Clever Compromises

by APRIL FLOYD

  Clever Compromises

  A Pride & Prejudice Variation Novella

  April Floyd

  Copyright © 2017 by April Floyd

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Synopsis

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by April Floyd

  Synopsis

  Elizabeth Bennet is pleased her dearest sister Jane will marry Mr. Bingley after a whirlwind courtship which began the night of the Meryton Assembly. But when her cousin Mr. Collins arrives from Kent, he informs the Bennet family that he seeks a wife from amongst the Bennet sisters to soften the existence of an entail that hangs over Longbourn.

  Knowing her family has no need of such an alliance with Jane’s future secure, Elizabeth is surprised when Mr. Bennet approves of the parson’s plan. Surely her father will not allow the man to ask for her hand?

  When Mr. Collins sees that Mr. Darcy, the nephew of his distinguished patroness Lady Catherine de Bourgh, has designs on his cousin he knows he must propose to Elizabeth though his heart has been won by her sister Mary. To allow Mr. Darcy to propose to Elizabeth would bring down the wrath of Lady Catherine de Bourgh and destroy his living at Hunsford.

  Chapter 1

  Mr. Collins removed his hat from his head and fanned himself as the unseasonably warm air settled against his black frock coat in a cloying embrace. It was late in the year and his trip from Kent had been most uneventful. The miserable heat was a fitting match for the heaviness in his heart over the reason for his visit. Though he longed for the day when he might have his own estate and family, it was not in William Collins’s heart to be happy at the misfortune of others.

  As he peered down the road, he could see the home that would one day be his own, Longbourn. The Bennet family resided there and Mr. Bennet was a cousin with whom he was not well acquainted. All that would change in the coming fortnight as he made the offer of an olive branch in the form of a marriage proposal to one of his cousins to please the lady who had sent him to Hertfordshire.

  Lady Catherine de Bourgh of Rosings in Kent was Mr. Collins’s exacting patroness who had decided that to serve his parishioners well, her parson was in need of a wife. To offer marriage to one of his cousins who lived under the burden of an entail on their home also served another purpose in Lady Catherine’s eyes; her parson would be seen as kind and generous, a most noble clergyman.

  If there was one thing Lady Catherine enjoyed more than speaking of her own accomplishments and opinions, it was garnering admiration for the good deeds of those who served her home, her family, and her tenants.

  Flicking the reins to urge the horse pulling the expensive de Bourgh gig down the lane, Mr. Collins smiled as he thought of the Bennets fawning over him for his kindness. Though he lived a comfortable life as the parson in Hunsford, he had come to agree with Lady Catherine. He did require a wife and not just for appearance sake or as a help meet in his work for the tenants of Rosings.

  Truthfully, Mr. Collins was a lonely man who yearned to have the touch of a wife in his home. He did not require a stunning beauty, but if his cousins were pleasing to the eye he would not complain. More than most men, he desired fellowship with the lady who would be his wife.

  His own father and mother had made a most harmonious match. He recalled days of laughter in his childhood home. Mr. Collins was not a handsome man with a square jawline nor did he possess a head full of lustrous curls. He was tall, a mark in his favor, but he was not a handsome man of means who inspired the adoration of young ladies wherever he went. The parson had only the fruits of his labor at Rosings to offer a young lady at present. For Lady Catherine, he bowed and scraped. For his wife, he would uncover the fullness of his heart and make her feel as though she were a princess though his station in life, and his plain appearance, was far less than that of a prince.

  Shaking off thoughts of his shortcomings as the gig drew closer to Longbourn, Mr. Collins was pleased that his journey to a happy life as a married man was well underway.

  As he stopped before Longbourn and jumped down from his conveyance, Mr. Collins thought again how lovely was the home before him. He did not wish Mr. Bennet ill, not with five daughters to see wed, but he did admire the idea of the house and property before him becoming his own.

  The musical lilt of feminine laughter caught his attention and he followed the sound to the side of the home. There was a great stone arch that led to a picturesque lawn where two young ladies sat comfortably in the shade of the trees that made the odd afternoon heat bearable. Two others turned from their task of gathering the seed heads of some green plants that grew along a stone path on the far side of the lawn.

  The laughter that had drawn him emanated from two young ladies seated upon a wooden bench throwing petals they had plucked from the flowers at their feet. “La, Kitty, he loves you not!”

  Mr. Collins frowned at their silly game and began to fan himself again as a breeze that ought to have refreshed him made him all the more uncomfortable. He could not remember in all his years when November had been so terribly warm.

  The other young ladies present tucked their small baskets against their sides and approached him. The fairest one, the one he would choose for his wife were he so fortunate, gave a smile that was welcoming and inquisitive. “Good day sir. Have you come to call on Father?”

  Her voice stirred the dreams and wishes he’d had on the road to Longbourn and Mr. Collins reached up and loosened his collar in order to breath more deeply. “I have come to see my cousin, Mr. Bennet. I am William Collins.”

  The other young lady, the one with dark curls that escaped their pins in the unlikely warmth of the day, was as lovely as her fair sister but the way her eyes surveyed him from head to toe without a flicker of welcome gave him pause. He smiled nervously in a show of friendship but the young woman looked to her sister instead of smiling in return.

  “Ah, Cousin Collins, Father did mention your letter. You are a parson come from Kent. I am Jane Bennet, and this is my sister Elizabeth. Those two on the bench are Catherine, who we call Kitty, and Lydia, our youngest sisters. Come inside and we shall see that you are made welcome.”

  He looked to the younger girls in acknowledgment and turned again to Elizabeth making a small bow before returning his full attention to Jane Bennet. “I am quite pleased to make your acquaintance, ladies. I would dearly love to sit in the parlor out of this heat.”

  Jane led the way to the front of the home while Elizabeth motioned to the younger girls. Kitty and Lydia Bennet were not the least bit interested in their visitor but grudgingly left their bench. “Lizzy, why must we come inside? Lydia and I hoped we might walk into Meryton.”

  Elizabeth linked her arms with her younger sisters and marched them to the front door where Jane and Mr. Collins stood waiting. “You know you may not walk into Meryton without me and
I would not go when we have a visitor just arrived.”

  Mr. Collins watched as the younger sisters whined and made a fuss about not having their way. He was certain it was a blessing they both looked too young to consider marriage to anyone, himself included.

  Turning to follow Miss Bennet inside Longbourn, he gave one last glance to Elizabeth. Something about her eyes and the way she confidently returned his gaze irritated Mr. Collins. She would not be a shy or quiet wife. He was certain Lady Catherine would not approve of her rude manner.

  Inside Longbourn and pleased to be out of the sun, Mr. Collins removed his frock coat and handed it to Mrs. Hill, the maid Jane had called when they entered the home. The woman was about the age of his cook at the parsonage in Hunsford. She must have served the Bennet family for many years. Hill gave a small curtsey before turning to leave them and inform her mistress of her guest.

  As he glanced about the entry, Mr. Collins took note of the paintings and furnishings. Longbourn was not as grand as Rosings Park but it was a lovely country house that would be ideal for his future as a gentleman farmer with a large family.

  A loud, shrewish wail from the parlor where Hill had disappeared after taking his coat made Mr. Collins wish he had known what awaited him behind the front door his cousin Elizabeth now closed gently before pushing her younger sisters ahead to the parlor. “Go Lydia and see what has Mother in such a state.”

  So the ungodly noise that reverberated in his ears was his cousin’s wife, Mrs. Bennet! Suddenly, the idea of abiding at Longbourn for a fortnight gave the man serious doubts and he wished he might return to his gig and go back the way he had come.

  Instead, Miss Bennet led him forward to the room where the noise had only increased upon the entry of Lydia and Kitty Bennet.

  “Why, he’s come as a vulture to pick over the treasures of our home! Does the man have no decency, no concern for how such a visit might appear?” Mrs. Bennet had no sooner said such than she turned to find the man standing before her.

  Throwing a hand up and waving her handkerchief to and fro, the agitated lady covered her mouth with her other hand and whimpered in an alarming fashion. Mr. Collins worried the woman was mad and Mr. Bennet had not the will to see her in an asylum where she surely belonged.

  “Mother, this is Mr. Collins. He has come to see Father.” Jane spoke softly and went to wrap an arm about her mother. Elizabeth moved swiftly to a door on the other side of the parlor to fetch their father.

  “Of course I know who he is Jane! I had not thought I might find him visiting so soon in anticipation of your father’s death!”

  Mr. Collins advanced across the room and gave a slight bow to Mrs. Bennet. He could see his usual complimentary manner would be most helpful in the current situation. He was skilled at such flowery speech and employed it whenever he could.

  The woman was horribly rude, terribly loud, and altogether mistaken about his motives and yet he could not find it within himself to be angry. Only pity would issue forth from his heart. “Mrs. Bennet, I am pleased to make your acquaintance. Longbourn and your lovely daughters speak well of your efforts as a wife and mother. I assure you I have only come to make a most generous offer to your husband. I believe we shall come to an agreement that will prove beneficial to all.”

  Mrs. Bennet’s mouth gaped open and closed several times in a most confused manner as she considered the man’s words. Though she did not trust him, she could not resist the compliment he paid her as the mistress of Longbourn. “Mr. Collins, I do not know what to say. Surely you understand my fit of nerves upon finding you had come to call? It was such a shock as Mr. Bennet had not said when you might come.”

  “Of course, dear lady! My arrival cannot be seen as a joyous occasion with the entailment ever lingering as a dark cloud marring the bright horizon. Tis a terrible business, and not one either of us would see hastened. I wish to speak with my cousin but I would not have you suffer another moment when I might ease you mind. I have come to offer marriage to one of your lovely daughters in order to lessen the burden of that loathsome entail.”

  Jane glanced to Elizabeth as Kitty and Lydia burst into a fresh round of giggles. The younger girls were not upset by their strange cousin’s announcement for Mr. Bennet had said only the week prior they were much too young to marry to keep the girls from forming romantic notions regarding the red coats recently arrived to Meryton.

  Mr. Bennet entered the parlor as Mrs. Bennet mulled the information Mr. Collins had so gallantly imparted. As her husband came to stand alongside her, Mrs. Bennet allowed a small welcoming smile for their guest. “Mr. Collins, what a lovely gesture! Of course you must stay as long as you wish to find which of my daughters would be the perfect match. It is only fair to tell you now, before you set your heart upon her, Jane shall marry Mr. Bingley once the banns have been read. He fell in love with her while she was ill at Netherfield Park! Have you ever heard anything so romantic?”

  Mr. Collins’s face fell at this unfortunate news and Mr. Bennet cleared his throat. “Mrs. Bennet, you must see that a room is made ready for Mr. Collins while we speak in my study.”

  Her disposition now reversed from when Mr. Collins had entered the room, Mrs. Bennet called for Hill and shooed the younger girls upstairs. “Go and tell Mary of our visitor and his plans for Longbourn. There is much to do before your father has finished speaking with Mr. Collins.”

  Lydia and Kitty rarely sought the company of their sister Mary as she was much too serious for her age, reading and practicing at her pianoforte for hours on end. Never could they entice her into following them into Meryton for ribbons nor gossiping with them in the parlor after dinner of an evening.

  Now with the mystery of which sister their cousin might choose, for it would be Mary or Elizabeth since Jane was to marry Mr. Bingley, the youngest Bennets knew they might torture poor Mary with the idea that she would marry their rotund, homely cousin.

  At the noise of Kitty and Lydia’s feet upon the stairs, Elizabeth turned and rushed from the parlor. Jane knew well the thoughts swirling in Elizabeth’s head. “Lizzy, wait for me! You must not worry that Mr. Collins might choose you.”

  Jane caught Elizabeth up just as she stepped through the stone arch at the side of the home. “He would never choose you, Lizzy, when Mary is perfectly suited to become a parson’s wife.”

  Chapter 2

  Elizabeth pushed past Jane and continued to the bench where their younger sisters had sat before Mr. Collins arrived. She was in no mood to discuss the man nor his seemingly gracious offer of marriage to one of her sisters.

  As Jane sat beside her and remained silent, Elizabeth wondered at what her father would say of their cousin’s plan to give a sympathy proposal to herself or Mary. It was clear that Kitty and Lydia would not be considered as suitable matches.

  As they were foolish girls, Father had decreed just the week before that the two were to be chaperoned whenever they walked to Meryton since they held silly, romantic notions where soldiers were concerned.

  That Jane was engaged to Mr. Bingley gave her even greater joy now as she could not think of her beautiful sister wed to such a plain man as Mr. Collins. She had not missed the look of dismay that flitted across the parson’s face when her mother spoke of Jane and her betrothed.

  The parson’s courtesy in the face of their mother’s blatant insults had not impressed Elizabeth. What sort of a man worth a whit could not behave in a gentlemanlike manner in the presence of her fretful mother?

  No, Mr. Collins was not the man she wished to marry. Her father had read from his letter one evening in his study and Elizabeth had formed a picture of the man that his presence had not improved. Mr. Collins wrote at length of his own glorious generosity and that of his patroness until she felt cross from the absurdity of it all. There was nothing in his letter to hint he was more than a bug tucked happily beneath Lady Catherine’s thumb.

  Talk of closets and his cook, the cast offs from Rosings Park that decorated the parsonag
e, his rambling compliments on the beauty of Lady Catherine’s only child — all of it combined to paint him as a man Elizabeth could not respect nor love.

  The entailment mattered very little now with Jane set to wed Mr. Bingley. Surely her father knew that with Mr. Bingley to care for them should the entail come to pass there was no need to accept the olive branch their cousin offered.

  Sighing with satisfaction in her belief that Mr. Bennet would not require any of his daughters to marry the man, Elizabeth turned to Jane. “Father will not agree to it, Jane. Had Mr. Collins come before Mr. Bingley proposed perhaps there would be cause for concern.”

  Jane smiled at Elizabeth, her relief at her sister’s words evident. “You are right, Lizzy. Father would not see you married to any man you did not love even if it meant securing the future of our family and Longbourn.”

  Elizabeth’s cheeks grew hot at the truth of Jane’s statement. She was the favorite daughter where her father was concerned. Mrs. Bennet preferred Jane and Lydia. “What do you think Mr. Collins might do once Father refuses his offer? Surely he will not stay?”

  Plucking a flower her younger sisters had missed earlier, Jane began to tug off the first petal. “I have no care for Mr. Collins and his looming disappointment, Lizzy. Before he came, we were speaking of Mr. Darcy. I believe,” here Jane held up the first withered petal of the quickly fading flower and flicked it at her sister’s face, “he loves you.”