Page 5 of The Governess of My Heart
“Yes! He has explicitly written that he plans to visit us and see which of our daughters would suit him.”
“It will not do; I cannot have that man marry our Jane. She has to marry someone with good fortune, and I have raised her with high hopes. That horrible man not only has a right to our estate, but now he wants to choose from our daughters. What do we do?” she cried with worry.
“From what he states, he doesn’t have an intention to ever take over Longbourn, even after my death. He has indirectly communicated that it might not be the case if we do not take him as a son-in-law. He plans to stay in Kent for the rest of his life once he is married. He wants to marry one of our daughters;in return, we will have Longbourn for ourselves. Considering his age and marital status, I think it would be tough for him to find a wife anywhere.”
“Oh!” Mrs. Bennet said thoughtfully.
“I think we may be able to settle this matter,” she said with a smile.
Much to Elizabeth’s surprise, her mother spoke to her affectionately that evening during supper.
“Lizzy, dear, why don’t you eat some more? You seem to be losing weight,” she said, smiling.
Elizabeth did not know what caused the change. She smiled at her mother, inwardly wanting to forget everything that happened a few days ago, and her father announced about the guest they were expecting.
“Is he handsome? How old is he? Is he rich?” Jane asked with excitement.
Her mother made a stern face at her and ignored her questions.
“Lizzy, I have given you the responsibility of overlooking preparations for his visit. He may want to explore the village or the outdoors. Who can be the best person to give him company than you?” her mother said.
“Of course, Mamma! I shall be happy to show him around,” Elizabeth said, unaware of the sinister motive behind her mother’s change of heart.
She helped the housekeeper with all the arrangements, and Mr. Collins arrived a few days later. He had a lengthy discussion with the parents before he met the daughters, and Jane looked at him with disgust.
What an old, ugly man!
Elizabeth welcomed her cousin with warmth, as she did not look down on a person for their appearance or status. But moments after his arrival, she found that he lacked manners.
They sat for supper, and Mrs. Bennet ensured that Elizabeth sat beside him. She conversed with him politely, not wanting to upset her mother.
“Fair cousin, it is a pleasure to meet all of you today, especially you. I understand you love to run the house and enjoy domestic pursuits,” he said to Elizabeth, food falling out of his mouth as he spoke.
Elizabeth looked at him perplexed.
“Oh! Yes! Elizabeth is efficient in running the house. In fact, she overlooked preparations for your stay here, Mr. Collins. She is also very interested in showing you around the neighborhood.”
Elizabeth did not understand what was going on and suddenly felt worried.
Something is not right. Why should Mamma lie to him about what I am not?
She noticed that he never paid attention to anyone else except her. Somehow, his stare made her uncomfortable, and she shifted in her chair. Elizabeth looked at her father, hoping he would intervene and stop Mr. Collins from his meaningless talk, but he had the same disinterest in their lives. Mr. Collins spoke a great deal about Kent.
“My esteemed patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, approved my arrival here. She is the most noble person on earth. Her concern for my welfare has me indebted to her forever. “Go, Mr. Collins,” she said, looking at me with generosity as if it would deprive Kent of my services. But she wanted me to meet my relations and said it would heal my grief.”
“I am sorry, sir. I fail to understand you,” Elizabeth said.
“Fair cousin, you may wonder how I can conduct myself with such grace, irrespective of what happened to me. But my character is pristine, and I will not ruin my life because of the work of evil forces.”
Elizabeth was extremely confused by his words.
“My wife died last month because of an accident. She fell into the lake and drowned,” he said, referring to his loss without any grief.
All of them looked at him with shock except for Mr. and Mrs. Bennet.
Elizabeth understood that they were already aware of the details. It shocked her to know that he was out of mourning so soon, and his demeanor was joyous.
“Such evil forces should never be allowed to win as some evil force had caused my wife to disobey my orders and venture close to the waters. The outcome was a punishment she deserved,” he said.
