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Anne turned and studied Darcy’s expression, but only for a second or two before diverting her eyes away. Biting her lower lip, she said, “No, Mother.”

“Speak up, my child. Is it true that you do not desire this union?”

In a clearer voice, Anne said, “No, Mother, it is not true.”

“Anne!” Darcy said in a tone that belied the true extent of his astonishment.

Before Anne could fashion her next response, her mother said, “Let us all be rightfully clear. Do you wish to marry your cousin Darcy or not?”

Anne nodded. “I do.” Her voice trembling, she replied, “I do wish to marry my cousin. I wish it with all my heart.”

CHAPTER 13

ASSUMED TRANQUILITY

The joy on Lady Catherine’s face was nothing in comparison with the abhorrence on Darcy’s. He could not believe what he had just heard his cousin say. He would not believe it. His mouth was still agape when Lady Catherine rose from her seat.

“There you have it, Nephew! It is precisely as I told you. Now, if you will pardon me, I will take my leave of the two of you so that you can discuss this matter—a discussion that is long overdue if you ask me.” She turned and faced Anne’s companion. “Come along, Mrs. Jenkinson. I believe this assignation warrants a measure of privacy.”

By the time Darcy and Anne were alone, he was pacing the floor. His complexion was pale with anger, and the disturbance of his mind was visible in every feature. He was struggling for the appearance of composure and would not open his lips until he believed himself to have attained it. When he had finally collected himself to discuss the matter with a measure of civility, he approached his cousin in quick steps. “Anne, what is the meaning of this? What on Earth were you thinking in saying all those things to Lady Catherine?”

She shrugged. In a voice barely above a whisper, she said, “Cousin, I am dreadfully sorry if what I said has caused you pain. It was not my intention to do so.”

“What you said to your mother cannot be true. Did Lady Catherine force you to say that you desire a union between us? Is that why you spoke as you did, out of fear of your mother’s disapprobation?”

“Again, I am sorry if what I said caused you any pain.”

Growing impatient with his cousin’s parroted response, he said, “Pray answer the question.”

Folding her hands in her lap, Anne said, “I believe I already responded to the question—more than once if you will recall when my mother asked me. However, as you seem to have a difficult time comprehending my reply, I shall state it again.” She looked at Darcy squarely in his eyes. “Yes, I desire this union.”

“I do not believe a word of this. It is impossible that you feel this way. Lady Catherine put you up to this! Admit it to me, and allow me to deal with the consequences of your mother’s disappointed hopes. You need not face her at all.”

Anne glared at Darcy. “Why is it impossible, Cousin? Do you suppose that because you are oblivious to my feelings for you they simply do not exist?”

His mouth fell open. “You have feelings for me? You have never spoken of any such sentiments previously. You have given me no hint—shown no symptoms of affection. Why did you not tell me any of this before?”

“You never asked. You never once looked at me except perhaps to show pity. You never really cared how I felt.”

“Anne, I am sorry that you feel this way. I am sorry for whatever part I may have played in contributing to these sentiments. However, if you actually feel this way then why on Earth would you possibly wish for an alliance between us?”

“My mother wants it!” Anne cried with more energy than she was wont to demonstrate. “What is more, our family expects it of us. I expect it of you, even though you have persisted in your stealthy courtship of Miss Elizabeth Bennet almost from the moment you first laid eyes on her.”

Here Anne stood. Showing strength of resolve that Darcy theretofore did not know she possessed, she practically yelled, “I know it all! I know that you have spent nearly every day admiring—nay lusting after—that impertinent young chit under this very roof. In my own home!

“I know that you make a habit of walking with her to the parsonage every chance you get—just the two of you, doing Heaven knows what along the way. I see the way you look at her whenever you two are in company; hear the things you say to her and the things she says to you. All of this right in front of me, leaving me to suffer inside myself—wishing, praying it was the two of us.”

Anne drew closer to her cousin—too close, forcing him to take a step back. “When you and the colonel finally took your leave of Kent, I hoped and prayed that was the end of your trifling infatuation. But it turned out that I was to enjoy no such luck,” she cried.

“Instead, you brought your sister, Georgiana, here; my dearest cousin and the one person whom I supposed would be an ally to me in my quest to earn a modicum of your admiration. You brought her here solely for the purpose of meeting that little upstart, suggesting that your intentions towards the chit are honorable, and further driving a stake through the heart of my chances for the life that is supposed to be mine.”

With assumed tranquility, Darcy responded, “Anne, you are angry. You are in pain for injuries that I may have unintentionally inflicted upon you. Again, I am sorry. As for my intentions for Miss Bennet, I will only say that they are and have always been honorable. Beyond that, I will say no more other than that none of that can have anything at all to do with you. The sooner you come to grips with the fact that the two of us will never be married the better.”

Darcy brushed both hands over his face. Morning had come despite the fact that he barely slept at all. Troubling thoughts had been his sole companions throughout the night. There was but one solace for Darcy after his pointless conversations with his relations the evening before. Elizabeth. He could hardly wait to see her that day, and he wanted to do so away from Rosings. Thus resolved, he quickly dressed and nearly raced down the stairs and set out down the lane, intending to encounter her.

After wandering about the lanes for some time, Darcy espied Elizabeth heading his way. What a balm catching sight of her was for his restless attitude. He walked towards her with long, determined strides.

“Miss Elizabeth,” he said, bowing when they were close enough.