I will admit. I am not writing this as fast as the last two. At first, I was worried to offend my readers again because there is a compromise at the beginning of this story - but not the same kind. It is your typical "Oh my goodness, you were found with Mr. Darcy's arms around you!" kind of compromise. And, given Mr. Darcy's temperament, you know he will not be happy with how it all came about. His pride will be extremely stiff and it's my job to soften him up so Elizabeth can fall in love with him.
Pfffttt.... how hard could that be????
I took my time with the beginning of the story and thought I'd share the first chapter with you.
Compromise & Consequence
EXCERPT:
Good gracious! Lord bless me! only think! dear me! Mr.
Darcy! Who would have thought it! And is it really true? Oh! my sweetest Lizzy!
how rich and how great you will be! What pin-money, what jewels, what carriages
you will have!
Four of the Bennet sisters from
Longbourn walked a familiar laneway to the closest village of Meryton. In their
midst, desperately attempting to keep up, was their out of shape cousin whom
they had met for the first time yesterday. Between trying to take hold of Miss Elizabeth
Bennet’s arm, which she conveniently kept out of his reach by various means,
and doing a funny hop skip step as he was not used to walking so far, he kept
up a steady, if labored one-sided conversation.
“My esteemed patroness, Lady Catherine
de Bourgh, would be well pleased to know how you keep fit by walking, Cousin
Elizabeth.” He paused to suck in a breath and then hurried to catch up with her
and the eldest Miss Bennet, Jane. “Do you always walk so quickly?”
Elizabeth glanced at Mr. Collins over
her shoulder and then looked straight ahead so he wouldn’t notice the wide
smile she could not hold back any longer.
“Oh no, Mr. Collins. We have slowed down
our pace in deference to you. Normally, we walk much faster.”
“Faster?” he panted out, finally coming
to a halt and bent low over his knees. “I must catch my breath.”
“Lizzy,” Jane said beneath her breath. “We
are now bordering on cruel behavior.”
“I know,” she whispered back. “I shall
stay with Mr. Collins. I see Charlotte down the lane, we will accompany her. You
go ahead and keep an eye on Lydia and Kitty. I do not trust what they are up
to. They were too insistent on walking to Meryton today.”
Jane would have hesitated, but she saw
Charlotte Lucas coming toward them, so with a friendly wave, she hurried to
catch up to their two youngest sisters.
“Charlotte, good timing on your part.
Mr. Collins and I are walking into Meryton. Are you by chance also going into
the village?”
By this time, Miss Lucas had come
alongside. “I am. Mama has asked me to post a letter to our uncle.”
“Mr. Collins, may I present to you Miss
Charlotte Lucas of Lucas Lodge?”
Her cousin had finally caught his breath
and offered Charlotte an awkward bow.
“Miss Lucas, this is my cousin, Mr.
Collins of Hunsford, Kent.”
“You should introduce me properly
cousin. I am the Reverend Mr. William Collins of Hunsford parsonage, of Rosings
Park, Kent.”
“I stand corrected.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Collins. Are
you here for an extended stay?”
Lizzy almost rolled her eyes, knowing
what was coming next. Mr. Collins did not disappoint.
“I have been so fortunate as to be
distinguished by the patronage of the Right Honourable Lady Catherine de
Bourgh, widow of Sir Lewis de Bourgh, whose bounty and beneficence has
preferred me to the valuable rectory of the Hunsford parish. With her blessing,
I intend to trespass upon the hospitality of my esteemed cousin Bennet till
Saturday next, which I can do without any inconvenience, as Lady Catherine is
far from objecting to my occasional absence on a Sunday, provided that some
other clergyman is engaged to do the duty of the day.”
“Your patroness sounds like a fine
woman,” Charlotte said, a twinkle in her eye. “It is well that she can spare
you for so long.”
“Oh yes, she is the one who urged me to
heal the breach in our families. My father did not like Mr. Bennet and refused
to even speak his name, but now that he has passed, God rest his soul, I felt
the time had come for me to extend the olive branch and make amends.”
“Yes, Charlotte. Lady Catherine de
Bourgh takes prodigious care of our cousin. There is nothing that escapes her
notice.” Lizzy faced Mr. Collins. “You must tell her about the shelves in the
closet.”
Mr. Collins, as expected, launched into
a rapturous soliloquy about his patroness and her various recommendations to
the parsonage and adjacent garden.
“I dare say she is a very knowledgeable
woman,” Charlotte murmured when he finally finished speaking. “It is a pity
that great ladies, in general, are not more like her. Does she live near you,
sir?”
“The garden in which stands my humble
abode is separated only by a lane from Rosings Park, her ladyship’s residence.”
Mr. Collins practically beamed from the attention Charlotte paid him, which set
Lizzy to think and plot a new direction for her verbose cousin.
“Mr. Collins, when we reach Meryton,
would you be so kind as to escort Miss Lucas to the post office. I fear the
gentleman there might charge her too much for her letter and having you there
will keep him honest.”
“But I had intended to stay by your
side, cousin Elizabeth.”
“Dear Mr. Collins, I have three sisters
with me, I am not without company. Plus, I have need to visit a lady’s shop,
and you cannot enter the establishment.” He looked as though he would argue. “No,
my mind is made up. You must be the dashing gentleman and provide protection
for Miss Lucas.”
Charlotte raised an eyebrow at her
obvious meddling but said nothing – just as Lizzy expected. Her best friend
always said she was not looking for romance in marriage, seeking instead
security and a good man. Lizzy may not look to her cousin in that way, but
Charlotte would make a wonderful mistress of Hunsford parsonage and in the
future, Longbourn. She just had to make sure the officious donkey followed the
carrot of Miss Lucas. Also, she had plans for when she reached her majority in May,
and they did not include marriage.
By the time Elizabeth had finished the
little bit of shopping required for her needs, Jane waited outside sporting a
bright smile, while Kitty and Lydia appeared quite disgruntled.
“Are we ready to walk home?” she asked
them.
“We may as well, Denny and Wickham have
gone back to the encampment. There is nothing to do now.”
“Denny and Wickham?” Lizzy queried.
“Kitty and Lydia introduced us to some
officers from the ____shire Militia. A Captain Denny and a Lieutenant Wickham.
I did not speak with them for very long as Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy were on
their way to Longbourn and when they saw us, stopped to query about my health.”
Jane had fallen ill while visiting Mr.
Bingley’s sisters and ended up staying six days at Netherfield Park, along with
Elizabeth while she recovered. It seemed promising that Mr. Bingley made the
attempt to visit Jane before two full days passed since they last saw him.
“Mr. Bingley stopped, but Mr. Darcy took
off as though his horse had a burr in its saddle,” Lydia laughed out. “Wickham
was well pleased by that.”
“Why is that, Lydia?”
“I do not know all the details, but he
did say in passing he and Mr. Darcy do not get along.”
“I am not sure there are many people who
do,” Lizzy mused out loud, thinking of Mr. Darcy’s behavior and manner whenever
he was out among the citizens of Meryton. “Well, I am glad Jane saw Mr.
Bingley. At least one of us had a bright moment.”
“Where is Mr. Collins, Lizzy?” Jane’s
head had come out of the clouds long enough for her to see her sister was quite
alone.
“I asked him to escort Charlotte to the
postmaster. Should we check and see if they are still there?”
The Bennet ladies had not gone far when
Charlotte and Mr. Collins exited the building and joined them for the walk
home. The younger sisters spoke of nothing but officers, Jane daydreamed about
Mr. Bingley and Lizzy walked with Mr. Collins between her and Charlotte. If she
lagged behind them every now and then, he did not seem to notice as Charlotte
gave him much attention. For which both he and Lizzy were grateful.
That evening, after dinner, Mr. Collins
solicited a request to sit next to her in the parlor. About to excuse herself
from the room, she was stopped by Mama.
“Of course, you may sit with Lizzy, Mr.
Collins. I am sure she will not object to your company.”
Although Mrs. Bennet could not
technically decide whom she would marry, it was better to not tip the cart at this
juncture. Therefore, Lizzy determined to use this time for a better, far-reaching purpose.
“How did you like my friend, Mr.
Collins?”
“She is a very pleasant lady. Well
refined, soft-spoken. I know Lady Catherine would find her an acceptable
friend.”
“I am glad you think Lady Catherine
would like my friend, Miss Lucas. I do worry about what she would think of me.”
“Why is that?”
“Mama has always told me I am too
opinionated and is forever lamenting the fact that my skirts are always six
inches deep in mud. I do so like to walk no matter what the weather.”
“She says you are opinionated?”
“Most definitely. Ask any of my sisters.
I think that is why I walk so much; Mama and I tend to have small arguments
over my perceived behavior. She thinks I am too headstrong for my own good and
blames it on all the books Papa allows me to read.”
“Your father allows you to read his
books?”
“Oh, yes. He has not curtailed what I
have read at all. Why the other week I started reading Mrs. Wollstonecraft’s
book. Miss Lucas warned me I should not. She would never dare, but I found I
agreed with a lot of what Mrs. Wollstonecraft had to say.”
Mr. Collins partially leaned away from
her; his mouth dropped open.
“Oh, this will never do. Lady Catherine
would never approve.”
“Mr. Collins, I tell you these things
because you are such an honorable gentleman and you have made your intentions
quite clear. I cannot in good conscience allow you to engage your heart when
you deserve a lady who will match you in equal temperament and manners. Someone
like my friend, Miss Lucas.”
“Thank you for your consideration,
cousin Elizabeth. I had been thinking of you as my future companion but
Lady Catherine would never approve of a woman who read such radical books. I
think I will speak with your father about this. It is quite distressing.”
“Please do, Mr. Collins. Papa will tell
you I returned the book and told him to hide it as I do not think my younger
sisters are ready for such far-reaching ideas. The only thing I would ask is
that you do not speak to Mama about this. It distresses her that we sometimes
rub the wrong way, and I do not want to add to her burden. We may have our
moments, but I love her dearly and would like to think she would be happy about
you and I having an amicable relationship as cousins and friends.”
“Consider it done, cousin Elizabeth and
I look forward to a long friendship.”
“Will you be calling on my good friend,
Miss Lucas? As you know, we had a few moments of sharing confidences when you
stopped to fix your shoe during our walk from Meryton, and she expressed an
interest in your situation and made mention of how lucky you were to have such
an attentive patroness. I do not think I would be remiss in directing your
attention toward her.”
“I will think about this very carefully.”
“Yes, you must do that. Fortunately, we
are all going to my aunt Phillips for cards tomorrow evening and I know Miss
Lucas has been invited as well. This would be an excellent time for you to see
how well she behaves in a social situation. You will not be disappointed. Sir
William and Lady Lucas have raised a very well-mannered lady.”
“Oh, her father was knighted?”
“Yes, Mr. Collins.” Lizzy peeked through
her lashes to see if Mama still watched them. Given that Mr. Collins was quite
engaged in their conversation and she was smiling, the scene was set for what Mrs.
Bennet would perceive as a courtship. Never had she acted so foolish in her
entire life. Pray that he does not ask Uncle about Mrs. Wollstonecraft.
He had no such book in his library. “Sir William delights in telling new
acquaintances of how he was presented at St. James’s court. No other person in
Meryton can claim that honor.”
“I will indeed make myself known the
gentleman.”
Satisfied her prodding had planted the
seed, she left it at that, confident that tomorrow the watering could be taken
over by Charlotte.
The next evening was the card party at
their Aunt Phillips. As no objection was made to the young people’s engagement
with their aunt, and all Mr. Collins’s scruples of leaving Mr. and Mrs. Bennet
for a single evening during his visit were most steadily resisted, the coach
conveyed him and his five cousins at a suitable hour to Meryton. Lydia and
Kitty were well pleased to hear, upon entering the drawing-room, that Mr.
Wickham had accepted their uncle’s invitation and was also in attendance.
Lizzy herself had not been introduced to the gentleman, but she could see why
her sisters were in such a tither. He indeed was a handsome man and from what
she could tell, his manners were quite engaging.
At one time in the evening, he sought her
introduction, but Charlotte and her brother Jonathan had just entered the room
and Lizzy was anxious to affix her to Mr. Collins’s side.
“Pray excuse me, Mr. Wickham. My friend
has arrived and I have some important news to impart. Please do not think me
rude, I have enjoyed our conversation.”
“I would never think you rude, Miss
Elizabeth but I will request, in order to make up for our shortened visit, that
next we meet if there is dancing, you would grant me a set.”
“I would be more than pleased to dance
with you, Mr. Wickham.” She caught Charlotte’s eye and acknowledged her. “It
has been a pleasure, sir.”
She then took her leave and crossed the
room to where Charlotte stood.
“I am so glad you came tonight,
Charlotte. I have much to relay and not much time.”
“You sound almost frantic. Whatever is
the matter?”
“Nothing is the matter, but I have laid
the cornerstone for the foundation of your marriage.”
“What?”
“Yes. Mr. Collins was making much noise
about choosing me as a future wife, but I cannot abide the man – at least not
as a husband. With subtle nudges, I have set him on a path that hopefully leads
to you.”
“But, if you married him, your family
could remain at Longbourn when your father passes.”
“True, but as you well know, I am
already well situated and my cousins need not worry about where they will lay their
heads when Uncle Thomas passes.” She had at one time, confided in Charlotte a
little of her family history. “Also, marriage is for life and I cannot see
myself making him happy. I know he would not make me happy. If I could have
pushed him in Mary’s direction, I would have, but he is very much under the
thumb of his patroness and Mary would only sermonize, making it worse. Oh! Here
he comes.” Lizzy and Charlotte both turned to greet him with pleasant smiles. “Mr.
Collins. I was just complimenting Miss Lucas on the minced pies she brought
over the other day.”
“You cook, Miss Lucas?”
“Cook? Miss Lucas not only makes mince
pies but Sir William has been heard to proclaim her dinner rolls are the best
he has ever tasted.” Charlotte reached between them and pinched her arm. Lizzy smiled
and took a small step away. “I know she will deny all this because she is a
modest Christian woman, but it is true.”
By this time, Mr. Collins had turned his
undivided attention to Charlotte and when Aunt Phillips called her guests to
the card tables, he asked if she would partner him for a round of whist. With a
small skip in her step, Lizzy found Jane and filled her in on her successful
evening.
“You are lucky Mama is not here.”
“Truer words were never spoken. It is a
good thing they let us come alone. At this rate, he will probably make an offer
to Charlotte by the end of this week.”
“You are that confident?”
“Jane, the poor man wants to marry so
badly. He thinks it is his duty and dares not fail in the one task his
patroness set for him before coming to Longbourn. And we are all aware that Charlotte
also longs for marriage. Mr. Collins is not a horrible man, but he is someone I
could never marry. I want to marry only for the deepest of love, as do you.”
~~~ooo0ooo~~~
