Hertfordshire, April 1811
"Well, my dear," said Mr. Bennet at the breakfast table. "I have news for you. It appears my cousin, Mr. Collins, who has the power to turn you out of this house upon my demise, has passed away himself."
All five of his daughters looked at him in surprise.
"Oh what luck!" exclaimed Mrs. Bennet. "Now that he is dead and gone, we are saved! Jane, dear, will of course inherit! We must away to London immediately!"
"Whatever for?" inquired her husband.
"Why, for new dresses! My beautiful Jane must have a wardrobe befitting her station as the heiress of Longbourn!"
"Before you make any purchases," replied Mr. Bennet, "I must inform you that Jane will not inherit Longbourn." When Mrs. Bennet opened her mouth to object, he raised a hand to silence her before continuing. "It will be taken over by a man whom I have never before seen in my life. Mr. Collins, miserly man that was, married later in life and fathered a son, a Mr. William Collins. This younger Mr. Collins is the heir to Longbourn."
Mrs. Bennet let out a moan. "Oh, we are still lost! To have your estate taken away from your daughters to be given to a child!"
"I would be very much surprised if he were a child," Mr. Bennet said wryly, "as he has just taken orders and has been granted a living in Kent."
Looking sharply at her husband, Mrs. Bennet delicately asked, "Does he go to Kent with his wife?"
Mrs. Bennet emitted a large squeal that sounded faintly of Lydia. "Oh, my dear Mr. Bennet! You must invite him here at once!"
Mrs. Bennet's looked on their mother in surprise. "Why would we want to do that?" snorted Lydia.
"Why, so he can marry one of you!" cried Mrs. Bennet.
"Lah, what a good joke!" cried Lydia. "I wonder if he should choose me? I should like above all things to marry before my sisters so they may give way to me."
Mrs. Bennet smiled fondly at her daughter. "You are almost fifteen and ready to come out, my dear. And since you are the liveliest, he may decide he likes you the best."
Lydia's four older sisters exchanged looks, and Lizzy rolled her eyes slightly.
Mr. Bennet stood to leave the room, and Mrs. Bennet demanded that before the day's end he should issue an invitation to their "dear cousin Collins." He waved sardonically at her in agreement before heading to his bookroom for the day.
"We must head to Meryton at once!" cried Mrs. Bennet as the door closed behind her husband. "Each of you must have a new dress! We must show you off to best advantage."
After breakfast was completed, Jane, Lizzy, Mary, and Kitty gathered into Jane's bedroom to discuss the younger Mr. Collins. They knew very little about him, other than his father had a falling out with their own father many years ago. "Is he amiable?" wondered Jane.
"He may be amiable, or he may be a scoundrel," said Lizzy, "or somewhere in between the two. We have no way of knowing until he arrives."
The girls waited in anticipation for a week until a letter finally arrived from Mr. Collins. His daughters made such a to-do about the letter that Mr. Bennet opened it immediately instead of allowing it to languish on his desk for days, as was his usual custom.
"Well?" asked Kitty with anticipation.
Her father slowly folded the letter and placed it on his desk, the twinkle in his eyes demonstrating his amusement. "It appears you will meet him in a fortnight," he informed them.
At this pronouncement, Mrs. Bennet immediately began calling for Hill to discuss how to best prepare the house, which chambers should be used to host their illustrious guest, and what menu he might prefer on his first day in the house.
Lizzy looked at her father. "May I read the letter?" she asked. Mr. Bennet wordlessly handed it over, then retreated into his study. The girls gathered around Lizzy while she read the letter aloud.
Upon its completion, there was silence. "He seems to be a rather…. odd sort of fellow, wouldn't you say?" commented Kitty.
Jane fixed her sister with a stern look. "Perhaps his manner of expression is different than one to which we are accustomed."
"It behooves us all," said Mary, "to reserve judgment until we have met him for ourselves and can determine his character."
"La, I have no need to meet him," declared Lydia, flipping her braid over her shoulder. "That letter gives me enough information to decide that I will never marry Mr. Collins."
A fortnight later, Mr. Collins arrived in his rented gig at the precise minute his letter had said to expect him. Coming down from the gig, he greeted his cousins.
"I am very pleased to meet you all!" he said, mopping his brow. "I say, the windows here at Longbourn remind me very much of the windows at Rosings!"
"Rosings?" inquired Mrs. Bennet suspiciously as the entered the house. "What sort of place is Rosings?"
"My dear Mrs. Bennet!" he cried in shock. "Rosings is the beautiful estate of my new patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh!" Mr. Collins then continued on for several minutes, extolling the virtues of his noble lady and her estate.
Finally, when he stopped to take a breath, Mrs. Bennet interrupted. "And what can you tell us of your living?" she asked with a sly smile.
"There is a grand residence, although not nearly as fine as Rosings, of course, that abuts her estate. Lady Catherine herself was much involved with the repairs and furnishings to prepare it for my arrival. It lacks only a mistress to make it complete," he finished with a look at his fair cousins.
Mrs. Bennet smiled in satisfaction. Mary, however, looked at him with a small frown on her face. "What about the people you serve?" she asked.
"Ah, yes! Lady Catherine and her daughter – "
"No, I mean, what about the tenants? The servants? The tradesmen?" pressed Mary.
Mr. Collins looked at her with a blank face. His mouth moved several times, but no words came out. Finally he said, "Well, as I have not been there long, I have not had a chance to become acquainted with them all."
Mary nodded and replied, "That is quite understandable. I trust, however, that upon your return, you will immediately begin to visit those who live in your domain?"
Mr. Collins nodded fervently. "What an inspired idea, Cousin Mary! I certainly shall!"
Lizzy and Jane looked at Mary curiously. Mr. Collins went upstairs to refresh himself from the journey after Mrs. Bennet finished quizzing him on his favorite dishes. When she bustled out to speak with the cook about the menu, Mary's sisters turned their full attention towards her.
"Mary, what did you mean by questioning him so?" demanded Lizzy.
Mary looked calmly at her sisters. "I was inquiring to see if he would easily be led to do what is right, or if he would insist on putting Lady Catherine at the front."
"And what, pray tell, do these questions portend?" Jane asked.
"Why, to see if he would make for a good husband," Mary answered.
Lydia burst into laughter, and Kitty tried hard not to follow suit. "Lydia," Lizzy said sharply, "you may be excused to the schoolroom. When you are out in society, then you may participate in these conversations. Until then, they are not fit for your ears."
Lydia opened her mouth to protest, a firm nod from Jane demonstrated that resistance would be futile. Letting out a loud huff, she flounced from the room, closing the door forcefully behind her.
Kitty looked at Mary. "Why on earth would you want to marry Mr. Collins?" she cried in confusion. "He is ridiculous!"
Mary gave Kitty a hard look. "While it is true that he is not the most clever of men, he does not appear to be vicious. His lack of sophistication would make it difficult to hide a second nature."
Lizzy nodded thoughtfully. "I see now why you asked your question. You wanted to see if he would be willing to be led by a strong wife."
Jane looked at Mary. "But Mary, dear, would you be happy with such an arrangement?"
Mary nodded thoughtfully. "I believe so. I have given this a great deal of consideration ever since we saw the letter he wrote to my father. As you know, I have always felt a great deal of interest in the religious life. Had I been born a man, I would have taken orders with alacrity. As a woman, the closest I may come to such a life is to marry a man of the cloth. Mr. Collins has the additional benefit of inheriting our family home."
Lizzy still looked troubled. "But what about love, Mary?"
Smiling gently at her sister, Mary replied, "I'm not romantic, you know. I never was. I ask only that I be treated well by my husband and that he provides us with a comfortable home. I have not yet set myself on this course, however. I would not want to align myself with someone like Mr. Fordham, for example."
"Lord, no!" Kitty burst out loudly. The sudden sound helped to ease the serious mood that had enveloped the sisters.
"Well, then," Jane finally said. "If this is your wish, Kitty, then we will help you discover if Mr. Collins is worthy of your hand."
"Indeed!" cried Lizzy. "I will not allow him to marry any of my dear sisters – not even Lydia – if he is hiding a deceitful nature!"
Over the following weeks, Mary's sisters engaged in a series of campaigns to test Mr. Collins that would have been worth of the British army itself. Kitty spilled a glass of water on Mr. Collins one evening at dinner, much to her mother's horror. Mr. Collins, however, merely smiled at her and said, "Quite alright, my dear cousin. A little water never harmed anyone."
Jane had much time to spend with Mr. Collins, as Mrs. Bennet was forever leaving the two of them together in an attempt to matchmake. This allowed Jane to inquire about Mr. Collins's family history, which she then shared with Mary, Lizzy, and Kitty. It was to their sorrow that they learned how the elder Mr. Collins had been a miserly man who was nearly impossible to please. "The fact that his father was so cruel, and yet the son has shown himself to be kind, demonstrates a goodness of character at his foundation," Jane remarked.
Lizzy undertook the responsibility of discovering what the servants thought of Mr. Collins. In this, Charlotte Lucas was of use. Charlotte would ask her servants what the Longbourn servants had said. All reports were favorable. Mr. Collins was frequently apologetic when he caused extra work, and he never attempted to misbehave around pretty young maids.
For her part, Mary spent many hours discussing scripture with Mr. Collins in an attempt to see if their views about the Almighty would be compatible. She was pleased to find that their perspectives seemed to be in alignment on nearly every level. Oftentimes he would repeat an edict of Lady Catherine, which she would counter with scripture. Every time, he would change his opinion to follow scripture.
Additionally, her consistent praise of his understanding gave him a sense of confidence that he had never before felt. Having lacked the approval of every important figure in his life, the kind attentions of a lovely young woman had a much desired effect. As the days passed, Mr. Collins spent less and less times quoting Lady Catherine. After a fortnight complete, he began to go an entire day without once mentioning her name.
On the eve of this momentous day, the four elder Bennet sisters gathered in Mary's room to discuss Mr. Collins. Time was pressing, as he was due to return to Hunsford and his parsonage in less than a sennight. All reports were highly favorable, and the girls were inclined to allow Mary to accept his addresses should he offer them.
The next morning, after several hints from Jane and Lizzy about what a superb wife Mary would be to some fortunate clergyman due to her love of the scriptures and her practical nature. These comments were all Mr. Collins needed to override his concern for approaching a younger sister when the elder sisters will still unwed.
After a brief discussion with Mr. Bennet, Mr. Collins entered the sitting room and asked to speak with his dear Cousin Mary in private. Mrs. Bennet, who had still fixed in her mind that Mr. Collins was for Jane, sat with her mouth ajar for several seconds. Taking pity on their bewildered mother, Lizzy and Jane guided her from the room along with Kitty and Lydia.
While Mrs. Bennet repeated, "I do not understand," Lydia had her ear pressed to the door, much to the dismay of her elder sisters. Some five minutes later, an ebullient Mr. Collins opened the door and announced his betrothal to a beaming Mary.
Due to the fact that it was May and life on Longbourn would be busy during the planting and harvesting seasons, a wedding date was scheduled for December. This would also allow Mary's aunt and uncle Gardiner to attend, as they usually visited for Christmas. Mr. Gardiner's work schedule would not easily allow him to leave otherwise.
With a joyful heart, Mr. Collins returned to Kent, eager to share news of his betrothed with Lady Catherine, while the ladies began to make wedding preparations.