“She is. You know Lizzy has long wished to marry for love. It is a dream we share.” Jane shrugged distractedly, her eyes sparkling in that particular manner when one was in love.
“Love and affection are desirable in matrimony, but not always practical.” Charlotte had on more than one occasion professed her perspective to her friend. Always, Elizabeth had thought her joking. “Mr. Collins is a gentleman with a living and a handsome inheritance. Turning him away simply because of his tendency to ramble on is foolhardy. Were I in your sister’s enviable position…” She trailed off and glanced at Jane.
“You would marry a man even if you did not like him?” Jane asked. Her tone was all sincerity.
“I am seven-and-twenty. I cannot afford to turn down eligible prospects.”
Jane shook her head. “My sister is not one-and-twenty. She need not accept the first offer she receives.”
“I once thought the same way. Then the seasons passed, and I went from one-and-twenty to on the shelf.” Charlotte shook her head. “You are fortunate, Jane, that your Mr. Bingley has paid you such attention.Ihave never been the recipient of a gentleman’s affections.”
Jane glanced away. “He is notmyMr. Bingley.”
“Then you had best make him so, before your chance at marital felicity disappears.” Charlotte smiled sadly. Her pragmatic and somewhat cynical view of love and marriage often caused disagreement between her and Elizabeth. Jane did not argue with Charlotte; she merely looked contemplative.
A door slammed somewhere in the house, and Charlotte peered down the hall curiously, looking for the source. Mr. Collins lumbered toward her, a scowl on his face as he ran hishand through his greasy locks. Charlotte winced a little at the sight but plastered a smile on her face. Jane shifted uneasily next to her before curtseying and hastening off down the hall. Charlotte did not blame her; Mr. Collins’s company must be uncomfortable at the moment.
“Good morning, sir,” she said pleasantly. “I had not thought you to be up and about so soon after our late evening. Your dedication to your position as a clergyman does you credit. Balls and assemblies cannot keep you from your duty, after all.”
“Miss Lucas,” Mr. Collins replied stiffly. “The morning is clear and bright, though how ‘good’ it is, I cannot say. I do not know that I can bear to stay here a moment longer.”
“Perhaps a walk will do you good, then,” Charlotte replied impulsively. Inwardly, she wondered at her forward behavior. Mr. Collins was not meant for her. According to Lizzy, the man came to Longbourn with the express wish of healing the breach between his family and the Bennets. Matrimony was his aim, and Mrs. Bennet had loudly proclaimed the night before that Elizabeth was his choice. So certain was she in her daughter’s acceptance, she had not hesitated to assure Lady Lucas that Elizabeth was as good as married. Charlotte might have cautioned Mrs. Bennet against setting her hopes for security upon her second daughter had she believed the lady capable of listening to others’ advice.
Charlotte’s neighbors described her as practical, economical, and useful. Never hadmanipulating,contriving, orschemingbeen applied when detailing her qualities and shortcomings. But in that moment, she realized that before her stood an opportunity. Mr. Collins, upset and frustrated, wished to be away from Longbourn. Elizabeth had refused his offer, impractical girl. Who was Charlotte to turn away this chance, slight though it was?
“Come with me, Mr. Collins,” she said firmly. “Lucas Lodge is but a short walk down the lane. Mama will have a fine tea laid out by the time we arrive. It will give you time to recover from your disappointment.”
Mr. Collins looked sharply at her, and she smiled apologetically. “It is no secret that Elizabeth will marry only for the deepest of love,” she said by way of explanation. “I must therefore assume that she has refused your eminently suitable offer of marriage. I am sorry for it. Who would dare to refuse such a man?”
Charlotte winced inwardly. She knew she risked being a trifle brown in her flattery, but men of Mr. Collins’s temperament delighted in the semblance of importance. If she wished to turn his head, she needed to speak to his preferences. This could very well be her last chance to secure a comfortable situation for herself. Her brother John, she knew, would never turn her out once their father died, but how could she burden his household with an unmarried sister when it was within her grasp to remedy her spinster state?
“Tea sounds delightful,” Mr. Collins said firmly. “Shall we?” He awkwardly held out his arm, and Charlotte took it gently. The fabric of his coat felt coarse and strange under her hands. The quality of the weave did not match that of her father’s. She slid closer to his side than propriety usually allowed, but there was not a moment to waste. Mr. Collins was to return to Hunsford at the week’s end, and if she wished to secure him, she needed to apply all the cajolery and flirtatious behavior at her disposal. She well understood the disadvantage of her plainer features—she did not hold a candle to Elizabeth, and even Mary Bennet’s face held greater attraction.
“Tell me of your parish,” she requested, hoping to elicit some intelligent conversation from the gentleman. She knew fromElizabeth that Mr. Collins could speak long about his home and his patroness.
“Hunsford is a valuable family living,” he eagerly replied. “My patroness has seen to every comfort. There arefivebed chambers in the rectory, and Lady Catherine determined just three weeks ago that shelves must be installed in the closets. She is attentive to every detail, and her condescension knows no end.”
Charlotte tried hard not to gape. “Shelves in the closet?” she repeated. “Happy thought, indeed.”Why on earth are shelves needed in a closet? Where is one to hang their clothing?
“Your good sense does you credit,” Mr. Collins answered. “Lady Catherine insisted the shelves be installed before I bring a wife to Hunsford.‘A lady must have some place to store her treasures,’she said to me.‘A wardrobe can be procured for gowns and other clothing.’”
“Indeed,” Charlotte said lamely. In truth, she was flummoxed. It made no sense to install shelves in a perfectly good closet. The shelves alone were an unnecessary expense, not to mention the cost of a wardrobe. If a lady needed someplace to display ‘treasures,’ did it not make more sense to install a shelf in the room? The cost of such would certainly be less than that of shelves in the closetanda wardrobe.
“Hunsford Rectory has a delightful front garden as well,” Mr. Collins continued. “The back of the house has the kitchen garden and my beehives. I prefer the front of the house, however. It is adorned with all manner of flowers, and I understand the rose bushes by my gate were grown from cuttings taken at Rosings Park. And just across the lane is my patroness’s estate. It is but a short walk to the manor when I have been invited to dinner. Lady Catherine assures me that her condescension will include my wife.” He looked at Charlotte expectantly.
“Oh, yes,” she said hastily when she realized he was waiting for a reply. “Do you dine at Rosings Park often?”
“Lady Catherine insists I dine with her on Sundays. I am summoned to tea once a week to discuss my sermons, as well.”
“Such notice!” Charlotte declared. “Lady Catherine sounds like an attentive neighbor.”
Mr. Collins nodded. Charlotte listened politely as he rambled on about the glazing of the windows at Rosings Park, the formal gardens, and his patroness’s exquisite taste. Her mind wandered as they walked, and she found Mr. Collins only required the occasional nod or similar acknowledgement. Before long, they arrived at Lucas Lodge.
Lady Lucas welcomed Mr. Collins warmly and settled him in her most comfortable chair before serving tea. As she handed the gentleman a cup, she eyed her daughter. Charlotte gave a shallow nod, acknowledging her mother’s unspoken question.
Her father, Sir William, joined them for tea, engaging Mr. Collins in conversation. The topics varied wildly, and Charlotte had the impression that the gentlemen were playing an unspoken game of ‘my horse is bigger than your horse.’ In due course, tea concluded, and Sir William invited Mr. Collins to view the library. The gentlemen departed, and as soon as the door to the parlor closed, Lady Lucas turned to Charlotte expectantly.
“Elizabeth has refused him,” Charlotte said simply.
