The Gardiners and Collinses followed Phillips into the dining parlour. After spreading papers around in piles, he sat in the place where the master would sit. “Pursuant to the terms of the late Thomas Henry Bennet’s Last Will and Testament, any of his personal property, and that of his daughters, is being removed from the estate. All that will remain are the items itemised in this validated inventory of chattels not belonging to the Bennets and subject to the entail. Bennet’s property is being relocated as we speak. My clerk, Mr Jamison, has a validated copy of the list and will ensure that nothing which will hereafter belong to Mr Collins will be moved from the estate, and Mr Collins will then become the lifetime tenant of Longbourn.
“Under the terms of the entail, all funds have been withdrawn from the estate’s accounts and placed in trust for Mr Bennet’s heirs until they marry or reach the age of five and twenty.”
“No!” Collins banged his fist on the table. “The money is mine; I am the master now!”
“Mr Collins, I refer you to page seven of the document governing the entail. Please read paragraph 6 a. You will see that everything with regard to the estate’s funds is being done according to the rules established by the entail,” Phillips stated matter-of-factly.
Collins lifted the copy of the relevant document which had been placed on the table before him. On page seven he found the clause. Reading was not easy for him, but he managed.
6 a. When the estate of Longbourn passes from one master to another due to the entail, the only funds the new master may lay claim to are the income and rents earned in the current quarter on his becoming master. There are no exceptions unless the previous master bequeaths an amount to the new master. If the inheritor attempts to lay claim to that which is not his, he will be stripped of his right to inherit.
The anger began to bubble up in Collins’s chest. How could this be? At least, he would still have his wife’s dowry. They could not deny him that because he had been intelligent enough to marry without a settlement.
Hill entered the dining parlour and nodded to Mr Phillips. “As per his will, all of Mr Bennet’s and his daughters’ property is no longer at Longbourn. Before we proceed, Mr Collins will accompany me, my head clerk, and a footman to confirm that nothing listed in the entail’s inventory is missing.” Phillips did not wait for Collins to stand but stood first, and with the official document governing the entail in his hand, he began in the dining parlour.
As they ticked off each item, Fanny looked about. The two three-candle silver candelabras were gone. In their place were two tarnished candlesticks. Any of the nice silver items she had admired were missing, replaced by old things in various states of repair.
“What is this?” Fanny screeched. “All of the silver has been stolen!”
“Mr Collins, you have just ticked off all the items which belong to the estate and signed the page. Is there one item missing?” Phillips questioned.
There was a sullen shake of his head. “All here,” Collins confirmed.
“You see, Mrs Collins, all the things you refer to were purchased by the late Mrs Bennet, the former master’s mother and as such, the property of the late Mr Bennet. As per the instructions in his will, all Bennet property is no longer present. All these items, which had been stored away in the attics, replaced any items not listed in the entail’s inventory. Bennet’s original intention was to have all of the old items gifted to the parish, and those not of use, destroyed, but only once a Bennet broke the entail. However, as that did not happen, they are yours now for as long as you are master here. Bennet’s will does not allow anything more than was expressly mentioned in the entail inventory to become the property of a Collins,” Phillips explained.
As they went from room to room, Fanny could not say much because she had not been in many of them before. She did not miss how almost all the furniture was now old and threadbare.
“Were there not any Bennet family jewels?” Fanny demanded when the master suite was checked.
“The only piece that is part of the entail is the ring you wear,” Phillips drawled. “All of the jewellery that came with past mistresses, or was purchased for them, has been removed, as they are not part of the inventory. Do I speak the truth, Mr Collins?”
Other than a quick nod, Collins said not a word.
The last room they entered was the study. Fanny had only been into this room once before, but she remembered it was very different. “Where are all my late husband’s books and the paintings?” she demanded.
“Not included,” Collins murmured. This was not at all what he imagined. When they went out to the barn and stables, no horses remained, and the only carriage was a rather old and dilapidated one.
“Let us return to the dining parlour so we may deal with the final items,” Phillips suggested.
If either Mr or Mrs Collins noticed they had not seen a single servant since the butler had come into the dining parlour before the tour, they did not comment on that at all. They sat at one end of the table, the bitterness pouring off them like a raging torrent.
“Mr Collins, until you beget a son and that son reaches the age of one and twenty when you can break the entail, you may not mortgage or sell part or all of Longbourn. That includes pledging it in payment of a debt. Such an attempt will result in your eviction, as you will have broken the terms of the entail,” Phillips stated. “Now the final item in the will which affects you two.” Phillips stared at his former sister-in-law. “Is your position regarding the Bennet sisters and their disappearance the same?”
“It is,” Fanny returned.
“And Mr Collins, you claim you have no knowledge as to where they are and what occurred to them?” Phillips verified.
“Aye,” Collins responded succinctly.
“In that case, a codicil added to Mr Bennet’s will affecting the disposition of the former Mrs Bennet’s dowry comes into play,” Phillips said.
“It is mine! I married her without a settlement, so you cannot deny me what is mine,” Collins ranted.
“Actually, Mr Collins, it did not belong to Mrs Collins. The day she married him, it became the property of the late Mr Bennet,” Phillips corrected.
“But my settlement! It was to return to me in the event of that cruel man’s death,” Fanny remembered.
“That was conditional, Mrs Collins.” Phillips slid a document across the table to the woman. “In the section governing the dowry, you will see that whether or not he allows you to have it returned to you after his death is at his discretion.”
