Elizabeth gave a small inaudible sigh as she walked through the white grounds of Longbourn, not even pretending to be listening to the constant ramblings of her companion. Instead, she was paying much more attention to the snow that was crunching beneath her feet and to the refreshing cool breeze that hit her face as she walked. She had hoped that her sister Kitty would make this time spent with Mr Collins more bearable, but it seemed that Kitty had suddenly developed an extremely quick pace and was out of their sight soon after they left the house. Elizabeth deduced that this was probably the doing of her mother, who had been trying to get her alone with Mr Collins for days.
Elizabeth was a great lover of long walks and even heavy snow or rain could rarely keep her indoors. However, when her mother had suggested that Elizabeth and Kitty take a walk with Mr Collins, Elizabeth declined without a second's thought since he was not pleasant company. Furthermore, soon after his arrival in Hertfordshire two weeks ago, he had been making advances towards Elizabeth that were wholly unwelcome and undesirable.
At first, Elizabeth could not contemplate the reason why Mr Collins would choose herself over Jane; Jane, the eldest Miss Bennet, was decidedly Elizabeth's superior in beauty and in any almost any other way. Later, she came to realise that her mother had actually discouraged Mr Collins from paying such attentions to Jane, due to the fact that she was certain her most beautiful and kindest daughter could do better. With regards to her second eldest daughter, she was convinced that Elizabeth would become an old spinster if she did not manage to 'catch' Mr Collins.
And so, despite her daughter's reluctance, the mistress of Longbourn forced Elizabeth to take a walk with her cousin, Mr Collins, for a reason which was only too clear to the whole family: Mrs Bennet was determined that her daughter would marry the heir to her husband's estate, no matter how despicable he may be.
Elizabeth was brought out of her musings as Mr Collins stopped walking and came to a halt near the frozen lake. The lake was situated at the boundary which separated Longbourn from Netherfield, a much larger and grander estate. The lake was a truly magnificent and beautiful sight and for a moment, Elizabeth was so enamoured by its beauty that she almost forgot that her annoyingly talkative cousin was in her presence.
''This lake is an amazing sight. Do you not think so, dear cousin?'' He spoke a little louder than he had been doing prior to this point, supposedly aware of the fact that she was not granting him her full attention.
''Oh, I agree Mr Collins,'' she replied quickly.
''It is just one of the astonishingly beautiful creations of our Lord.''
'Yes, I am sure I agree with you on that point too,'' said Elizabeth, still staring at the icy lake.
''Though I must confess,'' he spoke in the same conceited tone, ''it is nowhere near as beautiful as you are. At least, you seem more beautiful to me than any lake ever could.''
At this Elizabeth started and turned towards Mr Collins, he too turned to face her. She made no attempt to disguise her surprise and shock at such a statement.
''You forget your place, sir!'' she told him sharply.
''No I do not, my dear Miss Elizabeth, for you are to soon become my wife.'' He was smiling smugly as if his words were not at all preposterous.
''What? I do not remember consenting to anything of the sort. In fact, I do not remember you asking me to marry you in the first place.''
''Do not fear, my most esteemed fiancé,'' he began once again, '' for I have the permission of your mother to marry you. She assured me that you mean to accept my hand. There is no need to be modest, though your modesty only does you credit. I know that it is not unusual for fashionable young ladies to at first reject a man they actually want to accept in the end. However, it is not necessary for you to use such arts on me. I am already drawn to you and am also sure of what your true feelings towards me are.''
It was likely that if Elizabeth had not cut him off at that moment, Mr Collins would have not ceased to talk.
''Please drop the subject sir, for you are embarrassing both me and you. Please understand that I cannot marry you!'' exclaimed Elizabeth.
Elizabeth then made a move to turn back towards the house but much to her surprise, her ardent suitor grabbed her arm to prevent her doing so. She clenched her teeth together and shook him off, before instinctively striking him upon the face. She glared at him and he stared back at her with a look of surprise upon his now red visage.
''What is wrong with you? Are these the actions of a gentleman or of a man of the cloth? Sir, I beg you to leave me now for I am no longer desirous of your company, not that I was in the first place.'' She turned away from him.
''Fine, Miss Elizabeth, but remember the day that you turned me down. You are unlikely to ever receive an offer as good as this again, as you have no dowry worth taking and an estate entailed to me. You will definitely live to regret this day.''
As he spoke, he seemed angrier than ever before and Elizabeth could tell that his pride had been wounded. She did not bother to look up again until Mr Collins had very nearly disappeared from her sight, and all she could see was a vague figure in the distance.
Elizabeth took a deep breath to calm herself down and stood still at the lakeside for several minutes, before deciding that it was probably about time for her to go home. However, she then thought about the fact that her mother would be very upset at her refusal of Mr Collins, and would surely be suffering from an attack of her nerves as a result. Elizabeth decided that she could not bear her mother's nerves at a time like this and therefore, thought it sensible to remain outdoors for a little longer.
Finally, after spending some time in meditation, Elizabeth realised that it was beginning to get dark and that she should make her way inside. If she did not do so, her family would surely start worrying. She made an attempt to stand up from the blanket of snow she had been sat upon, but her feet were slightly numb from the cold and she lost her balance on the slippery ground. Consequently, she tripped forwards onto the iced waters of the lake. She initially thought herself to be safe, but the relatively thin sheet of ice could not stand the pressure of her weight and instantly began to crack, meaning that Elizabeth fell into the cold waters of the deep lake below.
As a child, Elizabeth and her friends had spent many summers playing in and around this lake but now, her heavy clothing and boots made it impossible for her to swim out of its treacherous black waters. She could just about manage to keep herself afloat but could feel herself quickly losing control.
Knowing that she was not going to be able to get out of this dilemma by herself, Elizabeth started to cry out for help. At first, all hope seemed to be lost but she then heard some heavy footsteps in the snow.
So what do you think? Is it worth continuing?
By the way, I just watched the first episode of Death Comes To Pemberley. Darcy as a dad is adorable and the actor is so good!