Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
COLLINS
The day after the wedding, Miss Lucas called on Longbourn, and Collins was delighted to realise that her main object seemed to be to speak with him!
The Evans and Gardiner families had left that morning, the latter taking the eldest Bennet daughter with them for a visit to London.
Miss Mary was practicing pianoforte and only briefly interrupted her playing to greet Miss Lucas, and the youngest daughters seemed very lethargic.
Apparently disappointed that Miss Lucas had not been accompanied by her younger sister, Misses Kitty and Lydia just sat together on a settee to whisper and giggle.
Mr Bennet was closed up in his library, and Mrs Bennet was the only one who, along with Collins himself, paid the least attention to Miss Lucas.
“I came with an invitation to dinner tonight,” Miss Lucas said.
“Oh dear! I have not the energy to stir myself so far, not after yesterday’s event,” Mrs Bennet said.
Collins decided that more praises must be immediately directed to his hostess for that event, and he was delighted when Miss Lucas joined him in doing so.
After many minutes of such approbation, Collins ventured to say, “If I may answer in the affirmative, regarding the dinner invitation, I should like to go. Mrs Bennet, that will spare you having to feed a guest, and perhaps spare you other concerns today, since you have done far more work than you ought to have yesterday.” He looked from Miss Lucas to Mrs Bennet, and both gave him approving nods.
Mrs Bennet was so pleased that he would be going elsewhere for dinner, Collins became very self-satisfied at the cleverness of his appeal to his hostess for permission to dine elsewhere.
Miss Lucas seems a sensible sort of lady, Collins acknowledged to himself, half an hour later, as he escorted her to her home. He had to admit that she was a bit plainer than any of the Bennet daughters, but when she smiled—as she did just then—Lovely!
Lady Catherine de Bourgh had made it quite clear to him that he was to marry one of his cousin’s daughters so that Longbourn would stay in their family.
However, Lady Catherine had steered him wrong in regard to Mr Darcy and Miss de Bourgh—and that had caused him embarrassment, not to mention irritation from his lovely cousin and her wealthy husband.
What, after all, did Lady Catherine know about suitors and marriages if she did not even realise that her own daughter was not yet engaged to marry anyone?
At any rate, Collins decided, it was his friend Hurst who he trusted more, now. And…perhaps Miss Lucas, as well?
Certainly there was no reason not to go to the Lucas home and enjoy eating dinner there. No reason at all. Especially given the fact that they would be serving roast goose.
As the two walked to Lucas Lodge, Miss Lucas further informed him what lay in store that night, saying, “Today I made an apple pie. I hope you will like it.”
“Miss Lucas, you bake?” he asked.
She nodded and said, “And I cook as well.”
Well! I should love a wife who bakes! Collins decided. Mrs Bennet had bragged to him that none of her daughters had ever lifted a finger in a kitchen—as if that was something to be proud of!
This new bit of information gave him much to think on.