Page 8 of The Governess of My Heart
Mary looked at her with doubt, and within moments, the servant entered and informed Elizabeth that she was requested downstairs.
“Don’t go, Lizzy. That man is downstairs; please let us wait for Papa.”
But Elizabeth was not afraid to face her mother. She was angry and pained that her mother was aware of such a disgusting thought Mr. Collins had.
“No, Mary! I have done nothing wrong and I need to speak to Mamma.”
Mary followed her, not wanting to leave her sister alone.
As expected, Mr. Collins was present in the parlor. He smiled at her as if nothing had happened.
“Lizzy, what is that I hear from Mr. Collins? He has honored you with a proposal, and you behave rudely to him. Apologize immediately and convey your consent for the wedding.”
“I have done nothing to apologize for. He is the one who needs to apologize to me, and yes, I refused him. I will stay by my decision, and it will never change. He needs to leave Longbourn immediately.”
“Enough! What has gotten into you, you ill-mannered girl? Mr. Collins, I assure you she will marry you.”
“You cannot assure him anything, and I will not marry him,” Elizabeth said with determination.
Mr. Collins got up and walked close to her.
“Why, my dear cousin, have you forgotten the nature of your position in this world? The circumstances of your family and your dowry will not induce any man to offer for you. You cannot get a better offer than mine. And I assure you, even if I am displeased now, I will forgive you for such inappropriate behavior. Once we are married, I am certain I can tame your temper.”
Mary squeezed Elizabeth’s hand, unable to bear what her sister was going through.
“It is none of your business as to what my future would be. All I know is that marrying you is equal to the same fate as thatof your late wife. You must be ashamed to call yourself a man of God. Mamma, if you at all have the notion of convincing me in this matter, please give it up. I am making myself clear: I will not marry this man or have any other discussion with you regarding this.”
She stomped out of the room along with Mary, and they could hear her mother abusing Elizabeth in all possible ways, and she hoped her father would stand by her.
Oh! Papa! Where are you?
“Lizzy, I am not as hopeful as you about Papa’s interference in this matter.”
“Why do you say so? He may not display his affection to us. But he will never allow one of his daughters to marry a man like Mr. Collins.”
“But, can’t you see that he is on Mamma’s side in every matter? He could have stopped that man from visiting us, but he did nothing.”
“That may be true, Mary. He always agrees with Mamma to escape unwanted conflicts with her. But I am sure this is not such a trivial matter, and he must have agreed to the visit, unaware of this man’s intentions. But Papa will never allow me to marry him, and I trust my intuition.”
Mary was silent. Somehow, she could not agree.
Since her childhood, Mary had noticed how their mother treated her sister. She always attributed it to the fact that Elizabeth was different from them. She was intelligent and did not care for materialistic pleasures. Mary always looked up to her sister, and now her mother’s behavior vexed her. She was certain that her father was aware of her schemes.
Sometime later Jane joined them.
“You are an idiot, and you know that. You will never get any other proposal in your life. Why didn’t you say yes? Mamma ishysterical about your refusal, and her rants give me a headache,” she cried with irritation.
“Would you have said yes?” Elizabeth asked, and Jane laughed.
“You think that old man would even dare to propose to me? I am not you. I am beautiful and deserve the best in life. This position at the parsonage is quite sufficient for your standards.”
“Jane, you are being cruel. We need to support Lizzy here,” Mary said.
“And get into the bad books of Mamma? Never. Oh! I thought you would be gone soon, and I can have the room to myself,” she said and sat by the mirror admiring herself.
Elizabeth hoped her father would be back soon and support her.
She could not eat anything and waited while Mary tried to comfort her. By evening, her father returned, and before she could see him, her mother and Mr. Collins met him in the library.
