Well, this will be awkward. Enter pompous cousin no one likes who also owns the place….
XOXO Elizabeth Ann West
Chapter 3 - A Winter Wrong, a Pride and Prejudice Variation
The bells pealed in Hertfordshire for days as the actual costs of life added up. Not only was Mr. Bennet gone, but so were far too many young children and the infirm. Mrs. Long was mourned by her nieces, and the neighborhood could not recall a more violent epidemic in two generations. The mysterious illness that lasted no more than nearly the day it took a victim to realize they were grievously ill moved on just as suddenly as it had appeared. As with most tragedies, the spared and the taken held no rhyme or reason but that it was the will of God.
Whisperings abounded as to the source of the sickness and the fashionable, yet newly arrived, brother and sister from London and their guests became a popular speculation. As such, the welcome to Mr. Bingley and his company was decidedly less warm, and other guests were met with a similar suspicion. The ills and foul air of London must have followed them to the small hamlet of Meryton, and there was little Mr. Bingley, or Mr. Darcy could do to dissuade the gossips.
Another man would also hold an unfortunate timing to arrive at the small village. Mr. William Collins, the distant cousin of Mr. Bennet and the very man set to inherit Longbourn as part of an entailment on the property, took leave from his patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh to visit his relations. And so it was, two days after Mr. Bennet left the fine earth, his heir knocked on the door to the to the shrieks of Mrs. Bennet and cold stares of his fair cousins Mary, Kitty, and Lydia Bennet. He had written about his visit, but Mr. Bennet had never told the rest of his family, so it became one last cruel joke for the teasing Mr. Bennet to play.
Altogether shocked to instantly inherit an estate upon arrival, Mr. Collins, puffed up fribble that he was, failed to even appear mournful of a man so wholly unconnected to him over the glee of his own good fortunes. By the third day, Mr. Collins had situated himself in the master bedroom suite and dismissed Mrs. Bennet to the guest room she had failed to ready for him before his arrival.
Elizabeth and Jane returned from Netherfield Park to a home foreign to them, one where they were strangers in their own bedroom. The only news the girls could give to cheer the nearly catatonic Mrs. Bennet when they arrived was that before leaving Netherfield, Mr. Bingley had asked Jane Bennet for a courtship and she had agreed provided she be allowed to respectfully mourn her father. This announcement made Mrs. Bennet neatly jump out of her bed.
“Oh, Jane! My sweet, Jane!” Mrs. Bennet gripped the hands of the fairest Bennet daughter and attempted a smile. “You have saved us from that wretched man, that wretched, wretched man!” She flew to the looking glass to don her black bonnet and veil, the only mourning clothing she could fashion so shortly after entering her widowhood. “Hill! Fetch me my shawl, the gray one if you please.”
“Mama! You cannot possibly be planning to go out! We must not visit while Papa is so shortly gone!”
“Nonsense! I may not visit, but you girls shall go around and tell Lady Lucas and Mrs. Long…” Frances Bennet frowned as she remembered that poor Mrs. Long was taken by the same sickness that took her dear husband. Fresh tears and sobs erupted as Jane and Elizabeth helped Mrs. Bennet back to the bed.
Their mother settled in her bed, the girls retired to their shared bedroom and found themselves unable to speak above hushed tones as they worked out who would tend to their mother and who would see to purchases for the household. Given Jane’s sweet disposition, it was decided she would remain at home while Elizabeth fetched much-needed essentials for the estate.
As Elizabeth donned a gown trimmed in black that she had worked on at Netherfield, she also affixed a gray bonnet. She met her cousin Mr. Collins in the hall and tried to walk past him without engaging in conversation.
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Chapter 3 (cont'd) - A Winter Wrong, a Pride and Prejudice Variation
“Cousin Elizabeth, you appear dressed for an outing. May I ask to where you are headed?”
“You may ask, but I may not feel obliged to satisfy your curiosity, sir.”
“Ho, ho, a fine joke, indeed. I was warned you were the crafty one with words. By the by, now as head of this household, I must insist on knowing the comings and goings of all young ladies to keep you safe, you see.”
Scowling, she admitted she was heading into town to purchase items such as meat, candles, and additional stationary so that she might begin alerting family members of her father’s demise. Before she could say otherwise, Mr. Collins expressed he would invite himself along on this shopping excursion to make sure household funds were not squandered by the shopkeepers looking to take advantage of her delicate female mind.
“Mr. Collins, I assure you I have taken on the responsibility of stocking the household many times as my mother has instructed all of us in the way of being the lady of a house.” She said so in an attempt to insinuate his lack of knowledge of running an estate, but the sudden gleam in his eye and lick of his lips left a decidedly different impression on her as far as his understanding went.
Just as she had done with Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth expertly avoided taking Mr. Collins arm for assistance, preferring to instead meander and pause at odd intervals in hopes of irritating the man beside her enough to give up his quest to join her. Instead, all her pauses to collect the last wild fall blooms and to suddenly stare out at an open pasture made him more determined to watch over his cousin clearly wracked with grief.
As they entered the bookshop, Mr. Langton kindly greeted Elizabeth as she was a frequent customer. Unfortunately, he was out of black lined paper, with so many deaths in the neighborhood, but was able to sell her plain parchment and additional ink that with a steady hand, she may apply a border herself. Of course, all Mr. Collins could comment on was the cost savings achieved by such a scheme, and Elizabeth rolled her eyes.
Before they could exit the shop, none other than Mr. Darcy entered and gave a low bow when he instantly recognized Miss Elizabeth.
“Mr. Darcy,” she greeted him with a customary curtsy. Yet before she could speak another word, Mr. Collins very nearly bumped her out of the way to bow very low before Mr. Darcy himself and make a fool’s introduction.
“Mr. Darcy, sir, the nephew of my esteemed and most benevolent patroness Lady Catherine de Bourgh. It is an honor to meet you, sir, a true honor, in such a country as this! Why, when I left Lady Catherine and your affianced not a fortnight ago, they both were in hearty health.”
If looks could murder, then Mr. Collins would have found his way following in Mr. Bennet’s footfalls exactly where he stood. As they cannot, Mr. Darcy glowered and Elizabeth found herself surprisingly amused by the proud and stuffy Mr. Darcy being affronted by none other than her disgusting cousin. Since a lady may not laugh in most social instances, and certainly not one in full mourning, she quickly lowered her head so that her bonnet hid her delight. Mr. Darcy judged Miss Elizabeth’s reaction to be a disappointment, and without thinking, he did what he would not ordinarily do and set out to correct Mr. Collins.
“You must be that insipid parson my aunt has written to me about. Collings? Or Crossing is it?”
“Collins, sir. Mr. Collins. The new master of Longbourn, if it pleases you, sir.”
Mr. Darcy stood silent. He was about to crush this man with the cruelest cut society could give, only to realize here was the man who had inherited the very home in which Miss Elizabeth lived. Forgetting the erroneous comment about his cousin Anne, Darcy peppered Mr. Collins with questions of estate management. Slowly, he watched Elizabeth raise her face and scrutinize him carefully. He tried to flash her a quick smile, but the idiotic answers from the parson grated his nerves.
“It appears I have kept you and Miss Elizabeth too long, but should you have any questions, Mr. Collins, I am always happy to assist.” Mr. Darcy bowed to leave, only Mr. Collins continued to talk.
“Could you call upon us tomorrow? There is a stack of papers I must go through, and I confess my education at Cambridge did nothing to prepare me for calculations of crop yields and rents.”
Elizabeth watched in horror as the man she could hardly bear to stand next to proceeded to invite the one man she could not stand to be in company with over for tea to go through her father’s possessions in the library. The rest of the shopping trip she found herself sniping at Mr. Collins for his repeated questioning of the prices in hopes that he would rein in his continued chatter. Unfortunately, Elizabeth’s ire with the man was not matched by a similar emotion in her cousin.
* * *
WHAT A DEAL!
A kiss at the Netherfield Ball . . .
Three Dates with Mr. Darcy is a bundle of: An exclusive story, Much to Conceal, a novella that imagines what if Elizabeth confessed to Jane in London that Mr. Darcy proposed in Kent?
A Winter Wrong, the first novella in the Seasons of Serendipity series that imagines what if Mr. Bennet died at the very beginning of Pride and Prejudice?
By Consequence of Marriage, the first novel in the Moralities of Marriage series that wonders what if Mr. Darcy never saved his sister Georgiana from Wickham’s clutches?
Elizabeth Ann West’s Pride and Prejudice variations have enthralled more than 100,000 readers in over 90 countries! A proud member of the Jane Austen Fan Fiction community since the mid-2000s, she hopes you will join her in being happily Darcy addicted!
Chapter 3(cont'd) - A Winter Wrong, a Pride and Prejudice Variation
Shouts and loud noises greeted Darcy as he walked into Netherfield from the side entrance by the stables. He winced as he could make out Caroline’s shrill voice echoing through the halls.
“Are you absolutely mad, Charles? What about me? What about my chances? Fitzwilliam will never look at me now that you’ve made such a disastrous match.”
“Caroline, for the last time, Darcy has no interest in you! Hie to London, buy more gowns, more jewels. Make this season your finest because once Jane’s mourning period is over, she shall become my wife no matter what you say.”
A tinkle of broken glass startled Darcy as he stood outside of the open study doors. Removing his riding gloves, he boldly strode into the room and immediately poured himself a drink. Behind him, Caroline huffed and exited the room. Darcy shrugged and poured a second drink for Charles.
“Thanks, Darcy. I don’t know where she gets these ideas that the Bennets will be a shackle to our family name! Jane is a gentleman’s daughter. I am a son of trade. By my calculations, Caroline should be overjoyed.” Charles took a gulp of his drink and settled into an armchair.
Reflecting on the odious man Darcy had just met, he had to admit he saw things more to Caroline’s side.
“I think Miss Bingley was trying to convey there are women with more genteel origins and higher ranked family members that would not scruple to unite themselves to a man with your means.” Darcy found his own seat and placed his gloves across his thigh.
Charles leaned forward to scrutinize his friend. “Do I have your support, or not, old friend?”
Darcy laughed hollowly. “Of course you have my support,” and Darcy motioned to raise his glass in a sign of goodwill. “But take some time during this courtship and mourning period to truly weigh the consequences of your match.”
“What match can there be without love?”
“Many a miserable marriage started off violently in love only to cool. Ask yourself what can there be if the love extinguishes and there is no pride of familial ties or social standing?”
Charles’ face slackened, and he leaned back. For a few moments, both men were silent and equally reflective. His drink almost gone, Charles absently ran a finger around the rim of his glass. “I plan to call on Longbourn tomorrow, would you care to join me?”
Darcy took a breath, wondering if it was right to be kinder to his friend than he was to himself? His attraction to Miss Elizabeth was palpable, yet, tomorrow he was riding to her home specifically to sort through her father’s personal papers as a favor to her, even though he couldn’t say such. He decided whether Bingley’s and Miss Bennet’s courtship resulted in marriage, it would not be as a result of his personal encouragement nor censor.
“Your steward said the north fence was broken in places and needed mending before winter set in, did he not?”
Bingley shrugged. “What is a gentleman unless he is at his leisure?” He started to laugh but stopped when Darcy’s face remained serious.
“The intention, Charles, is to treat this estate as your own. Would you put off such an important matter once you buy such an acreage as this?”
Sobered, Charles shook his head. “Suppose we both will be riding north tomorrow.”
Darcy downed the last of his drink and stood with his gloves in hand. “No, I think it’s time the sparrow fly free of the eagle. It’s just a fence mending, after all.” Sufficiently assured Miss Bingley would not be in the hall to accost him, Darcy bowed and retired to his room to change out of his riding clothes and order a hot bath. He would go to Longbourn in the morning, alone, and he found the thought oddly exhilarating.
You’ve been reading A Winter Wrong
A Winter Wrong, Book 1 of the Seasons of Serendipity
a Pride and Prejudice novella variation series
Release Date: July 17, 2014
33,000 words, ~177 pages in print.
When Jane Bennet’s illness at Netherfield ends up not being just a trifling cold, but an epidemic that sweeps through Hertfordshire, the lives at Longbourn are turned upside down. Elizabeth Bennet finds herself lost without a cherished loved one and the interferences of one Fitzwilliam Darcy most aggravating. Combating the bombastic behavior of Mr. Collins, Elizabeth runs to London for the protection of her aunt and uncle. But acquaintances and introductions bring Mr. Darcy back into her life and Elizabeth discovers he might just mend her broken heart.
A sweetheart romantic novella, A Winter Wrong is the first in a series of seasonal episodes following the Bennet family after the loss of their patriarch. Winter explores the feelings of grief and loss we all have experienced, while still retaining a silver lining for that dark cloud.
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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.