A/N- Greetings readers! I hope you will enjoy this chapter, I have lots of action planned for the future chapters that I hope will meet your approval.
It was THE DAY. Mary Bennet, a previously confirmed wallflower was getting married, and that too before any of her beautiful and lively sisters. The wedding was a rather lavish affair, and most of the neighborhood was invited to the village church, but Mr and Mrs Collins had eyes only for each other. Mary glided to the altar, looking very pretty indeed in the gown Lydia had chosen for her, and feeling on the top of the world. Even her pretty sisters who were dressed as bridesmaids couldn't rival the beauty that Mary's happiness and contentment lent her.
Mr Collins saw her, and when their gazes met the gathered well wishers oohed and aahed, but seemingly oblivious to them all, Mary and her soon to be husband smiled at each other shyly. In the local church, among those who loved them, this happy couple pledged their lived to each other, and their soul was joined for ever and ever. Jane sniffed at the beauty of it all, Mrs Bennet sighed with rapture and Kitty and Lydia secretly planned the wedding gowns they would like to have.
Anne thought of her own wedding, which was undoubtedly much more lavish, but with just the same amount of love, even though it was an arranged marriage, and prayed for all happiness for the young couple. William Darcy merely stared at Elizabeth who was smiling a something Ms Lucas had said, and thought that the bridesmaid was far lovelier than the bride. At that moment, he loved her more deeply than ever before. Wickham glanced briefly at the ceremony, and then walked towards Caroline who looked rather bored with the proceedings, especially since her sister had for once decided to have a conversation with Mr Hurst. Georgiana just smiled goodwill to all.
Lady Lucas wondered when it would be Charlotte who was married, and Charlotte wished it was her before Mr Collins, not Mary, for she desperately wished that her future could be secured, and her desperation outweighed her goodwill towards the Bennets. Unknown to her, her brother John sneaked glances at Kitty who he had noticed for the first time, entirely not knowing that she had secretly 'not quite LOVED', as Lydia put it him since they were children.
Mrs Hurst thought of her own wedding and thanked god that her husband was infinitely better than the present bride's, whereas the said husband wished for a nap even as she spoke to him. Caroline thought of the wedding that she would have once Mr Darcy finally realized that he loved her, and wished that the image of George Wickham wouldn't enter her thoughts unbidden. Bingley simply rediscovered what he already knew, that nothing would stop him from loving Jane.
Unknowing and uncaring of this tangle of feelings around them, the newly weds simply rejoiced that they were now united for evermore.
Best wishes flowed in much to their delight, and it was a very happy pair that set off to Kent right from the village church, and Mrs Bennet sighed with pleasure as she saw them go, her only desire being to have the other daughters just as well settled.
In the meantime, A very important discussion was taking place in the carriage that carried the newly weds to their new home, for Mr Collins offered something to his bride that no one would have considered possible, not even he himself would have thought of it before. Mr Collins offered to break the entail on Longbourn, leaving Mary speechless.
'Oh, Mr Collins!', was all she could say.
'I would be glad to do so dear, if it would make you happy, for your lovely smile is more precious to me than anything else, and though you would never turn out your family even if you do become he mistress of childhood home, perhaps this would ease my fair cousins' minds and ensure that they do not have to rush into marriage like you did.'
Mary looked just a bit outraged.
'Is that what you think, Mr Collins? Do you not think that I loved you, that I didn't mean what I said in the church?'
'That is not what I meant dear...' started her flustered husband before being cut off.
'Isn't it? Well then Mr Collins, I would like to have you know that Jane is very likely to be engaged soon, and a gentleman like Mr Bingley would ensure that his sisters were cared for. And Papa is not likely to die for many years, he is perfectly healthy. Rest assured that I would not have married you if all that you had was money!'
'My dear, would you have been as eager to marry me if there were a good deal more gentleman flocking around you? You would never have noticed me.'
'Perhaps not, but for once I am glad I am not as sought after as the others, for then I might never have found the man who really suited me the best of all.'
'Thank goodness it was not so.', said Mr Collins and the rest of the ride was spent by the couple deciding that there was no need for them to give up the entail, a decision that would have deeply offended Mrs Bennet had she known.
This was not the only action of one of her daughters that would have upset Mrs Bennet, in fact this would have been the lesser of the two evils. For Elizabeth Bennet had done something quite unpardonable. And it had all started with Mr Darcy.
A/N- Cliffhanger! Any guesses to what happens next? Keep reviewing, its inspirational!