Chapter 2 #2
I smiled and ran to greet her. It had been forever since the family gathered for dinner. The house wasn’t the same ever since Lizzy and Jane moved out, but the one silver lining was that at least Mary, Lydia, and I had our own rooms.
“So, what’s the big surprise?” Lizzy flicked her chocolate brown braid over her shoulder.
“I thought you coming was the big surprise.” I shrugged. “Maybe it’s that Dad’s feeling a bit better. He’s eating dinner at the table with us.”
“That’s great,” she said as we made our way through the living room.
"So, I met your friend Riley today.”
She smiled, her blue eyes twinkling. “Oh? And what did you think?”
“He was… interesting.” Mysterious. Weirdly alluring. And possibly in love with you. “I ran into him at the bookstore, but he was acting odd, to be honest.”
“Riley’s a bit of a goofball, but he’s a good guy. He was probably doing research for a story.” She shook her head. “Don’t ask me how, but he always has the best leads.”
We walked into the dining room, and Lizzy gave Dad a one-armed hug as he sat in his chair. “It’s good to see you up and about.”
Though his face was still pale and gaunt, his eyes twinkled as he smiled at her. “It’s good to be up and about, Lizzy.”
Jane had disappeared, probably into the kitchen to help Mom with any last-minute dinner prep if I knew my eldest sister.
“How are things with Charles?” Mom’s voice floated back to us, confirming my suspicions of her and Jane being together.
I shook my head and shared an exasperated grin with Lizzy, who started pouring mulled apple cider into the cups—a special treat to celebrate Dad being well enough to join us.
For a moment, it was like nothing had changed.
Like Dad was still healthy, Jane and Lizzy still lived at home, and Austen Heights was the same uneventful place it had always been.
It was times like these that made me think being “one of the Bennet girls” was a blessing and not the curse it sometimes felt like.
Lydia brought out the fresh loaf of bread I’d made earlier and said, “I’m starved. Let’s eat!”
“Not yet.” Mom and Jane emerged from the kitchen bearing a rotisserie chicken and potatoes. “We’re still missing someone.”
“Yeah, where’s Mary?” I glanced at the empty place setting at the table.
“She has her internship tonight,” Mom said.
Lydia twisted a curl around her finger and shot Mom a curious look. “Then who—”
Another knock on the door interrupted her.
“I’ll get it,” I said since the others had already taken their seats.
“You won’t believe all the scuttlebutt I heard from Hetty at the bakery today,” Mom said. “Do you want to hear it?”
“I suppose since you want to tell me, I have no objection to hearing it.” Dad’s teasing faded as I approached the back door.
Mr. Collins stood on the porch in slacks, a dress shirt, and tie that were a little too baggy. It wasn’t a good look for the fae pastor, but then he always seemed to prefer comfort over style.
“Good evening.” He held a small bouquet of chrysanthemums at his side.
“Mr. Collins, what can I do for you?” I blinked once, then tried to cover my surprise with a smile that might’ve come out more like a grimace.
Why would Mr. Collins be bringing flowers?
Maybe he’d come to drop them off for Dad, doing his visits to the sick and weary.
Although he usually acted like Moonrot was contagious, and he didn’t like to get too close to the victims. So that excuse was as ridiculous as the current situation.
Hopefully, he hadn’t come for one of his “house calls.”
“Am I early?” He pulled his hat off, revealing his messy brown locks.
“Early?”
He blinked at me. “For dinner.”
My mouth fell open. “Oh, um we were just sitting down.” Mr. Collins was the surprise visitor?
That was one way to put a damper on family dinner.
I stared at him for another long moment, then waved him in and closed the door.
We stood by the entry for a long, awkward moment, but there was no way to get out of this.
Holding back a sigh, I led him back to the others.
Their expressions turned to ones of horror that mirrored his when he took in Dad’s appearance at the table.
“Pastor Collins, what a treat to have you join us tonight.” Mom only called him Pastor Collins to his face or when she made us join her at church. Normally if she mentioned him around the house, it was just Mr. Collins.
“Thank you for inviting me tonight,” he said, hesitating at the door to the dining room. “I didn’t realize you’d be joining us this evening, Mr. Bennet.”
“As fate would have it, I’m feeling better today,” Dad said.
Mr. Collins hesitated another moment, then came in. “On my walk through the living room I couldn’t help but admire your choice in candles. A marshmallow waffle scent is an admirable addition to any fall evening.”
“We are a family known for our superb sense of smell.” Somehow Dad said it with a straight face.
“That doesn’t surprise me.” Collins walked to Lizzy and held out the bouquet of chrysanthemums. “And these are for y—”
Lizzy jumped to her feet and accepted the flowers. “How nice of you to bring flowers for the family. I better put these in water.” And with that she disappeared into the kitchen.
Mom glared after her for a moment, and the realization trickled across me like a melting ice cube. Mr. Collins was trying to pursue Lizzy romantically. I grimaced. That was the stuff of nightmares. My thoughts darted to Riley. Had he ever given Lizzy flowers?
“Well, let’s sit down.” Mom forced a smile again and waved Mr. Collins to the empty chair.
He traced the cuff of his sleeve with one hand and glanced at the small crystal on the table, which flickered with a red light—a sign that it was doing its job and keeping the food on the table warm.
“I’m impressed you could buy this lovely warming crystal for the table.
The magic is quite impressive for a home of this size. ”
“We’re more than capable of crafting our own magic crystals, Mr. Collins,” Mom said. “This is a household with fae and witch magic, after all.”
“Of course. Of course.”
We served the food, and Lizzy eventually reclaimed her seat next to me. Mom’s flinty eyes glinted in warning across the table. If she thought one of her daughters had a shot at marriage, she wouldn’t allow anyone to get in their way, not even if it was ourselves.
A quick glance around the table proved that all my sisters had their gazes fixed firmly on their plates while they ate, as if even meeting Mr. Collins’s eye might bring the next catastrophe. It was so not the mood we wanted for Dad’s first supper at the table in ages.
I took a bite of chicken and reached for the salt and pepper shakers, tiny ceramic white and black cats. They leapt into my hand, spelled to respond to anyone wanting them.
“We’re so lucky to have you as a dinner guest tonight, Mr. Collins,” Dad said with a spark of his old humor.
“It is I who is lucky,” Mr. Collins said. “I’ve never had such excellent boiled potatoes as these.”
A laugh burst from Lydia, and she turned it into a cough.
Jane reached over and patted her back, fighting to keep her expression neutral.
“I must get the recipe from you so I can share it with Lady Catherine’s cook before I return,” he continued with a wide smile.
Lydia met my gaze across the table and mouthed, “One point for me.”
Despite the awkwardness of the situation, my lips twitched. Lydia and I had a running bet on which topic Mr. Collins brought up more: Fordyce’s Sermons or Lady Catherine De Bourgh, one of the most renowned highborn fae who lived nearby.
Mr. Collins puffed out his chest and took a sip of his mulled cider.
“I’m lucky to be in close proximity to Rosing’s Park where I regularly encounter the best of the best. You all know how exceptional Lady Catherine is, and as one of the oldest highborn fae in the country, she knows anyone who is anyone. "
“Of course.” Dad inclined his head, although it didn’t completely hide his smile.
Under the table, Lydia kicked my leg, and I glared at her as she held up two fingers.
I scooted my chair out of Lydia’s reach. “Doesn’t Lady Catherine have a daughter?” I glanced at Mr. Collins, then took another bite of chicken.
"Yes, she does. Anne is one of the most graceful people I’ve ever met.
She carries herself with the poise and elegance you'd expect from someone of her social standing in the Marked community.
" Mr. Collins took another bite of the excellent potatoes, then wiped his mouth and added, “Those are the kinds of compliments women appreciate, and I think it only right to offer them as much as possible.”
I almost choked on my chicken. Was he serious?
“You clearly have a knack for flattering,” Dad said. “I’m sure you’re quite the ladies’ man.”
“And do you plan your compliments ahead of time or are they spontaneous?” Lizzy asked with a sweet smile that no one at the table believed except for Mr. Collins.
He straightened in his seat and nodded seriously. “Sometimes they’re spontaneous, but I also enjoy arranging them ahead of time so I’m always prepared.”
The rest of the dinner passed like that, and eventually even Lydia lost track of how many points she earned. When things were finally wrapping up after the longest family dinner in history, Mom stood and told Mr. Collins, “I made a pumpkin chocolate chip cheesecake for tonight.”
“I love cheesecake.” His smile widened, but he didn’t meet anyone’s eye. “Also, I brought Fordyce’s Sermons to read after dinner. It seemed like a structured and thematically appropriate way to spend the evening.”
Lydia’s mouth fell open in horror, and I couldn’t even gloat about finally getting a point. The thought of having to stick around longer was too much to bear. We needed a distraction and fast.
I glanced at my phone, praying for a text, a phone call, anything.
“That’s very considerate, but I’m afraid I have to get home to work on an article,” Lizzy said, her blue eyes slightly wide with panic.
“Surely you could stay for a little while?” Mr. Collins leaned forward as if trying to close the distance despite the table between them. If it were up to Lizzy, she’d probably prefer to have the entire town between them.
The front door burst open, and I wasn’t the only one who turned toward it hopefully.
“Mary?” Mom called.
“Yeah, it’s me.” Her footsteps grew louder as she made her way through the living room.
I resisted the urge to cheer for her arrival. Maybe Mary would be the distraction we needed. Then again, she actually liked Fordyce’s Sermons, so maybe her timing wasn’t as helpful as I’d hoped.
When Mary finally appeared, her face was pale. She looked like she’d seen a ghost. Her gaze sought mine, regret softening her features.
My heart pounded in my chest.
Something had happened.
“What’s wrong, Mary?” Jane asked.
Instead of answering, she made her way to my side. “Can we talk for a second?”
“Oh, um okay.” At least it got me away from the table.
She pulled me into the hall, then turned to face me, that same sadness in her eyes. “I heard some… unsettling news at my internship tonight.”
Dread settled over me like potion fumes in the air, making it hard to breathe. “What news?” My heart thumped in warning. What could she have heard to make her so pale?
“It’s about Graham.” Mary took my hand and bit her lip. “He’s… he’s dead.”