With regards to my impending return to Longbourn, please do not think me sly or deceptive when I so readily agreed to your offer, though you did not know then of my motive, namely, my secret engagement to Miss Lucas. As with any young lover, I naturally wish to rush to the side of my bride-to-be and drink in the joy of this period of courtship. With her genteel society in mind, and with due attention to your own family, it is my intention to return to Longbourn on the evening of Monday fortnight, December 16th, and though it will be but a short stay of five days, it will enable me to fan the flames of my love and oversee the official practicalities which will secure me my wife by early January.
At our last meeting, you were so generous as to advise that I should not risk Lady Catherine’s displeasure by making further stays from home and reassured me that you would not be offended if I could not make it to Longbourn for some time. I am gratified to announce, however, that her ladyship so approves my match, that she wishes to meet with my dear Charlotte at the earliest moment. She has, therefore, ordered me back to Longbourn, as soon as possible, that I may return to Hunsford, and indeed Rosings, with my fair bride. Not alone this, but she is coming here, to my humble abode, tomorrow morning in the company of Rosings Park’s very own steward. She will scrutinise the parsonage and ensure that I am advised as to how to make any such alterations that would be acceptable to a young lady setting up residence therein. Such benevolence, interest and condescension from such a quarter, dear sir, to one who is merely a humble servant of God – have you ever witnessed the like? Am I not truly blessed in my patronage and is it any wonder that this must add greatly to my excitement and determination to conclude and ensure my matrimonial security with haste and at the earliest convenience? And will not my dear Charlotte feel equally in awe of that benefaction which lays ahead for her once she takes up the title of Mrs Collins?
I remain, dear sir, with respectful compliments to your lady and daughters, your friend and truly the happiest of men,
William Collins
Longbourn,
near Meryton,
Hertfordshire.
6th December, 1791
Dear Sir,
By all means come hither. We look forward to seeing you again though, no doubt, so much of your time will be taken up with your beloved Charlotte Lucas and we encourage it to be so. The period of courtship is so brief nowadays that one must enjoy every moment.
Please accept my heartiest of congratulations. I will ask Mrs Hill to have a large bowl of punch ready for the evening of your arrival, that we may toast to your health and happiness before you proceed, at speed, to Lucas Lodge (where you will only find very watered-down punch, as their housekeeper has learned of a temperance movement in London and is attempting to spread their wickedness here).
There is little use in hiding from you, sir, as you observed her discomposure prior to your departure, that Mrs Bennet encounters some difficulty in accepting your joyful news. Having witnessed the chalice of maternal satisfaction snatched from her lips by Lady Lucas, you may notice her displeasure again on your return, for she enjoys holding on to bad tidings and festering within.
The rest of us, however, are bearing up as best we can. We none of us would rob Charlotte Lucas or any of the Lucases one moment of pleasure in your company and selfishly wish it for ourselves. We shall content ourselves with our lot and remain philosophical as to the manner in which this affair has turned out. Perhaps you are correct when you state that the good Lord has had a hand in this matter and has shown great wisdom and mercy. “Give thanks to the Lord; for He is good.” Psalm 136:1
Your cousin in affection and resignation,
Henry Bennet
1792 – The year in which a scandalous elopement occurs and a number of weddings take place. Mr Bennet undertakes the leisurely pursuit of gardening and Lady Catherine de Bourgh becomes enraged.
Lucas Lodge.
5th January, 1792
Dear Sir,
Please accept this note as confirmation that I have arrived safely at your neighbour’s home in Lucas Lodge and can hardly believe that my wedding day is nigh. I must confess the journey was particularly cumbersome – a lady of excessive proportions sat next to me for the entire trip. I could hardly breathe and, on one occasion, fell through the coach door, which had a faulty latch. Fortunately for me we were stationary at the time, otherwise I could have been killed. She never apologised or attempted to assist me and though she was dressed finely, it was evident from her slouched demeanour and coarse manner of speaking that she was not high-born, most decidedly of low origin – ‘place a peasant on a horse’, as is the common saying!
May I take this opportunity to thank you for bearing my company a fortnight since on my last trip into Hertfordshire and I am quite ashamed when I think of how I frequently abandoned your comfortable home in favour of spending time with my dear Charlotte. The fire of my love leads me to act in such a reckless manner but, thankfully, two more days will see me at the altar.
Charlotte has mentioned to me her intention of requesting that my cousin Elizabeth join Sir William and Maria when they come to visit us in March, at what will then be ‘our’ humble abode, and I will add, it is my dearest wish also. That Charlotte will enjoy Elizabeth’s company is my first cause for joy and that my cousin may see for herself, first hand, the benevolence which is bestowed on us at Rosings Park, I flatter myself, is my second. It will be an experience which she will no doubt wish to never erase from her memory, as I know how young ladies like to remember each and every detail, that they might relay it to all their admiring friends on their return home. And though I would never encourage envy, one cannot avoid humility, awe and reverence when encountering Rosings! But that we are in a position to offer it to her gives me great pride in my situation indeed, for she will be cast in amongst the most superior of society, such that the experience may quite overwhelm her. Perhaps, therefore, you should advise her in advance that it is quite common for persons on first entering Rosings and on being introduced to her ladyship to be struck dumb with the magnitude of the moment. Tell her to fear not, for Charlotte and I will both be present to cover up any ineptitude or incompetence on her part. As this is some months away still, let us not worry yet for there is still time for my cousin to calm herself and become familiar with, and relax into, the greatness of the occasion.
However, on more pressing and immediate matters, I regret that due to the severe weather and my preoccupation with final wedding arrangements, I shall not see you all until that happy occasion takes place in yonder church. I have just now discovered my wedding breeches are missing not one, but two buttons which would, most certainly, have led to a very embarrassing scene. I am also attempting to modify my footwear, for my dear Charlotte is, as you are aware, a tall lady. Hence the reason I write instead of visit and send my apologies, for I fear that you may misconstrue this neglect as malevolence on my part, therefore, I speed this note to you now by way of explanation, and wish you and all my fair relatives at Longbourn the happiest New Year wishes.
Your affectionate cousin,
William Collins
Postscript – I had not the opportunity to mention it before but I was greatly impressed with how you included Psalm 136:1 in your last correspondence. I cannot conceal that the absence of scripture and books on moral guidance from your library has long been a source of alarm to me, therefore, increasing my delight all the more.
Lucas Lodge.
6th January, 1792
Dear Sir,
I fear I have not received any acknowledgement, as would be customary, that you read my note announcing my safe arrival at Lucas Lodge.
I am sending this urgent message with the boy today and a stern warning that he should not leave until he has secured a reply, for I know that you would be most anxious that I hear from you on the eve of my wedding day.
With respectful compliments to your lady and daughters.
William Collins
Longbourn.
&
nbsp; 6th January, 1792
Dear Sir,
Let me apologise, at once, for not formally welcoming you into Hertfordshire. As you have been in the county on several occasions already, I was quite unaware that it was necessary.
How unfortunate that you fell through the carriage door but, likewise, you were most fortunate that Baroness Herbert was not passing, at speed, at the time. She would have trampled on you for certain and not looked back. A rumour exists that she once drove her carriage through the lake at Netherfield when it was low, in order to follow the hunting dogs as they chased a fox.
I assure you, we look forward with great excitement to your wedding celebration on the morrow. Our Jane, as you know, is in town with her Uncle and Aunt Gardiner but the rest of our family shall be present to witness this auspicious occasion.
Regarding Psalm-writing, I am delighted that you do not find your cousins are entirely heathen in their ways. Rest assured that we do keep a hoard of religious literature in our library as fodder to the spiritual wants of my girls. Mary, in particular, relishes the stuff and I dare say you did not find a copy of Fordyce’s Sermons as Kitty and Lydia enjoy it as bedtime reading, particularly in the summer when the light permits. It helps to clear their heads of soldiers.
But, sir, you have greater things on your mind!
Yours sincerely,
Henry Bennet
Hunsford,
near Westerham,
Kent.
18th March, 1792
Dear Sir,
I hope this letter finds you, and all at Longbourn, in the very best of health this mild March day. I must confess myself a little taken aback that you have not made the time to write to me and enquire after the safe arrival of your daughter, Elizabeth, into the glorious Kent countryside. I know my fair cousin has dispatched a letter last week with tidings of her arrival, howsoever this be the case, I still believe it appropriate to send a note to the host, in this instance, myself.
I know you to be a gentleman of excellent etiquette and therefore, I will assume that you are quite ill and have been so indisposed as to make the writing of a letter impossible and if this be the case, may I wish you a speedy recovery and recommend the therapeutic benefits of a very warm bath. Only last month I was doubled over on the pulpit one Sunday morning, suffering from acute stomach pains and excessive wind, yet I struggled on and delivered the shortest sermon of my career thus far, and thought frequently of our Lord on the cross to get me through my agony. Immediately after service, I was approached by Lady Catherine de Bourgh who demanded to know, in so concerned and abrupt a manner, as to what ailed me that I hovered so close to the ground. Whereupon hearing of my troubles, she ordered me home at once, to take a very warm bath. My recovery was miraculous and instantaneous and the condition has not, I can assure you, to the great relief of myself and my dear Charlotte, made any reappearance since.
Elizabeth has, no doubt, informed you of how her stay here is unfolding thus far and I shall only add that Rosings is featuring with great regularity and that my dear cousin is being brought forward and upward with marked attention from her ladyship. Indeed, I flatter myself that she is receiving such unreserved and scrupulous consideration due to her connection with myself, as my position of great standing in my patroness’s home has not gone unobserved by her. The only criticism I have noticed thus far is Lady Catherine’s disapproval that she, and her sisters, should be educated at home and without a governess. I immediately agreed with her ladyship and pointed to the lack of quality reading material that was to be found in the library at Longbourn (unless one wished to set off on an expedition to the Northwest Passage) and my grave concerns for their moral and intellectual guidance.
We are joined, next week, by Mr Darcy and his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam. What a lively party we shall be then! Mr Darcy, no doubt, wishes to pay his attentions to his cousin, Miss Anne de Bourgh, and what a magnificent match they will make. It is a wedding service I very much look forward to performing, as I expect the honour to lay at my door, and, I must confess, I have been putting aside eloquent passages from the Good Book which may be fitting for the sermon of such an auspicious occasion. There will be, as one can imagine, many great people from the most noble and prominent houses in the land present.
On another note, I am readying my rhubarb patch with vigour (the crowns I had taken from my late mother’s patch) and, considering the quantity of buds which flourish on the gooseberry bush, I remain confident that I shall enjoy a great harvest this year. I believe I shall, confidently, enter a quantity into the Westerham Fair, my first time since taking up residence in this beautiful part of England. My enthusiasm has been dampened, however, as some local trickster did hide my hoe in one of the apple trees and it was most difficult to retrieve (in fact Charlotte, being taller, had success where I had none). He also spread some manure, which I had piled high near the rhubarb patch, just outside my back door that I might stand in it on exiting the house for my usual morning walk to Rosings (which, unfortunately, I did do). But I tell you, sir, there will be such a sermon from the pulpit this Sunday that the culprit will be very red-faced and shaken and it would not surprise me if he comes forward to confess his wrongdoing.
Finally, dear cousin, if ill-health makes you unfit to write in the future, I urge you to consider dictating your letters to one of your girls, if the subject matter be appropriate.
Yours sincerely,
William Collins
Longbourn,
near Meryton,
Hertfordshire.
17th April, 1792
Dear Sir,
Thank you for your concern regarding my health but I have never felt better. My physician confirms that I have the constitution of a man half my age. I would be sorely tempted to join the soldiers who are stationed at Meryton, but alas, they are leaving soon for Brighton. My youngest daughters (with the exception of Mary), and indeed my wife, are heartbroken, for to them they are but uniformed husbands-to-be and it breaks their hearts to see such a flock leave all at once, unhindered and unshackled. There is some talk of Lydia joining Colonel Foster and his wife. Would that they would take Mrs Bennet and Kitty too for I am sick of soldiers and those who talk of nothing but them.
I am most grateful to you, however, for your kind and generous care of my Elizabeth. I believe she leaves you tomorrow to join Jane in London and they shall have much to talk about, I am sure, considering your frequency at Rosings and its recent visitors, Mr Darcy and his cousin.
Sir William was so kind as to visit us immediately on his return from Hunsford to give us, in such minute detail (which I have not witnessed since his call to knighthood) an account of how he spent his every day. He spared no adjectives in his description of Rosings Park, the furniture he admired within and the herbaceous bushes he found without. Indeed, Mrs Bennet began to take notes so that she might relay all the particulars wherever she finds welcoming ears. I believe he may have been quite in awe of Lady Catherine, for he shrank before my eyes as he spoke about her. He also mentioned that your sermon, on the Sunday following the hoe-hiding and manure at the back door incident, was most effective. In fact, he did say that it moved the congregation to tears and then to fits of shaking … whether it was distress or laughter, he could not tell but he assured me, there was hardly a figure unmoved and unaffected by your words. Your sphere of influence, sir, is to be marvelled at.
Now, I must beg you, cousin, to sit down for I have such news as could weaken your constitution and return to you that ailment which so recently afflicted you at the pulpit. I have decided to follow your lead and enter my blackcurrants into the Meryton Fair which takes place in early September. I know I am a novice and have ne’er turned soil or pruned a bush (to the amusement of Mary who witnesses my attempts from her bench in the garden) but I find that I am strangely drawn to the pursuit of late, since your mentioning it, in fact, and am confident that my modest harvest will do very well indeed. Who knows what may come of this. I, perhaps, have chanced up
on a new leisurely pursuit which will expand my lungs and increase my vigour. I thank you for setting such an example to your elderly cousin, for I surely would not have ventured forth into the botanical world with such abandon, had I not witnessed its soothing and favourably numbing effect on your good self.
Your humble cousin,
Henry Bennet
Hunsford,
near Westerham,
Kent.
13th August, 1792
My Dear Sir,
I feel myself called upon, by our relationship, and my situation in life, to condole with you on the grievous affliction you are now suffering under (Lydia’s abandonment of her chastity in running away with the soldier, Mr Wickham) of which we were yesterday informed by a letter from Hertfordshire. Be assured, my dear sir, that Mrs Collins and myself sincerely sympathise with you and all your respectable family, in your present distress, which must be of the bitterest kind, because of proceeding from a cause which no time can remove.
The Longbourn Letters Page 2