Chapter 4

Oxford, 1804

William Collins looked around nervously. He had arrived at Oxford and was about to be shown to his dormitory. Having never stayed so much as a single night away from Longbourn and the Bennet family, he was understandably feeling out of his element.

Mr. Bennet had offered to accompany the young man, but as his adopted father was a Cambridge man and therefore of little use in a foreign location, William did not want both men to be away from the family for such a long period of time. Heaven forbid they both lose their lives in a carriage accident!

Now, standing uncertainly outside the main buildings of the university with his trunk at his feet, William found himself wishing he had accepted Mr. Bennet's offer of companionship. Although he had gained a fair amount of confidence in his last eight years as a beloved member of the Bennet family, he still felt at times like the terrified boy awaiting his father's return after an evening of drinking.

He shifted nervously from foot to foot as he awaited a servant to fetch the dean. At last, an elderly man with a kindly face came bustling out of the building.

"Collins?" he called in a strong voice that belied his years.

"Th-that's me," stammered William, clearing his throat. "Although I prefer William."

The man stopped and fixed him with an odd look. "Most of our students use their surnames."

"Then please call me Bennet, which is the name of the man who raised me."

The dean quirked an eyebrow, and William held his breath nervously. Finally, the old man nodded and said, "I think that should be fine."

William let out a sigh of relief lifted his trunk, carrying it towards another building that appeared to be the dormitories. His large frame combined with years of horseback riding around his estate to check on tenants had kept his body fit, although he still tended towards a large girth around the middle.

Entering the building, William followed the dean up the stairs to the third floor, where the older man knocked on one of the many identical doors. The door opened, and a small young man opened it and peered out.

"Oh, Dean Stokes," he said with wide eyes. "What brings you here?"

"I've come to introduce you to your new roommate, William Bennet Collins."

Wide eyes grew bigger as he looked William up and down. "Pleasure to meet you, Collins," he said, opening the door wider. "I'm James Stanley.

"Hello, Stanley," said William with a friendly smile. "Please, call me Bennet. I'm glad to meet you!"

The tension in Stanley's face eased at William's kind demeanor. He beckoned them to enter, and William carried his trunk into the room.

"I will leave you two to become acquainted," Dean Stokes said, and he turned and went down the stairs, closing the door behind him.

William looked around at the small room which held two beds, two desks, and two closets. Stanley's items had already been unpacked and spread neatly throughout the room. As William opened his trunk and began unloading his items, Stanley watched him with wide eyes.

"I hope you're not a messy person," Stanley blurted out nervously after a few minutes of silence.

"Not with five female cousins in the house!" William replied with a smile. "The Bennet girls take up so much space, so if I left anything out, it was immediately claimed as property of someone else."

"Five girls?" Stanley asked in amazement.

"And a finer group of girls you'll never meet," William said easily. "I went to live with them when I was ten, and they immediately embraced me as one of their own."

"Are they all older than you?"

"Younger, actually. The eldest, Jane, is fifteen and will come out next year. Lydia is the baby, and she's eight now."

"I don't have any sisters; just an older brother," Stanley said wistfully.

"What's he like?" William asked, settling himself on the bed now made up with linens he brought from home.

"Mean," said Stanley, then covered his mouth in horror.

William's eyebrows rose, and he looked at his roommate in concern. "How do you mean?"

Stanley looked at him, somewhat frightened. "Well, he is the heir, and he likes to get what he wants, even if it doesn't want to be given."

"Ah, I see," William said. "My father was much the same way. It's a shame to see all that potential wasted on someone with poor self-control."

This unexpected comment made Stanley look at William in astonishment. "My father says that it's his due as the heir."

William shook his head. "What does your mother say?"

"Not much," Stanley said sadly. "She is too afraid of my father."

Again, Stanley looked terrified at having shared something so personal on so little acquaintance. William's heart went out to the young man, and he gave him a kind smile. "I'm the heir to my estate, and I have always seen it as a responsibility, not an entitlement."

"You're the heir to an estate?" Stanley's mouth fell open. "But why are you at Oxford in the residences of those who plan to take orders?"

"I have always wanted to be pastor," William said simply. "I feel called to help others, and my uncle Bennet, who is the current master of the estate, will be healthy for many years still. I have no desire to live a life of idleness when I could do good in the world."

Stanley sat in silent astonishment. Finally, he said, "My father wanted to purchase a commission for me. He thought it would make me stronger. My mother was able to convince him to allow me to take orders. She does stand up to him often, but when she does, he listens."

"That is the mark of a good husband," William said. "My father was not that way. He espoused many of the beliefs that your brother appears to have, but it was not tempered by my mother's goodness, unfortunately."

"What happened to your parents?"

"They're dead," William said simply.

The two young men sat in silence, then Stanley said, "I'm glad you're my roommate. I didn't know what to expect, but I was praying that you would be kind."

William smiled warmly his new friend. "That was my prayer as well. It appears the Lord has answered both our prayers."

Stanley smiled in return and sat up a little straighter. The defeat that burdened his shoulders seemed lifted, and suddenly William felt very hopeful about his time at Oxford.

Twelve-year-old Lizzy let out a sigh. "I miss William."

Jane looked up from her needlework and smiled at her sister. "I believe we all do," she said, nodding her head at eleven-year-old Mary, who stared morosely out the window.

Lizzy looked at her middle sister sympathetically. William had only been gone for a few weeks, and already Mary had seemed to wilt away over his absence. Prior to his departure, the two had often spent most of their time in conversation about the scriptures and religious works. His absence left a larger void in Mary than in the other Bennet girls.

Shaking her head to clear off her doldrums, Lizzy turned towards her sister. "Mary, would you like me to teach you how to play the pianoforte?"

Mary jumped slightly, startled at being addressed directly, and spun to face her sister with large eyes. "Really?" she asked in astonishment.

"Why not?"

"Lizzy, do you think yourself able to teach Mary? You did not spend much time with the music master," Jane said gently.

"Well, it is not my fault he decided to run away with one of his students!" Lizzy exclaimed. "I know all the notes and can play simple tunes. The only reason I am not a true proficient is that I do not take the trouble to practice," she added with mock conceit, lifting her nose in the air and looking down it at her sister.

Mary giggled and said, "Thank you, Lizzy, I believe I would enjoy that. May we start tomorrow? I would like to write to William and let him know!"

Lizzy smiled in acquiescence at Mary, who hugged her and ran off to her room. Jane looked at Lizzy and said, "That was very kind of you, Lizzy."

Waving her hand, Lizzy said, "I believe I shall benefit just as much as Mary, if not more so, because I will be forced to practice and improve."

Jane merely nodded in agreement and bent over her needlework again. She had become very focused on her household skills, as their mother had declared Jane was to come out to society the following year.

Elizabeth left Jane to her work and walked up the stairs to the nursery, where her mother would be with ten-year-old Kitty and eight-year-old Lydia. Along the way, she contemplated the way in which her parents had dealt with a child who was now old enough to come out in society.

Initially Mrs. Bennet had wished to have Jane come out at fifteen years old, but Mr. Bennet and William had convinced the woman that shy Jane would benefit from another year at home to learn how to manage a household as well as her mother.

This bit of flattery, combined with William's statement that "none of the girls need be married off quickly. If all should choose to be old maids, I would gladly support them here at Longbourn forever!"

Although William had become one of the family since the moment he came to Longbourn, Mrs. Bennet was still frequently concerned over her daughters' matrimonial prospects. The longer William had lived with them, the more her fears had abated. Still, she was very aware that a single woman had little place in English society, and her greatest desire was to see her daughters wed to men who would provide them with a life of ease.

Mr. Bennet, having left his indolence behind at his heir's arrival, worked to focus his wife's fears in a productive direction. When she spoke of her wishes to see her daughters married, he would make a remark that would motivate her to make changes. When she bemoaned the lack of marriageable men in the neighborhood compared to young ladies, Mr. Bennet would reply, "Our daughters would need to be very accomplished in order to attract any man's attention away from our neighbors," or "No man would wish to marry a spoiled child. It is good Lydia has time to grow out of that."

Her husband was pleased to see that these comments pushed his wife in a more positive direction. While she would always be the same flighty woman he had married, her energies and nerves could be used in productive ways rather than causing turmoil and chaos.

As Elizabeth approached the nursery, she could hear the sounds of Lydia throwing yet another tantrum. She opened the door to Kitty in the corner with tears in her eyes on her mother's lap, holding a doll tightly to her chest. Mrs. Bennet was making soothing noises at Kitty, while looking helplessly at around the room.

Toys were strewn from wall to wall, and in the middle of the disarray was Lydia, who lying on the floor kicking her legs and screaming. "It's not fair!" wailed the child. "I want it! Make her give it to me!"

Mrs. Bennet hesitated and looked at Kitty, "Perhaps, Kitty, you could share your doll?"

Kitty shook her head emphatically as fat tears rolled silently down her eyes. "No, Mama! Please don't make me! Last time she played with Florence, she ripped a hole in the dress and stained her leg with tea."

"But I want it!" screamed Lydia, who had paused briefly to hear the conversation.

Mrs. Bennet looked wildly around the room, then finally saw Elizabeth. "Fetch your father," she mouthed.

Elizabeth turned and flew down the stairs towards her father's study. At this time of day, she knew he would have returned from visiting tenants and now be making notes in the estate's ledgers. It was a routine he regularly followed with William, and although the heir was away at school, Mr. Bennet was motivated to continue manage the estate in his stead.

Knocking on the door, she heard her father call for her to enter. She opened in the door and said, "Papa, you must come quickly! Mama needs your help with Lydia."

Mr. Bennet let out a sigh and said, "I simply do not know what to do with that child. The more she is corrected, the worse she behaves."

Not knowing how to respond, Elizabeth simply waited. He gave another tremendous sigh and lifted himself from his chair. "Very well, then," he said, straightening his waistcoat. "What is the trouble this time?"

Elizabeth explained the situation as best she could while they climbed the stairs. Mr. Bennet's face grew increasingly grim as the noise from the nursery increased. They entered the room to find Mrs. Bennet offering different toys to Lydia, who responded by throwing them across the room and screaming in rage.

"Enough!" bellowed Mr. Bennet.

At the sound of her father's voice, Lydia froze. All eyes turned to Mr. Bennet as he surveyed the room with a grim look in his eye.

"That is quite enough out of you," he said sternly, fixing his gaze on Lydia. "This behavior has gone on quite enough and will no longer be tolerated. You are behaving worse than the youngest Lucas boy, and he is only two years old."

Lydia's wide eyes narrowed, and she opened her mouth to protest.

"Silence!" Mr. Bennet's voice thundered across the room. "You will not speak another word."

He turned to his wife and said, "Madam, would you kindly explain the situation?"

Mrs. Bennet hastily explained that Lydia had demanded to play to with Kitty's doll, which had been a birthday present several months earlier from her uncle Gardiner. Lydia had taken the doll without permission earlier in the week and caused some damage, which led to Kitty's refusal to allow Lydia to play with it at all. This sparked Lydia's tantrum, which included throwing anything her mother used to attempt to pacify and distract her.

Mr. Bennet's lips grew thinner in anger as he listened to his wife. Turning to his youngest, he said, "Well, young lady? What have you to say for yourself?"

Lydia tossed her head and said, "Papa, it's not fair that she has a new doll while I do not! I am the youngest, and I should be allowed to play with it. She's getting too old for dolls, anyway."

"I see," Mr. Bennet said in a mild voice.

Thinking she had convinced her father to her way of thinking, Lydia cast a triumphant glance at Kitty. Tears filled Kitty's eyes, and she looked pleadingly at her father.

"Lydia makes a valid point," he said, and Elizabeth gasped in dismay. "Kitty is getting older. For that reason, I think she should be moved out of the nursery and into a room with Mary."

Silence followed this announcement. Kitty's eyes lit up with excitement, and she said, "Really, Papa?"

He smiled kindly at her and replied, "Yes, my dear. It is clear that Lydia cannot be trusted, and it is unfair to you to have your things at risk. You and Mary shall share a room, and Lydia will be left in the nursery herself."

"La, what do I care?" Lydia said, tossing her head. "It means I shall have all the best toys to myself."

Mr. Bennet turned upon her, and her triumphant expression faltered at the look on his face. "Certainly not," he stated firmly.

She wilted slightly as he waved his arm around the room and continued, "You have demonstrated that you have no respect for toys or anything else. The nursery will be cleared immediately of all toys, which your sisters will choose from. The remaining items will be given to the tenants, who I am certain know how to treat them properly. All that will be left is your bed and a few items of clothing."

Lydia scrunched her face and opened her mouth, letting out a piercing scream of fury. It was immediately silenced when Mr. Bennet walked across the room, picked her up, sat on the bed, bent her over his knee, and gave her bottom one sharp smack.

Mrs. Bennet, Kitty, and Elizabeth gasped in shock. Not once had Mr. Bennet ever physically disciplined his daughters or his wife, although many men did so. Whether to do indolence or a gentle nature is unknown, but either way, Mr. Bennet had reached his limits with his youngest child.

Lydia's wail turned into sobs. Mr. Bennet gently lifted the child from his lap and placed her on the bed next to him, saying, "Lydia, your behavior is wild and uncontrollable. You cannot be allowed to continue in this manner, or you will end up no better than a common fishwife."

He wrapped his arms around her in a hug, then he stood and crossed the room to his wife. "Mrs. Bennet, I believe it is time we hired a governess for our youngest. I only pray she is not beyond redemption."

He then rang the bell for Hill, who came quickly, having been listening in the hallway. She gave her master a deep curtsy of respect.

"Hill, I trust you heard the changes I am making to Kitty, Mary, and Lydia's room arrangements?"

"Yes, sir," she said, struggling to hide a smile of satisfaction.

"Please make sure they are completed before dinner. I will not subject Kitty to one more night at her sister's mercy."

Hill bobbed a quick curtsy, then immediately left the room to issue instructions to the maids and footmen. Her departure was immediately followed by Mary and Jane entering the room.

"What on earth?" gasped Jane when she spied her sister crying on the bed.

Mr. Bennet looked at his wife, Kitty, and Lizzy. "I shall leave you to explain the situation, Lizzy, as you have a bit more wit than the rest and should quickly regain the use of your tongue."

At this sardonic comment, Lizzy shook her head and said, "Of course, Papa."

"I shall be in my study, writing letters of inquiry for a firm governess, should there be any further need for my presence." Mr. Bennet gave Lydia a stern look, which caused her to shrink back and shake her head vehemently.

As he left the room, Lizzy began to explain in approving tones to Jane and Mary all that had occurred. He smiled at hearing Mary exclaim cheerfully at having Kitty share her bedroom.

Perhaps I ought to involve myself in the children's discipline more often! he thought to himself as he descended the stairs and settled himself at his desk.