Longbourn 1808
About three months before Mr. Bennet's death, since Mrs. Bennet knew he was dying, with Mrs. Phillips' help, they devised a plan so she could stay with her daughters at Longbourn. For the plan to work, Fanny needed to become pregnant soon. Mr. Bennet was not an option as they had not shared a room for years, and now he was very ill.
After thinking about it seriously and ruling out possible gentlemen, her sister remembered that twenty years ago, Mr. Stevens, who owned the Meryton bookshop, had been in love with her and had been a widower for several years. Fanny began going to the bookshop in low-cut dresses to flirt shamelessly with Mr. Stevens. Before two weeks had passed, Mr. Stevens, who still had lustful feelings for her, succumbed to her charms. They started a passionate affair, which ended prematurely two months later when Mr. Phillips found them in a compromising situation. He strongly chastised Fanny and Mr. Stevens for what they were doing. After they both promised to end the affair immediately, Mr. Phillips swore not to say anything about what he had seen. The situation was very delicate for the honest solicitor; if Fanny became pregnant, legally, that child was Mr. Bennet's, and if it were a boy, it would be Longbourn's heir.
A few days after Mr. Bennet's funeral, Mr. Collins arrived in Longbourn with his only son, William Collins. Mr. Collins was a man of about 45 years of age who had been a widower for twenty years. He was a gruff, uneducated man who was not particularly attractive. His son had not yet reached the age of majority and was physically similar to his father.
After reading the will, Mrs. Bennet was furious to learn that her husband had left such a large dowry to Elizabeth, so little to the rest of their daughters and virtually nothing for Jane.
To the astonishment of all present, Fanny informed them that she would likely be pregnant and, therefore, it would take a few more months to know who would inherit Longbourn.
Mr. Collins protested vehemently at such news, and after a long discussion, they agreed that Mrs. Bennet and her daughters could stay and live at Longbourn with him and his son. Elizabeth, who was undoubtedly the one most saddened by her father's death, would go to live with the Harrisons.
The Gardiners offered to take Jane to live with them because they did not like how William Collins looked at her. However, Fanny was undecided. If her plan to have an heir failed, her beautiful daughter would have to marry William Collins so they could stay at Longbourn, as Mary was only 14 years old.
The biblical verse, "For man proposes, but God disposes," applied to this situation. Despite her efforts, a month after Mr. Bennet's death, Fanny found that she was not pregnant, or if she was, she had miscarried. Mr. Collins, who controlled her every move, soon learned that he was indeed the owner of Longbourn's.
Since Mrs. Bennet was a beautiful and voluptuous woman, he proposed she stays at Longbourn with her daughters during the year of mourning in exchange for certain 'favours'.
Fanny Bennet's first reaction was a resounding negative until Mr. Collins ordered her to leave Longbourn with her daughters. The next day, she changed her mind, but only on the condition that they marry in case of consequences for such 'favours'.
Mr. Collins, amused, agreed to the marriage; after all, he had nothing to lose. His son would inherit Longbourn, Mrs. Bennet's and her daughters' support money would come from the interest on their dowries, and he would gain a beautiful woman at his disposal in return.
Three months after Mr. Bennet's death, Fanny married Mr. Collins. Only their respective children attended the ceremony.
Unlike Mr. Bennet, Mr. Collins was a demanding man, and from the beginning, he insisted he wanted to share a room to satisfy his needs better. Fanny quickly found that he was very strict with money—or rather miserly—and would not give her money for unnecessary expenses, such as lace and new dresses.
Since Mr. Collins had not grown up on an estate and his knowledge of mathematics and accounting was very limited, he needed help understanding Longbourn's ledgers. The elderly steward met with him every week, but due to ignorance or perhaps mistrust, he took a long time to make decisions that negatively affected the lives of his tenants.
While this was happening, William Collins became increasingly captivated by Jane and followed her everywhere. He had written her several love poems and even, to Jane's horror, had proposed to her. Ironically, Mr. Collins Sr., perhaps influenced by his wife, objected to his son marrying Jane, as they were both too young.
Mrs. Collins, to avoid conflict, decided that the prudent thing to do was to send Jane to London to live with the Gardiners.