Their mother declined the invitation to enter Meryton while Lydia thrilled at the idea of encountering the Corbyns and meeting the new gentlemen with her sisters' blessing.
Disturbed by an unshared truth, Elizabeth said nothing as Mary and Kitty brimmed with hope of meeting their favorite gentlemen in town. Lydia spoke of nothing but handsome faces and finding the perfect husband in naivety worthy of a spoon-fed schoolgirl. They bumbled along, and Lydia mentioned previously befriending Miss Lancolm and already meeting two of the companions.
"But they are not as handsome as Mr. Hawthorne. He hopes to woo another lady who does not live here." Lydia shared in the hopes of earning her sisters' undivided attention.
"As we are aware." Kitty grumbled.
Elizabeth hoped Jane was in a safe place and happy with the direction her life took. At least one of them escaped Longbourn. "What do you know of Mr. Hawthorne, Lydia? When we speak he only asks of Archwood Coven."
"And evades your questions." Kitty said.
"It is troubling but not a crime." Elizabeth mused. Plagued with stiffness and lack of motivation most of the morning, she wanted to be productive and found nothing to properly amuse her. Letters and walking the house dulled her sharp wit and walking to Meryton restored a fraction of that hope. "Privacy is a luxury when neighbors pry and attempt to convince you to marry their nieces and daughters."
Mary laughed at the truth. "Oh, Lizzy."
"I feel for the opposite sex at times. The responsibility they must bear to raise a family." Elizabeth said, lost in heady needs she never thought she needed before now. "Perhaps we place too much on their shoulders. Crush their free spirits."
"Those of lower income." Kitty sighed. "Mr. Darcy can be a boy at heart the rest of his life because of his enviable wealth."
They neared the gate of Meryton, spotting the stables and the usual gag of men conversing about the day's expectations and trading trends.
"Miss Bennets!" Their aunt's servant ran up to them with a basket on her arm filled with fresh vegetables. "A rare surprise for your aunt."
"We are here to visit- "Mary protested.
Lydia clapped her hands and squealed. "I must tell Aunt that Miss Lancolm invited me to travel with her once she marries. I intend to accept- "
"You will not accept!" Elizabeth snapped. "You know nothing of Miss Lancolm's betrothed or his companions. Their profession is to hunt down the supernaturals."
Lydia distanced herself from her sisters staring at her in clear disapproval. "And Jane is soon to marry one. Your heart- "
"Irrelevant, Lydia." Elizabeth eyed up the servant trapped in their company and regretting it. "We know nothing of these gentlemen. It's too dangerous for you to travel with Miss Lancolm. A lady must protect her reputation and carefully select who she trusts outside of blood."
Kitty and Mary nodded enthusiastically, learning this lesson the hard way not too long ago when their childhood friends left Hertfordshire and then proceeded to speak poorly of them counties northbound. They learned of the betrayal after receiving a letter and a chance encounter with one of the ladies and a newfound friend who let it slip.
The servant turned to Mary and Kitty for an answer.
"We will call on our aunt before returning to Longbourn." Kitty promised.
Lydia squared off with Elizabeth, all of Meryton swirling around them as if they were another group of ladies inconsequential to the daily activities. "Why am I not allowed to be happy?"
"You are." She pressed a hand to her chest. "To wander into the arms of strangers- "
"Like you staying at Netherfield Park?" Lydia stepped closer.
"You know Jane asked me to be her proprietary escort." Elizabeth's jaw clenched.
Mary showed Elizabeth away from the growing argument while Kitty walked Lydia to their favorite milliner shop. "Are you well?" She whispered.
"Lydia blindly walks into company without regard for her own wellbeing." Elizabeth wiped away a tear. "She yearns for attention – the wrong attention and it is ruining us."
"And water is wet." Mary said sarcastically. Almost letting it slip, Elizabeth tucked Jane's secret back in the depths of her overworked restraints and offered a hug. Mary sunk into her arms, and they allowed themselves the brief relief. "We can change her. I promise." Mary playfully tugged on her curled tendril.
"I must sound stubborn and foolish."
"No." Mary squeezed her hand. "You are the most vocal."
Composing herself, Elizabeth envisioned a future with Mr. Darcy. "Mrs. Darcy, what is for dinner tonight?" "Mrs. Darcy, when will Mr. Darcy be back from fishing?" "Mrs. Darcy, what seamstress made your new gown?" Breathing easier, she smiled at Mary.
Mary leaned on her. "Lizzy, what if Mrs. Brook refuses to let Mr. Brook marry me?"
"She is a fool."
"And if she does?" Mary worried.
"She will not." Elizabeth vowed. "Everyone can see you are perfect for each other."
They lapsed into silence and soon found Kitty and Lydia swooning over new bonnets. It appeared the argument forgotten because Lydia tried dressing Elizabeth in several new hats. Their merry party cornered with another large party, Miss Lancolm and her visiting cousins.
The party of ladies migrated to the Phillips, avoiding the Corbyns and Mrs. Brook altogether. They played cards well into the afternoon. The large party dwindled down to the Phillips and Bennets after Miss Lancolm and cousins returned home to entertain Mr. Huxley, her betrothed.
"I should tell Mama about traveling with Miss Lancolm. She will be so pleased!" Lydia flitted around the drawing room avoiding the vaguely annoyed sisters. "I will find my own husband before Lizzy and Mary!"
Aunt Phillips already forbid her children from attending the impromptu gathering, therefore Lydia threatened only herself in the current moment.
"Papa must approve first, Lydia." Kitty warned.
Waved off, Lydia stuck her tongue out at Elizabeth. Wordlessly pleading with her aunt for help, Elizabeth celebrated Mary and Kitty's support - one small comfort in a world seemingly designed to ambush them at every opportunity. Their aunt said nothing, staring after Lydia in the same resignation their mother and father practiced.
She bit down on her pride and cornered the negotiations at the cost of her own happiness. "Perhaps we should call upon Mr. Hawthorne, Lydia. If you are determined to join Miss Lancolm, I insist on introductions. You know Papa listens to me." If they were unable to dissuade her, they would protect her.
A conflicted Lydia measured each person.
Aunt Phillips leaned in. "Why not host a party, Lizzy?"
Mary seized on the idea. "Mr. Brook can work from their secrecy the truth."
"And Mr. Barnett." Kitty beamed. "Thank you, Aunt."
Leaning back and contributing minimum effort to the noble cause, Aunt Phillips considered her job well done. Elizabeth picked at her nails and soon suggested they recruit their mother to convince their father to approve of the plan. Mrs. Bennet drowned in the planning, and they plopped the plan on Mr. Bennet's lap over a simple dinner.
He listened to the sales pitch, eagerly encouraging each lady to add to it after Mrs. Bennet promised the sun and moon if he only agreed. Lydia sang nothing but praise for Miss Lancolm, and Kitty volunteered Mr. Barnett as the gentleman after her heart. Mary idly mentioned the Corbyns to Elizabeth, asking about how to invite them for afternoon tea when their father announced to the table that if Mary wanted the company he would approve the party.
"But I- "
"You are the next daughter to marry." Mr. Bennet folded his hands on his lap. "Your opinion is the one to respect."
Elizabeth handed over emptied dishes to the servants, pleased to not be referred to.
Flattered, Mary clutched her prayer book in clammy hands. "Thank you, Papa, but Mr. Brook is not likely to offer marriage on a short courtship. Lizzy is more likely to marry before I am. Mr. Darcy fawns over her every time they share a room."
"I disagree." Elizabeth said. "We are two different worlds."
"I know what adoration is, Lizzy, and he is enamored with you. Quite taken in by your charms." Mary insisted. "You should invite him."
"I- "
"I second that, Mary. Kitty, extend an invitation to Mr. Barnett. He does you due credit, and Mr. Brook and family are welcome to attend, Mary. I insist. A man such as he, God's messenger, will surely offer marriage within the next year." Mr. Bennet nodded to his wife, speechless at his lack of resistance, and turned to Lydia. "You will not extend the invitation to Mr. Hawthorne and company. I will personally call upon the man and extend it myself."
Clapping ecstatically, Mrs. Bennet ushered her daughters to the drawing room to plot the perfect party in full glory. They planned the menu around the seasonal ingredients, Mrs. Hill sending in Lucy to take notes on what she needed to order the cook buy, and handwrote the invitations the following morning before and after breakfast. Charlotte and Maria Lucas called on them, adding to the growing anticipation. The ladies laid out their wardrobe and argued about which dress best complemented their skin and hair and occupied the Lucas sisters until they needed to return home to a mother eager to claim one of Mr. Hawthorne's companions as a son-in-law.
"Oh, Lizzy!" Kitty danced around the bedroom with her favorite jonquil dress "Is Mr. Barnett a proper choice?"
Elizabeth looked up from her needlepoint she worked on whenever the mood struck. "I believe so. From my limited interactions with him, he is respectable, pleasing to the eyes, and his income is rising. Plus, you won't live in London. What is to be unhappy about?" She envied Kitty's accessible choice.
Laying the dress on the bed, Kitty paired shawls with the pretty yellow. "What of Mr. Darcy?"
"To be honest, Kitty, I am happy to daydream about the future that will never be. Mr. Darcy seeks a wealthy equal. I am not that, nor will I ever be. I permit myself to love him against all warnings."
"Hush." Mary tossed a bonnet at her and missed. "You're depressing us."
"Where is Lydia?" Elizabeth asked.
"She's with Mama in Meryton." Mary answered. "Aunt Phillips is trying to change her for the better. Our uncle refuses to acknowledge her presence."
They fell silent and enjoyed the messy room and the current memories that buffeted the reality. One could sing and dance and laugh with friends, but that didn't draw in a wealthy husband. Stabbing the cloth aggressively, Elizabeth sat upright and faced Kitty. "The jonquil dress with the evening primrose shawl. It makes you glow, Kit. Mary, wear the cerulean blue. It's not horribly washed out yet, and you should wear it because it pleases you. Mr. Brook likes you as you are."
"You haven't met Mrs. Brook." Mary paled.
"She's right, Lizzy. Mrs. Brook is the worst imaginable mother-in-law." Kitty stacked the dresses and placed them back in the hope trunk at the end of her bed.
"Yes, Kit, let's talk Mary out of a marriage to the most handsome parson in England." Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Mary, how awful is she?"
Mary and Kitty traded dark looks.
Resigning herself to the unfortunate possibility that Mary might inherit an awful mother-in-law, Elizabeth helped clean up the mess before they were summoned for dinner. They found a bottle green bonnet in the pile of shawls and sashes.
"I forgot to return this to Jane…"
Elizabeth teared up instantly, her chest yanking all the repressed anger and loss she somehow buried under politeness and distraction.
"Could you return it? You travel to Netherfield often, Lizzy?" Kitty held it out to her.
Mary transferred it from Kitty's hand to Elizabeth's. "We can always write Jane, Lizzy."
Nodding, Elizabeth wiped away the tears and blew her nose in the nearest handcloth. They showed her out of the bedroom and once the door closed, nodded to each other. Come what may, they would find happiness – awful future mothers-in-law and otherwise.
