The following morning at Longbourn, Mrs Bennet was surprised to see that Mr Collins was already in the breakfast parlour.
"Good morning, Mr Collins," she spoke to him, or rather, his back.
"Oh! Oh, good morning, Mrs Bennet!" Mr Collins hastily turned around to meet his hostess.
"I did not realise you rise so early, sir," she remarked, puzzled at what he had been mumbling about.
"I have a habit of starting my day promptly, madam. Being a parson, there is always a great deal of important matters that I need to attend to, hence I feel it is vital that I utilise my time well. My esteemed patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, cannot help but be impressed by my organisation and efficiency," he explained.
"I see. I shall call for Hill to have breakfast ready. Mr Bennet and my girls will be here shortly."
"There is no need to rush on my account. I am quite content to admire your furnishings while waiting. Modest they may be, especially in comparison with the luxurious decor at Rosings, but I find them perfectly adequate for a property of this size," he commented and let his fingers glide on the mahogany sideboard.
Mrs Bennet studied his movements and frowned, suspecting that their estate's heir presumptive was taking a mental inventory of what he could potentially inherit. A few questions about the furniture and ornaments were raised before the rest of the family took their place at the table.
"I am grieved to hear that the lovely Miss Bennet has been so poorly that Miss Elizabeth has had to stay the night at Netherfield," Mr Collins stated after listening to the conversation between the Bennets.
"I do not believe her condition to be so serious, but it is good to ensure that she is carefully tended to," Mrs Bennet responded.
Mr Collins, a tall heavy-set man, was now convinced that the caring and more robust Elizabeth would be a better choice for his wife than the sickly Jane. It would not do for him to have a life partner who would not be fit to fulfil her wifely duties and assist him with his parish work.
"Mr Bennet, I should like to call at Netherfield in the afternoon to enquire upon Jane's health. I hope you would be able to spare the horses for a couple of hours," Mrs Bennet implored.
"You do not intend to go on horseback then? Or go on foot?" Mr Bennet replied in a dry tone.
"Do not be silly, Mr Bennet. Have you noticed the grey skies? I do not wish to be caught in the rain without a carriage."
Her husband thought better than to bring up how Jane and Elizabeth had travelled to Netherfield, preferring to enjoy his peace. "Very well. Now you cannot claim that I do nothing for you, my dear."
"Mama! Can I go with you?" Lydia pleaded.
"If Lydia is going, I am going too!" Kitty quickly added.
The excited pair did not have to beg again for their mother was more than happy to grant her favourite daughter's wish. As for Kitty, she often followed what Lydia did. The middle daughter, Mary, who sometimes felt ignored, did not make a similar request for she had other ideas in mind.
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"Would you care for some tea, Mr Collins?" Mary offered him later in the day. Her two elder sisters were away, which gave her the opportunity to take charge of tea service.
Hearing Mary address their grave and formal cousin made Lydia and Kitty peer at their studious sister with curiosity. Their mother thought nothing of this gesture, satisfied that someone other than herself had taken the initiative to prepare the tea for their small party. Mary committed to the task readily and felt gratified when awarded a small smile by Mr Collins after he had taken his first sip of the beverage.
Not long after, Mrs Bennet, Lydia and Kitty headed upstairs to change into more suitable attire for their Netherfield visit, conscious that Mr Bingley's sisters would be wearing dresses of the latest fashion.
Mary, wanting to appear hospitable to their guest, decided that she could play some songs on the pianoforte for entertainment. For a time, Mr Collins remained seated on the settee and listened to his plain-looking cousin's performance. Thereafter he took a turn around the room to scrutinise various articles of furniture.
"Mr Collins," Mrs Bennet called to him upon her return.
Startled, the man lost his grip on the ceramic figurine he had been examining. Luckily for him, the music was loud enough to conceal the resulting cracking noise. He faced Mrs Bennet, using his large frame to cover the damage behind him.
"We are sorry to be leaving you, but we shall be back soon. Please, make yourself comfortable in our home. Mr Bennet will be in his study should you require anything."
"Not to worry, Mrs Bennet. I have plenty of sources of amusement. I am fairly certain that I would be able to discover some suitable reading materials from your husband's extensive collection of books."
"Are you ready, Mary?"
"Pardon, mama?"
"We have to head out now before it is too late to call," Mrs Bennet told her.
"I thought I was staying here…" Mary replied, glancing at Mr Collins then quickly looked away.
"No. You are coming with us."
"But… mama… I have not changed my clothes…"
"What you have on will do. No one will pay attention to what you wear. Hurry along now," Mrs Bennet instructed.
"But how about Mr Collins…"
"I have already spoken to your father. He is happy to play backgammon with your cousin while we are out."
"Miss Mary, I thank you for being so gracious. But I believe that Miss Bennet could be missing your company. Miss Elizabeth might also benefit from taking a rest from tending to your ill sibling. I have the highest appreciation for the affectionate bond between sisters. I have always thought that it is very special, how female relations could be so close and fond of each other," Mr Collins declared, hoping that Mary would join the ladies so he would be free to take care of the presumably broken figurine.
In a bid to demonstrate that she too could be a devoted sister, Mary went with the others to visit Jane.
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"Mrs Bennet, Miss Mary, Miss Catherine and Miss Lydia," the newly arrived guests were announced at Netherfield.
"Good heavens! Are we to receive every Bennet from the county?" muttered Caroline.
"Not quite. Mr Bennet is not present." Charles answered with a smile and Caroline rolled her eyes.
After the customary greetings, bows and curtsies, Mrs Bennet politely enquired after her eldest daughter.
"It is unfortunate that my dear friend Miss Bennet has fallen ill. She was thoroughly soaked when she arrived yesterday. She must have caught a chill, but I am sure it will not take long for her to recover," Caroline tried to sound cordial.
"My poor Jane! I did advise her to wait for the carriage to be ready, but she did not wish to be late for her meeting with you."
"Mrs Bennet, please be assured that we are doing our best to ensure her comfort here. Mr Jones has been to see her yesterday and he should be back to examine her again later today," said Charles.
"I thank you very much for your generosity and kind consideration, Mr Bingley."
Caroline then offered the invitation for Mrs Bennet and her three youngest daughters to visit Jane in her room. She accompanied them upstairs and returned to the parlour after some time to allow her guests some privacy with Jane.
"Oh my! It is really pouring down!" she exclaimed, looking out the window.
"Caroline, you may need to have a few more rooms prepared, in case the rain does not let up soon," Charles advised.
"They live only three miles away, brother!"
"We cannot in conscience send the ladies to return home in this horrible weather," her brother's voice was firm.
"Are we to provide accommodations for every single Bennet in the county?" she huffed.
"Not quite. Mr Bennet is not--"
"Oh, hush, Charles. I do not see any humour in this situation," she interrupted him then reluctantly called for their housekeeper.
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Hi everyone.
Thank you very much for supporting this new story.
I am sorry if any of it sounds familiar, but I do not have an explanation for that as I honestly write and plot my own stories. I have avoided reading PnP fanfiction since I started writing just so I do not end up unconsciously using other authors' ideas. I am aware that the scenes in the first chapter have similarities to the original, but I did have Collins appearing earlier and also added dialogue. I hope that my stories are unique enough…
I also want to give advance notice that I am going to be away in the last week of July till most of August so I doubt I will have time to write.
Take care, everyone!