She smiled in appreciation, and, on a whim, squeezed her cousin’s forearm in compassion. She was rewarded with a glimpse into what Mary had seen in him that Lizzy was incapable of. He was a good man, and much handsomer than he had first appeared, now that he had found love, and presumably instruction on dress and grooming.
Elizabeth bent over the Latin volume and whispered, “What is it, Lydia? You are a far more successful spy than I ever was.”
Lydia’s face fell. “That is because you were alwayswelcome,Lizzy. I was just one of the silliest girls in England, so I had to make do with sneaking around.”
Elizabeth wrapped her in an embrace. “I am so sorry I did not see it.”
“It was my fault as well. I could have behaved so much better, and I might have been invited in.”
The embrace lasted but a moment before Lydia jumped back, all exuberance again. “Are you dying of curiosity?”
She pointed at the book. “I heard Papa boast of this book to some friends, but he never mentioned it to us. It is aGutenberg Bible[xiv].He was a German engineer who invented the printing press—or something like that. It is over 350 years old, and it cost well over £100. I heard Papa boast that he had to all but murder someone at auction to own it.”
Everyone gasped. £1 or £5 was a great deal for a book, but £100 was beyond comprehension—absolutely beyond their meagre understanding. It was more than enough to take the entire Bennet family to the seaside for a year.
“I used to hide in the cupboard when he returned from town,” Lydia said, “and he would always have someone visit to hear his boasts.”
Elizabeth returned to the cupboard. Stacks and stacks of books filled it: what looked for all the world like an original Shakespeare folio, an early edition ofDon Quixote, and more besides. A veritable fortune.
She turned back to the others. “There are our dowries. Several thousand pounds’ worth, if this is any sample. I hope you will enjoy them, William.”
“What would you have me do, Lizzy? Sell the whole lot so you girls can entice young men who are not really interested in you into the unhappy state of matrimony?”
The group gasped and turned around to see their father standing just inside the door, angry and hostile.
The Plan
To everyone’s surprise, the first to respond to Bennet’s salvo was Mr Collins. The patriarch stood like a rooster defending his territory, his expression grim and exasperated. It was the angriest Elizabeth had ever seen him.What exactly was he angry about?
Mr Collins said, “I would suggest, sir, that you are overgeneralising. I would beg younotto assume that all marriages are unhappy, or all brides badly chosen, just because yours was.”
Stunned silence filled the room. Much to Elizabeth’s surprise, Mr Collins stood straighter than he ever had and assumed a completely unexpected masculinity, while her father, who had already been shrinking in her eyes for weeks—or years, if she were honest—crumbled further.
“This is my home, Mr Collins. You will treat me with respect or leave.”
“I will treat you with the respect you are due as my future father-in-law, but I ask you to respect your offspring as well. None of us are perfect, least of all me, but weareall trying our very best.Is this your very best, sir?”
Bennet shrugged, walked the rest of the way into the room, and sat at his desk before replying. “My best or not, since I am not dead just yet, this is still my house. What is it you want here in my domain—the one place I can be in peace in this madhouse?”
Elizabeth snapped, “That is one more than the rest of us have!”
“ENOUGH!” Bennet bellowed, louder even than Raging Jane. “I would ask for the use of my library, if you do not find it entirely too much trouble.”
Mary and Lydia started shuffling toward the door, but Collins stood firm. “I would happily yield you your solitude without complaint, did I not find myself remiss in my duties to my future sisters. I would speak to you, sir. Should we resolve a few questions, we may leave this subject and never speak of it again.”
Bennet sighed resignedly. “I suppose this is the start of some stubborn campaign that you and Lizzy will wage against me until I relent.”
“I shall not speak for my cousin, only myself. Give me a dozen minutes of your time, and I will be gone. Deny it, and I will very politely and with the utmost humility ask again every day until you do.”
Bennet’s temper rose. “By all means, let us get it over with. I counted on you for some amusement, but I can assert that you are far from the mark right now.”
“I have been a fool before. I shall no doubt be a fool directly after we have done, so you need only be patient. Your amusement at my foolishness will commence soon enough.”
Lydia laughed. “He has you there!”
“So, are you to be added to my list of tormenters?”
Lydia walked straight up to his desk and leaned over, her fists on his blotter. “I am trying to learn to be alady, Papa. That means I may no longer torment Kitty. I suggest you not become my next target, as my lessons have only just begun, my progress is minimal, and you are not all that hard to find.”
