Master of Longbourn Chapter 9 - Revised Rules, a pride and prejudice fanfic

FF is playing up. I hope you are able to read this chapter.

I am afraid that Lizzy is not having a good day. 😊

Btw I would welcome suggestions for chapter titles if you think the ones I used could be improved.

~MoL~

Revised Rules

Longbourn – 1809

By unspoken agreement, when their mother retired to her chambers, the Bennet sisters congregated in the small parlour to discuss the astonishing happenings. They were still in conversation while their mother discussed the past, present and future with Mr Collins.

Always the most outspoken of the sisters, Elizabeth could not help but comment, 'Have you ever met such an obnoxious and rude man in your life?'

Jane, always the peacemaker, asked, 'What makes you call Mr Collins obnoxious?'

'Did you not hear how he denigrated papa?'

'Lizzy, you know full well that papa had no interest in managing Longbourn. Perhaps it would have been different if we had a brother, but under the circumstances papa could not see the point to make the effort. Even you have bemoaned that fact on numerous occasions.'

'But did Mr Collins have to be so rude about it?'

Mary weighed in on the exchange, 'He only spoke the truth. The only one who was rude was yourself, attacking the gentleman… just after he told mama very kindly that we would always have a home.'

'Perhaps if you like him that much you should offer yourself as a wife to him,' snarled Elizabeth before turning her back on her sisters, furious that they would not support her point of view.

Crossing her arms over her chest she slumped into a chair by the window and fell into a brown study.

She forced her mind to focus on the injustice of Mr Collins taking over Longbourn even though her father was still very much alive. Elizabeth also reiterated in her mind all the faults and misdemeanours of that gentleman to stop herself from considering the fact that her beloved father had abandoned her without a second thought.

Ever since that first day in his study, Mr Bennet had been Elizabeth's hero and role model, and in her eyes, he could do no wrong. She made excuses for his neglect of the estate – there was not enough money since her mother squandered so much on fripperies. Elizabeth never allowed herself to think about all the money her father wasted on books and port. She had also emulated his treatment of her mother and sisters. After all, those ignorant and hysterical females did not deserve to be treated with respect.

If Mr Bennet had offered Elizabeth the chance to accompany him to Oxford, she would have gone without looking back. The agonies of spirit she now suffered were because the truth was too painful to bear. Having to acknowledge that her beloved father had no more concern for her than her mother and sisters proved that he had never valued her at all. She had been a pleasant diversion. A means to an end. But she did not matter to him at all.

She wanted to scream in pain. Instead, she turned that pain to fury at the man who had made her face the truth. William Collins was the blackest villain.

~MoL~

Having concluded the initial interview with Mrs Bennet in a satisfactory manner, Collins decided to tackle the other potential problem sooner rather than later.

When Elizabeth entered the study, she was still smarting from the earlier set-down which Collins and Phillips had delivered and her ruminations in the meantime had only stoked her ire. She was going to delight in tearing Collins to shreds for his many crimes. Foremost amongst them of having been right about Longbourn… at least according to her Uncle Phillips.

As soon as she closed the door she went onto the attack. 'How dare you sit in my father's chair as if you belong here. Did you think that driving the true master of Longbourn from his home would give you the right to take over?'

Collins sighed inwardly. Elizabeth's attitude had deteriorated even further. Deciding on his own tactic, he merely raised his brows and said quietly, 'Miss Elizabeth, you are very much your father's daughter.'

Taken by surprise by the mild comment and the unexpected direction of the conversation, Elizabeth preened and nodded graciously. 'Thank you, sir. My father is an excellent role model.'

Collins waved a negligent hand and drawled, 'I am afraid you misunderstood. My statement was not meant to be a compliment but a condemnation of your character.'

'WHAT?'

'Indeed. You may be highly intelligent, but you are using your greater understanding to cause pain by belittling your mother and, to a lesser extent, your sisters. Those are not the actions of a lady.'

'You are accusing me of cruelty?' she gasped.

'Indeed. While the other ladies in your family may not have your perspicacity or education, they do understand your snide remarks even when you hide them beneath an overly sugary tone.' Despite his words, Collins maintained a casual, even bored, attitude.

'How dare you speak to me like that.

'I only speak to you as you speak to your family. I have had a week to listen to your abominable attitude towards your sisters and mother. From the very beginning, from the first moment, I may almost say, of my acquaintance with you, your manners impressed me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others. While I understand that as your father's favourite you aped his behaviour to garner his affection, the attitudes which your family had to endure from the head of the family, are entirely inappropriate for a child to exhibit.'

'You are calling me a child?'

'Indeed, and a spoilt child at that.'

'You, sir, are no gentleman.'

'But I am your guardian, and I will not tolerate your attitude.' Collins said coldly as he at last sat up straight and focused his gaze on Elizabeth. 'For your information, I did not drive your father from his home. He freely and without prompting offered me the estate for a nominal stipend, simply to escape his responsibilities. Feel free to ask your uncle, he witnessed the event.'

Collins almost laughed at the mulish expression which settled onto Elizabeth's features. The young woman might belittle her mother, but that expression proved their intimate relationship.

'But enough of that. Miss Elizabeth, I strongly suggest that you put aside your prejudices and use that intelligence of which you are so proud. Think about everything which has happened. Consider only the facts. Given time, you might come to the conclusion that your situation has actually improved.'

When Elizabeth continued to scowl, Collins shrugged and said, 'Personally I do not care what you think of me, or even whether you like me or not. What I do care about is how you act while you live in this house. I expect you to treat everyone with courtesy and respect. Unlike Mr Bennet, I will not tolerate anyone belittling the ladies under my care. As long as you can act like a lady, I will treat you as such.'

Elizabeth's stormy expression darkened further as she opened her lips to eviscerate the man who had the audacity to chastise her, only to be cut off before she started.

'I strongly recommend that you calm down and think clearly before you speak. You would not wish to say something which you would later regret.'

That quiet statement had the welcome effect of Elizabeth shutting her mouth. With a final glare at Collins, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the library. As an act of defiance, she very carefully and quietly shut the door.

Collins watched her leave before dropping his head into his hands. The incipient headache which had threatened earlier now hit him with full force. He muttered to himself, 'What madness led me to think this was a good idea?'

~MoL~

Elizabeth gained the sanctuary of her room without encountering any of her family. As soon as she closed the door, her control gave way and she threw herself onto her bed where she curled up into a ball and allowed her tears to flow.

The day's events had presented too many shocks for her.

Her father's callous abandonment had destroyed her view of the world. That was followed in quick succession by the revelation that her father's mismanagement of Longbourn was even greater than she had known. At the same time, the feared cousin who was going to throw the Bennet ladies into the hedgerows, had done no such thing. On the contrary, he had promised them a home for as long as they were in need of it.

After all those shocks, Elizabeth was faced with the biggest blow of all. Her despised cousin had pointed out that Elizabeth had been deliberately cruel to her family. Following her father's example, she had seen the belittling of her mother as sport and a source of amusement. She had never considered her attitude and words from their point of view.

Jane had tried to tell her that she had been hurtful, but Elizabeth had assumed that it was only Jane's tender heart which had exaggerated the effects of her jests.

Yet when Collins had treated Elizabeth with the same kind of contempt which she had shown to her mother, she had at last realised that Jane had had a point.

Elizabeth had always had an excellent opinion of herself. She was more intelligent than the others; she was better educated which had given her a greater understanding; she had accomplishments and always behaved with propriety. But Collins' words made her realise that she was an abject failure as a human being, because she had used her vaunted intelligence as the means to hurt the people whom she loved the most.

But to be confronted with the truth after all the other shock she had already endured was too much. Her pride had not allowed her to admit that Mr Collins had the right of it. She was going to argue with him to make him admit that her perception of herself could not possibly be as flawed.

Yet instead of arguing, he had done the worst possible thing. He had told her to think.

And at last, Elizabeth was doing just that, and she was taking a good look at herself.

Her innate honesty forced her to admit, at least to herself, that Collins had been right.

Her mind was going around and around in ever tighter circles as she curled into an ever-tighter ball of misery.

~MoL~

Elizabeth was jolted out of her self-absorption by a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Opening bleary eyes, swollen and puffy from crying, she saw a vaguely Jane-shaped figure sitting down on the bed beside her. Needing the comfort of her dearest sister, Elizabeth uncurled herself and threw herself into the welcoming arms.

'Oh, my dear girl, it has been a most difficult day for you, has it not?' said a voice that was nothing like Jane.

Elizabeth pulled her head back a little and blinked furiously to clear her eyes. She was astonished to see that it was her mother who was offering comfort. 'Mama? What are you doing here?'

'I thought that after all that has happened today, you might need a shoulder to cry on.'

'But…' Elizabeth stopped herself from blurting out what she had been thinking… you do not even like me. Instead, she just whispered, 'Why?'

'Because I thought it must be difficult for you to face the fact that your father is not who you thought he is. And while I am not as smart or as educated as he, I do have very comfortable shoulders. I thought that you could use a little bit of comfort.'

'But… why,' Elizabeth repeated, dumbfounded that the mother whom she had denigrated was offering support.

'Because you are my beloved daughter. I do not claim the ability to understand you, but that has never stopped me from loving you.'

'You still love me?'

'Of course, I do. Yes, you vex me. And as I said, I do not understand you, but yes, I do love you.'

Mrs Bennet sighed and gave a rueful smile. 'I confess that today has opened my eyes to many things as well. It will take me some time to come to terms with all I have learnt. Perhaps we can help each other?'

Elizabeth stared in open-mouthed amazement at the woman before her. The kindness she saw kindled a newfound respect in the distraught young woman. 'I am sorry I was so horrible to you,' she cried as she fiercely embraced her mother, a new wave of tears flowing from her eyes. 'Can you ever forgive me?'

'Of course, I forgive you. You were only following your father's example. How could you have known…'

While it would be many more months before Elizabeth and Mrs Bennet understood each other, at least they both started to heal.

~MoL~

Once Collins' headache had subsided, he unearthed writing materials from the desk and wrote a letter to Lady Catherine, informing her of the happenings at Longbourn.

After the customary salutations, he wrote, 'As you feared, the situation at Longbourn was untenable and required immediate action. As of today, I am the lease-holder of the estate and the guardian to all the ladies in my care, while Mr Bennet has removed to Oxford.

If you are still agreeable, I will return on Saturday as planned and explain in detail the events which led to this situation. Also, immediately upon my return I expect to offer the position of curate to Mr Hayes from Westerham. As you are aware, he is fully competent and will be able to perform all the required duties in my absence. I still hope to come to Hunsford once a month to ensure all is well.'

He signed and sealed the letter, setting it aside to be sent by express in the morning. He then allowed himself to relax back in his chair and remember Lady Catherine's efforts on his behalf.

~MoL~