“Whatever for, Collins? You made your will when you created the marriage settlement.” asked Bennet in surprise.
“I have to sign some documents that I have asked Phillips to prepare for us,” answered Collins. When they were sitting later in the law office, Collins said to Bennet, “Bennet, we are here to sign documents that I have asked Mr Phillips to prepare that will break the entail.”
“Good God,” said Bennet. “Why on earth would you do that?”
“I was considering it when I arrived in Meryton,” answered Collins. “You must have noticed, cousin, that intellect is not my strong suit.”
“Collins, we cannot all be scholars, but you graduated fromOxford!” said Bennet. “It is true, I have noticed that you have some difficulty with numbers, but-”
“Some difficulty?” interrupted Collins. “Bennet, I cannot make heads or tails of numbers at all. It is like they will not lay down for me. They swim all over the page! I am not clever. My father could barely read, and I feel like a scholar compared to him, but I am not you. I do not even write my own sermons. My patroness helps me, or I use another’s from a book. I cannot manage the ledgers. Perhaps I could have a clever wife to help me with them, but I am not much more proficient at anything else, and I cannot expect a wife to run the entire concern.”
“I hate to admit this, Collins, But Charlotte Lucas might be perfectly able to manage the whole concern,” admitted Bennet.
“Bennet, while I would never intentionally ruin a gentlewoman, neither can I, in good faith, reward Miss Lucas’s recent behaviour. Her cruelty to your wife and daughters and her shocking behaviour towards myself is beyond the pale. I cannot reward her by making her the mistress of the estate, especially when it is an estate I desperately do not want.”
“You truly have no wish to inherit Longbourn?” asked Bennet uncertainly. By all rights, he ought not argue with the man, but he had lived in a man’s world all of his life, and he had not been raised to care about his female relations over the livelihood of another man, even a stranger. Such was not the way of the world. Longbourn belonged to the men of his family. If the women wished to live well after the death of the men, then the wives ought to have born sons, or come to their unions with larger dowries. He had never considered it his concern.
“Bennet, I enjoy my life. I am proud of my little parsonage, I tend my flock, and I enjoy the notice of my patroness, a great lady of noble birth. I already enjoy precisely as much importance as I wish for. In a few days, Miss Lucas will be Mrs Collins, she will return to Hunsford with me, and we will stay there all of our days; she will never want for anything. My patroness will see to any deficiencies in her character, and we will learn to get along well enough, I am certain. She will have her own establishment, which is more than Miss Lucas deserves after her shocking behaviour.”
With all of that said, Mr Collins took the pen offered by Mr Phillips, and signed the documents quickly, then handed the pen off to Mr Bennet, who signed his name as well. Mr Phillips’s clerk witnessed it, and another document which Collins signed, attesting that he had not been coerced nor even solicited to sign away his inheritance, and that it had been entirely at his own behest. Mr Phillips said that it would go that very day to the Court of Chancery, and that if it was passed through, they would receive notification by express from his colleague. The notice would be in the newspapers in about a month or perhaps a little more. Collins and Bennet chose not to complicate the rest of his time in Meryton by spreading the news. The wedding would proceed as scheduled, and the Lucases and Bennet ladies, along with the rest of Meryton, could find out later from the papers.
Three days later,Charlotte Lucas was married. Mr Collins had declined a wedding breakfast, stating that his patroness was coming for a few hours only to attend his nuptials. She would divert her return on her way home from visiting her brother, and that they must leave immediately after the ceremony to share her ladyship’s carriage back to Hunsford. There was little fuss or finery. Lady Lucas would have held a modest wedding breakfast, but the Lucases had to be careful with their income, and Sir William would not waste funds decorating the church. Charlotte married in her best day dress, which was a year old, and her one vanity was a lovely bouquet sent from Mrs Lockhart from the conservatory at Netherfield. Abigail Lockhart did not care for Charlotte Lucas, but she had always made such small gestures for new brides.
Immediately after the ceremony, Charlotte Collins was hurried into the carriage of her husband’s patroness, and the highlight of her day was a stern lecture from her ladyship all the way to Bromley.
CHAPTER 9
Highbury
August, 1811
In Highbury,the Bingleys began to see more of the Woodhouses, though relations were strained, and by unspoken agreement, the families avoided acknowledging one another. The Westons entertained at Randalls often, and though Miss Bingley did not invite the Woodhouses when she entertained, they still met at the homes of the few other genteel families.
“She would probably accept now, if she were invited, for Miss Woodhouse has a great desire not to let Mr Churchill out of her sight,” said Caroline snidely. “However, I see no need to lower myself to grovel for her notice. I have not failed to apprehend that she was exceedingly disappointed to have been denied Mr Darcy’s and Miss Darcy’s acquaintance.”
Mr Darcy had studiously avoided Miss Woodhouse at all engagements, stopping just short of cutting her directly, which he knew would put Knightley’s dander up. Miss Woodhouse was obviously very interested in Miss Darcy. The company of another very wellbred, genteel young lady was always exciting for her, but Georgiana spent all of her time with Miss Bates or Miss Harriet Smith, with her brother always close by to guide them away or provide a distraction when Miss Woodhouse had them in her sights.
“Mr Churchill also needs no distraction from keeping my brother and Miss Fairfax from finding a moment alone,” added Mrs Hurst. “Charles is meant to be preparing for estate ownership. If he will not marry one from the first circles, it is, at least, his duty to marry a gentleman’s daughter. An orphan of no family is of no help to him at all. He needs a lady of equal birth to the position he aspires to.”
Darcy could not argue with her. He and Hurst had already impressed upon Bingley that if he purchased an estate and married an orphan of no family, he would not be well received anywhere, and Darcy could only assist in society so much once such decisions were made.
Miss Bingley made Darcy exceedingly uncomfortable by taking his disinclination to know Miss Woodhouse as a personal compliment. She spent her time in company in Highbury boasting of Mr Darcy’s virtues and the perfection of Pemberley. Her attentions and deference to Georgiana were so cloying that if the girl had a proper companion, she would have avoided the lady and her sister at all costs, even if it meant isolating herself in her rooms.
The rest of Miss Bingley’s time was spent hanging on Darcy, complimenting Darcy, agreeing with Darcy, and admiring Darcy. Bingley closed himself in his study with his younger sister several times and explained to her plainly that Darcy was literally begging him to stop her behaviour. However, she would not listen, and was certain that Mr Darcy could be persuaded eventually.
If she could only get Miss Darcy on her side.
If they could only have enough society to host some truly impressive engagements.
“You have cursed my efforts by bringing us to this backwater, Charles,” complained Caroline. “How am I to plan events that will show Mr Darcy my suitability when you have moved us to this horridplace?” Her brother did everything that he could to convince his sister otherwise, but nothing that he said made the slightest difference.
One afternoon,an unexpected guest was presented to the drawing room at The Gables. “Lady Catherine de Bourgh,” announced the butler.
The party rose, and Darcy said, “Aunt, we had no word of your coming. Is Anne with you?”
Lady Catherine waved her hand. “I could not very well bring Anne; she is unused to such journeys. She remains at Rosings Park, though it is to your credit that you ask after her welfare so solicitously, considering your long engagement.”
“Aunt, I am not going to begin another discussion of the fact that Anne and I are not engaged in front of my host and his family. Why are you here?” Darcy demanded.
