Longbourn – the waiting continues (Chapter 6)
Elizabeth sat alone under the large oak tree in the back garden, her chin resting in her hand as she leaned on the arm of the bench. Just yesterday she had sat here - reading the letter from her uncle Gardiner. Although alone, the very thought of Mr. Darcy's certain reaction to the forced nuptials between Wickham and Lydia crimsoned her cheeks. And what of Bingley – surely he could no longer hope to pursue Jane – if he had indeed been considering such a thing after their meeting in Derbyshire. She was without doubt that he could not seriously consider joining his name to her family's great shame even if they could successfully cover up Lydia's misdeeds - not without losing Darcy's good opinion of him and, as Darcy had once counseled, once his good opinion was lost – it was lost forever. Never mind Darcy – no member of the first circle of society would counter the idea of socializing with anyone associated with such a couple. The Bingleys would be destroyed were he to pursue and marry Jane after this disaster. His sisters would never allow this to happen.
Her heart sick and weary, she rose from her bench and slowly trailed her way to the rose garden to try and lighten her mood just a little. A light breeze played with the delicate curls that clung to the nape of her neck. She did not know if any of her sisters, not even Jane, had yet seriously considered what this had done to their futures. With Longbourn entailed away to their father's ridiculous cousin and now with any hope of marrying well completely dashed by the heedless Lydia and her lack of decorum and virtue; Elizabeth felt hopeless about their futures.
'Oh Lydia! You thoughtless, thoughtless girl!', she murmured for not the first time to herself as she recalled the words from Lydia's letter to Mrs. Forster, Lydia's particular friend.
Her cheeks flushed hot again, but this time with anger towards her parents and how careless they had been with the schooling of her younger sisters. With great effort she pushed down her just anger and tried to turn her thoughts to the roses. She fingered the velvet blossoms and smelled the sweet odour of love that these beauties hinted at and sighed deeply. Hearing light footsteps treading behind her she turned and caught sight of Jane encumbered with a large basket. A spotless apron covered Jane's delicate sky blue muslin gown that matched her gentle eyes.
Forcing a light smile to her lips she waved to her – "What has brought you here to this delightful part of our garden, Jane?" she called.
"Mama is expecting that we will have several callers this afternoon to congratulate us on Lydia's forthcoming marriage. Certainly she expects Mrs. Lucas and Aunt Philips to drop in, as well as the vicar's wife so she has sent me to gather as many blossoms as possible so that we can make the front parlour as festive as possible in anticipation of our callers."
Elizabeth smiled wanly and then gave a low chuckle and said: "Let us hope that our own dear vicar is a little more charitable than our cousin Collins is. What was it he said in his letter: something like her death would have been a blessing in comparison? Even should he feel more compassion than Mr. Collins – I am not sure that we should expect neither he, nor his wife anytime soon. My mother is deluding herself if she thinks the vicar's wife will pay a social call this early in our crisis."
Jane's countenance fell as she lowered her basket to the ground.
"Lizzy," she countered hesitatingly. "while Father was in town, as you recall he had directed me to open all correspondence that should arrive in his absence?"
"Why yes – I do", answered Elizabeth. "And it was you that had the hapless joy of opening and reading Mr. Collin's despicable letter to us all, save Mother. Why do you ask?"
"Well," began Jane as she carefully pulled a letter out of her apron's pocket. "I have kept his letter and pursued it more than a few times and I am sorely concerned with this portion of it."
She unfolded the now well worn document she had referenced and read;
"… you are grievously to be pitied, in which opinion I am not only joined by Mrs. Collins, but likewise by Lady Catherine and her daughter, to whom I have related the affair. They agree with me in apprehending that this false step in one daughter will be injurious to the fortunes of all the others; for who, as Lady Catherine herself condescendingly says, will connect themselves with such a family. "
She raised very worried eyes and closely examined Elizabeth's countenance. "Are you in agreement with our cousin and the Lady Catherine in these thoughts…"
Despite the heat of sun glowing overhead Elizabeth felt a deep chill within as she answered Jane's unspoken fears in the affirmative;
"Yes, dearest Jane – I greatly fear that more than just Lydia's reputation has been tarnished by her nefarious actions."
Jane's gaze held her sister's eyes for a moment before she re-folded the hapless missal and slipped it back into her apron. Elizabeth bent over the basket Jane had brought out and pulled out the two pairs of shears to be found within. She fiddled with the handle of the basket for a moment before looking back at Jane so as to give her sister a moment to compose herself after sharing such an onerous opinion.
She then quietly joined Jane in the cutting of the roses and other beautiful blossoms that surrounded them. Oblivious to their beauty, Elizabeth strove to drive all thoughts of Darcy from her heart, deeply mindful as she was to the inescapable reality that it could not be supposed that Mr. Darcy would connect himself with her family where, to every other objection would now be added an alliance and relationship of the nearest kind with Wickham, a man whom he so justly scorned.