A/N: For those of you who are reading this chapter again and wondering what happened, I'm sorry. I uploaded the wrong chapter! Be sure that Chapter 10 was Gentlemen-like Behavior. Also, only one more background chapter to go...

November 23, 1811 Longbourn

Any reservations Lizzy had about Mr. Collins were magnified by the appearance of the man himself. He was tall and had dark hair, however, he was also fat and his hair was oiled down in order to hide a receding hairline. Everything about him seemed flabby. His bountiful chest was almost feminine in appearance, and his large paunch overflowed his pants. His jowls were so large, it appeared like he had three chins instead of one. The smell that wafted from him, a horrifying mixture of cologne and sweat, reached Lizzy before he did, and she found herself gagging a little. He bowed low, the oiled hair lifting as he did so, exposing a large bald spot on the top of his head.

"Dearest Cousin Elizabeth! How lovely to finally meet you in person!" He proclaimed as he entered the house. He smiled at her, revealing large, crooked, yellow teeth. Lizzy heaved again as she pictured having to kiss him. "I know that you have been anticipating this moment as much as I have! Lady Catherine..." Lizzy zoned out as the words continued cascading from his foul mouth.

"Not likely," she thought, "I would have been ecstatic if you had never shown up at all." She knew she was abnormally grumpy. The arrival of the odious parson combined with the cursed rain that kept her indoors left her feeling grouchy and irritable. Every word he uttered seem to venerate his patroness, reaching a point where Lizzy actually felt uncomfortable with his irreverence, especially since he was parson. No person should be considered above God.

The obese man was shown to the guest room, and as he was led through the hall he managed to remark on every item that he saw, a possessive gleam in his eye. Lizzy couldn't imagine spending her life with the man. Surely, now that Jane was engaged to Mr. Bingley, her father would not force her to marry such a ridiculous man! She would have to have a talk with him as soon as may be.

After leaving the odiferous man in his room, along with a subtle suggestion that he refresh himself, Lizzy made her way into her father's library. She knocked, then opened the door at the quietly-spoken, "Enter."

She crept into the dimly lit room and seated herself in the chair that sat opposite her father. She sat quietly, knowing her father would resent an interruption. Finally, he closed his book and looked up at her. His wrinkled face was so dear to her. She loved her darling papa, and couldn't understand why he was forcing her into such a reprehensible relationship.

"Now that we have met the man," she finally said, "Surely you have rethought your decision to tie yourself to him."

"We are already tied to him as he is my heir." He replied looking over his glasses at her. "You will survive being married to a ridiculous spouse, just as I have." Sympathy for her mother flowed through her as her father continued. "You will marry, then stay here to take care of the estate. I have not changed my mind, Elizabeth." He glared at her then turned his eyes back to his book.

"Mr. Bingley has proposed to Jane!" Lizzy cried in a last-ditch effort to change his mind. "He will agree to take care of my mother and sisters if the worst should happen! Why should I be made to sacrifice myself in marriage to such an odious man?"

Her father reluctantly looked up from his book. "Because you will take care of the estate better than that idiot," he muttered. "If you leave, there will never be another sensible word spoken in this house. You have had your fun in London, it is now time to think about your family. I don't wish to be bothered, Elizabeth. I want to read my books without interruption. Having you married to my heir, and living in the dower house will accomplish that quite succinctly."

"Oh Papa!" Tears welled up in Lizzy's eyes as hopelessness filled her soul. He would not change his mind, which meant that she would have to run away, which would forever cut her off from her family.

She reentered the sittingroom, where the female members of her family were all seated, speaking with Mr. Collins. Her mother was loudly mentioning Jane's engagement ball, and her assurance that he was invited to attend. "Mama," she eyed the fat sweaty man, trying to picture him dancing, "Mr. Collins certainly will not wish to attend a ball and dance. To do so would court a rebuke from the Archbishop or even Lady Catherine."

"Nonsense," said he, "A ball given by a good man to respectable people cannot be evil! I'm looking forward to attending, and dancing with you, Miss Elizabeth. May I seize the opportunity and ask for your first dance?" Not wishing to sit out the entire evening, Lizzy agreed.

Over the next several days, the near constant rain kept the family confined indoors, although no one seem to be bothered by it other than Lizzy. She was in her own personal hell. If it wasn't her mother squealing about Jane's betrothal and Lizzy's upcoming engagement, it was Mr. Collins droning on about how Lady Catherine would be happy to educate her on how to be a proper wife. To make matters worse, Lizzy caught glimpses of what kind of man he truly was.

Oh, his character, which was an odd combination of servility and assertiveness, was certainly unredeemable, and he had an unctuous personality, both figuratively and literally, but his behavior toward women was beyond offensive. He constantly leered at her bosom, which was bad enough, but then she became aware of how he treated other women, particularly those of inferior stations. At first, she wasn't even sure what she saw. It seemed accidental, the way he brushed against their maid, Sally. Then the brushes turned into caresses and pinches. Lizzy knew that at this point, her parents wanted the match badly enough they would not say anything to the disgusting man, so she mentioned nothing to them. She did tell Mrs. Hill about it. Together, they were able to help the young girl avoid the lecherous parson.

The Thing That Should Not Be by Metallica