Chapter 23

Elizabeth sat with her mother and sisters, thinking over what she had just heard. She was still wondering whether she should tell them about it. Just then, Sir William Lucas himself came to call. His daughter had asked him to bring the family the news of her engagement. He praised the match in every way he could think of, and warmly congratulated the two families on becoming connected. Then he told them the whole story. The listeners were not only surprised — they simply could not believe it. Mrs. Bennet, more stubborn than polite, insisted that he must be completely mistaken. Lydia, who always spoke without thinking and was often rude, cried out loudly.

"Good heavens! Sir William, how can you say such a thing? Don't you know Mr. Collins wants to marry Lizzy?"

Only a courtier's good manners could have borne such treatment without losing his temper. But Sir William endured it all with excellent politeness. He said he was sure his news was correct, and listened to all their rudeness patiently and kindly to the end.

Elizabeth felt she must rescue him from this awkward position. She stepped forward and confirmed his story, saying she had already heard it from Charlotte herself. She offered Sir William her sincere congratulations, hoping to stop her mother's and sisters' cries of disbelief. Jane quickly joined in the congratulations too. Elizabeth talked about many things — the happiness this marriage would bring, Mr. Collins's good character, and how close Hunsford was to London.

In truth, Mrs. Bennet had been so shocked while Sir William was there that she could hardly speak. But as soon as he left, her feelings burst out without control. First, she refused to believe the whole thing. Next, she felt sure that Mr. Collins must have been tricked. She also wished with all her heart that the two of them would never be happy. She even thought the engagement might still be broken off. But out of all this, she reached only two conclusions. One was that Elizabeth was the real cause of all this misfortune. The other was that she herself had been treated savagely by everyone. For the rest of that day, Mrs. Bennet clung to these two ideas. Nothing could comfort her, and nothing could calm her down. Even a full day did not lessen her anger. It took a week before she could look at Elizabeth without scolding her. It took a month before she could speak to Sir William or Lady Lucas without being rude. It took several months before she could forgive their daughter even a little.

Mr. Bennet took the matter far more calmly. He said the feelings it gave him were actually quite pleasant. He was glad, he said, to find that Charlotte Lucas — whom he had always thought a fairly sensible person — was as foolish as his own wife, and even more foolish than his own daughter!

Jane admitted that the marriage surprised her a little. But instead of talking about her surprise, she spoke far more about how sincerely she wished the couple happiness. Elizabeth could not convince Jane that this happiness might be hard to find. Kitty and Lydia did not envy Miss Lucas in the least, since Mr. Collins was only a clergyman. To them, this was simply new news to spread around Meryton.

Lady Lucas could not help feeling a sense of triumph. Now she could pay Mrs. Bennet back with the comfort of having married a daughter so well. She visited Longbourn more often than usual, just to talk about how happy she was — though Mrs. Bennet's sour looks and unkind words were more than enough to chase that happiness away.

An awkwardness grew between Elizabeth and Charlotte. So the two of them stopped speaking to each other about the matter. Elizabeth felt sure that the two of them could never again share their true feelings as before. Disappointed in Charlotte, Elizabeth turned with more warmth toward her sister. Her faith in Jane's honest and delicate heart would never be shaken. Bingley had already been gone a full week, and still there was no news of his return. Elizabeth's worry for her sister's happiness grew greater every day.

Jane sent an early reply to Caroline's letter. She was counting the days until another letter might come. The thank-you letter Mr. Collins had promised arrived for their father on Tuesday. It gave thanks in such a grand and solemn way that it sounded as if he had stayed with them for a whole year. Having done his duty to his conscience, he then announced, in the most enthusiastic words, the happiness of winning the love of his kind neighbor, Miss Lucas. He went on to explain that when they kindly said they hoped to see him again at Longbourn, he had gladly accepted only because it would let him enjoy her company. He hoped to return on Monday, two weeks later. He also added that Lady Catherine sincerely approved of his marriage, and wished it to take place as soon as possible. He believed this fact would give him an argument his dear Charlotte could not refuse, when he tried to persuade her to set an early date and make him the happiest man in the world.

Mr. Collins's return to Hertfordshire was no longer a joy to Mrs. Bennet. In fact, she wanted to complain about it almost as much as her husband did. It seemed very strange that he was coming to Longbourn instead of Lucas Lodge. Besides, it was extremely inconvenient and terribly troublesome. She hated having guests in the house when she was feeling so unwell. And of all guests, lovers were the least welcome. This was the whole of Mrs. Bennet's polite complaining. Even this complaint gave way, for a little while, to the greater trouble of Mr. Bingley's continued absence.

Neither Jane nor Elizabeth felt at ease about this matter. Day after day passed with no news of Bingley at all. But soon a rumor spread through Meryton that he would not return to Netherfield for the whole winter. This rumor made Mrs. Bennet very angry. Every time she heard it, she called it an outrageous and malicious lie.

Even Elizabeth began to worry. It was not that she feared Bingley's love had cooled. Her worry was that his sisters might succeed in keeping him away. She did not want to admit such a thought, one that would ruin Jane's happiness. Nor did she want to doubt the constancy of a devoted lover. But the thought kept coming back to her. She feared that the combined power of his two cold sisters and his overbearing friend, together with the charm of Miss Darcy and the pleasures of London, might be more than Bingley's love could withstand.

Of course, while the future remained so uncertain, Jane's own anxiety was far more painful than Elizabeth's. But Jane tried to hide whatever she felt. So between the two sisters, the subject was never once mentioned. Their mother had no such caution. Rarely did an hour pass without her talking about Bingley. She grew impatient wondering when he would come. She even asked Jane to admit that if he did not return, she would feel she had been very unfairly treated. It took all of Jane's steady, gentle nature to bear these attacks with any kind of calm.

Mr. Collins returned exactly on Monday, two weeks later. But the welcome he received at Longbourn was not as warm as it had been the first time. Still, he was too happy to need much attention. Luckily, since he was so busy courting, the rest of the family could often avoid keeping him company. Every day he spent most of his time at Lucas Lodge. Sometimes he came back to Longbourn just in time, before the family went to bed, to apologize for being away all day.

Mrs. Bennet was truly in a pitiful state. Any mention at all of the marriage put her in a painfully bad mood. Wherever she went, she was sure to hear people talking about it. She could not even bear the sight of Miss Lucas, thinking of her with jealousy and dislike as the woman who would one day take her place as mistress of the house. Every time Charlotte came to visit, Mrs. Bennet was certain she had come to see how soon she could take over the house. Whenever Charlotte spoke to Mr. Collins in a low voice, Mrs. Bennet was sure they were talking about the Longbourn estate. She was also sure they meant to throw her and her daughters out of the house the moment Mr. Bennet died. She complained about all this to her husband in the most resentful way.

"Really, my dear," she said. "It is too hard that Charlotte Lucas should ever be the mistress of this house. That I should be forced to make way for her, and live to see her take my place!"

"My dear, do not fall into such dark thoughts. Let us hope for better things. Let us believe that I might live longer than you."

This was not much comfort to Mrs. Bennet. So instead of answering, she went on as before.

"I cannot bear the thought that those people will get the whole estate. If it weren't for the entail, I wouldn't mind it at all."

"What wouldn't you mind?"

"I wouldn't mind anything at all."

"Let us be grateful that you are spared such a senseless state."

"My dear, I cannot be grateful for anything about the entail. I don't understand how anyone could have the conscience to entail an estate away from his own daughters. And all for Mr. Collins's sake! Why should he have this house more than anyone else?"

"I leave that judgment to you," said Mr. Bennet.