Even More Mrs. Bennet

Once I got started with the Mrs. Bennet snippets, I just couldn't stop. Maybe because her outrageous statements work so well for an eight sentence sample. 

“Oh dear, Lizzy---the circles under your eyes are hideous. I certainly hope that Mr. Darcy does not see you looking such a fright. How you managed to get a man like Mr. Darcy, who has ten thousand a year, is beyond me, but it certainly cannot be due to your eyes because they are droopy and red.” 

“Why thank you for noticing, Mama. As I plan to go for a solitary walk this morning I will hope the fresh air and exercise will remedy the situation and since I shall be alone, I will not inflict my unsightly appearance on others.” Or my foul mood.

“Then be gone with you and be quiet about it. I should most certainly hate for you to wake Jane for we cannot have her beauty diminished as well.”   

Thanks for stopping by! This snippet is from Betrothed to Mr. Darcy, my current WIP. Betrothed to Mr. Darcy takes place in the weeks between the time Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy become engaged and their actual marriage. Once the two families gather in preparation for the nuptials, the improprieties of the Bennet family are on full display, causing Elizabeth to question the wisdom of inflicting her family on Mr. Darcy and his sister, Georgiana. Will they make it to the alter? 

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Just Can't Get Enough of Mrs. Bennet

Welcome Back!

Last week's post with Mrs. Bennet was so much fun, I decided to add more from that scene. This comes from my WIP Betrothed to Mr. Darcy. You can find last week's snippet here. 

From an upstairs window at Longbourn, Mrs. Bennet, Kitty and Mary are continuing to observe the arrival of the Darcys and Colonel Fitzwilliam. Mrs. Bennet and Kitty are particularly interested in Colonel Fitzwilliam. 

“Mama, he looked right at me,” Kitty exclaimed.

“Of course he did. Now let me look at you before you go and meet him.” Mrs. Bennet  tugged a bit here and pushed a bit there to magically create a bosom where little had been before.

Mary observed the process and said, “Illusions of beauty are quickly shattered. True beauty lies in the virtuous soul of a young lady.”

“Oh shut up!” Kitty and Mrs. Bennet chorused. 

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In (Slight) Defense of Mrs. Bennet

Mrs. Bennet. I enjoy writing for her character because she is so silly and over the top. 

But, I wonder, if perhaps, Mrs. Bennet has not always been given fair credit for her efforts to marry off her daughters. Admittedly, her efforts on behalf of Lydia ended horribly, though in all fairness, even Elizabeth Bennet was fooled by Mr. Wickham. However, we shall save that debate for another day. 

Today, I want to talk about Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Collins, and Jane Bennet and the wonderful tool in the writer's toolbox called "What if..."

Recall that when Mr. Collins arrived at Longbourn it was with the intention (however presumptuous) of picking out a bride from amongst his cousins, much as one might choose from a litter of puppies (at least in his mind). And, please further recollect that his first choice was Jane, but that Mrs. Bennet directed him toward Elizabeth because she believed that Jane was about to become engaged to Mr. Bingley. 

Here's the big What If...what if Mrs. Bennet had not re-directed Mr. Collins' great ardor (which was, of course, easily done because of his total lack of ardor other than for a wife, any old wife) from Jane to Elizabeth. 

Would Jane, sweet, accommodating, amiable Jane, have declined? And even if she had would she have been able to withstand Mr. Collins' persistence? 

Is there any passage in all of Pride and Prejudice where Jane does not do as she is either told or asked to do? 

Even in the face of life with Mr. Collins, could Jane have put her own desires above his? Or her mother's? 

I am not asserting that Mrs. Bennet cared whether any of her daughters would actually want to marry Mr. Collins, but if she had not been so certain that Mr. Bingley would propose to Jane, she might have been tempted to go for the sure thing of a proposal from Mr. Collins. 

And then where would that have lead? 

Uh oh...I think I might have an idea for another book. 

What do you think?