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My dear Lizzie,
It is with great emotion I write to you on this New Year's Eve, although I know that by the time you receive my letter and read it, it will be past
Twelfth Night. It was implied in a letter from my husband to your father that I was expecting good news, and now that the first trimester has come and gone, I write to you to confirm the good news, or tell you of them altogether if your father hasn't transmitted the contents of his correspondence to your family.
Yes, my dear Lizzie, I am pregnant!
Mr Collins and I are both ecstatic at the news, of course. He has already announced it to his parishioners before I had even sent the first letters to my family and friends, but I trust that my mother does not know his parishioners personally and will not receive the news before my letter arrives. While the tradition of the Church of England only asks for three godparents, it does not forbid to take more, and so Mr Collins and I while discussing the matter found that we would like to take two godfathers and two godmothers for our unborn child, when the time comes to have it christened. One of my brothers will come for the christening and act as godfather, and one of Mr Collins' best friends will be godfather as well. As I write these lines, Mr Collins has gone to call on Rosings Park to ask our esteemed patroness if she would do us the honour of being one of the godmothers, but as for the fourth godparent, I truly and dearly wish you would agree to be her.
There is no one I can trust more than you among my acquaintances to care for my child if anything were to happen to me, and your marriage with Mr Darcy puts you in a position where you would be able to do more good to her than my own sisters would. Please, Lizzie, be the godmother of my child, and answer rapidly so we can celebrate!
I am due to give birth mid-june, so you're welcome to come and stay at our house from the last week of may till the christening if you are so inclined. I admit the offer comes with some ulterior motive, as I would gladly have a friend to help me manage the house while I am in the last weeks of pregnancy, but I do sincerely wish to see more of you and to share the joys of my pregnancy with you.
As for the names, we keep them secret with Mr Collins, as a rule, until the birth, when we will know the sex of the child and which name it is given, but I give you the assurance, under the seal of secrecy, that were you to return us a letter in which you would accept to be its godmother, that if the child is a girl, her first name will be Elizabeth.
Truly yours,
Charlotte Collins