The following is a deleted scene from the original manuscript submitted to Sourcebooks for
A Wife for Mr. Darcy. In this scene, Jane and Lizzy are rehashing events that took place at the wedding breakfast of Charlotte Lucas and William Collins. During the festivities, Lizzy and Darcy had entered into a secret engagement. I thought it was rather cute; my editor thought I was being “too clever for my own good.” So now you may decide.
Charlotte Collins’s Wedding NightAs soon as Lizzy and Jane were alone in their bedroom, Jane grabbed hold of her sister’s hands, and the two of them jumped up and down for joy.
“You are to be Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy!” Jane said in hushed tones so that her younger sisters would not hear her. But nothing could contain her enthusiasm for the news of Lizzy’s engagement. “Did he kiss you again?”
“Oh my, yes." After thinking about his kisses, she blushed at how willing she had been in allowing him to kiss her in such a way. “We absolutely cannot be alone. He was kissing my neck and shoulders, and if I had not stopped him, he would have been kissing…,” and she abruptly stopped. “I should be ashamed to say it, but if such actions were stripped of the taint of immorality, I would have given way.”
“Oh, this is very good news,” Jane said relieved. “It is so much on my mind because, of late, Charles has become a bit more assertive. When he said good night to me on the night you had very nearly been found out in the billiards room, well, he kissed me in a way that had my toes curling.” Lizzy threw herself on the bed and was nearly hysterical laughing. "I now understand what you meant when you spoke of the 'sensation' you experienced while kissing Mr. Darcy. It is not where one would expect it to be. I mean he was kissing my lips. Who would have thought it would affect something so distant?” And the pair again dissolved into laughter.
After the sisters climbed into bed, they continued talking about the great unknowns of marriage—the biggest being, what happened on the wedding night, and if it would be pleasurable for both husband and wife, or just merely awkward?
“I don’t see why it should not be pleasurable if both husband and wife are deeply in love,” Lizzy said, trying to reassure her sister—as well as herself.
And then Lizzy and Jane had the same thought at the same time.
“Oh, dear! Poor Charlotte.”
* * *
In order that the newly-married Mr. and Mrs. William Collins might have some privacy on their wedding night, all Charlotte’s brothers and sisters had happily agreed to visit with friends or relatives, and only Mr. and Mrs. Lucas remained at Lucas Lodge, closeted in their own apartment. If the Lucas family had known what was taking place in the wedding suite, they would have remained at home and slept in their own beds.
Rather than focusing his attention on his bride, Mr. Collins could not stop talking about the luminaries who had been in attendance at his wedding. He already had bragging rights because he had won the affection of the daughter of Sir William Lucas, someone who had been knighted by George III at St. James’s Palace. But in addition to this honor was the appearance of Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley, a scion of one of the great Norman families of England and himself the grandson of an earl, and his sister, Miss Darcy, whom, he was sure, would end up a duchess. But nothing compared to the honor of having a peer of the realm, Antony, Lord Fitzwilliam, at his wedding breakfast. And because of this, he suspected that if Miss Anne De Bourgh’s health had not been indifferent, Lady Catherine herself would also have attended the nuptials.
“Charlotte, my dear, what a day we have had. Who could doubt that I have greatly benefited from the patronage of Lady Catherine De Bourgh? What other reason could there be for two of her nephews and a niece coming to our wedding?”
Not wishing to throw water on her husband’s delusions of grandeur by association, Charlotte did not mention that she could think of at least three possible explanations for the appearance of such prominent guests that did not involve him: Mr. Darcy was there because he was in love with Elizabeth Bennet. Miss Darcy was there because she liked Elizabeth very much and was encouraging the match, and in order that Mr. Darcy might meet in secret with Elizabeth, a diversion had been staged by the cousins in the guise of Lord Fitzwilliam. And what a diversion it had been! With everyone gawking at the earl and his traveling governess, she doubted very much that anyone, other than herself, had noticed that Lizzy and Mr. Darcy had quietly slipped away and had stayed away for upwards of thirty minutes.
“Yes, my dear. I am sure you are right,” Charlotte answered. But her husband was hardly listening, and so she went into her dressing room to prepare for bed. When she re-entered the bedchamber, she found Mr. Collins fully clothed, pacing the room, and still talking to himself, unaware that she had even left the room. It was only when she got into bed and under the covers that he realized that for the first time in his life, he was to share a bed with another—and that "other" was a woman.
Understanding that the groom was more nervous than the bride, Charlotte turned on her side so that he might undress in private. However, it was only after blowing out the candle that William climbed into bed with her. Lying in the dark, Charlotte was unsure of what to expect, and several minutes passed before she realized that Mr. Collins had fallen asleep and was now snoring—a sound that was music to her ears.
Comments are always appreciated. Thank you. Mary
