Thanks for sticking with the story, everyone. I have fixed a few typos in the previous chapters, and here is a slightly longer chapter, I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter Seven
The week leading to the ball was difficult for the Bennet ladies. Mr Collins' eccentricities were no longer entertaining for any of them. At first, Charlotte's visits were distractions enough, but for the last four days, a persistent rain had settled, depriving them of Miss Lucas' presence and preventing Elizabeth's usual escape on the lanes of Longbourn or in visits to their tenants with Mary. Mr Collins' wishes were hard to distinguish as the attentions he paid Charlotte when she visited were similar to his attentions to his dear cousin Elizabeth. The latter's resilience was stretched to breaking point, almost.
As is usual in a small community, the rain did not stop, or even slow the spread of rumours and gossip, despite the apparent isolation of each family group. Within a very few days, the servants brought back tales of small debts from some of the Militia's officers, of flirting and seduction attempts and of gambling. None of the inhabitants of Longbourn or Netherfield had been seen in town since Mr Bingley delivered his invitation to Colonel Forster, yet every shopkeeper or tradesman was weary of providing credit lines, every father, brother or uncle to any comely young girl was carefully watching over their charges and, without any firm proof of misbehaviour, the officers had been warned that only the most unexceptional gentlemanly behaviour would be accepted in Meryton.
George Wickham was highly disappointed in his new career; he had expected the tedium of training to be mitigated by numerous opportunities to enjoy the favours of pretty girls and the generosity of unsuspecting tradesmen; the reality of his situation was quite the opposite with too few entertainments worth his while and far too many weary and strenuous hours obeying his superiors. Denny had promised him an easy life in the Militia, yet Wickham had never worked so hard for so little reward.
Finally, the morning of the ball dawned, and the rain stopped. The sisters were excited about leaving the house and seeing their neighbours after four days of enforced isolation.
Even Mary was looking forward to the evening, despite not being as fond of dancing as her sisters. Jane and Elizabeth had asked the younger girls to behave with sufficient decorum, as Jane wanted to give Mr Bingley a second chance after he had taken his friend and sisters to task so successfully; Mr Darcy and the Hursts may not be as easy-going and friendly as Bingley, yet they were now seen as approachable and agreeable enough by most.
Following her mother's suggestions, Mary had prepared a sweet and slightly romantic piece to display her talent at the pianoforte. It was a piece she had mastered perfectly and did not require any singing; she knew her voice was not strong. Perhaps her Mama's enthusiasm for her performance was a little much, but the praise she received from her neighbours that night was sincere and warm.
Catherine and Lydia intended to dance every dance if they could find partners, but they would not indulge in any alcoholic drink, and as before at the last assembly, they would return to their mother's side, or their aunt's if Mrs Bennet was unavailable, between each set. A quick word from Charlotte to her father produced the desired result and her sister Maria was to remain with the Bennet girls and refrain from showing any preference to the officers.
The receiving line at Netherfield was formed with only Mr Bingley and the Hursts, signalling to Jane without any word that Mr Bingley's efforts in addressing her reproaches with his sister were sustained, and she gave the gentleman her brightest smile and a quiet thank you before moving into the ballroom with her family.
"Charlotte," Elizabeth briefly hugged her friend, "how I missed you these past four days. You are looking very well tonight. Is this a new dress? The colour is delightful."
Charlotte laughed, "I am glad to see you too, and yes, Mama agreed that I needed a new dress for tonight. I hope it is not too ornate though."
Jane, Catherine and Lydia had joined them, and Lydia shook her head. "Of course, it is not too ornate, Charlotte, it is a ball gown! I wish I could wear such a colour, but it simply would not match my skin half so well as it does yours."
Catherine whispered to the other ladies, "Mama is on her way with Mr Collins, move over to the side Lydia so that he sees Charlotte directly as she looks ever so well tonight." Charlotte blushed at this unexpected praise from the younger girl, and the heightened colour of her cheeks was pleasant and noticed by the gentleman.
He bowed low and started talking, "My dear Miss Lucas, dear cousin Elizabeth, I must be the luckiest gentleman present tonight to have two such delightful partners for the first two sets. It is a pleasure indeed."
The musicians struck the notes indicating the dance was soon to start and Mr Collins offered his arm to Elizabeth while Mr Bingley rushed to Jane's side to open the ball with his beautiful angel.
Mr Darcy was unable to resist asking Miss Elizabeth Bennet for a set soon after and both enjoyed a lively and friendly discussion during the set. Thanks to her gentle hints, Darcy was able to select suitable dance partners and entertain them with easy conversation; as a result, the night was more enjoyable for the gentleman than any society ball he had attended previously. George Wickham's absence and the polite distance the gentry kept with the Militia officers present only added to his enjoyment of the good society on offer.
Mr Collins was subtly persuaded to dance the supper set with Miss Lucas so she would not be forced to sit alone, or worse of all with an officer, as her dear friends had partners for the dance, giving Charlotte more time to charm the gentleman. She was not yet certain of her success, but as she knew Elizabeth would turn any offer down, surely a little more time would be enough to secure her future.
The evening was an absolute success and Mrs Hurst was delighted. She had never organised a function quite so elaborate and her confidence was boosted by the many compliments she received for her decorations, choice of musicians and dances and for the delicious meal she had organised with Mrs Nichols' help. She had enjoyed herself so much that after the guests had left, she just kept on chattering excitingly for a full half hour to the amusement of her brother and still sober husband.
A few days before the event, Miss Bingley had attempted to regain her former position of mistress of Netherfield, however, she had severely underestimated her sister. Her attempted belittling of the preparations already completed had backfired when her sister had confidently answered all her questions with a well-thought-out plan and a neat list of activities still to complete. Mr Hurst and their brother had warmly praised Louisa, sending Miss Bingley into a rage that cost her a large amount of money out of her next allowance, as well as getting Mrs Hurst to uninvite her from the ball. She spent the evening and night seething in anger in her room, unable to get past the footmen Bingley had left outside her door and therefore equally unable to ruin the evening for her family and their guests.
The next day opened a new scene at Longbourn. Mr Collins attempted to make his declaration in form. On finding Mrs Bennet, Elizabeth and one of the younger girls together, soon after breakfast, he addressed the mother in these words:
"May I hope, madam, for your interest with your fair daughter Elizabeth, when I solicit for the honour of a private audience with her in the course of this morning?"
Before Elizabeth had time for anything but a blush of surprise, Mrs Bennet answered instantly, "Oh dear! - yes - certainly. I am sure Lizzy will be very happy - I am sure she can have no objection. Come, Kitty, I want you up stairs."
(Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 19)
Elizabeth took a deep breath, her mother's departure reminding her that it would be wisest to get it over as soon and as quietly as possible. She sat down again and tried to conceal her disquiet.
As soon as Mrs Bennet and Kitty were gone, Mr Collins began. "My dear Miss Elizabeth, You can hardly doubt the purport of my discourse."
Following her instincts rather than any plan previously made, Elizabeth interrupted him with a last desperate attempt to avoid a confrontation. "Indeed my dear cousin, I have observed your preference for my dearest, most wonderful friend these past few days, and I will be delighted to help you prepare for the proposal you wish to make. I have known my beloved Charlotte my whole life, and you could not have chosen a more wonderful lady as the future mistress of Longbourn."
Mr Collins's mouth was hanging open in surprise, rendering him unable to speak for once.
Rising and pacing in front of the fireplace, Elizabeth continued. "You were wise to ensure my younger sister was out of the room before consulting with me. Kitty is too young to understand the affairs of the heart, but I, as Miss Lucas' personal friend and confidante, can most certainly assist in your suit." She stopped walking and smiled broadly at the gentleman, hoping he would understand her rather obvious hints.
He swallowed loudly, and, rubbing his hands nervously on his jacket, asked: "Do you mean to say, cousin Elizabeth, that you are not expecting an offer from me after the attentions I paid you since my arrival in Longbourn?"
Elizabeth forced out a laugh: "Oh my dear Mr Collins, how amusing you are. But you need not pretend with me, I have seen where your heart lies, Sir. I have greatly appreciated your offer of friendship these past weeks; indeed Jane, Mary and I consider you a close friend already, not just family, and your wedding will only increase this closeness. Nobody will be fooled by your attempts to deny your attraction to dear Charlotte. Remember that I ate at the next table last night, I was not blind to the fact that you danced twice with my friend, nor that it included the all-important dinner set." She approached him to gently pat his arm before returning to her position by the fireplace.
"Believe me, my dear cousin, that your modesty, far from doing you any disservice, rather adds to your amiability. I hope you will allow me to confide in Charlotte, for this is certain to endear you even further to her." Elizabeth had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from laughing at his shocked expression. She had feared that this last declaration was going too far, but on observing him further, she saw she had judged rightly.
After a few moments, Mr Collins appeared to rally himself. "I was worried, cousin, that I had raised your expectations, and I could not in good conscience offer for your friend without first talking to you."
"No indeed, I agree completely that you and I would not suit so well as Charlotte and you will. If you can promise me that you and your soon-to-be wife will always remain my dearest friends and that I will be allowed to visit and meet all my future baby cousins, I will be perfectly content." Elizabeth told him with a warm smile.
"Of course, my dear cousin," Mr Collins rushed to reassure her, "you and any of your fair sisters will always be welcome to visit my abode." He hesitated a moment before adding quietly, "Do you believe, then, that Miss Lucas will regard my suit favourably? With the rain this past week, I have not visited Lucas Lodge much, I fear she will feel I have neglected her and her admirable family."
Elizabeth took her seat again and indicated that her cousin should sit as well; his unusual shyness was touching.
"Mr Collins, you do not yet have the privilege of knowing my friend well enough, or you would not ask this. Charlotte is all that is proper, sensible and with perfect manners. Yet she is also shy and diffident at times. Last evening was the happiest I have seen her in many years, her looks and smiles made her more beautiful than I can remember. Do you not see that it was her hopes that transformed her so? I believe that she yearns for your addresses, yet is worried that you might still choose a lady with a larger dowry."
"Certainly not!" Mr Collins sat straighter, "I know she has little fortune, but I am indifferent to that, I assure you that no reproach about this will ever pass my lips if she agrees to marry me."
Elizabeth gave him a warm sincere smile for the first time. "I believe you, and I am glad to see that your position and prospects, as good as they are, have not made you vain or greedy for more riches. I think you will do very nicely, cousin, you will make my friend a proper husband. Now go to her, do not worry about preparing a long speech to justify asking for her hands. Just tell her your feelings, how you know she will make you happy, how she will be the heart of your family in your comfortable parsonage. Miss Lucas is wonderfully clever and active, she will manage your home perfectly and I defy any of your parishioners to not love her as she deserves before the next Eastertide celebrations. I cannot wait to officially wish you and my dearest Charlotte all the happiness you both deserve in front of the whole of Meryton."
She was soon waving a beaming Mr Collins off as he walked briskly to Lucas lodge to secure his lady.
Walking slowly back in the front parlour, Elizabeth was joined by her mother followed by Jane and Catherine.
"Well, how bad was it?" Mrs Bennet asked. "You were in here longer than I expected."
"It was, well, it was an eye-opener I guess. I congratulated Mr Collins on choosing Charlotte before he proposed, so I never had to refuse him. He is on his way to Lucas Lodge as we speak, ready to offer for her." Elizabeth was still pensive.
"Oh, how did you manage that?" Catherine asked, "I was certain he was going to ask you, the way he spoke when we left."
"He was, Kitty, although it was more out of duty than desire," Elizabeth answered with a smile. "The poor man thought that he had raised my expectations and had no choice, but in his heart, he wanted Charlotte, a much better choice indeed."
She sighed. "There is more to our cousin than I had first acknowledged; he is a good man as we told Charlotte, but he is also sensitive, caring and worried about hurting us. He would have sacrificed his happiness for duty, despite his obvious longing for our friend. Mr Collins is an overall decent man, and that bodes very well for her. I am looking forward to maintaining a healthy correspondence with both Mr and Mrs Collins."
"And that also leaves you free without risking our father's anger," Jane concluded with a wide smile.
Jane had been wrong. After a meal without his cousin, for Mr Collins remained at Lucas Lodge for luncheon, Mr Bennet summoned Elizabeth to his library.
"I believe you had a discussion with Mr Collins this morning before he left." This was more a statement than a question, and Elizabeth only nodded once in acknowledgement.
"Did you refuse his proposal?" Her father bluntly asked.
"He did not propose, Papa, I believe he has seen the difference between the cold and polite way I treat him and Charlotte's more welcoming manners. As he seemed at a loss as to what to say, I wished him and Charlotte happiness, which encouraged him to go to Lucas Lodge at once." Elizabeth spoke calmly and seemingly without emotions.
"While I can see that my cousin is not the most attractive of gentlemen, I would have hoped that Longbourn itself would be tempting enough, Lizzy." Mr Bennet was looking at her sternly.
"It is not, sir. You seem to ignore the many years of married life with a man that I cannot love, under the influence of an autocratic grand lady that my husband would always worship and obey above and beyond his own family." Elizabeth answered.
Her father waved his hand in dismissal of her answer. "I will speak to the man as soon as he comes back and tell him I expect an offer for your hand after his open courtship of you. And you will accept this offer."
Elizabeth stood up, her fists balled at the side of her hips. "He will already be engaged when he returns, for he left Longbourn with that singular purpose in mind. You will not be able to interfere, and if you attempt it, I will reject any offer. Who would accept a man who wishes to wed another?"
"For your sake, Miss Elizabeth Rose Bennet, I hope the man has not proposed. This was not your call to make, you are still underage, and I am your father." Bennet was seething.
"Tell me then, who would look after the planting or the harvest if I were living in Kent?" Elizabeth was puzzled at the vehemence of his answer.
"You have increased the income of Longbourn in the past few years, enough for him and you to live in the empty cottage next to the home farm. You can then teach your husband how to run the estate so he can cover for you when you are with child."
"I will not, sir. I cannot marry your cousin, and I beg you not to attempt to ruin Charlotte's happiness. Even if he agreed to forgo her, which I cannot believe possible, he would never consent to move to such a cottage, not when it is nowhere as large or well-appointed as his parsonage being just a former tenant's home. Nor would he desert Lady Catherine for such a ridiculous situation. You have no authority on the man, no leverage, but even if you succeeded, I would never let any husband of mine be dictated so and I will never run Longbourn from that cottage I assure you." Elizabeth was now holding her hands behind her back, to prevent her father from seeing how much they shook.
"I believe you should remain in your room until further notice to think about your answer, Miss Lizzy, for Mr Collins is likely to be the only man to offer for you; if I can work on him, I order you to accept his offer." Mr Bennet stood and pointed to the door with his arm, showing Elizabeth that she was dismissed for now.
"I will not change my mind, sir, no priest will agree to marry us if I object, and I will, very loudly and strongly object indeed. I would prefer never to marry rather than marry any man not of my choosing; going in service would be preferable to such a union." Elizabeth said, ignoring his dismissal. "You of all people should know that I am as stubborn as you are. I expected my mother to push for the match, out of fear for her future, not you."
Mr Bennet was no longer amused by his daughter's spirit. "Leave and go to your room, Elizabeth Bennet. You will come down when I call and you will politely accept Mr Collins' offer graciously. My decision on this is final and you will obey."
As soon as she was in the hallway, from where she knew her voice would carry enough to be heard by most of the household, she turned to him and loudly added: "You will not be able to break Mr Collins' engagement; Lady Lucas will have announced it all over Meryton before long, and not one person who has seen us at the ball will believe he preferred me to Charlotte. Only a simpleton would imagine he would choose a small farm cottage above his beloved parsonage in Kent, and none of our neighbours are that ridiculous. You are wasting your time, sir." With that, she turned and walked to her room with her head held high, ignoring the shouts coming from the library as Mr Bennet loudly berated her and threatened to completely isolate her until she relented.
Elizabeth had been heard as clearly as she had hoped, and so had Mr Bennet's angry rant. "What are we to do if we can't even talk to Lizzy, Mama? Our father means to settle Lizzy and our cousin in a cottage here; she must be so worried, how can we be of any comfort to her?" Mary asked with tears running down her cheeks unhindered.
"We will remain calm, and plan our next steps, my love." Mrs Bennet replied grimly. "We cannot go directly against your father; we will need to soon, but not yet. We will find a way to get word to Lizzy, I promise you that. Now, Kitty and Lydia, I think you must call on Maria Lucas today. You go and ensure Mr Collins has proposed, and see if you can somehow get Lady Lucas to start engagement visits with haste. If she starts parading Mr Collins and Charlotte before he returns to Longbourn, there will be nothing your father can do to break the engagement."
"We can do that Mama," Catherine said, nodding eagerly.
"We can do better, sister," Lydia said with a smirk, "if we leave now and hurry, we can go to Meryton first and tell Aunt Phillips before we go to Lucas Lodge."
"Yes, yes, that is a good idea, Lydia, my sister will spread it faster. Ask her to come and announce the engagement loudly here too, so that Mr Bennet knows it is all over. Now run along, be as quick as you can, my darlings." Mrs Bennet shooed her daughters out.
The two girls fetched their coats and left the house on their most important mission to Meryton and Lucas Lodge, leaving Mrs Bennet, Jane and Mary to talk quietly and think of ways to communicate with Elizabeth without raising Mr Bennet's ire any further.