“What?”
“My husband does not like me spending a good deal of time with you. You must understand that if I am forced to choose between a sister and a husband, I must choose my husband.”
“I know he does not like me.”
Mrs. Hurst almost laughed. “No, it is a good deal worse than that. He detests you, Caroline, and he very much dislikes it when I agree with you, when you and I deprecate someone, when…well, he would say when I behave like you.”
Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst stared at one another for a minute. Miss Bingley dropped her eyes. “I see.”
“I must be careful, Caroline. Do not expect it to be as it was; do not expect me to agree with you about Jane Bennet, for example. If Charles takes it into his head to marry her, I will smile and congratulate him.”
Miss Bingley began to speak, but Mrs. Hurst overrode her. “Caroline, you must understand your marriage prospects areyour problem and no one else’s. You have been gifted with good looks and an exceptional dowry; do not expect anything more from Charles on that score. It is not right for him to be asked to sacrifice his happiness on the altar of your own marital expectations.”
Miss Bingley replied, “I was only going to say that if Miss Bennet makes Charles happy, then that is enough.”
“Very well; I will speak to Charles about releasing you from your confinement.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Longbourn
It was unusual for the Bennet patriarch to visit his daughters in their rooms, and even more unusual for Mary to be the daughter visited. She stood up at once when he entered. “Papa?” she said, uncertainly.
“You are not in any trouble, child,” he said at once. “I merely have a question to pose to you.”
She sat on the edge of the bed and motioned to the chair beside it.
Sitting, Mr. Bennet decided to approach the subject obliquely. “What think you of your new cousin, Mr. Collins?”
“What do I think of him?” Mary repeated. She thought for a moment, and then said, quietly, “You wish to know if I would accept him as a husband, I suppose.”
Mr. Bennet stared at her in astonishment.
She laughed at his surprise. “It was not a difficult deduction, Papa. I know Mama would never permit Jane to marry him, and Lizzy, Kitty and Lydia could never be persuaded to meet him at the altar. That leaves me.”
“Well thought out, Mary,” her father replied, ruefully. “That is exactly the situation.”
Mary sighed. “I truly would rather not marry him, if I am honest, Papa. I know Mama sets great store by the idea of keeping Longbourn in the family, but I feel rather like a maiden about to be sacrificed to appease a monster.”
Mr. Bennet came to an immediate conclusion. “Then you shall not marry him, Mary. I have not been an attentive father, but I think I can at least be a father who would not sacrifice his daughter to a monster. Or, in this case, a fool. You are too good for him, Mary, and that is the plain truth of it. I know your mother disparages your looks but, honestly, you look fine to me. Andyouarenota fool. On the contrary, I know you to be kind, sensible, and reliable. Yes, you are too good for him, and he shall not have you.”
With that, Mr. Bennet rose and exited, leaving a baffled but delighted Mary behind. She could not recall ever having received such commendation from her father – or, for that matter, her mother. She hugged his praise to herself, chanting the words over and over. “Kind, sensible, reliable. You look fine to me. Too good for him.”
Mr. Bennet went to his wife’s bedroom and gave her the news. None of the Bennet girls would marry Mr. Collins; Longbourn would be lost to them forever. He held her as she wept.
***
Mr. Collins sat in the parlour with Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth. In truth, he could scarce wait to propose to Miss Elizabeth. Now that he thought about it, she truly was just as pretty as her elder sister, though in a very different way. Blond hair and blue eyes were the established mode of prettiness in young ladies, thus it had been Miss Bennet who had been his first object of admiration. But he now found himself approving of Miss Elizabeth’s mahogany tresses, and the way the light brought out shades of red. Yes, she was pretty enough to suit him.
Both Jane and Elizabeth were well aware that Mr. Collins’ attention had shifted from Jane to Elizabeth. Jane might have been happy not to have his eyes focused on her, had she not immediately seen that now Lizzy was made to feel uncomfortable.
Both girls were glad when Mrs. Bennet joined them, as she distracted Mr. Collins from his admiration of his future bride by asking a good many questions about Lady Catherine and Rosings Park. Jane and Elizabeth were grateful that she was doing so, but were puzzled as well. Why was she not praising Elizabeth to the skies, eager to elicit a proposal from him?
They were even more puzzled when Mr. Bennet walked in. He was not one to frequent the parlour during the day, preferring to spend his time in his study. “Mr. Colllins, I must speak with you,” he said, without preamble.
Mrs. Bennet nodded and rose, saying, “Jane, Lizzy, come with me.”
The two girls followed their mother out of the room and immediately demanded answers. “Mama, what is going on?” Jane asked.
