That evening, the Bennets dined with the Lucas family. Once again, Charlotte Lucas spent much of her time listening to Mr. Collins. Elizabeth thanked her friend for being so kind.
"It keeps him in a good mood," Elizabeth said. "I am very grateful to you."
However, Charlotte’s plan was more serious than Elizabeth realized. She wanted to encourage Mr. Collins so that he would propose to her instead.
The next morning, Mr. Collins sneaked out of Longbourn House and hurried to see Charlotte. He was afraid his cousins would see him and guess what he was doing. Charlotte saw him coming and went out to meet him in the lane. There, Mr. Collins quickly proposed to her.
Charlotte accepted him immediately. She did not love him—she knew he was neither clever nor pleasant. However, she was twenty-seven years old, she was not rich, and she wanted a stable home. In those days, marriage was the only way for a woman to have a secure future.
Sir William and Lady Lucas were very happy about the match. Mr. Collins would one day be rich, and he already had a good job. The only thing that worried Charlotte was how Elizabeth would react. She knew her friend would be shocked and might even judge her.
Charlotte asked Mr. Collins to keep their engagement a secret for a day. He agreed, though he found it difficult to stay quiet because he wanted to brag about his success. The next morning, before he left for home, he said goodbye to the Bennets. He surprised them all by saying he hoped to return to Longbourn very soon.
"I hope Lady Catherine will not be angry with you for leaving your parish again so soon," Mr. Bennet said, secretly hoping he wouldn't come back.
"I will certainly ask her permission first," Mr. Collins replied.
After he left, Charlotte visited Elizabeth and told her the news. Elizabeth was so shocked that she couldn't hide her feelings.
"Engaged to Mr. Collins! My dear Charlotte, impossible!" Elizabeth cried.
Charlotte grew a little embarrassed but remained calm. "Why are you surprised, Eliza? Do you think no woman could like Mr. Collins just because you refused him? I am not a romantic person, you know. I only want a comfortable home. I think my chance of happiness with him is as good as most people’s."
Elizabeth tried to be polite and wished her friend luck, but inside she was deeply disappointed. She couldn't believe that Charlotte would choose to spend her life with such an annoying man just for money and a house. She felt that her friend was disgracing herself. To Elizabeth, the idea of Charlotte as Mr. Collins’s wife was a very sad picture indeed.