A strange and violent disorder now seized him. His breath came in sharp, irregular gasps; an unseen agony twisted within him, rendering him wholly insensible to all but his suffering. He attempted to rise, to call out... yet no assistance was near.
With a heavy collapse, he fell to the floor.
There, in dreadful solitude, his suffering reached its terrible conclusion; bood started pouring from every crevice in his face, as his insides were screaming, twisting and dissolving into a mass of bloody tissues due to the effects of the poison known as white arsenic.
The elegant chamber, so lately the scene of quiet refinement, bore witness instead to a most shocking end.
He realised that as he had paid little attention, in life, to those closest to him, so was he left neglected and abandoned in his time of need. As he suffered and died there was no one to hold his hand or whisper words of comfort as the end came swiftly and terrible.
Mr Collins expired alone, his ill-fated indulgence still upon the table, and the sweetness he had so eagerly embraced proving, in the end, his undoing.
Chapter 14
When Elizabeth finally arrived back at the manor house there was utter mayhem.
Apparently Mr Collins had been found dead by Lady Catherine’s maid in the lady’s own private sitting room, with his mouth stuffed with cake.
Colonel Fitzwilliam as an officer of His Majesty’s Army had the authority to immediately seal the room and start an investigation. He soon called the local magistrate and together they started an inquiry which rapidly produced results, so that before nightfall the following actions had been taken.
After interviewing the staff they arrived at the conclusion that the colonel's aunt had planned the murder of Elizabeth Bennet while they all had been in the drawing room the night before. Lady Catherine apparently intended to do the deed when the young lady came to tea that afternoon.
Lady Catherine herself refused to offer any explanation or excuses on how her parson had been found in such a monstrous condition. She was therefore locked up in her bedchamber... under shrieks of protests, threats, and much anger.
Lady Catherine’s brother the Earl of Matlock was sent for immediately as was the bishop of Kent and the coroner.
That night there was no formal dinner and all the occupants of the house were understandably quiet and subdued.
Elizabeth most of all, as she understood that Peter Holler and Ted, his mongrel dog, had saved her life; for it quickly became obvious that Elizabeth had been the target of Lady Catherine’s murderous design.
Elizabeth and Jane ate their dinner together in Jane’s room,
“Oh, Lizzy, why would Lady Catherine wish to kill you?”
“There is no explanation for madness Jane; for I am convinced the lady is totally unhinged. What could I possibly have done to her ladyship to warrant killing me?”
“Do you think she might have believed that something existed between you and Mr Darcy? Therefore hindering the proposed union of Mr Darcy and his cousin?”
Elizabeth frowned, “that would only prove beyond any reasonable doubt that the lady is indeed mad, since Mr Darcy and I cannot stand each other.”
“I thinkyoucannot stand him. As for him disliking you I am not convinced.”
“What do you mean Jane? Mr Darcy hates me just as much as I hate him. He is the most arrogant, insufferable and selfish man I have ever had the displeasure of meeting.”
“If so, there must be a faulty level of understanding with Mr Bingley himself as I cannot fathom how such an amiable man such as he could befriend a man of so faulty a character as Mr Darcy, if indeed he were so bad.”
“Well...”
“Yes?”
“Maybe Mr Darcy is not as bad as I believe, but he is certainly insufferable and selfish.”
Jane chuckled, “I think Mr Darcy is no worse than your average rich man who is accustomed to getting his own way in all he does.”
“Exactly,” Elizabeth agreed with a smile. “Talking about Mr Bingley, how was your day today before this awful tragedy took place? You two disappeared in your walk through the woods and I never had a chance of asking you how that turned out.”
“Oh Lizzy he never knew I was in town. His sisters hid that from him. He said he missed me for all those months.”
“I see. And why may I ask did he not return to Netherfield?”
