Lizzy looked at the note in her hand with amazement. It was hard to believe what was written there, simply because it was so unexpected. She had only gotten through the first few paragraphs, but even those were enough to tell her that.
"What does the note say, Lizzy?" Jane asked. Kitty chimed in to repeat the question.
"It is from Charlotte. She wanted me to know why she was not at the party last night..."
"No one from the Lucas family was there," Kitty interrupted. "I was hoping to see Maria, but none of them arrived before we left."
"I think I may know why," Lizzy said. "Just give me a moment to catch my breath."
Jane's eyes widened slightly as she realized her sister was feeling shocked by whatever was in the note. Doing what she could to speed delivery of the information, she jumped up to check that no one was hanging about outside the music room. The three had been using the room to plan a shopping trip to Meryton for materials to make Mary a new gown. There was no reason anyone would be listening, but Jane checked anyway. Seeing no one around, she carefully closed the door.
Kitty was bouncing in her seat with excitement. She had been enjoying being part of a plan with her older sisters. Now, it seemed she would be one of the first to hear something surprising. Lizzy could tell the younger girl was only just holding in a childish squeal.
As Jane resumed her seat, Lizzy thought she had delayed as long as she could. She took another deep breath, then she began to read aloud.
My dear Eliza,
Do not be too shocked by what I am writing. I know it is sudden, but after all the recent events and our discussions, I think it will make sense. I beg your forgiveness if it does not or if my plans have not worked out to your benefit as I have hoped.
After our discussion in the church, I happened to see Mr. Carlson standing near the side of the building on his own. It felt like fate. I remembered how hard you and Jane have been working to direct the path your own futures will take. Given the propitious moment, I suddenly realized that I could do no less. Thank you for the inspiration, my friend.
My knees were trembling, and I thought my heart would beat right out of my chest but somehow, I found the courage to ask him if I had been mistaken in my understanding of what he had implied when last we met. It took a few awkward minutes and a need for clarification on both sides as we each tried to speak while protecting ourselves. Then, I decided the time had passed to be timid. Plain speech was required. So, I told him straight out that if he was still interested in marrying me and did not mind the lack of either my father's permission or my dowry, then I would happily become his wife. I know you will understand when I say that, frightening as it was, it felt so good to be bluntly honest when it counted.
Kitty could hold in the squeal no longer. Even as Lizzy was still reading the last sentence of that paragraph, it burst from the younger girl, followed by an excited exclamation.
"Charlotte and Mr. Carlson? It has been three years since Sir William refused him and they have pined for each other all this time? Oh, how romantic!"
"You have not yet heard his response, Kitty," Jane said quietly. She knew the risk involved in baring one's heart if the sentiments were not fully returned.
"Oh, he must have declared his love after Charlotte was so brave! Did he, Lizzy? Did he?"
Lizzy laughed at her sister's exuberance. "I shall let Charlotte tell it." She took up the letter again.
I could barely breathe for fear as he looked at me seriously and asked if I truly wished to defy my father. It was a reasonable question. My father has much influence over opinions in this neighborhood. I told him I had recently realized that my father has been playing with other people's lives for his own amusement and all his declarations about protecting me were just the lies he used to keep me under control.
"I will not lie to you," Mr. Carlson said. "Ours will not begin as a prosperous life and it may not end as one either. I will do my best to provide all we need, but I can do no more than my best. If you can be content with that, then know that I love you and will rejoice when you become my wife."
Here, Kitty squealed again. Jane looked like she might join her and Lizzy understood completely. It might not have been the most romantic declaration, but it was a declaration that was perfect for the moment. When they got themselves under control, she continued reading.
Since I am of age, and we knew there would be opposition from my father, we decided to essentially elope. No, I am not on my way to Gretna Green. In fact, I wrote this note in the comfort of my new home this morning. I must apologize for not letting you know what was happening until now, but I did not want to take a chance on anyone who might stop me learning of my plans.
David, for so I may call my husband, went to St. Albans on Monday. He applied for a common license from the bishop on our behalf. It was ready on Tuesday. We met in Meryton Tuesday afternoon when I had a planned errand in the village and we decided to cause a little havoc that, I hope, spared you the company of my parents at last night's soiree.
In the early hours of the morning yesterday, I quietly carried bundles of my clothing and personal goods out to a large trunk David had hidden near the lane. I was able to sneak out all my possessions without anyone in the household being the wiser. As we had arranged, David retrieved the trunk just after sunrise. An hour later, I said I had an errand to run and walked out the door of my father's home for the last time. This time, David retrieved me from the spot by the lane. We drove to St. Albans and were married in the cathedral there.
That part of the plan took care of my needs, but, as I said, I hoped to give you a little bit of relief as well. In addition, I could not resist the opportunity to cause a little trouble for my parents. I knew that no one would really miss me or think twice if they did not see me until it was about time to leave for Mrs. Parker's soiree. I wrote a note that I arranged to be delivered just an hour before the family would be readying for the evening. In my note, I wrote quite honestly that I had received a proposal of marriage and, rather than face my family's disapproval, I was eloping.
To cause that bit of trouble and concern, I neglected to mention the identity of my husband and couched my statements in words that could have been read as pointing to one of the officers, although nothing I said was a lie. I mentioned a journey to the north. While that is the way to St. Albans from here, I failed to say how far north I was going. I apologized for any scandal I might cause, thereby giving the impression that there would be a scandal, although actually the only scandal will be whatever my father chooses to make of it.
If all went as planned, they will have assumed I was, indeed, on my way to Gretna with someone wholly unsuitable for me. In that event, I am certain my father and brother will have set off to try and stop me before the fact is known and any scandal could erupt. I do hope they both spent yesterday evening, and possibly longer, searching all the inns they could reach on the northward road in a bid to find me and whoever I was foolish enough to run off with, while my mother waited at home to keep up the illusion that I was still there. Perhaps my father is not the only one who can manipulate people for his own pleasure. Consider it a small bit of revenge on your behalf and mine.
I sent this note with one of the servants who knows Mrs. Hill and thinks it can be delivered to you when and in a way that Mrs. Bennet will not know of it. While I hope you will rejoice in my news, for I find it most joyful, I ask that you not pass it on to anyone other than your sister as of yet. We will announce our marriage in the church this Sunday, or rather, we will ask the vicar to announce it for us. I simply could not wait to share the news with you and did not wish you to worry about my absence from either the soiree or my father's home. Please take care and give Jane all my best as well.
Your happy friend, Charlotte Carlson
Jane and Lizzy turned to look meaningfully at Kitty. She grinned.
"I know I cannot say anything about it to anyone else," she said in response to what their looks implied. "Oh! I am so happy for Charlotte! Maria and I have often discussed what a shame it is that their father has refused every suitor who has called on her. And now, she is married right under her father's nose! It is so rich! He is searching all over trying to find her and she is sitting in her new home, perfectly happy. I do hope he and Bill both take a wrong turning and get lost for weeks."
"It is not very kind of me, but I hope the same," Jane said, with a slight giggle.
"Why, Jane! That is most unkind of you," Lizzy exclaimed, then she snickered as she added, "And that makes three of us!"
"I am certain Mary will agree as well," Jane said. "We can at least tell her. She knows how to keep a secret and it will give her something pleasant to think about. After all, Charlotte said you can tell your sister. She did not specify which one."
Lizzy laughed. "True enough. Speaking of Mary, we should probably be on our way. Remember, Kitty, not a word to Lydia about any of this."
"I am not stupid, Lizzy," Kitty said indignantly. "You should never tell Lydia anything that is meant to be a secret. I learned that before any of us ever left the nursery."
"I should never have doubted you," Lizzy said. "Now, I have the money from Papa and we know what we will need to make a lovely wedding dress that will suit Mary perfectly. Shall we get our wraps and go? Oh, and we need to get Lydia as well, I suppose. No point leaving her here to cause trouble."
The others laughed. Kitty volunteered to get Lydia while the older two retrieved their bonnets and warmest wraps for the walk.
They returned to Longbourn very pleased with their purchases. The sisters had bribed Lydia to come with them using the promise of a few ribbons and other trinkets. The gentlemen would be discussing Mary's settlement and did not need Lydia's disruptive presence in the house. With as small as Lizzy thought the dowry her father had provided would be, and the circumstances surrounding the forced betrothal, she wanted nothing controllable to happen that might prompt Mr. Bingley to back out of his offer. While Lydia herself might not be controllable, the fact of her presence was.
As they entered the house, Mrs. Hill informed them that Mrs. Bennet had not yet returned from visiting her sister, but the bundle from the draper had just been delivered. Lydia had insisted on carrying her own bag of ribbons and loudly told Mrs. Hill all about them. She crowed over her cleverness in persuading her sisters to buy more than they had intended, little knowing they had only pretended it was more to keep her happy. Mrs. Hill surreptitiously motioned that Lizzy should wait, even as she listened patiently to the gloating girl. Finally, Lydia tromped off up the stairs declaring that she simply had to rework her bonnet with her new prizes.
Sensing something was going on, Kitty waited below with Jane and Lizzy. Mrs. Hill gave the older girls a questioning look and both nodded. They felt Kitty could be trusted.
"Mr. Bingley and Mr. Phillips left some time ago," Mrs. Hill said quietly, "but Mr. Darcy is still here. I do not know the whole of what they discussed, but Mr. Phillips told me that the gentleman has purchased your father's entire library of books."
"What?" said Lizzy. She was echoed by Jane.
"Yes, apparently he offered to buy the lot, so long as the proceeds were divided up evenly between Mrs. Bennet and all of you girls in trust funds to provide for you after Mr. Bennet is gone. He is in there examining the books so he can make a fair offer on them now."
Lizzy looked at the woman as if she had just said the world was about to end. The shock was too much for her to put it into words.
The shock was not quite so profound for Jane. She could at least talk, and she softly exclaimed, "Papa was willing to sell his books? To provide for us?"
Mrs. Hill nodded. It was clear she had found the news nearly as surprising as they had.
"Can Papa sell them?" Kitty asked. "Are they not part of the entail?"
"No, Kitty," Jane explained. "They are part of Papa's private property, much like our clothes or hairbrushes and ornaments are ours. He can do anything he wishes with them, although if the books were still in the house after his death, it is likely Mr. Collins would claim them."
"Does this mean we will actually have dowries and money to live on?"
"Yes," Lizzy said in a hushed voice. "If Mr. Darcy offers even half of what the books in that room are worth, none of us will need to worry about starving or being thrown into the hedgerows any time soon. It boggles the mind." She stared off in the general direction of the study, still not convinced that what Mrs. Hill had just told them could even be possible.
Mrs. Hill broke into their thoughts. "I had the fabric delivered to the dining room and put the cover on the table so you can use it to cut out the gown. Mr. Bingley seems a pleasant man, although he was clearly in pain during his visit. He will be kind to Miss Mary, will he not?"
"I hope he will," said Jane. "During our dance he struck me as seeming younger than his years, but in a happy, inoffensive sort of way. I would not believe any harm of him. The poor man, he must have been hurt in the fall just as Mary was."
Mrs. Hill nodded. "He acted as if his back pained him and he was limping as well. Mr. Phillips seemed pleased with the way the interview had gone and he would not want Mary in a bad situation, I would hope."
"Quite right," Jane said. "Well, we must get a start on that gown. With Papa's health in jeopardy I expect the wedding will be very soon."
Lizzy nodded agreement, but her mind was still turning over the thought that Mr. Darcy had not only purchased the library but insisted the proceeds be placed so that Mr. Collins could not reach them. That was not just kind, it showed intelligence and good planning. Of course, hearing that her father was willing to sell the books was so unbelievable that part of the news had not yet sunk in.
Jane and Kitty, having already handed off their wraps to Mrs. Hill, headed towards the dining room. Like a sleepwalker, Lizzy passed over her own wraps and slowly followed. At the door of the dining room, she stopped. Her sisters were already inside, Sorting through the bundles of fabric. Lizzy looked down the hall to the turning around which the study was found. Without even thinking about it, she quietly walked down the hall and made the turn.
A little way down the hall, the door of the study was slightly ajar. She crept up and peeked inside. Mr. Darcy sat on a footstool at the far side of the room, his back nearly to her as he examined one of the many piles of books. Lizzy opened the door slightly to get a better look. He was intent on his task and did not notice her. She watched how he gently opened each book, leafing through with care before closing it and putting it on a second pile. Even though his face was partially turned, she could tell that he smiled as he examined one book she recognized by the cover as being a fairly rare specimen. He was still smiling as he set it back down and penciled a note on a page already covered with scribbles.
Afraid to interrupt or intrude any more on his privacy, Lizzy carefully pulled the door almost closed before returning to the dining room. She closed that door behind her, so their talk as they did the work would not disrupt him.
"Where were you, Lizzy?" Kitty asked.
"I just had to check on something," Lizzy said evasively.
Jane gave her a look that said she suspected where Lizzy had been. Kitty simply accepted the comment at face value and returned to the task Jane had set her.
While Lizzy was gone, Kitty and Jane had spread the primary fabric for the gown over the table top so they could lay out the pattern pieces atop it. The rough open weave of the pattern pieces contrasted sharply against the light, soft fabric they had chosen for the gown. Under Lizzy's persuasion, Mr. Bennet had given them a relatively generous sum with which to work. Jane and Lizzy had put aside all thoughts of frugality and chosen materials Mrs. Bingley would be proud to wear many times after the wedding day was done. For this project Lizzy had decided not to hide her embroidery skills and had bought the silks and trims needed to help them make this a gown to rival any produced by Madame Gaillard.
Kitty's presence disrupted the practiced method Jane and Lizzy had for such tasks, but neither of them had the heart to ask their sister to get out of their way and let them work. Instead, they took the opportunity to teach her in much the same way Aunt Madeline had done for them. If Kitty was surprised at how much they knew, she did not question it.
Even with the delay of working around and teaching Kitty, they soon had all the pieces cut out, folded and stacked in the order they would be needed. Together, they tidied up the room before dividing up the bundles and carrying them to Jane and Lizzy's room.
The two older women took up their usual seats on the bed to start work on the long seams. They offered Kitty the use of the chair by the dressing table, but she settled in at the foot of the bed to fold and hem the lower edge of a flounce they would attach to the bottom of the gown later. Once the hem was in place, Lizzy planned to use a floral embroidery pattern to draw the edge into scallops, work that was more easily done before the flounce was sewn on.
Jane and Lizzy worked in relative silence, as was their usual habit. Kitty occasionally commented on the pattern, on Charlotte's marriage and what effect it might have on Maria, on the dowry she might have now and on her pleasure at being included in the project for Mary. Once Jane had shown her a few techniques, she was able to complete her task neatly and at a reasonable speed even though either Jane or Lizzy could have done it much faster.
When someone knocked at the door a good while later, both Lizzy and Jane started in surprise. They only just kept themselves from trying to hide their work. Fortunately, Kitty had not noticed their reaction. She had already jumped up to answer the door.
Mary stood on the other side. "May I come in? I do not feel up to playing on the instrument but without it I am bored and have nothing to think about but how much I hurt and how worried I am about this marriage. Would you mind if I join you in your task? It is my wedding dress, after all."
Lizzy offered up her place on the bed as one of the more comfortable spots once they had piled a few pillows to support Mary's back. Kitty ran off to her room and brought back her own pillows for Mary's comfort as well. Lizzy took up the seat at the dressing table, which was better suited for the embroidery she had just begun to do on the hemmed flounce anyway.
Mary was delighted by the color and feel of the fabric. Once she had finished exclaiming over it, Jane set her to working on a few of the shorter bodice seams.
"I must make certain these are very firmly set,"Mary said. "I would hate to have another gown come to pieces while I am wearing it."
"Mrs. Bennet weakened those seams while she was sewing on the lace," Jane said. "The gown would never have torn so easily otherwise."
"I know," Mary said. "I saw the cut threads while you were helping me out of it. And the way she attached the lace, with each segment affixed to an individual panel, not crossing over any seams, ensured that the tear would not be stopped by the trim."
Lizzy shook her head. "It was cruel thing to do."
"Yes," replied Mary. "I can only hope it all works out in the end. I spoke with Mr. Bingley earlier. In fact, I offered him my savings to form part of my dowry. He told me Papa had provided him with a very generous dowry and that I should use the money in any way I please. He was very kind about it, even though I know he was trapped into this and injured in the fall."
"Mr. Darcy is buying all of Papa's books," Kitty said excitedly. "He made it a condition that Papa would divide the money between Mama and all five of us in a way that Mr. Collins cannot have it. We all have dowries now!"
Mary looked to Lizzy with surprise. "Is this true?" she asked.
"Mr. Darcy was in the library making an inventory for the sale when we arrived back from the village. Mrs. Hill told us the news. She had it from Mr. Phillips."
"Well, that explains it," Mary said. "I did not think Papa would provide much more than fifty pounds. I was so embarrassed at the thought. I wanted to be sure Mr. Bingley knew I had something more than just that to offer for myself. But why would Mr. Darcy buy Papa's books? And why would Papa let him? Can he?"
"Jane said the books are not part of the entail, just like our gowns and hair ribbons," Kitty explained, pleased that she had information to share.
"Papa knows he will not be with us much longer," Lizzy said. "He must have decided to do what he could to provide better for us than he previously has. I expect it was an opportunity he simply could not pass up. As for Mr. Darcy, well, I think he likes books."
"How would you know that?" Kitty asked. "Have you talked to him?'
Lizzy blushed slightly. "When you and Jane were laying out the fabric I went and peeked in through the study door. Mr. Darcy was sorting through the books. The way he looked at them and his expression said he was very pleased at his side of the bargain."
"I think you like Mr. Darcy," Kitty teased.
"He...well, he is very much a gentleman," Lizzy said. "We have all seen that. He is kind, and I am grateful for what he has done. That is all. Now, can we get back to work?" She turned back to the fabric in her hands, looking intently at the pattern of stitches she had already set using the colored silk before starting to stitch again.
Kitty giggled, but quieted when Jane gave her a sharp look. Copying the diligence of her sisters, the younger girl picked up the smaller strip of fabric she was now hemming for a bodice trim and set to work.
