Their lips separated slightly, so they could take deep gulps of the frosty air. Their breathing hard and ragged, their pulses racing. She wrapped her arms around his body and he pulled her tightly against him. She let out a gasp as an even more intense bolt of lightning ran through her at the feel of his hard muscular body against hers.
He continued to kiss her, wanting to devour her completely but restricting himself to her mouth with great effort. He loved the little purring noises she made as he probed her mouth with his tongue. He broke his mouth away from hers and nibbled her ear, knocking her bonnet askew and kissed down her neck, his teeth nipping gently at the skin.
Charlotte thought she would faint from the exquisite feelings he was tormenting her with. She panted out his name and that brought his mouth crashing down upon hers again, claiming it completely.
He finally found the strength to break his mouth away and rested his forehead against hers. Their breathing loud and ragged still, as their pulses slowed and they calmed themselves. He squeezed her against his body, and she felt the power of his arousal. She looked at him wide-eyed.
He smiled down at her and kissed her swollen lips gently, “Do not worry, this is neither the time nor place for that.” he winked. She blushed with sudden shock of the realisation of what she was doing and of what he had suggested.
“I have to leave my darling. I will be gone for a week.” he kissed her forehead, “but do not worry, I will return to you.”
He kissed her one more time before turning to leave her, “Oh and I spoke with my aunt, she was furious to hear the banns read on Sunday of Mr Simmons and Miss Thomas' wedding. However, she has been persuaded, shall we say, not to interfere in the marriage plans of our friends.” he smiled and left her standing in the clearing as he rushed off towards Rosings.
She heard what he said but it did not register, her mind was far more disagreeably engaged.
A wave of emotions flooded her, “Oh God forgive me! What have I done?” she cried, the tears flowing down her cheeks. “What a terrible woman I am!”
She gave into the sobs and allowed her guilt to wash over her and condemn her. I had every intention of ending it this morning, and yet I gave in, I gave myself up to him completely. I must never see him again!
* * *
Charlotte did not return home immediately, but remained in the clearing for some time mentally beating herself over her foolishness. I should never have come in the first place, she thought, he would have realised sooner or later. He is not a stupid man; he would know what my absence meant. Now, oh now what must he think? He must be congratulating himself on an easy conquest. He must think that I am his, that I will be his mistress now. Oh, what am I to do? I am a foolish, foolish girl!
Charlotte walked about in the woods until her nerves were calmed and until her stomach reminded her loudly that it must be time for breakfast and she reluctantly and slowly made her way back to the parsonage. Praying fervently that her eyes were not puffy from crying and that Mr Collins would not suspect a thing of what had passed that morning. She determined never to see the Colonel again, apart from when there was no chance of being alone with him. She knew she would have to find new places to walk in the mornings but that was a small price to pay if she could only extricate herself from an increasingly complicated situation.
* * *
Upon her arrival home, she found Mr Collins pacing the hall in worry.
“Oh my dear Charlotte, there you are.” he said with great relief and helped her off with her pelisse.
“I was only walking.”
“Yes, I thought perhaps you were but I have had prepared a hearty breakfast to promote your health and when you did not return at your usual time, well, I began to worry.” he looked bashful and wrung his hands, his concern genuine.
She took off her gloves and squeezed his hands, “Well, I am here now, shall we eat?”
Mr Collins led the way into the dining room and Charlotte saw prepared on the table, bacon, eggs, sausages, and all the things Mr Collins would call hearty and which, at that present time, turned her stomach. She smiled weakly at him, and thanked him for his consideration and started to load her plate with food. She knew she would have to eat more than she desired to satisfy him, but she felt it was a small price to pay to please the man she had so recently injured with her wanton behaviour with another man. She found it hard to swallow, the lump in her throat and the tears welling in her eyes prevented her. Therefore, she had to drink copious amounts of coffee with which to wash it all down. Mr Collins seemed contented with seeing her eat well and tucked into his own plate with his usual keen enjoyment.
He asked her if she had any plans for the day and when she replied that she did not he suggested a drive out in the gig, “Perhaps we might visit Westerham? You might show me Mr Abbot's shop.”
She knew he was apologising in his own way for the trouble over her visiting the said shop and for telling Lady Catherine too. It was then she remembered she had bought him some new shoes and had hidden them away in the chest in the bedroom. Thankful for an excuse to stop eating the breakfast she did not want, she rushed out of the room to fetch the shoes.
To say that Mr Collins was pleased with the gift would be an understatement; he was over the moon with the shoes. He declared his intention to wear them to perform the wedding ceremony, and that he would keep them as his best 'dress' shoes.
This brought another thing to Charlotte's mind, the idea of him dressing less like a clergyman when they went out to dinner. She delicately put it to him that he might like to have a suit tailor-made for such events. He was, needless to say, shocked at such a suggestion, and asked her if she was ashamed of his attire or of his profession.
She assured him that was not the case, “but perhaps you are not overly comfortable in your clothes in all situations?”
“Whatever do you mean?” he asked looking puzzled.
“Only that I wondered if you found your attire cumbersome?”
He thought a moment or two and then nodded, “Yes on occasion I have thought that. However, I feel it important that people know who I am.”
“Mr Collins, I think there can be no doubt of that! And if a stranger should come into our midst he would be informed in no time at all of your being the clergyman in these parts.” she smiled at him and drank more coffee to rid her mouth of the taste of bacon.
“Yes, I see your point, I do indeed. And I have on occasion, if I might confess,” he said looking embarrassed, “fancied myself in a pair of trousers. They look very comfortable indeed, much more so than breeches.”
“Yes, they do indeed.” she concurred, “Perhaps you might try some when we are in Westerham.” He seemed to contemplate the idea, “Just to see how they feel.” she added.
“Yes I see no harm in trying a pair of trousers; just to see how they feel.” he nodded and returned his attention back to his breakfast.
Charlotte smiled to herself and finished her cup of coffee before returning to their room to freshen up before their trip out.
* * *
The air was still chilly but as the sun rose in the sky it warmed up and turned into a pleasant day. Charlotte always loved riding along in the gig, when it was not wet or too cold. The view from its elevated position was unimpeded, excepting of course the rear view of the horse. They passed through Hunsford and she waved at her acquaintance, and Mr Collins sat up proudly as he drove his wife through town.
As the gig passed through the other side of town to their home they had an excellent view of Oak Wood Farm and Mr Simmons' land. Charlotte smiled to think that Louisa would soon be mistress of it all.
The road into Westerham was unremarkable, passing through farmland on either side however; as they came to a crossroads, they found themselves waylaid by a flock of sheep as they were herded from one field to another. Charlotte laughed aloud to see themselves surrounded by a sea of sheep and even Mr Collins found the situation amusing. He was slowly learning to see the amusing things i
n life. Eventually, they were free to continue their journey onward to Westerham. Mr Collins chattered away to Charlotte about his parishioners and his ideas for the summer fête, and she was content to allow him to talk to her.
She realised she was content once again with Mr Collins, there had indeed been times when she was not. There had been times when he had upset her or insulted her, especially where Lady Catherine was concerned but that all seemed to be in the past now. She had long forgiven him and he seemed now to be trying to make amends. He was changing little by little it appeared. He seemed to be endeavouring to learn from his mistakes, and to please her, which was something of which she was immensely glad. All she had to do now was to remove herself from a very foolish situation and to begin to enjoy her life once again. However, she would not allow thoughts of Colonel Fitzwilliam to cloud her day out and she pushed him aside in her mind and concentrated once more, on what her husband was saying to her.
Charlotte thought Westerham was a lovely place, she loved St. Mary's churchyard and when she told Mr Collins about it, he expressed a desire to see it also. They walked slowly around the market square and Charlotte pointed out to him the places she had visited with Louisa when she was there last. Then Mr Collins asked the whereabouts of Mr Abbot's shop, a place Charlotte was more than eager to show him. The walked slowly towards it, her arm through his and he walked with his chin high and his hand on hers.
Upon entering the shop, Mr Collins declared he had never seen such a well-appointed place and that she had been right in her praise of it. Mr Abbot Jr. joined them; he said he remembered Mrs Collins and she introduced him to her husband. They talked happily for some time, about the shop, Mr Abbot Junior’s parents and of Hunsford, a subject close to Mr Collins' heart.
“I assume you did not come all the way to Westerham to tell me that my parents are in excellent health, so how can I help you today?” asked Mr Abbot Jr. excitedly.
“Indeed we did not.” chuckled Mr Collins who then proceeded to inform the younger Mr Abbot for what he was looking.
27
Mr Collins surprised Charlotte by buying for her a new turban that matched the dress she had had made, and that she was intending to wear for Louisa's wedding. She had never had a hat like it. Mr Collins had puffed out his chest with pride as he insisted Mr Abbot Jr. added feathers to it that curled backwards around the turban. It was elegant and Charlotte thought it to be the height of fashion. Mr Collins was sure that Mr Abbot Jr. either had miscalculated the price of the millinery or was giving him a discount. He was embarrassed to think it was the latter and so contented himself it was the former and was about to correct the man, when he caught a glance at Charlotte out of the corner of his eye and she shook her head slightly. She informed him later it had been a discount and that if he was displeased then he should take the matter up with Mr Abbot senior.
Their next stop was at the tailor's shop. Charlotte smiled with joy, as Mr Collins tried on a pair of trousers the tailor said ought to fit him. The pair was so long that Mr Collins had trouble walking, much to Charlotte's amusement, but a little bit of folding and pinning by the tailor and Mr Collins was able to prance about in front of the mirror without mishap.
The transformation was astonishing. His legs no longer looked spindly, the trousers giving them a better shape. Charlotte commented that she thought they made him look taller also. The tailor nodded in agreement and asked them whether they had a preference for a tailcoat. Charlotte beamed with excitement and suggested navy or maroon. Mr Collins was all in a whirl. He had never received such attention and Charlotte's discerning eye as far as finances were concerned ensured that they did not overstretch themselves.
Next came waistcoats and Mr Collins felt uncomfortable with gold and so the tailor suggested brocade or stripes, both very fashionable he said, and insisted on double breasted ones. Mr Collins was finally kitted out with two of everything he would need and Charlotte calmed his fears that he had spent too much on frivolities. She told him it would be good to see him in a white shirt and cravat and a tall hat too. In his excitement, he declared his desire to wear one of the outfits for the rest of the day; therefore, they waited while the adjustments were made there and then to one of the outfits and the other was to be ready later in the day. Charlotte was very pleased with this change in her husband and knew it boded well for the future.
Mr Collins was self-conscious but very pleased with himself as they exited the tailor’s establishment. Charlotte had to stifle a giggle to see the transformation; Mr Collins seemed to take on a new persona. Suddenly, Mr Collins the bumbling clergyman became Mr Collins the man-about-town, a man on whose arm she could be pleased to be seen.
She smiled up at him, and he whispered, “How am I doing?”
“Very well indeed,” she giggled to realise he was indeed playing the part, and doing it well. “I am proud of you Mr Collins,” she whispered back.
His eyes locked with hers and she felt something unfamiliar. Could she be falling in love with him? She was not frightened by the prospect, and in fact, it made her feel happier, it made her strengthen her resolve and she tightened her grip on his arm. An action that did not go unnoticed by him.
They ate lunch in the same teashop as when Charlotte had visited with Louisa and then walked around St. Mary's and it's churchyard, then around the market square. They looked in the shop windows as they slowly made their way back to the Tailor’s shop to collect the remainder of Mr Collins’ purchase.
However, when it was time to return to Hunsford, Charlotte found herself reluctant to leave.
“What is it my dear?” Mr Collins asked her as he helped the Tailor's man to load up every available space in the gig.
“It is strange; I feel I do not wish to return home.”
Mr Collins stopped what he was doing and came to her side, “That is strange indeed my dear, whatever can be the cause?”
“I do not know.” she lied.
“I believe I can guess.”
“Can you?” she looked at him startled.
“Indeed I can, we have had such a pleasant day, and that you do not wish it to end.” he took her hand and patted it. “But my dear, we must return home, however, what if we were to return by another route? It would be a longer journey I am afraid, but then no one will know of our return and we might spend the evening together in quiet and solitude.”
She smiled at him, “That sounds perfect.”
He helped her to climb into the gig, they set off towards Hunsford, and all the while Mr Collins hoped he remembered the way and they would return to the parsonage before dark.
Fortunately, for them Mr Collins did indeed remember the way home, with the aid of the roadside markers, signposts and with help from Charlotte's excellent sense of direction. Once or twice, they did have to about-turn when they found they had driven up the drive of a farm and Charlotte laughed while Mr Collins tried not to be anxious.
It was twilight when they pulled into the little drive in front of the parsonage and Charlotte was tired and grateful then to be home. Mrs Higgs upon seeing Mr Collins in his new attire was astonished, but smiled and paid him compliments enough to reassure him that he did indeed look fine.
Mrs Higgs said there was a roast chicken keeping warm in the kitchen and if they would like to wash and change then she would set the table for their meal. Never had Charlotte felt so famished, they changed out of their now dusty clothes and went to the dining room as quickly as they could. Mr Collins insisted that Mrs Higgs bring them a bottle of wine to have with their meal. Mrs Higgs did as she was bid wondering what had caused such a change in Mr Collins, but as she returned later with their dessert, she saw the way in which he was gazing at Mrs Collins and she then knew what had happened to her master; he had fallen in love.
* * *
The rest of the week was tranquil and Charlotte was happy to see the new Mr Collins frequently. However, on Friday their peace and quiet was broken by the arrival of a large farm cart to the parsonage
, accompanied by Mr Simmons on horseback.
Mr Simmons hallooed to them as they came out to greet him. “What a fine morning!” he declared dismounting his horse. He shouted instructions to the men who had ridden on the cart to unpack the whatever-it-was hidden under the canvas, from the back of the cart and to bring it inside.
He turned to Mr Collins, “Now, let me explain what I am about. Shall we go inside?”
They all returned to the house and Charlotte led Mr Simmons to the sitting room where she and Mr Collins stared at him waiting for an explanation.
“Mr and Mrs Collins please do not think me impertinent but I bring you a gift.”
“A very large one it seems.” quipped Mr Collins.
“Yes, it is rather, but not too large for in here I think. Now, let me explain.”
“Please do.” Charlotte encouraged, indicating that he should be seated.
“You may remember that this is not the first time that Louisa and I planned to be married.” They nodded their remembrance and so he continued, “Well, the first time, I promised my dearest Louisa that I would buy her a new pianoforte as a wedding gift, and I intend to make good on that promise.”
“That is very amiable, but pray, what does this have to do with us?” asked Mr Collins still none-the-wiser.
“Ah you see when I married the first Mrs Simmons, God rest her soul, she brought to my home her old pianoforte. And I confess that each time Louisa sees it she becomes upset, so I mean to remove it, and replace it with the new one.” He sat back triumphantly, thinking his explanation adequate.
“Oh!” exclaimed Charlotte, realisation dawning on her, “You mean to give the late Mrs Simmons pianoforte to me?”
Mr Collins sat with his mouth open in astonishment and Charlotte stammered, “I... I do not know what to say Mr Simmons, such kindness! Thank you very much indeed!”
Mr Simmons laughed at her, pleased to see the gift did not offend and stood up again waving off her thanks, “Well, Mrs Collins, the first thing you can do is indicate where you would like it placed.”
Charlotte - Pride and Prejudice Continues Page 18