Back in his bedchamber, the hapless parson sat with a dinner tray. ‘
Such disrespect!’ he fumed to himself.‘I will break that abomination of an engagement. When everyone is asleep tonight, I will creep into Cousin Elizabeth’s room and compromise her. Mister high and mighty Darcy will not be able or willing to marry her after I have had my way with the wench.
‘Her father will force us to marry then she will be mine to do with as I wish, and Lady Catherine’s wish will come true. Her nephew will be freed from the hussy to fulfil his duty.’ Then another thought hit his overworked brain. ‘Throw me out of the home that will be mine! I will show that cousin of mine; my excellent father was right. As he stole what is ours, I will help him meet his eternal reward and then I will own all of this.’ He told himself.
He wrote a letter to his patroness detailing all the verbal abuse and disrespect they had both received that day from the unworthy crowd at Longbourn. He told her in detail about the presumption of his cousin, the trollop who was even now trying to usurp her daughter’s rightful place as Mr. Darcy’s fiancée.
He informed her of his plan to destroy the supposed engagement between his wayward cousin and her nephew. He would even sacrifice himself and take her as a wife to further his patroness’s aims.
He laid out, in great detail, with as much ingratiating praise for his deified patroness as he could use in his every sentence, all the news he believed she needed to know. He also told her as she had suggested, he would rid Longbourn of the foundling imposters trying to steal his birthright by ending their worthless lives.
As quietly as he was able, he descended the stairs and deposited the letter on the salver containing the outgoing mail then slunk back up to his bedchamber. Why should he pay for postage when he could have his cousin foot the bill? Yes, the parson was just as miserly as his late father.
On his return to his chamber, he started to plot his intended actions for that night. He would find the interlopers first and dispatch them back to hell where they belonged for daring to try and steal what was rightfully his. Next, he would compromise and despoil that hussy, Elizabeth.
What he was going to do was being done in service to his patroness. When he imagined what his cousin’s breasts would feel like in his hands, how he would have his way with her, he felt a stirring as this was part of the night he most looked forward to; he became hard at the thought of taking her. The actual compromise may be deemed questionable were she to claim it so or to be examined by a doctor. He would declare it to be true and no one could gainsay his word as he was an ordained minister.
Collins determined after he was done despoiling his cousin, he would dispatch the current master of Longbourn to meet his maker. On the morrow he would not leave; he would assume his rightful place as the new master of Longbourn.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Without Collins to disturb them, an enjoyable evening was had by all. Richard shared that his friend, Colonel Forster, had told him his troops and his wife had arrived from Hampshire, and he expected his recruiting party and the new recruits from London to arrive in the next day or two.
An evening of music and cards was filled with excitement and laughter, which could not but delight all. Much later than was usual everyone started to retire to their bedchambers for the night. The Netherfield party said their goodbyes and prepared to leave.
After being allowed to say a private goodbye to his fiancée, where it can be said no words were needed, Darcy, along with the Colonel, Bingley, and the Hursts’ returned to Netherfield Park.
‘Less than six weeks until I never need to be parted from my Elizabeth again,’ Darcy thought with a satisfied smile. ‘I still cannot believe I have been granted the gift of her love. She is the only one for me. I will thank Bingley and Richard for the rest of my life: Bingley invited me to Netherfield Park and Richard came to assist me and have my back. I love my brother Richard and am grateful he formulated the solution that made it possible for me to come here where I have finally found a home for my heart.’
He was shaken out of his reverie by Louisa Hurst. “I apologise profusely, Mr. Darcy, for ever indulging Caroline’s fantasies that she would one day be Mistress of Pemberley. Also, I am sorry for any of my behaviour that has ever made you or your sister uncomfortable,” she offered with her head up and her eyes open, looking at Darcy, so he could assess the truth of her words.
Darcy knew this admission from Mrs. Hurst could not have been easy, and he could see she was sincere and genuine. “All is forgiven, I think we should adopt some of my betrothed’s philosophy,think only of the past as the remembrance gives you pleasure.
As a Christian, in time I will forgive Miss Bingley, as will the rest of us. But I will never forget, and I do not ever want to see your sister again, I am afraid. She will never be allowed into any of my houses or on any of my estates.”
Louisa was happy to be forgiven and her husband squeezed her hand in support. Things were much better between them since Caroline had been removed from their company. Her husband no longer feigned sleep to avoid her sister. The five rode the rest of the way in companionable silence.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
It was about one o’clock in the morning when the ill-intending parson put his ill-advised and ill-conceived plan into practice. The footmen had been asked to watch the parson carefully but to not take any action unless he crossed a line, and it became necessary to do so.
As silently as an overweight, puffing parson could, he made his way to the end of the corridor to the stairs where there was a landing. He descended to the level below where he had ascertained the family wing was. Once on that level, he slowly headed toward the first bedchamber doors he saw in the hall.
He stood looking around, and it suddenly hit him that he had no idea who was in which chamber. As the parson advanced, he stopped at the first door he reached. His ultimate goal was to despoil and compromise his cousin Elizabeth, however, his plan was to eliminate the fake son interlopers who stood between himself and inheriting first.
By some stroke of pure dumb luck, the first door he opened was the chamber of the so-called son they had named James. Once the parson, recognised this was one of the twins, he decided to proceed, making sure no supposed sons were alive so he would again be the rightful heir.
Now faced with opportunity, his avarice overrode all human decency. It even overrode God’s commandment ofThou shalt not murder. While thinking of dispatching the one called James, he reminded himself he still had to eliminate the one they called Tom, and Bennet himself.
He had seen the clues demonstrating how much wealth the Bennets must have, and he wanted it all for himself, the bonus of which was being able to have his way with his delectable cousin Elizabeth and make her his own to do with as he pleased. He started drooling with lust and felt himself hardened again as he imagined the things he would force on his cousin Elizabeth, and the screams he would savour as he gave her all the attention she wanted.
Like all bullies, Collins loved the thought of wielding power over the weak. He looked around for an implement with which to achieve his murderous aim and noticed a pillow that had fallen on the floor.
He walked over and grabbed the pillow, lifting it above his head, and as he attempted to bring it down toward James’s sleeping form to smother him, he felt someone, or something, grab him from behind and throw him backwards with great force.
The burly but nimble footman who had been following Collins had ejected the clergyman from the room hard enough that he landed back in the hallway with a tremendous thud. Collins landed awkwardly on the floor, breaking his arm, and started to howl like a tomcat having his tail pulled.
The caterwauling brought Bennet, Lord Matlock, Lord Hilldale, and the twins out of their chambers. Fanny, Lizzy, Mary, Kitty, Marie, Georgiana, and Jane’s doors were cracked to watch the scene unfold. The Fitzwilliams always resided in the family wing when resident at Longbourn, and Bennet was never so grateful as he was now because Reggie might be the only thing between him and the murder of his cousin.
