Darcy turned the notion—which had previously seemed nigh inconceivable—over in his mind. Certainly, he had at least a rudimentary understanding of the Bennet family’s situation. With five unmarried daughters and an entail hanging over their heads, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet would no doubt have been tempted to marry off one of their daughters to the future master of Longbourn. Elizabeth’s flair of impertinence, however, should have ensured that she would not ever bow to the convenience of a marriage to a man as lacking in good sense as Mr. Collins.
Unfortunately, Darcy must have been staring at Collins without realizing it, as the object of his thoughts soon locked eyes with him. Face brightening with pleasure, Collins hurried over to speak to him. Darcy considered turning away from him, but he hesitated too long.
“Ah, Mr. Darcy!” cried Collins. “How fortuitous that we might have the opportunity for discourse with one another! I recently spoke with your grand lady aunt and that most handsome of young women, her daughter, Miss de Bourgh. I must congratulate you on your future with Miss de Bourgh, as you shall no doubt be the happiest of men when that day comeson which you and Miss de Bourgh tie your families ever closer together. Lady Catherine de Bourgh has spoken at length of how it was your mother’s wish as well as your own that the pair of you join in nuptial bliss—from your very cradles, they spoke of it, and we need wait only for that happy day to come to pass.”
Darcy had absolutely no desire to wed his cousin, but he also had no desire to engage in arguing with this buffoon of a parson. There were some men who had been born with the inability to be affected by reason, and Darcy believed Mr. Collins was one of them.
Rather than try to dissuade Mr. Collins from perpetuating the falsehood of an engagement between Darcy and his cousin, Darcy determined to guide the conversation toward Miss Elizabeth. With another person, he might have gone about his investigation in a more subtle way, but with Mr. Collins, any subtlety would have failed to lead anywhere. And so it was that Darcy commented nonchalantly: “I understand that something might have happened between you and Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”
Mr. Collins’s face broke into a large smile that only made the man seem more odious. “It has indeed!” crowed he. “I am much anticipating making my dear cousin my wife. She is quite handsome, you know, and her charms will no doubt endear her to my parishioners. They will benefit from one who shall show them all the tender care already displayed by my patroness—that is, your generous and most beneficent aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. My patroness cannot help but approve of Miss Elizabeth as my wife, and I am certain when they meet, she shall laud my choice with a most gratifying exultance.”
Mr. Collins paused for a breath before continuing with a pleased look. “It is only natural that Miss Elizabeth and I should come together, for when I inherit this estate, she shall be able to return to her dear family home, and her mother shall be able to remain in residence. I have no doubt that MissElizabeth’s sisters, handsome as they are, will find their own husbands ere long. They need only a little time. The matches they make shall no doubt be inferior to that which is being made by Miss Elizabeth, but I dare say they will do well enough for themselves.”
Darcy’s mouth felt dry, and he did not know whether he could trust his ears. Again, he found himself moving past his usual reserve into a more uncharacteristic bluntness. “You have requested her hand then?”
The clergyman’s smile only grew broader. “Mrs. Bennet assures me that we can begin the wedding preparations after Christmas. I had rather wished to begin sooner, but Mrs. Bennet has advised that the holidays are a precious period for her family and that she requires only a little more time before she may begin.”
“I had been under the impression that Miss Elizabeth would not make a decision about marriage hastily,” said Darcy, attempting once more to gain further information from Mr. Collins.
“She required only the proper inducement,” said the man with a satisfied smile. “Young ladies these days only need to be swayed by a few delicate compliments and a man’s perseverance, you must understand.”
Darcy’s lip twitched, but he made no comment. Soon after that, he extricated himself from the other man’s presence and found a different part of the room in which to indulge in relative solitude.
For the rest of the evening, Darcy remained quiet and thoughtful, wondering how Miss Elizabeth could ever accept such a fool of a man as her future husband. He could scarcely believe it.
Chapter III
Christmas was a time of peace on earth and goodwill toward men, or so the Holy Bible said. With the ubiquitous presence of a courting Mr. Collins in residence, there was no peace, and the goodwill Elizabeth felt was dying by the moment, becoming a desiccated husk of resentment. While the Gardiners came three days before Christmas and Mr. Collins had only come two days before that, it already seemed like the oaf had been there for months instead of days.
While Elizabeth fought to control her temper, trying through subtle means to inform him of her disinterest, nothing less than hitting him over his thick head with a tree branch would get his attention. Even directness did nothing, for the man was intent upon his purpose and convinced of its rightness—nothing she said to him made any difference.
“Of course,” said he in his pompous tones on the occasion when Elizabeth finally snapped at him, “you shall see all this yourself. When you see it, I am certain you will agree that there is no estate to compare with Rosings Park in all the land. Furthermore, you shall find the parsonage is in every way suited to you, for Lady Catherine, in all her condescension, has made it the perfect abode for any parson and his wife.”
“Mr. Collins!” growled Elizabeth, her patience shattering. “Though I had not expected you to forget our recent history, it seems I must remind you. When you last proposed, what was the result?”
“Oh, I remember it very well,” said the parson, the waving of his hand as ineffectual as everything else about him was. “I shall remind you that I am by no means unaware of the behavior of elegant females.”
“And yet, I refused you, and my father supported me. When you left, I understood you comprehended my feelings and would not further press the matter.”
“Ah, but then I learned better,” said Mr. Collins, his glance at Mrs. Bennet informing Elizabeth all she needed to know about her suspicions of mother’s role in his return.
“No, you did not learn better!” Elizabeth glared at him with all the frustration she felt flowing over, seeping into her words, which were not as temperate as they should have been. “You merely returned to your doomed pursuit of me. Can you not accept that you do not interest me? Why must you continue to ruin my Christmas?”
“Lizzy! You shall apologize to Mr. Collins at once!”
“I do not wish to hear anything from you, mother!” spat Elizabeth. “Be silent—then we may all have a little rationality in our lives.”
The gasp of more than one person in the room informed Elizabeth she had gone too far, but she was beyond caring at that point. Mrs. Bennet appealed to her husband with a look, but given his returning expression, she should have expected it. Unfortunately, none of this affected Mr. Collins.
“You may as well treat your mother with respect,” said Mr. Collins, “for I am convinced that once you are accustomed to me, you will understand there is no choice but to accept my offer.”
“That is correct, Lizzy,” said Mrs. Bennet. “No other possibility exists.”
“Oh?” asked Elizabeth, quirking an eyebrow at her mother. She rose, still fixing her with a baleful glare. “Another possibility does, indeed, exist, Mama. I may retreat to my room so that I need not endure a single more minute of this farce!”
Then Elizabeth stalked from the room, ignoring her mother’s demands for her to return. When she arrived at her bedchamber, Elizabeth closed the door and turned the key in the lock,determined to stay there for the rest of the day, even if she must go to bed hungry!
“I see what you mean, Madeleine,” said Edward Gardiner as Elizabeth left the room.
