The following day, the Bennet family was gathered for breakfast when Mr. Bennet commented to them "Mrs. Bennet, girls, I have some important news. This morning I received an interesting letter from a gentleman."
"From a gentleman?" Mrs. Bennet's face lit up, "it must be Mr. Darcy."
"It's not Mr. Darcy. It's from a gentleman I have never met. But tomorrow at 4:00 in the afternoon we're going to meet." He paused and added, "Let's play a little game. I give you one chance to guess the identity of the gentleman."
"Is he single?" started Mrs. Bennet
"Yes, my dear."
"Is he young?" added Jane.
"He is twenty-five years old."
"Is he rich?" Lizzy asked.
"He is not poor."
"Does he have an estate?" Mary added.
"Not yet, my dear."
"Does he live in Meryton?" Kitty asked.
"No, he lives in Kent."
"Is he handsome?" Lydia asked.
"I never met him, my dear."
They continued for some minutes with the game, and at last, a very impatient Mrs. Bennet said, "Mr. Bennet, please, don't vex us anymore. Who is the gentleman?"
"It is our cousin, Mr. Collins"
"Mr. Collins! That horrible man. Why did he write you a letter? It is not fair that our dear girls can't inherit the property when you die."
"Mama, please, Papa is in very good health!" Jane exclaimed.
"What is the letter about it, Papa?" Mary asked.
"He wants to meet you and offer an olive branch. He will arrive tomorrow at 4 o'clock."
Mr. Collins was a young clergyman, who had the very good fortune of serving his esteemed patroness, Lady Catherine De Bourgh. He arrived punctually at 4 o'clock the following day. He was a tall, heavy-looking young man. He greeted the Bennets formally and complimented Mrs. Bennet on her house and especially her beautiful daughters and niece. During dinner, it was apparent that the main motive of his visit was taking a wife from among his fair cousins.
Mrs. Bennet was ecstatic; she thought about which of her daughters would be the most suitable to marry Mr. Collins. Jane was undoubtedly the most beautiful of her daughters, but she was convinced that Mr. Darcy was in love with her. Lizzy was not her daughter, so she was discarded. Mary was her less pretty daughter and she also loved reading sermons. Yes, Mary should do.
The next morning, Mrs. Bennet convinced a slightly reluctant Mr. Collins, who preferred Jane as the eldest and prettiest of his cousins to be his wife, that Mary was the perfect companion for his life.
PPP
Mary Bennet had been living all her life in the shadows of her sisters – and even her cousin - and was only compared to them negatively. Her mother always said that she was the only one of her daughters who was not pretty and that she was destined to be an old maid. Her father never made an effort to understand her and sometimes unintentionally was cruel. Her siblings were most of the time kind to her, but she seldom was invited or included in the activities they did. Ironically, she had a better relationship with her cousin than with her sisters, since Elizabeth had taught her to play the piano and speak French. What she wanted most was to be accepted and loved by her family but she always felt out of place and forgotten by them.
So, she was shocked and flattered when Mr. Collins started to pay her special attention. In the past, nobody sought her company over her siblings, and certainly, no gentleman outside of the family had ever cared for her.
Mary realized that Mr. Collins wasn't the brightest of men and he tended to talk too much about his patroness, his patroness's grand house, and magnificent estate. But on the other hand, he was a clergyman, passionate about the scriptures, he was the heir of Longbourn, and overall, a good man. She never had an illusion that she would find a love match, there weren't enough gentlemen in the neighborhood, and she knew men preferred a prettier wife.
To encourage Mr. Collins's attention and with her sister's and cousin's help, she changed her hairstyle and dressed in soft colors that were more appropriate for her complexion and highlighted her natural beauty. Mr. Collins was very pleased with her new look and even Mrs. Bennet said she looked pretty.
In less than a week, Mr. Collins proposed to Mary, and she gladly accepted.
Mr. Bennet gave his consent and blessing after Mary told him Mr. Collins was her choice.
Mrs. Bennet was blissfully happy, she had one less daughter to marry and she didn't need to worry about the future anymore, they were safe; Longbourn would stay in the family.
Jane was happy for her sister and genuinely congratulated her. Lizzy at first was annoyed for, in her opinion, Mr. Collins was a ridiculous man, and Mary deserved better. But it was clear to Lizzy that Mary had never been truly happy, so in the end, she was contented with her cousin's choice.
Kitty and Lydia were indifferent, they weren't close to Mary, and in their opinion, Mr. Collins was a dull clergyman who wasn't even handsome.
Mrs. Bennet wanted to make a huge celebration for the engaged couple, but unfortunately, Mr. Collins could only stay four more days before returning to Kent. She had only three days and wasn't enough time to make the arrangements for a ball. She had to settle for organizing the grandest dinner party of the year, the meal having at least five courses.
