Elizabeth and Mary exchanged glances.
“I will accompany you,” Mary said.
Mr. and Mrs. Bennet came into the room in time to hear Mary’s voice. “Accompany who where?” Mrs. Bennet demanded.
“Kitty and Lydia hope to go into Meryton; Mary will accompany them,” Elizabeth explained shortly.
“Fine,” Mrs. Bennet replied.
Mr. Bennet cleared his throat; everyone looked up. “I had meant to inform you all of this earlier, but recent events have rather taken it from my mind,” he began.
“Why, this is mysterious, Papa,” Kitty said.
“I do not intend to be mysterious, only to attempt to excuse my own failure to convey this earlier. In any case, my cousin, Mr. Collins, is to visit us. He arrives tomorrow.”
Mrs. Bennet made a strangling noise. “Tomorrow?”
“Yes; I am sorry, Mrs. Bennet. I know you would have preferred to have more time to prepare –“
Mrs. Bennet rose at once and left the room, presumably to confer with Mrs. Hill.
Mr. Bennet sighed and put his head in his hands.
“It will be all right, Papa,” Mary said, softly.
“It just seems that I can do nothing right,” he murmured. With that, he got up and left.
The four girls stared at his empty chair and then at one another.
“Mr. Collins is coming here?” Mary asked.
“Evidently,” Elizabeth said, dryly.
“But perhaps, given that he is the heir to Longbourn, you need not marry Mr. Bingley after all, Lizzy!” Mary said urgently, leaning forward. “Surely Mama and Papa would both prefer a marriage to Mr. Collins, who is to inherit the estate!”
Elizabeth shook her head. “Mary, it will not help us just now; unless, of course, he is a man of means, a man who could afford to give us three thousand pounds.”
Lydia said, impatiently, “Well, go and ask Papa what he knows of the man! He is more likely to talk to you than any of the rest of us.”
“She makes a good point,” Mary said, nodding. “Ask Papa for more information. He feels badly enough about his behaviour that it is likely he will tell you anything you wish to know.”
“I suppose you are right.” Elizabeth took a last bite of her toast before wiping her lips with her napkin and setting it on the table. “I will tell all of you what I find out.”
***
“Tell me what you know of Mr. Collins, Papa,” Elizabeth said. “If we are to be ready to greet our cousin properly, we must know more about him.”
In response, Mr. Bennet handed Elizabeth a letter. She read:
Dear Mr. Bennet,
I have long wished to meet my only remaining family, but knew not how to proceed. Finally, I have decided to be bold and simply present myself, in the hope that my presence in your home will not be intolerable.
I suspect you know as little of me as I about you, so allow me to give you a small summary of my current situation. I am the rector of a parish in the county of Kent, under the patronage of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. She has a very grand estate, which my own small parsonage abuts. She is not much known, so I do not imagine you will have heard of her.
I am unmarried, though I have hopes of soon remedying that situation. My patroness, who does not hesitate to advise me on all matters, great and small, suggests that one of my own cousins might wish to become my wife, given that I am, as of now, the heir presumptive of Longbourn. I am certainly willing to consider it, and hope that one of them might be amenable to my suit.
May I present myself at Longbourn at four o’clock in the afternoon on the eighteenth of November? If I do nothear anything to the contrary, I will presume this to be acceptable to you.
