which Colonel Fitzwilliam found it – though he was not
a colonel then. But he seems to have been a nice boy. It
could not have been pleasant for him to have had a little
girl trailing after him, yet he seems to have shown her a
great deal of kindness.’
‘He was always fond of Anne.’
‘And then we talked of books. She has read a great
deal, and we enjoyed a lively debate. I think she is better
away from her mother. I will ask my Aunt Gardiner to
take her out in the phaeton tomorrow. Between the two
of us, we should be able to separate her from Lady
Catherine for most of her stay.’
Thursday 18th December
The house party is proving to be surprisingly enjoyable. Mrs Bennet is content with walking the length
and breadth of Pemberley, memorizing its finery so
that she can confound her neighbours with accounts
of its splendours on her return to Longbourn. Lydia
spends her time flirting with the gardeners. It is useless to try and stop her, and at least it keeps her out of
doors. Mr Bennet sits in the library most of the time,
venturing out only for our fishing trips. Lady Catherine has taken to instructing Kitty and Mary on the
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correct behaviour for young ladies, and Kitty is so in
awe of my aunt that she sits and listens to her with
flattering attention for hours together. Mary, too, sits
and listens, interposing her own profound thoughts
from her reading. Caroline and Louisa occupy themselves with fashion journals, whilst Mr Hurst sleeps for
most of the time.
Anne has made the most of this chance to escape her
mother’s notice, and has taken to walking in the grounds,
where she is often joined by Colonel Fitzwilliam. Her
cough seems to trouble her far less than formerly, and she
says it is the exercise which is doing her good.
When the others are occupied, it is with Jane and
Bingley, Georgiana and Mr and Mrs Gardiner, that Elizabeth and I are able to spend most of our time.
Saturday 20th December
Elizabeth and I rode out with Jane and Bingley this
morning to see a property some ten miles from Pemberley. It is a fine house, with good views. We looked
around, and Jane and Bingley were much taken with it.
‘If we find nothing better, I think we will buy it,’ said
Bingley.
‘I do believe you are learning caution,’ I said to Bingley. ‘A year ago you would have taken it straight away.’
‘Impossible for me to do so now,’ he said, shaking his
head. ‘If I have learnt anything from you, Darcy, it is that
I must not take a house without first enquiring about the
chimneys!’
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‘I reprimanded Bingley for not asking any sensible
questions when he took Netherfield,’ I explained, when
Elizabeth looked mystified.
‘It is a good thing he did not ask too much,’ said Elizabeth, ‘or else we might never have met.’
We rode back to the house, where we found Mrs
Bennet deep in conversation with Mrs Reynolds, ascertaining how much the curtains had cost, and what were
the exact dimensions of the ballroom.
Anne was in the drawing-room with Mrs Gardiner,
and their laughter reached us as we entered the room.
Anne is looking much better than formerly. There is an
animation about her that was wholly missing when she
was confined with Lady Catherine, and, I own, when she
thought she would have to marry me.
‘Did you like the house?’ asked Mrs Gardiner.
‘Yes, very much,’ said Jane. ‘It is a little smaller than
Netherfield, but it is still a good-size house.’
‘Smaller than Netherfield?’ asked Mrs Bennet, coming
into the room. ‘That will never do.’
‘But it is an easy distance from Pemberley,’ said Jane.
‘To be sure, that is in its favour.Then I might visit you
both at once. I can stay with Lizzy first and then, dear
Jane, I can stay with you. It is a long journey into Derbyshire to visit one daughter, but an easy distance to visit
two. I dare say I shall be here all the time.’
‘I thought the park was rather small,’ said Bingley, with
a glance at Jane.
‘And the attics were poor,’ she said.
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‘Oh, if the attics are poor I should not contemplate it,’
said Mrs Bennet. ‘You had much better stay at Netherfield.’
Monday 22nd December
It was a wet day today. After dinner, Lady Catherine
retired early. Kitty and Lydia were engaged in trimming
bonnets, and Mrs Bennet was telling Kitty that when she
was married she must make sure she had a house as fine
as Pemberley. Mr Gardiner and Mr Bennet were playing
chess, whilst Mrs Gardiner was looking through a book
of engravings.
‘Would anyone care for a game of billiards?’ asked
Colonel Fitzwilliam.
‘Darcy will play with you, and I will watch,’ said Elizabeth. ‘Anne, will you join us?’
Anne agreed, and the four of us went to the billiard
room.We had hardly entered it, however, when Elizabeth
excused herself on account of a headache, and asked me
to help her back to the drawing-room.
As the door of the billiard room closed behind us, her
headache seemed to disappear.
‘I think Fitzwilliam and Anne will do better without
us,’ she said.
I looked at her in surprise.
‘He needs only a little encouragement to realize that
he is in love with her.’
‘Fitzwilliam and Anne?’
‘I think they would suit well. Her eyes follow him
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whenever he is in the room, and she can scarcely talk
about another subject without somehow mentioning
him. For his part, he has always been fond of her, and it
would be a suitable match as well as a love match. He
needs to marry an heiress, and Anne is to inherit Rosings
and a considerable fortune besides.’
I was even more surprised.
‘How do you know he needs to marry an heiress?’
‘He told me so.’
‘When did he do that?’
‘At
