After weighing her words and realising he could not rob his children of such a future, Sir William reached a decision. “In that case, Eliza, with my and Lady Lucas’s undying gratitude, we accept your overly generous gift.”
For the second time that day, Sir William pulled Eliza into a warm hug. At his request, Elizabeth sent Lady Lucas in to see her husband in his study.
“Your father accepted my gift,” Elizabeth whispered to Charlotte on sitting next to her in the drawing room.
Having promised to accept her father’s decision, Charlotte said nothing except shared her heartfelt thanks.
To say Lady Lucas was shocked when her husband related what Eliza was gifting her children would have been rather a gross understatement. Like her husband, as soon as she got past the idea of accepting such a thing from Eliza, she saw the choices which would be open to her children.
Lady Lucas smiled to herself as she was fairly sure Charlotte’s dowry would not remain with her for long and would soon be part of her marriage settlement with Lawrence Portnoy.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Where are you and your mother off to, again without me,” Fanny whined.
“We have been invited to Lucas Lodge by the Duchess of Hertfordshire,” Collins preened.
“Then Imustaccompany you,” Fanny insisted.
“No, Mrs. Bennet, you will not,” Ophelia Collins interjected. She knew the woman may be able to browbeat her son, but she was no wilting flower. “Unless you would like to be arrested for arriving at Lucas Lodge uninvited.” Ophelia challenged and did not miss how the nasty woman blanched. She turned to her son and with a much softer voice asked, “Clem, did Her Grace not write for us not to bother to arrive if we bring Mrs. Bennet with us?”
“Yes Mother, you have the right of it. Come Mother, we must away.” Collins led his mother out of the drawing room and to the waiting carriage.
Ophelia was determined that Mrs. Bennet’s sojourn at their estate would be of short duration. It was still only days since her husband’s death and Ophelia did not want to be heartless and turn the widow out quite yet, regardless of how much Fanny Bennet was disdained in the area.
Fanny was more scared than disappointed she would not be in her high and mighty daughter’s company. If the spiteful girl convinced the Collinses to turn her out into the hedgerows, how would she survive? Her awful husband had died leaving her just over eight hundred pounds of her dowry remaining. She could not live on about thirty pounds per annum.
But she had no one to whom she could turn. Her brother and sister both refused to see her and they were her only family in the world. This was all that damned Lizzy’s fault!
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Even being warned Mr. Collins was fascinated by people of rank, seeing him genuflect before her as if she was a queen made Elizabeth want to burst into laughter. She had to fight to maintain her equanimity.
“Sir William, will you introduce our distant cousins to us please?” Elizabeth requested.
The Collinses were introduced to Her Grace, the four other Bennet sisters, and the Philipses. “It is such a great honour you bestow on us, Your Grace…” Collins began to bow again.
“Clem dear,” Ophelia placed a restraining hand on her son’s arm before he could bow low repeatedly. “Why do we not allow Her Grace to inform us why she invited us here today.”
“You are so wise, Mother,” Collins agreed. “Please pardon me, Your Grace.”
“Mr. Collins, Mrs. Collins, please be seated,” Elizabeth invited.
Before her son could unleash another speech, Ophelia sat and made sure he sat next to her without a further word.
“We are at your disposal, Your Grace,” Ophelia stated and then waited, a restraining hand remaining on her son’s forearm.
“Mr. Collins, am I correct you were not brought up to manage an estate?” Elizabeth began.
Before Collins could launch into a long soliloquy, his mother spoke first. “That is true, Your Grace.”
“We are family, please address me as Lady Elizabeth.” She paused and looked from mother to son. “In that case, as the entail ended with you, Mr. Collins, I would like to purchase Longbourn. I am willing to pay you sixty thousand pounds, which you will find based on the income having fallen to well below two thousand per annum, and the profit a fraction of that, is a very generous price.”
Before her son could say anything, Ophelia did. “Clem, you have always wanted to study and become a clergyman, have you not?” Collins nodded. “We have never had the funds for you to study at university before. If you agree to sell the estate toHer Grace, not only will you have more than enough money to study, but we will be able to purchase a nice house in Wiltshire near where we used to live in that rented cottage and have a very comfortable life.”
Collins thought about things for a while and the more he did, the more attractive the offer became. He was intimidated by estate management, even with his mother to assist him. He did want to study and take orders, and Mother would never have to worry about money again. Not only that, they would be able to afford servants and so much more. At the estate’s current income, it would take him well over fifty years to earn as much as Her Grace was offering.
“Mother is correct, I will sell Longbourn to you for the amount you offered, Your…Lady Elizabeth,” Collins decided.
