Prologue
May 10, 1811
“Well, Lizzy, you have finished Book Seventeen. What think you of this quote?” Bennet opened the book and read, “God! what evil wind blew in this pest? Get out, I say, stand in the passage! Nudge my table, will you?”
Elizabeth shifted in her chair. “Antinous thought poorly of the lower classes, such as this beggar.”
“Who else did he regard with contempt, my dear?”
“Women and the ‘Others.’”
Bennet peered at his daughter over the rim of his glasses. “What do we call negative opinions such as those he held, Elizabeth?”
She looked at her father curiously. “Do you mean prejudice, Papa?”
Just outside in the darkened hall stood a man watching the pair, observing their ease and absorption in conversation. His gaze rested upon the dark-haired young woman. Her small stockinged feet rested on a footstool. Her ankles were shapely, and as his eyes traveled up the length of her gown, over the trimness of her waist and the roundness of her bosom, they returned to her face. Her brow was puckered.
Though he could only see her profile, the man saw the intensity of her feelings and was drawn to her presence. Her energy was alluring.This is the cousin I will marry,he thought.There can be no other as beautiful or as passionate as this girl.
Suddenly, she was looking at him. Her eyes were a dark, clear brown, fringed with long lashes, and her curling hair had tumbled loose on one side where she had been tugging at a lock. She set her book down, rose at once, shook out her skirts, and pressed out the wrinkles with her hands. He could no longer see her ankles. She curtsied, her cheeks aflame.
“Excuse me, sir, I did not see you standing there.”
Bennet had also risen. “Sir, I did not hear you announced.” His look was severe, and his tone was accusatory.
Mr. Collins entered the room and bowed. “Mr. Bennet, I am your cousin, William Collins. Your housekeeper went in search of the mistress of the house, but I heard a voice so enchanting that I was drawn down the hall in search of its owner. I hope I do not intrude?”
Bennet frowned. “Mr. Collins, I blame Mrs. Hill. She ought to have shown you to the drawing room before going in search of Mrs. Bennet. Please, come with me. I shall ring for tea, and we may be properly introduced.”
The two men walked into the hall, Elizabeth following quietly behind. So this was her long-lost cousin. He was tall, with a well-formed figure. His golden hair was much like Jane’s, and his blue eyes were piercing. She still felt unsettled by the way he had looked at her when she sensed him standing in the hallway. She had turned unexpectedly and caught him off guard. His expression had reminded her of the hunting dogs when they stood watching the fox they had cornered. She shivered.Was he an immoral man?She had never been made to feel like a hunted creature before, but the tension of his body and the intensity of his gaze filled her with unease.
She moved to a chair that was farthest from where her father and cousin stood and watched as the two men spoke.
“Sir, as I said earlier, my name is William Collins, the son of Reginald Collins.” He bowed to Mr. Bennet, then turned and bowed again to Elizabeth.
“I am Thomas Bennet,” said her father, “and this is my second daughter, Elizabeth. Please take a seat while I ring for Hill.”
Collins sat down. “I have come to Longbourn with the express purpose of introducing myself to my only living relations. My patroness has given me a holiday of four weeks and hopes I shall be betrothed by the end of it.”
Mr. Bennet’s eyes narrowed, and his jaw tightened. “Mr. Collins, did I fail to read a letter from you? I do not recall receiving one.”
Collins rubbed the back of his neck as his lip curled. “Cousin, I did not write to you, knowing the letter would not reach you before my arrival. Lady Catherine de Bourgh gave me no notice. She insisted that I visit my relations at once and find a wife from among my cousins.”
He reached into his pocket and drew out a folded letter, which he handed to Mr. Bennet.
“These are her written instructions,” he said. “She told me what she required, then set it all down in detail.”
Elizabeth noticed that the paper was heavy and of fine quality; his patroness must be a wealthy woman. She watched her father’s expression as he read through the note.
When he looked up at their guest, his mouth was set in a thin line. “It appears your patroness is an imperious woman,” Bennet said evenly. “Tell me, sir, is it indeed your intention to find awife among my daughters within the next four weeks? This is not some jest, I trust?”
Collins' eyes narrowed as he passed a hand over his lips. “No, sir, this is not a jest. My livelihood depends on my married state. Lady Catherine mistakenly believed I was already married when she hired me six months ago. Now she is displeased that the young women of the parish have turned their eyes upon me, and as you have read, she expects me to marry from among my cousins and ‘put an end to the nonsense.’”
Bennet inhaled sharply and was about to speak when Mrs. Bennet entered the room in a bustle of pleased clucks and giggles. Mr. Collins looked from the animated woman to her serious husband and the grave daughter seated silently in the corner. The two men stood, Bennet made the introductions, and they resumed their seats once Mrs. Bennet was settled on the settee.
Mr. Collins looked over his aunt. She was a woman of about forty, about six years older than his mistress, but far more comely. He looked from mother to daughter and understood at once where the young woman had inherited her beauty. Mrs. Bennet was observing him with equal interest.
“Mr. Collins,” she said, “what brings you to Longbourn, sir?”
