Just a quick note. I've been really busy for a while and didn't really have time for my writing, I now have a number of chapters outlined but they need some work so I should be updating at least once a week. I also think this story may blast past my initial estimate of 12 chapters. The next one will focus more on the other character we are all looking forward to seeing again...

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Looking around the dinner table William Collins wandered, not for the first time that day, if he had gone totally mad. Totally and utterly mad, there was just no other explanation to why he hadn't turned around first thing this morning and gone back to his parish. Of course, that would put him back in the company of Lady Catherine and her ever so condescending opinions. Maybe it was better to stay with the Bennets, even if Miss Elisabeth had been glaring and/or shouting at him since he'd arrived, Mr Bennet had yet to speak to him since his announcement the night before and he wasn't sure if Miss Lydia was aware of the world outside of her own concerns. But the welcome he had from Mrs Bennet and her other daughters did go a long way to making him feel welcome. At least they were willing to speak to him occasionally which is all he was hoping for when he arrived.

After the first course Miss Lydia was still speaking about her new ribbons, this seemed to be normal as the rest of the family were all in a strange state of stasis, obviously not listening but still nodding and making appropriate noises at intervals. It was really something to watch, like a dance practiced and perfected over time, here they all seemed almost perfectly in sync and he wandered if they were even aware of the fact. Only Mrs Bennet hung on her every word.

…And then I decided the green would look best with the blue flowers. Perhaps I shouldn't decide until after we return from London." Every head turned towards Lydia. Mr Bennet inhaled his drink and began to cough violently, Kitty only narrowly avoided spilling hers all over the mutton, Jane and Elizabeth looking confused by their father's extreme reaction while Mary seemed to be waiting for something. Deciding that it was none of his business he continued eating, waiting to see if things would get interesting.

Having got his coughing under control Mr Bennet took a sip of water before addressing his youngest daughter who was still making plans with her mother "Lydia, as much as I hate to disappoint you there will be no trips to London. Where you got this notion from is…."

"Come Mr Bennet!" Obviously not willing to let her husband spoil their fun Mrs Bennet took control of the conversations, an event it must be pointed out had never occurred successfully before in the course of their marriage "The girls must all go to London! It is unthinkable that they be kept here when they have inherited a fortune. Just think of all the Dukes they will meet" Everyone's heads turned to stare at their father.

"Papa, what…" Miss Elizabeth seemed unsure how to phrase her question, but before she could solve this dilemma her father stood and placed his napkin on his plate

"I do believe I will let Mr Collins explain the particulars to you". And he left, only stopping Mrs Hill in the hall to requesting a tray and bottle of port be brought to his study.

William tried his best to continue his meal, but it was very difficult with all eyes focused on him. Why Mrs Bennet chose this moment to become mute was beyond him, she at least was aware of what had happened and told one of her daughters, why could she not tell all the others. After another minute he decided that he should get this over and done with, he had planned to tell the family as a whole when he arrived but the reaction to the entail being broken had been so violent he decided to take the cowardly way out. Now he was reaping his reward, perhaps he would be able to find some inspiration for future sermons from the situation.

Looking around the table he decided that the blunt approach was again the best course of action, after all Mrs Bennet probably wouldn't faint as she already knew what was going on.

"My mother left you twenty-seven thousand pounds each from her personal fortune when she passed away in the hopes that it would help heal the breach between our families." He knew this was not entirely true but as none of the people present had ever been fortunate enough to meet his mother, he wasn't sure they would understand her true motives. He waited a moment or two to see if anyone would respond but wasn't at all sure at the moment that any of them were even breathing.

Bursting into laughter Lydia broke the silence first "Mama! You never told me it was so much. A very large sum was all you said!" Snorting Lydia went back to eating her food before another thought entered her usually empty head "I suppose I'll have to receive proposals from all the officers now…I wander who I should choose…." looking down at her plate as if it was some strange sort of insect Lydia fell silent.

Mrs Bennet of course was the next to speak having already gotten over the shock hours ago. "Well, there's no need to make a decision now dear, let them court you and see who you prefer then. Anyway, you shouldn't make any decisions before you have a season in London." Taking a sip of her wine she seemed to decide a different topic was in order. "Have you spent much time in London Mr Collins?"

"Not as much as I would wish to ma'am, I have an uncle who goes to London every season with his family and I do like to visit but can't quite keep up with their demanding social schedule."

"So you prefer the country like my own husband does. I understand." She nodded sagely taking a sip of her wine "Do you visit the theatre when you see your uncle? That would be your mothers' older brother?"

"Her younger, the elder brother passed away not long after he inherited his estate and title unfortunately."

"Oh! I am sorry, he must have been very young, that would have been difficult on your poor mother."

Mr Collins looked at Mrs Bennet and was surprised to see what appeared to be real sympathy for his mother's troubles, he was quite touched. But then Mrs Bennet seemed to rally from the unpleasant direction her thoughts were taking her.

"I suppose he didn't have an heir then? And what was his title did you say?" Ah, he was wandering when she would pick up on that.

"My uncle wasn't married when he died no, his brother The Earl of Camden now lives at Hempsworth but as I said spends most of his time in London. He also has daughters and is anxious to see them well settled." Mrs Bennet nodded thoughtfully at this information; she did understand the poor Earl's predicament while lamenting the fact that there were no son's. But then the nephew of an Earl wasn't a bad catch, not when he obviously had an inheritance of his own.

Seeing his hosts thoughts as though they were written above her head William decided to move the conversation into safer waters. "I understand you have a brother in London Mrs Bennet? And a sister, I believe, living close by?" She of course could not resist speaking of her family, who she was very proud of. They did very well for themselves after all, her brother Gardiner especially. "Yes, I'm sure they will be most helpful getting invitations to balls and such when we get to town. Isn't that right Jane?" Seeing that her daughters were all still sitting in shock, except for Lydia who had at some point wandered away from the table and was no longer anywhere in the room, she decided it was time they helped carry the conversation.

"Yes, quite. Very helpful". Taking a large gulp of wine Jane coughed delicately into her napkin before focusing on her cousin with more clarity than before. "I apologize Mr Collins but I seem to be having some difficulty finding appropriate conversation due to…well…" she gestured around the room.

"I understand Miss Bennet, I'm sorry that my visit has brought such disquiet to you all, but I didn't think this was the kind of information you could really send through the post." He looked first at Jane, then Mary and Kitty trying to convey his own understanding of how unsettling this information must be.

Smiling widely Jane decided she liked her cousin very much, his manners were very open and honest, he wasn't as polished as Mr Bingley or as aristocratic as Mr Darcy but she thought they could be very good friends "Please Sir, you don't need to apologize from bringing us such a generous gift from your family, I hope at this point we could at least dispense with formality, we are all family after all."

"I'm not sure that's necessary Jane, surely Mr Collins would be more comfortable keeping some distinction of rank, he is not a gentleman after all." Elizabeth decided to join the conversation having finally gotten over her shock. "Besides, for all the good that has been done we must remember that Mr Collins Sr and Papa were never on good terms and I find it quite odd that his son now descends upon us trying to insinuate himself into our family". She looked William straight in the eye as she said this. He was slightly surprised by the amount of malice in his cousin's gaze, he would need to be very careful around Miss Elizabeth.

"I hardly think Mr Collins has any nefarious purpose Lizzy, if he was trying to cause trouble why would he break the entail, or bring us news of his mother's gift?" Mary spoke up from his left, her voice was strong, but she seemed unable to look at her sister as she spoke.

"Oh, hush Mary and eat your food." Mrs Bennet admonished her daughter not seeming to have listened to a word she said as she was also glaring at Miss Elizabeth

"Mary does have a point Mama, and I think you are being very unkind Lizzy" Kitty folded her arms glaring pointedly at her older sister. She seemed more confident than she had the night before, then again William couldn't very well judge any of their characters having just met them, but there seemed to be a quiet confidence about her that wasn't there before.

Trying not to laugh at the look on Miss Kitty's face William turned his attention back to Miss Elizabeth, he didn't think she would appreciate any show of humour at this point and he had already come to the conclusion that she could be very unpleasant if she wanted to be. Trying not to be offended by her snide remark regarding his lineage, he heard worse from Lady Catherine on a daily basis, he needed to try and defuse this situation before it really became heated.

"I understand Miss Elizabeth." he said looking back at her, trying not to blink "It must seem very strange to you who were not present for all the years it took my father to come to his decision, not hearing all the arguments he had with himself both for and against the plan, but to me it all makes perfect sense. He was once a very bitter man for reasons I shall not go into, that is between him and your father and I still have some hope that we can leave the disagreement between them and move forward more cordially as cousins. But in later life he truly found joy and happiness in his vocation, I say vocation because he truly found god in his later life, and this helped him come to terms with his life in a way that nothing else could have, except perhaps my mother." He smiled slightly here looking at the table, he could remember very well how happy they were together and how it seemed to make all other petty arguments in life seem trivial.

"But twenty-seven thousand? And what exactly do we have to do for this Mr Collins? Did you come her expecting to have your pick for a wife perhaps? Or the offer of patronage if one of us is fortunate enough to marry very well." Elizabeth was on the verge of shouting at her cousin but stopped when she felt Jane place her hand on top of hers.

"Lizzy, hold your tongue?" Mrs Bennet demanded, fanning herself with a lace handkerchief "Your cousin has been most thoughtful bringing us this new. It can't have been an easy journey from Kent no matter what he says, and you could do a lot worse you know than marrying Mr Collins. His uncle is an Earl, Lizzy!" Mrs Bennet hissed at her daughter.

Suddenly horrified Mr Collins stood abruptly, would every conversation he had in this house come back to marriage, then again he shouldn't really have been surprised, just because they had a sudden windfall Mrs Bennet would probably never get over the instinct to marry her daughter off as soon as possible. "I can assure you Mrs Bennet I have absolutely no desire to marry at present. And if I did, I would certainly not be looking for my perspective bride amongst your daughters." His eyes widened as he realised the insult he had just inadvertently bestowed.

Mrs Bennets eyes widened comically as did Kitty's, Jane smiled at him with some sympathy and Mary looked as if she were trying her best not to laugh. Elizabeth however looked triumphant, sitting straight in her chair with a sardonic smile on her lips. At that moment every story he ever heard about her father came together to form a picture of Miss Elizabeth, a much completer and more accurate picture than she would be comfortable with if she knew of his epiphany.

"If you will excuse me I believe it would be best if I retire for the evening."

Mr Collins, turning at his name he was surprised to see Miss Mary standing from her chair, looking nervous and ringing her hands slightly until Kitty tapped them gently in a gentle reminder to stop. Glancing at her sister quickly she looked back at William and spoke "Please, do join us for tea in the drawing room this evening. It would be such a shame if after all the effort you've gone to on our behalf you were to leave without us ever having gotten to know each other." Worrying at first that she may have taken her mother's outburst to heart hesitated. William's resolve was strengthened by that fact that he saw nothing but curiosity in her eyes, he decided to once again go against his better judgement. Why pretend sanity now after all.

"Thank you, Miss Mary, I would be delighted. I must first speak with your father and will join you in half an hour or so." Nodding in satisfaction Mary resumed her seat. As the door closed behind him he heard the conversation level rise but walked away before he could hear what was being said.

….

Knocking on the door to Mr Bennets study he couldn't help but wonder what kind of man would show such indifference to his family and their wellbeing. But that was not something he would consider at the moment, not unless the chance to ask the relevant questions presented itself, but he was beginning to think that his cousin may have absconded to the continent. Knocking yet again he was slightly surprised when the door was opened forcibly with a slightly crazed looking Mr Bennet on the other side

"Would you please stop that infernal knocking. It is almost impossible to enjoy my book with you making such a racket."

Recovering from his shock, he was getting a lot of practice since coming for this visit but never mind that now, he straightened his jacket and took a deep breath "I believe we need to talk Sir."

"Really? I do believe we've had as much conversation as I'd ever like to. Perhaps my wife would oblige you?" He made to close the door in his cousin's face but Mr Collins having had quite enough of this man pushed his way through and strode to the middle of the room.

"Well I do believe we both agree on that point Sir but it does not change the fact that we must speak, if only a little to complete our business. We both need to be present at you solicitors to sign the relevant paperwork."

"And you need to discuss when the money will be given over so we can go to London." Both Mr Collins and Mr Bennet spun round looking wildly for the voice, only to find Miss Lydia sitting on the window seat holding what appeared to be a book.

"Lydia! What are you doing here? Leave this instance, any business I conduct in this study has nothing to do with you!" Once again he walked towards the door, meaning to open it for his youngest to leave.

"Oh but it does, you're talking about the money, or papers to do with the money at least…"

"Lydia! Out!"

But I just wanted to know when I could start ordering my new clothes!" She began to sniffle, having moved to the chair in front of her father's desk "You have no idea how difficult it is to find the right clothes, what if I pick blue and Denny prefers me in pink!"

"Is she always like this?" Mr Collins didn't realise he had said this out loud until he looked up and saw Mr Bennet glaring at him.

"Yes." Mr Bennet reluctantly acknowledged "Now Lydia, you can't go around telling people about this money, at least" he held his hand up to stop her from arguing "not yet. Not until we have decided how best to introduce the information to the general populace." Mr Bennet had no intention of putting any effort into these things, but it seemed to appease his youngest who finally allowed herself to be led from the room.

"Why did you not tell them? You have known for a full day! You must have had some idea of the effect this news would have on your family. Why break it to them so suddenly then leave it to a stranger to explain matters?" He really didn't understand his cousin at all, he expected manipulation, sarcasm, but this show of easy neglect showed him a more disturbing character than one who was willing to twist people's words and deeds to suit their purposes.

"Fortunately for me, I don't own you any explanations and would thank you not to question the way I run my family. Good night." Slamming the door in Mr Collins face having walked him out of the study while he spoke Mr Bennet settled into his chair for another night of reading and port. Picking up the bottle he realised he may need another bottle…perhaps two.

When he entered the drawing room all his cousins were present drinking tea and talking quietly. He sat next to Miss Mary and Jane but he couldn't quite relax into any conversation. Miss Lydia seemed to have wandered off again and since the evening had been full of surprises and accusations, they all retired early, but not before Mary asked Mr Collins to join them for a walk the following morning. She was determined to find out as much as possible about this person who was changing their family's fortune at every turn. He agreed reluctantly, thinking that one more day would be more than enough time to spend here.