Prudence and Practicality

by C. J. Hill

  Charlotte looked at the clock and exclaimed to see how late it was; she could not remember the last time she had ever slept in past nine o’clock. Hastily, she gathered her effects from the half-unpacked trunk from yesterday’s journey, but as she prepared to dress, was interrupted by another knock, more timid this time, causing her to gather her shawl around her. A young girl, obviously very nervous and new, walked into the room.

  “Mrs. Collins, ma’am, I am Nancy - your maid sent from Lady de Bourgh. She said I was to tell you that this is my first appointment as a lady’s maid and not to be too disappointed with me.”

  Charlotte smiled warmly at the girl. “Well, this is the first time I have had the privilege of having a lady’s maid all to myself so you and I will just have to muddle along as best we can, shall not we? Now, if you would hand me that dress and help me with the buttons, I would be much obliged.”

  The girl seemed rather more adept than her benefactress imagined her to be and, without too much direction from Charlotte, she completed the dressing and hair-arranging tasks with reasonable skill. Fortunately for her, Charlotte was not overly fussy about her hair arrangements nor her dress. As long as both were neat and serviceable, she was happy to leave them as natural as possible; Charlotte had long ago given up the notion of gilding the lily in the hope of impressing the outside world, preferring instead to present herself in the most obvious and matter-of-fact manner possible.

  As she was finishing her dressing, Charlotte glanced again out of her window and noticed her husband, who, judging from the garden tools slung over his shoulder and the generally dishevelled air about his attire, must have already been up for some time. Mr. Collins was seen by his interested observer to be talking a great deal and gesturing wildly with the full force of his being. The object of this apparent diatribe was a young but sensible-looking sort of man whom Charlotte believed to be none other than their elusive manservant from the night before.

  As she watched, she saw the young man take his turn in the conversation, without as many hand gestures to be sure, but with obviously enough force to encourage Mr. Collins to nod his head and look away towards Rosings Park in a thoughtful manner. As she could not open her window to hear the conversation without bringing attention to herself, Charlotte satisfied herself with the pantomime and after a passage of a few more words on Mr. Collins’ part, she inferred from their body language that the crisis had passed its peak.

  At length, the two men left each other. The young man bowed with seeming politeness and strode away down the lane. Mr. Collins flung his tools upon his back once again and headed towards the kitchen door.

  Eager to understand the outcome of this dispute, Charlotte hurried downstairs to meet her husband in the hallway, seemingly a great deal recovered in his temper and appearing quite calm; he had clearly just refreshed himself after his labours and greeted her with still-damp hair and water splashes drying on his shirt.

  “Ah, there you are my dear! I hope you slept well and are recovered from our journey? Am I correct in assuming that your bed was comfortable and everything has been to your satisfaction? Naturally, any changes you wish to make you are free so to do. I am at your disposal to assist in the small movements of furniture or ornaments, or whatever would please you to change.” Mr. Collins was once more at his solicitous best and anxious to please his new wife.

  “I thank you, yes. I am feeling much better after my rest. I apologise for my lateness in arising; I do not make a habit of it, I assure you, sir!” Charlotte was happy to see that the flashes of bad temper observed both last night and again this morning had vanished but made a mental note to herself that his temper could clearly be uncertain when pressed.

  “No matter, no matter. I am sure you will adjust quite quickly and show yourself to be a mistress of some punctuality and purpose. Have you eaten yet? I am intending to breakfast myself after some early morning toil in the garden to prepare a new bed for planting more Winter vegetables. I find early morning is most beneficial as the ground tends to be more moist from the overnight dew. Not, of course, if it has been snowing or if there has been a severe frost, that, I assure you, makes toil almost impossible! No, this morning presented itself as the prime time to conclude my work, and it does look like rain later which also proved an imperative to completing the work which has, as I am sure you can understand, been forsaken in the past month for my more pressing commitments!”

  At this Mr. Collins bowed deeply and smiled his obsequious smile in Charlotte’s direction. Finding herself rather nauseated by it this early in the morning, she hurriedly turned and preceded him into the breakfast room which was situated at the front of the house on the opposite side to Mr. Collins’ book-room. Both of these rooms afforded a good view of the road and provided Mr. Collins with a wealth of information as to the happenings of his parishioners; it particularly alerted him to the comings and goings of Lady Catherine as she had to pass by his vantage spot on her way to and from anywhere.

  Mr. Collins sat down to breakfast and quickly, and rather noisily, disposed of a great plate of food and many cups of tea poured with great restraint by Charlotte, who was quickly apprised of just how her husband behaved at table when away from other company. Forbearing to mention anything at this early stage of their relationship, Charlotte did, however, make yet another mental note that her husband’s table manners rather resembled that of a child who was not accustomed to being well fed and, when presented with the opportunity of eating, devoured the food at great speed as if afraid it would be taken away before it was consumed. Once again she wondered if, indeed, this had perhaps been the case for her husband. She did not know anything about his early years and each of his accidental revelations was building up a clearer picture in her mind.

  “Allow me show you the house and grounds, my dear, when you are finished with your breakfast.”

  Immediately upon finishing his last morsel and drop, and still chewing the remains in his mouth, Mr. Collins was already vacating the table and marching towards the door, anxious that his new bride should be proud of the estate in which she found herself and be as appreciative of it as was he.

  “I would like that, thank you!”

  Hastily finishing her tea, Charlotte was just as anxious to acquaint herself with her new surroundings and, after quickly donning a shawl and outside hat, she hurried back downstairs to explore. The hallway which had greeted her last night was, in the daytime, bright and full of light and Charlotte was able to discern clearly the other rooms on the lower floor. She walked slowly through each room with her husband, listening attentively to his accounts of work done or needing to be done, the assistance provided by Lady Catherine regarding almost everything, and quietly noting to herself the furnishings and curtain hangings, the arrangement of the furniture and any changes she thought appropriate.

  She was particularly delighted with the back parlour, warm and cosy, looking out onto the gardens at the rear of the house. Her desk and sitting chair were already ensconced there and looked as though they had always belonged in the room. With the addition of a few personal effects and some seasonal flowers from the garden, Charlotte believed that this would be perfect as her private room, fit for entertaining guests but detached enough for some quiet letter writing, reading, and completing household accounts. She had been shown her husband’s book-room at the front of the house, and Charlotte judged that her parlour and his room were at a perfect distance from each other.

  Charlotte was then treated to a lengthy introduction to the servants, Mrs. Hall whom she had already met, and Dawkins, who curtsied and bowed respectively.

  “Dawkins was to have met us last night for our final stage of the journey, my dear,” Mr. Collins intoned pompously. “I was, as you are aware, most upset that he did not do so but he has explained the matter to my complete satisfaction and so we shall say no more about it. Nothing was hurt in the end, thanks to Farmer Betts and his good lady wife, but I have issued a stern warning to Dawkins that if such an occ
urrence should occur again I do not intend to be so lenient. Such dereliction of duty cannot be excused a second time.”

  Charlotte smiled politely at Dawkins and he murmured a welcome, not seeming to be affronted by his chastisement in front of his new mistress.

  Casting what he believed to be a forbidding glance at his manservant, Mr. Collins then led the way through the remainder of the house, once again spending a great deal of time explaining the exact trouble Lady Catherine had gone to in order to procure and place each piece of furniture. Charlotte mentioned that she would be grateful for the opportunity to thank Lady Catherine in person as soon as possible.

  “Do you expect that she will pay us a call this morning, as you suggested yesterday, Mr. Collins?” Charlotte enquired. “Or should we pay our respects to her?”

  Mr. Collins swept her suggestion away with a wave of his hand, looking quite astonished at her surprising suggestion.

  “Certainly we must wait upon Lady Catherine to make the first call; you are, after all, the newcomer to the village and she takes great pride in welcoming everyone, even the most humble of workers. She likes to be fully in charge and aware of everything that occurs in the neighbourhood; she is a most considerate neighbour and landlord but she adheres most firmly to appropriate behaviour. We must, therefore, await Her Ladyship’s favour with patience, but I doubt very much that it will be long before you are relieved of your apprehensions and are able to develop a regard and affection for her that is befitting the wife of her vicar. Let us put on our coats and I shall show you the gardens and surrounding areas.”

  For the next hour they spent, rather unexpectedly for Charlotte, an enjoyable time in each others’ company; an intimacy sprang up between them growing from a mutual interest in their joint future that had not occurred before in any of their private conversations. She, ostensibly, learning about the garden and bees and other livestock and how much time her husband spent over their care and husbandry, but indirectly improving her understanding, through his hesitant introduction of each new topic, that he was, in his own way, extremely concerned for her happiness as well as wishing her to understand the fortunate situation she was now in regarding the house and his comfortable living as a clergyman. He was even so open as to explain just what arrangements he had put in place for the housekeeping and for her allowance which was to be paid quarterly, if she agreed to those terms.

  “I do not wish for you to feel that you are in any way reducing your style of living, my dear. Of course you will receive all of your father’s allowance too – I have no wish, nor need for it. My personal income is such that we can live comfortably if we exist quietly; although it does not allow for any elaborate entertaining, you understand? Of course, we shall be invited to Rosings on occasion but that will, in all probability, be the extent of our higher social calendar.”

  He turned to see her reaction to this piece of news, as he had spent enough time with the Lucas family to know that entertaining played an important role in their everyday lives, even if it consisted only of dining with other families in the neighbourhood.

  Charlotte hastened to reassure him of her contentment with a quiet life.

  “I assure you that I have no wish, nor desire, to have more than the quiet life of a parson’s wife. I shall be content with managing the house and tending my livestock. I will, if you see fit, assist you where possible in your administrative duties in the parish. I have always felt it proper that the wife of the parson is seen to be active whether it be amongst the sick or helping the poor. I should like to be as useful as possible to you in your work. I believe that I could be of great help where necessary and that helping others will provide more than sufficient society and satisfaction for me.”

  Mr. Collins beamed his approval. Here, indeed, was a true wife; one who appreciated his situation and also wished to assist and improve it if she possibly can. He had been most wise and fortunate in his choice. She had swept away any lingering concerns he may have been harbouring about it, which had been, after all, rather rushed and seemingly ill-thought out when viewed from others’ perspective. He realised that many in Meryton had been aghast at his immediate reversal from choosing from one of the Bennet girls.

  “My dear! We seem to be of one mind already! You understand our situation and are not deterred by it; you embrace your new role more wholeheartedly than I could have dreamed. Lady Catherine will be delighted with you when she meets you – her exact words to me were to find a wife who would be useful and here you are already proving yourself to be that wife.”

  Charlotte smiled at his enthusiastic observations and, in this congenial manner, the various pressing matters between a new husband and wife were aired and agreed upon within the space of an hour.

  They both returned to the house as the weather threatened to worsen and Mr. Collins retired to his book-room after ascertaining that Charlotte would be content with her own company. This, she had assured him, was what she most desired as she must attend to some letters to her family regarding her safe arrival, she must thank Farmer Betts and his wife for their help the previous evening and, also, she wanted to check over the kitchen and stores with Mrs. Hall; the sooner she took responsibility for the household the better.

  Charlotte passed into the kitchen where she found Mrs. Hall and Nancy quietly working on the lunch menu and possibly the dinner too; Nancy was working her way through a great pile of vegetables, more than Mr. Collins and she could possible require, Charlotte thought, and made yet another mental note to keep a closer eye on the kitchen expenses.

  Another hour was spent in the company of Mrs. Hall who was patently very relieved and willing to apprise Charlotte of her entire domestic inheritance including all of the new additions provided by the Lucas’ generosity. Everything was duly written down and signed off; it was all now the responsibility of Charlotte and one she willingly undertook.

  “Now, ma’am. Would you care for a cup of tea perhaps? I’ve got the kettle on and it won’t take but a moment.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Hall. That would be most welcome. I will take it in my parlour, the back room, where I shall be writing my letters.”

  As she was taking her leave of the kitchen, Charlotte almost bumped into Dawkins who had just returned from cleaning out the fires, judging by the state of his hands.

  “I just lit a small fire in the back parlour, ma’am, as I thought you might be using that room for yourself now, what with your desk and chair being there.” He moved nervously aside.

  “May I also apologise to you for the confusion of last evening? I know it was not the best of welcomes to your new home but I would never forget an important date or time; I regret to say I was misinformed about it by Lady Catherine two days ago. I told Mr. Collins the same thing this morning but he had trouble believing my story.”

  “I’m sure he did not, Dawkins, although we were quite put out last evening after having travelled all day. However, all turned out well in the end, thanks to Farmer Betts. Tell me, how did Lady Catherine happen to be speaking to you about my husband’s return?”

  “She stopped her carriage by the road where I was working and had her man ask me when Mr. Collins was returning and I told him that we expected the both of you on Thursday, yesterday that is. Lady Catherine contradicted me saying that she knew you would not be arriving until the following day at the earliest. I thought about this as I continued my work and agreed that perhaps that would be true, not knowing exactly the time of your wedding or indeed the true time it takes to travel from there to here. I did try to meet you, just in case I was correct, from the afternoon stage but I did not know that there was another later one. I am truly sorry for your lack of welcome after such a long journey.”

  Charlotte was surprised to hear an explanation told with such assurance by a manservant but she also appreciated now why her husband had not pursued the matter further; in his eyes, Lady Catherine was never wrong, even when she clearly was! If she declared that they were supposed to be arriving on a
different day then that is when they should arrive. Charlotte also realised with gathering relief, that, if Lady Catherine was convinced that they were not to arrive until today, then she had a full day without the threat of a visit from the great lady herself, which would allow her to settle into her new role before having to perform it in public before a critical audience.

  Smiling to herself, Charlotte graciously accepted Dawkins’ apology and walked to her parlour where, just as promised, a warm and cheery fire brightened up the room. She sat down at her desk with great contentment and began her letters to her family first, and then to Elizabeth who would be, she knew, anxious to hear all of her news and her first impressions of her new situation. What a great deal she had encountered since only yesterday! And how much more she would have to tell after her first meeting with Lady Catherine de Bourgh!

  XVI

  Hunsford Parsonage

  January 6th 18~

  My dearest Lizzy,

  Although it has been only one day since I left Meryton, I have so much to tell that I dare not wait for another to pass in the absolute certainty that I will have too much news to fit into one letter! Where should I start? The journey to Hunsford was exceedingly tiring after the excitement of the marriage ceremony and the wedding breakfast; it seemed to be never-ending, although I feigned sleep much of the time and Mr. Collins was obliged to talk incessantly to our fellow travellers once we met the stage at Bromley. I believe they knew everything there was to know about our situation before many miles were covered! They are local farmers and were kind enough to later rescue us from being stranded when we arrived at Hunsford when our man mistook the day of our arrival and was not there to meet us.