Longbourn, 1808–1811
Since her father's death, Mary Bennet's life at Longbourn had not been happy. She missed her sister Elizabeth dearly; her mother constantly fawned over Mr. Collins to give her money, and her younger sisters had nothing in common with her.
She corresponded with Elizabeth at least once a fortnight with details of their lives and fears for the future. She was disappointed with all the times the Harrisons invited her to Greystone or London, but Fanny refused to let her go.
She often went to church to sit, meditate, and talk with the elderly parson of Longbourn, Mr. Martin. It was there, in early 1810, that she met Mr. Edward Barton. He was the nephew of the owner of Netherfield Park, who had granted his nephew the living of Netherfield's parish a few months prior. The young priest was kind and intelligent, and had a great vocation to help the poorest. Once or twice a week, he used to visit Mr. Martin to talk about problems in the community and ask for his advice on many subjects.
As Mary and Mr. Barton got to know each other better, they fell deeply in love. Mary began to dress in lighter colours, changed her hairstyle, and began to wear glasses only for reading since she did not need them for other daily activities. The change in her appearance did not go unnoticed by William Collins, who began to take too much interest in her and had inappropriate dreams.
In the spring of 1811, after an acquaintance of more than a year, Mr. Barton proposed to Mary, and she happily accepted. Immediately, they both wrote to Mr. Gardiner to obtain his permission and blessing to marry.
Unfortunately, the peace and happiness Mary had achieved were marred when, a week later, Mr. Collins Sr. died of a heart attack. Two days later, Mr. Gardiner came from London to attend the funeral and to speak with William Collins about the future of his sister and nieces.
Jane stayed in London with her Aunt Gardiner, fearing her mother would ask her to marry Mr. Collins. As she was of age, she had no intention of complying, but it was better to avoid a possible conflict with her mother.
At the reading of the will, Williams Collins inherited Longbourn, and Fanny and her daughters were only entitled to the £5,000 stipulated in her settlement.
Mr. William Collins, taking advantage of the fact that he owned Longbourn, told Fanny that they could only stay there if Mary agreed to marry him as soon as possible.
Overjoyed at the prospect of staying at Longbourn and not caring that her daughter was betrothed to another, Fanny assured him that she would speak to Mary, and they would soon be married.
That same afternoon, she called Mary to her room, and they had a terrible argument with severe consequences.
"My dear Mary, I have excellent news to tell you. I know you will be thrilled when you hear it. It is a miracle!"
Mary looked at her mother, surprised, since hours before she was complaining about the misfortune of Mr. Collins' death, and now she was visibly excited.
Fanny continued, "I spoke to William a few hours ago, and in his great kindness, he will allow us to stay at Longbourn on the condition you marry him. I am so happy for you!"
Mary's eyes widened, and she was unable to articulate a single word due to shock.
"Imagine that you will be the mistress of Longbourn, and your sisters and I will stay here with you."
Mary shook her head and said, "Mother, I am sorry but I cannot marry Mr. Collins. You forget that I am engaged to Mr. Barton."
"Mr. Barton? Who cares about Mr. Barton? He is just a parson. No, Mary, listen well; your duty is to marry Mr. Collins."
In addition to having given her word to Mr. Barton, Mary was very much in love with him and therefore was unwilling to break off the engagement.
Mary shook her head again. "No, Mother, I repeat that I am sorry, but I will not marry Mr. Collins."
Furious Mrs. Bennet slapped her face and spitefully said, "You are an ungrateful child. I married Mr. Collins so we could stay at Longbourn. You say you are unwilling to make a small sacrifice for your family. You should be grateful that a man as important as William noticed you. I would understand if Jane or Lydia, who are both beautiful, rejected William, but for you, an unattractive woman, it is incredible! I will talk to my brother so he can force you to do your duty to your family. Go now; I do not want to see you until you do your duty."
Mary was crying from the slap, and her mother's hurtful words spewed at her. She was afraid her uncle would indeed force her to marry Mr. Collins. She quickly wrote a note to Mr. Barton and asked Mrs. Hill to have a stable boy take it to the parish.
An hour and a half later, there was a terrible fight in Longbourn, and Mr. Collins threw Mrs. Bennet and her daughters out of Longbourn. Mr. Gardiner, to Fanny's fury, supported Mary in her decision to marry Mr. Barton. He agreed with Mr. Barton that they would be married in his parish in a month.
For two weeks, Fanny and her two youngest daughters lived in Mrs. Phillips's house while Mr. Gardiner looked for a small property in London. Mary stayed with the Gardiners until her wedding day.
Mr. Stevens, who was still sincerely in love with Fanny, took advantage of the fact that she was a widow and proposed that they resume their clandestine relationship and marry in six months. She accepted the proposal yet still hoped to meet a more prosperous gentleman in London.