Mr. Collins threw the last of his belongings into the one trunk he'd brought from Hunsford and turned at the sound of footsteps in the hallway. Mr. Bennet waited patiently to be acknowledged. Instead of speaking to the man, Mr. Collins slammed the lid and took his time securing the latches.
“You might have known my Lizzy would never accept you Mr. Collins. Why did you seek her hand when it is evident you have fallen in love with Mary?”
The parson had not been prepared to speak of his love for the middle sister. Now he was forced to give an answer. “A man may not always do as his heart desires Mr. Bennet.”
His voice trembled as he spoke and he deeply regretted the pain he had caused the young lady. Now he must leave her home and return to Kent to warn his patroness of the threat his cousin Elizabeth posed to her daughter’s future happiness. It was the only way he might preserve his position.
Mr. Bennet stood aside as the man lifted his own trunk and gave one last look about the room. “Will you not reconsider and offer for Mary? I shall give my blessing.”
The words moved his heart and for a brief moment he dreamed of doing just as Mr. Bennet suggested but he could not delay his return to Kent. “Perhaps after some time has passed, I shall return and seek her hand. I cannot face her just now.”
Mr. Bennet understood the man’s position. Had Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy not been present, Mr. Collins might have been able to make his offer for the sister he seemed to prefer instead of the one he had proposed to in error.
The two men made their way downstairs and Mr. Bennet called for the parson’s conveyance to be brought round. Mary appeared at the top of the stairs and Mr. Collins heard the quiet whimper of the lady he truly loved. He wanted to go to her but she buried her face in her hands and turned away.
Mr. Bennet moved to stand between his cousin and the stairs. “You must not offer her sympathy without a proposal, sir. She is my daughter and I would not see her given false hope.”
Mr. Collins wished he might push her father aside and climb the stairs but he must warn Lady Catherine first and then he might return to Longbourn for Miss Mary. “I would stay and marry her if it were in my power but I must return to Kent for a time.”
Mary wanted to run to Mr. Collins and leave with him no matter the scandal it would bring. Instead, she returned to her room with a glimmer of hope that someday he might return.
Elizabeth remained in the parlor with Mrs. Bennet and Jane though she wished she might escape. Mrs. Bennet had nearly exhausted herself in her admonition of her second born child. “Lizzy, a lady would not behave in such a fashion! Mr. Collins is certainly not the handsomest man but a nice living on a lovely estate is more than most young ladies might expect. You cannot hope to marry as well as Jane for you are not as lovely as she. What is this nonsense Mr. Collins spoke about Mr. Darcy? Has he given reason for you to refuse a perfectly acceptable offer?”
Glancing to Jane for relief before speaking the words that haunted her, Elizabeth twisted her hands in her lap. “Mother, Mr. Darcy is a gentleman. If he held an interest in securing my hand do you doubt he would have spoken to Father by now? Our cousin gave him an opportunity to confirm or deny his interest and the man simply left out of an abundance of embarrassment. I would be completely surprised if he ever crossed our doorstep again.”
Mrs. Bennet was not satisfied with this answer but before she might launch into yet another tirade, Mr. Bennet entered the parlor. “Mr. Collins has gone. Mary is in her room pining away, I suppose. I must make our apologies to Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy. It is my hope that Jane’s beauty is enough to make her suitor forget all that has passed here today.”
Jane grew worried at her father's words and Elizabeth went to her side. “Mr. Bingley would never allow the actions of our cousin to diminish his regard for you, Jane. Still, Father is right to seek forgiveness.”
Mrs. Bennet rose from her chair and fixed Elizabeth with a piercing stare. “I do not care if the next man to seek your hand is the drover’s son, you shall not refuse another offer of marriage young lady.”
Elizabeth held her tongue as Mrs. Bennet quit the parlor. She hoped her next offer of marriage came from none other than Mr. Darcy though she could not see how he might wish to align himself with such a family as her own after the terrible embarrassment of the day.