For the last several days, Lydia had appeared particularly pleased with herself and Elizabeth wondered at her sister's temperament; for, although Lydia was frequently gay, her recent bout of complacency was rather singular. Determined to uncover the reason, Elizabeth requested Lydia to walk with her in the park for it was a fine day.
Before Elizabeth could begin her questions, Lydia laughed and declared, 'Lizzy, if you wished to speak with me alone, you could simply have asked. I am not so averse to private speech as you might believe.'
'If you already know that I wish to speak with you, are you also aware of my chosen topic?' Elizabeth did not wish to sound quite so pettish, but this particular sister tended to bring out the worst in herself.
Waving her hand like a grand lady, Lydia replied, 'Oh! I can certainly guess. You think that I know something that you do not and it annoys you. You've always been thus.'
Frustrated, Elizabeth exclaimed, 'Right. If you do not wish to tell me, I shall go. It could not have been that terribly important, after all.' She turned her back on Lydia and began to walk in the opposite direction but halted on Lydia calling to her.
'Lizzy - wait. Please. I will tell you, but it is far more fun teasing you a bit first.' Odd, Elizabeth thought. Had not Mr. Darcy also recently asked her to hold up when she had wished to stomp off in anger? And now Lydia. It could not be that she angered too quickly, for her temper was much the same as it ever was.
Sighing, she said, 'You have teased me and that much is accomplished. Would you care to explain why, for close to a week, you have looked like the cat that got the cream? Does this have to do with your all but running home some days ago, dragging poor Mr. Wickham along? You were then absent for upwards of an hour and I heard you loudly demanding information of our mother.'
The grin that had been sitting in comfort on Lydia's face disappeared and was replaced by its less pleasant cousin. 'This is how you obtain your knowledge - by listening in hallways to the private conversations of others? I am not at all impressed, Lizzy.'
Elizabeth became concerned that her ill-considered words had stopped Lydia from sharing what their mother had said, but Lydia, after a reflective instant more, resumed speaking in a triumphant tone. 'You wish to know what Mama told me, do you not? It was no less than the truth of Rachel's death. She did not die of an illness, as we were told; no, she was killed and by a Pearson, no less! I was out with Kitty and Mr. Wickham and Denny; we had to hide under that old, unused footbridge near the far woods - the one where we had left the frog in the hood of that blue cape. Mr. Collins was talking to John Pearson - it must be John, for James disappeared at the same time as Caroline and they eloped, you know. Caroline Bingley eloped! I could not stop myself from laughing. - and Mr. Collins was complaining that nothing could get done in this neighborhood and he had been told specifically this was a good place to do certain things. I am sure that I have no idea what things he meant but that is simply what he said.'
Following the entirety of Lydia's speech was quite the effort but, as Elizabeth discovered, well worth her time. Incredulous, she queried, 'You - and presumably the others with whom you were walking - were capable of concealing yourselves in the greenery beneath that footbridge? Did the officers ensure you and Kitty were more greatly shadowed than themselves?' At Lydia's definite nod of agreement, she resumed, 'And you were able to glean these particulars from their exchange? Did they converse in a usual tone or was there an attempt at disguise by quieter speech?'
As if Elizabeth had not spoken further, Lydia then continued, 'After hearing their words, I knew that we had to seek out my mother, for I realized that she had not told us truly about Rachel. She was killed, Lizzy! Our own cousin - can you believe such a thing? It is the sort of fantastic event that happens in London and you find in the newspaper but never occurs in our tedious little neighborhood. I brought Wickham to Longbourn but he did not wish to enter; he preferred to return to his quarters and left me alone to discover the answers I sought. Now that I think on it, though, I believe Mr. Wickham must be desperately in love with his wife or betrothed, for he showed no inclination toward me, which is a shame for I do so love a dashing and handsome man.'
Holding her breath and counting the clouds floating across the sky could not quell Elizabeth's irritation with her younger sister. Why could Lydia not come to the point? Were her varied thoughts the greatest share of her dialogues? She almost asked just that question but stopped, becoming cognizant that in this Lydia was similar to herself, for neither enjoyed being all but ordered to do something. Of a certainty, when Mrs. Bennet charged Elizabeth with an assignment, she assuredly did as she was told - but that had not come about with ease. It had taken a few months for Elizabeth to simply trust that her mother knew best and there was no discussion to be held on the subject. No, it had taken more than a few months. It had taken almost ruining one of their undertakings, delayed as it was by Elizabeth's need to fully understand her mother's rationale for their actions. Subsequent to that day and in remembrance of the almost-failure and her mortification, she now did as she was asked, when her mother asked.
'Lydia,' said Elizabeth, heedful to gentle her tone from the impatience she felt, 'what did our mother say to you? Did she impart why we were not told the true circumstances of our cousin's demise?'
'And did she never account of it to you? La, this is too amusing - I am the first of my sisters to know! If you truly wish to understand, Mama informed me it was a lesson on how guarding your virtue can sometimes be the same as guarding your life and that we should never do a thing simply because those who are unconnected to ourselves have said that we must. She said that Rachel would oft put herself forward to greet newcomers to Meryton - our aunt and uncle's home is directly on the main street, so they could see everyone coming and going and Aunt Philips is a great gossip. Mama and Papa had warned her not to talk quite so much with people that were not well known to our family, for you just never can truly know with whom you are speaking. Mama said it was unfortunate Rachel's friends had a rivalry to determine who could catch the eye of the most gentlemen.'
At that, Elizabeth started and exclaimed, unbelieving, 'Pardon? They were doing what?' She could not credit that the cousin with whom she and Jane had spent many enjoyable years could act in such a manner and to think that a foolish game was the means to introduce Rachel to the sort of animal to have killed her - it was incredible and more than her mind could conceive. How thin the line between life and death!
Lydia, quite serious now, nodded her head and replied, 'Shocking, is it not? I did not believe Mama at first for I felt certain our aunt and uncle would not have permitted such a thing but after a little thought, I understood that I could not presume the rules of our house to be the rules in another's house, even if they are our close relations. Did neither you nor Jane know of this competition? You were both frequently in company with Rachel -'
'But Jane and I were not to be in the company of her supposed friends,' Elizabeth interposed, 'for Mama and Papa would not countenance their presence. They explained that, as our cousin, Rachel was permissible as a companion but those with whom she associated were not. It was quite difficult to follow such dictates but . . . . . needs must.' Her tone was circumspect but Lydia could hear more behind the caution; could that be frustration?
Curious, she asked, 'Lizzy, do you not agree? Were the girls kinder or nicer than our mother and father thought?'
After a moment, Elizabeth replied with no little bitterness, 'If I am vexed, it is at myself for misunderstanding the truth and it is at the foolishness in supposing my reasoning to be more sound than that of our parents. They did try to warn Jane and I of the dangers inherent in allowing others power over your thoughts and better judgement but I was too blind to apprehend that they were not speaking in generalities. Jane was as she is now - not one to see the faults in others; thus, the burden of cognizance was left to me and I failed to recognize the peril.'
The sisters were silent for several minutes, each pondering all that had been said. Lydia appeared perplexed and she suddenly burst out with, 'You did not seem so terribly upset that Rachel was murdered but more that I was . . that Kitty and I were in jeopardy. She was our cousin and your friend but you are not at all astonished. It is almost as if you already . . . . no, it could not be!' With that, her expression went from confused to furious. 'Lizzy, you knew! And you did not see fit to tell your sisters?! Are we nothing to you?' Lydia was overcome, unable to say more; however, instead of running off in anger, she remained, watching Elizabeth closely and with great feeling.
Elizabeth could not but be impressed by Lydia's perception and hold on her temper. It brought to mind when she, Elizabeth, used to act in a similar fashion, which begot a multitude of other thoughts, begging to be examined. Chief among those ideas was simply, Why? Why had she taken to rather childish displays of displeasure? What had caused her changed inclination?
Recognizing that Lydia was waiting impatiently and her thoughts could be deferred until another time, she responded with some embarrassment, 'It is not an easy answer that you seek. If I had been permitted, I would have told my sisters all but was forbidden to speak of the subject, until such day as either our mother or father were to open the topic. From your look, though, you will not be satisfied with such a reply. To explain more fully, I knew no more than yourself when that horrid thing happened. Do you recall that some visitors commented on her shroud and how its thickness prevented all from discerning her features? There were those who believed our family to be engaging in wrongdoing or that we were foolhardy for choosing that heavy a wool. I had . . . . . '
She closed her eyes for an instant, covering them with her hand, to regain her composure; remembrance of that day had lost none of its overwhelming and powerful grief. Speech could wait, for Elizabeth could not yet speak.
Soon enough, she was enough in command of herself to relate what had occurred: She had been curious and unable to accept that Rachel, who had only two days earlier sworn her younger cousin to silence on the subject of an unnamed gentleman whom she had confessed to fancy, was well and truly gone, Elizabeth had snuck in and stealthily watched while they were moving the enshrouded body on display in her Aunt and Uncle Phillip's home. As they were placing it in the coffin, the shroud slipped and revealed to her horrified eyes a gray-white face that looked hideously like Rachel's own. Worse than the appalling proof of a beloved relation's death were the purple and black bruises that desecrated the otherwise perfect whiteness of the once-beautiful countenance.
Elizabeth had run directly home and demanded of her mother and then her father - likely in quite the same manner as Lydia - how Rachel had died, for she would no longer accept a sudden illness as the reason. For an entire day, they had refused to account for what she had seen but when she persisted, they informed her that there had indeed been treachery involved. It took another week of perseverance before she had as much of the story as could be gained.
Mrs. Bennet had quizzed at length several of Rachel's close acquaintance and discovered the principal points. Rachel had thought herself on the cusp of betrothal to John Pearson, as they met with regularity and she considered him as affected as herself. In her absence, he denied any serious intentions and would laugh at her pretensions, assuring his listeners that he had precisely one reason for cultivating her good will. In her presence, he acted the part of a loyal and loving suitor, attentive to her every whim.
Between these two extremes, Rachel and Pearson ensured that they were not seen in frequent company - if ever - so as not to give away any hint of their connection. She had supposed it to be because he did not wish the news of their attachment to be heard by his family before he had asked that all-important question and she had answered it in the positive. As claimed by Rachel's friends, she had last been seen prior to an arranged appointment with her beloved and she had confided that she expected to return to them affianced, leaving her companions very much in anticipation of their next meeting.
She did not attend their gathering that evening and none of her confidantes saw her again.