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Elizabeth relished her walk with Kiernan that morning. The air was especially crisp, and she was grateful for the ability to walk off some of her frustrations. “How are you enjoying the book, Kiernan? Has it been giving you trouble?”

“I think I have been doing well. My little sister likes the stories and because I read them often, I get to practice.” Kiernan puffed out his chest, his pride in his progress clear. He looked around and noticed they were almost back at Longbourn.

Elizabeth derived so much joy from her time with Kiernan that she felt he deserved a treat.

“You know, Kiernan, Mrs. Allen was starting a batch of scones before we left. I do not think she would mind if you tried one to make sure it meets her standards. I think she was worried about the quality of the apples.”

Kiernan’s mouth was already watering at the thought of a nice warm scone. “I would be delighted to help with that, Miss Elizabeth. I am fond of apples, but sometimes you can get a bad one.”

In no time, Kiernan was back at Longbourn and accepting a scone fresh from the oven, the aroma of spices tantalizing his nose. He thanked Mrs. Allen before he went outside to enjoy it in the cool morning air.

Kiernan strolled along the exterior of the building until he found a cozy spot to sit beneath a window.

He took his first bite while gazing out at the tranquil garden.

Warm and flaky, the flavor of cinnamon and spice burst onto his tongue, followed by the reassuring sweetness of the apple. Mrs. Allen was the best baker.

Mr. Collins looked around the room that would one day be his domain and smiled.

The scent of leather and port permeated the room, and books lined the shelves floor to ceiling.

“Thank you for inviting me to speak with you in your library, cousin.” He found reading laborious and aggravating, but that did not mean he did not know books were expensive.

“Not at all, cousin. You stated you had something of importance to discuss?” Mr. Bennet saw the covetous glance, but it did not disturb him. Collins was welcome to this heap when he was done with it. Longbourn would likely be in a dilapidated condition, but it would be his at some point.

“I want to reassure you of my desire to heal the breach between the branches of our family. The most honorable Lady Catherine has advised me that to provide for my female relatives after your demise, I should marry one of your daughters. I have decided that, of course, your eldest daughter will have her rightful place as my bride.” Wilberforce became captivated by his wanton imaginings.

Mr. Bennet waded through his laborious speech with annoyance.

He might find it entertaining to watch the buffoon with his daughters, but he would be happy when Collins was not here to yap at him.

“I must inform you of the fact that she has already begun a courtship with one of our neighbors before your arrival. I would hate to diminish your standing in the community by encouraging you to steal a woman another man had spoken for. That, however, is not the case with my second eldest daughter.” It was a blatant lie—he vaguely recalled that there were a few new gentlemen visiting in the area, but he was not aware of any courtship.

He wanted Elizabeth to be stuck with the bumbling buffoon, not Jane, and his cousin was too stupid to understand his manipulations.

“I would never want to be so disrespectful as to claim a lady another gentleman had prior claim to. Your daughter Elizabeth, though nowhere near her sister in comeliness, has her appeal. I shall endeavor to request her hand, as I assume I have your permission?” One woman was just as good as any other to Mr. Collins.

He heard the creak of the chair as he settled back into it and ran his hand over the polished wood.

Mr. Bennet could not help the grin on his face as he spoke.

His plans for his daughter were so eminently satisfying.

“You have my permission, however, asking my second oldest daughter may not get the result either of us wants. Sadly, my wife encouraged an independent streak in her I cannot approve of. However, I feel there is an opportunity that might work to cure her of it and have you happily married.” His smile widened as he watched his cousin try to work through what he had said.

“Independence, you say…that is quite concerning. What are you suggesting?” Mr. Collins was not unaware of his authority, yet he was lazy at heart and did not relish the effort it would take to enforce his authority with such a wife.

Mr. Bennet often found himself unsatisfied with the amount of respect his second daughter directed toward him.

She was too much like his grandmother. Her eyes spoke of her disdain, even if her words did not.

This would see her brought down, if not broken.

He would find great satisfaction in that.

“Though my daughter would certainly incorrectly refuse your hand, she could not do so if you compromised her. Once such a thing happened, I am sure she would recognize her place in the world and you being there to guide her would reinforce it.”

Collins’s mouth fell open in reaction to the suggestion put forward by his cousin.

“Compromise, sir? I am a clergyman; no one can see me acting inappropriately. How could we arrange this so that it appears honorable?” Wilberforce refused to be seen acting in any way that would bring dishonor.

It never occurred to him that the appearance of honor was not the same as being honorable.

“We could keep it all completely innocent. You are staying here and if you were to get lost in the dark, accidentally enter her room, and get in bed with her, no one could see it as your fault. Once they discover you together, a quick wedding will surely follow. I am sure you could say your vows and be married by the time you need to return to your parish.” This was going to be something he could look back on and smile about when he was bored.

“You would wish such for your daughter, sir?” Sometimes his cousin confused him.

He was becoming frustrated with Collins’s lack of immediate compliance.

“Sadly, this is a hard lesson about obedience that she needs to learn. You will one day understand that as a parent you have to make the hard choices for the betterment of your child, no matter the pain that it gives them.” That was a phrase his grandfather had used, though Thomas doubted he had pictured the plans being put in place.

Collins had a shred of conscience, yet his father had ingrained in him the need to obey those in power from a young age.

“When do you feel we should go about the plan? I think I would like to return home married.” He was already envisioning a triumphant return to Lady Catherine, his mind conjuring the praise and adulation that he so rightly deserved.

“I suspect that if we draw it out, something might come up to circumvent you. Tonight should be well enough.” Mr. Bennet had long waited for a way to bring the daughter that so often reminded him of his grandmother down.

His grandmother had disapproved of his actions and had made it clear when she took his wife under her wing before her passing.

She had endeavored to stop the enjoyment he was finding in a life deprived of intellectual stimulation and challenge.

She spoke to him passionately about making changes and becoming a better man.

Despite this, he never grasped why it was necessary to change if one was content with their current state.

“That will be fine, I’m sure. How do I find her bedroom?” Mr. Collins had been cataloging all the things of worth in the home, but had not tried to figure out where people slept.

Kiernan had known that Mr. Bennet was an awful man, and that Mr. Collins was an idiot, but he had never suspected how wicked they could be.

The scone, which had been so delicious not five minutes earlier, now tasted like ash in his mouth.

He set such store by Miss Elizabeth that the thought of someone wanting to do such a thing to her upset him greatly.

How would he save her? He had to find a way.

There was no other choice but to save her.

He dropped the scone into the dirt at his feet and took off running.

Night had fallen at Longbourn and, after waiting for all the servants to retire, Mr. Collins left his room and made his way to the family wing.

As he stumbled and bumbled, blindly running into furniture and banging his toes against walls, his attempts to remain quiet were futile.

He hunted through the dark hallway, counting the doors on the left.

He finally found what he had been seeking.

The third door on the left with an embellished letter E was his destination.

Opening the door, he tripped into the room.

“Miss Elizabeth, I wish to reassure you we will hold our future marriage with all due honor, as is required by the clergyman of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Your father has informed me you must recognize my ultimate power if you are to rid yourself of your inappropriate streak of defiance.” He crept across the floor and then stopped to catch his breath.

The still figure under the blankets drew him in.

As they would be married, it would hurt nothing to see her in an undressed state. Perhaps he would only take a peek.

His trembling hand reached out to draw back the blankets from around the prone shape.

Only the blankets did not want to be drawn, so he leaned against the bed and pulled harder.

On his second tug, a hand reached out from behind him and grabbed his wrist, clamping down so tightly he had to release the blanket.

Rich brown eyes narrowed in disgust at the portly man before him.

To sneak into a lady’s room was a disgrace, and for a clergyman who spoke of honor to do so was an abomination.

“You would not be intending mischief towards Miss Elizabeth, would you, sir? I feel that would be a bad idea.” His grip on the man’s wrist only tightened.

Knox, like his little brother Kiernan, did not agree with the mistreatment of women.

“You are interrupting something that is beyond your understanding. Leave this room and leave me to my business.” Mr. Collins turned and tried to stand tall to impress his importance on the young man before him, but had to look up to meet his eyes.

Dark brown eyes looked down at him with animosity and his dark hair was long enough to brush his collar.

His garb was plain and spoke of rough work. He was a nobody and thus should obey.

Knox was neither impressed nor fooled. “I fully understand that you think you will get away with evil this night, but I am here to ensure that you do not. Miss Elizabeth means a lot to my family, and we will not see her hurt by the likes of you.” His hard-earned muscles strained under his shirt, ready to act as necessary.

Collins took a deep breath and tried to stand as tall as possible, hoping to gain a few inches.

“I am the future owner of this estate, and I act with the support of Miss Elizabeth’s father.

Her father has deemed her too independent for her own good, and we are ensuring her good marriage and her eventual understanding of her place in life.

You are nothing to me and shall obey my command, or I will seek to ensure that you will regret it.

You need to follow the directives of your betters.

” Feeling confident in his speech, he attempted to pull his arm free.

If the person before him did not let up, he would permanently damage his wrist.

“Are you foxed? Miss Elizabeth is an angel, and you are no more than a bracket-faced widgeon. She’s better than you.

Confound it, I’m better than you, you maggot pie.

Sneakin’ in ta a girls’ room at night?” Finally letting him go, Knox stepped back and readied himself for the expected explosion he was sure would come.

“How dare you, you lout! I shall teach you a lesson here and now!” He pulled his good arm back and attempted to punch the peasant in the face.

Only he ducked under his swing and retaliated with a swift smack to his nose.

Collins heard something crack and a tremendous agony distracted him from the amount of blood pouring from his broken nose and down his face and clothes.

“My nose! How dare you strike your better!”

Tired of talking to the horrible buffoon, Knox pulled back his fist and punched him twice more.

Looking into the eyes peeking out from under the blankets, Knox smiled reassuringly at his little brother.

When Kiernan had come to him for help with protecting Miss Elizabeth, Knox had been eager to help, though he had not fully grasped the severity of her family’s cruelty.

He almost wished Collins had not passed out so quickly.

Men like this needed to learn a lesson. “Don’t worry, Kiernan, he is out.

What a horrible pig. How could he be a clergyman?

” Knox wanted to wipe his hands on his trousers.

He almost felt dirty just touching the creepy man.

“I think this man is what Mam was talking about when she said girls were not always safe.” Kiernan slipped out of the bed and came closer to look at the bruised and bleeding man. He couldn’t help but scowl—how would anyone want to hurt a good person like Miss Elizabeth?

“I told Mrs. Allen we would leave him in his room in the other wing. We will have to carry him between us.” Reaching down, he gripped the man under the arms and waited for Kiernan to grab his feet before moving away from the bed.

His muscles, though strong from working at the blacksmith’s shop, still strained to carry the overweight man.

“Thank you for helping me protect Miss Elizabeth.”

“Of course. Men like this need to be stopped. The only thing I don’t understand is why he smells so bad.” Looking down, Knox thought he looked fairly clean. He just could not understand the stench that followed the man around.

“Miss Elizabeth told me he eats a lot of onions at every meal. I think it is coming out of his skin.” Wrinkling his nose, Kiernan tried to breathe through his mouth. They would both need to bathe and wash their clothes.

“No woman should ever have to marry this smelly brute. Where is Miss Elizabeth? Did Mrs. Allen say?” Knox was glad she was safe elsewhere.

“She said that she has been sleeping with Miss Mary and Miss Kitty. They thought it was wise in case there was talk. I think it was a wonderful plan. It certainly made this easier.” Kiernan decided he would have to tell Miss Elizabeth what happened in the morning.