Chapter 14
On Monday, the eleventh day of May, while the four eldest Bennet sisters were getting ready to enter the Bennet carriage, which would transport them to Gracechurch Street, an express arrived addressed to Mr Bennet.
Elizabeth was the one standing close to Mr Hill as he paid the rider. She would know that script anywhere; it was Charlotte’s. “Jane, why do you think that Charlotte would send an express to Papa?” Elizabeth asked as she reached her hand out to Mr Hill. “I will deliver that to my father.”
Hill gave a half bow and handed the missive to Miss Lizzy. He went back to supervising the trunks being lashed to the carriage.
“Could it be that it is about Uncle Franks letter, and as Papa informed Sir William of the changes, mayhap he wrote to inform Charlotte. Either way, I am coming with you,” Jane decided.
Although they would have liked to know what had caused Jane and Lizzy to return inside the house, Mary and Kitty remained next to the carriage.
After a knock and being bade to enter the study, Jane and Elizabeth did so.
“I thought you were about to depart for London; did we not say our farewells already?” Bennet asked confusedly.
“We were about to depart when an express rider arrived. If I had not recognised Charlotte’s hand as the writer, I would not have returned to your study. As it is addressed to you, I wanted to make sure all was well with our best friend.” Elizabeth inclined her head to include Jane as well.
“Very well, hand it to me.” Bennet extended his hand. His second youngest handed the epistle to him. He broke the seal and read. His eyebrows shot up as he did. “You may read it,” Bennet stated as he passed the page back.
Jane and Elizabeth sat on the sofa between the windows opposite their father’s desk. Jane held the missive so they could both read it.
9 May 1812
The Parsonage
Hunsford
Mr Bennet:
Please excuse the liberty I take in writing to you.
The information contained in Mr Phillips’s letter regarding my husband being ineligible to inherit Longbourn arrived earlier today. As you can imagine, the news did not please Mr Collins.
I did not see him until it was too late, so I am not sure what the events were which led to his death, but my husband is no longer in the mortal world. According to the apothecary, he choked on some biscuits he was eating.
I will be leaving here as soon as may be, so please do not have either or both, Jane and Eliza, rush here to join me. I am, and will be well, so I ask that you do not change any plans you may have. I expect my parents to arrive on Monday, or at the latest Tuesday.
As I am no longer married to the rector of the Hunsford parish, I intend to vacate this house as soon as may be.
My late husband will be interred in the cemetery of the church where he used to minister. The service will be conducted on Tuesday morning by the curate who would stand in when the late Mr Collins was away.
As of the writing of this letter, I have not heard from Lady Catherine. I am not repining no longer being the recipient of her advice.
Due to the fact that I will not be mourning in the society of those who knew me as the parson’s wife here in Kent, my plan is to have a much shorter mourning period.
Please let Jane and Eliza know there is much to tell, which I will when we see one another again.
Even though the late Mr Collins was no longer your heir, as the only family I am aware he had, I thought it prudent to notify you.
Yours,
Charlotte Collins
“I am pleased she told me not to set off for Hunsford. If not, I would have asked to be taken to Charlotte as soon as we arrived in London,” Elizabeth shared. She smiled. “I am happy for her that the officious and presumptuous Lady Catherine has not been trying to offer her expert advice.”
“It is sad when anyone passes on, especially in Mr Collins’s case. Unless his widow is with child, and it is a son, the Collins line is at an end,” Bennet observed. “It is time for you two to go; the coachman wanted to depart some minutes ago.”
Bennet hugged each of his two eldest daughters, escorted them to the carriage, and handed them in himself. Once he said another farewell to Mary and Kitty, Bennet nodded to the coachman.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Bingley was sitting down to break his fast at Hurst House when the butler handed him a note. He recognised Darcy’s script. Before his younger sister entered the dining parlour and wanted to know what the subject of the missive was, Bingley broke the Darcy seal and read.
11 May 1812
Darcy House
Bingley,
Meet me at White’s at 1 o’clock this afternoon.
I will be in the private parlour I always use; there is much we need to discuss.
I arrived in London on Saturday the 9th. I was not pleased to be told about your sister beating her parasol on my front door when the knocker is down. That is one of the many things we need to discuss.
Let me be very clear. If we are to remain friends, then you will honour the following: unless your sisters and Hurst are specifically invited, an invitation to you does not include them.
Please make sure that Miss Bingley understands that neither my sister nor I will be at home to her if she arrives uninvited.
I will see you later at the club.
Darcy
This was a summons and not an invitation, and it worried Bingley. At least, Darcy stated his aim was to preserve their friendship.
He had just placed the note in his pocket when his sister entered the dining parlour and helped herself to some of the items on the sideboard before pointing at her teacup for the footman to pour for her.
“When will we see Mr Darcy? The lack of invitations to events with those at our level of society is unconscionable. This is not to be borne,” Miss Bingley whinged.
“I am sure I will hear from Darcy soon,” Bingley dissembled. Until he met with Darcy, he would not mention anything to his younger sister.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
As she had paid the rider a bonus to deliver the missive to her parents on Sunday, Charlotte was not surprised when the Lucas carriage was drawn to a halt in the drive outside of the parsonage on Monday, not long after midday.
On alighting, Sir William kissed Charlotte’s forehead.
“Charlotte, my dear girl, are you well? So young to be a widow,” Lady Lucas stated as she took her daughter’s arm. “I did not know you had black gowns.”
“One has been dyed. I will worry about more if I need them once we are back at Lucas Lodge. Thank you both for coming so fast,” Charlotte stated gratefully.
“If you want to pay your respects to my late husband, he is in repose in the study.” As she spoke, she thought about the irony of her mother’s statement about her age and widowhood.
Her mother used to go on about how old Charlotte was to not yet be married.
“Bennet told me of the change to the entail. I was composing a letter to you when your express arrived,” Sir William revealed. “What a way to end one’s life, choking on food, but then again, if it was to happen to any, it would be my late son-in-law.”
Before they reached the parsonage’s front door, one of the de Bourgh carriages arrived. Lady Catherine was handed out, followed by Anne de Bourgh.
“Enough dilly-dallying, Mrs Collins, I need you to vacate this house because I have to appoint a replacement for your late husband,” Lady Catherine stated stridently.
“I see your father is here. I assume this woman is your mother. It is well they arrived; they may assist you to move out of the house.”
“Lady Catherine, Mr Collins’s earthly remains are lying in repose within, and he will only be laid to rest on the morrow,” Charlotte pointed out.
“You are not needed for the…” Whatever else Lady Catherine was about to say was lost when her normally quiet-as-a-church-mouse daughter interpolated. The look of shock on the lady’s face was amusing.
“Mrs Collins, Sir William, and, I assume, Lady Lucas, you may have as much time to move out as you desire. My mother will most certainly not be evicting you, nor will she be appointing the next rector, especially after she inflicted the last one on us,” Anne stated pointedly.
“Anne, this is unseemly. How dare you contradict me? This is my estate, I can…” Again, Lady Catherine was cut off.
“Actually, Mother, you forget that I turned five and twenty on the second of this month. I was waiting for the solicitors to have everything put in my name, which it now is. I will be making the appointment and am now the mistress of my estate; not you,” Anne stated firmly.
“Anne, you are too sickly to manage the estate,” Lady Catherine said.
“But Mother, when my cousins were here in April, were you not the one who claimed I was very healthy and ready to marry William? Which is it? You cannot have it both ways. By the by, William and I will never marry, and everyone in the family knows you made up the tale of a cradle betrothal from whole cloth in order to retain control of my estate. To the dower house, you will go. Your behaviour here was the last straw which convinced me to claim what is mine.” Anne stared at her mother in challenge.
“You are too weak; you will not be able to…” Lady Catherine’s eyes followed her daughter’s. She saw the two largest footmen she had ever beheld. She had not noticed them arrive. One on horseback the other driving Anne’s phaeton.
“Mother, meet John Biggs and Brian Johns. They were sergeants who served under Richard. They and their men will ensure that no one interferes with the running of my estate or, for instance, refuses to move to the dower house.” Anne smiled as the two huge men were followed by four others, all large.
“The other men were John’s and Brian’s soldiers and are completely loyal to me.
” She turned to Johns. “Brian, Lady Catherine is not welcome here; she needs to move to the dower house. Jenki will supervise her packing so she does not try to remove my property.”