Kitty had just gotten everything put away when she heard her husband enter his room. Curious as to how the meeting with her father had gone, she did something she had yet to do; she knocked on his door and entered his room. He looked up at her when she entered. A brief glance around the room proved he was as tidy in his personal space as he was in everything else. It appeared as though he was getting ready to write a letter.
"Did your meeting go well?" she asked.
"In a sense. I need to write to my grandmother of some preparations."
"Preparations?"
"Yes, your sisters are coming to stay at Dalton."
"All of them?" she whispered.
"Yes," he replied, preoccupied.
"Why?"
He looked at her. "Lydia is very close to ruining herself. She has no self-control and doesn't think of the consequences of her actions. After we wed, before we left, I told your father he needed to get control of his household, and he chose to ignore me. I told him I would not hesitate to sever our connection, but he did not heed me. Then, the Netherfield Ball happened and Bingley left. Your father acts as though he doesn't care about what happens to his family. We quarreled, and he told me that I could take responsibility of Lydia. I told him I would take them all; give your sisters a chance. When Bingley hears of Jane being at Dalton, he will come for her."
Kitty just stood there and listened. She began to feel a bit numb. She had never really given any thought to the idea that her sisters might ever come to stay at Dalton. When he finished, she told him which rooms she thought would be best for her sisters, so that he might relay it to his grandmother. They were located closer to her part of the house than theirs, so he approved. She also recommended that Mrs. Croft choose two maids, one for Jane and Lizzy, and the other for Mary and Lydia. He asked her if she would help him convince her sister, Elizabeth. She said she would, and then excused herself.
Once in her room, she stood staring at the opposing wall. She supposed she should be happy that she would have her sisters with her, but she couldn't seem to muster any feeling. She finally laid down, fully dressed, and willed herself into sleep.
Christmas and Boxing Day passed. The days were filled with much merriment and family interactions, though anyone who knew the family well could tell that a few of its members are not quite themselves. Friday came, and with it the upcoming fates of the four unmarried sisters. In the end, Kitty said it would be better for her to speak with Lizzy alone. She believed her sister was still sore with her husband, and while she might now believe him, Lizzy did not take well to being proved wrong. So, on Friday morning, Kitty rose and joined Lizzy on her morning walk. It did not pass her notice that her older sister kept glancing at her with skepticism. She knew Lizzy had caught on that she wanted to talk, but she wanted to get her sister further away from the house. Once far enough out, it was the older sister who broke the silence.
"Alright, what is it?"
"Mr. Andrews and Papa had a discussion the other day. They argued; I don't know what all was said, only the outcome. Papa said if he thought he could do better, then Mr. Andrews could take responsibility for Lydia."
"They were arguing over Lydia?"
"They were arguing over the potential for Lydia to ruin the family. I recently learned that the day we wed, Mr. Andrews informed Papa that he would sever our connection with all of you if Lydia, as she was the one who has caused the greatest concern, did something to cause a scandal."
Lizzy scoffed. "Of course he would."
"Lizzy, you misunderstand him. I do not claim to be as intelligent as you and Papa, but I have learned a lot in my brief time at Dalton. It did not take me long to realize that our family would not be easily accepted in Society outside of Hertfordshire. To be blunt, we would be an embarrassment. Very few would enjoy our society kindly. For two weeks, I spent hours learning rules that should have been enforced in me from childhood. I then spent three weeks putting them into practice. I still need Grandmother and Mrs. Bates by my side to make sure I don't make a misstep. There are so many ways one can cause a scandal or offense, and women are held to a much higher standard than men. I know that you are already aware of this, but Grandmother and Mrs. Smith had to explain these things to me. If a young woman is considered ruined, her entire family, especially any unmarried sisters, carry the same stain. Mr. Andrews will do what he needs to protect his family and any children we may one day have. Any good man would do the same."
Her sister conceded to her point. "But what does this have to do with me?"
"Mr. Andrews feels that father continues to ignore his duty to his family."
"Papa does not…"
"Yes, he does, Lizzy!" she said, turning on Elizabeth. "He favors you, so you do not feel it as much as the rest of us, but he does! You and he share your intelligence and wit, and no one can help but adore Jane, but the rest of us? He rarely shows the slightest bit of affection towards us. He showed me some compassion when the incident occurred, but he quickly turned cold again. He would rather stay in his study with his books than face what is happening with his family. Do you think that if he put any effort into reigning Lydia and I in as children that either of us would have gotten as bad as we did? And what about Mary? Lydia shares Mama's favor with Jane, but Mary? Who does she have? I stayed close to Lydia. You have Jane. We all ignored her, so it's no wonder she is as she is.
"But back to my point, it angered Mr. Andrews that our father would continue to ignore the issues within our family, so he said he would take responsibility of Lydia, but not only her. He said he would take responsibility for all of you."
Lizzy laughed. "Are you serious?"
"In the end, Papa agreed. He is telling Mary and Lydia today that they will be going to Dalton, but Mr. Andrews is to convince you and Jane himself."
"And yet he sent you."
"I volunteered. I thought you might still be angry from his revelations the other day."
"So how do you plan to convince me? And why did you not wait for Jane to join us as well?" she asked, ignoring Kitty's last statement.
"You asked me if my husband had heard from his friends. As I said, he received a letter the same day I received Mama's after they left the neighborhood. In it, Mr. Bingley asked for my husband's advice. You see, his sisters and Mr. Darcy have caused him to doubt Jane's affection for him."
"That's absurd! Anyone who knows Jane…"
"That's just it; anyone who knows Jane, has known her for years, would be able to see that she cares for him. To someone outside… Even Mr. Andrews admitted to me that he was not sure. Jane is so serene. He believes Mr. Darcy is sincere in his opinion, but he knows Mr. Bingley's sisters do not look happily upon the match. It wasn't until he saw the apparent sadness in Jane, especially at the mention of his friend, that he was sure of her feelings. He plans to inform Mr. Bingley of Jane's presence at Dalton. He is sure that once he knows she is there, he will come for her."
"I have just convinced Jane to go to our Aunt and Uncle's. He could just as easily court her in Town."
"And all the while, Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst will be doing their best to interfere. Miss Bingley will not come to Dalton; she and Mr. Andrews do not get on."
Lizzy was silent as they continued down their path. "And what of my purpose? Why am I going?"
"To give you a chance to get away. Maybe improve yourself a little more. I was completely unprepared to be a wife."
"He means to take me far away from Mr. Wickham."
"That's possible, but surely you can understand why. You liked Mr. Andrews before. You did not find him as happy a person as Mr. Bingley, but you did not view him as badly as Mr. Darcy. I think you would benefit from getting away from Longbourn. Think of the benefit for Jane and Mary. Grandmother will give you, Jane, and Mary separate attentions from Lydia. They only had two weeks to get me to where I could at least make a decent impression to the neighborhood, and I am still learning. Lydia's instruction will be different, I am sure. She will not be allowed to attend the assemblies, and most dinner parties. For the three of you, it will be far less in depth; not as invasive as mine. You will like it there. The estate is vast and there are many paths to tread. So, what do you think? Will you come?"
Lizzy took only a moment to think before smiling at her. "You have made an excellent argument. What shall I tell Jane?"
"Tell her whatever you like. Tell her the truth. Regardless, a change of society would be good for you all."
The two walked silently back to the house. "I had hoped to be here for Charlotte's wedding."
Kitty worried her lip. "Mr. Andrews had originally planned to leave on the second, but he may be persuaded otherwise, especially given the new circumstances."
They entered the house and went towards the dining room for breakfast. Jane appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
"Lizzy! There you are! You took longer on your walk today… oh! Hello, Kitty."
"Hello, Jane."
"Lizzy, did you still wish to speak with our aunt and uncle this morning?"
"Actually, there has been a change in plans," Lizzy said.
"What do you mean?"
"We'll talk about it after breakfast."
Privately, it was decided that they would leave on the tenth of January. Oliver agreed that it was a small thing stay a little longer. There was no way to tell when Elizabeth would be able to see her friend again, though they were sure to keep in touch. The afternoon brought chaos to the house.
Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner had gone on another walk, and Mr. Bennet had called Mary and Lydia into his study. The rest had gathered in the sitting room going about their own pursuits when Lydia burst into the room yelling.
"MAMA! MAMA! Tell Papa he cannot make me! He cannot make me go!"
"What it is, my love?" Lydia threw herself in her mother's arms and sobbed violently. Mrs. Bennet saw Mr. Bennet come into the room. "Mr. Bennet, what is the meaning of this?"
"He is sending me away!" she wailed. The young girl looked across the room and glared at his wife. "This is your fault! You're jealous of the attention the officers give me! It's bad enough your husband scared Mr. Wickham away, now you want to completely remove me!"
"What is this?" asked Mrs. Bennet, very confused.
"Mr. Bennet and I were speaking a few days ago, and we thought your daughters could do with a change of society," answered Oliver. "Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth have already consented to come with us. I saw no need exclude Miss Mary or Miss Lydia. There is much they will gain from staying at Dalton, and I shan't be out anything, other than perhaps being overrun by ladies, but that is remedied easily enough; I have many friends with whom I might call upon to share my burden."
He saw Mrs. Bennet's eyes light with glee. It was the truth, he had several unmarried gentlemen friends of whom he could write, and one he was writing to at that moment. He was inviting Bingley to come in early March, having decided that Jane should have a little time to prepare. The prospect of her daughters being put before eligible men was very encouraging to the woman. It was, after all, her goal to marry all of her daughters off well, and having a son-in-law in his position opened the door for her to see her dream become a reality.
"Oh, my dear, but this is a good thing! I know you will miss the officers, but there will be many new young men to meet, I dare say! And there are sure to be parties and assemblies!"
Oliver sighed heavily, as though he was truly regretful of what he was about to say. "Unfortunately, though your neighbors are very lenient, mine are not. Since she is just fifteen, it would not be proper, however, she shall have the opportunity to attend certain dinner parties. Miss Lydia is in a unique position. She is the same age as a few other young women in the neighborhood, and they all have older brothers with whom she may be introduced."
Mrs. Bennet thought about this for a moment, but once more, the possibilities won her over. "Yes, of course. It is sad that they are so strict, but I suppose it is only right."
"Mama?!" cried Lydia, shocked at having her mother not side with her.
"Oh, dearest, it is a wonderful opportunity for you. You will have a splendid time!"
Lydia fled the room sobbing. Mr. and Mr. Gardiner came in at that moment.
"Did something happen?"
Lydia was in a foul mood from that time on. The Gardiner's returned to their home two days later, and the Bennet family spent much of their time preparing for the girls' departure. Oliver was to send the majority of their things ahead. Mrs. Bennet was excited to share her daughters' good fortunes, though she lamented that all of her daughters should be leaving. It was an odd situation, but she was still pleased. She had inquired of Oliver if his friend, Mr. Bingley, might come to visit him at his home. He replied that it was not unlikely. This pleased his mother-in-law all the more.
Just after the first of the year, Mr. Collins returned to the neighborhood. The day of his return, the Lucas's invited the Bennet's to dine with them, and the Andrews' by extension. Oliver had wondered why his father-in-law was so eager to get them all to their destination; he quickly understood. He had never before used the word 'simpering' to describe a man, and yet, here stood one before him. From the moment he walked through the door and was introduced, the man poured out compliments and absurdities.
"I understand you are familiar with Lady Catherine de Bourgh, my esteemed patroness. I was told I had only just missed you when I arrived for my visit so many weeks ago. Lady Catherine spoke very well of you and your family; and when I was able to inform her of your connection to my young cousin, she extoled your Christian character for doing right by her, though…"
"Yes, I know Lady Catherine. I was… privileged to meet her a few times whilst in the company of Mr. Darcy. Her sister, the late Mrs. Darcy, was an excellent woman. If you will excuse us." He rushed himself and his wife away from the man. Looking at Mr. Bennet, it was clear that this was what he had been looking forward to. Miss Lucas was already doing her best to redirect him. By her knack for it, he decided she would be a very good wife for him. Unfortunately, for dinner, he and Catherine were seated near the man. Afterwards, he stayed near his father-in-law who gave him the first complement since he married his daughter by saying he was happy he could boast to having an intelligent son-in-law. When the men joined the ladies, he went directly to his wife who sat with her elder sisters and Miss Lucas.
"I had hoped to invite you to come stay with us, Lizzy," Miss Lucas said. "Father and Maria are to come to me in March. I would have liked for you to have been one of the party."
Oliver felt a little bit of guilt over being the one to prevent the trip, but he thought maybe later something could be done. He invested himself in the conversation with the ladies, dreading the moment he was free for that man to continue with his descriptions of the finery found at Rosings. He had always prided himself for never having seen the house in person, and now he could almost picture it in his mind. He had to stifle a groan when Mr. Bennet beaconed him to join the men in their discussion, but being a dutiful son-in-law, he went to them. As he stood there listening to the man, he leaned over to his father-in-law.
"No matter what grievances you believe I have caused you, consider us even."