Chapter 1
Mary had been awaiting this very moment for weeks, an Italian master had come to Meryton to give a piano performance. The room waited in anticipation as he took a breath and laid his hands tenderly on the keys. Beethoven was one of Mary's favorites, and Master Capelliano had truly become a master at it. Mary sat as far forward on her chair as the old wooden seat would allow as she strained her ears to hear the first few notes of the Sonata. At her side was Mr. Bennet, who had received the honor of escorting Mary to the concert. Mr. Bennet had never developed a love for music, but the thought of being at home on the eve of the arrival of the future master of Longbourn had been enough encouragement for him to voluntarily accompany his daughter.
Mr. Collins, the dreaded cousin, was to inherit everything upon Mr. Bennet's demise. He was talked of with such viciousness and tenacity that none could comprehend his coming to visit. That is with the exception of Mrs. Bennet, who knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he would be looking for a wife. Fortunate for him, four of her daughters remained unattached. And as much as the thought of hosting the future master of her home sent her into a wave of nervous complaints, Mrs. Bennet was able to set her mind on the idea of having one of her very own daughters become the mistress of her very own household. What a marvelous thought! Even as sinful as Mr. Collins must be for having the audacity to be born, he was certainly on the path to redeeming himself- if he sought out one of her daughters.
With these sentiments swirling in Mrs. Bennet's head, she had the household in quite a fuss. Directions for the staff were barked to the poor servants as to how Mr. Collins' room should be prepared, the dinner that would be served and the scones that would be taken at tea. Jane and Lizzy had recently returned from Netherfield, Jane having been sick due to Mrs. Bennet's match-making strategy of riding in the rain. Jane was slowly recovering from her illness, and Elizabeth was always at her side. Kitty and Lydia were almost never to be found; always dashing around Meryton with some officer or another. This left Mary and Mr. Bennet to endure Mrs. Bennet's nerves. And as the latter had the luxury of his own library, the former received the pleasure of hours of ceaseless worries and nervous complaints. Tonight was the one night that both Father and Daughter were able to escape and hear only music.
As Master Capelliano continued through the Sonata, Mr. Bennet could not help but regret the lack of training that his Mary had received. She could be quite a nuisance with her constant practice, and an embarrassment at assemblies when she would insist on performing her latest works. But Mr. Bennet somehow felt a twinge of guilt that this daughter had not received the instruction she needed. If only she would take pleasure in the novels as Lizzy did, she would be a very happy person. She would never lack for a good read- for Mr. Bennet possessed a bountiful supply of novels in his beloved library. But that was not to be. This girl loved Fourdyce's sermons, and had practically memorized them from cover to cover. Where her interest in sermons came from, Mr Bennet could not imagine.
As the concert ended, Mr. Bennet and Mary were approached by Sir William Lucas, their close family friend and neighbor. "Ah! Mr. Bennet was that not a delightful concert! What an inspiration for your Mary! Did you not enjoy that Mary dear, Master Capelliano is a superb performer is he not?"
"Yes, Sir Lucas but I wonder at his choice in Beethoven's Sonata. It was a rather melancholy work for such an audience. One would imagine Master Capelliano would have chosen Mozart." As much as Mary tried to go on to critique the Master's performance, it was clear that she had not a clue what she was about. The comments on his touch of the keys, and the interpretation fell on deaf ears, for neither Sir Lucas nor her father had any interest in the craft.
"Lady Lucas informed me that you all are expecting the company of a young man for a fortnight. Pray, do enlighten me as to the man's particulars"
Mary instantly chimed in, a bit hurt at being ignored over her opinions of the performance "Mr. Collins is to inherit Longbourn at the time of my father's unfortunate death. He is a dreaded cousin, for he shall turn us out of the house as soon as he pleases! Everything belongs to him-even my piano stool!"
"Such a pity" Sir Lucas shook his head. "But such things are not in our power to prevent my dear. And therefore, I hope that you will look favorably upon the poor lad, for it can not be easy coming into a home with such a preconceived dislike from your hosts"
Mary almost shot back at this, but realized this discussion was one that Lizzy would do a much better job at convincing Sir Lucas of Collins' failings (primarily the very audacity of birth) and that he was not welcome in their home in the least. If it was not for this man, her mother would be much more agreeable. Not nearly as many nervous complaints and outbursts of fear for the future would be endured. As all of these events spun around in Mary's head, Mr. Bennet had taken the liberty of ending the conversation.
"SIr Lucas, I am glad you enjoyed the performance. If you will excuse us, we will bid you good night."
Once Mr. Bennet and Mary were in the carriage, the father observed to his daughter
"Mary, we must brace ourselves. I am afraid your mother will be in a fit of apprehension. I am not at all pleased with this Mr. Collins, he has ruined my peace. I may retreat to my library, but I will still be bombarded by shrieks and wailing from the rest of the home. I'm afraid you have a very silly mother, Mary. And some very silly and exuberant sisters! Of course Lizzy and Jane will make the best of it. Jane will never think any ill of him, and Lizzy will mock him incessantly. And you my dear, I am sure you will have plenty of topics to discuss with Mr. Collins if he is the type to enjoy Fourdyce"
"Every clergyman should encourage Fourdyce Papa. It is simply biblical behavior. He would not be a clergyman if he did not agree with Fourdyce!"
"Very well my dear, if he is as you say I am sure you shall have endless topics to discuss. But I am afraid your sisters, Kitty and Lydia in particular, will never agree with you on them!"
The next morning Mary set out to accomplish her usual morning routine. Scales were executed with extra energy, and Beethoven was practiced with precision due to the inspiring performance of the previous evening. Mary then warmed up her voice and began to practice for whatever occasion might arise, for many would be prompted by the appearance of their new guest. Because of the natural inquisitive nature of the Bennet's neighbors, there would most likely be many dinner parties and Mary was not about to be out played by any other young women in the neighborhood.
At precisely four o'clock in the afternoon Mr. Collins arrived, true to his word. The ladies of Longbourn all anxiously awaited his arrival in the sitting room. There was more than one beating heart when a carriage was heard pull up in front of the house! The ladies quickly made themselves of use, not wanting their guest to suppose that they had been previously engaged with any activity other than those of other accomplished young ladies. The door opened and Mr. Collins was announced.
He had a certain ere that inclined one to believe he thought very well of himself. He was neither handsome nor graceful. He wore his clergical attire, which Mary noticed to be very well maintained. It was obviously made of the best quality fabric available. What a calling, to be in the church. To instruct one's congregation to behave with fear of the Lord, and to concern one's self in the well-being of his parishioners. As these thoughts swept through Mary's mind, she was finally introduced.
"Oh my dear, dear cousins!" Began the stout man "I am so very pleased to see you all! I am very pleased to see the establishment that I will soon inherit to be very well kept. I congratulate you, Mrs. Bennet, for your attention to the home. However, on my way in I have taken note of several changes that would be in your best interest to make in the garden. It is quite a small park, but it will due suitably for me someday."
Mary took an immediate liking to Mr. Collins' frankness. There was no need to deny the future. There was no possibility of Mrs. Bennet having any more children, therefore the possibility of an heir was non-existent. It was best for the Bennet family to face the situation that was dealt to them, and that meant facing these facts. As Mary smiled with the assurance that this man could be an excellent prospect for her, she looked around the room to see her mother, speechless. This was a very unusual state to find her mother in. Mary naturally attributed her state to the excellence of the man before them, as her mother was of course lost in a state of delight at the good fortune of their family to have such a cousin.
As dinner approached, the family made their way to the dining room along with Mr. Collins. The meal began in the following manner:
"What a nicely situated room Madam. Although I do regret that the windows face West, how unfortunate. Dining room windows must always face East to catch the morning sun. How horrid to take part in one's breakfast in the dark."
"I assure you Mr. Collins" began Mrs. Bennet with determined civility "that is it is neither dark nor unpleasant in the mornings here."
"Good, I am very glad that it is satisfactory. My dinning room faces east, it is most excellently situated. My home is in prime condition, due to the very meticulous oversight of my Patroness, Lady Catherine deBourgh. You've heard of her I assume?"
There was a general shake of the head in denial by the Bennet family. Mr. Collins thought this the most fortunate circumstance to acquaint them with his good fortune.
"I am quite astonished, my dear cousins, to hear of your lack of knowledge of the highest of the nobility. Even though you all may live a very... modest life, you cannot neglect the duty of knowing whom God has bestowed the good fortune of nobility upon. Lady Catherine is of the most decided fashion and elegance. Her estate, Rosings park, is next to my sizable parsonage. Lady Catherine saw to the preparation of the home even before my coming, and her staff took meticulous care of it. Why, she even saw to the placing of the shelves in the closet! I often find myself in company with her, for she finds it very appropriate to communicate with one's clergyman. Therefore I pride myself, my dear cousins, in keeping her informed of every minute occurrence of my parishioners. She is most attentive to their needs, and often condescends upon them to give them her valuable advice about various situations."
Elizabeth and Mr. Bennet were greatly amused by such a speech, and thoroughly enjoyed the absurdity of it. But Mary was quite in raptures at his close acquaintance with nobility and his interaction with his parishers. "This is how a clergyman ought to be" thought Mary "sensible, convenient and attentive." Mary continued to reflect upon nobility, she had never encountered them before. Would Lady Catherine be as grand as Mr. Collins suggested? She imagined her to be a very stately woman, kind hearted and just in her dealings with the villagers. Mary decided that she should very much like to spend her time with such a grand woman as Lady Catherine.
Mrs. Bennet then had the good fortune of stumbling upon a topic to which Mr. Collins found himself particularly eloquent. "Does Lady Catherine have any family?"
"Yes madam. Her daughter, Anne deBourgh, is the heiress of Rosings and of very extensive property. She is most charming, and as Lady Catherine has observed to me on more than one occasion, she is a true beauty-for her character and, of course, her distinguished birth. I have informed her Ladyship that a finer young woman could not be found in all of England. Unfortunately, she has a somewhat sickly constitution which has greatly affected her musical education. Lady Catherine feels it most acutely, for she is very fond of music. If Anne would have learned, she would have been a great proficient."
On this subject, Mary was very confident. Much to the chagrin of her family, Mary found every opportunity to expand her knowledge of the instrument. Feeling confident that she could finally contribute to the discussion, she attempted to appeal to Mr. Collins "That is a shame, for she may never improve unless she practices. No excellence can be acquired without constant practice." Mary secretly hoped that one of her family members would mention her dedication to the instrument, but unfortunately none of them seemed particularly interested in Mary's comment. So to take matters into her own hands, she continued "I must apologize in advance, dear cousin, for I find that much of my day is spent with my instrument. I hope you will not be bothered by my diligence." The effect was just what Mary wished for "Oh my dear Miss Mary, I pride myself on my particularly fine taste in music. Although, as her Ladyship often reminds me, it is not equal to her own, I take great pleasure in music. Therefore, do not distress yourself cousin-you are not as accomplished as the masters in London, but I will endure your music with the greatest pleasure." Mary let a smile tug at her lips. Elizabeth watched in disbelief, as Mary's smile was a rarity indeed. Elizabeth took a mental note to talk with her mother about the incident later, if anyone could get Mary engaged it was Mrs. Bennet.