Chapter 14

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Ever wondered what it would be like to become Mr Bennet, if only for a moment? Read on, imagining yourself as Mr Bennet; then, based on your knowledge of Pride & Prejudice, decide what you will do at the end of this chapter.

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One morning, about a week after Bingley's engagement with Jane has been formed, you are roused from your reverie in the library by the sound of a carriage; and you perceive a chaise and four driving up the lawn.

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You can hear Mrs Bennet’s shrieks of speculation: it is too early in the morning for visitors, and besides, the equipage does not answer to that of any of your neighbours. The horses are post; and neither the carriage, nor the livery of the servant who precedes it, are familiar to you. 

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You are intrigued, too intrigued to worry about seeing Bingley and Jane disappear into the shrubbery. With Lydia setting such a delightful example, how can your other daughters ever hope to compete in terms of bringing shame upon your family?

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A commotion in the hall suggests that your visitor has entered the house. You cannot rest without determining the identity of this intruder, and you leave your sanctuary to discover who it can be.

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In the hall stands a tall imposing figure, whom you suspect to be a man in women’s clothing. No woman would attire herself in such an unbecoming array of colours and adornments: feathers and furs, bells and bows, as if she had furnished her wardrobe with the wares of a travelling pedlar. The creature fixes you with a cold and beady eye, not unlike that of the dead animal slung round her neck, and announces herself to be Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

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You hear a sharp intake of breath from your assembled family. Worse still, you sense that your dear wife is preparing a welcoming speech worthy of Mr Collins.

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You hasten to avert disaster, and decide to turn Lady Catherine out of your house OR allow her to stay.

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Which would Mr Bennet choose? Click on the link above and see if you're right.