"Mama, Marylikeshim. Shewantshim to court her. And it was scarcely the work of a moment to pique his interest in her as we walked to Meryton. I have promised to advise him on his courtship, and by the time we returned home, he was half in love with her already!" Elizabeth replied.
"Lizzy, how clever of you!" Mrs Bennet clapped her hands. "Your father always promised me that you could not be so clever for nothing! Now to help Mary, we must go into the village tomorrow, and get some lace, and visit the dressmaker, and-"
"Of course I am clever, Mama. I am Papa's daughter, am I not? Let us settle down, Mary needs no help- no," she insisted as her mother began to argue about lace. "Mary is being assisted byher sisters. I'm sure you've noticed that she already looks very well today. It was not easy to find simply cut gowns among our wardrobes with minimal embellishments, and we worked very hard with Mary to select a number of our frocks that she feels comfortable and pretty in. If you make a spectacle of her or her courtship, you know she will withdraw entirely."
Mrs Bennet made to argue again, and Elizabeth said, "Mama, you have spent twenty-two years teaching us to catch husbands. This is the moment you have trained us all for, and now you must give your girls some credit, and trust us to get the matter right. Have we not already made an excellent beginning? Let Mary attend to her affairs, and allow her sisters to help her. I promise you that I have every confidence that we shall hear a proposal very soon indeed!"
After Mary and Mr Collins had spent a pleasant hour in the garden, and another hour was spent taking tea with Mrs Bennet in the drawing room, hearing about his parsonage and the patronage of the great Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Elizabeth and Mary went to the kitchens, assisted the cook with dinner, and prepared a special pudding. Mrs Bennet had always disapproved of the girls spending time in the kitchens, but afterher conversation with Mrs Long, she had encouraged the older girls to learn some basics in the kitchen, and teach their younger sisters, in case any of her daughters chose to marry down.
Each of the girls had found something they were good at in the kitchens over the last few weeks. Jane had learned one or two savoury courses, and was interested in learning more. Elizabeth was becoming good at baking, but not at all at the decorating of cakes and puddings. Mary found interest in savoury dishes, like Jane, and they learned that with little practice, Mary was extremely skilled at decorating cakes and other puddings with icing, sugared flowers, and the like. Lydia and Kitty were very enthusiastic about learning to bake bread, and were learning to make braids, and other attractive and appetising loaves. The cook had some fish and a beef roast; Elizabeth helped with some of the vegetables, while Mary decorated a lovely pudding for the end of the meal.
Mr Collins' praise was generous at dinner. He spoke unendingly, and complimented everything from the tablecloth to the dishes upon the table. "I must say, Mrs Bennet, you set a remarkably fine table. I might be at Rosings Park right now, with such a meal before me. To which of my fair cousins should I compliment the excellence of the cooking?"
"Longbourn is perfectly able to keep a cook, Mr Collins," said Mrs Bennet. “But my daughters and I believe that it is necessary for a lady to have some simple skills, and so they have recently begun to help in the kitchens. For example, today Lizzy assisted with the vegetables, and Mary decorated the pudding, which is a talent she only recently acquired, but has learned with distinction."
"Indeed, and Cousin Elizabeth, what excellent boiled potatoes! It has been many years since I enjoyed such an exemplary vegetable! I am all anticipation for the pudding. I amsure my fair cousin Miss Mary will have designed a confection fit even for Lady Catherine!" enthused Mr Collins as Mary blushed.
"Mary has recently discovered a gift for the culinary art and housekeeping. She is learning so quickly in the kitchens. She will be quite the charming homemaker one day when her time comes, so very accomplished! I am quite in raptures at her little design for a table that she is saving for when she marries," Elizabeth replied to him.
The pudding was brought out and praised by all, to which Mary blushed again deeply. At the end of the meal, the sexes did not separate, and Mr Bennet challenged Elizabeth to a game of chess in the drawing room. Mary played the piano quietly in the corner, a low, easy tune that was the perfect background for the quiet conversations happening in the room. Mr Collins settled down close by her to enjoy her playing, and make notations in the book of sermons from earlier that day, so that he and Mary could discuss it in more detail. Jane worked on her embroidery, while Lydia, Kitty, and Mrs Bennet began looking at fashion plates, Mrs Bennet looking over at Mary and her suitor surreptitiously every few moments. She seemed to have decided to leave the management of the courtship in Mary and Lizzy’s hands for the present, since it seemed to be developing splendidly..
"However did you manage that?" asked Mr Bennet, nodding to the couple in the corner.
"It was easy to see yesterday when Mr Collins arrived that Mary wished for his attention. Lydia and Kitty were persuaded to assist with her wardrobe, and it was scarcely the work of a moment to make her interest known to him, and welcome him to the family as my future brother."
"Nice work," grinned Mr Bennet. "Somehow you have even made your mother fall in line."
"What point is there of forcing my cousin and I together if he and my sister have already discovered an affinity for one another? I would never accept a suitor that one of my sisters had hopes for under any circumstances." Elizabeth wrinkled her nose at the thought. "I sense that Mr Collins is rather lonely with no family of his own. He may be rather silly, but there seems to be no malice in him. He is insensible, but harmless, rather like Mama. He has made several remarks that make me believe that he is quite alone in the world, and would like to be welcomed to the family as a close connection. Indeed it could only be beneficial to everyone if we were to do so."
"You make a fair point. While he may not be a sensible man, nor would I relish spending much time with him, there is certainly no reason to be at odds with him. Let us see where matters fall with Mary for now," replied Mr Bennet. The rest of the evening passed comfortably. Eventually Mary abandoned the pianoforte, and joined Mr Collins to discuss the book of sermons.
CHAPTER 8
Egypt, 651 AD
Cartaphilus stood alone,contemplating a silent ritual in the moonlight. He stood before the Great Pyramid of Giza, breathing evenly, staring at the point at the top of the temple. A vision washed over him, and whispers of the ancient pharaohs chanted in his ears secrets that have been lost to time.
He stood, rooted to the ground, arms outstretched, whispering the lost knowledge of the great rulers for hours, until the moon disappeared and the sun began to rise in the east.
A pair of travelling scholars passed, first stopping to observe him for some minutes, then moving on, murmuring to themselves. Cartaphilus stood, unmoving, as the men continued to the city, arguing between themselves over whether he had been a real man, or perhaps a spirit from another realm.
CHAPTER 9
The days passed, and the Bennet sisters quite adopted Mr Collins as their brother. He was not present when Mr Bingley delivered his invitation to the Netherfield ball,as he was escorting Mary and the younger girls to the village, which had become an almost daily pastime. Mr Collins came to Elizabeth after he learned about the ball, and confessed to her that he wished to ask Mary for the first and supper sets, but that while he had learnt to dance, he was not proficient, and had no wish to embarrass her. At the same time, he had no wish to hurt her feelings by neglecting to ask her.
Elizabeth recommended that he go and seek out her sister. "You should go to Mary and speak with her. Indeed, you must, if you are to be a good husband, be prepared to humble yourself and bare your shortcomings, and allow her to help you. Indeed she must be able to do the same with you. That is what a true marriage is like. Mary will esteem you all the more, and in her goodness will help you practise before the ball. Indeed, I believe that you will find that you have four more cousins here, who will also lend themselves to the cause!" Elizabeth declared.
Collins considered this to be invaluable advice, and thanking Elizabeth profusely, went in search of Mary, who, as Elizabethpredicted, was all generosity and helpfulness. The family spent days with the furniture pushed back and the carpets rolled up. Even Mr Bennet was induced to help make up a proper set with multiple couples. Cousin Collins practised his steps with all of the ladies in the household, including Mrs Bennet on one merry evening filled with laughter. Collins became more unassuming and good natured than any of the company had expected from him, considering his disposition upon entering Longbourn, and Mr Bennet generously gave his time to assist in the endeavour of helping Mr Collins become more gentlemanly, particularly since it was often such an amusing endeavour. Seeing such behaviour as the Bennets and their friends made Mr Collins understand how different was his usual behaviour from that of other gentlemen.
One afternoon, perhaps a week and a half before the Netherfield Ball, Elizabeth and Jane accompanied Mr Collins to Meryton with their sisters. They separated for a short time, Mary and Mr Collins planning to visit the bookstore, Kitty and Lydia the haberdashery, and Elizabeth and Jane went on an errand for their mother to the butcher. Mr Bingley’s calls had continued daily, but Mr Darcy had not lately accompanied him. Mr Bingley informed them that an issue had come up on Darcy’s estate, and that Darcy had spent some days enclosed in his study, writing letters. Jane was eager to be alone with Elizabeth, so that she might confide the last conversation she had with their neighbour.
Jane liked Mr Bingley very much. She was unsure whether he had any serious intentions, but he called frequently, and paid her very marked attention. She recalled his remarks about difficult relations not needing to present an obstacle to a courting couple, and she wondered if he meant that he wanted to courther, but she certainly hoped that he did. Of course, her mother had not been nearly so difficult lately. Elizabeth hadpersuaded her that she had trained her girls well, and that she ought to trust them to bring the gentlemen of their choice to heel, and make herself scarce. Young men did not wish to court their future mother-in-law. Mrs Bennet had for years objected to Elizabeth’s cleverness, but suddenly, it was as if she had recently changed her mind, and had decided that Lizzy’s intelligence would save them all. Mrs Bennet consulted her second daughter about practically everything regarding the gentlemen paying attention to her daughters. It was nearly comical.
After the little group parted ways, Elizabeth and Jane fell into deep discussion, for Jane wished for Elizabeth’s advice quite as much as their mother did. Their conversation continued through the little village, and by the time they finished their mother’s errand and looked up from the pavement, there were their youngest sisters, making a scene on the sidewalk like a pair of trollops.
“LIZZY! Come and meet Captain Denny!” Lydia screeched.
Jane and Elizabeth hurried towards their younger sisters before the scene became any worse. Lydia conducted the introduction between her sisters and Captain Denny, who then introduced them to Mr Wickham. Elizabeth thought to herself that it could only be to his benefit for this man to join the militia, for even though he was quite obviously older than most of the new officers, most of whom were in their early to mid twenties, his handsome countenance wanted only regimentals to render him completely charming. He had not the type of looks Elizabeth usually preferred in a gentleman. She fancied taller men, usually with dark hair and eyes. This gentleman was an inch or two shorter in stature than was average for a man, but his blonde hair, pulled back in a queue, blue eyes, handsome face, and pleasing address seemed all one could wish for in the countenance of a man, and Elizabeth knew that nearly every girl in Meryton over fourteen would be wild about him.
