Lydia Bennet, the youngest daughter of Mr. Thomas Bennet, lived at their family's Longbourn estate in Hertfordshire. She had four older sisters. The eldest, Jane, was known for her beauty, with her blue eyes and blonde hair. However, Lydia never felt a close bond with her. They maintained cordial relations as siblings should, but something about Jane unsettled her. Everyone spoke of her kindness, yet Lydia never observed it beyond her polite demeanor. She always behaved like a proper lady, but her smile never seemed to reach her eyes.
Her second eldest sister, Elizabeth, and their mother often talked about Jane as if she were an angel, describing her as one of the most beautiful women in Hertfordshire and possessing traits such as kindness, mercy, and refined behavior. Lydia could sense selfishness in her, as she too was extremely selfish. Of all her sisters, Jane and she received the most expensive items, ranging from exquisite gowns to perfumes, ribbons, and trinkets. Their mother spent the most on them, believing that one would soon marry into a wealthy family. Fortunately, Elizabeth and Mary did not seem to mind their lack of expensive possessions, but Kitty occasionally complained about it. However, Lydia did not care; she knew that neither Kitty nor Mary would ever look as attractive as her in any of these items anyway. Elizabeth simply preferred spending time in their father's library and taking long walks, while Mary devoted herself to her love of music and the church. Jane, however, managed to convince their mother to increase her clothing budget with her charming smile. Lydia found it difficult to maintain her sweet demeanor and constant smile, so she compensated by being outgoing and lively. It was almost like a competition between her and Jane to gain their mother's favor, as both were their mother's favorite daughters. Lydia wished to be the sole recipient of her mother's attention, as Jane garnered the admiration of everyone around her, including their aunt and uncle Gardiners, their parents, and any new gentlemen who visited Meryton. Lydia attempted to stand out through her liveliness, but it only worked on her mother. Others mostly ignored her, aside from a few handsome officers.
One day, Lydia was heading towards Meryton, a small town located one mile away from Longbourn , to purchase ribbons. Since she had spent all of her own pin money, she decided to take some money from Kitty's reticule. On her way, she crossed through a nearby park where she witnessed a very strange sight. Miss Charlotte Lucas was sitting on a bench underneath an oak tree, all alone, and staring at the ground with peculiar expressions. Charlotte Lucas was the eldest daughter of their neighbors, Sir William Lucas and Lady Lucas, who lived in Lucas Lodge with her six other siblings. Lydia never cared much about other people and their emotions; their troubles or discomfort. She found such stupid inquiries rather boring since no one could solve anyone else's problems, so what was the point in asking about them? In her moments of gossiping, she herself knowingly or unknowingly mocked Charlotte and girls like her for their plain looks and dull personalities. After all, she assumed that being plain and boring was a real reason behind her spinsterhood at the age of six and twenty. It's not like she only mocked Charlotte, but also many others, including her own sisters. And as always, she never felt the need to feel guilty about her actions. However, there was something strange about Charlotte's expressions.
Lydia couldn't pinpoint exactly what had caused her to approach Charlotte that day. Perhaps it was the sense of uneasiness she felt that had piqued her curiosity.
Charlotte Lucas always believed that though she was not a classic beauty, she was a sensible woman who would eventually find a sensible gentleman to marry. As time passed, however, she realized that most men were either attracted to beautiful faces or substantial dowries, and she possessed neither. She was rather plain in appearance with only a small dowry to offer. Her family's finances declined when her father retired from trade after purchasing Lucas Lodge, which generated an annual income of just 600 pounds. With five daughters, her parents could not save much of a dowry for any of them. Fortunately, Charlotte had two brothers, John and Harold. John would inherit Lucas Lodge upon their father's demise, as he was the eldest son. Harold was studying at Cambridge University, aspiring to become a barrister. Both brothers were kind and caring, and Charlotte knew they would support her and her sisters. Nonetheless, none of them wanted to be a burden on their brothers.
Charlotte usually ignored her lack of marriage prospects, but today something happened that left her feeling numb. Her younger sister Louise had received a proposal from Mr. Glouding, a young gentleman of five-and-twenty who recently inherited a small estate from his distant cousin. Charlotte knew she should have been feeling happy for her sister, who even though three years younger than herself, possessed the most handsome features in their family. Their relationship was not particularly intimate; Charlotte often felt that Louise preferred the company of more beautiful and refined ladies. However, she was still her sister, and harboring feelings of bitterness towards her accomplishment was both morally wrong and sinful. Despite this realization, Charlotte could not bring herself to feel happy. She saw how others in her family looked at her when Louise announced Mr. Glouding's proposal and her acceptance to him. The contemptuous smile on her face made her want to scream. Was it jealousy? Was she jealous of her own younger sister securing a suitor before herself? Or was it because it was a particular sister who always detested her, and now she had another reason to look down on Charlotte.
Whatever the reason might have been, it was impossible for Charlotte to stand there and watch Louise's victorious smile, tainted with a hint of mockery in her eyes. Deciding to follow her best friend Elizabeth Bennet's example, she decided to take a walk. Once she had walked far enough without any strength left, she arrived at the park to dwell upon her inner turmoil. She also hoped to encounter Elizabeth during her regular walks, but then she dismissed the thought, fearing Elizabeth might consider her petty. Sitting on a bench underneath an oak tree, she sought to drown herself in sorrow, only to hear the voice of the last person she wanted to encounter in this situation.
"La! Charlotte, what a joke! Why do you look as if you were in half-mourning?"
Author's Note :
Yes, it was "Longbourn". Thanks for the correction.