The night was exceedingly dark, with the perfect blackness that occurs in the country during a new moon. A gentleman was traveling on the London Road; he had become distracted by business and had not left his home in sufficient time to arrive in London before dark. On arriving in Stapleford Tawney, he was undecided as to whether he should remain overnight and resume his journey come morning or whether to trust in the proximity to town and hope that he would continue unmolested. Unfortunately, however, one who deliberates is often lost.
As his large carriage sat unmoving on the side of the quiet road, several unseen figures stealthily approached the vehicle. The brass lamps fitted to the front were ineffectual against the pervading darkness and, most particularly, when black cloaks were suddenly thrown over them. Within the space of three almost silent minutes, two shapes entered and then re-emerged from the carriage, which had been lightened by one soul and a great many pounds, and the thieves returned rapidly but furtively the way that they had come.
It had been another successful night.
Longbourn was to have a guest, one with whom none of the Bennets were familiar. More particularly, Mrs. Bennet loudly proclaimed to one and all that she had no opinion of the fellow, as he was to inherit Mr. Bennet's estate, due to a rather disagreeable entail.
Having sent ahead a letter notifying his cousins of the impending visit, Mr. Collins, for such was his name, presented himself promptly. Between Mrs. Bennet's repeated complaints against the legality of entails and the general confusion as to his true motivation in seeking out the Bennet family, there was quite a significant amount of curiosity about his person. On the young man's arrival, close note was taken of his appearance. His stature was above average height, although not as tall as Mr. Darcy, but his build was more stout; whether from strength or an enjoyment of food was not immediately determinable. .
Mr. Collins was, by his own admission, blessed to excess to have been given the living at Hunsford by the seemingly magnanimous Lady Catherine de Bourgh. He had not words enough to describe the grandness of her Ladyship and the immensity of her wondrous estate, Rosings. There was no small amount of disappointment expressed by the parson at his cousins' lack of interest or appropriate appreciation for the graciousness that embodied his most noble Patroness.
Although his stated purpose in traveling to Hertfordshire was to heal the breach between two feuding limbs of one family tree, the open admiration with which he looked upon the younger Bennet ladies, as well as any sign of prosperity found within the house, spoke of a different objective.
As the family and their guest were sitting in the drawing room, Mrs. Phillips came hurrying in, exclaiming, 'Oh sister! I must have your advice on my arrangements. Everything is in such a muddle!' Waving her hands about and excitedly walking throughout the room, she continued in this vein until Mr. Collins begged Mrs. Bennet to not feel obligated to attend him; the two women effusively thanked him for his forbearance and withdrew noisily to another location.
Mr. Collins offered to entertain his cousins with the reading of several sermons that he believed to be of interest to young ladies, namely, those lessons regarding the gravity of guarding one's virtue. Quite admirably, Lydia and Kitty managed for a full quarter hour to endure the orotund speech without significant mischief; they were favored that Mrs. Bennet chose to return with some alacrity.
'I must beg your pardon, Mr. Collins,' began the older woman in an animated manner, 'I have been most remiss in my duties and should have inquired earlier on your journey. As you were coming from Kent, it could not have been pleasant to undertake the trip in its entirety during the course of a single day. If you are in need of rest, please do not feel compelled to delay your repose, for we are full able to find occupation until dinner.'
'Ah, no,' the cleric replied cautiously, 'Lady Catherine, in her vast wisdom, felt it prudent for me to travel rather round-about and so I stopped about half-way last night. Her Ladyship informed me prior to my leaving that the last miles are far shorter than in the light of a new day and it behooved me to journey by the longer path, as one can never know when a parson might be of necessity.'
Although not fully comprehending, Elizabeth could see the interest in her mother's gaze and thus, she responded, 'You are indeed blessed in your benefactress and such shrewd direction for her to have given you. Did you find your accommodations to your liking? If the inn at which you stopped was of good quality, we would be glad to know of its existence, as we have relations and acquaintances who enjoy taking trips, and the knowledge of an inn of superior caliber would be of great use.'
Mr. Collins' demeanor became markedly less comfortable and he answered slowly and cautiously, 'My apologies, Cousin Elizabeth. I do not recall the name of the establishment but merely that I was told they were situated about thirty miles from this location.'
Mrs. Bennet, happily gesticulating with her hands, exclaimed, 'Mr. Collins, your kindness to my nerves is most appreciated, for to know that you were able to find a site wherein you might be able to rest during your travels brings me no end of relief. Could you have possibly been in the proximity of Stapleford Abbotts? That is approximately thirty miles from Longbourn. We have friends in that vicinity and it is quite pleasant to note that their claims of the quality of their local inn have not been overstated.' Dismissing Kitty and Lydia to their preferred activity – making over bonnets and worrying on decorations of their respective dresses – the elder woman commenced upon a series of questions, as wordy in their exposition as Mr. Collins' answers. She quizzed him minutely on his living, his patroness and the wondrousness of the grounds at Rosings Park.
When it was time for dinner, Mrs. Bennet ensured that the parson escorted Elizabeth into the dining room, with a rather blatant wink and, 'Child, you must make certain that our cousin can find his way without becoming lost.' As Elizabeth had seen the slight widening of her companion's eyes on the mention of the word, 'Stapleford', she recognized that her strict attendance to his whereabouts could prove to be of utmost importance.
The meal was unnecessarily prolonged and excessively tedious, due to Mr. Collins regaling those present with tales of Her Ladyship's gracious assistance in all aspects of the lives of those reliant upon her grace, in addition to the prodigious cost of the glazing of the windows and a specific, magnificent chimney-piece. If it were not for their appreciation of the tasty food, all enjoyment in the meal might have been lost, as the conversation was more of a soliloquized paean to Rosings Park and its owner.
After the entire household had gone to sleep that evening, Elizabeth was unsurprised to see her mother slide silently into her room. With Mr. Collins in residence, there was no doubt of their ability to maintain a very local surveillance over his activities but if he were to attempt to leave Longbourn during the hours of dark or if he were to travel alone into Meryton – and possibly beyond – the Bennets would have a difficult time tracking his movements.
Although the fellow himself appeared to be rather unprepossessing, there was something in his essence, a sinister undertone in his looks, which would make any who might be attuned to such things take immediate notice. Aside from his blatantly servile attitude toward Lady Catherine, Elizabeth had learned little about the man since his setting foot in Longbourn, other than that he was unquestionably strong. She wondered at the deceptive swathing of his frame in ill-fitting garments and what this might portend.
Therefore, Mrs. Bennet's mid-night visit to speak was completely expected and somewhat hoped for. Unraveling a mystery was a favorite pastime of Elizabeth's and without her mother's aid, it was unlikely that the enigma that was their guest would be solved.
Mrs. Bennet spoke quietly, 'I do not believe that you will be needed tonight, as he only arrived but today. It would be unwise to act so precipitately and, though he presents as a fool, it is my belief that he is not. Rest well now, for I fear that we will have much to do during the tenure of his stay here.'
Handing a folded paper to her daughter, she continued, 'This is to be delivered to Mrs. Phillips at first light. There is much to be done and little time to waste.' Bidding Elizabeth good sleep, she slipped out of the small room soundlessly.
Waking early had long been a habit, as Elizabeth found the turning of night to day, that instant when light began to overtake the dark, provided calm to her self that few other moments in the day could; she felt that it was akin to the daily struggle of good to conquer evil.
After delivering the note, Elizabeth took the path that would wind past Lucas Lodge. Charlotte was already awake and had, to some extent, anticipated a summons of some sort. She had noted the previous day an increase in the traffic between certain persons and supposed that she and her fellows-at-arms would soon be called into action. After rousing her brother, the three set off for the barn hidden behind Longbourn and where they were to meet with Mrs. Bennet.
Her countenance was grim, quite as grim as they had seen in a while, and her words matched her looks. 'There was a coach attacked outside of our county two nights ago and I have reason to believe that these individuals may be preparing to bring their trouble to our locale. In addition to theft, a gentleman was killed, his throat slit, and his driver grievously injured. The coach had stopped a short distance from an inn but, despite lamps having been lit on the carriage, there were none to witness this crime. This group acts as one and from the speed of the attack, they are probably highly experienced. We must be vigilant and I have already notified the others of the necessity for nightly patrols, far beyond our usual.'
Charlotte asked, 'Are there people of whom you are suspicious and would bear monitoring?'
'Indeed. Elizabeth has been assigned to our guest, Mr. Collins. There are four other men who have taken rooms in three separate inns. We will be watching their movements. Charlotte and Eldon, you two are required to be prepared at all times, as either Elizabeth or another may have need of your assistance and they cannot know beforehand at what times that might occur.'
Before Mrs. Bennet could release the three friends, Eldon had a question. 'Have assaults of this kind been seen prior to now and in other counties?'
If Mrs. Bennet could seem more forbidding, she now did so. 'The answer, Eldon, is yes.'