Present day…
The months passed quickly not a word was heard from Lydia and after an unsuccessful trip to London to search for his daughter Mr Bennet returned home, Elizabeth took to her rooms most days over come with guilt, she let her sorrows out whilst playing the violin, Jane spent most of her days with her mother, and Tommy spent his days as he always had, Mr Bennet spent more days locked away in his study with his steward.
On one particularly bad day when Elizabeth was missing her sister, she crept into her room and sat on her bed and wrapped one of her sisters silk shawls around herself breathing in her sisters scent, she was disrupted from her stupor by shouting, she made her way downstairs and could hear her mother's soothing voice she walked into the parlour to see her brother sat on his mother's knees tears streaming down his face.
"Tommy boy what's the matter?"
She walked over to him a knelt down and wiped his tears with her thumbs.
"I miss Lydia, why can't she come and play?"
Elizabeth gasped it was the first time that he had mentioned Lydia in over a Sennight, she let her mind wander thinking of her sister.
One month previous…
Elizabeth hurried towards her sister's room and gently knocked and after hearing nothing she slid into the room, seeing her sisters frail form hidden under the covers, heavy with child she collapsed to the floor and sobbed unaware that Lydia had awoken and was watching her, she looked up to see her sister told her hand out, she stood and swept across the floor and sat next on the bed and took her sister's hand in her own, Lydia squeezed her hand in return.
"Oh Lydia, why did you do it? We were so worried"
Lydia sat herself up and looked at her sister, regret marring her pasty face, she rested her hand on her bulging stomach.
"You were right Lizzy, he duped me with false flattery I thought he loved me"
Lydia whimpered, Elizabeth pulled her sister into her arms and gently stroked her arm and sang to her just like when they were children.
"It's fine now Lydia, I will take care of you I promise"
Lydia just clung to her sister and let herself weep. Elizabeth was struggling to control her heartache for her sister and her revulsion and loathing of the man who had hurt her little sister. Elizabeth held her sister till she fell asleep.
Present day…
Elizabeth shook her head to rid herself of the memory, she took her brother's hand and raised it to her lips and placed a kiss on the palm, she looked at her mother and smiled.
"Tommy you know very well why not, Lydia is sleeping now"
Elizabeth hated only telling her brother a half-truth but her parents had decided he was too young and the wound too fresh to tell him the truth, in actuality Lydia and her new-born son had died within hours of each other, Lydia was too weak and small and the babe came too soon. They all agreed he deserved being unaware of the sad truth.
"Why don't you and Lizzy go into the garden and gather some flowers for Lydia you know how she loved daisies"
Tommy ran to the foyer to gather his coat and walking boots totally unaware at his mother's slip of the tongue, she looked at her daughter who was very much aware, since Lydia's funeral 5 days ago they had picked flowers for her grave almost daily and when Tommy went for his afternoon nap two of them would take a walk to the graveyard and lay the flowers and talk to her.
"I don't think we can keep this from him for much longer Lizzy and I don't know if I have the strength to tell him, on all that is holy I wish I could prevent him ever having to know"
Elizabeth rose and leant over and kissed her mother's cheek.
"I know mama but like they say there is strength in numbers and you have us all"
She turned and left her mother in search of her brother, she found him in the gardens running around. She stood and just watched him in wonder, yearning for a day where she could be that carefree again. For a girl of 16 she felt she held a great many burdens. She exhaled and walked towards her brother.
