Chapter 27 #2
Thanks to the fact that he had never allowed Miss Fanny Gardiner to place her stamp on the décor of the house, other than some fading paper in two parlours and a rather threadbare rug, Lulu did not ask for anything else to be changed.
Bennet was certain had he allowed Miss Gardiner to redecorate; her style would have been on the ostentatious side of gaudy.
His daughters’ reactions to Lulu showed Bennet that the bond between them had strengthened since he and his betrothed had announced their impending marriage.
Given the fact that Bingley was now courting Jane, and Bennet not wanting to pass a day when he did not see Lulu, he was beyond pleased that the residents of both of his estates spent most of their days together, invariably having dinner together at one estate or the other.
The other two men who resided at Netherfield Park were no less marked in their attentions to his second and third daughters, even if they had not requested anything official yet.
There was no doubt that Mary received Fitzwilliam’s attention with pleasure, and thanks to Bingley not sharing the amounts of the girls’ dowries, Bennet was confident that Fitzwilliam’s motive was not mercenary.
Lizzy happily seemed to receive Darcy’s company.
Bennet could tell that Lizzy did not hold anything against him, but yet, Darcy was being very careful not to pressure Lizzy.
Bennet surmised it was because he thought that his slight at the assembly had caused her to dislike him, and even though she had accepted his amends, he still felt he needed to move slowly.
Bennet decided that if by the time he married, Darcy was still holding back, he would inform the younger man he was being unnecessarily overcautious.
Bennet next moved on to thinking about the gossip about himself in the community. On the heels of his engagement to Lulu, word that he was also the owner of Netherfield Park spread through the area as soon as the Lucas parents were informed of the inheritance.
Bennet cared not, but he had heard that the Kingstons were not sanguine with his change in situation.
They had been heard to say that he did not deserve it, but since Phillips had threatened a slander suit, they had been far more careful about what they said in public.
Bennet had never cared what the Kingstons thought about anything, so he was not about to begin now.
He found that it was hard to be angry when thinking of Lulu, and thinking of his upcoming nuptials made him grin like a Cheshire cat.
Thoughts of his affianced made Bennet look in his top right-hand drawer. There sat the common license which Mr Pierce had issued without delay. He could not wait until Friday when he would marry his Lulu.
He closed the drawer with the precious document in it and left the study to prepare for his and his daughters’ departure to Netherfield Park.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
By the Tuesday before the day he had heard mentioned when his cousin would disobey him and marry again, Collins was close to apoplectic with rage.
Both of the expresses, which he had posted to Longbourn, containing his demands that his cousin stop this folly that was against both God’s and man’s laws, had been returned to him with the seals intact.
He was so angry that the plate of biscuits and pastries he would consume with his tea, stood only half eaten. Food normally had a calming effect on him, but now thanks to his cousin, he was not finding the pleasure he always did in eating. It was another ill to lay at his cousin’s door.
How dare his cousin not read his words and follow his instructions?
Collins remembered the words of Lord Matlock. As much as he hated to disagree with a man of his rank, Collins knew the Earl was wrong. Longbourn was his birthright, and the Bennets had stolen it away from the Collins line.
He had thought to go rescue Lady Catherine, who had been unjustly committed to an asylum.
The only problem was that he knew not which one nor where it was.
Lord Matlock had refused to share the name and location claiming it was a private family matter.
Collins had been too awed by being in a noble’s company to demand the information.
What had given him pause were the claims of Lady Catherine’s financial malfeasance against him with both his annual earnings and the balance of his legacy.
Surely, a lady as great as Lady Catherine would not need to steal his money?
He had tried to find a good reason for what she had done, but it was becoming harder to do so.
At first, he had told himself it was her right to take his money because of her rank, but that was not right, was it?
The questions about the money notwithstanding, Collins missed the lady and her advice greatly.
No matter what Lord Matlock and Miss de Bourgh had said, he was certain that had she still been in her rightful place as the Mistress of Rosings Park, Lady Catherine would have been able to put things to rights.
As he sat in his study fuming over the blatant disrespect of Cousin Bennet returning his instructions unread, Collins asked himself what Lady Catherine would have done had she been able?
While he cogitated, Collins forgot he had been too angry with his cousin to finish the plate of treats it was his wont to eat with his tea, and began to put one after another into his mouth.
Even though eating everything on the plate had a calming effect on him, it was only when he was licking the last crumbs from the plate that he had an idea.
The more he considered the inspiration he had had, the more Collins knew this would be effective.
Thankfully Miss de Bourgh had given him the portion of his wages she claimed her mother wrongfully took, as well as the amount she withheld that she should have added to his pay.
As he had been more than six months in his post, he had been handed a little more than two hundred pounds, so now money was not an issue for him.
He did not want to think of Miss de Bourgh as his patroness because it seemed disrespectful and disloyal to Lady Catherine.
However, she had given him money she said was due him.
She also told him that all of the things Lady Catherine purchased with the money she stole from him would be sold and that money would be returned to him as well.
Collins summoned his cook and housekeeper in one person and issued orders. He had one of the tenant’s sons who owned a trap summoned and paid the lad to convey him into Hunsford.
His plan was sound; it would work; he would not be gainsaid in this. He felt the happiest he had been since hearing the blasphemy in the solicitor’s office.
It took a day to have everything which needed to be dealt with and to do what was needed to be done.
On Thursday morning, the day before the travesty of a wedding, Collins departed from his parsonage in a rented carriage.
This time, he would travel in comfort, and when his cousins saw him travelling in such style, they would regret their behaviour towards William Clem Collins.
The evening Collins arrived at the Blue Bull Inn in Hatfield, he treated himself to the best room at the inn.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
As much as she would have wanted to see Thomas the night before the wedding, Louisa accepted that until she entered the church on Charles’s arm on the morrow, she would not see the man she loved more than anything she could imagine.
Even though she was only four years older than Louisa, Maddie Gardiner, who since her arrival with her family and cousins had become very dear to Louisa, had given her the talk an hour past. Aunt Hildebrand was yet a maiden, so it would have been no use to ask her to do that duty.
Maddie had been very informative; hence, she had left Louisa in anticipation of her wedding night and beyond.
Louisa had been fascinated to meet and become acquainted with Maddie’s cousins. They had been very much down to earth and like Maddie had written to Thomas, they displayed no airs and graces.
As hard as it was to fall asleep that night, Louisa had wanted to because the sooner she slept, the sooner she would wake, and it would be the day to marry her love.