Chapter 3
“Come, Darcy, if you ride with me, you will not be left with Caroline, unless you would prefer that,” Bingley sported with his friend.
As much as Darcy was trying to avoid Miss Elizabeth, who was invading not only his nightly dreams but his waking thoughts as well, spending time in Miss Bingley’s company was even more abhorrent, so he agreed to join his friend.
“You know you are giving the Bennets much consequence by delivering the invitation personally instead of it being received from your footmen like everyone else in Meryton,” Darcy tried one more time to discourage Bingley.
“Darce, why would I care? Please explain to me how the son of a tradesman can give consequence to a landed gentleman, or are you as confused about social order as my sister?” Bingley asked. “I am not my sisters; I know what my roots are.”
Darcy had no answer. Bingley was correct about the social order.
If he were honest with himself, he would admit part of his desire to steer Bingley away from the Bennets had naught to do with their connections but his own feelings for the second Bennet daughter.
“You are correct, Bingley. Give me a half hour to change into riding attire and I will meet you in the entrance hall,” Darcy agreed.
As he departed the drawing room, Darcy was thankful he had allowed his friend to talk him into accompanying him, as Miss Bingley glided in as he walked out. He cared not about the pinched look on Miss Bingley’s face as he escaped her company.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Lieutenant George Wickham was feeling good about himself. He had established credit at every merchant in this little nowhere town, and he had so far bedded two tradesmen’s daughters—both under the age of fifteen. Both chits had thought he would marry them!
He threatened to tell their fathers and the whole town they had gifted him their virtues if they told anyone or mentioned him marrying them again.
It had worked in the past to keep things quiet—at least until after he escaped the location, which was always before any consequences of his actions would be visible.
Best of all, Darcy’s name was mud in Meryton. He had slighted the Miss Bennet who had been so ready to listen to his story of how Darcy had cheated him out of the living in Kympton. Now, Wickham understood why Miss Elizabeth had been so keen to hear the prig’s name being blackened.
Wickham knew he would have to hold back telling his story to the rest of the population until Darcy left the area.
So far, he had not come to the man’s notice, and in the back of his mind he was aware even if Richard Fitzwilliam was out of the country, he would return.
He needed to be circumspect for now, as the thought of Darcy’s cousin made him sweat.
In the meantime, he would build up his wardrobe and acquire as much as he could so when he finally wore out his welcome in the town, he would leave with far more than he arrived.
He realised he would have to gamble less.
His debts of honour were mounting fast, and it would not be long before his fellow officers would ask to collect what they were owed.
He needed to keep on Denny’s good side. To that aim he was on his way to meet his friend and join him for a promenade down the main street in Meryton.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Mr. Bennet’s daughters and their friend Miss Lucas had managed to avoid the odoriferous parson so far. They had broken their fasts early and then returned to their chambers until it was time to meet Matilda and leave for Meryton.
Collins was frustrated. So far, each attempt to spend time with his chosen Bennet daughter had come to naught. When he broke his fast, he had been alone. After he was done, eating almost everything that remained on the sideboard, he sought out his cousin in his study.
“Will you not summon your daughters to the drawing room, Cousin?” Collins asked hopefully.
“I am sorry, Mr. Collins, but they set their own schedules,” Bennet returned impatiently. He did not like being disturbed when reading, especially not by this man whose foul odour filled the study.
“They need to learn to pay deference to their betters; a man needs to take a strong hand…” Collins started to pontificate when there was a knock on the door, something he had omitted to do when he disturbed his cousin.
Jane Bennet opened the door and knew who was within with her father by the smell before she had fully opened it. “Papa, we are going to await Matilda in the drive, and then we will be off to Meryton.”
“Go ahead, Jane,” Bennet waved her away.
“Cousin Jane,” the greasy parson called.
Jane, having no polite way to do anything else, turned toward him. “Yes Mr. Collins?” she replied.
“As I have not seen the town, other than when I traversed it briefly on my way to my—your home, I will join you on your walk,” Collins stated.
Jane was caught between preference and being polite, even though he invited himself to join them.
She could not refuse him without being most ungracious, something she could not bring herself to do.
If only she had asked Lizzy to inform their father, for her sister would have refused the man without blinking.
“We leave from the drive at eleven, Mr. Collins,” Jane informed the man as she turned and made her way toward the front door before the man could offer his arm. As Jane joined her sisters and Charlotte, they all cringed when they heard Mr. Collins calling.
“There you are my dear cousins; I will wait with you to protect you,” he stated as he puffed himself up with self-importance.
“Mr. Collins, we are standing on the drive in front of our house. What fearsome creatures do you suspect roam here from which you need to protect us?” Elizabeth challenged.
“It is not right for females to be without the protection of a male. As I will one day be head of this family…” Collins began to explain when Elizabeth interjected.
“If and when you inherit our home, you will have the estate, but never will you be the head of our family. You are a distant relation, and we have two uncles who will be designated our guardians, Mr. Collins. We walk to and from Meryton and have done so for many years, and never have we been beset or needed the protection of anyone,” Elizabeth stated with steel in her voice.
Collins was about to retort when Matilda and her father arrived.
Mr. Dudley was to meet with Mr. Bennet. The introductions distracted Mr. Collins.
He was about to deliver a set down to his impertinent cousin when his attention was redirected.
Before he could recover, the object of his ardour had linked her arm with the plain Lucas woman on one side and the impertinent miss on the other.
The two younger Miss Bennets walked together, their inane chatter discouraging Collins from seeking to walk with them, so he was left to offer his arm to Miss Dudley.
Although not the object of his ‘affection,’ she seemed to be all that was proper, and to her advantage, her father was a fellow clergyman.
After walking a little while, Mr. Collins mopped his brow furiously as the sweat poured off him due to the exertion it took to catch up to the three women leading the fast pace towards Meryton.
“Miss Bennet, Cousin Jane, will you not walk with me?” Collins demanded.
“I am quite content walking with Charlotte and Lizzy. Thank you for your kind offer, Mr. Collins,” Jane demurred.
“As you are to be my betrothed, I think it is entirely proper you obey me and walk with me!” Collins managed between trying to catch his breath.
The three ladies stopped, and Elizabeth turned toward Mr. Collins with anger flashing in her green eyes. “Mr. Collins, have you received permission from my father to make such a claim?” Elizabeth asked pointedly.
“I did not address you, Miss Elizabeth. I am sure my cousin will be only too happy to have me as a son,” Collins avowed staunchly.
“Then, sir, before you make any further declarations, speak to our father. I am sure your patroness would agree with me on the order these things are supposed to take,” Elizabeth wielded Lady Catherine’s name like a rapier.
As Mr. Collins realised his patroness would not countenance him not following acceptable protocol, he re-joined Miss Dudley.
For the rest of the walk into town, the surly parson hardly spoke as he brooded on how he would take pleasure disciplining the Bennet sisters once their father was no longer alive.
As the group from Longbourn turned onto the main street, Lydia, always on the lookout for anything in a scarlet coat, saw Lieutenants Denny and Wickham across the street. “Yoo-hoo, Denny, Wickham,” the brash girl called out at the top of her lungs.
Charlotte and Lydia’s older sisters cringed at the lack of propriety she continued to display at every turn.
Lydia had the body of a woman, but she was still very much a young girl, both childish and selfish.
Her father did not spoil her as her late mother was wont to do, but Lydia had quickly learnt all she had to do was disturb his peace to gain what she desired.
Kitty had come out at seventeen and Lydia demanded to come out as well as she refused to be the only one not out even though she was but fifteen.
At first her father refused, but all she did was caterwaul and burst into his study as often as she could, shrieking about how unfair he was to her.
After a day of her tactics, much to his two eldest daughters' chagrin, he had given in and allowed Lydia out.
Something their late mother had mentioned to Kitty and Lydia about a Colonel Millar’s regiment, which had visited Meryton before Fanny married, and how well the officers looked in their scarlet jackets left the two youngest Bennets obsessed with officers.
The two officers crossed the street and bowed to the ladies with a flourish. Miss Bennet introduced the two to Mr. Collins, who did his best to try and puff himself up to look good next to the tall and handsome officers.