by Zoë Burton
Collins hesitated but did as directed. “This arrangement is fine for this evening, but I would rather have sat beside my lovely young cousin. It is my greatest desire to get to know her and all her sisters. After all, since I am to inherit the estate, it is my duty to guide them upon your demise, Cousin.”
“I have assured you already that all of my girls are well provided for. There is no need for you to become any better acquainted with them than you already are.” Bennet gestured for Mr. Hill to begin to serve the meal, assisted by the grooms who had been pressed into service within the house for meal times.
“You have, and your preparedness does you credit. However, there is no substitute for proper spiritual guidance, such as only I can give.” Collins leered at Jane from his end of the table.
Mrs. Bennet, who had been paying close attention to the conversation between her husband and his cousin, reached a hand under the table and grasped her eldest daughter’s. Jane turned her pale face and wide eyes toward her mother and returned the squeeze. She then turned her face to her plate.
“The spiritual welfare of my daughters, sir, is the purview of their father and the rector of the church they attend. Mr. Dearman is an able pastor to his flock and came to me highly recommended by his predecessor. All my girls faithfully attend services. Their souls are in no danger.” Bennet had turned redder the longer he spoke. He had not missed the looks on the faces of his family at the other end of the table and knew Collins had made them uncomfortable somehow. When the other man opened his mouth once more to defend himself, Bennet stood, dropping his silverware on the table with a clatter as his chair scraped the floor. His left hand gripped his napkin while his right pointed at his cousin. “I will hear nothing from you, Mr. Collins. This is still my house and my table and they operate under my rules. You are expressly forbidden from speaking to any of my daughters. If I hear that you have so much as looked at one, I will see you on the field of honour. Do I make myself clear?” He leaned down, his right hand now fisted and resting on the table, carrying his weight. “Or shall I explain further?” Bennet’s snarl matched the sneer that bared his teeth and gave him a dark look.
Collins drew his head back when his host responded to his comments with hostility. His eyes widened for a long moment before narrowing to slits. “Dueling is illegal. Surely you would not violate the law of the land?”
“I do not care what it is. I meant every word I said. You are to leave my daughters alone. I ask again, have I made myself clear?”
Collins clenched his jaw. “You have.”
“Good.” Bennet seated himself again, gesturing to the grooms-turned-footmen, who had retreated to the sides of the room when the master stood. They resumed serving the meal, keeping a watchful eye on those seated at the table.
Supper proceeded swiftly from that point, because no one said anything else the entire meal. Bennet remained red-faced and angry, his focus on his cousin and watching the man’s every move. Mrs. Bennet’s eyes moved from her plate to each of the others seated at the table with her in their turn. Jane’s eyes were glued to her plate. She never looked toward the other end of the table, though she sent a couple glances in her mother’s direction. Mrs. Collins kept one eye on her plate and one on her husband at all times.
~~~***~~~
When the meal was finally complete, Bennet instructed his wife and the ladies to remain. “We will not separate this night. You may remain here with us for the brief time we will visit. Mrs. Bennet, I will escort you and Jane to your chambers when we are done.”
“Thank you.” Mrs. Bennet nodded, her eyes glowing at her husband.
Bennet tilted his head, his features softening for a brief moment as he looked at his wife and eldest daughter, their identical blonde heads so close together. Then, he gestured for Mr. Hill to fill the glasses he had set out, the gentlemen’s with port and the ladies’ with sherry.
Eventually, the long evening was over. Bennet rose and strode to the end of the table to pull out the chairs of his spouse and child. Offering them his arms, he inclined his head to the Collinses and led the way out of the room and up the stairs. He paused as he passed Mr. Hill, leaning over to whisper something in the servant’s ear before departing the dining room.
Collins and his wife followed their hosts to the second floor of the house, turning right when they turned left. Mr. Hill followed them up, stationing himself at the top of the stairs. When Collins shut himself and his wife into their suite, Hill turned and gestured to his master, who had held his ladies in the hall.
“I did not wish my cousin to know which room belongs to which Bennet.” He kissed Jane on the cheek. “You may go now, my dear. I apologize for the unpleasantness you had to experience this evening.”
“Thank you for defending me, Papa. I am certain our guest did not understand how his words would be taken.”
“Jane.” Mr. Bennet spoke sternly. “Have you forgotten what I told you of him and his father? He knows very well what he said and how it would be taken. Trust me on this.”
Jane nodded. “I will. I am sorry.”
“I know you like to see the good in everyone. You have always been a gentle soul. However, you need to understand that not everyone is as you are. Do not allow yourself to be alone with him and do not let his words sway you otherwise.”
“I will not. I promise. Good night Papa, good night Mama.”
When Jane had shut her door and locked it, Bennet escorted his wife to their sitting room. He locked the door behind him and then strode into Mrs. Bennet’s chamber to make sure her room was locked, as well. That task completed, he entered the sitting room once more, to find his wife standing in the centre, wringing her hands.
“Sit, my dear. I wish to speak to you, but I need to check the locks first.” Bennet grasped his spouse’s elbow and steered her toward the sofa in the centre of the room. When she was seated, he hurried into his bedchamber. Certain that all the doors to the suite were now firmly locked, he returned to sit beside his wife. He settled comfortably into the corner of the sofa, leaning backwards into it with his hands over his midsection. “I noticed a look on your face at dinner. Did Mr. Collins do something that made you uncomfortable?”
Mrs. Bennet took a deep breath. She had, by great exertion of will, remained as quiet as possible since her husband had escorted her and Jane into the dining room. Now, her thoughts were jumbled and she did not know what to say first.
Bennet had noted to himself the quietness of his normally verbose wife, and while he was enjoying it while it lasted and knew it would likely stop the moment she opened her mouth, the information was important for him to know. He gently encouraged her. “It is well. I know you probably have a lot of thoughts to express, but think back to the first moment he startled you, after we were seated.”
Mrs. Bennet nodded and obeyed. “It was a look. He looked at Jane,” she dropped her voice to a whisper, “as though he wished to take liberties with her.”
Bennet pressed his lips together. “I should not be surprised at that. Thank you for telling me.” He patted Mrs. Bennet’s hand. “At least you now have an experience to use as an excuse for your nerves.”
Mrs. Bennet’s brows came together as she frowned, biting her lip.
“I know I have mocked you for them for years, but you are to feel free to take to your bed with your salts at any time for the duration of Collins’ visit. I would have us dine in our rooms, as well, unless we have other company. I am certain we can come up with credible excuses.” Bennet turned thoughtful. “We will have to break our fasts belowstairs as usual, and have tea as we usually do. I want his interactions with my family to be limited, but I do not wish for the neighbours to think we are not making the best of the situation.”
Mrs. Bennet nodded eagerly. “Yes, I would like that. I was so frightened for Jane tonight. Thank you for defending us.” Her worried gaze turned into something else as she remembered his strong presence standing at the other end of the table.
Bennet noticed the soft, admiring look in his wife’s eyes and felt something in him stir. It had been a long time since Mrs. Bennet had looked at him so. A corner of his lips quirked up into a smile that used to get him whatever he wanted from her. “You are welcome, my dear.” He lifted a hand to stroke her cheek. “Are you ready to retire? Perhaps I could join you?”
“Oh, yes, please do.” Mrs. Bennet fluttered her lashes at her husband and, when he rose and held his hand out to her, allowed him to assist her off the couch and escort her into her bedroom.
~~~***~~~
The next day, Bennet announced at breakfast that he was taking the Collinses on a tour of the estate.
“We will be back in time for supper but will require a basket of goods to take with us. Will you call for Mrs. Hill and make the request, Mrs. Bennet?” Longbourn’s master gazed down the table at his wife, who blushed with a pretty smile.
“Of course. Anything you wish.” Mrs. Bennet turned to her astonished middle child. “Mary, ring for Hill, if you please.”
With a wide-eyed look at her elder sisters, who looked equally shocked, Mary did as she was bid. She returned to the table in time to witness her father wink at her mother, an unprecedented action. Her eyes darting back and forth between her parents, the girl plopped into her seat as though dropped from a great height. She looked at her sisters again, this time noting Elizabeth staring at her plate and biting her lip and Jane smiling serenely at her mother. Mary swallowed, then addressed herself to her plate with great concentration and a determination to discuss the incident with her siblings as soon as possible.
Bennet grinned to himself when he noted his middle daughter’s confusion. Outwardly, other than the wink at his wife, he maintained a stoic mien. He cleared his throat. “The horses are needed in the farm today, Mr. Collins. You and I will have to walk into Meryton and rent a pair for the carriage. We can return for your wife.”
“Do you expect me to believe this estate has no carriage horses? Have you allowed it to fail to such an extent?” Collins puffed his chest out, as though to intimidate his listeners.
“I do not expect you to believe anything. We do have carriage horses. However, as I just made clear, they are needed in the farm today. The only animals left are Nellie and Hermes, neither of which is trained to pull a carriage. He silently prayed Mary would not say anything about his blatant lie.
Collins blustered for several minutes, not noticing Mrs. Hill enter to speak to the mistress and then leave. “You have that manservant who followed us up the stairs last night. Why can he not go into town and rent the horses for us? A clergyman such as myself is above such petty concerns. My patroness, the inestimable Lady Catherine De Bourgh reminds me daily the importance of preserving rank.”
Bennet clenched his jaw, pausing before he replied. “Mr. Hill is required here. He will not go gallivanting all over Hertfordshire because you are too good to walk a mile into town. You have two good legs and you are young and healthy. Fresh air and exercise can only benefit you. You will walk to Meryton with me and rent horses or we will remain at Longbourn.” He shrugged. “It makes no difference to me.”
Collins sat stiffly, his fingers curled into fists atop the table. His jaw was clenched; the sound of teeth grinding was clearly heard. He glared at Bennet, but as happened the previous night, his cousin merely stared back with an unyielding mien. “Very well, then.” He turned to his wife. “You will come with us, Mrs. Collins. We will walk to Meryton.”
“Surely you would rather your wife wait here. Ladies are delicate creatures, meant to be cossetted and treated with respect. You should ask her opinion.” Bennet turned to his female guest. “Mrs. Collins, would you rather wait here or walk into Meryton with us? I warn you, the roads are not always easy to traverse this time of year and you may well end up with muddy hems.”
Before his wife could open her mouth, Mr. Collins spoke. “Mrs. Collins is my responsibility, not yours. She is a hearty female; a walk of a mile is nothing to her.” The clergyman did not as much as look at his spouse as he spoke. “Further, a wife is subject to her husband. I have given her a command to walk with us, and walk with us, she shall.”
Bennet listened in silence to this speech, his gaze going back to his cousin’s wife. The lady had looked up with slightly parted lips, her posture stiff, as though ready to move one direction or the other on a moment’s notice. Then, as her husband began to speak, she visibly deflated, her gaze going back to her plate. Bennet could almost feel her disappointment. He wished he could override her spouse, but he could not. Thank heavens he is already married. I would not wish him on any of my daughters, he thought. “Very well, then. Let us go.” He walked over to his wife, who stood at his approach. He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I will rent a carriage as well as horses. Send the basket to the stables.” He pulled back, saw Mrs. Bennet nod her understanding, then kissed her cheek. Within a few minutes, he was escorting his guests out the door.
Chapter 15
A half hour after Bennet and the Collinses left for Meryton, the sound of a carriage was heard in the paddock in front of the house. Kitty and Lydia, who had been sent for the moment the guests were out of sight, rushed to the window.
“It is Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley!” The excitement in Lydia’s voice gave way to disappointment. “Oh, and Mr. and Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley.”
“You do not like Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley?” Elizabeth’s soft question reached the girls as they turned away from the window.
“I do not.” Lydia threw herself into a chair.
“They speak to us like we were bugs.” Kitty mimicked her younger sister’s action.
“Sit up, girls. You will be polite or your banishment to your chambers will be permanent.” Mrs. Bennet reprimanded her youngest daughters as she peered at her reflection in the glass hanging on the wall. She turned, examining each girl with a critical eye.
Mrs. Hill entered to announce the visitors.
“Come in, come in!” Mrs. Bennet curtseyed. “It is so good to see you. We quite missed your presence at dinner last night, Mr. Darcy. You, too, Mr. Bingley.”
Darcy smiled at his hostess as he rose from his bow. “Thank you, madam. I cannot speak for Bingley, but I assure you I missed being here.” He did not wait for a response, instead striding eagerly to his betrothed’s side. He did hear Mrs. Bennet giggle, and he bit the inside of his mouth to control the grin that threatened.
Elizabeth had no such qualms. Instead, she burst into laughter, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth. When Darcy winked at her, she laughed again.
Bingley assured Mrs. Bennet that he, too, missed her supper. He settled in near Jane, while his sisters and brother-in-law found comfortable seats nearby.
Darcy and Elizabeth observed the general chatter for a few minutes, then turned to each other.
“How are you?” Darcy reached for Elizabeth’s hand.
“I am well. I spent most of yesterday in my chambers with a cold cloth, but all that rest seems to have helped. I feel much better today, despite the stress of Mr. Collins’ presence.” Elizabeth unconsciously rubbed her thumb over Darcy’s.
Darcy tilted his head. “He arrived yesterday, as expected?”
Elizabeth grimaced. “He did. I spoke to my father this morning; it seems Mr. Collins made Jane and my mother uncomfortable at supper. He has been demanding from the moment he arrived, puffing up himself and his consequence while simultaneously dismissing ours. And his wife! Never have I seen a creature so cowed.” She shook her head. “I wonder at her putting up with that. He is ridiculous.”
Darcy shrugged. “I often wonder the same about wives when I see their husbands behaving in terrible ways. Please do take a skillet to my head, should I be so stupid.”
Elizabeth lifted a brow. “Perhaps you ought to think twice before offering me such freedom, sir. I may just take you up on it one day.”
Darcy’s lips twitched at Elizabeth’s impertinent response. He lifted her hand and kissed th
e fingers. “I will not. I suspect seeing you angry enough to beat me with cookware will be fascinating.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and looked away to hide a grin. She shook her head, then moved her gaze to her betrothed once more.
“What has Jane to say about your guest?” Darcy nodded toward the other side of the room.
Elizabeth looked at her sister, who was deep in conversation with Bingley, their heads so close as to be almost touching. “She is Jane. It is difficult for her to see the bad in anyone.” Her head turning back toward Darcy, she continued. “She told me she was fearful last night. Our cousin looked at her with an expression she could not decipher, but Mama must have, because Jane says she grasped her hand and did not let go. She said Mama was the quietest she had ever been.”
Darcy’s brows drew together. “Does your father know of this?”
“Yes.” Elizabeth nodded. “He lost his temper, according to Jane. He stood from his seat at the head of the table, pointed his finger at Mr. Collins, and spoke more harshly than Jane had ever heard. She said the gentlemen did not separate and that he escorted her and my mother upstairs. Then, before he allowed Jane to retire, he spoke harshly to her, telling her not to forget what he told us about Mr. Collins.”
“Poor Jane. So much anger in so short a time.” Darcy’s response was absentmindedly given. His eyes were on Jane as he considered Elizabeth’s words.
Elizabeth giggled, and when Darcy looked her way in surprise, explained herself. “You have not known my sister any longer than you have known me and you can already joke about her sweetness.”
Darcy grinned. “Indeed. I apologize for doing so. I promise I was thinking more about how to keep all of you safe, especially my betrothed.”
“It is well, I promise. It was simply that your delivery of the line was quite amusingly done.” With a wink and another giggle, Elizabeth fell silent.
From across the room, Darcy and Elizabeth heard Miss Bingley ask about the Collinses. “Where are your guests today, Mrs. Bennet? We thought we might be introduced.” Caroline’s simpering smile did not reach her eyes.