"Brother! Did you see how those Bennets behave? They are so crass and ill-mannered! Look at the state of my dress!" Caroline immediately launched into a tirade as soon as she entered her brother's study.
"Sit down, Caroline."
"That Lydia is such a hoyden! And Eliza! I do not know who is worse between the pair of them. We must be rid of that family. I cannot abide by their presence in our house any longer!" Caroline continued her complaints.
Charles shook his head and sighed. "Caroline, as hostess, you ought to have exercised more control and displayed more grace. You are older than Lydia and should know better than to engage in such embarrassing actions. A good hostess would not think of grabbing a guest's plate of food, more so when she has not finished eating."
"I had food spat at me!"
"It was not deliberately done."
"How could you side with them? I am your sister. You should be defending me and not making excuses for them," Caroline whined.
"I will not tolerate your treatment of our guests. I want you to apologise to Lydia," Charles told her in a serious tone. Caroline opened her mouth to protest, but Charles stopped her before she could utter another word. "This is not up for negotiation, Caroline. Before dinner, make sure that you have made amends with Lydia."
"But—"
"No buts, Caroline. That is my final decision, and you will make your apologies. We have more important matters to discuss than petty food fights."
This was the moment that Caroline had been dreading. She had to deliver a speech to convince her brother that whatever had happened between her and Colonel Forster was simply a misunderstanding. Not only was the man not handsome, he also had no relation to Mr Darcy. That meant he most likely had little money and no prominent connections. Whereas the colonel would hugely benefit from being married to her, especially with her generous dowry, she did not see any material advantage of being married to him.
"Charles, nothing actually happened between me and Colonel Forster—"
"What do you mean nothing happened? I saw the two of you kissing with my own eyes," Charles said with a deep frown.
"Well, as you pointed out, no one else has witnessed us. Why don't we just forget it happened? You could just offer him a small amount of compensation for his silence on the matter. I am sure he could use the money," Caroline suggested, thinking that money could solve almost any problem.
"It is too late for that now. You have suggested that there was some sort of understanding between you and Colonel Forster during breakfast and everyone here now assumes that to be the case."
"But, Charles--"
"I have spoken to Colonel Forster before he left, and he is quite willing to offer for you—"
"Of course, he is. Who would refuse the chance to be married to me? Besides possessing an abundance of beauty and style, I also have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, dancing, drawing and languages. I am certain that I am one among the half-a-dozen women that Mr Darcy considers accomplished. The man who would become my husband would also be so fortunate to have access to my dowry."
His sister seemed to have a much higher view of herself than what he thought was generally perceived. However, Charles did not want to debate about that at the moment.
"Listen, Caroline. The colonel has suggested that you enter into a courtship with him first. That will allow the two of you to get to know each other. He also wants to protect your reputation as it is common knowledge that you have not been long acquainted. We do not want people to speculate about a sudden betrothal. All being well, we could then announce your engagement at the ball."
At this time, Louisa joined them in the study. Caroline appealed to her older sister to help her cause. She was devastated to learn that her sister was in agreement with Charles about the plan. No matter how much she resisted and wailed, they would not be swayed.
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With a heavy heart, Caroline went upstairs to her chambers to freshen up her appearance. She was not looking forward to seeking Lydia out and offering an apology. Her two older siblings had reminded her to do so just before she left the study.
Once she had changed into a clean dress, she proceeded to the guest wing with a mind to make the shortest possible apology. She was about to knock on the door of the room that Lydia and Kitty occupied when she heard raised voices coming from within. The door was not completely shut, she noticed.
"Since when did you listen to Lizzy anyway?" Lydia questioned.
"You need to stop being immature now, Lydia. It cannot be that hard to apologise," Kitty pleaded with her sister.
"Why should I apologise? I have done nothing wrong. It was not me who started the fight."
"Come now, Lydia. We are all being sent home. We might not get invited to the ball if you do not make peace with Miss Bingley," Kitty tried to reason with Lydia.
"Mr Bingley would surely invite all of us. Have you seen how he looks at Jane?" Lydia countered.
"We do not want him to think ill of us and our family. He might decide not to pursue Jane if you and his sister are quarrelling."
"If she apologises first, then I will," Lydia finally relented. "If you do not want to go home yet, you can pretend to be ill, you know. They cannot send you away if you are sick."
"What? Do not be ridiculous!"
"Do not act as if you have not done it before! It is what you do when you want to avoid what mama asks you to do," and here Lydia made some fake coughing noises.
"Stop it, Lydia. That is not true!"
"Well, I might as well do it if you won't. I want to stay a bit longer."
"Why?"
"Everything is better here. Bigger house… expensive furniture… more courses at dinner… more servants… Besides, it would be fun to discover some gossip before we go," Lydia said playfully.
"What gossip?"
"About Miss Bingley and Colonel Forster. They hardly know each other, right? Are you not surprised to learn about that match?"
"I am, but we do not know what happened. Maybe… they fell in love at first sight."
"Are you in jest? Love at first sight? They look like the oddest couple! One has thinning hair while the other has feathers! And don't you think the colonel is too old for her?" Lydia laughed.
"They are not the only couple to have such a difference in their ages. He is a well-respected officer, and a colonel at that. I thought you always wanted to marry a redcoat," Kitty replied.
"Yes, but not an old one. And I fancy a husband with a full head of hair," Lydia chuckled. "What is taking the maid so long to bring up some clean water? Kitty, could you tell them to hurry up?"
The sound of footsteps made Caroline retreat. She did not want to be caught eavesdropping. After hearing the conversation between the youngest Bennet sisters, she felt no inclination to apologise to Lydia. How dare she talk about her like that?
Once she was back in her room, she flung herself on the bed and cried into her pillow. Louisa saw her in this state, as she had numerous times in the past. She assumed that her sister was employing her old tactics of gaining sympathy to get her own way.
"Caroline, remember to apologise to Lydia before dinner time. Charles told me to remind you," Louisa spoke quietly while gently stroking her sister's back.
"I do not want to," came Caroline's muffled cries.
"You may not want to, but you will. Charles expects you to."
"But Lydia is -- "
"I do not want to hear anything more about blaming Lydia. You know you were at fault as well. And just so you know… Charles is currently writing to Aunt Prudence…"
"What? No! He cannot send me to Yorkshire again…" she sobbed even more. She hated it whenever she visited there as she was always expected to accompany her aunt to social events, which largely consisted of meeting with local people the same age as her aunt. They were of no interest to her, both the events and people.
"He will, if you do not show an improvement in your conduct soon," Louisa cautioned her. "I will see you at dinner later." With no wish to witness another one of her sister's tantrums, Louisa then left.
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Realising that she had little choice, Caroline eventually headed to Lydia's room again. After considering her options, she decided she needed to do as her brother instructed, at least for the present time. She was even angrier with Lydia now and was not happy to lose to that girl. She was resolved to devise a way to get even somehow.
"Miss Lydia, please accept my apology for my actions today. As you know, I have been unwell recently and so I am not my usual gracious self," Caroline forced herself to say.
"Oh. Ahh… yes, I understand. I… I am sorry too," Lydia stammered her reply.
"I am glad we have now resolved this matter," Caroline remarked, her voice barely civil, and started to turn away. She did not want to stay longer than necessary.
Lydia suddenly launched into a coughing fit.
"Miss Lydia, are you well?" Caroline tried to look concerned.
Lydia continued to cough violently.
"Oh dear! You must be so ill."
"I am… I feel terrible…" And more coughing followed.
"You must stay in this room tonight and get some rest. Do not tax yourself in going down for dinner. It is a shame, for cook makes the most succulent roast beef and her cheesecake is simply divine."
"Could a tray be sent up for me?" Lydia seemed to have instantly recovered from her cough.
"I will make sure to have a servant bring you some broth."
"Broth? Is that all I am having?"
"We can see what the apothecary advises. He is due to attend Miss Bennet later. He can come and see what ails you too," Caroline suggested, knowing Lydia was only pretending to be poorly.
"Oh, there is no need. I think my cough will go away in a day or two."
Caroline shook her head then eyed Lydia's filthy clothing.
"I have rung for some water so I can clean myself up. Could you ask a servant to --"
"I shall task one of the maids to bring up some water," Caroline cut her short, annoyed at being asked to see to her needs.
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To Caroline's relief, Mr Jones concluded that Jane had recuperated well and declared her to be fit to travel back home. He then prepared to leave, while Caroline watched as a distressed maid hurried along the corridor. Upon questioning, the maid related what had happened and Caroline also found out that Lydia had made some other demands, including calling for Kitty to help her dress.
An idea formed in Caroline's mind, and she quickly caught Mr Jones before he disappeared down the stairs.
She guided the man to Lydia's door and knocked.
"Enter."
Mr Jones went in to examine the new patient while Caroline hovered outside. Moments after, screams were heard coming from Lydia's room. Caroline never thought the time would come when she would relish that sound.
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subject to editing
Thank you.