As Mrs Collins’s wife, Charlotte was safe, appreciated, and occupied; and her marriage had brought other benefits, some of which she was still learning to value. When Mothering Sunday approached, and she interviewed Katie to make arrangements for her to visit her mother that day, she was surprised to learn that the young maidservant came from a large family nearby. While it was convenient that she lodged in a tiny attic room under the Parsonage roof, it was by no means necessary – her home was but a half-hour’s walk away.

‘Do you not miss your family?’ Charlotte enquired. ‘I had no idea they lived so close by. I would have given you some hours off to visit, had I known.’

Katie gaped at her. ‘Ma’am, I am the eldest of ten. Every year, there is another baby brother or sister when I visit. Until I came here, I helped my mam care for them all. There was never any—’ she paused and thought for a moment: ‘—peace. Here I have my own bed, my own room, ma’am.’ She leaned forward in her earnestness to convey her sense of good fortune. ‘My own room!’

Charlotte remembered the bed she had shared with Maria at Lucas Lodge, the hustle and press involved in living in a house crammed with slightly too many people, and she thought she understood. The cramped and dark space under the eaves must seem a haven to Katie.

The new Mrs Collins considered herself more than content; she knew that she was fortunate.

CHAPTER XXVI

AS THE MONTHS OF HER first summer in Kent passed, Charlotte was extremely busy preserving and bottling as much as she could from the kitchen garden, and not as attentive as usual to news from Hertfordshire. She had caught a whiff of some terrible scandal concerning Lydia Bennet and Mr Wickham, but it had culminated, surprisingly and mercifully, in their marriage. The new Mrs Wickham was bouncing around her old neighbourhood, demanding congratulations from all in a fashion that was curdling the tempers of many. Charlotte could only imagine what Lizzy thought of such careless behaviour.

However, the most startling news of all concerned Lizzy herself. One day, both the Collinses were summoned to an urgent meeting with Lady Catherine. They presented themselves, a little uneasy, both examining their recent conduct to try and discern if they had unwittingly displeased her ladyship. To their astonishment, their patroness informed them of a rumour that Mr Darcy was on the verge of proposing to Miss Elizabeth Bennet.

Lady Catherine’s rage at this information, and her desire to blame someone for it, was such that she railed at the bewildered pair as if they were somehow agents of the impending match. Certainly there seemed to be considerable resentment of Charlotte, who was responsible for introducing the audacious Miss Elizabeth Bennet as an interloper at Rosings and, worse, a thief who had carried off Miss de Bourgh’s rightful fiancé.