Chapter One
Four of the Bennet ladies from Longbourn walked a familiar laneway to the closest village of Meryton.
In their midst, desperately attempting to keep up, was their out-of-shape cousin whom they had met for the first time the day prior.
Between attempts to secure Miss Elizabeth Bennet’s arm, which she conveniently kept out of his reach by various means, and performing a funny hop-skip as he was not used to walking so far, he kept up a steady, if labored, one-sided conversation.
“My esteemed patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, would be well pleased to know how you keep fit by walking, Cousin Elizabeth.” He paused to suck in a breath and then hurried to catch up with her and the eldest Miss Bennet, Jane. “Do you always walk so quickly?”
Elizabeth glanced at Mr. Collins over her shoulder, then looked straight ahead so he wouldn’t notice the wide smile she could not hold back any longer.
“Oh no, Mr. Collins. We have slowed down our pace in deference to you. Normally, we walk much faster.”
“Faster?” he panted out, finally coming to a halt, and bent low over his knees. “I must catch my breath.”
“Lizzy,” Jane said under her breath. “We are now bordering on cruel behavior.”
“I know,” she whispered back. “I shall stay with Mr. Collins. I see Charlotte down the lane and we will accompany her. You go ahead and keep an eye on Lydia and Kitty. I do not trust what they are up to. They were too insistent on walking to Meryton today.”
Jane would have hesitated, but she saw Charlotte Lucas coming toward them, so with a friendly wave she hurried to catch up to her two youngest sisters.
“Charlotte, good timing on your part. Mr. Collins and I are walking into Meryton. Are you by chance also going into the village?”
“I am.” By this time, Miss Lucas had come alongside. “Mamma asked me to post a letter to our uncle.”
“Mr. Collins, may I present Miss Charlotte Lucas of Lucas Lodge?”
Her cousin had finally caught his breath and offered Charlotte an awkward bow.
“Miss Lucas, this is my cousin, Mr. Collins of Hunsford, Kent.”
“You should introduce me properly, cousin. I am the Reverend Mr. William Collins of Hunsford Parsonage, of Rosings Park, Kent.”
“I stand corrected.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Collins. Are you here for an extended stay?”
Elizabeth almost groaned, knowing what was coming next. Mr. Collins did not disappoint.
“I have been so fortunate as to be distinguished by the patronage of the Right Honorable Lady Catherine de Bourgh, widow of Sir Lewis de Bourgh, whose bounty and beneficence has preferred me to the valuable rectory of the Hunsford parish. With her blessing, I intend to trespass upon the hospitality of my esteemed cousin Bennet till Saturday next, which I can do without any inconvenience, as Lady Catherine is far from objecting to my occasional absence on a Sunday, provided that some other clergyman is engaged to do the duty of the day.”
“Your patroness sounds like a fine woman,” Charlotte said, a twinkle in her eye. “It is good she can spare you for so long.”
“Oh yes, she is the one who urged me to heal the breach in our families. My father did not like Mr. Bennet and refused even to speak his name, but now that he has passed, God rest his soul, I felt the time had come for me to extend the olive branch and make amends.”
“Yes, Charlotte. Lady Catherine de Bourgh takes prodigious care of our cousin. There is nothing that escapes her notice.” Elizabeth faced Mr. Collins. “You must tell her about the shelves in the closet.”
Mr. Collins, as expected, launched into a rapturous soliloquy about his patroness, and her various recommendations for the parsonage and adjacent garden.
“I dare say she is a very knowledgeable woman,” Charlotte murmured when he finally finished speaking. “It is a pity, great ladies, in general, are not more like her. Does she live near you, sir?”
“The garden in which stands my humble abode is separated only by a lane from Rosings Park, her ladyship’s residence.” Mr. Collins practically beamed from the attention Charlotte paid him, which set Elizabeth to think and plot a new direction for her verbose cousin.
“Mr. Collins, when we reach Meryton, would you be so kind as to escort Miss Lucas to the post office? I fear the gentleman there might charge her too much for her letter, and having you there will keep him honest.”
“But I had intended to stay by your side, Cousin Elizabeth.”
“Dear Mr. Collins, I have three of my family with me. I am not without company. Plus, I intend to visit a lady’s shop, and you cannot enter the establishment.” He looked as though he would argue. “My mind is made up. You must be the dashing gentleman and protect Miss Lucas.”
Charlotte raised an eyebrow at her blatant meddling but said nothing – just as Elizabeth expected.
Her best friend always said she was not looking for romance in marriage, seeking security and a good man instead.
Elizabeth did not look to her cousin that way, but Charlotte would make a wonderful mistress of Hunsford Parsonage and, in the future, Longbourn.
She just had to make sure the officious donkey followed the carrot of Miss Lucas.
Also, Elizabeth had plans for when she reached her majority in May, none of which included marriage.
By the time Elizabeth had finished the little shopping required for her needs, Jane waited outside sporting a bright smile while Kitty and Lydia appeared quite disgruntled.
“Are we ready to walk home?” she asked them.
“We may as well, Denny and Wickham have returned to the encampment. There is nothing to do now.”
“Denny and Wickham?” Elizabeth queried.
“Kitty and Lydia introduced us to some officers from the ____shire Militia. A Captain Denny and a Mr. Wickham. I did not speak with them for very long as Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy were on their way to Longbourn and, when they saw us, stopped to inquire about my health.”
Jane had fallen ill while visiting Mr. Bingley’s sisters and had recovered, under Elizabeth’s vigilant care, at Netherfield Park. It seemed promising Mr. Bingley attempted to call on Jane before two full days passed since they last were in his company.
“Mr. Bingley stopped, but Mr. Darcy took off as though his horse had a burr in its saddle,” Lydia laughed. “Which pleased Wickham.”
“Why is that, Lydia?”
“I do not know all the details, but he did say in passing that he and Mr. Darcy do not get along.”
“I am not sure there are many people who do,” Elizabeth mused out loud, thinking of Mr. Darcy’s behavior and manner whenever he was out among the citizens of Meryton. “Well, I am glad Jane saw Mr. Bingley. At least one of us had a bright moment.”
“Where is Mr. Collins, Lizzy?” Jane’s head had come out of the clouds long enough for her to see her sister was entirely alone.
“I asked him to escort Charlotte to the postmaster. Should we check and see if they are still there?”
The Bennet ladies had not gone far when Charlotte and Mr. Collins exited the building and joined them for the walk home.
The younger sisters spoke of nothing but officers, Jane daydreamed about Mr. Bingley, and Elizabeth walked with Mr. Collins between her and Charlotte.
When she periodically lagged behind them, he did not notice as Charlotte gave him much attention, for which both he and Elizabeth were grateful.
After dinner, Mr. Collins solicited a request to sit next to Elizabeth in the parlor. About to excuse herself from the room, her aunt stopped her by saying, “Of course, you may sit with Lizzy, Mr. Collins. I am sure she will not object to your company.”
Although Mrs. Bennet could not technically decide whom she would marry, it was better not to tip the cart at this juncture. Therefore, Elizabeth determined to use this time for a better, more far-reaching purpose.
“How did you like my friend Miss Lucas, Mr. Collins?”
“She is a delightful lady. Well refined, and soft-spoken. I know Lady Catherine would find her an acceptable friend.”
“I am glad you think Lady Catherine would like my friend, Charlotte. I do worry about what she would think of me.”
“Why?”
“Aunt Frances tells me I am too opinionated and laments that my skirts are always six inches deep in mud. I do like to walk in any kind of weather.”
“She says you are opinionated?”
“Most definitely. Ask any of my family. I think that is why I walk so much. Aunt Frances and I tend to have small arguments over my perceived behavior. She thinks I am too headstrong for my own good and blames it on the books Uncle Thomas allows me to read.”
“Your uncle allows you to read his books?”
“Oh, yes. He has not curtailed what I have read at all. Why the other week, I started reading Mrs. Wollstonecraft’s book. Miss Lucas warned me I should not. She would never dare, but to my delight, I agree with most of what Mrs. Wollstonecraft had to say.”
Mr. Collins partially leaned away from her and his mouth dropped open.
“Oh, this will never do. Lady Catherine would never approve.”
“Mr. Collins, I tell you these things because you are such an honorable gentleman and have paid me marked attention. In good conscience, I cannot allow you to engage your heart when you deserve a lady who will match you in equal temperament and manners. Someone like my friend, Miss Lucas.”
“Thank you for your consideration, Cousin Elizabeth. I had been looking upon you as my future companion, but Lady Catherine would never approve of a woman who read such radical books. I think I will speak with my cousin about this. It is quite distressing.”