Mr. Collins looked between them, unsettled. “And Longbourn? Surely it will be rebuilt.”
Elizabeth’s expression did not change. “We have not yet decided. It would be imprudent to invest heavily in a property we cannot retain.”
Mr. Collins stared at her. “But where am I to live?”
Elizabeth sat back. “That, sir, is not my concern. You may begin saving your income or seek a mortgage.”
Mr. Collins flushed. “Mr. Bennet refused me access to the ledgers. How am I to know whether the estate is profitable? Or how the funds are being managed?”
Mr. Bennet rose slowly. “What we do with our finances is none of your concern.”
Mr. Collins stood as well, agitation rising. “I do not believe you. You mean to cheat me. That is why I sought the ledgers myself.”
The room stilled.
Mr. Bennet’s voice was quiet. “When did you do this?”
Mr. Collins hesitated, his color draining.
Mr. Bennet’s tone sharpened. “When?”
“The night of the fire,” Mr. Collins said at last. “I wished to examine them, since you would not permit it.”
“You entered my book-room.” Mr. Bennet stepped closer. “Go on.”
“I searched but could not find them. Only books. I set my candle down. I struck the table. The candle fell. The rug caught fire.”
A heavy silence filled the room. No one moved.
“And what did you do?” Mr. Bennet asked.
“I was afraid.” His voice dropped. “I ran. I left the house.”
Mr. Bennet’s face darkened. “Did you alert anyone?”
Mr. Collins shook his head.
Mr. Bennet closed the distance between them. “You left my family and my servants in a burning house?” His voice rose, controlled but fierce. “Did you mean for us all to perish?”
“No. No, I did not. I panicked. I did not know what to do.”
Mr. Bennet gave a short, sharp laugh. “The ledgers? You wish to know where they were kept?” He did not raise his voice, which made the words all the more cutting. “In my daughter’s writing room, where she has managed them for years.”
A brief, terrible pause followed.
Mr. Bennet pointed toward the door. “Out. I will not have you under my roof another moment. You will leave Netherfield immediately. Your belongings will be sent to the inn.”
He turned to the butler, who had appeared at the doorway. “Have the carriage brought round at once.”
Darcy exchanged a glance with Bingley. Without a word, the two gentlemen stepped forward and escorted Mr. Collins from the room.
The door closed behind them. Mr. Bennet sank slowly back into his chair, his expression a mixture of disbelief and restrained fury.
Anne turned to her mother. “Mama, they might have all been killed.”
Chapter nineteen
The sun had not yet risen above the horizon, though its light glowed faintly beyond the trees. Elizabeth was determined to ride before the day’s demands claimed her.
