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Tidings that
will Give Satisfaction
The carriage made
good time from Derbyshire, and two days after leaving Lambton
it pulled up to the steps of Longbourn. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner
tarried but an hour before gathering up the children and pushing
on to Town, to Mrs. Bennet's dismay. But to no entreating would
the couple attend - they were expecting very distinguished company
at Gracechurch Street.
Mrs. Bennet was
all that Kitty described and more. She flailed about, alternately
blaming her distress on everyone but herself and making herself
hysterical over fears that Wickham would make her a widow in
the inevitable duel. "If I had been able," said she,
"to carry my point of going to Brighton, with all my family,
this would not have happened; but poor dear Lydia had nobody
to take care of her. Why did the Forsters ever let her go out
of their sight? I am sure there was some great neglect or other
on their side, for she is not the kind of girl to do such a thing
if she had been well looked after. I always thought they were
very unfit to have the charge of her; but I was over-ruled, as
I always am! Poor dear child! And now here's Mr. Bennet gone
away, and I know he will fight Wickham, wherever he meets him;
and then he will be killed, and what is to become of us all?
Mr. Collins cannot run the estate, and if my brother is not kind
to us, I do not know what we shall do!" To the girls' peace
of mind, she kept to her rooms, allowing the sisters to talk
and console each other without interruption.
Mary was heard from:
Sisters! Such
distressing news you send me! Lydia run off with Mr. Wickham!
Oh, why did no one pay heed to the warnings? How was it my father
allowed a girl with such weak understanding to go to Brighton,
where the temptations must be overwhelming? This is a most unfortunate
affair; and will probably be much talked of. But we must stem
the tide of malice, and pour into the wounded bosoms of each
other the balm of sisterly consolation.
Mr. Collins is
very concerned, and would go to Longbourn to offer succor, but
I have convinced him to stay and attend to his duties. Alas!
Be careful what you wish for! My husband took me at my word,
and went without delay to inform Lady Catherine of our distress.
She is all concern, I am told, and advises us to write the wayward
girl out of our lives this instant. Lady Catherine's kindness
knows no bounds. Anne, of course, is truly concerned and sends
her private condolences.
Mr. Collins has
been advised on the poor choice he made in sharing our burden.
He will feel it greatly, I have no doubt.
The only good
news to come of this is that you tell me that Mr. Darcy and Mr.
Bingley have offered their services. I, of course, have shared
this intelligence with only Anne. She is as surprised and happy
over this news as I; and begs me to assure you both that Mr.
Darcy is the cleverest of men, and will soon see the matter set
to rights, if any man can. I pray to Our Lord that her confidence
is not ill placed, and that more than one lady may win her happiness…
~~~~}+{~~~~
The day after she
returned, Jane was walking about the flower garden where she
discovered Kitty in tears. Hurrying to her side she embraced
her sister while asking about the reason for her distress.
"Oh! I have
just c…come from Meryton…I went for some lace…and
was most cruelly cut by Mrs. Fairweather!"
"Oh, Kitty,
are you certain? She has been our mother's friend for years."
"The cut direct,
I say!" she cried. "I was coming out of the shop, and…and
I saw her and her daughter come out from the bakery across the
street. They had just begun crossing the street when I bid them
hello. She…she saw me and turned on her heel and walked
in the opposite direction, dragging her daughter with her!"
"Oh, my!"
"That is not
all. I saw Lady Lucas and Maria on my way to the village. Lady
Lucas was polite, as always, but I could tell she was uneasy.
Oh, Jane, what shall I do if she decides I am unfit company for
Maria? She is my only…friend…left…" She broke
down.
Jane tried to offer
consolation, but Kitty would not hear of it. "No, Jane -
I deserve it! I knew what Lydia was planning. I could have stopped
it if I told. But I did not, and Father is so angry with me,
and now all of Meryton is rising against me!"
"How much did
you know, Kitty?"
"Lydia wrote
to tell me that Mr. Wickham had been paying her exclusive attention
in the last week before she…" Kitty dug into her reticule.
"And she left this note at the Forsters…"
MY DEAR HARRIET,
You will laugh when you know where I am gone, and I cannot help
laughing myself at your surprise to-morrow morning, as soon as
I am missed. I am going to Gretna Green, and if you cannot guess
with who, I shall think you a simpleton, for there is but one
man in the world I love, and he is an angel. I should never be
happy without him, so think it no harm to be off. You need not
send them word at Longbourn of my going, if you do not like it,
for it will make the surprise the greater, when I write to them,
and sign my name "Lydia Wickham." What a good joke
it will be! I can hardly write for laughing.
Pray make my
excuses to Pratt for not keeping my engagement, and dancing with
him to-night. Tell him I hope he will excuse me when he knows
all; and tell him I will dance with him at the next ball we meet,
with great pleasure. I shall send for my clothes when I get to
Longbourn; but I wish you would tell Sally to mend a great slit
in my worked muslin gown before they are packed up. Good-bye.
Give my love to Colonel Forster. I hope you will drink to our
good journey.
Your affectionate
friend, LYDIA BENNET.
"Oh! thoughtless,
thoughtless Lydia!" cried Jane, when she had finished it.
"What a letter is this, to be written at such a moment!
But at least it shows that she was serious in the object of her
journey. Whatever he might afterwards persuade her to, it was
not on her side a scheme of infamy. My poor father! How he must
have felt it!"
"I never saw
any one so shocked. He could not speak a word for full ten minutes.
My mother was taken ill immediately, and the whole house in such
confusion!"
"Oh, Kitty,"
cried Jane, "was there a servant who did not know the whole
story before the end of the day?"
"I do not know.
I hope there was. But to be guarded at such a time is very difficult.
My mother was in hysterics, and though I endeavored to give her
every assistance in my power, I am afraid I did not do so much
as I might have done! But the horror of what might possibly happen
almost took from me my faculties."
Jane stoked Kitty's
forehead with concern. "Your attendance upon her has been
too much for you. You do not look at all well. Oh, that I had
been with you! You have had every care and anxiety upon yourself
alone."
"I know, and
it has been hard. But what has Lydia done that was so bad? Is
it not romantic to elope?"
"Kitty, you
must understand. Loss of virtue in a female is irretrievable
- that one false step involves her in endless ruin - that her
reputation is no less brittle than it is beautiful - and that
a lady cannot be too much guarded in her behavior towards the
undeserving of the other sex."
"And my
reputation, too…?"
"Yes."
"Then it is
my fault!"
"No, Kitty.
It is no more your fault than it is mine or Lizzy's."
"How is this?"
Kitty asked. "Did you know of Lydia's intentions?"
"No, but we
knew of Wickham's true nature."
"Then why did
you not say something?"
Elizabeth did
and Father did not attend.
"The information came from another. We thought it not our
story to tell. In this we were wrong. But you must see that this
must be laid at Lydia's feet. She was not carried away. She chose
to go with Wickham. We must now try to save her from herself
- she does not know Wickham's true nature."
"How can we?
Father will never find them in London."
"Father will
not need to - we have help. Kitty, you must promise to keep this
most secret; even from our mother." Kitty's eyes grew wide
as her sister continued. "Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy, who
we saw in Derbyshire, accidentally became aware of our shame
and have volunteered to help us. Mr. Darcy assures us he will
be able to hunt down Mr. Wickham."
"Mr. Bingley
and…Mr. Darcy? Odious Mr. Darcy?"
Jane smiled. "Do
not let Lizzy hear you say that."
"What do you
mean?"
Jane recalled Lizzy's
outburst: "Find them, and I am yours." Aloud
she said, "We have discovered in Derbyshire that Mr. Wickham
was not so admired, nor Mr. Darcy so disagreeable, as we had
been lead to believe. Allow me to assure you that Mr. Darcy,
rather than being proud and aloof, is the most kind and generous
man. Wickham is his enemy, having had done great injury to him
in the past. He feels he must protect his friends from Mr. Wickham."
"His injuries?
But Mr. Wickham said…"
"All lies,
my love. Everything Mr. Wickham said the opposite is true."
"Friends…Mr.
Darcy considers us his friends?"
"Us and the
Gardiners - yes."
Kitty smiled. "It
is agreeable to have such a friend, even if he is not an officer."
Jane laughed. "It
is also agreeable to have you as my sister. You have done well
here. Do not dwell overmuch on this sad business. Come - I would
have you laugh again."
Kitty's eyes shown.
A born follower, she copied Lydia because Jane and Lizzy had
had no time for her - and Mary was ill-suited to set an example.
Now that Lydia was disgraced and Jane was paying her attentions,
it was but a moment's work for her to switch her alliance to
her eldest sister; and by extension, to Elizabeth, too.
~~~~}+{~~~~
"Mr. Bennet,
sir," the butler announced at the doorway of Darcy's study.
Darcy arose from
his desk and greeted the older man. He offered his guest a chair,
but the gentleman waved him off, lost in admiration of the owner's
collection of books.
"This is a
fine library, Mr. Darcy!" he said. Darcy acknowledged the
complement and watched Bennet peer closely at the volumes. Seeing
that all had been read, some numerous times, the Master of Longbourn
looked at the Master of Pemberely with new respect. "I am
glad you are not one of those who collect books for the color
of the spines, sir."
Darcy hid a small
smile; he knew many who did just that.
"And does your
home in Derbyshire have a like collection?"
Darcy shook his
head. "This library has been my humble construction. It
is nothing to Pemberley's; that is work of many generations."
Bennet sighed. He
took a chair and sat, looking at Darcy. "I suppose you are
wondering why I wished to speak with you."
"I must admit
a curiosity, sure," he replied as he took his own chair
behind his desk.
"This has been
a most unpleasant business, and a puzzling one, too. I am the
injured father, and I wish I had nothing to do with it. You,
on the other hand, are a stranger. Yet you have announced that
you will see that my unfortunate daughter reclaim her respectability
though lawful marriage. No matter the cost."
Darcy coughed. "Sir,
I must insist…"
"No, no…there
is no talking you out of it, I am sure. My one question is: why?
Why do you do it? Do you not know you are the kind of man I can
deny nothing?"
Darcy started. "I…I
do not have the pleasure of understanding you, sir."
"If you want
to marry my Lizzy, why not ask me?"
Darcy leapt to his
feet and crossed to the window, trying to settle his emotions.
Bennet watched him with glee. I got you there, Mr. Darcy!
After a moment,
Darcy turned to him. "Mr. Bennet, I will not insult your
intelligence by denying feelings that I may have. I will say
that I admire your second daughter - admire her greatly, in fact.
But I must make myself perfectly understood upon this matter.
I do not do what I do in search of thanks or reward. I expect
nothing. Duty requires I set right what Wickham has done."
"Yes, yes;
I remember your tale. Frankly, I would have let your cousin run
the bugger through."
A smile tugged at
Darcy's lip. "The…thought had occurred to me."
Bennet was pleased
to see that Darcy was human after all. "So you expect nothing,
eh? Does Elizabeth know of your involvement?"
Darcy blushed. "Yes
- unfortunately."
"Why do you
say this? Do you not want my daughter's gratitude?"
"Again I must
say I ask for nothing…"
"Yes, yes;
let us stop beating around the bush. Do you have something to
ask of me, Mr. Darcy?"
Darcy swallowed.
"Mr. Bennet, may I have the honor of paying court to your
daughter, Miss Elizabeth?"
"Well, that
wasn't so hard, was it?" Bennet said, while his heart sank
with the reality of the situation. He knew this day would come,
and he admired Darcy, but Lizzy was his favorite. "Have
you any idea if Lizzy would welcome your company?"
Darcy recalled her
words: I honor the man - not the action. "Yes, I
believe she would have no objection."
"This is rather
sudden. I know you were in her company while she and Jane were
traveling with the Gardners in Derbyshire."
"Yes…I
also saw Miss Elizabeth in Kent. I was visiting Rosings while
your daughters were visiting Mrs. Collins."
"Ah ha…And
it was there you began changing Lizzy's opinion of you? It was
rather low at one time, as I recall."
Darcy recalled his
disastrous proposal and his mortifying explanation the next day.
"Yes, I suppose that was the genesis of our better understanding.
Sir, I must assure you that nothing underhanded has occurred.
Your daughter is one of the most unique and intriguing individuals
I have ever met. I have for many months been impressed with her
wit, understanding and principals. I am well aware of the differences
in our…situations. Yet, she is a gentleman's daughter."
Bennet nodded.
"And I am a
gentleman. So we are equal. I also wish you to know that I am
a better man for knowing your daughter. Believe me when I say
that I value Miss Elizabeth above anyone I know - she is on a
par with my dear sister, for whom I would do anything."
Again Bennet nodded.
"I am my own
man - I answer to no one save my conscience. My good father raised
me to know my duties and responsibilities. Should I be successful
in my suit, I would look upon it as a great gift from my creator.
Your daughter would want for nothing, be it her comfort, her
respect or her…affections." By now, Darcy was blushing
furiously.
Bennet, who had
already gotten the same intelligence from his brother Gardiner,
decided to end his teasing game. "Then you have my permission.
Now that that is over with, do you have any port? I could use
a drink."
Darcy smiled and
gave the older gentleman a glass of his best tawny. Grinning
at the look of pure delight on his guest's face as he sipped,
he asked, "Did you bring a carriage, sir?"
"What? No,
I did not. I used a hired coach."
"Then we shall
return to Gracechurch Street together. I am to supper tonight,
along with Bingley."
"You are a
glutton for punishment, sir. There will be little suitable conversation
with my daughter in the house."
"Perhaps. Might
I interest you in a bit of entertainment tomorrow?"
"I am all ears."
"You must come
to my fencing club. There will be a most interesting match; I
think you will enjoy it."
~~~~}+{~~~~
As Jane and Kitty
were walking together in the shrubbery behind the house a week
after their earlier conversation, they saw the housekeeper coming
towards them, and, concluding that she came to call them to their
mother, went forward to meet her. Instead of the expected summons,
when they approached her, she said to Miss Bennet, "I beg
your pardon, miss, for interrupting you, but I was in hopes you
might have got some good news from town, so I took the liberty
of coming to ask."
"What do you
mean, Hill? We have heard nothing from town."
"Dear miss,"
cried Mrs. Hill, in great astonishment, "do you not know
there is an express come from the master this half-hour? Miss
Elizabeth has it."
Away ran the girls,
too eager to get in to have time for speech. They ran through
the vestibule into the breakfast-room; from thence to the library
- Lizzy was in neither; and they were on the point of seeking
her upstairs with their mother, when they were met by the butler,
who said -
"If you are
looking for Miss Elizabeth, miss, she is walking towards the
little copse."
Upon this information
they instantly passed through the hall once more, and ran across
the lawn after their sister, who was deliberately pursuing her
way towards a small wood on one side of the paddock.
Jane, who was not
so light nor so much in the habit of running as Kitty, soon lagged
behind, while her sister, panting for breath, came up with Elizabeth
and eagerly cried out -
"Oh, Lizzy,
(puff) what news - what news? (puff) Have you heard from my father?"
"Yes, I have
had a letter from him by express."
"Well, and
what news does it bring - good or bad?"
"What is there
of good to be expected from this business?" said she, taking
the letter from her pocket. "But perhaps you would like
to read it."
Kitty impatiently
caught it from her hand. Jane now came up.
"Read it aloud,"
said their sister, "for Jane's sake."
Gracechurch Street,
Monday, August 2.
MY DEAR DAUGHTERS,
- At last I am able to send you some tidings of my wayward daughter,
and such as, upon the whole, I hope will give you some little
satisfaction. Soon after your uncle Gardiner came to Town, I
was fortunate enough to find out in what part of London they
were. The particulars I reserve till we meet: it is enough to
know they are discovered. I have seen them both -
"Then it is
as I always hoped," cried Jane; "they are married!"
"Keep reading,
Kitty," said Elizabeth.
I have seen them
both. They are not married, nor can I find there was any intention
of being so; but I hope it will not be long before they are.
All that was required of me is to assure to your incredibly silly
and irresponsible sister, by settlement, her equal share of the
five thousand pounds secured among you girls after the decease
of myself and your mother; and, moreover, to enter into an engagement
of allowing her, during my life, one hundred pounds per annum.
These are conditions
which, considering everything, I had no hesitation in complying
with. You will easily comprehend, from these particulars, that
Mr. Wickham's circumstances are not so hopeless as they are generally
believed to be. And if you believe that, I shall think you all
are the great simpletons of the world. Without the aid of a certain
gentleman from Derbyshire and his good friends, I doubt that
this even this melancholy event would have come to pass. The
world is upside-down, my loves.
I command that
you all therefore stay quietly at Longbourn, and depend on my
diligence and care. I shall not further reward this sham of a
holy event with the attendance of yourselves and your mother.
We have judged it best that my daughter should be married from
this house, of which I hope you will take comfort from. I leave
to you the task of informing your mother of the above. Tell her
what you will.
I shall write
again as soon as the deed is done.
Your's, etc.
THO. BENNET
"Is it possible?"
cried Kitty, when she had finished. "Can it be possible
that he will marry her?"
"My dear father,
I congratulate you!" said Jane. "And have you answered
the letter, Lizzy?"
"No; but it
must be done soon."
"Let me write
for you," said Jane, "if you dislike the trouble yourself."
"I dislike
it very much," she replied; "but it must be done. Oh,
Jane! Can you not see what has passed?"
Jane colored. Kitty,
confused, asked, "Of what do you mean?"
"Kitty - Wickham
was bribed to marry our sister; depend upon it!"
"Well, yes
- Father settled some money on him. A hundred a year is not so
bad…"
"No man in
his senses would marry Lydia on so slight a temptation as one
hundred a year!" cried Elizabeth.
"That is very
true," said Jane. "His debts to be discharged, and
something still to remain! It must be our friends' doings! Good,
generous men, I am afraid they have distressed themselves. A
small sum could not do all this."
"No,"
said Elizabeth; "Wickham's a fool if he takes her with a
farthing less than ten thousand pounds!"
Kitty gasped. "Ten
thousand pounds! Heaven forbid! How is half such a sum to be
repaid?" She stopped and thought about what Jane said. "And…who
has to be repaid?"
Lizzy took the letter
from Kitty's hand and re-read: "'…without the aid
of a certain gentleman from Derbyshire and his good friends,
I doubt that this even this melancholy event would have come
to pass.'"
Kitty gasped again.
"Mr. Darcy?!?"
Elizabeth threw
down the hated letter as tears formed in her eyes. "Yes!
Fitzwilliam Darcy - the most honorable, the most worthy, the
most generous man of my acquaintance - has paid a fortune so
that the most un-worthy man in England, his greatest enemy,
marry our…our…fool of a sister!"
Jane was troubled,
as well; Mr. Bingley might have felt inclined to help his friend.
"And they must marry! Yet he is such a man!"
Anger and mortification
battled over Elizabeth's expression. "Yes, yes, they must
marry. There is nothing else to be done! But there are two things
that I want very much to know: one is how much money Mr. Darcy
has laid down to bring it about; and the other, how I am ever
to pay him."
"What are you
talking about, Lizzy?" cried Kitty.
"Never mind,
Kitty; I have coin he will accept."
"Lizzy - do
not speak so!" Jane grasped her shoulders. "Do not
do this! I…I thought your exclamation in Lambton was due
to your heightened emotions. You cannot have been serious! Oh,
Lizzy, no matter what, do not marry without love!"
Elizabeth smiled
through her tears. "Love and devotion is my dowry,
Jane - and he shall have it all."
Jane looked at her
sister. Then, breaking into tears herself she embraced her.
"L…Lizzy?"
Kitty still looked horrified. "Are you speaking of Mr. Darcy?"
Lizzy nodded. Kitty asked, "Do you…love him?"
"With all my
heart and all my soul." Kitty joined in the embrace. Jane
made no comment - her thoughts still in turmoil.
"And they are
really to be married!" cried Elizabeth. "How strange
this is! And for this we are to be thankful. That they should
marry, small as is their chance of happiness, and wretched as
is his character, we are forced to rejoice. Oh, Lydia!"
"I comfort
myself with thinking," replied Kitty, "that Wickham
certainly would not marry Lydia if he had not a real regard for
her. Though your…kind friends have done something towards
clearing him, I cannot believe that ten thousand pounds, or anything
like it, has been advanced. How could even he spare half
ten thousand pounds?"
"If we are
ever able to learn what Wickham's debts have been," said
Elizabeth, "and how much is settled on our sister, we shall
exactly know what Mr. Darcy has done for them, because Wickham
has not sixpence of his own! The kindness of Mr. Darcy - and
Mr. Bingley - can never be requited; nor my uncle and aunt either.
Their taking her into their home, and affording her their personal
protection and countenance, is such a sacrifice to her advantage
as years of gratitude cannot enough acknowledge. If such goodness
does not make Lydia miserable now, she will never deserve to
be happy! What a meeting for her, when she first saw my aunt!"
Yes - Aunt Gardner
would have had some choice words for Lydia! "We must endeavor to forget all that has
passed on either side," said Jane: "I hope and trust
they will yet be happy. His consenting to marry her is a proof,
I will believe, that he is come to a right way of thinking. Their
mutual affection will steady them; and I flatter myself they
will settle so quietly, and live in so rational a manner, as
may in time make their past imprudence forgotten."
"Their conduct
has been such," growled Elizabeth, "as neither you,
nor I, nor Kitty, nor anybody can ever forget! It is useless
to talk of it."
Kitty stood silently,
thinking on what had been said. "May we take Father's letter
to read to Mother?"
"You are right,
Kitty; it shall be done instantly."
The sisters walked
quietly to the house and they went up stairs together. After
a slight preparation for good news, the letter was read aloud
- edited, of course. Mrs. Bennet could hardly contain herself.
As soon as Jane had read Mr. Bennet's hope of Lydia's being soon
married, her joy burst forth, and every following sentence added
to its exuberance. She was now in an irritation as violent from
delight, as she had ever been fidgety from alarm and vexation.
To know that her daughter would be married was enough. She was
disturbed by no fear for her felicity, nor humbled by any remembrance
of her misconduct.
"My dear, dear
Lydia!" she cried. "This is delightful indeed! She
will be married! I shall see her again! She will be married at
sixteen! My good, kind husband! I knew how it would be. I knew
he would manage everything! How I long to see her! and to see
dear Wickham too? But the clothes, the wedding clothes! I will
write to Mr. Bennet about them directly and ask him how much
he will give her. Ring the bell, Kitty, for Hill. I will put
on my things in a moment. My dear, dear Lydia! - How merry we
shall be together when we meet!"
Her eldest daughter
endeavored to give some relief to the violence of these transports,
by leading her thoughts to the obligations which Mr. Gardiner's
behavior laid them all under. "For we must attribute this
happy conclusion," she added, "in a great measure to
his kindness. We are persuaded that he has pledged himself to
assist Mr. Wickham with money." The girls had decided to
continue their omission of the involvement of Mr. Darcy and Mr.
Bingley in the affair. Kitty, deeply distressed at her mother's
antics, silently agreed to the scheme.
"Well,"
cried her mother, "it is all very right; who should do it
but her own uncle? If he had not had a family of his own, I and
my children must have had all his money, you know; and it is
the first time we have ever had anything from him, except a few
presents."
By this outlandish
statement Mrs. Bennet proved the wisdom of Jane's and Elizabeth's
choice.
"I am so happy!"
she continued. "In a short time I shall have another daughter
married. Mrs. Wickham! - how well it sounds! And she was only
sixteen last June. My dear Jane, I am in such a flutter, that
I am sure I can't write; so I will dictate, and you write for
me. We will settle with your father about the money afterwards;
but the things should be ordered immediately."
She was then proceeding
to all the particulars of calico, muslin, and cambric, and would
shortly have dictated some very plentiful orders, had not Jane,
though with some difficulty, persuaded her to wait till her father
was at leisure to write again. One day's delay, she observed,
would be of small importance; and her mother was too happy to
be quite so obstinate as usual. Other schemes, too, came into
her head.
"I will go
to Meryton," said she, "as soon as I am dressed, and
tell the good, good news to my sister Phillips. And as I come
back, I can call on Lady Lucas and Mrs. Long. Kitty, run down
and order the carriage. An airing would do me a great deal of
good, I am sure. Girls, can I do anything for you in Meryton?
Oh! here comes Hill! My dear Hill, have you heard the good news?
Miss Lydia is going to be married; and you shall all have a bowl
of punch to make merry at her wedding."
Mrs. Hill began
instantly to express her joy. Elizabeth received her congratulations
amongst the rest, and then, sick of this folly, took refuge in
her own room that she might think with freedom.
Poor Lydia's situation
must, at best, be bad enough; but that it was no worse, she had
need to be thankful. She felt it so; and though, in looking forward,
neither rational happiness nor worldly prosperity could be justly
expected for her sister, in looking back to what they had feared,
only two hours ago, she felt all the advantages of what they
had gained.
~~~~}+{~~~~
Jane proved to be
right and wrong at the same time. Mr. Bennet did write again
- letters were delivered the next day. But there were more than
one. A public letter was sent to Mrs. Bennet. Private messages
were sent to his two eldest daughters.
Jane's letter was
an accounting of Mr. Bingley's actions during la affaire Lydia.
Still of two minds about that gentleman, she was warmed to know
that he had kept to his word and was instrumental in finding
her wayward sister. But clouding her happiness was her guilt
for hurting him so badly in the spring. Did she deserve his attentions,
his services? She thought not. She was confused, however, about
one line in the letter:
Mr. Bingley continues
to be a surprising individual, with unexpected abilities; as
Colonel Fitzwilliam discovered to his dismay.
Elizabeth's was
far less teasing:
My dear Lizzy,
may I say how much I like your Mr. Darcy? Ha - I have shocked
you, I think. He and I have had a long talk, about many things,
and I would like to share our conversation with you when I return
home. That, and a small request.
~~~~}+{~~~~
"Stop fidgeting,
Darcy!"
"I am certainly
not fidgeting, Fitz. I just wish this to be over."
Darcy, Fitzwilliam
and Bingley stood in the pews of St ----, the Gardiner's church,
watching Wickham and waiting for the bride to arrive. Finally,
a quarter-hour past her time, the doors opened and the Gardiners
entered the church.
"Aww, too bad,
Wickham," teased Richard. "She made it."
"Sorry, Darcy,"
said Gardiner. "Lydia had to change her hair three times."
Four young men rolled
their eyes.
"Are we ready
now?" asked the curate.
The signal was given
and the bride was escorted down the aisle by her father. All
brides were lovely, but this one's insistent giggling ruined
the illusion.
"You still
have your sword, Fitzwilliam?" asked the groom from the
side of his mouth.
"Sorry, Wickham;
you missed your chance," returned the colonel.
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