Jane sighed in relief as the carriage took her from Longbourn. She hadn't lied to Lizzy – she truly did not care for Bingley – but neither did she want to stay and hear the gossip that Lizzy had begun to spread, albeit inadvertently.
As the sisters had said their goodbyes at the carriage that morning, Lizzy's eyes had filled with tears. "I am so sorry, Jane," she had whispered in her ear at their embrace farewell.
Jane had reassured her sister that she bore her no ill will. This, again, was not a lie. Jane knew her sister was only looking out for her best interests, just as she had done so many years ago with Mr. Cartwright. If only Lizzy could have been as circumspect in this situation as she had seven years prior. For all her strengths, Lizzy's fatal flaw was that she protected her loved ones a little too fiercely.
I shall need to write to Charlotte when we next stop to rest and warn her that Lizzy plans to interfere, thought Jane. Pulling out her reticule, she retrieved a small piece of paper and quill with a miniature bottle of ink. Writing a quick note to Charlotte, she addressed the envelope to be sent to Lucas Lodge. With luck, Charlotte would receive it before the next assembly. Mr. Jones appears to still be the same good person he was when he was growing up. I wish Charlotte success.
Jane returned the items to their place and again closed her eyes. She had little desire to ponder on what she was leaving in Meryton. Instead, she turned her thoughts towards the upcoming weeks at the Gardiner's home. Although she was there to help manage the household, experience taught her the majority of her time would be spent entertaining her young cousins.
Jane began a mental list of activities she could do to keep them occupied whilst their mother retired to her bed until the morning sickness she experienced from her pregnancy passed. The weather would not be ideal as it was nearing the colder seasons, but they could still go to the local park for exercise and fresh air. She had many new games she could teach them since the elder two of her cousins were now able to read.
The movement of the carriage eventually drove these thoughts from Jane's mind and she fell into a deep sleep from which she would not awaken until the next stop. Once she had posted her letter to Charlotte and reboarded the carriage, she again slept until she arrived well-rested at Gracechurch Street, where she was welcomed with open arms and a loving family.
Lizzy wiped tears away from her eyes as she saw Jane's carriage drive off towards London. Once again, she was sending her sister away because of the actions of a man. It was difficult to see just how few freedoms those of her sex were able to enjoy.
Kitty greeted her at the door. "How is Jane?" she asked kindly.
"As well as can be expected," replied Lizzy. "Oh, how I wish Mr. Bingley and his friends had stayed away from Hertfordshire."
Mary joined them and, upon hearing Lizzy's last statement, raised her eyebrows. "You must admit, Lizzy, that you had some part to play in Jane's decision to leave."
Lizzy bowed her head. "I know," she whispered. "I should not have said what I did about Mr. Bingley and our Jane. I was so angry that my tongue ran away with me."
"But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison," said Mary wisely. When Kitty looked at her in confusion, she added, "James, chapter three."
"Oh, that I had kept my mouth shut!" cried Lizzy in frustration.
"Never mind that," said Mary primly, "for all we can do now is attempt to repair any damage."
The girls entered the sitting room, where their mother was speaking with Hill and about the preparations to be made to welcome Lydia back. "– and we will need wash the linens for her bedroom."
"Mama," said Kitty, interrupting, "is Lydia to stay with us?"
"Where else would my dear daughter stay than at the home of her mother?" demanded Mrs. Bennet.
"I believe, my dear," said Mr. Bennet as he entered the room, "that Lydia will be residing with her husband where she belongs."
"My Lydia, living in a tent? Certainly not!" Mrs. Bennet exclaimed.
"She must become accustomed to it at some time," he responded mildly. "This was the choice she made in being married to a man in uniform."
"But how could she have known?" wailed his wife.
"Had she taken the time to do things properly and not rush to be wed, then she would have discovered it," replied her husband firmly, thus ending the conversation.
Mrs. Bennet sat sulking on the settee until Kitty, assuming Jane's role as peacemaker, said, "Mama, you can still host dinners here for Lydia."
"Why yes, Kitty, what a wonderful idea! Hill! Come back! We must discuss dinner parties for Mrs. Forster!" With that, Mrs. Bennet rushed from the room in search of the beleaguered housekeeper. Mr. Bennet gave Kitty mildly amused look, then returned to his bookroom.
The girls were then interrupted by the arrival of a note from Netherfield. "It is from Mrs. Bingley!" exclaimed Lizzy in surprise. "I wonder what she could want from us."
"You'll never know unless you answer it," said Mary, a bit snippily. "What does it say?"
"We Bennet sisters have all been invited to Netherfield for tea in the day after tomorrow," Lizzy read aloud.
Kitty clapped her hands in glee. "Oh, I do so want to know the ladies better! The lace on Mrs. Hurst's dress –"
"No lace!" cried her two remaining sisters with laughter.
Kitty affected a mock pout, which merely served to encourage her sisters in their teasing. Wiping tears from her eyes, Lizzy said with a twinkle in her eye, "Shall we accept, then?"
"Yes!" demanded Kitty. "You must accept the invitation immediately!"
As Lizzy went in search of pen and parchment, Mary said, "I'm afraid for my part, I must decline the invitation. Mr. Collins is to visit us the following day, and I must ensure everything is in readiness."
Kitty looked at Mary with confusion. "I did not know he was to come. Does Mama know? I would have thought she would have begun preparations by now."
Mary had the grace to look embarrassed. "I have not yet informed my mother of his visit. I wished to have peace for as long as possible before hearing her effusions on my engagement to the heir of Longbourn."
Lizzy laughed at this, having returned from her search. "I do not blame you, Mary," she said as she wrote her acceptance to Mrs. Bingley. Upon finishing, she sent it with a maid to give to the Netherfield footman who was waiting in the kitchen for a response. The exiting maid almost ran into Hill, who entered the room to announce a visitor.
"Miss Lucas and Miss Maria Lucas."
The girls turned towards the door as Charlotte Lucas entered the room. "Charlotte!" Lizzy exclaimed with joy as she crossed the room to embrace her friend. "You sly thing, you never once hinted that you were receiving the attentions of a gentleman!"
A broad smile spread across Charlotte's plain features, the joy making her almost pretty. "I dared not speak of it until I was certain," she said, "but the attentions he paid at last night's assembly demonstrated his wishes, even though he has not spoken to my father yet."
"We are very happy for you, Charlotte," said Mary. "It seems like a comfortable situation."
"But you will be a mother as soon as you are a bride!" cried Kitty.
"That's what I said!" cried Maria.
"Penelope is such a dear, sweet girl," Charlotte explained, "and there is no assurance that I will be able to be a mother. It does happen, although no one knows why. My future is very secure, and I am happy to be mother to such a beautiful child."
Maria and Kitty looked dubious, but nodded at her words. Mary also nodded, in full agreement with Charlotte's sentiments. "I understand your feelings exactly."
"But Charlotte, how can you know he will treat you well?" asked Lizzy. "He will be taking you so far away."
"Of course, there is no way of knowing to a full degree of certainty that he will be kind, but I feel confident in my assessment of his character," her friend replied. "I have seen him deal with his daughter when he thinks no one else is around. The way he speaks of his father, his patients, and even his late wife show that he is a man capable of deep and tender feelings. It is not a love match, but it there is a strong affection and respect."
Lizzy nodded slowly. "I asked Hill this morning if the servants had anything to say about him. She said no one has spoken an ill word about him."
Charlotte smiled. "I appreciate you looking out for me, but I am going to request that you do not attempt to discover anything more."
"Why not?" Lizzy asked in surprise.
"Because I know you. You probably want to have one of your sisters flirt with him to see if he will stray. Or you want to see how he will react in a bad situation, the way you did with Mr. Collins," Charlotte paused, then continued, "I also received a letter from Jane this morning, informing me of some of your intent." Leaning forward, Charlotte looked Lizzy directly in the eyes. "Please, Lizzy, do not do any more. I am thankful for your efforts on my behalf, but I will not allow you to jeopardize this for me."
"What do you mean, Charlotte?" cried Lizzy.
Mary sat down next to Lizzy. "I think what Charlotte is trying to say, Lizzy, is that sometimes you are a little too zealous attempts to discover if a man is genuine or not." When Lizzy opened her mouth to protest, Mary raised a hand. "Your greatest strength is your love for your family and friends. That strength, however, can be a detriment when used without caution."
"Such as the rumors you began about Jane and Mr. Bingley," Charlotte added.
Kitty groaned. "What are the rumors saying?"
"Thankfully, it is all against Mr. Bingley, but people are saying that the reason Jane remains unwed is that she has been pining for him all this time. There's even talk of a broken engagement and one person hinted at a foiled elopement," Charlotte said with concern.
Lizzy's eyes filled with tears. "An elopement?" she asked in a broken whisper. "That could destroy Jane's reputation."
"Thankfully, the person who raised the subject was immediately silenced by many of the matrons in Meryton. They have all known Jane since she was a babe, and they know her nature. They are, however, mostly discussing her broken heart," Maria chimed in.
"Which would be devastating for her to hear," said Mary, "especially as she would feel uncomfortable denying such claims. For all her beauty, Jane does hate to be at the center of speculation."
Lizzy fought back tears as the conversation continued around her. How could things go so terribly wrong? she wondered.
After a few minutes, the Lucas girls made their farewells. They patted Lizzy's shoulder understandingly and excused themselves. Lizzy felt numb, unable to move or think. Finally, Mary took her hand and gently urged her to go upstairs. Nodding mutely, Lizzy made her way to her bedroom, where she collapsed onto the bed and sobbed into her pillow.
Lizzy's desires had only ever been to protect her sisters. She wanted them to make good matches with kind men who would not mistreat them or betray them. Where did I go so wrong? Lizzy cried.
The majority of the day passed with Lizzy's emotions swinging wildly between self-castigation and indignation that her loved ones did not appreciate her efforts. Eventually, self-castigation won out. 'Till this moment, I have never known myself, she thought. How humiliating is this discovery! Yet, how just a humiliation!
When the dinner bell rang, she sent word down that she still had the headache. She requested a tray to be sent up. When a knock came on the door some ten minutes later, she gave permission for the servant to enter. "Please place the tray on the chair."
"Lizzy?"
Mary's gentle voice broke into Lizzy's thoughts, and she sat up to see her sister standing the door. "Are you quite alright, dear?"
Lizzy opened her voice to answer, but instead she began to weep again. Mary crossed the room, sat on the bed, and embraced her sister.
"What a fool I have been," Lizzy cried into her sister's arms.
"You are not a fool," said Mary sharply. "Overzealous, perhaps, but not a fool. If anything, you are the wisest of us all; you have kept us safe. In that quest you may have done more than is necessary, but it is better to overdo than underdo."
Lizzy's tears calmed slightly. "I feared I had lost you all."
"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy," Mary replied. "Proverbs," she added at Lizzy's confused look.
"You're saying that I am forgiven, because I recognize what I have done and will work to improve," interpreted Lizzy.
"Precisely. You have not been malicious or selfish. Every action has been done with love. You need to continue to be yourself, but perhaps with a little less zeal," said Mary.
"I shall," promised Lizzy.
"Now, then, let's go down to dinner," Mary suggested. Arm in arm, the girls descended the stairs to join their family.
"A note from Longbourn, Mrs. Bingley," said a footman as he bowed to Georgiana, extending a tray with a note.
Georgiana took the note from the tray, trying to hide her excitement from the servant. "Thank you, Fawcett, that will be all," she said as she laid it on the tray next to her.
Once he had left the room, she eagerly tore the note open. Colonel Fitzwilliam laughed at her antics. "Not excited to see the ladies?" he teasingly asked.
"Oh hush, you," she said with a smile. Scanning the note, her smile widened. "My invitation to tea has been accepted. It appears the eldest Miss Bennet has left for London this morning." Here her smile dimmed. "I hope she didn't leave because of Charles."
"That may have played a part," Fitzwilliam said with a frown.
"Well, two of the sisters have agreed to come, which means they don't despise me," said Georgiana with a rueful grin.
"Is there not a fourth sister?" Fitzwilliam asked.
"Yes, the middle sister," she answered, reading the note again. "I believe her name is Mary. She is engaged, and her fiancé will be arriving the day after the tea, so she will be preoccupied with ensuring all is in readiness for his arrival."
"Ah, yes, now I remember," Fitzwilliam said. "She is engaged to the heir of the estate; a certain Mr. Collins, if memory serves me."
"Mr. Collins…." mused Georgiana. "The name sounds familiar, but I cannot quite place it. Perhaps I have met someone with a similar name in the past."
"Well, you will have plenty to discuss with the Misses Bennets who will be coming for tea. I quite look forward to meeting them again."
"Fitzwilliam, you will not be joining us for tea," Georgiana told her cousin sternly.
"What! I am wounded!" cried the colonel, putting one hand dramatically over his heart and feigning a swoon.
"Be serious!" she laughed. "I want to have a serious conversation with these ladies about Charles. If we are to be friends, we will need to clear the air. Having you present, or any of the gentlemen, will impede conversation."
"Very well," sighed Fitzwilliam. "I will find something to keep myself occupied."
"And my husband and brother," she demanded.
"As you wish, my dear cousin," he said with a kiss on her hand. "And now, it is time for me to take my afternoon ride before the dinner bell is rung. Please excuse me."
Bowing deeply in mockery, Colonel Fitzwilliam left the parlor, leaving behind a smiling Georgiana. Once he had gone, her laughter faded as her mind turned towards the upcoming tea. She was eagerly anticipating making new friends, but she felt anxious about the conversation she must have with them before they could become intimates. At least the one whom Charles hurt the most will not be present. That may help ease the discomfort, she thought. Either way, it will all be over in a few days.
Checking the time, she realized she still had much to do before dinner. She picked up the note from Longbourn and hurried from the room, eager to begin making preparations for the tea.