Hello! I am
so pleased to be here with you today at More Agreeably Engaged. My latest
novella, Missing Jane, releases tomorrow and I wanted to stop by and
share a deleted scene with you. Before we begin, here is a bit about the book.
Mr.
Bennet is dead; his daughters “scattered to the winds,” according to Mrs.
Bennet.
And the eldest Miss Bennet? No one
really knows.
Poor Mr. Bingley is led to believe she
is no more, but her sister swears she is alive.
Can Mr. Darcy and his friend find her
and, in turn, their own happily ever afters?
When I began writing this story, it
started out from Elizabeth’s point of view. I reworked the first chapter
several times before I realized that it just wasn’t needed and decided Darcy
and Jane would tell the story for once. That said, this scene at the beginning
of Chapter Two was hard to cut. I think you will understand why. (Since it was
deleted, it was not edited; so please forgive my errors.)
Elizabeth moved about
the book room in a daze. She had done as her father instructed, removing
anything of sentimental value from the room and locating the names and
directions of family members they had never met. Now all that was left would be
passed on to Mr. Collins.
She shuddered. The
odious man was expected to arrive today. Mr. Phillips, her uncle and father’s
attorney, had notified him of his inheritance. Even now, her sisters waited in
the drawing room to greet the Collinses when they arrived. Her mother had not
yet left her rooms.
A soft knock on the
door interrupted her thoughts and she turned to find Mrs. Hill watching her
with a sad look in her eyes.
“Mr. and Mrs. Collins
have arrived, Miss.”
“Thank you, Hill,”
she replied before taking one final look about. “I will be there directly.”
“Yes, miss. Tea will
be served promptly.” The loyal housekeeper slipped soundlessly from the room.
Elizabeth turned and
looked at her father’s chair. “Oh, Papa, how ever am I to deal with that man?”
Her lips tugged upward as her eyes filled with tears. “I am certain you are
looking down at us in expectation of the ridiculous, but I do not share
your amusement this time.”
She took another deep
breath and left the room. Pausing outside the doors, she was able to hear her
cousin lamenting the loss of Mr. Bennet at so young an age, while expressing
his gratitude for the size of Longbourn as Charlotte had only just informed him
she was increasing. The mumbled replies of her sisters gave her the necessary
motivation to enter the room.
“Charlotte,” she said
as she approached her friend and they embraced. “I am pleased you arrived
safely.”
“How are you, Eliza?”
Charlotte asked as she clasped and held Elizabeth’s hands. “You look tired.”
Mr. Collins cleared
his throat. “Cousin Elizabeth,” he said as he moved toward her.
Elizabeth held out a
hand which he grasped, drawing it close to his chest and causing her to step
closer to him.
“I was just
expressing my condolences to your sisters on your father’s passing.” He shook
his head as he clucked his tongue. “So young. Who would have known when we were
all together just a few short months ago that he would be taken so quickly? The
things we might have done differently.”
Elizabeth drew her
hand from his grasp and linked arms with his wife, taking the seat beside her
and causing him to find another. “Did I hear you have news to share?” she asked
her friend.
A warm blush covered
Charlotte’s cheeks. “It is full early to announce, but I have been ill in the
mornings and explained to my husband the possible cause.”
“Is it not
wonderful?” Mr. Collins beamed from his seat a short distance away. “Hopefully
it will be a son and my wife and other children will be secure in the knowledge
they will continue at Longbourn for many years.”
Elizabeth’s jaw
dropped open as she stared at the man. Before she could think of a response,
Charlotte stood and marched toward her husband.
“Mr. Collins, may I
have a word with you in the hall, sir?”
His confused
expression was nearly comical and, for a moment, Elizabeth imagined she heard
her father chuckle.
“Of course, my dear,”
he finally replied and rose to follow her from the room.
Though they intended
to close the door, the latch to that room was tricky and sometimes slipped. The
door drifted open enough that words could be heard coming from without. The
Bennet sisters, well the eldest three, attempted to appear as though they could
not hear what was being said, but the younger two moved closer in order to
fully understand.
“But Lady Catherine…”
Mr. Collins whined.
“I care not what Lady
Catherine thinks or says. We are no longer at Hunsford, and we are no longer
required to kowtow to her. You are a landed gentleman, the heir to Longbourn.
You owe that harpy nothing.”
“Charlotte, I am
shocked.” His voice conveyed his emotions fully. “The lack of respect…”
“I respect those who
earn it. Lady Catherine has done nothing but order people about and force her
opinions on others. She cares not for those who serve her or the people under
her protection.” There was a pause and Elizabeth suspected her friend was
attempting to regain her composure. “I hope you will not oversee Longbourn as she does Rosings Park for I fear you will
quite disappoint me.”
Mr. Collins was
apparently shocked into silence.
“Now, Eliza, her
sisters, and their mother are in mourning. We shall retire to Lucas Lodge. My
father has offered for us to stay there until the Bennets are ready to make
other arrangements.”
A moment later, the
couple reentered the room as Kitty and Lydia rushed back to their seats.
Charlotte approached Elizabeth and took her hands once more.
“We will not force you out. This is your home as
long as need be.” Mr. Collins began huffing and she turned back to him. “Sir,
it is time for us to leave,” she picked up her reticule and left the room.
Mr. Collins appeared
torn. He looked at Elizabeth then turned to Jane. “Please tell your mother I
shall return tomorrow to review the books.”
Jane nodded, a look
of shock covering her features as Mr. Collins turned and followed his wife.
Elizabeth released
the breath she had been holding. She looked about at her family. Charlotte had
given them a reprieve, but she knew they must make arrangements and leave
Longbourn as soon as possible.
Isn’t Charlotte wonderful? Missing
Jane is quickly
becoming my favorite story that I wrote. Certain scenes bring a smile or laugh
when I think about them. The Kindle version is available for pre-order HERE and will be released on July 10th.
I hope you will pick it up and love it as much as I do.
And now, a GIVEAWAY! Just make a comment on this
blog and Janet will pick 1 lucky winner to receive an ebook copy of Missing
Jane. Good luck! And I hope you enjoyed our visit as
much as I did. I can’t wait to read your comments.
Her love of writing has led her to several writing groups,
and she is currently serving as the vice president of the Riverside Writers and
organizes the Riverside Young Writers.
For more information, visit her at www.bronwenchisholm.com.
Oh heavens, I love this Charlotte! Mr Collins? Well I shall continue to think of him as I always have! I would say how can he be so thoughtless? But that’s just his natural character.
ReplyDeletePoor Elizabeth! It seems as if she’s the one having to sort everything out! No time to indulge herself in mourning her beloved father! I really hope Darcy arrives soon to help her?
I feel the same as you on both Charlotte and Mr. Collins! You are exactly correct about his character.
DeleteI hope Darcy arrives soon too. Thanks for popping in and happy you were able to comment! Yay!
You see? It was torture cutting out Charlotte's scenes.
DeleteThank you for stopping by and commenting!
Go, Charlotte! She'd probably wanted to say those things about Lady C for a long time. And I'm sure that now they're away from Hunsford, she will continue to tell Mr. Collins the facts!
ReplyDeleteIsn't she fabulous? She is coming into her own and Mr. Collins has been put on notice. Who knows, she might make a decent man out of him now that he is away from Lady C. :O
DeleteI love this Charlotte! Thanks for the chance to win a copy of the book.
ReplyDeleteThank you! You're welcome. Good luck!
DeleteGo, Charlotte! I love deleted scenes! This book looks like great fun.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I love them too - they fill in blanks you didn't know existed. ;)
DeleteWhat a pity that you cut that scene, Charlotte was wonderful. Always thought her age was a definite advantage when dealing with Collins and Lady Catherine
ReplyDeleteI agree - age and having lived with Sir William. ;)
DeleteThanks, Janet for hosting. Congratulations to Bronwen for this new launch. I wish you all manner of success. Thanks to you and your publisher for the generous giveaway. Good luck to all in the drawing.
ReplyDeleteI love what Charlotte did. She was so respectful to the Bennets and their feelings. They were in mourning for goodness sake and Collins was a toad for making them feel rushed. He should know better but then he wants to be like Lady Catherine. At least Charlotte will keep him straight. Blessings, everyone, stay safe, and healthy.
Thank you! For a member of the clergy, Collins has never understood the concept of empathy or even sympathy.
DeleteGood luck and stay safe!
Loved how Charlotte took control.
ReplyDeletedenise
She did! It I hated cutting this scene and I'm so glad I was able to share it here.
DeleteI really like Charlotte! Without being subjected to Lady Catherine anymore she can speak her mind to Mr. Collins. Mr. Collins is the same wimpy guy he always was and seems to be under Charlotte’s control. This is exactly where I like him to be!
ReplyDeletelol Thank you! I like her too. She has done her time under Lady C and she is ready to take charge of her own home.
DeleteWow, this scene was spectacular. This is a Charlotte that we can admire and one who says what most of us think. Collins needs to move on from Lady C, step up and be a man! Looking forward to reading the book. Thanks for entering me into the drawing.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I love this Charlotte - she might have to make an appearance in another book since her scenes all got cut out of this one. Good luck!
DeleteWow! What a scene! So glad you shared it with us here, Bronwen! Congratulations! I so love secondary character stories and looking to forward to reading this one. Thank you for a chance at the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Good luck!
DeleteNice to see Charlotte trying to keep Collins in line!
ReplyDeleteI agree! I hated cutting her scenes.
DeleteI love this Charlotte. I hope she is able to manage Collins well.
ReplyDeleteMe too. It appears she knows what to say to get him to heel.
Delete