A few days after Kitty's engagement party, the Bennet family was having breakfast when Mr. Bennet said, "Mrs. Bennet, girls, I have some important news." He paused while five pairs of eyes looked at him expectantly and added, "Yesterday afternoon, I received an interesting letter from someone I have never met."

Intrigued, Mrs. Bennet asked, "Oh, Mr. Bennet. Important news? Who sent you the letter?"

Mr. Bennet smiled, and said "I propose to play a little game: each of you can ask me a single question. At the end of the game, each of you will have a chance to guess the identity of the gentleman."

Mrs. Bennet, excited exclaimed, "A gentleman! Is he single?"

"Yes."

"Is he young?" Elizabeth asked.

"He is twenty-five years old."

"Does he have an estate?" Mary asked.

"Not yet, my dear."

"Does he live in Meryton?" Kitty asked.

"No, he lives in Kent."

"Is he handsome?" Lydia asked.

"I never met him, my dear."

They continued for some minutes with the game until, but they couldn't guess the gentleman's identity. At last, a very impatient Mrs. Bennet said, "Mr. Bennet, please, don't vex us anymore. Who is the gentleman?"

"It is our cousin Mr. Collins."

"Mr. Collins! That horrible man. Why did he write you a letter? It is not fair that our dear girls can't inherit the property when you die. At least Kitty is engaged. But the rest of our poor girls..."

"Mama, please, Papa is in excellent health!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"What is the letter about it, Papa?", Mary asked.

"He wants to meet us and offer an olive branch. He will arrive tomorrow at 4 o'clock."

Mr. Collins was a young clergyman, who had the good fortune of being recommended to his estimated patroness, Lady Catherine De Bourgh. He arrived at Longbourn punctually at 4 o'clock the following day. He was a tall, heavy-looking young man. He formally greeted the Bennet family and complimented Mrs. Bennet for her house and especially her beautiful daughters.

During dinner, Mr. Collins told Mrs. Bennet the main reason he had come to Longbourn was his esteemed patroness, Lady Catherine De Bourgh, had recommended he marry, preferably one of his beautiful cousins , so they wouldn't lose their home when Mr. Bennet died.

Mrs. Bennet was ecstatic. Her first instinct was to promote a match between him and Elizabeth but then she remembered that at Kitty's engagement party Mr. Bingley had danced with Elizabeth the first set and Mr. Darcy the supper set. On the other hand, Mary was her less pretty daughter and she also loved reading sermons. Yes, Mary should be the future Mrs. Collins.

The next morning, Mrs. Bennet convinced a somewhat reluctant Mr. Collins, who preferred Elizabeth as the eldest and prettier of his cousins to be his wife, that Mary was the perfect companion for his life.

PPP

Mary Bennet had been living her entire life in the shadow of her sisters and was often negatively compared to them. Her mother always said that she wasn't as beautiful as Jane, witty as Lizzy, sweet as Kitty, or lively as Lydia. Her father never made an effort to understand her and sometimes unintentionally was cruel. Her siblings were kind to her most of the time, but she seldom was invited or included in their activities.

She wished to be accepted and loved by her family but she always felt out of place and forgotten by them.

So, she was shocked and flattered when Mr. Collins started to pay her special attention. In the past, nobody sought her company over her sisters, and certainly, no gentleman outside of the family had ever cared for her.

Mary realized Mr. Collins wasn't the brightest of men, and he tended to talk too much about his patronnes, Lady Catherine, her grand house, and magnificent estate. But on the other hand, he was a clergyman, passionate about the scriptures, the heir of Longbourn, and overall, he was a good man. She had never dreamed of finding a love match because there weren't enough gentlemen in the neighbourhood, and she knew men preferred a prettier wife.

To encourage Mr. Collins's attention and with her mother's help, she changed her hairstyle and dressed in soft colors that were more appropriate for her complexion, revealing her natural beauty. Mr. Collins was very pleased with her new look and even Mrs. Bennet said she looked pretty.

In less than a week, Mr. Collins proposed to Mary, and she gladly accepted.

Mr. Bennet gave his consent and blessing after Mary told him Mr. Collins was her choice.

Elizabeth, at first, was annoyed since, in her opinion, Mr. Collins was a ridiculous man, and Mary deserved better. But it was clear to Elizabeth that Mary had never been truly happy at Longbourn and seemed pleased to marry Mr. Collins, so in the end, she was content with her sister's choice.

Kitty was a little sad for her sister, for - as an engaged woman in a love match - she hoped all her sisters could achieve the same happiness. Upon reflection, however, most of the marriages she knew had little in common between the spouses. At least Mary was excited to be a parson's wife, and seemed to like Mr. Collins.

Lydia was indifferent; she wasn't close to Mary. Besides, in her opinion, Mr. Collins was a dull clergyman who wasn't handsome.

Mrs. Bennet was blissfully happy; she had two fewer daughters to marry, and she didn't need to worry about the future anymore. They were safe, and Longbourn would stay in the family. Mr. Collins was now her favourite future son-in-law, and Mary, her favourite daughter.

Mrs. Bennet wanted to make a huge celebration for the couple's engagement, but unfortunately, Mr. Collins could only stay four more days before returning to Kent. She had only three days and hadn't enough time to make the arrangements for a ball. She had to settle for organizing the best dinner party of the year with at least five courses.

PPP

Four days later, the anticipated engagement party arrived. Mrs. Bennet was well-known in the neighbourhood for being an excellent hostess, but she was confident she would exceed all expectations on this occasion.

Darcy arrived early hoping to converse for some minutes with the lovely Miss Bennet and escape Miss Bingley's constant complaints about Netherfield Park. Due to the inclement weather, he hadn't seen Miss Bennet in the last four days. He didn't know exactly why, but every time he was in Elizabeth's presence, he felt a deep sense of contentment and excitement. He had never felt this way before and he wanted to take his time to know her better.

Mrs. Bennet proudly introduced him to her future son-in-law. Mr. Collins at first was surprised, he didn't expect to meet the famous nephew of his patroness in this place, and with a low bow, he solemnly greeted him.

"Mr. Darcy, it is a pleasure to meet you at last. I want to express my sympathy for your misfortune and disappointed hopes, but as Lady Catherine in her infinite wisdom said, if you had followed her advice and married her beautiful daughter sooner, none of this would have happened. Miss de Bourgh with her excellent breeding and sensibility would have taught your immoral sister good principles…".

All the people gathered in the room listened in astonishment to Mr. Collins's long and inappropriate speech. Mr. Darcy was at first shocked, then furious, and at last, he said,

"Mr. Collins, if you persist in talking that way about my sister, I will call you out. So, if you appreciate your life, think before opening your mouth," and some seconds later he added, "Mrs. Bennet, I am very sorry for the inconvenience, but I can't stay here listening to this man talking in that disrespectful way about my sister."

The room was suddenly deadly silent. Mrs. Bennet was very nervous and aware of the possible nefarious consequences of Mr. Collins's imprudent comments. She couldn't lose her future son-in-law in a duel, at least not before he married her daughter. So, with pleading eyes she said, "Please, Mr. Darcy, don't leave. Forgive Mr. Collins. I am sure he didn't mean to offend you in any way and he wants to apologize."

A repentant and scared Mr. Collins delivered a long apology, but unfortunately, the damage was already done. During dinner, a very concerned Miss Bennet and Mr. Bingley tried very hard to engage him in conversation about his favorite topics, but their efforts were in vain since his mind was troubled revisiting all the events that lead to Georgiana's elopement.

As soon as the dinner was over, Darcy claimed a sudden headache and returned to Netherfield Park with a worried Mr. Bingley and a solicitous Miss Bingley.