Madam and Missy — A Pride and Prejudice Variation

This is dedicated to all the writers both here and on KU who've released their stories for free! As I enjoy reading them so much, I thought that I'd have a go, and here it is.

[Note that I'm a Brit, so have written with British spelling, punctuation and terminology 😏]

In which Elizabeth practises patience and learns about crop rotation

Longbourn

Elizabeth

One day, Mrs. Hill came into the parlour and handed Elizabeth a small parcel. Turning the parcel in her hands, Elizabeth saw that it had an imprint of the letter 'G' in the wax seal. It is from Aunt Gardiner!

The other female faces in the parlour looked at her and looked at the parcel, some with curiosity and some with envy.

"Lizzy! Lizzy! What is it? Is it for me?" shouted her youngest sister, five-year-old Lydia.

Mrs. Annesley swiftly caught Lydia before she could snatch the parcel from Elizabeth, and took her protesting from the room to remind her about expected behaviour.

Wishing to open it in private, Elizabeth slipped out into the garden. It was warm enough not to need a shawl or pelisse, but she realised that she ought to wear her bonnet. She crept in through the front door, snatched up her bonnet and darted through the gate onto the Bennets' path to Oakham Mount. Twenty minutes later, out of breath from skipping, she nestled into the gap between the roots of the old oak at the top of Oakham Mount. Before unwrapping the parcel, she recounted the familiar story of the land before her.

Grinning with excitement, she carefully pulled the string from the package and broke the seal. She diligently untangled the string, wound it around her hand and put it in her pocket. See Pappa, I am learning patience!

Pulling the paper open, she found another package inside. Ooh!

The second parcel had no writing on it, was also tied with string and she peered closely to see that its wax seal had the imprint of a galloping horse. Again she removed and wound the string, pushing it into her pocket. Carefully tearing the paper rather than breaking the pretty little seal, she found inside a box and a letter.

"Which should I look at first? The box or the letter? The letter or the box?" As she put a hand to her mouth to consider, a slight gust of wind tugged at the letter. "Oh, the letter should be first as I should not like to lose it." She pushed both wrapping papers under her leg, rather reluctantly set the box in her lap, and opened the letter to read:

'Letter number 1'

That is my idea! He has used my idea!

'My dear Missy, (for you shall be dear to me, too)

'I thank you for a wonderful first letter. You were very clever to tell me a little about yourself yet not reveal anything. I now know that you are fond of trees, flowers and animals (but not horses), but, apart from oaks, I do not know which trees grow where you are. I must tell you that you will love it here — although I shall not tell you where — as I can see many oak trees from my window.'

Oh!

'You asked me if I enjoy reading and I can tell you, without revealing anything about myself, that I do, very much. I expect that you know that I am a few years older than you, so will realise that I might read quite different books. Like you, I also read books about geography and history, but many of the books that I read now are to help me to learn about taking care of my family's estate. I have recently finished a book which compares breeds of sheep, and am part of the way through one on the new idea of crop rotation.

'I have read through what I have written so far and have decided that I should not talk to as if you are a child. You have not experienced as many years as me, but my mother has assured me that you are clever and interested in many things.'

That is true!

'I can guess that you are bursting with curiosity about crop rotation, so shall tell you that it is a new idea which proposes that different crops use or replace different goodness in the soil. As one crop might need the goodness left by another crop, it should be grown in that field on the following year. My father and I have been working out a plan to test it here.'

I shall ask Pappa about this.

'Finally, I must congratulate you if you have read thus far before opening the box. If you have not yet, please do so. The contents are intended both as a betrothal gift and for your recent birthday. My mother advised me to include some ribbons for both you and your sisters. My own sister chose them.'

Oh, he has a sister as well!

'I do hope that the gifts and the ribbons meet your pleasure! And I shall always be bothered to write to you!

'God bless you,

'M

'PS Here are some commas to use when you next write to me: , , , , , , , , , , '

Commas?

Elizabeth smiled and, tucking the precious letter into her pocket, picked up the box. Opening it, she found a note saying:

'Read the letter first!'

"I have!" she laughed.

She removed the note and tucked it away with the letter. There in the box were five coils of ribbon, each in a different colour. She looked through them, trying to decide which of her sisters would prefer which.

Underneath the ribbons were two small fabric-wrapped packages, one cylindrical and other rectangular. She took the cylindrical one out and carefully unrolled the fabric to reveal a stamp for wax. What a peculiar gift!

Closely examining the metal end, she marvelled at the sight of a small oak leaf. Holding it even closer, she could discern that it looked like her own drawing of an oak leaf, rather like the one she had drawn in her first letter!

"What a lovely, lovely gift," she cried, clutching the seal to her heart. "I so look forward to using this!"

She rewrapped the seal in its piece of fabric and replaced it in the box. Withdrawing and unwrapping the second package, she found a velvet jewellery box. The velvet was clean and unworn unlike those of her mother. Slowly, very slowly, she opened it, and gasped in shocked delight! There, inside the pretty little box, lay a silver chain. Lifting it out, she found that it had small silver shapes attached to it — an acorn, an oak leaf and a horse. Is this for me?

She put it around her wrist to find that the chain was too long. It is not for me.

She looked again at the silver oak leaf and saw that, like the stamp, it resembled her own drawing. Hope then building, she took the letter from her pocket and compared the silver horse with the mark in the wax seal. There were almost the same.

"What is the acorn for?" A quote came unbidden to her lips, "'Large streams from little fountains flow, Tall oaks from little acorns grow'."

Elizabeth then understood. The bracelet was for her; she was very lucky to be betrothed to M, whoever he was!

She put the bracelet back into its velvet box, wrapped the fabric around it and put it carefully next to the stamp in the outer box. Packing the ribbons around those treasures, she replaced the lid, drew a piece of string from her pocket and tied it securely around the box.

Then, having checked that she had left nothing behind, she ran all the way back to Longbourn to show her father what had arrived.

And to ask him about crop rotation. Or perhaps he has some books about sheep.

Mr. Bennet

Voices were raised in argument about ribbons. Ribbons! Mr. Bennet left the sanctuary of his book-room to enter the parlour.

He had seen the generous and thoughtful gifts that had arrived for Elizabeth, and had agreed with her that they should be kept from her sisters. He had concealed them in a hidden drawer of his desk. But the ribbons were to be shared.

"I want the blue ones!" screamed Lydia.

Mr. Bennet could see that Kitty looked unhappy and was about to capitulate, so said, "What is happening here? Why is there so much noise? Are these the ribbons that came for Lizzy?"

"Yes, I am to share them with my sisters, Pappa, but both Kitty and Lydia want the blue."

Mr. Bennet turned to Lydia saying, "If you do not stop screaming, you will have no new ribbons and no supper. Do you hear me?"

"I want the blue ones!" sobbed Lydia into Mrs. Jameson's skirts.

"I know that you want the blue ribbons, but Kitty wants the blue too." He looked round at their faces. "This is what we shall do.

Jane, which colour do you like best?"

"I do not mind which colour I receive," replied Jane, modestly.

"But surely there is one that you like best."

"Purple."

"Lizzy, which colour to you like best?"

"Green."

"Mary?"

"Purple, Pappa."

"Kitty?"

"Blue."

"And I know that you like the blue best, Lydia."

Lydia nodded.

"Jane, if there was no purple, which colour would you like best?"

"Oh, the blue."

"I want the blue ones!" cried Lydia, turning to her father with a sulky expression.

"Lydia. One more word and there will be no new ribbons." He looked sternly at her until she dropped her gaze. "Now, Lizzy, if there was no green, which colour would you prefer?"

"Red."

"Mary?"

"Yellow."

"Kitty?"

"Red."

"Lydia, if there was no blue, no blue at all, which colour would you prefer?"

"Purple," pouted Lydia.

"Wonderful," he announced. "That could not have worked better. No-one but Lizzy wanted the green ribbons, so she will have green."

He handed the green ribbons to Elizabeth.

"No-one else had blue as their second choice, so the blue ribbons are for Jane." Handing the blue ribbons to his eldest daughter, he kept his eyes on his youngest. Lydia did not make a sound, but sniffed woefully.

"And yellow was Mary's second choice," he said passing the yellow ribbons to Mary. "Red for Kitty, and, you, Lydia, get the purple ribbons. Everyone has her second choice."

Mr. Bennet returned to his book-room. And to blessed silence. I shall have to do something to encourage then to grow into gentlewomen and not fishwives.

Please don't copy, but please do let me have comments/corrections 😏