In March 1811, on her way to London, Elizabeth was remembering the events of the last few months. A twelvemonth ago the young woman would have never imagined that she would be traveling to Kent to spend a few weeks with her cousin and the new Mrs. Collins.

Mr. Collins, a young man of five and twenty, had come to visit his cousin's family, the Bennets, during the month of November. And although his stay did not exceed a fortnight he succeeded in returning to Kent as an engaged man.

By his own merit, and the help of his patroness, Mr. Collins was the new rector of Hunsford in Kent and by the merit of the entail weighing on Longbourn, the dwelling of the Bennets, he was his cousin's heir. His sudden arrival had different effects on the members of the Bennet family.

Elizabeth had not spent more than a day in his company that she already knew that Mr. Collins the most pompous and silly man she ever met. However, his visit was a good distraction, there was little diversity in the neighbourhood and the opportunities to study a new character were sparse.

The eldest, Jane, although sharing the same opinion, was not one to express her thoughts so frankly, therefore, she refrained from commenting on her cousin. Mary, the third of the Bennet girls, seemed to show much more cordiality towards Mr. Collins and the two youngest, Kitty and Lydia, they did not give a second of their thoughts to the newcomer.

Both parents had very different opinions about Mr. Collins' stay. Mr. Bennet shared Elizabeth's opinion and took a great amusement to observe his cousin. His wife did not understand her husband's carelessness about their future.

Mrs. Bennet did not delude herself, she understood perfectly that when her husband would die her daughters and herself would have to leave Longbourn. It was impossible for them to live with only £ 200 a year, they would have to live on the charity of her brother and sister.

Of course a nice alternative would be that one of their daughters find a husband rich enough to maintain the whole family. Jane being the first in age and beauty was the most able to save the Bennets, unfortunately rich gentlemen were rather a rare commodity. The second-best alternative would be for one of them to marry Mr. Collins, so they would not have to leave Longbourn at all.

Thus, it was with joy that Mrs. Bennet watched, only a couple of day after the young man arrival, Mr. Collins' attention to Jane. As for Elizabeth she was horrified, she couldn't understand how such a man might think to be worthy of her dear sister. As usual Jane was too polite and reserved to show any embarrassment or irritation to Mr. Collins. At first Elizabeth admired her sister's restraint but then a fear filled her, Jane could let herself be persuaded to marry their cousin.

Jane was all kindness and sometimes this goodness turned against her, the young woman could easily be convinced if the arguments came from someone she loved. Elizabeth did not doubt that their mother would succeed in convincing Jane that the advantages of this marriage for their family were more important than the lack of love and happiness in her marriage. Although the two sisters were very close and adored each other Elizabeth could see that Jane's qualities could harm her, her character was such that she wanted to please others to the point she could forget herself.

It was therefore Elizabeth's duty to protect her sister, she had to act before things became irreversible. She began with a few remarks, only a few compliments highlighting all the qualities of her elder sister. Surprisingly Mr. Collins was her biggest support, nodding at every compliment, pointing out many times how a young woman like Jane was rare, and thus, so precious.

Of course, Mr. Bennet understood immediately the scheme of his favourite daughter and for all reaction merely laughed at the scenes. After two days, Mrs. Bennet started to understand the behaviour of her daughter too and if Elizabeth wasn't her favourite child she couldn't denied that she was the smartest one, maybe there was some wisdom in her plot. It was true that Mr. Collins would have a good fortune in the future, but Jane's beauty could attract a much bigger, richer fish, maybe one of her other daughters would be better suit to the clergyman.

Mrs. Bennet spent the night thinking about the best course of action for her family and the next morning, after a short interview with Mr. Collins, Jane was safe from his attention. When Elizabeth witnessed the change of attitude of the parson she congratulated herself, but her felicity was only of short duration and soon gave way to embarrassment.

Her cousin, persisting in his desire to choose a wife among the Bennet girls, reported his praises on Elizabeth. The young woman tried immediately to show him their unsuitability, but the young man did not seem to understand her warnings.

Elizabeth was embarrassed not only by his attitude but also by the thought that he would end up proposing to her, she imagined with horror the scene and the repercussions that her refusal would provoke. But she was of a decided character and was not afraid to speak frankly when it was necessary to do so, she could bear the consequences when the time came but she did not wish to anticipate them unnecessarily and upset herself for nothing. Thus, she decided to ignore her cousin, letting him say what he wanted without encouraging him, in a few days he would be gone, and she was hopeful that they would not see him again anytime soon.

To add to the awkward situation the weather was so bad that all the household was confined inside, thus making impossible any outing or visit, Mr. Collins thus had the luxury of devoting all his care to his charming cousin.

Finally, three days before his departure, Mr. Collins asked for a private interview with Elizabet. As soon as they were alone, Mr. Collins hastened to recite the declaration which he had prepared the day before. This was the first proposal that Elizabeth received and would be, hopefully, the only ridiculous one. At first the girl tried to refuse politely, she did not wish to inflate more pain than necessary, but before the obtuseness of her cousin she quickly lost her patience. After a clear and categorical refusal, she took refuge in her father's study, the weather forbidding her to go outside.

At her entrance, Mr. Bennet contented himself with turning a look of amusement towards his daughter.

"The best-laid schemes o 'mice an' men ..."

Elizabeth could not help blushing, after all her situation was due to her plan she had thought so clever but had proved disastrous for her.

"So, I suppose Mr. Collins decided to propose and of course you refused it"

Elizabeth nodded, her head leaning forward, staring at the ground.

"Well, when your mother will have learned about this we shall have no peace" he lamented. But his frown gave way to a new mocking smile. "I fear that the only way for your mother to forgive you is for you to find a husband who has at least twice the financial merit of Mr. Collins."

Elizabeth did not laugh with her father, she knew he was teasing, that he would never let her mother force her to marry a man she did not want to marry, but there were some truths in his remarks. They were not rich, at least not enough to keep their way of living when their father would not be there anymore. If none of them married a gentleman rich enough, they would have to turn to their uncles and aunts to provide for themselves. Jane and Elizabeth had accepted this truth a long time ago, for them a financially harder life was preferable than a life of sentimental misery. But they also knew that their mother, Kitty and Lydia would have a hard time accepting their new situation.

Mrs. Bennet would certainly be angry that Elizabeth had refused the possibility of securing Longbourn and her anger would probably last a few weeks. Luckily soon the Gardiners would come from London to spend Christmas with them, there would be enough distractions for her mother to calm down and begin to accept Elizabeth's refusal. And after the New Year her uncle and aunt would take her for some time, so she would at least have the relief of not hearing her mother's complaints any more.

However, to the surprise of the whole family, Mrs. Bennet said almost nothing when she learned of the proposal. Her first impulse had been to be indignant until her daughter resigned herself to accept Mr. Collins. But Mrs. Bennet knew Elizabeth, she had always been like her father, too stubborn for her own good, she knew that nothing could change her mind. Mr. Collins was to leave in two days, if Mrs. Bennet wanted to act it was necessary she acted quickly.

When the man had turned his regard to Elizabeth, she had said nothing to the gentleman, hoping that her daughter would have enough common sense to accept him, but she suspected that he would not be well received. If she had been able she would have immediately told Mr. Collins to turn to Mary who was maybe the least beautiful but also the most indulgent towards the gentleman.

Mrs. Bennet was sure that only a few encouragements were need for Mary to accept him, the problem was that she had to convince Mr. Collins to turn his interest toward a new Miss Bennet, for the third time. But if Mrs. Bennet knew something in life it was how to attract the attention of a gentleman. After a brief conversation with Mary, Mrs. Bennet arranged for Mr. Collins and Mary to be alone, Mr. Bennet was in his study and Elizabeth was in her room, with Jane as sole company and she sent Kitty and Lydia upstairs to work on their bonnets – of course Mrs. Bennet could not actually leave them alone, she conveniently chose the farthest place from them and seemed to doze off quickly.

All the Bennet were pleased with this arrangement, none of them having to keep company to their cousin. The weather had not improved, and Mr. Collins himself was happy to have as companion his young cousin, who seemed the only one to appreciate his company. The girl, although physically less charming than her sisters, was nevertheless intellectually and spiritually very bright. The young girl showed great interest in books, the right kind, and discussed with joy her readings.

To the delight of Mr. Collins his young cousin possessed all the qualities that Lady Catherine, and himself, could wish to find in his future bride. She had nothing of the foolishness of her young sisters, preferring study to amusement, devoting herself for long hours to her books and pianoforte. Moreover, she did not seem to be one of the young girls with ridiculous romantic notions, clearly her mind was perfectly adapted to be the wife of a clergyman.

Mary did not seem to be disturbed by her cousin's sudden attentiveness, on the contrary she seemed rather happy even though she was not used to it. Perhaps she would have been less inclined to accept the sudden advances of Mr. Collins if she had not so often heard since her childhood that she was the least charming of the Bennet girls.

But in truth she rated his abilities high, at least higher than her sisters did, she was often struck by the solidity of his reflections. She did not think of him as clever as herself, but he seemed eager to please and to improve himself. She had the presentiment that well guided he could become a pleasant companion and a good husband. Thus, the many compliments of Mr. Collins were surprising but no less pleasant. Little by little she noticed less and less the ridicule of her cousin, she even found his appearance more agreeable than she had at first glance.

Therefore, Mary was set to accept Mr. Collins if he ever proposed to her. However, the girl knew that it was unlikely to happen any time soon, he was supposed to leave in less than two days. Fortunately, Mr. Collins had come to Hertfortshire to find a fiancée, and his mind was set to return to Kent with one.

In a speech, again carefully prepared the day before, he declared to his cousin his wish to set the example of matrimony in his parish, following the advice of his patroness, and his determination to choose his future wife among his cousins. Moreover, he was kind enough to reassured her that her total lack of wealth did not matter before expressing the extent of his affection. Fortunately for him he was right when he thought that Mary was not a romantic woman, indeed she did not take offense during his proposal and accepted immediately.

After a brief interview with Mr. Bennet it was decided, following to the request of Mr. Collins, Lady Catherine and Mrs. Bennet, that the betrothal would be short-lived. Thus, it was planned that Mary Bennet would become Mrs. Collins in the first days of January.

When all the details were settled, all that remained was to announce the news to the rest of the family and then to their friends. The reactions varied greatly, especially among the sisters of Mary. Lydia, and therefore Kitty, only laughed before returning their attention to their new bonnets. Jane and Elizabeth, although surprised, congratulated the young couple. If these congratulations were sincere on Jane's part, Elizabeth gave them only out of politeness, the girl being too shocked to say anything else.

To the relief of Elizabeth, the rector left the next day, having only to suffer a day of remarks on the importance of modesty and reason in a young lady. After his departure Elizabeth turned her mind toward her sister, Mary's betrothal left her utterly lost, she had always perceived her as intelligent and it was difficult to understand how she might wish to marry their cousin. To better understand Mary Elizabeth sought to get closer to her, asking her company during their walks to Meryton or asking about her readings.

Although initially reluctant to this rapprochement, Mary soon found many similarities with Elizabeth. It was during the first weeks of December that the two sisters started deepening their relationship. Their loves for books and the pianoforte initiated many discussions, and soon Mary found herself accompanying Elizabeth during some of her, usually solitary, morning walks.

Mary would never have admitted it, but she had always been envious of Jane, not for her beauty or kindness so valued by their mother and friends but for her relationship with Elizabeth. Since a young age she had tried to emulate Elizabeth, trying to imitate her as often younger siblings do. It was because of her sister that Mary had developed a taste for the pianoforte and books, the little girl dreaming of afternoons spent practicing duets or reading next to Elizabeth and their father in his library.

But, no matter how hard Mary tried, Jane had always been Elizabeth's favoured sister, her companion and confidante. Finally, as Mary grew up, she resolved to accept her loneliness, choosing to retreat into her studies, thinking that when she would shine enough people would seek her company by their own accord. It was a bitter-sweet feeling that this new rapprochement was born at the dawn of their separation.

The more their friendship deepened, the more Elizabeth had trouble accepting Mary's future wedding. While Jane thought Mr. Collins was a respectable man, Elizabeth could not help questioning her younger sister's choice. One afternoon had been enough to fix her opinion concerning Mr. Collins, he was obsequious and ridiculous. How could Mary ever be happy with such a man for husband? During one of their walks she managed to subtly question her about her feelings. Mary, as per usual, was frank, not denying the defects of her fiancé but emphasizing his attractions and the benefits she and their family derived from this marriage. After all they were not very rich, and her own accomplishments could be said to be limited compared to other, more fortunate, young women, realistically her prospects were small.

Elizabeth had refrained from continuing this discussion, but she could not help thinking that her younger sister had suffered a great injustice. That by their negligence her family had condemned her to live with a ridiculous man, one that she could not love nor respect. For a long time, Elizabeth had witnessed the neglect of her parents but now she had to face hers and her pride took a blow, she had failed Mary, she had not fulfilled her role as an older sister. But if she had neglected Mary Bennet until then she swore to be Mrs. Collins' favourite confidante.

The Gardiners, Mrs. Bennet's brother and his wife, arrived at Longbourn a few days before Christmas. The previous day Mary had proposed to Elizabeth to come and spend Easter with her in Kent this year, Elizabeth had wanted to accept immediately but her uncle and aunt had planned to take her with them during the following months.

Fortunately, everything was arranged by Mary, the girl proposed that Lydia should go to London instead of Elizabeth. The two sisters had often discussed Kitty and Lydia during their walks, both thought that separating them from each other would do them good. Logically Kitty should be the one to go with the Gardiners but it was better to keep Lydia and their mother apart, and for those few months Kitty could benefit from Jane's example.

On the eve of the wedding Jane and Elizabeth took care of Mary's toilet, while discussing the future responsibilities that awaited her and after hours of speaking the girls finally fell asleep all huddled in Mary's bed.

The wedding took place in the first days of January, the ceremony was as long, correct and solemn as the marriage of a rector demanded. And, when all was over, Elizabeth and her sisters were saddened to see Mary leave, although promises were exchanged regarding a faithful correspondence.

Only a few days after the wedding the Bennets received a letter of the new Mrs. Collins, and soon a correspondence was established between Longbourn and Hunsford. Although each member of the family wrote to Mary, Elizabeth was the principal and most faithful of the correspondents and soon Mary reminded her of her promise to visit in March.

And now Elizabeth was on her way to Kent, both anticipating and dreading the reunion with her sister. But as she was not happy to let her nervousness dominate her she turned her attention to the landscape and the pleasant thoughts they evoked.