Chapter Seven: A Change of Scene

Once the new Mr. and Mrs. Collins had left for Kent, Longbourn returned to its usual state, minus one occupant. Lydia and Kitty occupied their time by walking to Meryton, and visiting with officers, officer's wives, and their Aunt Philips. It was much to the relief of Jane and Elizabeth that the rumors concerning their supposed lovers had gone away, though the eldest Miss Bennet had received another letter ascertaining that none were to return to Netherfield the whole winter; and the only time that either of the gentlemen concerned were ever mentioned at Longbourn were when Mrs. Bennet made obvious allusions to them, which Elizabeth ignored as best she could. Jane then had the satisfaction of declaring that Meryton had forgotten all about them, though Elizabeth was not so certain that it had been completely so. The area had become rather gray, what with the departure of the interesting (for this was the kindest word with which Elizabeth could describe him) Mr. Collins and wealthy Netherfield party.

Mary wrote frequently to her family in Hertfordshire, though her letters were always very long, and very boring. They mostly contained useless information about Rosings and its proprietor, or what books she had read and what extracts she had made from them, or which pieces she had learned to play on the pianoforte. She was not so much fascinated by Lady Catherine de Bourgh and her daughter as Mr. Collins was, though she could say no wrong of them; apparently, she had found a friend in Mrs. Jenkinson, who lived with the de Bourghs.

At Christmas, Elizabeth's Aunt and Uncle Gardiner came to stay, as was custom, with their four children. It gave, especially the two eldest Miss Bennets, particular pleasure to see them, for they were both on the most intimate terms with them.

"We are so glad you are come!" cried Mrs. Bennet the first night which they stayed at dinner, "you know, things have been quite gloomy. Of course, my good girl Mary is having a splendid time with her Mr. Collins in Kent, but things have not gone so well for poor Jane and Lizzy, you know."

Their aunt looked with curiosity at their mother, and then at the girls themselves. Elizabeth felt the peculiar urge to toss the very lovely ham which offered as the table's centerpiece at her mother's head, though somehow supposed that that would be greatly lacking in propriety, and a waste of a perfectly good ham.

"Yes, sister, it is true. Why, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy lead my girls on, and then they just went and left! Abandoned them! 'Tis all such a terrible business, and I think of it as little as possible. My poor, good girls; they would have gotten themselves rich husbands if they could—but it cannot be helped! It vexes me so."

"Mr. Darcy? Not of the Darcys at Pemberley in Derbyshire?" asked their aunt.

"The very one! But it all amounted to nothing."

Mrs. Gardiner directed a sympathetic look towards her nieces, and Elizabeth cleverly changed the subject, though she wished that she could contradict that which her mother had told them all.

After dinner, Mrs. Gardiner requested an audience of Jane and Elizabeth; and, uncertain of quite what she was going to say, seated themselves in the drawing room, contemplating what it was that they were there for. Elizabeth hoped that it would not concern the two gentlemen who had been discussed at dinnertime, for she wished to not think of them at all.

"Well, I have spoken with your mother," Mrs. Gardiner began, "and we have both agreed that it would be best for the both of you for a change of scene. That is, that when your uncle and I leave for London, we would wish for you to accompany us. Of course, I hope that neither of you will expect to meet your former beaus, for we move in quite different circles. Fear not, however; it shall not interfere with your visit to Kent in March; in fact, it works out quite conveniently, for on the rest of the family's way, they can stop to our house in town and retrieve you. Well, what say you, girls?"

Both Jane and Elizabeth, finding the excitement of London much to their taste, gratefully accepted. Their aunt had them promise that they would not seek out either Mr. Bingley or Mr. Darcy, which both readily applied to; for Elizabeth could think of nothing that she would dislike more than meeting with Mr. Darcy while in London, and neither was Jane comfortable with the prospect of confronting Mr. Bingley. Jane confessed that she would like to call on Mr. Bingley's sisters, however—a scheme which Mrs. Gardiner complied with—and excitement and anticipation once more filled the air of Longbourn.

Only a few days remained before the departure of Jane and Elizabeth with their Aunt and Uncle Gardiner, and a rather large dinner party had just broken up at Longbourn, when Mrs. Gardiner approached her niece, sitting and doing some needlework, and said,

"You have taken a liking to Mr. George Wickham, have you not?"

"I confess that he is very amiable."

"Well, Lizzy, I believe you are too sensible a girl to fall in love merely because you are warned against it; and, therefore, I am not afraid of speaking openly. Seriously, I would have you be on your guard. Do not involve yourself, or endeavor to involve him in an affection which the want of fortune would make so very imprudent. And, you must not be too hasty in forming an attachment; for, you know, you would seem quite vain if you were to have Mr. Wickham as your favorite so soon after Mr. Darcy has left."

"My dear aunt, this is being serious indeed!"

"Yes, and I hope to engage you to be serious likewise."

Elizabeth then proceeded to make it known to her aunt that though she thought Mr. Wickham a very fine man, that she was by no means in love with him; that she would take care to not allow an attachment to be formed on either side; and of course, saw the evils of seeming a seductress of sorts if word got around that she fancied him, when she had been said to be in love with Mr. Darcy only a month or so before. And, satisfied, her aunt had only to say that she ought to take care not to remind her mother of inviting Mr. Wickham to their dinner parties, which Elizabeth smilingly agreed to.

The remainder of the days which the two eldest Miss Bennets in anticipation of their departure to town passed by much quicker than they had expected; and it was not long before they had fastened the trunks to the carriage, and were on their way to basking in the air of London.