Mr. Collins’ true colors are beginning to show. It’s not pretty. He is a true villain in this series. XOXOXO Elizabeth Ann West
Chapter 25 - By Consequence of Marriage, a Pride and Prejudice Variation
Lurching from side to side, the Bingley carriage navigated the heavily rutted roads from Hertfordshire to London. Halfway there, Elizabeth’s breathing was shallow as she sat uncomfortably between Jane on one side, and her sister, Mary, on the other. Exhausted by the insipid conversation of her cousin, Mr. Collins, who sat across from her and next to Mr. Bingley, Elizabeth reached down and pulled a novel from her bag.
She was ten pages or so into her story when Mr. Collins abruptly ended his conversation with Mary on matters of theology.
“I say, Cousin Elizabeth, is that the exact novel I instructed you to cease reading over a week ago?” Mr. Collins asked in an indignant tone.
Elizabeth appeared confused, turning the novel over and looking at the title. With a minxish smile, she grinned at Mr. Collins. “Why no sir, that was another title. I finished it and moved on to Mrs. Radcliffe’s other works.” Elizabeth pursed her lips in pleasure as Mr. Collins face drained of all color.
“I do not take lightly to being openly defied. I instructed as that material was not suitable for young ladies, and I am grossly insulted you would care so little for the opinion of your future husband.”
The carriage was small and becoming smaller by the minute as Elizabeth raised her voice. “Sir, again you take such liberties as I have not allowed. I am more insulted by your constant reference to a position in my life you neither hold nor have even asked to hold. Perhaps if you concern yourself more with your own affairs, you’ll find yourself not nearly insulted so often.”
“Lizzie.…” Jane whispered in a warning.
“No, Jane, he is a bully. And I shall not abide a bully.”
“Cousin Elizabeth, I am no more a bully than a bulldog.” Mr. Collins laughed at his own jest, but Elizabeth detected an edge to his voice. “I only caution you about such reading material because it is my experience ladies who open their minds to such matter soon find themselves crippled with madness over affections and lifestyles this earthly world cannot afford them. Come, hand over the book.” He extended his hand.
“No.”
“Lizzie, it is such a small gesture. Besides, I know you’ve read this one many times over.” Jane attempted to broker peace.
“No! Jane, he’s not our father. Mr. Bingley, what say you about reading material for young ladies?”
Bingley cleared his throat uncomfortably, glancing between Elizabeth and Mr. Collins. Unsure of his opinion on the matter, Mr. Bingley offered the truth. “I confess I am not familiar with the contents of Ms. Radcliffe’s novels, not being so great a reader myself. I mean, I can read, I just don’t find enjoyment in it as others do. So, I’m afraid I would defer to Mr. Collins’ opinion . . . on the content.”
Angry tears stung the edge of Elizabeth’s eyes, but she would not give her ogre cousin the satisfaction of seeing her upset. With a heavy sigh, she handed over the book with more force than necessary, producing a slapping sound when the title did hit his palm.
For a few moments the tense atmosphere in the carriage was palpable. Jane and Bingley continued their nonverbal communication of stares and sighs across from one another. Elizabeth was forced to look at either the ceiling or her feet in order to avoid making eye contact with Mr. Collins. Just as Elizabeth thought the situation could not be any worse, Mary attempted to improve things.
“I did bring along my copy of Fordyce’s sermons, Mr. Collins. Perhaps you would like to read from them?” Mary handed the book to Mr. Collins, who genuinely looked pleased at her effort, as though she was the Bennet girl he sought.
Elizabeth wanted to scream and instead resorted to adding up sums in her head to ignore the posturing opinions of this pastor Fordyce, who was subsequently related in pompous foolishness by a pastor she unfortunately called her cousin.
The Bingley party paused with relief at an inn halfway on the trek to London for much needed refreshment and leg stretching. While not a particularly arduous journey, packed in a carriage like a kettle of fish, Elizabeth Bennet announced she would walk around the inn a few times while they waited for their refreshment. Mr. Bingley looked worried, as Mr. Collins was away relieving himself in one of the back rooms offering such privacy, but Jane spoke up for her to be allowed to go.
“Stay close, Lizzie.”
“I always do.” She flashed a smile and veritably skipped out the door, her right ankle feeling like a ball of yarn wound too tight. The trip was disastrous in her opinion and she did not understand why her insipid cousin could not shift his attentions from her to the sister most qualified to be a parson’s wife—Mary Bennet. The bustle outside of other parties traveling gave Elizabeth much to ponder and she carefully tiptoed around various carriages awaiting services from teams of horses being changed out, to simply awaiting their owners to finish their repast. Most of the carriages were not exceedingly fine. As she passed a small gig she pulled her cloak closer around her. Whoever was riding this late in the year in the small gig was making a chilly trip, indeed.
As she rounded the inn with a plan to make a full circle around the property, she reached a pretty hedge and heard voices that made her halt in her tracks.
“I be asking for Miss Sally. Tell her Wills be asking, ma’am.” A young stable hand waited at the back kitchen door, his shoddy cap in his hands. Elizabeth didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but also didn’t want to walk around him and spoil a romantic moment for another. She stepped to the edge of the shrubbery so she might get a better look.
“Will, I’m working! I told ya I can’t be seeing you when there’s people needing fed. Mrs. Courtney has no patience for laziness and you’ll get me tossed out!”
“I know! I know! But I had to come see ya. I cleaned out that nice couple’s carriage, and the fancy lady inside must have had a hat or bunch of flowers. I found this on the floor and thought you’d be liking it.” The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a half-crumpled orchid. “It mashed a bit, but the smell, it still smells very pretty. Like you.” He handed the flower to the woman Elizabeth could not see. When she saw the girl was coming down the stairs, she quickly turned away, genuinely touched to see such a precious exchange. Her happiness was short lived when a nasal, cross voice barked her name.
“Elizabeth Bennet! We are stopped at a public inn and you go traipsing off? Do you realize how much danger you could be in?” Mr. Collins grabbed her arm with a vicious jerk and dragged her away from the hedge. Elizabeth tried to pull her arm free, but the man held on tighter.
“Let me go! I’ll scream! You’re hurting me!” Elizabeth began to breathe rapidly, preparing herself to fight against Mr. Collins as best she was able, which wasn’t much ability at all.
With a rough toss, he released her arm and she flung forward, nearly stumbling to the ground. But she managed to steady herself. She peered through narrowed eyes as her cousin panted and paced, muttering to himself.
“How dare you . . .” she growled in a low tone. Mr. Collins turned around to stare her back down.
“Once we are married, I will put a stop to this hoydenish behavior. Mark my words. You enjoy the protection of that lackadaisical father of yours, but a parson’s wife requires discipline. A wife of mine will be above reproach, and you, you, fair cousin,” he started pacing towards her, but she did not shirk away, “spoil your virtues by behaving in such a way as to draw questions about your moral fiber!”
Elizabeth was horrified. She had no words to say to this man, this man who assumed their marriage, who insulted her father, and who put his hands upon her person in such a rough manner!
“Lizzie? Mr. Collins?” Mary’s voice interrupted the standoff and Elizabeth turned towards her sister’s call. She jumped when the man who had just declared himself her adversary looped his arm in hers and began walking towards the front of the inn as if nothing amiss occurred. Elizabeth hoped for bruises on her arm so she could show Jane the evidence of Mr. Collins brutality. She was beginning to think she would need a great deal of support to avoid an alliance with this toad of a man.
Chapter 26 - By Consequence of Marriage, a Pride and Prejudice Variation
Arriving at the Gardiners seemed to Elizabeth Bennet like being wrapped up in a blanket someone had warmed by the fire. She clutched her aunt so fiercely when she hugged her in greeting, Madeline Gardiner pulled back to search Elizabeth’s face. Seeing fear, anger, and relief all mixed into one, the older woman knew a frank talk was in her near future. Unfortunately, by the time Mr. Bingley left to drop Mr. Collins off at the post-chaise stop and continue on to his set of rented rooms in town, it was dinnertime.
Before she turned in for the night, Mrs. Gardiner carried a candle to the room shared by Jane and Elizabeth and peeked in, expecting to find both girls fast asleep. Instead, her Lizzie lay on her side in the large bed, blinking tears in the light from her candle.
“Oh, Elizabeth, darling. I knew something was wrong. Come, come to my bedroom for a talk,” Mrs. Gardiner whispered, holding the door open as her niece lifted the covers and donned a robe that was too short for her by about six inches to cover her equally short night gown. Her aunt’s frown made Elizabeth self-conscious about crying, but it was the state of her niece’s wardrobe that bothered her most.
The floor was cold against Elizabeth’s bare feet as she followed behind her aunt while she checked on her children. Reaching the bedroom her aunt shared with her uncle, Elizabeth hesitated to follow inside.
“Edward is still finishing up in his office downstairs. It’s just us.” Mrs. Gardiner swayed as she maneuvered around the furniture crammed into the modest sized room. The Gardiners hosted almost every relative who visited London from the surrounding countryside so often they made the largest suite of rooms into guest bedrooms to comfortably accommodate multiple guests. As her aunt stood for Elizabeth to unhook the back of her gown, the younger woman began to reflect on what she would share.
“Now, don’t be shy, tell me the crux of your problem and I shall do my best to solve it. Are you perhaps slightly jealous of Jane’s wedding and match?”
At such a ridiculous notion, Elizabeth giggled. The half- dressed Mrs. Gardiner turned around, surprised to witness such a rapid return of the good-natured Lizzie she knew and loved. “Not in the slightest. I had at one time thought to play Cupid in bringing Jane and Mr. Bingley together, who knew I only needed to be run over by a horse?” Both women laughed as her aunt slipped behind the screen and donned her own nightgown, cap, and robe. When she emerged, Elizabeth sucked in her breath at such fine fabric and lace trim.
“We’ll get you sorted this trip, don’t worry.” Mrs. Gardiner stoked the fire already set, and pulled the blankets back to nestle into the bed. She handed an extra blanket to Elizabeth who curled up in the lone chair by the fire. “If it’s not jealousy, then what has you so upset?”
Elizabeth toyed with the trim of the blanket, tracing the stitching that held the hem. She remembered how it all started the afternoon Mr. Collins read those sermons to her . . . but no, that wasn’t the start. If she was honest, truly honest, she began to feel this deep sadness when Mr. Darcy left. But she would not admit those feelings to her aunt. So she stuck with complaining about Mr. Collins.
Once she was done, including her tale about what happened outside at the inn , her aunt remained quiet for the longest time. Elizabeth worried she had miscalculated and allowed her tongue to run loose for their relationship of beloved aunt and niece, until finally she spoke.
“I confess I share concerns about this cousin your parents matched you with.”
“Thank you, Aunt! I knew someone would be on my side. I tried to tell Jane this evening but she would not believe me about the bruises. She said I caused them when I fell or they were injuries from me trying to hasten my recovery!”
Mrs. Gardiner shook her head, but did not think ill of her eldest niece for her lack of experience. She hoped her nieces would remain ignorant of the marks too many wives and children gained at the hands of men. Unfortunately, Madeline Gardiner was not. “Do not think too meanly of your sister. She is uncomfortable with many realities of our plight as women. Forgive her for her ignorance.”
Elizabeth’s eyes widened at the words her aunt did not say. “Aunt, surely Uncle, he’s never . . .” Elizabeth was at a loss for words. Her Uncle Edward was the kindest, sweetest man of good sense she knew, aside from her own father until recent events had taken place. She could never imagine him turning violent.
Shaking her hands vigorously, Mrs. Gardiner denied the accusation against her husband. “No, but it’s not uncommon for women of any station. We are beholden to the fathers and brothers and husbands the Good Lord places in our lives. This is why making a good match is key to future happiness.” Elizabeth nodded and yawned. Relieved she was no longer alone, she felt quite sleepy and tried to wish her aunt a good night. Before she could leave, Madeline Gardiner seized her niece’s hand, keeping her rooted to the cold floor where she stood.
“Be careful of the consequences, my dear. To defy the wishes of your parents is a very serious decision, from their perspective, they are making decisions on what is best for you.”
“Papa, perhaps, but Mama . . .” Elizabeth’s voice trailed off. She didn’t need to voice the years of abuse she had suffered as her mother’s least favorite child. Her aunt had seen and heard all before. In some cases, Madeline Gardiner had surreptitiously provided for Elizabeth, which had decreased once her own children came along.
“I still caution you. You will always have a place here, but the life of a spinster sister is unsteady. I am not sure you would welcome the unpredictable nature of such a life. Please think carefully and weigh the risks and benefits of your actions.”
As the bedroom door opened and Mr. Gardiner stepped in, immediately apologetic for interrupting and offering to give them more time, Elizabeth leaned down and kissed her aunt’s cheek.
“I promise I will,” she whispered, turning to offer a big smile to her uncle and bid him goodnight.
Madeline Gardiner waited for her husband to ready for bed and join her. As he snuggled closer to her for warmth and affection, she stayed his attentions to tell him she was concerned about this Collins man for their Lizzie. Rolling over to his back, Mr. Gardiner appeased his wife’s worries.
“A bit of challenge might be good for the girl. We’ve only seen them together for but a few moments, Maddy. I’d be more concerned if the man was a flimsy suitor she could command and walk all over.” He extended his arm for his wife to rest her head on his shoulder.
Sighing to feign consent, Madeline Gardiner still had misgivings and believed Elizabeth’s tales about the parson, as outrageous as they seemed. “Perhaps you’re right, dear. We’ll just have to watch them closely when he returns.” All she received was a grunt in response before Mr. Gardiner’s familiar snore became the lullaby that allowed her own body to settle into slumber.
NEW RELEASE
For the Love of a Bennet
What if Elizabeth Bennet traveled with Lydia to Brighton?
A reimagining of Jane Austen’s most beloved tale, Pride & Prejudice, join author Elizabeth Ann West as she writes the romantic adventure story she always wanted! When Lizzy and Lydia arrive in Brighton, it’s very clear that the younger Bennet sister came with very serious plans towards Mr. Wickham. Thankfully, an old ally is also in town, with problems of his own to solve. After Mr. Darcy, himself, is summoned to Brighton to hopefully solve two dilemmas with one wealthy member of the gentry, the whole militia is thrown into an uproar by Wickham’s most dastardly deed, yet. Together, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy have to save Lydia from her own undoing, or it will mean more than just mere reputations are ruined.
For the Love of a Bennet is a novel length story, currently being posted chapter by chapter on Elizabeth’s author site. This story was originally conceptualized in 2019 as a part of the All Go to Brighton challenge.
Chapter 27 - By Consequence of Marriage, a Pride and Prejudice Variation
The Reverend William Collins puffed his chest with pride as the Rosings footman pulled back a chair in his honor. On many occasions, he had been invited to tea with his patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, but it was a rare occasion, scarcely a few, when she invited her lowly pastor to dine in the formal dining room. To the casual observer, the invitation was more added convenience for Lady Catherine, stemming from the hour at which he arrived from London and less of an intention to speak to his social status.
“Tell me of this cousin you selected for your wife. You say you are to marry the second eldest daughter?” Lady Catherine demanded.
Mr. Collins hesitated for a moment to choose his words carefully. He wanted Lady Catherine to approve of his choice. Despite Mr. Bennet’s plans for him and Elizabeth to reside at Longbourn, the loyal pastor had no such desire to lose his independence. “Yes, my cousin, Elizabeth Bennet. She is all that is desirable in a lady. Though she may be the second daughter by birth, I assure your ladyship, she is superior in breeding and manners.”
“How peculiar the second is to marry before the first. I’m afraid this family may lack the breeding to hold such an estate. It was wise, indeed, the property be entailed away from the female line.”
“I beg your pardon, my ladyship, but Miss Bennet is to marry not one week after our return. She is engaged to a Mr. Charles Bingley of Netherfield Park, a leased property that neighbors the Longbourn estate.”
The first course of soup arrived and while Lady Catherine regally sipped from each spoonful, the brash manners of Mr. Collins barely allowed him to diminish the slurping noise that came with each of his attempts. After a few moments, Lady Catherine set her spoon down. The action frightened Mr. Collins who did not know the proper etiquette for such a moment, so he followed suit. As the footman moved to clear the soup course away after such a short tenure on the table, Lady Catherine pursed her lips and intertwined her long, bejeweled fingers under her chin while she pondered.
“Bingley? Bingley, you say? I believe I have known my nephew, Fitzwilliam, to mention the name.”
Collins forgot his hunger for a moment and disappointment at the removal of the wonderful, warm soup. He brightened at being in possession of news for his patroness. “They are friends, I believe, my ladyship. Your nephew, Mr. Darcy, had just completed a visit to the area when I arrived. It would appear that he and my intended were in an unfortunate accident. This is why I must ask for an extension to complete my business, you know. Miss Elizabeth broke her ankle in the accident and lately recovered her health.”
“An accident with my nephew! Why was I not informed at once? I might know you would send word but you did not.” The steely gaze of Lady Catherine turned upon Collins.
Mr. Collins’ face paled as he gulped down the saliva pooling in his mouth. “I–that is I, I only did not include it in my letters, your ladyship, because–because I was certain you were informed . . . And – and as I understand, your nephew was not injured in the least.” His mouth wobbled into a pathetic smile of appeasement.
“Well, I demand the particulars now!” Lady Catherine held up her hand as another course was set to arrive, a motion that instructed the footman to wait.
“I’m afraid I am not in possession of numerous details, your ladyship. To my knowledge, the accident occurred as Mr. Darcy was riding into town. My cousin, Elizabeth, walks down the same lane and his horse nearly struck her. She dove off the road and Mr. Darcy rescued her from the rocky trenches where she suffered a head injury and a broken ankle.”
“Where was her father in all this? Her escort? She was walking alone?”
Mr. Collins felt validated in sharing an opinion so similar to his patroness, failing to recall how much he desired the woman to approve his future wife. “I’m afraid her father allows certain behaviors that I assure you will not continue once she is married to me. I am instructing her on proper reading material, and I am certain after the wedding she may find herself with much to occupy her time that would preclude such idleness and inappropriate behavior.”
Mr. Collins waited for a response, but Lady Catherine remained silent. The silence was a new behavior for Mr. Collins and he began to sweat profusely, sitting in his chair of inquisition, despite no real change in the room’s temperature.
The grand lady appeared perplexed as she considered the puzzle pieces laid before her concerning her nephew. Mr. Collins’ stomach growled in a most unbecoming manner as he could smell the next course, but had yet to taste of it. The sound distracted Lady Catherine and she motioned for the food to again be served to the table.
As the silver dome lifted away, Mr. Collins felt a rush of delight at the vision of a shank of roast beef served with a side of golden potatoes. Carefully, he cut a piece of the beef with his knife and was just about to eat when Lady Catherine addressed him again, forcing him to put his fork down.
“Relate to me the particulars of my nephew leaving the area. You say he had just concluded his visits yet his nearest friend is to marry the eldest sister? That sounds impossibly odd.”
Mr. Collins shrugged and looked at Lady Catherine with an honest expression of bewilderment. “I say, I must concur most heartily with your ladyship’s conclusions. I am afraid I am not privy to the reason your nephew, the illustrious Mr. Darcy, vacated the county. All I know is he received an express from London on the evening before my cousins returned home from Netherfield, and he was off at morning light.”
Lady Catherine’s mouth opened in shock, but she closed it at once. With a loud bellow, she summoned her housekeeper. She continued to yell until the woman appeared. “Send word to ready my carriage and pack my things! Immediately! I am to London to visit my brother and sister-in-law. Well, don’t just stand there, go!” The poor wisp of a woman startled at her mistress’ pique and quickly backed out of the room.
Resuming a more neutral tone, still laced with the imperious demeanor that Lady Catherine possessed in spades, she asked her pastor a loaded question. “Mr. Collins, have you unpacked yet?”
Collins hastily swallowed the half chewed bite of his beef, offering his answer with great alacrity. “No, my lady, I saw to my business with my man regarding the rents as you instructed and intended to unpack this evening upon return from dinner.”
“Wonderful, finish up here and I will take you back to London.”
“But your ladyship,” Mr. Collins let out a ghastly hiccough. He hastily covered his mouth with his napkin. “I mean to stay for a number of days to attend to the church business that has accrued. And there’s still the question of my extended leave of absence.”
Lady Catherine waved her hands in a gesture of frivolity. “Yes, yes, your absence is certainly understandable. But I must visit London and I must leave this evening. You will ride with me back to London, and be with your relatives in town by mid-morning. We should only need to stop at one inn.”
Another hiccough escaped Mr. Collins’ mouth as he struggled to reign over his body’s betrayal with good regulation. Clumsily, he grasped a glass of wine and attempted to drink his embarrassing situation away. “While your generosity is most kind, Lady Catherine, I must say I have no hesitation to take the post-chaise back to London as I originally planned . . .”
“Nonsense! You shall ride with me, for economy is a virtue never to be dismissed. Besides,” the grand lady stood from the table glaring at Mr. Collins until he realized he was amiss in not rising for a lady. He stumbled to correct himself, lacking any semblance of grace, “I may have need of more information you can supply.” With very little pomp, Lady Catherine left the room to manage her own arrangements.
Mr. Collins sat down and continued to eat his roast beef. The two footmen in the dining room shared a smirk as they eyed the bumbling pastor eating as quickly as he could. At any moment, Lady Catherine could come back in and demand that dinner come to an end. Eating quickly proved difficult as the poor pastor’s diaphragm would spasm with every bite. He dreaded another trip to the London so swiftly with nothing to look forward to but the uncomfortable plight of indigestion, no matter how well sprung the Rosings carriages were maintained.
You’ve been reading By Consequence of Marriage
By Consequence of Marriage, Book 1 of the Moralities of Marriage
a Pride and Prejudice novel variation series
Release Date: December 23, 2014
65,000 words, ~334 pages in print.
When his horse throws a shoe, Fitzwilliam Darcy misses rescuing his sister, Georgiana Darcy, from the clutches of George Wickham by only one day. Now on the hunt to find them both, the gossip beginning to swirl in London forces him to abdicate the search to his cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, while he plays the wayward gentleman in Hertfordshire with his friend Charles Bingley. After a collision with his future, Darcy struggles to satisfy his attraction to a pair of fine eyes and keep his family’s scandal hidden.
Elizabeth Bennet dreams of nothing more than remaining close to her sister, Jane. When a rich gentleman, Charles Bingley, enters the neighborhood, it seems certain that Jane will make a match with him. After all, Jane Bennet is the sweetest and most beautiful woman in the county! But Elizabeth’s efforts to find her own local match go awry and she feels abandoned by the first man to cause stirrings in her heart. Her parents attempt to marry Elizabeth off to her cousin, William Collins, who is set to inherit the estate. But when she refuses, she soon finds herself In London with relatives, forced to find her own happiness.
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A Jane-of-all-trades, mistress to none! Elizabeth Ann West is the author of 8 novels and 11 novellas, 18 of which are story variations of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice.
Mr. Collins seems less awed by his patroness with no mention of condenscension.
Parece que ninguém liga pra nada só tia Gardner. Até jane não liga pra nada , desde que ela esteja feliz , ela parece não se incomodar.