"I hope, my dear," said Mr. Bennet to his wife, as they were at breakfast one morning, "that you have ordered a good dinner to-day, because I have reason to expect an addition to our family party."
"Who do you mean, my dear? I know of nobody that is coming, I am sure, unless the Netherfield party should happen to call in. I do hope my dinners are grand enough for the Netherfield party. They must have French chefs at home."
"The person of whom I speak is a gentleman, and a stranger."
Mrs. Bennet's eyes sparkled. "A gentleman and a stranger! It is Lord Barlow, I am sure! Well, I am sure I shall be extremely glad to see Lord Barlow. To have a lord stay for dinner! But how unlucky! There is not a bit of fish to be got to-day. Lydia, my love, ring the bell. I must speak to Hill at this moment."
"It is not Lord Barlow, nor the Netherfield party," said her husband; "it is a person whom I never saw in the whole course of my life."
This roused a general astonishment, and he had the pleasure of being eagerly questioned by his wife and his four unmarried daughters at once.
After amusing himself by making jests at the expense of his family's curiosity, he explained,
"About a month ago I received this letter; and about a fortnight ago I answered it, for I thought it a case of some delicacy, and requiring early attention. It is from my cousin, Mr Collins, who, when I am dead, may turn you all out of this house as soon as he pleases."
Mrs. Bennet exclaimed and cried out about the injustice of the entail, despite the legality of the settling the estate away from the female line. Jane and Elizabeth had endeavoured to explain the entail to their mother many times, but Mrs. Bennet was beyond the reach of reason and she continued to rail bitterly against the cruelty of settling an estate away from a family of four unmarried daughters, in favour of a man whom nobody cared anything about.
Mr. and Mrs. Bennet continued to talk on the subject before Mr. Bennet enlightened them as to the letter and its contents, reading aloud to his family:
"Hunsford, near Westerham, Kent, 15th October.
"Dear Sir,—
"The disagreement subsisting between yourself and my late honoured father always gave me much uneasiness, and since I have had the misfortune to lose him, I have frequently wished to heal the breach; but for some time I was kept back by my own doubts, fearing lest it might seem disrespectful to his memory for me to be on good terms with anyone with whom it had always pleased him to be at variance.—'There, Mrs. Bennet.'—My mind, however, is now made upon the subject, for having received ordination at Easter, I have been so fortunate as to be distinguished by the patronage of the Right Honourable Lady Catherine de Bourgh, widow of Sir Lewis de Bourgh, whose bounty and beneficence has preferred me to the valuable rectory of this parish, where it shall be my earnest endeavour to demean myself with grateful respect towards her ladyship, and be ever ready to perform those rites and ceremonies which are instituted by the Church of England. As a clergyman, moreover, I feel it my duty to promote and establish the blessing of peace in all families within the reach of my influence; and on these grounds, I flatter myself that my present overtures are highly commendable, and that the circumstance of my being next in the entail of Longbourn estate will be kindly overlooked on your side, and not lead you to reject the offered olive-branch. I cannot be otherwise than concerned at being the means of injuring your amiable daughters, and beg leave to apologise for it, as well as to assure you of my readiness to make them every possible amends—but of this hereafter. If you should have no objection to receive me into your house, I propose myself the satisfaction of waiting on you and your family, Monday, November 18th, by four o'clock, and shall probably trespass on your hospitality till the Saturday sen'night following, which I can do without any inconvenience, as Lady Catherine is far from objecting to my occasional absence on a Sunday, provided that some other clergyman is engaged to do the duty of the day.—I remain, dear sir, with respectful compliments to your lady and daughters, your well-wisher and friend,
"WILLIAM COLLINS"
Thus announcing their visitor and their visitor's plan to marry one of the remaining Bennet daughters, Mr. Bennet found himself much amused at his wife's joy and his daughters' horror. Only Jane was unconcerned as she was safe in her courtship with Mr. Bingley, who had been most relieved to see Jane recovered and at Sunday services the previous day. Elizabeth was the most uneasy at the idea of his choosing a bride from amongst them as she felt he was very odd from the nature of his letter.
Kitty responded mainly to her elder sisters' alarm, as she did not fully comprehend the man's intentions. Lydia seemed disinterested due to the parson's occupation as anything other than a member of His Majesty's Army. The militia had been stationed in Meryton for several weeks and she did not receive pleasure from the attentions of any man whose coat was a colour other than scarlet.
Mr. Collins arrive punctually at 4 o'clock—for his patroness despised tardiness. He was received with great politeness by the whole family. He was a heavy-looking, tall man of perhaps five and twenty. His air was grave and stately, with overly formal manners. Within a quarter-hour of conversation, it was clear to all excepting Mrs. Bennet that he was pompous, overbearing, and infatuated with his patroness, Lady Catherine De Bourgh.
He immediately made his intentions of choosing a bride from his cousins very clear, his eyes immediately falling upon Jane. As Jane was being courted already, and Mrs. Bennet had seen Mr. Darcy's eyes often following her second daughter, she directed the parson's attentions towards Kitty. It would not do to turn aside a potential match with Mr. Bingley or Mr. Darcy for a mere parson. Her Kitty would do very well for the man. Although Kitty was not as beautiful as Jane or Lydia— or even Lizzy – Mr. Collins was not a handsome man himself. Mrs. Bennet hoped that once he married Kitty that she would instruct him to bathe more often.
Throughout the evening, his eyes followed Kitty. His expression was almost leering. Elizabeth and Jane were discomforted in sympathy for their sister, for they could sense the tension with which Kitty held herself whenever Mr. Collins was near. Kitty tried to discourage the man, even being rude at times, but he had simply taken the opportunity to expound on her error, Lady Catherine De Bourgh's opinion on the subject, how young ladies ought to act, and the benefit of proper guidance of husbands on their wives.
The family learned a great deal about Lady Catherine De Bourgh's opinions, her family, and her home. Every room of Rosing's was described in detail. The gardens were extolled for their beauty. The parsonage where he lived was most adequate. Lady Catherine and her sickly daughter, who Mr. Collins said was engaged to Mr. Darcy, were everything kind and good.
Elizabeth was surprised at the news of Mr. Darcy being promised to his cousin. She could not imagine him being happy with a woman such as Mr. Collins described. Neither could she see him allowing himself to be put under the thumb of Lady Catherine, as it seemed all about her allowed her to reign as one slightly lower than the Prince Regent himself. She shuddered to think what effect such a domineering woman would have on poor Georgiana.
The next day, to escape the parson's attention, Kitty, Jane, and Elizabeth quit the house early in the morning, before he was awake. They decided to walk to Meryton. Although it was still too early for polite calls by the time they reached the Wickhams' home, they rang the bell anyway. They heard some bustling about inside, before Mary answered the door.
"My dear sisters! Please come in!" she greeted, ushering them into the entry room and taking their outwear. "We were still breaking our fast. Have you eaten?"
"Indeed, we have. I would take a cup of tea, however." Elizabeth replied. Jane and Kitty also asked for tea, and they entered the dining room where Wickham and Esther awaited them while Mary prepared the tea. Wickham stood for a moment as the ladies seated themselves and they all settled in for a comfortable visit.
"Now, you must tell me all. It has been but a few days, but I so miss my family and knowing what is happening in your lives," Mary demanded upon her return with the tea service. It occurred to Elizabeth how greatly altered Mary was. No more did she feel the need to sermonize about everything. She smiled much more than she ever had at Longbourn, which made her look much less plain than she had previously.
"Oh, Mary! It is dreadful. Mama is trying to marry me off to the odious Mr. Collins." Kitty exclaimed.
"Who is Mr. Collins?" Mr. Wickham asked as he buttered his daughter's toast.
"A distant cousin. Longbourn is entailed on him," replied Mary.
"He is perfectly dreadful. He is about five and twenty, heavy-looking, and does not wash as often as he should. He is a parson by occupation. However, none of that is what is dreadful about the man. He praises his patroness, Lady Catherine De Bourgh, constantly. No matter what we do, good or bad, we must hear what Lady Catherine would think of it. As the estate is entailed on him, he thinks that he is extending an olive branch to our family by selecting a bride from amongst the unmarried daughters and it seems that he has chosen Kitty for his favourite," Elizabeth explained.
"He leers at me and tells me that I need the direction from a husband. The way his gaze accesses me makes me feel like a cow for sale," Kitty bemoaned.
"Oh, that is dreadful, Kitty! Mama wants you to marry a man that treats you so?" Mary replied.
"She says it will keep us from being thrown out into the hedgerows when Papa dies. I cannot do it. I would rather work as a maid and scrub chamber pots when Papa dies than marry such a disagreeable man!" Kitty cried.
"Kitty, no one will be scrubbing chamber pots if your Papa dies before you are all wed. At the very least, you will not be scrubbing a chamber pot that is not your own. Between your Uncle Phillips, your Uncle Gardiner, myself – and I daresay probably Mr. Bingley rather soon – you have plenty of relations who will take you in and support you," Mr. Wickham soothed. Jane blushed at his statement and Mary smiled at her husband.
"Yes, dearest Kitty. Please do not make yourself uneasy. You need not marry anyone who you do not think will treat you well. If he is as you say, reject his proposal of marriage if he offers for you. Men may do the asking, but you have the right to refuse. If you must, you may stay here with us for a time until Mama calms down," Mary responded, "Now we do not have servants, so if you stay here, you will need to do chores such as sweeping the floor, and yes, cleaning your own chamber pot. We also do not have a proper spare bedroom, but we can bring down a bed from the attic and you may share Esther's room."
Kitty nodded at Mary's words and agreed that she would stay with them if her mother made a fuss over her rejection of Mr. Collins, should he propose. Jane and Elizabeth were surprised at their sisters, both Kitty for agreeing to do chores and Mary for being so amiable. As it was the last day of her visit, goodbyes were said to Esther Marie who would be missed greatly in the time until the end of her school's term.
After their visit, Jane, Elizabeth, and Kitty decided to stroll through Meryton. Kitty regained her high spirits quickly, calling out to two officers that strolled past. Jane and Elizabeth were both mortified and relieved to see their sister restored to herself. They redirected her away from the officers, continuing on their walk together.
As they turned onto the road for Longbourn, they were met by Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley on horseback. The two men dismounted, and the parties greeted each other cordially. Mr. Bingley was to host a ball to become better acquainted with the neighbourhood. He and Mr. Darcy were riding to Longbourn to invite their family before continuing on to Meryton to invite the Wickhams and others who lived in town. The men offered to see the ladies back to Longbourn, but Kitty spoke up:
"I would tell you that there are circumstances that may make a visit to Longbourn most unpleasant at the moment."
"I hope everyone is well?" Mr. Darcy responded, worried that Jane's illness might have spread to other members of the family.
"Everyone is well. It is just our absurd cousin is visiting and he knows your aunt, Mr. Darcy," Kitty replied.
"My aunt? Which aunt?"
"Lady Catherine De Bourgh. It seems he is her parson, and he waxes lyrical about Rosing's Park, Lady Catherine's condescension, and if he knew that you were her nephew, you would never escape," Kitty replied.
"Kitty! You should not speak so freely," Jane chastised gently.
"I am well familiar with Lady Catherine's ways, and he sounds like just the type that she would chuse to surround herself with. Do not be uneasy, Miss Bennet," Darcy said with a laugh. "My aunt is most overbearing. I am sorry she has been inflicted upon you, even second-hand."
"Are we then to understand that you do not wish to become her son? The parson has been spreading rumours of an engagement between yourself and your cousin, Miss De Bourgh, and I thought you should know them, in case they are not true," Kitty replied.
"Goodness, no! I am a close enough relation as it is. My aunt has been trying to arrange a match between my cousin and myself since we were in our cradles. Neither Anne nor I have ever wished it. She will not stop her nonsense. I see that it is now spreading beyond the family circle and I must be firmer with her about this subject."
The conversation veered back to the ball soon after that. Kitty requested that since she was the object of Mr. Collins's attentions, that the men would help her avoid him. Ready to be of assistance to a damsel in distress, both gentlemen requested two sets from Kitty, as well as two from Jane and Elizabeth and told them to relay the request for sets to their youngest sister. Jane, of course, had been asked for the first and supper sets by Mr. Bingley. However, Elizabeth was taken by surprise when Mr. Darcy asked for the supper set and the last set from her. Kitty gave her a significant look when she heard the request.
Resolved not to dance with the parson, Kitty went off to visit the Lucases, where the three eldest Lucas brothers, along with Mr. Michael King and Mr. James King who were visiting the Lucases, nearly filled her dance card. She figured Mr. Wickham would not mind if she wrote his name down for two dances as well, leaving only the last two spots of the night open.
Soon after her sisters left, Mary began to load the Darcy carriage with what was needed to return Esther to her school. When Esther realized that her visit was over, she was distraught.
"I do not want to return! Why must I?" she cried.
"My dear, we have not yet found a governess for you. You must not neglect your education," her father tried to explain.
"I do not wish to read and do sums and needlework. I wish to remain here with my new mama!" she cried. Mary hugged her beloved new daughter.
"Now, dearest. Can we speak openly together for a moment? I know you do not wish to return, and we truly wish that you could stay. Truly we do. However, your education is important. You must return to school until we can hire a governess. I promise that once we have a governess, and your school terms ends, you will live with us."
"But I will behave and clean my messes and be no trouble at all," Esther said, tears welling in her eyes.
"Of course, you would, my dear girl. I have no doubt. Even if you did not, we would still wish you to live with us, for you are our daughter. I will miss you greatly," said Mary, "Can we please get in the carriage? Let us not have tears but joy during the last hours of your visit, for we still have several hours in a carriage together and I wish them to be happy." Esther reluctantly obeyed, squeezing herself between her parents on the carriage seat. As this was rather uncomfortable, Wickham pulled his daughter onto his lap.
On the journey, Mary told them of the Yuletide traditions at Longbourn, and about Miss Olivia Gardiner, her new cousin who was only a year Esther's elder. Despite some parting tears, Esther went with her schoolmistress willingly upon their arrival at her school. On the return journey, Mary cried a great deal more than Esther had on the way tither.