Chapter 10

They had just met Mrs Younge for the very first time and had been delighted with her – or rather Jane had been delighted as Elizabeth thought her perhaps a bit too young and complying to deal with two such boisterous girls as Kitty and Lydia. But she certainly knew how to behave with propriety without being pompous like Miss Bingley and her sister.

"I am so looking forward to meeting your younger sisters," she had said with a warm smile and had delicately sipped on her tea.

"They are good girls if a bit wild, perhaps," Jane had replied, while Elizabeth bit her tongue lest something discourteous should escape her.

It was bad enough that she had lost her temper with her mother, it would not do to speak uncharitably about her younger sisters and to their new governess nonetheless. No, the woman should have every chance to see the good in them and to deal without prejudice with their, unfortunately many, faults.

"So, where have you worked before then?" Elizabeth instead asked after several instances and listened with some interest to the many positions the woman had held.

But something in the sheer number of her positions also made her wary, for she could not be much older than Charlotte Lucas with her eight and twenty years.

"Oh, and my last position was with the Hudsons. It is very unfortunate that Colonel Hudson had to move to the West Indies, but there was nothing he could do about it. You know how the military is, and so there was nothing much he could do, though his wife would rather have stayed in England."

"That I can well imagine, though I have to admit that I have not really got around much myself," Elizabeth answered, satisfied at least with the explanation why the lady's last position had been terminated, though still wondering about all the others.

Then again, if her aunt and uncle had been satisfied, why should she worry? It was not as if her uncle was easily misled in a matter of business such as this.

Still, in the evening she could not help speaking to Jane about her doubts regarding the young woman who was to rear her younger sisters, and to a certain extent both of them as well.

"Oh, Lizzy, I think there will be a very rational explanation for it, to be sure. Just think of our family, even though Lydia is only fifteen, her stay will, in all likeliness not exceed two to three years. Or, perhaps she has stayed with families who had mainly boys and once they had gone off to school, she was no longer required. No, I think she is a very amiable person."

As Jane never thought badly of a human being, this did little to distract Elizabeth from her own opinion. Dire images came to mind, as she thought of Mr Darcy and his sister. From all she had heard, Miss Darcy had been a very tractable girl, well behaved and even a bit shy, though, of course, her brother would find her so, as she had soon found how much he doted on his little sister. A smile spread across her features at thinking about the man in question and her heart beat a bit faster.

The remainder of the week passed rather quickly. Once more they met with Mrs Younge, while the rest of the time they spent shopping, as Mary had asked for a couple of religious books she wanted to read and which were nowhere to be had in Meryton, while Kitty and Lydia had asked for some new ribbons, and fabric for a new dress each, and their mother was not to be forgotten either, for she, too, was in desperate need of a new fan, some ostrich feathers, 'for you there are no better ones to be had than at Sommerton's', and a new pair of gloves. In short, both Jane and Elizabeth alongside their aunt who accompanied them on most of their excursions were kept rather busy.

"Jane, look at this fabric, is it not beautiful?" Elizabeth asked her older sister.

"Yes, it is indeed." Jane acknowledged

"I think, that perhaps you should take some yards to have a dress made from it, it would suit you perfectly."

"But Lizzy, it is too costly."

"Not if I give you some of my money," Elizabeth smiled and took the bale of fabric over to the counter to be cut.

"No, I cannot have you spent so much money on me!"

"And I will do it all the same."

They walked back home, laden with goods, though most of it would be delivered, and then took to packing Jane's trunk, for she and Mrs Younge would leave in the morning. Not once had they heard from Mr Darcy, though Elizabeth was not much surprised at it. After all, his doctor had recommended that he should still rest and if possible keep to his bed. Again she had to smile at the thought of him, for he had not been pleased to be told such.

"I am perfectly fine, I can assure you, Doctor," he had argued on their way to London, though his eyes had drooped.

"You might think you are, but this wound is by no means healed as yet and unless you want to have it infected again, I must insist on it."

There Darcy had looked at her with a wry grin on his face and a slight shrug of his shoulders.

If she was honest, she missed him. After the initial insult and his subsequent fever, he had been quite friendly, witty even, in a slightly shy and bashful manner. And with her mother who thought him unpleasant, proud and haughty she could not agree. No, he was perfectly amiable.

"Lizzy, are you well?" Jane at last inquired.

"Yes, I am quite well, thank you. A bit tired perhaps, but then again, shopping always makes me tired. I was only lost in thought."

"And what were you thinking about?"

Jane had raised an inquisitive eyebrow and Elizabeth blushed at having been caught day-dreaming about a certain gentleman.

"Oh, nothing in particular."

"You quite like Mr Darcy, do you not?"

"Oh Jane, I admit I do."

There she sighed, but as it was not in her disposition to stay woeful for any amount of time, she soon grinned at her sister and teased: "And you, are you looking forward to seeing Mr Bingley again?"

Now it was Jane's turn to blush and eventually both of them dissolved in giggles.