“No, nor have I any wish to. I knew his father, and that was enough.”
“But –“
“Finish the letter.”
Mr. Darcy obediently bent his eye back to the letter and was amazed to learn, by the end of it, that this was the very same Collins that his Aunt Catherine had suggested would officiate at his wedding to Anne de Bourgh!
“You look everything astonished, Mr. Darcy.”
He would not admit that the Lady Catherine de Bourgh mentioned in the letter was his own aunt, so instead he said, “The man is clearly a fool.”
“Yes, and a fool who intends to spend a good deal of time in my house at his own invitation.”
“But would it not be rational to be as good and generous to the man as possible, given how much power he has over your family?”
Mr. Bennet bent a satirical eye upon his guest. “Could you tolerate such a man, let alone be good and generous?”
Mr. Darcy thought about his sister. “I can tell you in complete honesty that were such a man to have sway over my own sister’s future, I would tolerate a good deal worse with complete composure.”
Mr. Bennet stared at him for a long minute and then sighed. “I suppose you are right,” he said, glumly.
“What does Mrs. Bennet say?”
“Nothing, as she does not yet know of the proposed visit.”
Mr. Darcy considered this. It was now the middle of October, and Mr. Collins would arrive in a month’s time. “Do you not think you should do so?”
“Frankly, Mr. Darcy, there will be so much caterwauling about the unfairness of the entail that I thought to wait until the last possible moment before informing her of her uninvited and unwelcome guest.”
Mr. Darcy was silent, but his countenance spoke a good deal.
“You think I am wrong then,” Mr. Bennet observed.
“It does not seem rational to me, sir, but you know your family circumstances far better than I.”
“What would be rational, then?”
“To allow your wife and daughters to read the letter for themselves, and then discuss as a family how the situation will be handled.”
“Why my daughters?”
“Because it is clear from this letter that he intends to offer for one of your daughters, and this is information that they should have in sufficient time to contemplate what it might mean to them.”
“I suppose you are right, though I shall have to bear a good deal of complaining,” Mr. Bennet said. His tone was peevish.
The two men then settled over the chessboard and spoke no more about Mr. Collins or Miss Elizabeth.
***
After Mr. Darcy had left Longbourn, Mr. Bennet settled back in his chair and closed his eyes. Mr. Darcy had given him a great deal to think about. His point about sharing the letter from Mr.Collins with his family had been an excellent one. How had he, Bennet, not arrived at that conclusion himself?
After a long period of self-reflection, he concluded that it had been his habit to act neither rationally nor emotionally, but simply – he winced at the word – indolently. His preferred path was that of least resistance. Surely this was not how a gentleman should behave, particularly not one with a wife and five daughters! He resolved to do better.
Chapter Twelve
Afew days later, Mr. Darcy found himself once again bent over Mr. Bennet’s chessboard. He was having some difficulty concentrating, as he could not help hearing a number of female voices raised in expectation, exasperation and excitation. “There seems to be a good deal of activity at Longbourn today,” he observed.
Mr. Bennet shook his head in disgust. “There is an assembly tomorrow night, Darcy, and the ladies of the neighbourhood are in an uproar over it.”
