"Lydia, it is too late to remain in bed. You must get up," Elizabeth urged her sister out of her sleepy ways. No matter where her sister slept, getting her up in the morning was a chore.
Lydia groaned.
"Lydia, I mean it. Get out of bed."
In a movement that frightened Elizabeth out of her wits, her sister suddenly jerked her head up, and with her eyes closed, barked out a demanding question.
"Is it after noon?" she asked.
Elizabeth huffed as her fluttering heart ceased to slow down from the scare. "Not as of yet, but callers may arrive any minute!"
"Then go away! The only callers I care to see visit after noon," she said, emphatically, and buried her head back down in the pillows. Not once in the entire exchange did she open her eyes.
Frustrated, Elizabeth gave up and made as much noise as she pleased in getting dressed. Once she was properly attired, she pulled back the curtains to fill the room with sunshine. But Lydia had her face so deep in the pillows, the added light did not disturb her as Elizabeth had intended.
Brushing her hair, with a wince for the many tangles from the previous evening, she wished she was better at doing her hair by herself. A simple twist into a bun, accented by a thin braid would have to suffice. They had returned home so late from the ball, Elizabeth had not set her tresses into curls before going to bed.
Cursing her sister's selfishness under her breath while she fought with her locks, Elizabeth tried to calm herself by recalling that Lydia knew nothing about who might visit. She had kept the news of Mr. Darcy's declarations the night before from her sister.
Leaving the assembly rooms had put Lydia in a foul mood as Mr. Wickham left without saying his farewells. During the short carriage ride home, Lydia was convinced that Mr. Darcy had something to do with his disappearance, which made the Forsters shocked by Lydia's illogical rant. Mrs. Forster tried to calm her friend, as Colonel Forster was not amused by Lydia's antics. She stated that Mr. Darcy remained dancing the entire time with Elizabeth. This infuriated Lydia even further.
"You danced TWO sets with Mr. Darcy?" Lydia shouted, turning squarely into Elizabeth's face to vent her spleen. "You petty, jealous harpy! Do not think to give me any further instruction while we are here! In fact, do not speak to me again!"
"Girls!" Colonel Forster's voice boomed, making Elizabeth flinch at such an embarrassing display and correction. "Your arguing is upsetting my wife, and I will not have it," he said, making clear the threat he was not saying. If Lydia could not behave better, they would be sent away.
For a moment, Elizabeth wanted to rant and rave at Lydia in return, and disrespect Colonel Forster for good measure, in an attempt for him to make good on such a punishment. But knowing her luck, Mrs. Forster would beg for Lydia to stay, and she would only succeed in giving Lydia precisely what she wanted: independence.
Instead, Lizzy nodded and said not a word to her sister. Since the carriage ride was less than a block from the assembly rooms, there was no time for Lydia to pick another fight.
Staring at her reflection in the small mirror on the wall, and trying to twist left and right to see the back, Elizabeth took one last glance at Lydia. Perhaps it was best if her sister remained sleeping while the Darcys visited.
Convinced of her new plan to keep Lydia away from Mr. Darcy, she needed to hurry downstairs to be in the parlor when they arrived. Grabbing her travel guide to the area, Elizabeth almost skipped breaking her fast because her stomach was still in knots over the assembly. Old enough to know such a move would not serve her later, she was surprised to find Colonel Forster in the dining room at the late hour.
"Good morning, Colonel," she said, helping herself to a slice of toast and one of the hard-boiled eggs. A servant poured her a cup of tea, and she found herself immensely grateful for the warm liquid on her worn vocal cords.
Colonel Forster sheepishly looked up from the letter he was reading and folded it upon spying Miss Elizabeth. He raised his cup of tea to her. "Good, I am glad you are awake, there is something I'd like to say. I apologize for raising my voice last night. But Miss Lydia . . ." The Colonel struggled to find a polite way to make his apology without rehashing his guest's behavior.
Elizabeth shook her head. "I'm afraid my sister has enjoyed many indulgences and few repercussions."
"Yes, yes, still, I know that you were not arguing with her."
Elizabeth nodded and the two ate their breakfast in peace. As she thought about Colonel Forster's kindness to apologize, she wondered if the man might be more of a help to Lydia about Mr. Wickham than she thought. After all, as the commanding officer, surely he knew more about his officers than anyone else.
"Colonel?"
The man finished his tea and set the empty cup on its saucer. He raised an eyebrow at the young lady in his care.
"I am worried about my sister and her fascination with Mr. Wickham. Unlike my father, I don't believe it's a harmless flirtation."
"Certainly not. And neither does your father. He gave me permission to consent in his stead to any officer I find to be of good breeding if he should offer for your sister's hand in marriage," Colonel Forster explained.
Elizabeth's mouth gaped open like a common fish at such intelligence. Colonel Forster smiled.
"I see this is news to you. I shall happily show you the letter if you'd like."
She shook her head, suddenly understanding her father finally believed her that final night at Longbourn.
"That's unnecessary."
Colonel Forster shrugged as he stood up from the table, and with an air of annoyance, brushed the crumbs from his mustache. "Funnily enough, he did not include you in the letter. I cannot give his blessing should you find a husband here in Brighton," he said.
Elizabeth's complexion paled to have such a serious change in her status put plainly to her. She also didn't clarify that she reached the age of majority the week before they left for Brighton. She blew gently on her tea to avoid meeting his eye. "You have nothing to worry about in my quarter," she said.
Colonel Forster laughed, drawing her attention to him. The man suddenly reminded her of times when her father was the most vexing.
"I noticed you danced two sets with Mr. Darcy, myself, Miss Elizabeth. I plan to speak to his cousin directly about the man's intentions," he said, tipping his head in her direction.
Flustered that Colonel Forster worried more about her than her sister plagued Elizabeth's thoughts as she tried to finish her meal. But every bite tasted bland. She practically forced each mouthful down with a generous portion of tea.
Hearing a commotion from the front of the house, Elizabeth swallowed the last of her tea and left the plate with her serviette on top, to signal she was finished. Colonel Forster's booming laughter carried as she could tell he was approaching the door to the dining room. Nearly running into him as she tried to escape before he arrived, he gave her a wink.
"You have three visitors, Miss Elizabeth. Mr. Darcy, his sister, and her companion. They're in the parlor," he said, scarcely keeping himself from laughing too hard as Elizabeth glared at the man.
"Thank you, Colonel. Do you have any objection to me taking a walk with them in the gardens I spied around the block?" she asked, hoping the man would not attempt to restrict her more than her own kin.
"The Old Steine Gardens?" He considered her request, seeming to calculate something while Elizabeth waited. "I don't believe that should be a problem. I recall your father warned me you were his daughter constantly seeking exercise. Hikes, I believe, up Oakham Mount?"
Elizabeth nodded and waited for him to move out of her way so that she could relay the change of plans to her visitors. Before she could walk away though, he did give one piece of restrictive advice.
"Don't walk along the seaside. Not without Mrs. Forster or Mrs. Warrender. And stay close to Mr. Darcy's sister and her companion," he cautioned.
Biting her tongue, Elizabeth thanked him for the counsel. Her trip to Brighton was not going at all to plan, in both good ways and the most horrific ones imaginable.
When she reached the parlor, she apologized for her tardiness and remained standing as Mr. Darcy made his introductions.
"Miss Elizabeth, you look very well this morning," he commented, before remembering his purpose. "May I introduce my sister, Miss Georgiana Darcy, and her companion, Mrs. Annesley."
Elizabeth smiled brightly at them both, making certain to tell Miss Darcy that she had heard wonderful reports about her from her brother.
Miss Darcy blushed, and Elizabeth at once realized that Mr. Wickham had been so cruel as to describe the poor young lady as proud. It was clear she was just as shy as her brother around new people and after a few moments of stilted conversation, she made her proposal.
"I have permission from Colonel Forster if we'd like to take a turn in the Old Steine Gardens," Elizabeth offered to Miss Darcy, as it would be awkward for her to ask Mr. Darcy for a stroll.
Georgiana's eyes brightened. "That is right outside where we are residing, at Marlborough House. What a lovely suggestion," she said, looking to Mrs. Annesley for approval of her contribution to the conversation.
After excusing herself above stairs to fetch her things, Elizabeth felt her heart quicken. Marlborough House was mentioned in her guidebook as Mr. Hamilton's house. She blushed at trying to calculate how wealthy Mr. Darcy must be to lease one of the largest homes in the whole town.
When she entered her room, Lydia stubbornly remained in bed. She placed her travel book in her trunk and retrieved her gloves, Spencer, and a straw bonnet. Quietly leaving to return to her party, she took care not to wake her sister again. The last development she needed was for Lydia to tag along for the exercise.