Arrogance and Inheritance: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

Summary

If a different Mr. Collins was the heir to Longbourn, what would have happened?

Gregory Collins inherited a flourishing wine importing business in London from his father and is now a prosperous tradesman. Upon discovering he is the heir presumptive to a relative's estate, he realizes he must make the journey to meet the family, as he has no knowledge of landowning or agriculture. He is determined to amass as much knowledge as he can so that when he comes into possession, he can tend to the land and its tenants properly. Rather than hoping to evict the Bennets from the estate when their father dies, he desires to re-establish the familial bond, so there will be no difficulty living together, although he expects Mr. Bennet will live for many years more.

Mr. Collins may not be physically attractive, yet he is not repulsive or unintelligent. He is precisely the sort of man the two elder Bennet daughters had always assumed their meager dowries would enable them to marry. While becoming the wife of someone active in trade would be a lowering of status temporarily, the security of their family would be ensured. When Mr. Collins comes to understand the value of the eldest two Bennet daughters and considers if it would be advantageous to everyone if he married one, how will Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy react in the face of competition?