much Mr. Darcy had favored her. Why then had his cousin barely been able to ask for Miss Elizabeth’s hand in marriage when it was obvious they had been compromised? Why had he not spent much time in the parsonage after helping Miss Elizabeth? And Miss Elizabeth could not even stand to look at Mr. Darcy. This was not a good beginning to their engagement.

  “Did you not see the maid dress Miss Elizabeth’s injuries?” Col. Fitzwilliam expected Mr. Darcy to answer yes. Then he figured his cousin would detail the extent of Miss Elizabeth’s injuries. However, when Mr. Darcy did not answer him, Col. Fitzwilliam realized something horrible. “You did not stay to see her injuries taken care of, did you?”

  Mr. Darcy sped up his pace.

  “Darcy, I cannot believe you! You just left her there? Did you even ask her to marry you?”

  Mr. Darcy stopped, thereby causing Col. Fitzwilliam to overshoot him and then walk back.

  “No, I did not see her injuries tended to. Yes, I asked her to marry me and she accepted.”

  Darcy’s glare was a thing to behold. But Col. Fitzwilliam did not see it for long because Darcy took off at a fast pace for Rosings again. Col. Fitzwilliam had to trot to catch up with him.

  “I don’t understand you, Darcy. You have been interested in Elizabeth Bennet for quite some time now. I know you would rather ask for her hand in marriage without being forced, but the result is still the same. Why are you so angry?”

  “What makes you think I had not asked her to marry me before this?”

  Col. Fi
tzwilliam stopped, shocked at the words his cousin had just uttered. Darcy had asked Elizabeth to marry him and she refused? “You already asked her? And she refused?”

  “You are correct.”

  Oh, no. So that is why Darcy had been dragging his feet about being married to Elizabeth. “How long ago did you ask her?”

  He did not think his cousin was going to answer.

  “About half an hour before she tumbled in front of me and three-quarters of an hour before you found us.”

  Col. Fitzwilliam stopped again. That was horrible, indeed. For a man with Darcy’s pride to have been turned down and then less than an hour later be forced to marry the very woman who turned him down was a Greek tragedy. Col. Fitzwilliam let the silence between them stand for a while until they were almost at Rosings itself. “Why did she turn you down? I am surprised that she would do so. Did she even have a good reason?”

  “According to her mind she had several good reasons.”

  Col. Fitzwilliam grimaced. This was not a good at all. His cousin would have the most unhappy marriage in all of England if he and Miss Elizabeth did not work this out. “Come Darcy, I have some very good French brandy that I managed to bring into England. Why do we not sit down and talk about this before we go anywhere near our aunt?”

  Mr. Darcy nodded but did not speak. Col. Fitzwilliam could tell by the twitching muscle in his cousin’s jaw that he was still quite angry. And Col. Fitzwilliam did not blame him. If the woman he loved had turned him down and then less than an hour later he was forced to marry her, he would be in a worse mood than Darcy was right now. Col. Fitzwilliam shook his head. He could not think there was a more terrible way to start an engagement.

  Mr. Collins managed to get away from the two village woman. Even though they were mavens of Hunsford society, they were still of less importance than Lady Catherine de Bourgh, whom he needed to see at once.

  Mr. Collins walked into the room bowing low as he usually did before his patroness.

  “What took you so long, Mr. Collins? I expected you back promptly.”

  Mr. Collins rose up from his bow. “I must apologize, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. I was waylaid by Mrs. White and Mrs. Wimbley of Hunsford who had various—”

  Lady Catherine waved a hand, brushing away those other women as if they were nothing. Which they were according to her. “Yes, yes, yes. Do you have the book?”

  “Yes I do, your ladyship. But I must tell you of what happened—”

  “I am not interested in what those society women had to say. Hand me the book.”

  Mr. Collins approached Lady Catherine and handed her the book of spiritual readings. As a matter of fact, the book was so new that he had not even had a chance to read it.

  Lady Catherine opened the book and ran her finger down the list of contents. “Very good. I am glad to see they included that. Oh yes, I imagine that would be quite a good chapter. I am much impressed with this.”

  Mr. Collins knew he had to alert Lady Catherine of what had just transpired outside on her grounds, yet he was loath to interrupt her. He glanced aside at his wife who stared at him, confused. He turned back towards Lady Catherine. This news would affect his wife as it involved her good friend, Elizabeth Bennet.

  “Your ladyship, I must interrupt. Something occurred that you need to know about.” Mr. Collins waited for Lady Catherine to raise her head, and she did so with narrowed eyes.

  “What matter is so great that you need to interrupt me?”

  “Something transpired on your grounds that was quite alarming. As I said earlier, the two village women, Mrs. White and Mrs. Wimbley, had questions about an upcoming wedding service. I was of course most obliged to help them, as I am a very helpful and caring person of my parish.” At this Mr. Collins bowed, apparently in thanks to his patroness.

  “Yes, yes, go on, Mr. Collins.”

  “We came upon a most unusual scene. It seems that Elizabeth Bennet was taking a walk upon the grounds of Rosings Park, tripped, and fell over a tree root through no fault of yours, Lady Catherine. Oh no, your gardeners are the most qualified and amiable, dedicated to their jobs as befitting a woman of your—”

  “Yes, yes, Mr. Collins!”

  “As I was saying, she had tripped and fallen. However her dress did not stay within the realms of propriety. That was the scene that the two village woman and I encountered.”

  “Is that it? Miss Elizabeth tripped and fell? You interrupted me for that?”

  “Oh my, my dear Lady Catherine, I omitted the most important part. I must apologize. I am so sorry I cannot believe I made a mistake like that. I did not mean to waste your time. Oh no, I understand—”

  “Get to the point, Mr. Collins!”

  Mr. Collins bowed again. “Your ladyship, your nephew Mr. Darcy was helping Miss Elizabeth to pull her dress back down from where it had been wrapped under her arms, completely exposing her chemise.”

  Mr. Collins heard his wife and Maria Lucas gasp, and saw the color drain out of his patroness’s countenance. He gave himself a little pat on the back for delivering this shocking news first. He was glad he had been the one to discover the scene and not anyone else.

  “You say he was pulling her dress down?” Lady Catherine’s hand was raised to her throat.

  “That is correct. When she had fallen, she must have tumbled quite severely. Her dress was wrapped up under her arms, almost above her shoulders, completely exposing her chemise in its entirety! Why, I was in shock to see such a sight! Col. Fitzwilliam, who also came upon the scene, was quite shocked as well. It was shocking, most shocking! Mr. Darcy tugged her dress down and helped her stand, but not before we all had a rather shocking view of Miss Elizabeth.”

  “And you saw this? Mr. Darcy was with her when her chemise was completely exposed?” Lady Catherine clenched her fingers into the armrest of her great chair.

  “Why yes, Lady Catherine. He helped her stand, but her dress was stuck under her arms. Mr. Darcy tugged, turned, and pulled it so that it dropped down to her knees, but then it was stuck again. He had to crouch down to inspect the bottom of her dress or her chemise. Then he pulled off a twig and the dress fell all the down to her shoes. But by then we had all seen her!”

  “And Mr. Darcy was touching her? You also saw this?”

  “Yes, yes, Lady Catherine. All of us: Mrs. White, Mrs. Wimbley, Col. Fitzwilliam, yes, we all saw Mr. Darcy pull her dress down to cover her. And then he tugged at her dress from a very close position while her lower legs were completely exposed. It was quite scandalous.”

  Mr. Collins was certain that his coming to Lady Catherine de Bourgh immediately with this information would grant him a higher standing in her eyes. It would definitely show that he knew everything that went on in the parish. He was sure she would definitely bestow some favor on him for this.

  He would have to wait awhile for that favor, for Lady Catherine was speechless. She leaned back in her chair, her hand still over her throat, her face devoid of color while she stared at her daughter Anne. Mr. Collins stood for a while, not quite sure what to do. Then he looked to his wife, bowed low, and backed away from Lady Catherine until he sat down next to his wife on the sofa.

  Mrs. Collins leaned over to her husband. “Is Elizabeth well? It sounds as if she would have been injured by a fall such as that.”

  “Oh, her hands did look bloody and I think her knee was scraped as well.” Mr. Collins was staring at Lady Catherine, though his mind was not on his cousin’s injuries or feelings at all.

  Charlotte leaned back with her eyes narrowed at her husband, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. She had gone into that marriage with her eyes open though. As a matter of fact, she was the one that had put the idea in his head and encouraged it.

  Charlotte pursed her lips and turned back to Lady Catherine. Her husband was too stupid to realize what he had stumbled upon, but Charlotte knew immediately. Her friend Elizabeth was truly compromised. She would be forced to marry Mr. Darcy unless Lady Cather
ine did something to stop it.

  Chapter 4

  Mr. Darcy followed his cousin to Col. Fitzwilliam’s bedchamber, where there was a beautiful full bottle of French brandy. Mr. Darcy was quite ready to imbibe even though he avoided spirits as a rule. But with the day he’d had, Fitzwilliam decided that he could well and truly use a drink.

  Col. Fitzwilliam opened the bottle while he watched his cousin prowl about the room. He poured a healthy glass for Mr. Darcy and just half a glass for himself. Mr. Darcy took the glass and downed half the contents immediately. Col. Fitzwilliam’s eyebrows raised. He had never seen his cousin in such a mood. This would be interesting.

  “So, that is why you left earlier? To ask Miss Elizabeth to marry you?”

  Mr. Darcy drained the rest of his brandy and held the glass out. Col. Fitzwilliam eyed it, then took the glass and refilled it. He hoped his cousin would slow down. But he could understand the need to wipe out the events of the day as quickly as possible.

  “Yes.” Mr. Darcy took his glass, only drinking a swallow this time.

  Col. Fitzwilliam’s shoulders relaxed as he had not wanted to deal with a drunk, sick Mr. Darcy. “So what happened? You said she turned you down?”

  He swore his cousin growled. “I did her the honor of bestowing a marriage proposal. I told her I had admired her, that I wanted her even though she had inferior connections, and a lack of decorum in her younger sisters and mother. Yet she said I had insulted her!”

  Mr. Darcy turned to his cousin with wide eyes. “She told me that I could not have offered my hand in any manner that she would have accepted! She did not even feel remorse for turning me down as I had not behaved in a gentlemanly manner.” Mr. Darcy took a healthy drink of his brandy. “A more gentlemanly manner? I, who strive to be a gentleman, always in control of my emotions, behavior and speech?”