A/N: Hello all! Thank you for your lovely reviews, favorites, and follows for the last couple chapters. 😊 It means a bit more to me right now since FFN's traffic stats have been down for the last couple months. So the only way I know anyone has been reading is if the story is reviewed, followed, or favorited. Anybody have an idea on when (or if) that's going to get fixed?
Again, I edited the last chapter a bit. My rough outline is starting to come in a lot better so I've got a lot more direction on where to go. I really want to read this story and my daughter is also pushing me because she wants to read what's coming next. So, I'm hopeful that I'll be able to carve out enough time to stay semi-regular in posting.
And a note specifically on the story: I like complex characters and having a reason behind characters acting the way they are. It feels like it's easy in a Soulmate AU to ignore character growth because the main characters have to love each other. I'm hoping both Darcy and Elizabeth's faults are both visible and on their way to being corrected fairly early on. This chapter stretches a bit with the advent of Mr. Collins, so to those who are waiting to meet Caroline, Chapter 4 is almost done. And the initial meeting of Elizabeth and Darcy will then be in Chapter 5.
Again, I have no beta, so if you feel so inclined to point out errors, I would appreciate it.
Enjoy! - Cognisance
Fate and Folly
By Cognisance
Chapter 3
Elizabeth and Jane had reconvened after lunch and decided to move their timeline up. And so they went to their father's study right away. Their progress was halted at that very point though for upon knocking on the door their father (speaking through it) told whoever was there that he expected enough upheaval in the days to come and that he would appreciate his peace for the few hours he had left of it. It was disheartening to say the least. They parted ways at the door to continue with their necessary tasks, only slightly mollified by the fact that at least their mother and youngest sister were confined to the house and wouldn't be able to embarrass them in town.
They now had half an hour left before they would get to see if their cousin was punctual. They had both made their way back to Jane's room to freshen up and escape their mother's moanings.
"Perhaps, Jane, we should write Aunt Gardiner first. At this point who knows when we will get to speak to father." Elizabeth said as she flopped inelegantly on top of Jane's bed and spoke towards the ceiling.
"If we do that though we will not know if Father has given us permission to help rein in Lydia or not." Jane settled herself at the head of the bed pulling her legs up neatly under her.
Elizabeth sighed and turned her head towards her sister, "That is true. But who knows when we will be able to speak to him? I think that it would be a judicious use of our paper to explain our plan and to let Aunt know that we have not yet had the opportunity to speak to father."
There was a light tapping at the door and then a voice, "Jane? May I come in?"
Elizabeth and Jane shared a look of surprise before Jane called, "Yes, of course, Mary, you may enter."
The door opened and Mary slipped in as Elizabeth sat up. "I hope you do not mind, but not even my playing could drown out the fuss in the drawing room. And also," here she hesitated and bit at her lip, "I have seen the looks you two have been sharing all day, " she hesitated again here, "Well, not precisely all day, but since lunch. I don't think I saw you before lunch at all, Jane. This though seems more serious than your normal confidences, and I was wondering if there was a way I might help in whatever situation. . ." her voice trailed off, and she looked down a light flush staining her cheeks. Jane caught Elizabeth's eye and gave a slight nod, and Elizabeth responded by patting the bed next to where she sat.
"Come, Mary," she said, "I think perhaps it would be right for you to know. Indeed maybe you could help us." Mary looked up at them, eyes brightening, and walked over to sit on the edge of the bed between the two of them.
It took their full half hour, but by the end of it all three sisters were of one accord, and feeling comforted in the balm of sisterly consolation. They had collectively decided that Elizabeth would write to their aunt before bed regardless of what the afternoon brought them.
It was with restored equanimity that they heard the call for them to assemble on the front steps to greet their cousin, who was indeed punctual.
Their mother had chivvied them unnecessarily into their usual line for greeting visitors. As it was based on their precedence and was the way that they had been lining up since they were all old enough to walk on their own, they bore her interference silently but with varying degrees of frustration evident. Excepting Lydia, who could not help but petulantly say, "Mama, I am now the tallest and liveliest of all my sisters, why must I always be last."
To which Mrs. Bennet replied, "It does seem unfair, Lydia, but until you are married-" Lydia huffed at this and Mrs. Bennet forgot what she was saying in watching the spectacle unfold in front of them. For as she had been poking and prodding and smoothing a hair here or a skirt there, their guest had pulled up.
He was an unprepossessing fellow, heavy of face but with neat enough (if dusty) clothing. He sat there in a gig that looked about to fall apart at any moment, and pulled by a horse who looked like it would follow soon after. He stopped the barely moving equipage with an exaggerated pull of the reins that almost sent him over backwards and a loud call to halt to the poor beast who had already halted. Upon achieving success in this he turned towards the family with a large enough smile that some yellow pitting could be seen in the back teeth. He nodded grandly once and dropped the reins on the dash board in preparation to step down. He forgot, however, to secure them and in hauling himself up allowed them to slide down the front of his carriage and also jostled the whip which fell upon the horse lurching him into motion again. Lydia let out an unladylike mix between a snort and a laugh and the rest of the family's mouths dropped as the man grabbed at the edge of the gig and half fell half jumped out to keep himself from getting tangled in the wheel. He landed on his knees in the dust before them. The groom who was already almost to the animal ran the last couple steps to grab the reins and halt him. Mr. Bennet looked over and caught Elizabeth's eye with a smirk as if to say, 'This gentleman will add much to our sport'. Elizabeth's eyes twinkled back at him until she remembered Mary's words from the meal and an unusual feeling of shame overtook her. One of her father's oft repeated sayings came to her, "For what do we live for but to make sport of our neighbors." And she ducked her head as the feeling intensified.
"Mr. Collins, I presume?" Mr. Bennet stepped forward as the man arose, dusting off the knees of his black breeches and resetting his hat upon his head.
"I am, Sir, your most humble servant William Collins of Hunsford Parsonage in Kent and you must be my good cousin Bennet." Mr. Collins answered with a bow, and clearly hoping that the mode of his descent would be ignored, he continued without pause, "You must allow me to thank you for the very great honor you do me in hosting me in your lovely home! Although I flatter myself to think that it is not an onerous thing at all to have me to stay and that you may even find it a blessing. Why Lady Catherine herself has stated more than once how satisfactory she has found my presence."
Mr. Bennet waved a hand as if brushing away the thanks, "You are welcome," he said, ignoring both the fall and the latter half of the man's words. "May I present my wife, Mrs. Bennet and my daughters. Jane the eldest." Jane gave a slight curtsey and Mr. Collins bowed. "Elizabeth, my second eldest. Mary, Catherine called Kitty, and my youngest, Lydia?"
"It is a honor and a pleasure to meet the fairest of the flowers of Meryton," Mr. Collins said as he bowed low with each additional introduction. While the phrase felt hackneyed and over fulsome to Elizabeth, there was also sincerity in it. So it was to her consternation that she warred with an inordinate desire to laugh at the floral phrase as well as the ridiculous picture their cousin made as he bent nearly double but strove to keep his eyes upon each of their faces during the introductions. After she and her sisters had murmured the appropriate thanks in return, Mr. Bennet lost no time in ushering them all back in the house.
"I'm sure you would like some refreshment, Mr. Collins, but would you prefer the chance to freshen up first?" he asked as he offered Mrs. Bennet his arm to lead her in.
Mr. Collins nodded. "I would appreciate a chance to brush the dust off, yes. The weather has been inconveniently dry as Lady Catherine was just noting before I left. It has made driving most unpleasant, no matter what conveyance one has." Mr. Hill, their butler, swung the door open for them, and Mr. Bennet introduced the two as they stepped in through the door.
"We shall have Mrs. Hill show you up to your room. You are in the guest wing of course." Mr. Bennet nodded to their faithful housekeeper who was waiting by the stairs as the rest of the girls crowded into the entry. Mr. Collins made no reply, and Elizabeth who found herself at just the right angle watched as he stood there with one arm out of his greatcoat and one glove off his hand frozen except for the darting eyes taking in all he could see.
"Mr. Collins?" Mr. Bennet called even as Mr. Hill stepped forward to take Mr. Collins coat, hat, and gloves. Mr. Collins started and returned his gaze to his host, a pleased smile on his face.
"Yes, yes, of course Cousin Bennet." He finished taking off his outerwear and Mr. Hill retrieved it keeping his face in a perfect mask of composure.
"Right this way, Sir." Mrs. Hill said with a brief bob and nod.
As she ushered him away, Mr. Bennet added, "We shall be awaiting you in the drawing room, 'tis just off the hall here. You may follow the sound of excessive chattering and giggling to find it." Mr. Collins glanced back but Elizabeth was unsure he had heard as his gaze chased around the area again instead of focusing on her father.
"Shall we ladies?" Her father said and with that they all removed to the room indicated.
_OOOO_
The drawing room was a comfortable space. A pale green flocked wallpaper combined with more elaborate red damask curtains rendered it very fine. Mrs. Bennet's furniture was covered in a hue similiar to the curtains with a floral motif and she was justifiably proud of it, even if she kept mixing its origins. A table sat in one corner, with only two chairs at it, the rest being in use closer to the seating area. The room was cluttered a bit with figurines, embroidered pillows, candelabras, a set of family miniatures of previous descendants, and to Mrs. Bennet's endless frustration a bookshelf that although filled mostly with novels, still raised her ire. Books belonged in the Library, not the Parlour (as she preferred it to be termed). On this though, Mr. Bennet was adamant. He had no need for these books, and did not want his peace disturbed when the inevitable happened and a daughter wanted some relief from boredom and decided to pick up a book for a brief moment of time. Elizabeth was very fond of the room, it had enough elegance to provide a boost to her morale when her mother turned shrill in company, yet it was not so uselessy fine that one could not curl up gladly and read or embroider in contentment. Upon gaining the room, Mr. Bennet raised an eyebrow at his wife, who turned her head with a sniff, before stiffly moving over to her usual chair and sitting with her chin jutted and eyes defiant.
"Jane, I do believe you may need to act as hostess when our guest returns," he said. Jane glanced at her mother, who pretended not to hear, before sighing and agreeing.
"Yes, Papa, I shall call for the tea as soon as our guest joins us. I would hate for it to go cold, and we do not know how long he requires." The sisters settled themselves into their normal attitudes. Lydia and Kitty moved over to the table. Where Kitty had left her embroidery and Lydia continued her work on a bonnet she had previously termed 'hideous' then promptly purchased. She was, she had told her sisters, determined to make it into a masterpiece in time for the assembly. Elizabeth cringed every time it caught her eye still, her sister had a long way yet to go, and Ellizabeth doubted that the end result would be much better than the initial. Elizabeth and Jane sat together on the settee with Mary in a chair next to them where they conversed quietly. Mr. Bennet seated himself in one of the wingback chairs closer to the fire and promptly picked up the copy of The Odyssey that he left on the side table for just such a time as this.
They did not have long to wait. Mr. Collins soon appeared in the doorway. And Elizabeth thought ruefully, he could have followed the overly loud giggling and chattering, for even without Mrs. Bennet uttering a sound, Lydia and Kitty had already seemed to put their manners out of mind.
Jane caught her father's eye as Mr. Collins entered, and with a small nod went to the door where Mrs. Hill stood and spoke quietly to her about bringing tea in. Upon seeing his request being fulfilled Mr. Bennet looked back at the parson to offer a chair by himself only to blink in astonishment. Mr. Collins had taken the initiative to move over to Mary's side and even as Jane turned around from ordering the tea, he was seating himself in the chair closest to her. Mr. Bennet cognizant of the awkwardness, coughed once to get the parson's attention before saying, "Mr. Collins-"
"Oh, Cousin, or cousin Collins, if you will. After all we are family, there is no need to stand on such formality amongst our family party." Mr. Collins said with another wide grin.
"Cousin Collins, then. I thought you would, perhaps, like to sit by me. We may speak of the estate." Mr. Bennet said as he motioned to a chair closer to both the door and the fire.
Mr. Collins looked apologetically at Mary for a moment before rising, "Of course, Cousin Bennet, I would be happy to accept your offer, surely it would be wise to learn of your fair residence. But, Cousin Mary," he turned and bowed low, "You must not imagine that I am leaving from dissatisfaction of some sort." Elizabeth's eyebrows rose even as bemusement swept through the rest of the family. Mr. Collins finished by adding, "I am of course most eager to get to know about you as well." Elizabeth worked to keep her jaw closed and kept her face resolutely turned from her father as Mr. Collins lumbered his way over to Mr. Bennet and dropped into the chair opposite him.
"It does not seem like Mama's glee over all her daughter's being soul marked has spread as far as we thought." Elizabeth said to Jane and Mary in an undertone. She startled as Catherine leaned in from Jane's other side.
"Is that what he is about?" She asked with a light giggle but kept her voice low as well. "I did wonder. Poor Mary, if only you could scrub yours off as easily as Lydia drew hers on, what a catch you would have." Her voice was mocking and Mary reddened under her gaze.
Jane let out a faint gasp as Elizabeth shot her younger sister a hard glare. "Perhaps it only works for Lydia, she would be much more likely to do you the favor Kitty. Shall we ask? Would you like to be the next mistress of Longbourn?" Catherine's face flushed to match Mary's, and Jane turned a reproachful gaze on both Catherine and Elizabeth.
"You are both being cruel. Kitty, what possessed you to say such a thing?" Catherine's gaze dropped and the anger that had flared at Elizabeth's harsh rejoinder faded to a look of contrition. "Come, Kitty, sit here by me until we have a chance to talk." Jane slid over into Elizabeth's space and with a small huff, Catherine joined the two of them.
Mrs. Hill brought the tea service in. Elizabeth felt as stiff as her mother looked when Jane rose to do the office. She was not out of line in her retort towards Kitty and she refused to feel remorse for it. It was a cruel thing for Kitty to say, to imply that Mary would be insensible enough to want to be rid of a match. She started as Mary rose and began passing out cook's biscuits to go with the tea, I should have done that, she thought as her father glanced her way with brows raised before he unsteepled his fingers to accept his tea.
"Thank you, Cousin Jane and Mary," Mr. Collins said as he was handed his also, "your willingness to be of use shows a very Christian and proper attitude for young women towards their elders and guests. Lady Catherine, has often said that when one is considering matrimony one should always carefully gauge the deportment of one's future spouse. Especially in regards to how they treat others. "Mr. Collins," she told me before my departure, "matrimony will be one of the most important decisions you will make within your lifetime. You must choose a gentlewoman. One who has been properly reared to show deference and kindness. A lady who is not afraid of economy or serving others." His eyes followed Mary as he spoke and Mr. Bennet, after a prolonged sip of tea to let the parson finish his comments, set his cup down with a decided clank.
"Mr. Collins, I hesitate to bring this up so soon into your visit. But I fear you may be under a misapprehension. Do you come here thinking to find yourself a wife out of my daughters?"
Mr. Collins squinted his eyes and blinked rapidly for a moment as he turned to Mr. Bennet. Elizabeth waited with bated breath as she saw her mother turn her face towards the conversation. Mrs. Bennet's foot had begun to tap and an irritated glare had formed. "Well, yes, Cousin Bennet, I do. Far be it from me to speak impolitically, but I hold a good living at Hunsford Parsonage. I have the condescension of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, which I assure you is no small thing. And, may the day be long in coming, I will someday be the master of Longbourn. What better than to unite our families through marriage. Lady Catherine herself has said that she does not hold with entailing estate's away from females and encouraged me to find a bride among my fair cousins."
Mrs. Bennet's loud sniff was heard just after Mr. Collin's finished speaking, but Mr. Bennet held up a hand to stay her speech.
"I applaud your sentiments, Mr. Collins, but I beg leave to ask another question. Are you then soulmarked?"
Mr. Collin's blinked rapidly again, "Soulmarked?" he said, "why no. I am not. I fail to see how that has any bearing on our discussion though. I was informed by the most impeccable sources that it can only be your two eldest that were marked and so had decided upon seeing how the eldest of your younger three and I would suite. And I do say she has made a favorable impression. Why would this match not please you?"
Mr. Bennet sighed, "I am afraid Mr. Collin's that your sources were wrong. You see all five of my daughters are marked. Your compliments to my daughters are appreciated, but none of them will be available to marry you."
"But Cousin Bennet! There must be some mistake here, Lady Catherine de Bourgh herself, has assured that it does not happen that more than two children per family are marked. You must be mistaken, sir. Far be it from me to accuse anyone, but surely there is a mistake."
"Excuse me!" Mrs. Bennet broke in, "A mistake! I will have you know, sir, that it is indeed true that ALL my daughters are marked."
Mr. Collins turned towards her as she spoke, "But surely, Madam, if they were all marked, one of them would have met their match by now. It is incomprehensible that all five daughters are out and soul marked and there has not been one match yet. No, no, it must not be true-"
"I have never been so insu-" Mrs. Bennet began to say when Mr. Bennet spoke loudly.
"QUIET!" Elizabeth wanted to roll her eyes at the farce that was playing out in front of her eyes, but Mary's look of dismay as she stood with a plate still in her hand cut that short. Rising herself, Elizabeth took the plate from Mary and handed the whole to her mother to distract her. She caught Jane's eye and nodded toward their mother as she then took Mary's hand and led her back to the sofa. Jane took the hint and was moving towards their mother with a cup of tea as Elizabeth sat her younger sister down in her own spot. Elizabeth went back to the tray to get more biscuits to pass out as her father began to speak again.
"Now, Mr. Collins. Whatever Lady Catherine may believe, there have been other instances of families having more than two children who have been marked. If you would like, I can find you the literature myself, as I looked into it after Mary's mark appeared."
Elizabeth brought a plate over to Catherine and Mary and was startled to see that Catherine had moved herself closer to Mary and handed her a handkerchief. Her heart softened a bit at this small act of compassion.
"Mr. Bennet," Mr. Collins said with emphasis, "How you think the literature you have read on soulmarks could be more accurate than the word of a peer I do not understand. I have no need to study it further. As I said, Lady Catherine de Bourgh is a most impeccable source." Elizabeth noted, as she turned to pass Lydia some biscuits, that his eyes were beginning to protrude a bit and his cheeks were puffed out making his jowls appear larger.
"Sir," Mr. Bennet's voice had turned colder, "I can see that this discussion will only turn more acrimonious should we continue. I have said my piece, and you have said yours. Perhaps at this time it would be better to let it rest."
Mr. Collins grudgingly agreed. The rest of the conversation, until they all retired to get ready for dinner, was stilted.
_OOOO_
The next day was their aunt Phillips card party. Regardless of her sister's displeasure at the advent of the heir presumptive, Mrs. Phillips had promptly issued an invitation to him as soon as she realized that he had descended upon Longbourn. A very cordial proper invitation, for while she knew that her sister could not sometimes see the feast upon the table for the bare plate that was before her, Mrs. Phillips had no intention of offending one who would surely one day be a valued client of her own husband (who was some years younger than Mr. Bennet).
Upon receiving the invitation, the invited displayed his approbation for such condescension in such lofty terms that Elizabeth was put to hiding her face behind her embroidery. Holding it up as if she needed to catch better light for the placement of the next stitches, she endeavored to mask the laugh (that would bubble up despite her best efforts) with a cough and then a murmured apology for it when it interrupted the soliloquy.
Mrs. Bennet still sat in offended silence, her brief foray into the argument the day previous notwithstanding. Elizabeth guessed that would last at the most another two days, and resolved to enjoy it while she could. Her mother's silences rarely lasted more than a day or two. That this was an especially vexing situation (that was not helped on by Mr. Collin's not so subtle compliments to Mary that he persisted in, and his rhapsodies on the pleasing aspects of Longbourn and the fine furnishings within) made Elizabeth believe that her mother might be pushed to a new record.
Elizabeth had been hoping to join her mother, not in silence, but in the declining of attending the event. However, Jane had cornered her in the hall after she had hinted at that and reminded her of their plan.
"Lizzy, you cannot stay home. Lydia is going to be going. There will be cards and officers. You must come." Elizabeth baulked at the thought.
"But Jane. We have heard so much prattling today that I do not know if I would even be of any use in the endeavor tonight. My head feels like it's been rattled!"
"Have you reneged on our plan already?" Janes voice had a desperate quality to it that made Elizabeth sit up and take notice, "Even if we have yet to speak to Papa, I do not have a hope of trying to sway Lydia towards better behavior. We already have one of our wishes. Mama and Lydia will not be there together, so I will do what I can to divert attention away from Lydia. But I do so need you and your wits to help with Lydia herself."
Reluctantly, Elizabeth agreed to go, "You are right, Jane. I am sorry that I considered putting this burden upon you, and so soon after we had agreed that I would be the best one to manage Lydia. Why we may even consider this an ideal test of this aspect of our tactics. For it is only a card party, and not in the middle of Meryton, or even worse at an assembly." She paused then before saying, "Whatever shall we do about Mr. Collins though?"
Jane raised her eyebrows, "Why shall we have to do anything with him?"
Elizabeth raised her eyebrows right back at Jane, "He will make a fool of himself paying attention to poor Mary all evening. She will be mortified, Jane."
Jane nodded thoughtfully, "You are right. Clearly, he does not believe Papa. And even if Mary were willing to show him her mark, which she certainly should not, it does not seem that he would believe the very evidence in front of his eyes." There was silence for a moment as they both pondered this and then Jane said, "Very well, as you must be near Lydia, I shall endeavor to stay nearer to Mr. Collins and to distract him from poor Mary."
"Or perhaps we could suggest to Papa that Mary should forego the very great pleasure a card party would bring her?" Elizabeth said with a grin.
"Yes, it would be a sacrifice for her to have to avoid the officers, aunts, and cards." Jane smiled too. "Let us see what Papa says, I think it would be better for her to be able to stay back."
The two moved off to talk to their father, and as they didn't even have to enter the library, their request was speedily granted. They next went to Mary's chambers and were bid enter.
Mary was sitting at her desk, a Bible open before her and a quill in her hand poised over a sheet of paper. When they informed her that she could stay home, she was as close to ecstatic as they had ever seen. "Are you sure that you do not want me along to help with Lydia?" She asked, even though they could see relief shining in her eyes, "I did just offer only yesterday, and it feels selfish of me to stay back." She carefully blotted the ink and laid her quill down before motioning them to join her on the settee next to her desk.
Jane and Elizabeth sat down as Elizabeth laughed and shook her head, "No, no. This will actually be easier on us, for Jane had just agreed to spend her time helping you avoid Mr. Collins when we thought of this other solution."
Mary's shoulders relaxed and she let out an audible breath, "Oh, thank goodness! I do not know what to do with him." Her eyes traced over Jane's very visible spray of honeysuckle that was etched just under her collarbone. "Sometimes I wish that I had such an obvious mark. It feels like I would be doubted less."
Elizabeth quirked an eyebrow, "Doubted less?"
Mary shrugged with a studied air of unconcern. "Yes. I do believe that this might be the genesis of Lady Catherine's information on us as well. I have heard it said, in whispers of course, that even if I do truly have a mark that it was likely drawn on."
Jane frowned, "Who would be so unkind as to say that?"
Elizabeth and Mary shared a glance before Elizabeth said reluctantly, "I suppose the rumors started around the time Lydia drew her mark on."
Mary nodded, "It was just at the time that Mother was pushing me to come out. While everyone knows that Lydia's mark was drawn on, enough people have seen the heart wet or scrubbed at to believe that it is truly a mark. But with mine being on my shoulder, they have not had that same chance."
"You know, fashion is such that we could have a dress made that would show it." Elizabeth suggested.
Jane leaned over and took Mary's hand as she blushed to the roots of her hair, "I think she would prefer to be seen as honest enough to be believed."
"I am already uncomfortable in the dresses Mother picks out for the assemblies. I could not bear to wear an even more revealing costume. And yes, I do wish everyone would see me as honest. I try so hard, Lizzy, to be godly and demure and proper. Yet people ignore what they see of me to gossip without proof, or worse think that I am trying to fool them by behaving so properly." Elizabeth leaned over to give Mary's other hand a squeeze. "I wish we could do something for you. I don't like hearing this and not being able to fix it."
Mary sniffed and wiped the corner of her eyes with the palm of her hand, "You are doing something, you are letting me stay home tonight. And you listened to me. Thank you."
"It feels inadequate, Mary, but you are welcome."
_OOOO_