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“Do not pretend you did not break his heart when all he ever meant to do was make amends to our family. He is with your father as we speak withdrawing his proposal of marriage to you.”

“Mama, you do not know me at all if you supposed I would entertain the notion of marrying Mr. Collins for even a second.”

“I know you very well, young woman. You are stubborn and selfish, and you do not care one fig about the future of Longbourn, of me and your younger sisters. Well, I suppose you know what this means. As no other gentleman is likely to request your hand in marriage, you will be obliged to marry Mr. Caseman when he calls upon Longbourn in the spring to honour his father’s agreement with Mr. Bennet. Your father and I have discussed it, and he and I are of one mind on the subject. Now I can only pray it is not too late to induce a promise from Mr. Collins to ask for Mary’s hand in marriage, for she is the next in line.”

Mary chose that particular moment to enter the room. Either she did not hear what her mother had said, or she did not find the prospect the least bit objectionable. She said nothing and took a seat by the window.

Mrs. Bennet narrowed her eyes at Elizabeth. She was about to say something when she heard Mr. Collins’s voice in the hallway. She ran out to meet him. “Mr. Collins! Mr. Collins! Might I have a private audience with you?”

“I am obliged to attend your every wish, madam; however, a prior obligation prevents me from doing so at this moment, for I am expected at Lucas Lodge for dinner. I shall make every effort to attend you upon my return.” With that, he bestowed an awkward bow and bid Mrs. Bennet adieu.

Charlotte visited Longbourn a day or so later and requested a moment alone with Elizabeth. Few words were exchanged between them until they came upon the small garden. Such uncharacteristic behaviour from my dear friend does not bode well. What can be the cause of her reticence?

Her usual self-assuredness gone, Charlotte reached out and touched Elizabeth’s hand. “Pray, Eliza, you will hear what I have to say and not judge me too severely.”

“What is it you wish to tell me, Charlotte?”

“I am engaged—to Mr. Collins.”

Elizabeth drew a quick breath and then twisted her lips. “Mr. Collins?”

“I begged you not to judge me, Lizzy.”

Elizabeth endeavoured to view her friend’s acceptance of Mr. Collins’s proposal on the heels of his proposal to her as reasonable. “It is not you whom I judge but Mr. Collins! The man is ridiculous as well as uncouth!”

“You might well regard him as such if that is your wish. I prefer to consider him in a more optimistic light than that. I see him as a decent respectable man with a good living and a nice home. I will be well provided for.”

Elizabeth looked at Charlotte as if she had spoken gibberish.

“For heaven sakes, Lizzy, I am twenty seven years old and already a burden to my family. This engagement is more than I dared ever to allow myself to hope for. Please try to be happy for me.”

Happy? How can I be happy when you are giving up every chance of dignity for the sake of security? Elizabeth took a measured step back and gaped at her friend as if seeing her for the first time. Does she not comprehend what a life with the odious man entails? She will have to touch him. He would be forever touching her! Elizabeth shuddered. Lingering traces of Mr. Collins’s steely hands on her arm festered on her skin. No one had ever handled her thusly.

Suppose there is an ugly shade in his character. Do I dare mention it to Charlotte? Elizabeth persuaded herself to the contrary. He is ridiculous, but he is also a vicar, which must certainly render him decent and honourable.

Hours later, Elizabeth sat in her eldest sister’s room, still not accustomed to the idea of her intimate friend having accepted Mr. Collins’s proposal.

“Jane, it was but days ago that he made an offer of marriage to me.”

“Pray, Lizzy, is that what has got you concerned? Have you any regrets for spurning Mr. Collins’s proposal?”

Her mouth opened wide. “Do not be ridiculous, Jane! It is not that at all.”

“Then what is it? Charlotte is practical, is she not?”

“I always suspected Charlotte’s opinion of matrimony was not the same as my own, but to sacrifice so much dignity and esteem for worldly advantage—how disgraceful! I should never imagine she will be happy with her choice.”

The two sisters continued in that fashion until Elizabeth retired to her room. Alone, she sat at her writing table and pondered her list. Lt. Wickham. Mr. Caseman. I fail to see why not … my prospects do not look very promising. Mr. Wickham freely admits he possesses no wealth to speak of. She chewed on her lower lip. That in itself is no reason to dismiss him. Then, there is the second gentleman whom I have yet to meet. I suppose he might just be the one. The theretofore never met gentleman, Mr. Justin Caseman, was a first son and the heir of a respectable fortune of nearly three thousand pounds a year. An alliance with the Bennets was truly for the convenience of the elder Mr. Caseman’s longstanding friendship with Mr. Bennet, whose fortune was roughly equivalent, save the entail on his estate.

A startling thought occurred to her. Am I obliged to add Mr. Collins’s name simply as a matter of record, even though I would have never considered him for the life of me? He had made her an offer. She held her breath and scribbled his name in very tiny letters. Still, it was too much. She immediately drew a heavy line through his name. Even that was not quite sufficient to rid her pristine list of the pursuant degradation. Elizabeth balled the list and tossed it in the fire. She took out a fresh sheet of paper to begin anew.

Two weeks had passed, and Mrs. Bennet’s disappointment with her least favourite daughter had not abated. Gone was the prospect that one of her daughters would be marrying the heir of Longbourn and thus the certainty that she should always consider it her home. The arrival of spring and hence Mr. Caseman could not come fast enough for her. Until such time as he would arrive and take Elizabeth off her hands, Mrs. Bennet contented herself with the strong assurance that Mr. Bingley would soon request her Jane’s hand in marriage. When she was not counting her blessing in that regard, she was cursing the misfortune of having an acquaintance such as Charlotte Lucas, whom she accused of being a traitor lying in wait for Mr. Collins when she knew full well that he was intended for one of the Bennet girls.

Elizabeth had endured quite enough of her mother’s chastisements and her ever constant reminder of what the fruition of her father’s scheme portended. The arrival of her Aunt and Uncle Gardner for Christmas did not come soon enough for Elizabeth. She made certain that not long thereafter, she and her favourite aunt found a quiet area to talk.

“Lizzy, your uncle and I would like little more than to have you come for a visit in town, especially if it will be the means of throwing you in the path of respectable young men. However, I must say I have met the Caseman family. They are decent and hardworking people. I have not met the young man for whom your father has plans—whom even before his birth, it seems, has been predestined for one of the Bennet daughters.”

“I do not object to the fact that my father has taken such extraordinary measures to see one of his daughters well-settled, regardless of how archaic I find the notion of arranged marriages. Rather, I object to being told with whom I should fall in love.”