Page 86 of Regrets

“Does he know what is afoot?” Mr. Philips asked.

“Not yet; I will write him directly.”

Edward,

I hope this letter finds you and Madeleine well. It has been an eventful several weeks here in Meryton, resulting in the discovery that Joshua Collins died without male heirs of the body, a situation which immediately broke the entail. He hid the fact, however, by adopting a son, whom he named George Collins, and thus our current heir presumptive, William Collins is not a legitimate heir at all!

I have a court date set for the tenth of December to officially and legally end the entail. Philips and I plan to arrive the day before. Might you put us up for the night?

Thomas

The reply came the next day.

Thomas,

Madeleine and I would be delighted to have you and Philips as our guests on the ninth of December and, indeed, for as long afterwards as you might care to stay! I am speechless with delight at the idea of the entail being broken, and Madeleine can scarce contain herself. I look forward to hearing all the details!

Edward

Mr. Bennet had not heard anything from Mr. Collins; perhaps the man would not even appear! That would be the best possible thing, would it not? But perhaps there was some sort of proof that his father was, in fact, legitimate, and the whole thing would fall apart!

He groaned and let his head fall into his hands.

Chapter Seventy-Five

When Mr. Collins received an official letter from a Court of Chancery in London, he eyed the parchment with considerable suspicion. What on earth could the Court of Chancery have to do with him? It could be nothing good.

He turned it this way and that, peering at it closely, but he finally decided that nothing could be learnt of the matter until the letter was opened.

He sat at his desk with a cup of tea nearby and, heart beating a little too fast, opened it. The Court of Chancery, office of Judge Jarndyce, informed him that the legality of the entail on the Longbourn estate in Hertfordshire was now in question; it would be decided on the tenth of December. Mr. Collins had the right to be present and hear the evidence; if he was not present, the case would immediately be decided in favour of the person who had brought the case to the Court, one Mr. Thomas Bennet.

Mr. Collins could not understand what he was reading. He read it again, and still could make no sense of it. He was the heir to Longbourn; of that, there could be no doubt. Could there?

Then he recalled that he had gotten a letter from Mr. Bennet, one which he had never opened. He searched frantically through the papers littering his desk, and finally found it. He ripped it open. As he read it, his eyes became wider and wider, his heart beat faster and faster, and he immediately did the only thing he could think of. He ran to Rosings Park, and arrived quite out of breath, his hair and clothing in considerable disarray.

Fenworth stared at him in disapproval as Mr. Collins gasped out his request to see her ladyship at once, but finally led the man into the drawing room.

Lady Catherine started in surprise at Mr. Collins’ appearance, but immediately understood the situation when she saw the official seal of the Court of Chancery.

“I just received – I just read –“ he panted, and handed her the letters.

“Quiet!” Lady Catherine ordered. She did not ask him to sit, and so he stood before her, dripping sweat and breathing hard, while she read the letters.

“Is there truth to this?” she demanded, looking at him.

“Truth?”

“Was your father adopted?”

“He never said anything to make me think so!” Mr. Collins said. “I never imagined, never thought –“ He sank down on the rug, his face in his hands.

Lady Catherine pitied the man. It was not his fault that he was a fool, and not his fault that his claim to an estate had turned out to be false.

It was, however, Lady Catherine’s fault that he was here at Rosings. “You must appear in court,” she told him.

He looked first baffled and then terrified. “Lady Catherine,” he began, looking at his patroness with pleading eyes.

“I will accompany you,” she assured him. “But that will not change the facts of the case.”