Parting with Jane was melancholy enough to put Elizabeth out of spirits, but being left alone with her thoughts and nobody she could share them with was almost unbearable for her.
She could not deny the justice in Jane's accusations, even though it pained her to do so. Her father was a profligate man who cared nothing for his children. She had been content to blame all of their misfortunes on her mother's lack of economy and mean understanding, but that was not fair.
Her mother would not be able to spend even a penny if her father would not allow her to do so. She had had the benefit of many conversations with her aunt Gardiner and she was not ignorant of the ways of the world.
What did Jane say? "Our father is happy to indulge her because it gives him licence to do the same."
This was how things stood at Longbourn. Her father bought books and port and her mother bought lace and dinners. No money was saved for the future of their offspring. Their parents did not care about them. It was a hard and unpleasant realization, made even more so by her being her father's favourite child, but she took her strength from Jane. Her sweet and kind sister was willing to look at their family with clear eyes and Elizabeth could do no less.
There was also the matter of Mr. Wickham. He was without a doubt the most handsome and amiable man of her acquaintance. At least he has been the most amiable man, but not anymore. He had exposed an unexpected side of his character and the manner she came about the knowledge left her most unsettled.
It was clear Mr. Wickham did not respect them as a family. He had not one good thing to say of the Bennets. Now Elizabeth did not exactly believe that her mother's pronouncements of him being in the wrong where Mr. Darcy was concerned would ever amount to anything, but she could not but wonder.
She was now struck with the impropriety of his communications to a stranger, and wondered it had escaped her before. She saw the indelicacy of putting himself forward as he had done, and the inconsistency of his professions with his conduct.
-`o´-
The Gardiner carriage was spacious and well appointed and luckily the roads were good for this time of the year. They had hot bricks for warmth and Mrs. Bennet had bundled her two favourite daughters in warm blankets as well and wished them well with all her usual enthusiasm. Not being a perceptive person by nature, she failed to notice Jane's stern visage and Lydia's despondent manner.
The former was determined to ask her aunt Gardiner for help in finding a suitable husband. It did not matter for Jane if said husband was as rich as her mother would have expected for the most beautiful daughter. What mattered was that he was able to support a family and maybe spare a hundred pounds per annum to go towards the upkeep of her mother and any unmarried sisters she might have the day her father died.
Although how could her father think it right that a man wholly unconnected to them be called on to support his own children. It was not and she felt the injustice most keenly on behalf of her future husband.
If she would find a husband at all. It was not certain that she would.
Mr. Gardiner has fallen asleep some half an hour in their journey and after delicately clearing her throat Mrs. Gardiner thus commenced:
"My dears, your situation and that of your entire family is not good. Your respectability was called into question and your standing in the community will be diminished."
"La, I daresay there are better officers in London, aunt!"
Mrs. Gardiner lost her train of thoughts for a moment. She could not believe that Lydia was completely unaware of her contribution to said situation.
"It would not matter, Lydia," Jane said. "Once they get to know you, if you do not amend your ways, they will have the same opinion of you."
"You are the one to speak! Why are you not married? At least I am trying! Mama said..."
"Whatever our mother told you is probably best put aside. You have asked the other day what Mr. Wickham meant about the horses."
"Horses? What horses?"
"Yes, about the horses. When he was trying to convince Mr. Denny that you would not make him a good wife."
"I believe Wickham fancies me, Jane. Why I'm sure he just doesn't want me married with Denny because he wants me for his wife! What a good joke that would be, were he to follow us on his horse and propose on the road!"
"He was of the opinion that you are sillier than a horse and that you understand less than a beast of burden does. This is what he said."
"He did not! Why, you are just jealous he never looked at you!"
Mrs. Gardiner threw a quick look at her husband. He was awake, but still reclined and he signed her discreetly to not alert the girls.
"To come back to your question," Jane continued seemingly undisturbed by her sister's outbursts and ill judged words, "Mr. Bingley did not marry me because I have too many sisters and none of us have a dowry. After papa dies, if any of us is married, her husband would be expected to help care for all the unmarried sisters and our mother. Since we none of us have any dowry to speak of, is it not very likely that any of us will find a husband. The truth is we are too poor for anybody to marry us."
"We are not poor! Aunt! Tell Jane we are not poor!"
"Your father is not poor Lydia, he has all the proceedings from his estate. In truth your mother is not poor either. She has her settlement and will be able to live off the interest money quite well. It is you, the girls, who are not well off. As Jane said, you do not have a dowry, so your marriage prospects are very poor."
"Who cares? I will marry an officer!"
"The officers are very poor themselves, my dear," Mr. Gardiner said from his corner. "Your Mr. Denny makes in a year less than what your mother spent on your ball gown and the other accoutrements which complete the ensemble. You would not be able to buy more than one dress every few years and it might not be new."
"No new dresses?"
"No new dresses. Maybe if you have some well off friends they will be kind enough to let you have some of their castoffs. However, this has no bearing on you Lydia, as you are not courted by any man."
"Castoffs?!" Lydia was turning an ugly shade of purple.
"It is my intention, together with your aunt, of course, to help each of you in turn to meet suitable young men, who would make good husbands for you. Unfortunately none of you are particularly learnt or have even the usual accomplishments to make you more attractive.
For as long as you remain under our roof you will participate in piano and singing lessons and you will also be required to perfect your French and Italian. Your aunt will help you with the foreign tongues."
"Who cares about Italian and French?" Lydia interrupted, then she had a happy thought: "Papa does not speak Italian! There!"
"In truth, Lydia, you are right," Mrs. Gardiner agreed. "A husband cares more for a woman who can make what little money he has stretch more, who can mend, cook, and..."
"I will not cook!"
"You will, if you marry an officer, my dear. Unlike your uncle, I do not believe that it would be such a bad fate for you, as long as you work hard. As to what you have said, a man will not care about your piano skills, if he cannot afford a piano, or French or Italian, if he cannot himself speak it. These skills serve only one function: to show that you have not idled away your days. A woman without any accomplishment is rightly considered lazy or of a lower class, and has very poor marriage prospects."
"No, Lydia!" Mr. Gardiner exclaimed when he saw his youngest niece meant to talk again, "I am not your father and I will not be moved by tears or tantrums. You are full young and you do not understand the position your family is in because of your actions, but believe me, you will be brought to understand. My sister did you girls a great disservice, but there is still time and we intend to make the most of it."
"You will do everything you are told, Lydia," Jane added quietly, "and you will apply yourself. I am not above writing to our mother and telling her you refuse to make yourself agreeable to a potential husband; and that you interfere with my prospects as well."
Lydia could only gasp and gape at her elder sister. It was too cruel to contemplate!
"And now, my dears, I would like some quiet. You know your poor uncle does need his sleep when in a carriage."
-`o´-
Author note:
Thank you for the reviews, they are wonderful! And they keep me motivated :)
To the Guest who pointed that it should have been Elizabeth and Jane going to London, and not Lydia and Jane:
Originally it should have been Jane alone. The Gardiners took Jane to London because she couldn't stand her mother anymore. Mrs. Bennet complained about the loss of Mr. Bingley all the time and Jane was heartbroken. Now it's Jane and Lydia, because having two sisters from the same family considered not good enough was probably too much. The ones who did poorly in Meryton went to London in the hope that they could be whipped into shape and married off.
The Gardiners mean well, but this is not a prize. This is business. Getting Lydia married will help all the rest because she is the most disruptive for the sensibilities of that time.
Maybe I should add a few lines to that effect somewhere?
Another quick question: would anyone be interested in a modern PP fic for the purpose of making sense of what is possible vs what is advisable in the world of smart and or connected devices?
Plenty of people just lost some petabytes of data in the recent 0-day WD exploit and as I was making an assessment for my job I was wondering if such a story would have readers.
After I finish this one, of course. I'm not into multitasking :)
For a wonderful author, well able to post multiple stories in the same time, see u/11572409/JLouiseCaonach who's posting not one, not two, but three wonderful stories in the same time :)