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Before his cousin could make some remark to cause his wife more distress, William spoke. “Mrs Bennet, Cousin Fanny, even if you do not remain in this house, I swear to you as a gentleman and a clergyman that you will never be without a home of some sort. In addition, neither you nor any unmarried daughters will starve. You are family, and I will ensure that you are cared for.”

Bennet closed his mouth as he was about to add some fuel to the fire of his wife’s insecurities. Mr Collins was spoiling all of his fun.

Lydia was not happy that it looked like plain Mary was going to marry before her. She wanted to be the first of her sisters to marry. Her hope was to gain the handsome Mr Wickham as a husband. He had already requested a private interview with her. It would be their secret as she was to meet with him the morning after the ball at the old hunting lodge no one used any more on Longbourn’s land. “We must go out and see the officers,” Lydia insisted. She wanted to confirm that her Mr Wickham would meet her as planned.

“Do you not need to prepare for the ball on the morrow?” William asked innocently. “Surely you want to look your best? Have you chosen your gowns for the ball yet?”

Suddenly Lydia forgot about her desire to walk into Meryton. She needed to select her best gown so that she could dance three sets, and perhaps more, with her Wicky. She would speak to him at the ball; that was what she would do. “Come, Kitty, we need to go select my gown for the morrow.” Lydia grabbed her older sister’s hand and pulled her towards the door. The two were soon on their way up to Lydia’s chamber.

Mrs Hill assisted Mrs Bennet to her bedchamber so she could rest and recover from her attack of nerves.

This was the second time Cousin Collins had stopped him having fun. Bennet was about to return to his study, as he was not enjoying himself the way he thought he would.

“Cousin, do you have time to meet with me on Wednesday morning, the day after the ball?” William queried.

“I will be at my leisure; come to my study when you want to see me,” Bennet said. He exited the drawing room and headed back to his study. Reading his book and sipping port would make up for his lack of entertainment.

Before he exited the drawing room to leave the three eldest Bennet sisters to speak, William secured the first, supper, and final sets with Mary.

Jane waited until their cousin left the room and pulled the door closed. “Mary, I think you will be a very happy woman with Mr Collins. You suit one another so very well,” Jane said as she squeezed Mary’s one hand. “He certainly was able to take charge of Mamma in short order. I believe he gave her much to think on.”

“That he did. Even at this stage, William is very protective of me,” Mary responded with a wide smile.

“I agree with Jane. Notwithstanding Mamma’s wrongheaded opinions, you two were formed for one another,” Elizabeth added. She looked at Jane with raised eyebrows. Jane nodded. “Mary, we want to beg your pardon for not being better sisters to you. We left you alone between Jane and me and Kitty and Lydia. We should have paid more attention to you and assured you that Mamma has always been wrong in calling you plain.”

“I am so sorry, Mary. It was my duty as the eldest sister to make sure that none of my sisters were lonely. Will you forgive us?” Jane begged.

“Of course, I do. William has helped me reclaim my self-worth and confidence. I no longer need to quote passages from Fordyce or the Bible to gain attention, as I have captured the affections of a wonderful man,” Mary granted. “It would have been pleasant to be part of your circle of friendship. However, you two were never derisive to me like Mamma, Kitty, and Lydia have been.”

The three eldest Bennet sisters hugged as a few tears were spilt as they released the past and looked to the future.

“Jane, how do you feel about Mr Bingley?” Mary asked.

“On the one hand, he is everything a gentleman should be, and it impressed me that he came to apologise for not checking Miss Bingley,” Jane replied. “On the other hand, now that I am looking at the world with a clearer eye, I wonder if Mr Bingley is mature enough to be seeking a wife. Also, I am not comfortable that all he wants to speak of is my beauty and calling me an angel. When I attempt to change the subject, he always ignores my effort and continues to speak of my looks. I am more than my face!”

“I did not want to mention something to you, Jane, but with your comments, I think I should,” Elizabeth stated.

“What is it, Lizzy?” Jane queried.

“The day that Mamma came to Netherfield Park when you were ill, Mr Bingley spoke of how he was fixed in Hertfordshire now, but when in London, he liked it there just as much. When he said that he would decide to leave in a moment, I got the idea he may be capricious. Or it is, as you said, immaturity,” Elizabeth reported.

“I will have to see how to proceed with Mr Bingley,” Jane mused.

“What will you do if he requests more than one set, especially if they are significant sets?” Mary asked.

“If Mr Bingley requests two or more of the first, supper, or final sets, then as kindly as I am able, I will indicate that unless we have an understanding, I cannot dance more than one significant set with him. If he wants a second set that is not one of the three I mentioned, I will grant it to him. After all, I already granted him two sets at Meryton. That is, of course, if he requests even a single set from me.”

“And what of you, Lizzy? If Mr Darcy requests a set, will you finally agree to dance with him?” Mary questioned.

“I will grant him a set if he asks me,” Elizabeth allowed. “We did decide to begin again; it would not be in the spirit of our agreement if I were to be churlish and refuse him. Besides, I would not want to sit out the rest of the dances.”

“And if Mr Darcy asks for more than one set?” Jane pushed.

“As that will not happen, I need not think about it,” Elizabeth insisted. As she said this, she remembered that it was possible Mr Darcy admired her. She decided to confront the situation if it came to pass.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

On Tuesday morning while the ladies of the house were busy with earnest preparations for the ball that evening, William Collins was reading in the west parlour when Hill brought him a note. The butler told him the groom was waiting for a reply.