Page 15

Another man shared, “I thought Mr Smyth preached a good sermon on Sundays these many years.”

~~~

The pony cart with Mr William Collins and his trunk arrived at Longbourn to begin an afternoon and evening of frustration for the Bennet family.

The stable boy guiding the pony cart pulled the man’s trunk off the back and left it in the dirt when Mr Collins did not offer any gratuity for bringing him to his destination.

Perturbed, Collins left the trunk where it lay and approached the door, taking a moment to look over the manor house he would inherit someday. He decided the red brick-and-mortar structure was more than one hundred but less than two hundred years old.

‘And the gardens appear well established with pastures for sheep on either side of the drive. Do they have many sheep here?’

He knocked on the door, and after a moment, a man pulled the door open. Immediately, Collins bowed and declared, “Cousin! I have come!”

However, the man did not change his expression but stepped back to allow Mr Collins to enter the hall, where a second man stood. This man was dressed in newer clothes with a smirk on his face.

“Mr Collins, I see you have met Hill, my valet and butler. I am Thomas Bennet, your father’s cousin, and I welcome you to Longbourn.”

Collins managed another bow but then motioned toward the outdoors. “Can your man retrieve my trunk? The boy dumped it on the ground.”

“Certainly. Do you require a moment to refresh yourself?”

Not understanding Bennet’s question, Collins smiled and said, “Tea would be welcome. It has been a long time since breakfast in London.”

“In good time, sir,” Bennet said, motioning toward an open door. “Come and sit with me for a few moments. Then I shall take you to meet my lady and our daughters.”

“Your ‘lady’? Is Mrs Bennet a member of the nobility? Sir, I had no idea,” Collins asked as he prepared to apologise.

“Nobility? Frannie?” asked Mr Bennet with a twinkle in his eye. “Mrs Bennet is a gentleman’s wife, and I consider her the most important lady in my world.”

“But we must maintain the distinctions of rank at all times, Mr Bennet. Allow me to instruct you…” Collins said as the door to the office closed. Across the hall, Elizabeth quietly closed the parlour door and turned to her sisters and mother with a look of amusement on her face.

~~~

After an hour’s instruction on the different ranks of the nobility as arranged by Lady Catherine de Bourgh in her initial lessons with Mr William Collins, Thomas Bennet was certain his heir was a poorly educated fool.

‘What damage will he do to Longbourn when he inherits?’ Bennet wondered before rising, interrupting the visitor’s unending speech and leading him to meet his wife and daughters.

In the parlour, where late tea was finally served, Mr Collins dominated the conversation and could not discern that his hostess wished to ask questions, and his host now watched him with a glare that was not friendly.

Very shortly, the daughters of the house universally dreaded the forthcoming days of this man’s visit.

Kitty and Lydia excused themselves above stairs after drinking tea and eating a few cakes, but Mary, Elizabeth, and Jane remained, unwilling to desert their mother and father.

“And my patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, surveyed the parsonage and made many improvements to the carpets, the windows, and the closets above stairs when I arrived at Hunsford. She told me that it was the duty of the patron to ensure the clergyman and his family were cared for properly. I am certain when I interview the parson here, he will give me an excellent report to carry back to Lady Catherine.”

‘Why does he plan to interview our parson and report to this Lady Catherine?’ wondered Elizbeth.

Collins continued without pausing in his praise of his patroness.

“Again, when Lady Catherine de Bourgh, the widow of Sir Louis de Bourgh, awarded me the living at Hunsford, she instructed me to earnestly endeavour to demean myself before her and all persons of the higher ranks. My role is to perform the rites and ceremonies mandated by the Church of England while encouraging those around me to ensure we fulfil our roles in this life while preparing for the next.”

The jumble of phrases and words left Elizabeth confused and unsure if the man understood what he was saying.

Glancing at her sisters, she saw they sat with glazed eyes, her mother dozed, and her father was frustrated–any entertainment in the visitor’s behaviour lost in the flood of nonsense from his mouth.

All the while, Mr Collins continued to speak of his patroness, how elegantly Lady Catherine dressed and wisely she spoke on all matters common and grand.

He mentioned that he had twice been to dine at Rosings in the weeks since his appointment and even played quadrille at the grand house the previous Saturday.

By this time in his speeches, no one in the parlour was completely listening to the parson; Elizabeth knew she would fall asleep if she ever had to listen to that voice preaching in a chapel.

Then Mr Collins's words caught Mr and Mrs Bennet's attention: “And in our last conversation, Lady Catherine advised me to marry as soon possible…of course after choosing a young woman of suitable temperament and education.”

Mrs Bennet spoke up and interrupted the man, “Marry? You are to marry?”

“Yes, madam. It is the wish of my patroness. That is why she allowed this fortnight in Hertfordshire so that I might find a wife from among my several cousins,” Collins explained, smiling at the three young ladies frozen in place upon hearing those words.

“That is most kind of Lady Catherine,” Mrs Bennet said as she rose to refresh the teacup before Mr Collins while her husband’s frown grew darker.

Mary leaned closer to Elizabeth and Jane, whispering, “I wonder why Mr Collins does not marry Lady Catherine. He appears to worship the ground on which she walks.”

None of the sisters could stifle their giggles, and shortly, the three young women laughed aloud.

Despite the glare from their mother and the disapproving frown on their guest's face, the twinkle in their father’s eye emboldened the sisters to rise, curtsey and depart the parlour.

They hurried up the stairs to the sanctuary of Mary’s bedchamber until supper.

Behind them, Mrs Bennet began speaking about the qualities of her second and third daughters.

“But Miss Jane is the eldest, is she not?” asked Mr Collins.

Mrs Bennet smiled, “Our Jane has formed an attachment with one of the neighbours, and we expect them to be engaged shortly. But there are no claims on the affections of Elizabeth or Mary.”

Mr Bennet coughed to attract the attention of his wife and visitor before he spoke. “Any gentleman wishing to court one of my daughters will spend several months courting her to win her good opinion and affections.”

“Several months? But I am only here for a fortnight! Lady Catherine expects me to be engaged when I return to Hunsford.”

“Oh, Mr Bennet,” Frannie cried. “Mr Collins needs a wife, and we have many unmarried daughters.”

“Mrs Bennet, we shall speak privately. Mr Collins, the family will take supper with our neighbours at a nearby home tomorrow night. There, you may tell the various mothers and fathers your requirements for a bride, but I shall never consent to a rushed marriage.”

While Mr Collins puffed up indignantly, Mr Bennet continued, “We do not want the bishop to hear reports of your improper behaviour that forced a rush to the altar. Can you imagine the disappointment for Lady Catherine de Bourgh if she were to receive a letter of complaint from a father of a despoiled daughter who was hurried before the altar?”

Pausing for a moment, William Collins blinked as he imagined the ire of Lady Catherine costing him the appointment at Hunsford. Then the pompous man replied, “Fear not, sir, I shall not seek a bride among my cousins.”

He thought to leave the room but stopped, realising that he had no notion of the location of his assigned chamber in the house. Mr Bennet summoned the housekeeper to escort the gentleman above stairs to rest until time for supper.

~~~

When they were alone, Frances Bennet approached her husband with tears in her eyes. She confessed her disappointment, “Thomas…he wanted to marry one of our girls. Longbourn would be secure for our girls…for me after you are gone.”

“Frannie, my dear, do you love our girls?”

“Yes, of course,” his wife replied without hesitation.

“And you would never allow anyone to harm one of them?”

Confused, Frances Bennet listened as her husband continued, “The man spoke for an hour in my library about how improper it was for me to refer to you as ‘my lady’ because it besmirched the nobility who rule over us. He is a fool and will alienate everyone in his life. The man has no sense, and I wonder if he can dress in the mornings without assistance.”

“But he inherits Longbourn.”

Nodding once, Thomas sighed and said, “I am sorry my grandfather entailed the estate because Collins will ruin Longbourn within two years when he becomes master. But we can do nothing about that except to ensure none of our daughters is involved in his downfall.”

“But what will happen to me and the girls?”

“Frannie, I promise I shall live for many more years and see our girls well-married.”

The man drew his wife into a comforting embrace, an unusual occurrence in the parlour of their manor house, but Frannie took solace from the gesture. And then the couple shared a thimble of brandy to fortify themselves before supper with Mr Collins at their table.

~~~

In Meryton, George Wickham replied to questions about his conversation with Mr Darcy, saying, “He is a great man from the north with an income of ten thousand a year and the ear of the Prime Minister. I grew up with him in Derbyshire but have made my own way in the world.”

Sir William Lucas, in the village for a moment’s respite and a tankard of ale before returning to Lucas Lodge and continuing the preparations for the next night’s festivities, inquired about the Darcy family, to which Mr Wickham replied, “Yes, his father was a great man. Mr George Darcy was my godfather and left a legacy that founded my business importing tea from the east.”

Someone asked, “I thought the swells had a lock on the tea trade. Something in the Indies?”

Ready with an answer to every question, George explained, “Indeed they do, but I have a special license to sell British tea to the Americas. None of my tea is sold in England. The East India Company has an iron grip on the sale and distribution of tea here.”

“What is your company called, Mr Wickham?” asked Sir William with more respect in his voice than earlier.

“My company is named the New World Tea Company.”

~~~