Page 96 of Attempted Compromises
Elizabeth’s composure broke at last, her voice rising with fiery intensity. “He deserves to be happy! He is an honorable man, a loving father, and a devoted brother. He loves and cares for those in his life with a depth I have rarely seen.”
“Positions that he is not capable of filling, as evidenced by his poor choice in a wife. Rest assured, I will be taking my niece and my grandson with me back to Rosings. I demand they be brought to me this instant.”
“Absolutely not,” stated Elizabeth firmly. “You will not take them from him. I will fight for him, for us, for our family until my dying breath.”
Lady Catherine’s lips curled into a venomous sneer. “That can be arranged,” she snapped, raising her cane and moving toward Elizabeth with a sharp, menacing lunge.
The sudden motion startled Mr. Collins from his shocked silence. “No!” he cried, leaping forward in an attempt to block the blow.
The cane struck him instead, landing heavily on his shoulder. He staggered backward, clutching at the wound before crumpling to the floor with a pained gasp. Lady Catherine recoiled in surprise as Elizabeth charged forward, wrenching the gain from the older woman’s grasp.
At that moment, Darcy and Bingley rushed into the room, their faces alight with alarm. Darcy’s sharp gaze immediately sought Elizabeth, his eyes raking over her as he rushed to her side. “Elizabeth! Are you hurt?” His voice was tight with concern.
“I’m fine,” she assured him, though her voice trembled slightly. “I’m not hurt… but Mr. Collins…”
Bingley moved quickly to help Mr. Collins, who was clutching his side and groaning in pain. “Jane,” Bingley called, “he’s injured!”
Jane knelt beside Mr. Collins, her soothing presence calming the man as she examined his injury. Bingley then rounded on Lady Catherine. “Who the devil are you?” he demanded, his usually genial demeanor replaced by a rare firmness.
Meanwhile, Darcy’s protective hand settled on Elizabeth’s arm, his piercing gaze fixed on Lady Catherine. “This is my aunt, who is supposed to be at the Rosings dower hours. Lady Catherine, what is the meaning of this?” he asked, his voice cold and unyielding.
Lady Catherine’s eyes blazed with fury, but she said nothing, her chest heaving with anger. Elizabeth, still shaken but resolute, stepped closer to Darcy, her chin held high. “She came here to demand an annulment.”
Both gentlemen gaped, and Lady Catherine’s fury faltered under the combined scrutiny of the room. But her voice remained sharp as she said, “I was defending the honor of this family!”
Darcy’s jaw tightened as he rose to his full height, towering over his aunt. “By assaulting my wife?” he said, his voice deadly calm. “I thought your brother made it quite clear the last time he spoke to you that you were to remain in Kent. How on earth did you even get here without a carriage.”
“I am not as friendless as you supposed,” she retorted. “I have many people who are willing to help me in my righteous cause.”
“It’s my doing,” Mr. Collins gasped from the floor, attempting to sit up. “She asked if I could convey her to Hertfordshire. A family emergency, she said.”
“Itwasan emergency,” Lady Catherine hissed. “This… this hussy sought to rise above her station and infiltrate my family!”
Darcy shook his head. “Bingley, I fear my aunt has completely lost her reason, if not her entire hold on reality. If we could have Mrs. Nicholls fetch some laudanum, I shall send an express to my uncle. He should be in London now.”
“Howdareyou—”
Raising his voice, Darcy spoke above his aunt’s screeching. “Bingley, some footmen, please? And a guest chamber with only one door in or out?”
Lady Catherine spluttered with indignation, her face mottling with red as Darcy’s commands were carried out. Bingley stepped to the door and called for Mr. Roberts, instructing him to summon two footmen and prepare a secure room for their unwelcome guest. Lady Catherine’s screeches grew louder as she realized she was about to be removed. “I will not be confined like a common criminal! I am Lady Catherine de Bourgh! You cannot treat me this way!”
Elizabeth, still clutching Darcy’s arm, glanced at him with a mixture of concern and exhaustion. “She’s truly unwell, Fitzwilliam. This anger… this delusion… I don’t think she even recognizes the harm she’s causing.”
Darcy’s face softened slightly as he looked at Elizabeth, his voice low enough for her ears alone. “You’ve handled yourself remarkably, Elizabeth. Better than I expected anyone could. But she cannot be allowed to endanger you—or anyone—again.”
Before Elizabeth could respond, the footmen arrived, flanking Lady Catherine on either side. She attempted to push them away, but they remained steadfast.
“This is an outrage!” Lady Catherine cried, her voice reverberating off the walls. “You will regret this, Fitzwilliam. You will rue the day you allowed this… this woman to destroy our family’s legacy!”
Darcy turned to her, his expression colder than Elizabeth had ever seen. “You are my mother’s sister, Lady Catherine, but you have overstepped every boundary of decency and propriety. This ends now.”
“I will not go!” she screamed, her cane now in the hands of one of the footmen. “You will all regret this! Every single one of you!”
Elizabeth stayed rooted in place, her pulse racing. She felt Darcy’s hand tighten on her arm, a silent reassurance that steadied her nerves. As Lady Catherine was led from the room, she twisted to glare at Elizabeth, her voice dripping with venom. “You may think you’ve won, girl, but mark my words—you will never be one of us. Never!”
Elizabeth met her gaze without flinching. “I am not concerned with being ‘one of you,’ Lady Catherine. My only concern is for my husband, my family, and the happiness we have found together—something you seem incapable of understanding.”
Lady Catherine’s lips curled into a sneer, but the footmen guided her firmly out the door, cutting off whatever retort she had planned. Mrs. Nicholls appeared at the door with a small vial of laudanum in hand, her expression calm and composed.
