Chapter 22

C ollins was pleasantly surprised when he opened a letter telling him that Cousin Bennet extended an offer for him to be hosted at Longbourn for the two nights before his wedding. It had been his belief that due to the way they had parted, combined with his choosing a bride who was not a Bennet sister—he conveniently forgot he had been embargoed from even offering for one of his female cousins—would lead to a bigger break in the family than had been in his father’s time. In fact, he felt it was his due to be hosted at the estate which would be his one day.

In his letter of acceptance, he did not express his true feelings because he did not want the invitation to be rescinded, nor to be turned out of the house again when he arrived. He accepted the goodwill as he preferred not to spend money for a room at the inn, but it did not change the fact he would turn the remaining Bennets out as soon as his cousin went to his eternal reward. A little hospitality did not erase the way they humiliated him when he had last been at his future home.

The one thing which put a damper on his thoughts of the pleasure he would feel at ordering his cousins out of his house was the news his fiancée had written that not only was Miss Bennet engaged to Mr Bingley, but Miss Mary was being courted by some highborn man. In fact, his Charlotte had said he was the son of a noble. One sister being mistress of Netherfield Park, which Collins knew was much larger and brought in more than double what Longbourn did, and another who would possibly be titled would lessen his victory significantly. He would have the pleasure of ordering the widow and her unmarried daughters from his home, but they would have a larger one to go to when that happened.

The day he received that particular letter, he had gone to see Lady Catherine to hear her wise counsel. He had wanted to know if he would have any grounds to object to his cousins’ marriages. His patroness, in her infinite intelligence, had told him as the highest ranked man in his family, he could do so. Hence, when Miss Bennet prepared to marry in January, he would go and make his sentiments known.

His gig arrived at Longbourn at the time he had stipulated, but other than the butler, no one came to greet him. This was not to be borne. As her ladyship had said, he was the highest ranking man in the family. For the same reason he did not say anything about it being only right that the Bennets hosted him, he would not point out the rudeness of not welcoming him as was right and proper until the morning of his wedding. Even if he was ordered out of his future house again at that point, it would not cost him any nights at the inn.

Collins dropped the knocker; however, the door was opened before the corpulent parson could drop the metal arm against the door a second time.

Hill directed a footman to retrieve Mr Collins’s trunk while he told the odoriferous man that he had been placed in the same guest chamber he had used on his first stay at Longbourn.

Collins felt it was an insult that still no one had come to welcome him and, even more, he was expected to make his way to his chamber without the mistress, or at the very least, her housekeeper showing him the way. The fact he knew the way on his own was beside the point. Lady Catherine would agree guests needed to be welcomed in an adequate fashion, especially when they were, as he was, ranked far higher than the residents of the house. He would have a hard time not taking his cousins to task before the morning of his wedding.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Private George Wickham thought things would be far worse in the regular army. Thankfully the regiment he was in had not been sent into battle yet. As soon as they were, however, he intended to scarper. George Wickham was no fool who would sacrifice his life for anyone, much less king and country.

From the time damned Fitzwilliam had handed him over to the sergeant in command of his section in the First Royal Regiment of the Foot, he had been watching very carefully to see if there was an opportunity to escape before they sailed for the Peninsula. There had not been. Even at night there were guards watching the tent where he slept. The first night he had crept out only to see two large men watching him intently; one was fixing his bayonet. Wickham had claimed he needed to relieve himself, and had to squeeze some drops out to stop them running him through for attempting to desert.

Once they boarded the ships which conveyed them to Spain, there were no opportunities to abscond. The march from the port to their current encampment offered no chances either. Thanks to Fitzwilliam, his tent was watched at night, even here in Spain. It was no better during the day while they trained; he was always placed in the middle of his section, which was in the centre of the platoon.

He knew the only way to slip away would be in the fog of battle. The men who normally watched him would be far too busy to keep their attention on him. On the one hand he hoped the order into battle would come soon, while at the same time it petrified him. What if he was felled before he could get away. That thought made his stomach roil with unease. He would simply have to disappear before bullets and cannonballs began flying.

They had been there for less than a sennight when Colonel Haverstock met with the four platoon commanders. He issued orders that at dawn the next day they would be making a probing attack on one of the enemy’s flanks at Badajoz. After the failed sieges, the generals wanted to test the strength of the forces facing them.

The night before, the four platoons marched to the point where they would wait until dawn. Each time Wickham attempted to slow down or move out of line, the prick of a bayonet would force him back into place. By the time they arrived, it was only two hours until the attack was to begin.

As the minutes ticked by, Wickham felt more and more desperate. Ten minutes before the time to begin, the order was passed up and down the lines to fix bayonets. At the determined time, the two platoons on the side began shooting into the French lines. The lieutenants in command of the other two platoons issued the orders to charge. Wickham took two steps forward, and he could then hear the shots coming from the enemy. One or two passed close to his person. That was all he needed. He judged the rest of the men were too busy defending themselves.

He took two steps away from the enemy, turned, and walked right into the bayonets of the two men behind him who had still been keeping an eye on the man they had been told was a coward.

Wickham’s eyes got large as he tried to scream, but no sound came forth. The two men, a lance-corporal and a private, pulled their rifles back, withdrawing their bayonets, and followed the rest of their platoon mates forward. As Wickham fell, his world went black.

A courier was to depart to London on a waiting fast ship the next day. Among other items, he carried the news of Private Wickham’s end.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

When Collins strutted into the drawing room, he saw that Mr Bingley was sitting next to Cousin Jane. He smirked as he thought of the pleasure he would feel in stopping her wedding. How dare they reject him! Then he saw a man sitting next to Cousin Mary, their heads close together. The man did not look noble to him, certainly nothing like his patroness did. He gave a perfunctory greeting to his host and hostess and the two eldest Bennet sisters. He knew not where the two youngest sisters were, and he cared not. He made for the man he did not know.

Bennet almost warned his cousin off when he saw the disapproving glare, but he said nothing. Fitzwilliam was more than capable of dealing with the annoying gnat which was William Collins.

He had hoped to restore some peace in the family. Other than James and his children, Collins was the only other blood family member Bennet had. It seemed Collins was as petty as he had suspected, and the man held grudges. In that case, he would step in if needed, but he knew Fitzwilliam would deal with the man as effectively as any other. He owned extending a reciprocal olive branch had been an error. It was a mistake he would not make again. Bennet could not wait until James arrived so they would be able to kill Collins’ delusions once and for all.

“Cousin Mary, do you not know better than to take liberties with a…” Collins stopped, gulped and stepped back when the unknown man stood, fury in his eyes. It was only then Collins saw how strong the man looked. “Please pardon me, Sir, I was concerned for my cousin’s behaviour not yours.”

“Have we been introduced?” Fitzwilliam barked when his face was inches from the sweating man.

Collins shook his head.

“Then how is it you dare address me? And what authority do you have over the woman I am courting when her father sits right there?” Fitzwilliam pointed.

“As I am a clergyman…” Collins began to say before he was cut off again.

“A man just above a tradesman. Please explain what rights that gives you?” Fitzwilliam demanded. “As I said, you are not Miss Mary’s father.”

“Lady Catherine de Bourgh told me I am the highest ranking member of this family…” This time a bark of laughter, followed by general laughter in the room, stopped Collins speaking.

“You think an uneducated lady, one who is a commoner but thinks herself a peer, is one you should be listening to on the subject of rank, or for that matter, any topic? You do know her title is no more than a courtesy and entitles her to nothing, do you not?” Fitzwilliam bit out.

“Before my cousin puts his boots in his mouth again, may I make the introduction?” Bennet requested. Fitzwilliam nodded. “I present to you the Honourable Mr Richard Fitzwilliam, second son of the Earl of Matlock, nephew to your dear patroness and cousin to Miss Anne de Bourgh. Fitzwilliam, my cousin, William Collins.”

As soon as he heard who the man was, Collins prostrated himself before him. “You have my abject apologies, had I known…” Collins began.

This time it was his cousin who interjected, “Collins, had you a whit of good sense in your head, you would know it is a great social faux pas to approach and speak to one you have not met. We both know he is not the first of Lady Catherine’s nephews you have accosted in this fashion,” Bennet lectured. “Let me ask you, is a clergyman in his position to serve the spiritual needs of his parishioners or bow down to his patron, in your case your patroness?”

As she had described it, it was his job to obey Lady Catherine without question, and that is what Collins replied. “How can I not pay deference to her directives when she is so wise?”

“Do not waste your breath, Bennet. My batty aunt surrounds herself with sycophants.” Fitzwilliam turned to the parson whose mouth was hanging open. “I used to be a Colonel in His Majesty’s army, as such I am an excellent shot and even a better swordsman. Speak in that fashion to the lady I am courting, or any of her sisters ever again, and I will call you out!” As he suspected, the obsequious man was a coward as evidenced by the knocking of his knees, the loss of colour in his face, and the sweat pouring off him in torrents.

“Cousin, disturb one of my guests or my family one more time while you are hosted here, and you will be evicted never to return. Do you understand what I am saying to you?” Bennet demanded. “Do what Fitzwilliam mentioned when he is not here to call you out, then I will. I was a champion with the blade and pistol at Oxford.”

All Collins could do was nod. He could envision his patroness’s nephew or Cousin Bennet shooting him or running him through. He decided two things then and there: He needed to spend as much time as possible at Lucas Lodge before his wedding. And secondly, he would not attempt to object to his cousins’ marriages. He would much prefer to live. Without another word, he bowed to those in the drawing room and made for the front door. He needed to walk to Lucas Lodge where he would be appreciated.

“Remember you said you would not hold Collins against us,” Bennet quipped once the rector had departed the manor house.

“As you promised regarding Lady Catherine,” Fitzwilliam returned.

“I will honour our agreement,” Bennet responded with a grin. He looked around the room at his family and future sons-in-law. “In all seriousness, I am sorry I invited him back here. I thought after the last time he would have learnt something. It was a vain hope. That man is beyond learning.”

“You tried to do the Christian thing, Thomas,” Fanny stated as she took one of her husband’s hands. “It is not your fault he is the way he is.”

“Thank you for your words, Fanny,” Bennet squeezed her hand, “We will not make that error again when it comes time to invite people to Jane’s and Bingley’s wedding, or for that matter, those of any of our other daughters’ future weddings. I just thought of something. I believe Collins is the kind of petty, vindictive man who may think to attempt to spoil one of my daughter’s weddings. I will have men at the doors who will ensure that if he has the temerity to show his face at the church, he will not be allowed entry.”

“That is a good precaution,” Fanny agreed. “I did not like the way he sneered when he looked at Jane and Charles before stalking towards Mary and Richard.”

“If he attempts anything to spoil any of our daughters’ weddings, he will discover what I said about shooting and fencing was not a bluff,” Bennet growled. “We have James to thank for me honing my skills in those areas. As bookish as I was even then, I could not let my little brother constantly win against me.”

“Speaking of Uncle James and our cousins, should they not be arriving soon?” Elizabeth enquired.

“It is possible he is in England as we speak,” Bennet agreed.

Just then Mrs Doubtfire, Catherine, and Lydia entered the drawing room to have tea with the rest of the family.

Those in the drawing room were well pleased Collins had taken off before the youngest Bennets joined them. No one wanted Lydia to be tempted to return to her brashness when she would have surely scolded the ridiculous man. On the other hand, they would have liked to see how intimidated he became when he beheld the girls’ companion.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

For the next two days before the Collins/Lucas wedding, all the residents of Longbourn and Netherfield Park were grateful they hardly saw the groom at all. He left in the morning before breaking his fast and returned in the evenings after dinner.

The marriage ceremony was being held at St Alfred’s church in Meryton. While she sat and watched Charlotte recite her vows, Elizabeth was still convinced her friend was making a grievous error. At the same time, she knew it was not her place to say anything further on the subject. It was Charlotte’s choice, and she had made it freely.

There was no wedding breakfast after the ceremony as Collins wanted to return to Hunsford in order to present his bride to Lady Catherine the same day they married.

“Eliza, Maria and my father will come visit me in March. Will you join them?” Charlotte requested while her husband was repeatedly bowing to his new parents-in-law.

“May I think about it, Charlotte? Also you should perhaps ask your husband if he is sanguine with my being hosted at your house,” Elizabeth responded. “I do wish you happy, my friend, and I hope you will find everything you desire in your marriage.” Elizabeth hugged Charlotte who had a tear in her eye, just before her husband led her to the rented carriage which had been a gift from his wife’s parents.

With some waves, and low bows from Collins, they were off.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

“Master, an express arrived from Liverpool for you,” Hill related as soon as Bennet re-entered his house.

Bennet was sure it was news from James so he took his wife by her hand and led her to the study. He grabbed the thick missive from his desk and sat next to Fanny on the settee. His eyebrows rose when the writing was not James’s. Bennet prayed his brother and the children were all well. Speculation would get him nothing as he needed to read the letter. He broke the seal. The page was wrapped around a second missive which did have his brother’s script on it. He looked at his wife. She nodded, letting him know she was ready. He held out the outer letter.

3 December 1811

Dennington Lines Offices

Liverpool

Mr Bennet,

My name is Captain David Hillard. I am in command of the Miranda on which your brother, his children, and his party were travelling.

Let me assure you that Mr Bennet and his two eldest children are hale and healthy. He will tell you about it in his letter, but his youngest was injured which led to their remaining in Stykkishólmur, which is on the west coast of Iceland.

Before I sailed on, I was assured that young Abraham Bennet would be well.

As soon as we have more news, I will send it on to you.

Sincerely,

David Hillard, Captain

“Whatever befell young Abraham must be serious for them to remain in Iceland,” Bennet opined.

“Open the letter from James. It is the only way we will know what occurred,” Fanny suggested.

Bennet followed his wife’s suggestion and opened his brother’s letter.

22 November 1811

Stykkishólmur, Iceland

Thomas,

There was a storm…

Everything was explained, Abe’s unthinking actions were not glossed over .

Now we are guests in this town for at least the next two to three months. We are praying Abe will make a full recovery and be able one day to walk and ride again. The only good thing will be that Henry will be of age by the time we arrive. His birthday gift will be to break that infernal entail.

I look forward to seeing all of you,

James

“If Lizzy had been a boy, she would have been just as reckless as Abraham,” Fanny opined.

“I cannot say you are wrong, my love. We will see them in February or March.”