Page 54 of His Pride and His Prejudice

“When I do myself the honour of speaking to you next on the subject, dear cousin, I shall hope to receive a more favourable answer than you have now given me.”

Elliot halted by the door. “Why would you think that?”

Mr. Collins gave a small bow. “I am far from accusing you of cruelty at present, because I know it to be the established custom of your class to reject a man on the first application and is consistent with the true delicacy of the omega character.”

“Really, Mr. Collins,” Elliot snapped, his head now throbbing in time with his racing heart. “You puzzle me exceedingly if you believe that to be true, and I know not how to express my refusal in such a way as to convince you of its being one!”

“You must give me leave to flatter myself, my dear cousin, that your refusal of my addresses is merely words of course,” he said. “My reasons for believing it are briefly these. It does not appear to me that my hand is unworthy your acceptance, or that the establishment I can offer would be any other than highly desirable. My situation in life, my connections with the family of de Bourgh, and my relationship to your own, are circumstances highly in my favour. And you should take it into further consideration, that in spite of your manifold attractions, it is by no means certain that another offer to mate may ever be made you.” He shook his head and sighed in a slightly dramatic fashion. “Your portion is unhappily so small that it will, in all likelihood, undo the effects of your loveliness and amiable qualifications. As I must therefore conclude that you are not serious in your rejection of me, I shall choose to attribute it to your wish of increasing my love by suspense, according to the usual practice of elegant omegas.”

Any careful feelings of the situation that Elliot might have had disappeared in an instant. Was it because Mr. Collins was once again fixing all omegas in a certain way, as the betas and alphas were wont to do, or was it simply because his suggestion that Elliot may never receive another proposal followed so closely on the heels of his thoughts on Darcy? Elliot did not know but his patience for this conversation had run out.

“I do assure you, sir, that I have no pretensions whatever to that kind of elegance which consists in tormenting a respectable man!” Elliot said. “I would rather be paid the compliment of being believed sincere. I thank you again for the honour you have done me in your proposal, but to accept it is absolutely impossible. My feelings in every respect forbid it. Can I speak plainer? Please do not consider me now as an elegant omega, intending to plague you, but as a rational creature, speaking the truth from his heart.”

“You are uniformly charming!” Mr. Collins said with an awkward gallantry. “And I am persuaded that when sanctioned by the express authority of both your excellent parents, my proposals will not fail of being acceptable!”

“I will say once more,” Elliot responded. “Any mating and marriage between us is absolutely impossible and wish to hear no more on the subject!”

And with that Elliot did, finally, leave the room, heading straight out to the fields and woodlands of Longbourn and the peace he had craved since that very morning. Mr. Collins did not, thankfully, follow. And Elliot was finally free to breathe in fresh air and consider everything that had happened and unsurprisingly Darcy was much in his thoughts, though that too was absolutely impossible!

Elliot could not know of course that Mr. Collins did not follow him because he was relaying their entire conversation to Mrs. Bennet who was absolutely outraged and declared that her son would be brought to heel immediately! After all, had she not planned on two matings before the year was through?

By the time Elliot, muddy and heart sore, returned to Longbourn some hours later several conversations between the Bennets and Mr. Collins had been held and Elliot was summoned to the library for immediate questioning by Mr. Bennet. Mrs. Bennet stood behind him, hands on her hips, glaring at her least favoured son. Mr. Collins was nowhere to be seen.

“Come here, young man,” Mr. Bennet said as Elliot appeared. “I have sent for you on an affair of importance. I understand that Mr. Collins has made you an offer to mate. Is it true?”

“It is,” Elliot said.

“Very well,” Mr. Bennet said, book in hand. It was unfamiliar to Elliot, though he had no way of knowing that it was actually the book Mr. Bennet had pilfered from Netherfield’s library. “And this offer you have refused?” Mr. Bennet asked.

“I have, sir,” Elliot said.

“Very well. We now come to the point. Your mother insists upon your accepting it. Is it not so, Mrs. Bennet?”

Mrs. Bennet’s words burst out of her, no surprise given she had been holding them in for some hours and was now red-faced and exhausted. “Yes, or I will never see him again!”

Elliot shook his head even as his heart gave an unpleasant squeeze. He loved his mother and did not want her to think unwell of him, but there was simply no question of his mating with Mr. Collins. It was insupportable.

Mr. Bennet nodded slowly. “An unhappy alternative is before you now, Elliot,” he said. “From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not mate with Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do.”

The squeeze on his heart eased, and Elliot could not help but smile at Mr. Bennet.

Mrs. Bennet was furious! “What do you mean, Mr. Bennet, in talking this way?” she demanded. “You promised me to insist that Elliot wed Mr. Collins!”

“My dear,” replied her husband, “I have two small favours to request. First, that you will allow me the free use of my understanding on the present occasion. And secondly, of my room. I shall be glad to have the library to myself as soon as may be.”

And so, that was that.

Twenty-Six

In spite of her husband’s words and her deep disappointment in them, Mrs. Bennet did not give up. Over the following days she talked to Elliot again and again, coaxing and threatening him by turns. She endeavoured to secure Jack onto her side and when that failed tried the other brothers too, anything at all to have her way. And though her manner of attack varied, her determination never did. It ceased only some days later, when a knock came upon the door and a servant of Netherfield was revealed.

He had in hand a letter.

It was addressed to Jack.

The servant quickly dispatched, and all thoughts of Mr. Collins forgotten for the moment, the letter was duly given to the older Bennet brother who opened it with haste, expecting perhaps an invitation to dine as it had been some days since he had last heard from Mr. Bingley. It took him only a moment to realise the letter was something else entirely.

A gasp.

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