Chapter 31
Collins stared at the copies of the documents on the table in his bedchamber, refusing to touch them as if they were a snake which would bite him.
How could this be? His late honoured father had guaranteed that because by God’s will Cousin Bennet had not been granted a son, the estate of Longbourn would be his one day. Collins picked up the accompanying letter and reread it, hoping the words would not say what he had read the first time.
Longbourn
Hertfordshire
Mr Collins:
I apologise for being blunt, but since my son, Thomas Elias Bennet, was born on the 10th day of July 1805 you were no longer the heir presumptive. My son is the heir apparent, and with subsequent occurrences, even if Tommy were not here, you, Sir, will never own Longbourn.
I am enclosing certified copies from the Court of Chancery of the documents which dissolve the entail, the one that used to be in favour of heirs male on my estate.
If you think this is an attempt to cheat you with forged documents, I suggest you retain the services of a solicitor.
Allow him to inspect what I sent you and he will inform you that all is genuine and legitimate.
In the case that your solicitor would like to see the original documents, he is welcome to contact Mr Frank Phillips, at the Law Offices of Frank Phillips in Meryton, who represents me and my estate’s interests.
Before you ask, the original documents will not be posted or couriered to you. Coming to Mr Phillips’s office with your solicitor is the only way you will have access to them.
If the olive branch you alluded to is your desire to marry one of my daughters, allow me to disabuse you of that notion now.
My eldest daughter is married to a viscount, my next eldest daughter is being courted by an eminently eligible man, and my middle daughter is not of an age to think of marriage yet.
My youngest daughters are not out. Were the preceding not the case, I would never have given my consent for you to marry any of my girls.
Please understand that even without Tommy’s birth and the end of the previous entail, my wife and unmarried daughters would never want for anything when I go to my final reward.
I refer to the previous entail because there is now a new entail filed at the Court of Chancery.
It allows for Longbourn to only go to those who are of my body.
In addition, it expressly forbids anyone from the Collins line to inherit or become the master through marriage.
This is because it was your ancestor, the former William Clem Bennet (he changed his name to Collins after being banished) who gambled and lost half of Longbourn’s land, which was the genesis for the entail.
I hope you understand that there is nothing you can do to ever be part of the line of succession again.
With all of the above explained, you can see that your visit would be futile. As such, we will not receive you into our house until we issue such an invitation. That, Mr Collins is the normal way: one is invited by the hosts. One does not invite himself!
I do commend you for trying to heal the breach your late father caused. If you would like to maintain a correspondence with me, I will welcome that.
Sincerely,
Thomas Bennet
Rereading the letter did not make the contents more palatable. The fact that his cousin told him to go see a solicitor to verify the veracity of the documents told Collins he would be wasting funds on something he already knew: the documents were true.
The question was how had his cousin bribed the court to make this ruling against all that was right and proper. The other one was, how dare this Bennet blame his late honoured father for the breach between the Bennets and Collinses?
His belief in everything his father told him was unshakable, so Collins dismissed his cousin’s words as lies. What convinced him that his cousin was prevaricating was saying that one of his ancestors used to be a Bennet, and that man had lost family land.
Collins was considering having a solicitor appeal the travesty of a ruling, and he was sure that the lies in his cousin’s letter would be used to further his case before the courts.
However, Collins remembered that when he looked through the document from the court which vacated the entail, the words ‘royal sanction’ jumped off the page.
He realised that even were he to find a man who would help him appeal the terrible ruling the court made, it would not be changed.
That changed the question because he knew it would be treason to intimate that a member of the royal family had been bribed.
That left the conundrum of how his lowly cousin had a royal intercede on his behalf.
Just then, he remembered his cousin’s words, which he had cavalierly dismissed.
The eldest daughter had married into the nobility!
That was it! Whatever her name was, Collins believed she had entrapped her husband, and once she was married, she had convinced the viscount to apply to the royals on her father’s behalf.
These Bennets were grasping, vile, despicable people. Father had the right of it! Collins knew that thanks to the power the Bennets held via the trollop who had compromised the noble, the courts would not offer him any redress.
Collins reached a decision. He would have to exact retribution himself!
The journey to Meryton would be made. He was certain his cousin would not throw him from his house once he was there. Then, he would be able to learn more about the Bennets and how to avenge himself and all the Collinses before him.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Papa, have you heard back from that cousin of yours who wrote that ridiculous letter?” Elizabeth asked.
While she was waiting for William to arrive, she had been sitting in her father’s study, assisting him to tally some numbers in one of the ledgers.
They both missed Jane and her ability to add columns in practically the blink of an eye.
“No, I have not. I can only suppose that he was not well pleased but understood there was nothing to be done.” Bennet looked at the calendar. “It has been just over a fortnight since I wrote my letter to him, and there has been no response.”
Elizabeth could not but smile when her father mentioned that it had been a fortnight since his letter was posted.
She and William had spent time together every day, and each day, she had come closer to admitting to herself that she loved, was in love with, William.
It was only in the last few days that Elizabeth had owned, if only to herself, that she was heels over head[7] in love with William.
She knew he was waiting for a sign, and she intended to give it to him that day.
“Do you think that means he is reconciled to the court’s decision?” Elizabeth enquired when she stopped thinking about the man she loved.
“If he is his father’s son, I doubt it. They were never big on reality.
In a way, the Collins men are a lot like Miss Bingley used to be, only seeing, hearing, or believing that which fits their delusions.
I suppose over the years the lies they have told themselves have become truth to them,” Bennet opined.
Reports had reached the Bennets via the Hursts that the shock Miss Bingley had received that day at Netherfield Park when she had been taken to task for her behaviour had taken hold.
According to what had been related, she was slowly, but steadily, making changes under the watchful eyes of her aunt and uncle.
As far as the latter two were concerned, the changes were genuine and not an act like they had been a few years previously.
Before Elizabeth could reply, they heard noise from the front of the house, signalling the arrival of a guest.
Bennet did not miss the way Lizzy lit up when she heard Darcy’s voice.
It would not be long now before she would accept a proposal from him.
At the same time, there was no missing the attention Bingley was paying Mary, nor had Bennet missed that Mary seemed to welcome his attentions.
At least Bingley had not approached him about formalising his relationship with Mary…
yet. In Bennet’s opinion, it was only a matter of time.
As much as he did not want to think about giving away a third daughter, Bennet had to own that Mary complimented Bingley well. He was amiable and jovial, while she was more serious and studious. Just like Lizzy and Darcy fit together like pieces in a puzzle, so did Mary and Bingley.
A knock on the study door brought Bennet back out of his thoughts. “Come,” he called out.
Darcy had been told that Elizabeth was with her father in his study, so after greeting those in the drawing room, which included his sister, he made for the study.
During his call the previous day, he had detected a change toward him from Elizabeth.
If he did not know better, he would say that she had fallen in love with him, but the problem was he could not be sure, and he was determined not to push her before he was certain she was ready.
“Darcy, welcome,” Bennet drawled. “I am sure you are not here to see me.”
“And good day to you, Bennet. Elizabeth, you are looking very well this morning,” Darcy said as his eyes drank in the beauty before him. Her fine eyes were shining with something which he wanted to believe was love.
“Thank you, William; it is good to see you,” Elizabeth responded as she blushed at his compliment.
“It is not too cold outside. Could I interest you in a walk in the park?” Darcy offered.
“As long as some others walk out with you,” Bennet interjected before his daughter could reply. He knew it was not long until Lizzy would be engaged, but that did not mean he would make it easy for her swain.
“Yes, Papa.” Elizabeth huffed because she knew what her father was about.