Although nothing new was known about Lydia, Mr. Gardiner convinced Mr. Bennet to return to Longbourn, where he could be of some comfort to his family and draw comfort from them as well. But before leaving for London, Mr. Bennet had promised that changes would be made, and he was as good as his word. When he saw Jane taking a tray up to her mother’s room, he ordered it back to the kitchen.
“Unless someone is ill, we take our meals in the dining room, and I will deliver that news to your mother myself. However, I would like you to tell her I will be visiting shortly.”
When Jane attempted to explain the fragile condition of their mother’s nerves, Mr. Bennet responded, “Your mother’s nerves have been my constant companion for more than twenty years, but we are about to part company.”
When Mr. Bennet came into the room, Mrs. Bennet pretended to be asleep, but her husband was not in the mood for games.
“I am not leaving, Fanny, so please sit up.” After a reluctant Mrs. Bennet appeared from under the covers, her husband continued. “My dear wife, I have done you a disservice all these years. You were very young when I married you, and I should have taken more care. But because I believed we would have a son to negate the entail and to see you through your old age, I went happily about my business and neglected my responsibilities as husband and father. As I am five years older than you, it is highly likely I shall die before you, and because of our financial condition, you will have to live within your means. Since you have little practice at it, as of today, we will economize, so that we might put aside as much money as possible. You will better manage the house, which means that Kitty must wear her frocks longer, and baubles are banned forthwith. There is more, but we shall discuss it in detail at another time. I look forward to dining with you this evening.”
Mrs. Bennet did come down to supper, but her presence only served to shine a light on the tension in the family. No one seemed to want to make the effort to begin a conversation, so brief statements were followed by prolonged silences. Afterwards, everyone gathered in the front parlor, where Mary and Kitty were occupied by their newfound interest in needlework, and Mrs. Bennet was knitting a shawl, something she had not done in years. After Mr. Bennet retired to his study, Jane and Lizzy went to their bedroom so that they might talk.
“How has Kitty been bearing up under the weight of all of this bad news?” Lizzy asked her sister.
“Well enough. She was fortunate in that Papa went away so quickly, as he was furious with her when he learned she knew of Lydia’s intended elopement. I do believe she regrets that she had not acted differently when she received Lydia’s letter, but I doubt it would have made any difference anyway. But no more about Kitty or Mama or Mary. We have not spoken about you and what happened at Pemberley.”
Lizzy closed her eyes and smiled at the memory. “Mr. Darcy could not have been more gracious, and we easily fell into conversation as people do who have known each other for a long time. I was deeply touched by his affection for Miss de Bourgh and the care he takes with his sister, and Pemberley quite transforms him. When we walked in the gardens, I felt as if he had shed the hard shell he puts on when he is uncomfortable with his company, as he most definitely was at the assembly and at Aunt Philips’s card parties and at Lucas Lodge,” Lizzy said, laughing. “But the Mr. Darcy I knew so well in Hertfordshire was also present. He is used to getting his own way, and he did not like it when I would not give in to him.
“I often found him looking at me, but not with that quizzical expression I had seen at Netherfield and Rosings. It was a softer look,” and Lizzy remembered their time together in the stables when he had placed his hands on her waist and had run his fingers along her cheek. She had wanted to do the same to him. Would she ever have another such opportunity?
“The night before we departed Lambton, he asked if he could come to the inn to say good-bye to me. Not having read your letter, I agreed. When he arrived, I was quite upset, and he insisted on knowing the cause. I shall never forget his response when I mentioned Wickham’s name. He stood up and stepped away from me, and the look on his face, I shall never forget. He left as quickly as civility would allow.”
“But do you think it was his intention to make another offer?”
“I am quite sure of it because of several comments he made, but I can’t imagine he would ask for my hand now, especially if Lydia marries Wickham.”
“But why should the actions of another prevent him from proposing to you? First his pride gets in the way and now this. To my mind, all obstacles to the union are self-imposed.”
“That is unfair, Jane. You forget Wickham’s designs on Miss Darcy, which would have bound his sister to a man we now know to be a seducer and debaucher.”
“No, Lizzy. I have not forgotten. But Wickham’s plan to elope with Mr. Darcy’s sister failed, and she suffered nothing greater than embarrassment. So the fact is, Mr. Wickham is a scoundrel who has successfully deceived two impressionable young ladies. One has been restored to her family, none the worse for the experience, while Lydia will be branded for years to come even if she marries. Considering how unequally people from the different classes are treated, it is best we are kept apart.”
“You are speaking like this because you are still hurting as a result of Mr. Bingley’s actions.”
“No, Lizzy. It is that I am wiser because of Mr. Bingley’s actions. Now I better understand how the world works, and I have changed because of it.”
Each day, the post was eagerly anticipated in hopes of news from London, and when Lizzy saw Mrs. Hill paying the postman, she asked her if there was a letter from Mr. Gardiner.
“No, miss. The only letter is for Miss Jane from Mr. Nesbitt. He writes so often that he left me money to pay the postman.”
Lizzy delivered the letter to Jane, who sat reading it on the edge of the bed with a puzzled expression. When she finished, she threw herself backward and let out a cry and then began to rock back and forth with her arms across her chest. Lizzy immediately sought to comfort her sister over what was obviously very bad news, only to find that she was not crying, but laughing hysterically.
When Jane could finally speak, she sat up and said, “Apparently, word of Lydia’s elopement has reached Watford, and Mr. Nesbitt writes his practice is not so well established that he can afford to be associated with scandal. As a result, he must withdraw his attentions. Oh, Lizzy, we are in dire straits indeed if I cannot even secure Mr. Nesbitt,” and she began to laugh until tears rolled down her face.
“Then you are relieved by this news?” Lizzy asked hopefully.
“Oh, yes,” she said, taking her sister’s offered handkerchief. “He is a very nice man, but he can be quite odd,” and she pulled a box out from underneath their bed and showed Lizzy the gifts he had given her.
“He sent you a lock of his mother’s hair? I have never heard of such a thing.” Lizzy wasn’t sure if she found it to be funny or repulsive.
“I think it was his attempt to let me know his mother approved of me.”
“There are other ways less tangible. For example, ‘Jane, my mother likes you very much.’”
“I know. That’s what I thought, but then he sent a bee trapped in tree resin. Mary believes the B was meant to represent Bennet.”
“Or Beloved.”
“Oh, I would never have guessed that. It would have been much too cryptic for me.” And the two sisters started to laugh again, something they had not done in the long days since Lizzy’s return. “There is another reason why I am glad it is over. Mary is in love with Mr. Nesbitt. Whenever he called, it was Mary who stayed with us and Mary who walked him to the gate, and, honestly, they do have a lot in common. It was she who identified the amber specimen. She would have been perfect for him, but now it doesn’t matter. Neither of us is to have him.”
“Well, Jane, I would not have thought it possible, but something good has come out of Lydia’s elopement. You will not have to marry Mr. Nesbitt.”
They again erupted into laughter, and it was a sound that drifted into their father’s library and gave him hope that his lack of foresight had not destroyed the soul of his family.