Mr. Darcy's Diary, Amanda Grange [elon musk reading list TXT] 📗

written, and in four

pages expressed Georgiana’s delight at the prospect of

having a sister.

Less welcome was Lady Catherine’s letter.

Fitzwilliam,

I do not call you nephew, for you are no longer

a nephew of mine. I am shocked and astonished

that you could stoop to offer your hand to a per-

son of such low breeding. It is a stain on the

honour and credit of the name of Darcy. She

will bring you nothing but degradation and

embarrassment, and she will reduce your house

to a place of impertinence and vulgarity. Your

children will be wild and undisciplined. Your

daughters will run off with stable hands and

your sons will become attorneys.You will never

be received by any of your acquaintance. You

will be disgraced in the eyes of the world, and

will become a figure of contempt. You will

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bitterly regret this day.You will remember that I

warned you of the consequences of such a dis-

astrous act, but by then it will be too late. I will

not end this letter by wishing you happiness, for

no happiness can follow such a blighted union.

Lady Catherine de Bourgh

Wednesday 15th October

I dined with Elizabeth this evening, and I was surprised

to find a large party there, consisting of Mrs Philips, Sir

William Lucas and Mr and Mrs Collins.The unexpected

appearance of the Collinses was soon explained. Lady

Catherine has been rendered so exceedingly angry by

our engagement that they thought it wiser to leave Kent

for a time and retreat to Lucas Lodge.

Elizabeth and Charlotte had much to discuss, and

whilst the two of them talked before dinner, I was left to

the tender mercies of Mr Collins.

‘I was delighted to learn that you had offered your

hand to my fair cousin, and that she, in her gracious and

womanly wisdom, had accepted you,’ he said, beaming. ‘I

now understand why she could not accept the proposal I

so injudiciously made to her last autumn, when I knew

nothing of the present felicitous happenings. I thought at

the time that it was strange that such an amiable young

woman would refuse the wholly unexceptionable hand of

an estimable young man, particularly one who possessed

so fine a living, and who, if I may say so, had the advantages of his calling to offer her as well as the advantages of

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his person. The refusal seemed inexplicable to me at the

time, but I fully comprehend it now. My fair cousin had

lost her heart to one who, if I may say so, is, by virtue of

his standing, more worthy even than a clergyman, for he

has the clergyman’s fate in his hands.’

I saw Elizabeth looking satirically at me, but I bore his

conversation with composure. I might even, in time,

grow to be amused by it.

‘Admirably expressed,’ said Sir William Lucas, as he

joined us. He bowed to me, and then to Mr Collins, and

then to me again.‘Only such worth could resign us to the

fact that you will be carrying away the brightest jewel of

our county when you carry Elizabeth to Derbyshire,’ he

continued with another bow.‘I hope we will all of us meet

very frequently, either at Longbourn or at St James’s.’

Fortunately we then went in to dinner, but though I

was relieved from the company of Mr Collins and Sir

William, I found myself seated next to Mrs Philips. She

seemed too much in awe of me to say very much, but

when she did speak, it was all of it very vulgar.

‘So, Mr Darcy, it is true you have ten thousand a year?’

she asked.

I looked at her quellingly.

‘I am sure it must be, for I have heard it talked of

everywhere. And is Pemberley bigger than Rosings?’

When I did not reply, she asked the question again.

‘It is,’ I said.

‘And how much was the chimney-piece? Mr Collins

was telling me that the chimney-piece at Rosings cost

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eight hundred pounds. I expect the chimney-piece at

Pemberley must have cost over a thousand pounds. My sister and I were talking of it only the other day.“Depend on

it,” I said,“it will have been well over a thousand pounds”.

“Very likely it cost more than twelve hundred pounds”,

she returned. It is a good thing Lizzy did not marry Mr

Collins, after all, though my sister was annoyed enough at

the time, but what is Mr Collins to Mr Darcy? Even Lady

Lucas agrees that he is nothing whatsoever. Ten thousand

a year.The dresses, the carriages she will have.’

I bore her remarks as best I could, and I look forward

to the day when I will have Elizabeth with me at Pemberley, free of all her relations.

Tuesday 28th October

I did not know that I could feel so nervous, but this

morning I felt almost as nervous as the day on which I

asked Elizabeth to marry me. Bingley and I went to the

church together. I believe he was even more anxious

than I was when we went in and took our places at the

front.

The guests began to arrive. Mr Collins was the first.

His wife was not with him, for she was to be Elizabeth’s

attendant. Mrs Philips followed closely after.The Lucases

arrived, then a number of Elizabeth’s acquaintances. Of

my own relatives there was only Colonel Fitzwilliam and

my sister, Georgiana. Lady Catherine and Anne did not

attend. I did not expect it, and I was relieved that aunt

had decided to stay away, but I would have liked to have

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seen Anne, and I suspect she would have liked to see me

married safely to Elizabeth.

The church filled.The guests took their seats. Bingley

and I exchanged glances. We looked to the door. We

looked back again. I glanced at my watch. Bingley

glanced at his. He smiled nervously. I smiled reassuringly.

He nodded. I clasped my hands. And then we heard a

sigh and, looking round, I beheld Elizabeth. She was

walking up the aisle on her father’s arm, with Jane on his

other arm. But