"I know your sister is a very selfish woman, but you and Mr. Bennet never said NO to her. You know very well, If Lydia goes to live alone in a cabin, she will probably do something stupid and you'll regret it."
"What else can I do? Lydia must go to Scotland, it's the only way to save Kitty and Jane's reputation."
"I agree with you; you have to keep her away from her sisters. But you must force your sister to go with Lydia to Scotland. Kitty and Jane can stay with us in London until Lydia has her baby, and then they can all go to Liverpool if they want. Though I honestly think it's best if your sister stays with Lydia, and your other two nieces stay with us. Kitty is sick and I am afraid that if we don't do something for her, she will get even sicker."
"You know that I can't force my sister to go with Lydia..."
Mrs. Gardiner cut him off, "We both know you can do it. In recent years our income has decreased because of the war, I've tried to save as much as I can for our children, and I don't think it's right for you to spend money unnecessarily to please your sister."
"She is my sister and my nieces are my guards, it is my duty to take care of them."
"It is your duty to take care of your nieces including Elizabeth and Johnny, but not your sister." She sighed, "You and Mr. Bennet allowed your sister to use money that belonged to Johnny for years, it's time you told her NO. I will not let you use our children's money to lease another house and more servants. Besides, Jane and especially Kitty are going to be better off with us than with your sister. Your sister should live with Lydia!"
"I have tried to convince Fanny to live with Lydia, but she said she cannot take care of Lydia because of her nerves and she also has her other two daughters."
"Tell her then that you are going to hire a nurse for Lydia and a maid for her, and that Kitty and Jane are going to stay in London with us. Also, tell her that in three months we are going to introduce them to several gentlemen who are looking for a wife. I don't care what you say to her, but convince her. If you want, I can talk to her."
Mr. Gardiner sighed, "I'll talk to her again..."
Mr. Gardiner talked to his sister; it wasn't easy to persuade her to go to Scotland with Lydia. He had to confess that because of the war his income had been reduced in recent years and if he leased two 0houses, he couldn't hire servants and she would have to do several household chores, including cooking, and besides, Lydia begged her mother to come with her because she was afraid of being alone in Scotland.
Three days later, Mr. Gardiner left with Lydia and Mrs. Bennet for Scotland where they met Mr. Carter who had already hired a three-bedroom cottage, a nurse, a maid, and a cook.
Mrs. Gardiner called a doctor to examine Kitty, and the diagnosis was not good: she was very thin, and unfortunately, her lungs were weak and the London air was not the best for her. It was not a case of life or death yet, but the doctor clearly said that it was important that she does not lose any more weight and that, as far as possible, she went to live in the country.
Unfortunately, she couldn't go with Kitty to the country and leave her children alone for a long time, so after thinking about it several times, she finally wrote a letter to Elizabeth and Mary to tell them in detail about Kitty's illness. If Elizabeth allowed Kitty to move to Sandstone for a few months, Mrs. Gardiner would accompany her to Derbyshire and return to London at one, and Jane would help the governess to look after her children. Since the Gardiners were going to Derbyshire for Elizabeth's wedding, they would return with Kitty to London...
