Clever Compromises

by APRIL FLOYD

  Her dark curls and porcelain skin emphasized her ruby lips and he hardly noticed that her nose was a tiny bit too long. It was her eyes that held him in thrall. They were a lovely dark green that changed with the light and made him feel as though he was the most important man. Never had a lady held him in such esteem and he was not a complete fool, not so much as everyone thought.

  Offering his arm, he drew closer to Mary and graced her with a charming smile. “My dear, of course you may have the second dance and the third if you wish.”

  Mary was delighted by this news and dropped her gaze as color filled her cheeks. She was not accustomed to the attentions of a man. In a moment, she made an excuse to step away and see that her younger sisters were behaving so that she might catch her breath before saying something foolish.

  Mr. Collins watched her go but his attention was drawn away by the laughter of his cousin Elizabeth. Again, she was standing much too close to Mr. Darcy though they were in the company of her friend and in full view of the guests gathered for the ball.

  He moved to join them as music filled the air. Elizabeth could not refuse to dance with him and he would again impress upon her the importance of appearances.

  Mr. Darcy offered his arm to the lady they had been speaking with at length and followed Mr. Collins and Elizabeth to the dance floor. Chagrined by the fact that his cousin gave all her attention to Mr. Darcy as the dance commenced, Mr. Collins grew angrier by the second.

  His face was a bright red by the time the dance ended and he was caught by Miss Mary before he might have a word with Miss Elizabeth.

  The next dance began and he was most incensed to find Mr. Darcy as his cousin’s partner for the set. A terrible thought occurred to him in his anger and his heart clenched. The idea of marrying Elizabeth instead of dear Mary was the answer to his dilemma! Though it pained him greatly, he knew he must sacrifice his desires and secure his position at Hunsford.

  It was a bitter moment that rankled him to his soul but he turned his attention to Mary so that he might enjoy the last romantic moment he might have with her before laying his plan to snare her sister.

  Chapter 10

  Once the second set was complete, Mr. Darcy escorted Elizabeth to the punch bowl where Miss Lucas awaited them. He found himself drawn again into their conversation.

  Miss Bingley, adorned with too many jewels that reflected the terrible orange hue of her silk dress, slinked across the ballroom to join the trio. She had been watching Mr. Darcy and Miss Eliza since the first dance and now she wished to insert herself into their conversation.

  She was given a lukewarm welcome by Miss Lucas and Miss Eliza but Mr. Darcy’s smile faded as she placed a possessive hand upon his arm. “Mr. Darcy, I require your assistance. My brother is clinging to poor Miss Bennet as we speak and will not come away to mingle with our guests.”

  Mr. Darcy did not wish to leave Miss Elizabeth’s side but she gave a slight nod of her head at the question in his eyes. At this, he reluctantly allowed his hostess to lead him away.

  Charlotte did not miss the small gestures that passed between her friend and Mr. Darcy. “He shall soon speak with your father, Lizzy. Are you prepared to become the mistress of his estate in Derbyshire?”

  Elizabeth pulled her gaze away from Mr. Darcy and Miss Bingley. “Charlotte, you must not spread such gossip. Mr. Darcy and I are only friends.”

  Charlotte wondered whether her friend did not yet realize the feelings she held for the gentleman. "Lizzy, I am your dearest friend. You have no need to pretend for my benefit."

  Elizabeth took Charlotte's hand and led her away from the refreshments. "There is no pretense, my dear Lottie! Mr. Darcy and I have become better acquainted and I do not think as poorly of him as I once did."

  Charlotte followed Elizabeth to the open terrace doors. The air was cooler there and she felt no need to press the issue of Mr. Darcy as Elizabeth would only protest again and again.

  The air refreshed Charlotte as she stepped onto the terrace behind her friend. The garden beyond, though now withered, was lovely in silhouetted shadows lit by paper lanterns along its many pathways. The scene took Charlotte’s breath. "I imagine Jane must be anxious for the wedding. What it must be to know she shall become the mistress of such an estate."

  Elizabeth knew her sister's wishes and worries for her place at Netherfield but would not speak of them with Charlotte. They were confided late in the night when Jane would come to her room and slide beneath the quilts. Though Charlotte was her dearest friend, Jane was her sister and their bond inspired a particular loyalty. "Jane is quite busy with her dress and trousseau. I do not think she has yet had time to grasp the ways in which her life shall change."

  As the two friends turned away from the terrace railing to return to the ballroom, Mr. Collins appeared. Elizabeth reluctantly made the introduction to Charlotte and linked arms with her friend. "We were about to return to the ball Mr. Collins."

  The man was standing in their way and did not deign to step aside at Elizabeth's announcement. "I would have a word with you, if I may."

  Charlotte, moved by the tone of the man's voice, drew her arm from Elizabeth's and gave a small curtsey. "I shall await your return by the punch bowl unless a gentleman requests a set."

  Entirely certain she did not wish to be alone with Mr. Collins, Elizabeth reached for her friend. "There is nothing my cousin might say that you may not hear Charlotte. Do not leave me."

  The parson moved aside so that Charlotte might pass and gave a bow to the lady.

  Elizabeth made to follow her friend but Mr. Collins laid a hand upon her shoulder and turned her back to the railing. Elizabeth, perturbed by this familiarity, removed his hand. "What need is there to speak with me privately, sir?"

  Though he wished for all the world that it was Miss Mary standing beside him to receive his proposal, Mr. Collins steeled his resolve. What would it matter if he gained the only woman to ever look at him with love in her eyes if he lost the living at Hunsford? He would be disgraced and unable to provide for a wife and family.

  "Tonight, I have made my choice Cousin Elizabeth. Your mother and father will agree. You are the lady I wish to marry."

  The music began again in the ballroom but to Elizabeth's ears the melody was distorted. She could not order her thoughts nor understand why her cousin had chosen her instead of Mary. Her father would not have given his blessing; she did not believe it for a moment.

  Mr. Collins continued on when she failed to make a reply. "There are many reasons I wish to marry and perhaps I ought to have waited until we have come to know one another better, but I could not let the moment pass without assuring you of my intentions. I believe it is my duty as a clergyman to set the example in matrimony for my parish. I believe having you as my wife shall add very greatly to my happiness and it is the solemn wish of my patroness that I choose a bride from the family my good fortune shall displace."

  Elizabeth's mind raced as his speech halted. He did not love her, that much was clear. She knew she had not encouraged him nor shown him interest since his arrival in Hertfordshire.

  Not waiting for him to take so much as a breath so that he might begin again, Elizabeth interrupted his speech. "I fear you have chosen in haste, sir. I thank you for the compliment of your consideration and while I am sensible of the honor you bestow; it is impossible for me to accept."

  Mr. Collins did not appear to be concerned by her denial and Elizabeth wondered whether she had been abundantly clear in her reply.

  Before she might speak again and present her refusal in a different manner, he closed his eyes and puckered his lips while leaning closer to her face. Elizabeth, now in a great panic, pushed against the man. "Mr. Collins! You must not take such liberties."

  Her eyes wide with astonishment, Elizabeth sidled away from her cousin.

  Mr. Collins stalked after her with a determined grimace. He had not wanted to offer for the haughty and rude Elizabeth Bennet but he could not ignore the temp
tation she presented to Mr. Darcy. Her pretense was evident to him. She wished to appear undecided so that he might make a better proposal in the days to come. He lowered his voice and moved closer as her back met the stone facade of the house.

  "Perhaps the terrace at a wedding ball is not the proper setting, my dear? I believe after you have had time to think of a future when we are wed with children of our own, your heart shall soften and accept our union."

  Elizabeth did not wish to think of such a life for herself. With her eyes on his face, she pushed against the terrace door and ducked into the ballroom before he realized her plan to escape.

  Chapter 11

  Elizabeth awoke the next morning with quite a headache. There had been very little sleep and not a moment when her mind had quieted. Mr. Collins had done the unthinkable by proposing to her. In the carriage back to Longbourn the night before, he had not looked at her even once. His attention remained on Mary and their discussion of the dangers of dance to the immortal soul.

  The danger for her future concerned her far greater then as it did now. She sat up slowly and dropped her face into her open palms. She must speak with her father first for Mrs. Bennet would not have pity upon her. She would have two daughters married before the new year arrived and would be the happiest of women. Rising to splash her face with the cool water from the basin on her washstand, Elizabeth told herself there would be no marriage between herself and Mr. Collins.

  After breaking her fast with her family, where again Mr. Collins paid her no mind, Elizabeth followed her father to his study. Before he was comfortably seated behind his desk, she spoke her concern. "Mr. Collins proposed at the ball last evening. Were you aware he had chosen me instead of Mary?"

  Mr. Bennet's expression was one of great surprise. Elizabeth felt a bit of relief. "He has not spoken to me of his intentions. What answer did you give?"

  Elizabeth readily made known her refusal of the man. "I told him I could not marry him but he believes I shall change my mind given enough time to imagine life as his bride."

  She shuddered at the recollection of his words the night before. Mr. Bennet stood and moved to lean against the front of his desk. Looking down at his favorite daughter where she now sat twisting her hands, he meant to soothe her worries. "I shall speak with him but your mother will be most disappointed. I will see if I can sway him to Mary's side. I am astonished by his actions. Even I, as little as I am absent from my study, believed there was a romance blossoming between our Mary and the parson."

  Elizabeth had replayed events of the last week in her mind all through the night and was pleased to know her father had drawn the same conclusions. Mary and Mr. Collins had seemed to prefer one another's company and several times Elizabeth had returned from one of her walks about the countryside to find the pair strolling the gardens.

  A sharp knock sounded upon the study door and Mr. Bennet went to answer. It was Hill with news that Mr. Bingley had come to call. Quitting the study with her father, Elizabeth hoped she might return upstairs and rest for a time. Instead, Jane caught her arm on the first stair. "Come Lizzy, Mr. Bingley waits in the parlor and Mr. Darcy is with him."

  Elizabeth's hand went to her hair and Jane knew her concern. "You are as lovely as ever."

  Hoping the Bingley sisters had not come along, Elizabeth followed Jane to the parlor. Mr. Collins's voice startled her and Elizabeth's heart fell. He was seated next to Mary but was addressing Mr. Darcy. The Bingley sisters were not present. That was a small consolation. When the assembled party noticed Jane, the gentlemen stood and Elizabeth followed her sister to their usual settee.

  It was then that Mr. Collins chose to share his dreadful news. "Mr. Bingley, I am pleased you have come today. I was hoping we might hold a double wedding."

  Mrs. Bennet gasped and Mary squeaked with surprise. Mr. Bennet raised a hand to his face and covered his eyes.

  Elizabeth watched in horror as Mr. Bingley offered his congratulations. "I had overheard that you were to choose one of the Bennet sisters as a wife, sir. Who is the fortunate young lady?"

  Mr. Collins cast his gaze in Elizabeth's direction. She watched as his mouth formed her name in answer and Mary jumped from her seat. "You cannot mean it, sir! You were supposed to choose me!"

  The parlor became a stage and Elizabeth watched helplessly as Jane rose swiftly from her seat. The shouts of Mrs. Bennet and the cries of Mary Bennet drew the younger sisters downstairs and all semblance of order was lost.

  Mr. Bennet waded into the melee and sent his youngest three daughters away from the parlor under the guidance of Hill. Mary was sobbing and Elizabeth went to her to assure the poor girl that she had not sought nor accepted the man's proposal. Mary would have none of it and Elizabeth was startled by the hands of Mr. Darcy upon her shoulders. "Leave her be, Miss Elizabeth. The poor child has been shamed most cruelly."

  As she regained her seat, Mr. Collins made his second proposal. The foolish man's voice was oddly strained until his words seemed a torture for him to speak. Elizabeth thought it must be her own hope that he did not truly wish to marry her but his countenance betrayed his agitation.

  Mrs. Bennet spoke for her in the silent moment after he ended his petition and Elizabeth found herself leaving her seat much as Mary had only moments earlier. "Mother, I shall never marry him! Father has said I must not!"

  Mrs. Bennet wheeled on her second daughter and stifled her impetuous words. "Your Father will see this match made young lady and you cannot refuse!"

  Mr. Bingley's cheeks flamed a bright red and Mr. Darcy spoke quietly to his friend. "Perhaps we ought to leave, Charles."

  Mr. Collins forgot himself and stood suddenly. "Perhaps that is for the best Mr. Darcy, for you have charmed my cousin and made her believe she might have a proposal from you."

  The stunned silence that followed was short-lived.

  "Mr. Collins," Mr. Darcy thundered, "how dare you speak so to me? You have managed to shame not one young lady in the space of a quarter of an hour but two and add myself for good measure. Miss Elizabeth likely refuses your suit because she is far too intelligent for such a boorish man."

  With that, Mr. Darcy cast a glance at the lady who had won his heart and hurriedly strode from the room. Mr. Bingley went to Jane and kissed her hand before mumbling his apologies and hurrying after his friend.

  Mr. Darcy's mood was as heavy as the dark clouds that crowded the skies above as the Bingley carriage returned to Netherfield. The astonishing scene at Longbourn wore on him. He was not accustomed to such theatrics. "Bingley, you must not share the troubles of the Bennets with your sisters or we shall never hear the end of it."

  "I would not, on that you may rely." Bingley seemed as shaken as he and so Mr. Darcy fell silent.

  To hear Miss Elizabeth refuse the parson's proposal so vehemently gave Mr. Darcy the notion that she might entertain the idea of becoming his wife. He could imagine passing every day with her by his side but Mrs. Bennet had seemed adamant that Miss Elizabeth would marry her cousin.

  Mr. Bingley touched his knee and Mr. Darcy startled to find they had arrived at Netherfield.

  "I asked what will you do Darcy? You cannot mean to stand aside as Collins takes her for his bride.”

  Mr. Darcy did not think to refute his friend's assertion. He most certainly would not see Miss Elizabeth married to his Aunt Catherine's parson.

  “I cannot think her father will allow it and odd as it may seem, Mr. Collins did not appear to be pleased to offer for Miss Elizabeth. The two of them would surely make a miserable marriage. His accusation regarding my intentions toward the fair lady were most unexpected. I have been circumspect in my actions where she is concerned.”

  Mr. Bingley followed his friend to the front door of Netherfield and rubbed his chin as he recalled the night of the wedding ball. “Perhaps not, Darcy. Caroline was most displeased with the attention you paid Miss Eliza last evening. As we danced, my Jane mentioned that Mr. Collins was desperate to impress upon her sister
the importance of spurning your attentions. Something to do with your betrothal to your cousin in Kent.”

  Mr. Darcy thought he might surely take his friend to task for withholding such intelligence but knew Charles Bingley had been far more interested in his bride-to-be than the words of the parson. “That certainly explains why the man is eager to secure Miss Elizabeth’s hand. He has fallen for the gossip of my Aunt Catherine and fears for his living should his lovely cousin steal my affections.”

  “You must return and speak with her father,” Mr. Bingley advised as the two friends entered Netherfield.

  Mr. Darcy shook his head and removed his greatcoat. “I would allow the Bennets to manage their own affairs, my friend. Miss Elizabeth will not marry him. After being refused in front of his betters, the parson is likely making ready to leave Hertfordshire. If I am mistaken, let it be known I shall whisk Miss Elizabeth away in the dark of night as a thief if I must.”

  Chapter 12

  Mr. Collins threw the last of his belongings into the one trunk he'd brought from Hunsford and turned at the sound of footsteps in the hallway. Mr. Bennet waited patiently to be acknowledged. Instead of speaking to the man, Mr. Collins slammed the lid and took his time securing the latches.

  “You might have known my Lizzy would never accept you Mr. Collins. Why did you seek her hand when it is evident you have fallen in love with Mary?”

  The parson had not been prepared to speak of his love for the middle sister. Now he was forced to give an answer. “A man may not always do as his heart desires Mr. Bennet.”

  His voice trembled as he spoke and he deeply regretted the pain he had caused the young lady. Now he must leave her home and return to Kent to warn his patroness of the threat his cousin Elizabeth posed to her daughter’s future happiness. It was the only way he might preserve his position.