by Lily Bernard
When he was introduced to Jane, everyone saw his eyes widen and he literally licked his lips as if a juicy side of beef were standing before him. Mrs. Bennet knew she must quickly disabuse Mr. Collins of any idea of pursuing Jane’s hand. “Our dear Jane is recently engaged to Mr. Bingley of Netherfield Park. They are to wed in early September.” Mr. Collins took note of Mrs. Bennet’s words and immediately diverted his stare toward Elizabeth.
Shortly after Mr. Collin’s arrival, Sir William Lucas and his family joined the Bennets for tea and Mr. Collins did his best to impress them. Elizabeth was attempting to count the number of times he mentioned the name of his beneficent patroness, Lady Catherine deBourgh, but lost count at fifteen. Charlotte Lucas did not seem to mind his malodorous scent or his pontificating and was seen conversing with Mr. Collins during the afternoon visit.
Before she departed, Charlotte pulled Elizabeth to the side of the sitting room and asked, “Lizzy, is something wrong? You do not seem like yourself these past weeks. You know you can tell me anything.”
“I am well, Charlotte. There is nothing to tell you. I will try to be better company the next time we see each other.” The friends embraced, and Charlotte joined her family on their short walk back to Lucas Lodge.
In the dining room that night, Mr. Collins offered, “I know you would all enjoy my reading to you after dinner. I have brought my copy of Fordyce’s Sermons with me.” Elizabeth and Mr. Bennet exchanged glances which could only mean one thing, it was going to be a very long two-week visit. Mr. Collins had made a point to sit next to Elizabeth at dinner. His body odor was bad enough but his endless babbling about his patroness and her estate, Rosings Park were enough to put one to sleep. After dinner, Elizabeth asked to be excused from Mr. Collins’ recitations due to a headache. Her father nodded knowingly, wishing he too, could escape the presence of their offensive relation.
The following morning, when Elizabeth entered the house after her morning walk, she found Mr. Collins alone in the breakfast room. “Mr. Collins, where is my family?”
“My dear cousin Elizabeth, your kind mother has allowed me the opportunity to speak to you alone.” Elizabeth felt sick to her stomach at the thought of what Mr. Collins was about to say and his close proximity proved he had not bathed in weeks.
“As you know my fair cousin, my esteemed patroness has urged me to pursue a wife. Lady Catherine told me in her infinite wisdom that she felt it is quite appropriate that I select my wife from the family from whom I am to inherit upon the death of Mr. Bennet. It took me no time at all to conclude that you are perfectly suited to become my wife and I know you can have no reason to disagree. I will go to Mr. Bennet for his permission and blessing. You have made me very happy, my dear.”
Elizabeth put her arm out to stop Mr. Collins from leaving the room. “Sir, you are being hasty. Please do not seek out my father. You are forgetting something very important. You have asked me to be your wife, but you have neglected to hear my answer. I am sorry to say that I cannot accept your offer. You do not know me at all, and I fear we have nothing in common and could never make each other happy.”
“I know that young women like to say ‘no’ when they mean ‘yes’. My revered patroness, Lady Catherine, told me to expect just such a reply. I can assure you cousin, that I will not be deterred in my quest to make you mine.”
The very thought of being in close proximity to this man repulsed Elizabeth. “I assure you, sir, that I am not being coy. I will not marry you and that is my final answer!” Elizabeth ran from the room and before she was through the door, her mother entered the dining room from the hallway where she had been listening through the keyhole.
“Elizabeth Bennet, you come right back here this minute and tell Mr. Collins how wrong you were and that you will accept his proposal. Who else will marry you?”
Elizabeth took shelter in her father’s study. “I cannot marry Mr. Collins. He is a disgusting man. Papa, you know what I have just been through. Even if Mr. Collins was remotely acceptable, I could not marry anyone, not now.”
Before her father could respond, Mrs. Bennet burst into his study. “Mr. Bennet, Mr. Collins has just proposed to Lizzy and she has rejected him. Who does she think will ever marry such a brash, impertinent girl?” Mrs. Bennet stood ready for a battle with her hands on her hips. “If she does not marry Mr. Collins, I will never speak to her again.”
Mr. Collins had followed Mrs. Bennet and clearly heard Mr. Bennet say, “Lizzy, your Mama will not speak to you if you do not marry Mr. Collins. Your Papa will not speak to you if you do.”
“Thank you, Papa, thank you.” Elizabeth ran from the room and left the house.
“Mr. Bennet, how could you say such a thing? Now we will have to find another daughter for Mr. Collins.”
“Mrs. Bennet, I am afraid that my answer will be the same, whichever daughter you might choose.”
“Mr. Bennet, how you do vex my nerves!”
She left the room with Mr. Collins following closely behind. “I fear our plan for your future marriage to one of my daughters will take a little longer than I thought. I will work on Mr. Bennet and all will be well.”
“Madam, after what I have just heard, I do not believe I can ever find happiness within these walls. I pray that Lady Catherine will be benevolent and not too displeased with this turn of events. Good day, madam.” Mr. Collins bowed to Mrs. Bennet and left the house. He was headed in the direction of Lucas Lodge.
The following day, Sir William Lucas invited the Bennets over for tea, at which time he happily announced that his daughter, Charlotte, was betrothed to Mr. Collins. Because he could not be away from his parish much longer, Charlotte and Mr. Collins were wed within a week. Elizabeth attended the wedding ceremony and the wedding breakfast at Lucas Lodge.
“Charlotte, I am very happy for you. Will you have time to write to your oldest friend?”
“Thank you, Lizzy. I am looking forward to having my own home. I am eager to hear from you and please consider coming to visit us in Kent after I have had time to settle in.”
“I thank you for the kind invitation, dear Charlotte. I hope you and Mr. Collins will be very happy together.” The two friends embraced, and the happy couple soon departed for Hunsford and their new life as man and wife.
Chapter 15
When Elizabeth walked into Jane’s bedroom on the morning of her wedding, she knew she had never seen her sister looking more beautiful. “Jane, you are exquisite. I have never seen a more beautiful bride.”
“Do you really think so?”
“I believe that Charles Bingley will consider himself the luckiest man in England when he sees you walking down the aisle. I am so happy for you my dear sister.”
“It is so good to see you happy. Lately you have seemed very sad for some reason.”
“I am well, and it is my responsibility to get you to the church on time!” The sisters laughed and had one last private embrace before Jane left Longbourn for the last time.
During the wedding ceremony, Elizabeth’s thoughts were on Darcy and how she had prayed that he would return to her in time for them to be married alongside Jane and Charles. When the happy couple was reciting their vows, Elizabeth cried, and everyone thought they were tears of joy for her beloved sister.
Jane and Charles left for their wedding trip to Scotland and they stopped in Derbyshire to look over the estate that Darcy had told Charles about. The Bingleys were very happy with what they saw and since the lease on Netherfield was almost over, they decided to move north.
October 1811
Longbourn, Hertfordshire
Dear Jane,
I hope this letter finds you and your husband in good health and enjoying your new home. Your mother is missing her frequent visits to Netherfield and sends you her best regards. She will write to you when she has the time for she wishes to instruct you on how you should decorate your new home, how you should speak to your servants and what you should serve your husband for dinner. I am
quite certain that you have the ability to deal with all these topics without Mrs. Bennet’s interference.
I am writing to ask you to help your sister. As you observed before your marriage, Lizzy has been in very low spirits for several months and I believe she would benefit greatly from a change in scenery. Am I asking too much when I ask you to invite Lizzy to come and stay with you and Charles? I pray that living with her dearest sister and leaving Hertfordshire may be just the thing to help her mood. If you feel you can extend the invitation, please write to Lizzy and invite her to join you and Charles in Derbyshire. I will encourage her to accept your offer.
I send my love to you and Charles,
Papa
The following week, Elizabeth knocked on the door of her father’s study. When she entered she was holding a letter which Mr. Bennet hoped was from Jane. “Papa, may I speak with you?”
“Of course, Lizzy, please come in and close the door.”
“Jane has invited me to live with her and Charles in Derbyshire. I know I have not been myself since, well…, and I do not know what I should do now.”
“I will remind you, child, that you have enough money to set up your own home and live well for the rest of your life. You may not be able to afford a house in the poshest part of London, but you can afford something in a very good area.”
“I would not feel right using William’s money to start a new life for myself.”
“Well then, I think the invitation from Jane could not come at a better time. Perhaps a change of scenery would be good for your spirits. I will miss you terribly if you go, but I believe it may very well be the best thing for you to do.”
“Thank you, Papa, I will think about your advice.”
Elizabeth left the house and sat down on a garden bench to think about her future. ‘What should I do? Go to live with Jane and be a doting aunt to the future Bingley children? I know I can always use the money William left for me and will never have to go into service, but I have no idea what I want. Well, I know what I want but no amount of wishing will bring William back to me.’
October 1811
Longbourn
Dear Jane,
I thank you and Charles for your generous invitation. I have been speaking with Papa and he feels that leaving Hertfordshire would be good for me. Jane, my dear sister, I am happy to accept your invitation to join you at Birchwood Manor. I leave for London tomorrow and will spend a few days with the Gardiners before heading to Derbyshire. I will write to you from Town about the details of my arrival. I am looking forward to seeing you and Charles again.
Your loving sister,
Lizzy
Elizabeth was packing her books for her trip to Derbyshire when she found a book on botany she had borrowed from her father’s library. Before she returned it to him, she thought she would look up the meaning of birch trees. Elizabeth read that birch trees symbolized new beginnings, ‘Just what I need,’ she thought. She packed Darcy’s handkerchief and his book of sonnets in her trunk and when she left Longbourn, she was wearing Darcy’s ring beneath her clothes.
October 1811
Longbourn
Dear Charlotte,
I hope this letter finds you and Mr. Collins in good health. How are you faring with your esteemed patroness, Lady Catherine? I am happy you now have your own home to care for. Your parishioners are very lucky to have you as their parson’s wife.
Charlotte, I fear I will not be able to visit you in the foreseeable future. I am leaving for London tomorrow to spend a few days with my aunt and uncle and their family. After my stay in Town, I will leave for Derbyshire to live with Jane and Charles at Birchwood Manor, their new estate. Please write to me at Birchwood and I promise I will tell you all the exciting news from the north!
My very best wishes to you and Mr. Collins,
Lizzy
Her Uncle Gardiner had sent his carriage to Longbourn to convey her to London and when Elizabeth arrived, she was warmly greeted by the entire Gardiner family. Elizabeth was happy to be with them. They were always very loving and supportive to the two eldest Bennet sisters.
On her first night in London, Elizabeth sat in the drawing room with her aunt and uncle after dinner. “Well, Lizzy, are you ready to tell us what is behind your visit to London and your move to Derbyshire?” her Aunt Madelyn asked in a kind way.
“I will be happy to convey everything to you. Some of what I will tell you is quite upsetting and you will have to forgive me my tears.”
“Lizzy, you know you can tell us anything without any fear of reproach. Now you had better start at the beginning,” her Aunt Madelyn said.
Elizabeth told the Gardiners everything. She began by describing Darcy’s behavior on the night of the Meryton Assembly. She recounted how differently he conducted himself the following morning when they met for the first time while out walking. She proceeded to tell them how she and Darcy came to fall in love and her subsequent betrothal. When she told them about Colonel Fitzwilliam’s visit, she could not stop her tears from falling. Her aunt went to Elizabeth and put her arms around her beloved niece.
“So, you see, I thought I was unofficially engaged to Fitzwilliam Darcy for two months and now I feel like a grieving widow.” She remained in her aunt’s embrace for several minutes until she was able to compose herself.
“Lizzy, your aunt and I are so terribly sorry for your heartbreak. You know we will do everything in our power to help you.”
“Now I know why you seemed so downcast when we were at Longbourn for Jane’s wedding. I knew there was something serious effecting your mood, but I did not want to force you to speak about it. I knew that if you wanted to tell me what was making you so sad, you would have asked to speak to me privately. You have always come to me and your uncle whenever you had a problem in the past, so I knew that you did not wish to share your thoughts with us at that time.”
“Once again you have read my mind, Aunt Madeline. William’s death was still so new, and I was not ready to share my grief. Also, I did not want to take any attention away from Jane’s happiness.”
“You are a wonderful sister. Are you sure there is nothing we can do for you?”
“Thank you for saying that, Uncle Edward. There is something you can do for me. Colonel Fitzwilliam told me that before they left for Ramsgate, Darcy set up a bank account for me in a London bank. William wanted me to be financially secure in case something terrible happened to him. Right now, I cannot think about using that money for myself. Would you go to the bank with me and do whatever is necessary in order for you to help me administer the funds?”
“Of course, I will be happy to go to the bank with you. Do you have any idea how much money is in the account?”
“Twenty-five thousand pounds.”
“Lizzy! That is a great deal of money, my dear. Would you not prefer to stay in London and set up your own household?”
“No Uncle Edward, I would not feel right using the money of a man I never had the chance to marry.” Elizabeth began to cry quietly, and her aunt once again embraced her.
When she was finished crying Elizabeth said, “no one else knows about my betrothal except my father, and William’s sister and cousin. William did tell Charles Bingley about his feelings, but never had a chance to speak to him about our engagement. I would like to limit this information to this small group. I have written to William’s sister, Georgiana, and she has invited me and you, Aunt Madelyn, to have tea with her while I am in London.”
“Of course, I would be happy to go with you to see Miss Darcy. I met her mother, Lady Anne, several times. She and her husband were frequent customers at my father’s bookshop in Lambton which is just a few miles from Pemberley.”
“Thank you, Aunt Madelyn, I am looking forward to meeting William’s sister, but I fear our reunion may be very difficult for both of us.
Chapter 16
Elizabeth sent a note to Georgiana Darcy telling her she was in London and asking her if it would be convenient f
or her to visit. Georgiana responded a few hours later and asked Elizabeth and her Aunt Gardiner if they were available to come for tea tomorrow. The invitation was accepted and the following day, Elizabeth and her aunt set off to Darcy House in the Gardiner’s carriage.
Elizabeth and her aunt were standing in the front hall of Darcy House. ‘Colonel Fitzwilliam’s description did not prepare me for this. I had no idea this house would be so beautiful. To think I might have been mistress here.’ They were soon shown into the drawing room and Georgiana rushed over to Elizabeth and captured her in a long embrace. When the two women pulled back they saw that they both had tears in their eyes. Georgiana observed, “we are both wearing grey gowns because we are both in mourning.”
“Yes, I told my aunt and uncle that I feel like a grieving widow.”
Georgiana introduced her guests to Mrs. Annesley, her companion. She appeared to be a very kind woman and Elizabeth could see that Miss Darcy depended on her for support.
“My heart is broken because of what happened and I blame only myself for William’s death.”
“Miss Darcy, you must not feel that way. Mr. Wickham is a horrible, evil man, and no one could have predicted what terrible things he was capable of. I hope, by now, he has been apprehended.”
“I am sorry to say that he is still out there, somewhere. I know my cousin Richard would have told me if Wickham had been caught. Just in case he might try to harm me again, there are guards all around Darcy House and several footmen escort me and Mrs. Annesley wherever we go. Miss Bennet, will you be in London long?”
