Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
L ong after all their guests had left, the five sisters and their aunt Gardiner were gathered in Jane and Elizabeth’s room, dressed in their night-rails and reminiscing on the evening. Elizabeth sat on her bed behind Kitty as she plaited her hair, her thoughts busy replaying every moment she could remember about Mr Darcy. As her fingers moved deftly through her sister’s hair, she wondered how he felt being there and if it was as difficult for him as it was for her. Beyond the long wait for dinner, it certainly did not seem so. He was his usual taciturn self, very likely disgusted with all of them and their unruly, undignified household. Only hearing her name spoken could draw her attention back to the present conversation.
“Lizzy, I cannot believe Papa told that story about you and Shep’s ear!” Lydia exclaimed as she sifted through the ribbons laid out on Jane’s dressing table.
“If I were you, I would be dead from embarrassment,” Kitty said without turning around to look at Elizabeth .
“I daresay, with the company there tonight I shall survive.”
“Yes, because Mr Royce was not there!” Lydia teased as she held a red ribbon against her hair and peered in the mirror.
Elizabeth only smiled and looked down.
Lydia continued as she tilted her head, still studying her reflection, “What is going on between the two of you? I daresay, he is handsome, kind, rich enough, and loves you. What more could you ask for?”
In the past, Elizabeth would have asked for a great deal more. She would have wanted love and passion above all else, and would not have married without it. However, faced with her family’s imminent transitions—Jane’s impending marriage and the likelihood of her other sisters following suit—she faced the possibility of being left behind. She had experienced a shift in her feelings, she realised, and knew she would rather run her own home and life than be forever dependent on others to care for her. Now, her wishes for a husband were more practical; a good, dependable man capable of providing for her would be enough. She desired a respectable man, confident that with time, she could cultivate affection and perhaps love. Where he probably would not have been a possibility before, her old friend Royce could very well be that man now.
From her seat in an armchair, Jane hushed their younger sisters. “Do not tease Lizzy.” Aunt Gardiner stayed silent as she stood behind Jane and gently brushed her hair, but let a subtle smile grow across her face at the exchange.
Elizabeth laughed. “Do not worry yourself, Jane. I do not mind. To be honest, I am not sure. It would be a lie to say that I have not noticed his finer qualities. I shall only say that I am interested to know him better as an adult.”
“But what do you really think? Does he make your pulse race?” Lydia enquired, clasping the ribbon close to her chest with both hands and looking up dramatically towards the ceiling.
“Lydia!” Jane exclaimed, and the sisters began laughing. Even Mary, perched comfortably on Jane’s bed, lowered her book to surrender a smile. Lydia continued to chuckle as she casually tossed the ribbon back onto the table. She made her way to sit next to Mary, settling in with her legs folded beneath her.
Elizabeth lightly patted Kitty’s shoulders after she finished her last plait to indicate she was finished. Kitty turned around to face her and said earnestly, “Mr Royce would doubtless make any woman happy enough. There would be no troubles there.”
“Last I remember, Lizzy, you hardly gave him a second glance. Has he really altered so much in four years that he could affect you?” Mary asked, chiming in for the first time during the conversation.
“A great deal can change in four years. Not only in him but myself too,” Elizabeth answered.
“Well, he would certainly have you if that’s what you wanted,” Lydia stated with a snicker. “He has made it a tradition to propose to you every summer he has spent here since you were twelve, regardless of how many times you have denied him.”
“His proposals all were made in jest,” Elizabeth responded. “Usually,” she added when she saw all of her sisters looking at her with raised eyebrows .
Kitty changed the subject and looked dreamily towards the window. “Pray, I will find a man who makes my pulse race, keeps me up at night, keeps me from eating, and inspires flutterings.”
Hoping to impart wisdom to her younger sister, Elizabeth responded thoughtfully and with uncharacteristic frankness. “I do not know, Kitty. As I grow older, I become increasingly convinced that true love is primarily built on mutual respect and the ability to persevere through challenges. While some may speak of flutterings and yearnings, this often only leads to disillusionment and disappointment. It is better to keep your head about you. You will see as you get older.”
Mrs Gardiner stopped brushing Jane’s hair and studied Elizabeth curiously at this statement. Elizabeth’s eyes shifted away from her aunt and by chance glanced over at Lydia, whom she knew understood more than most the consequences of not controlling one’s emotions. Her youngest sister looked down, seeming shamed, which had not been Elizabeth’s intention. She was speaking of her own experiences, but she could understand how Lydia might think otherwise.
Therefore, she changed the subject quickly and brightened her voice. “Except for our dear Jane. She has appeared to catch the most desirable things of all, affection and respect for her partner.”
Jane smiled demurely.
“Perhaps I could settle for that logical approach with Mr Darcy,” Kitty stated nonchalantly. “In truth, I do not think it would be only logical. I daresay my heart skips a beat whenever he utters a syllable.”
“Yes, he is mysterious,” Lydia added with a mocking leer .
“He only looks upon us to judge us. Pray do not give him a second thought,” said Elizabeth.
Kitty continued, saying, “You did not tell us he would be so handsome, Lizzy. How like you, to withhold information you knew we would be interested in!”
Elizabeth shook her head, “He is not worth our time as he considers us not worth his. Did you not notice his taciturn nature?”
“He seemed quiet, yes. But perhaps more reticent than rude,” Aunt Gardiner said diplomatically as she returned to tending to Jane’s tresses.
Elizabeth protested, “Did you not see him? He hardly uttered a syllable.”
“You know what they say, still waters run deep!” Lydia interjected with a laugh, which grew louder when Elizabeth threw a pillow at her.
“Perhaps he is only shy. Charles says he is quite uncomfortable around people he doesn’t know,” Jane opined.
Elizabeth snorted. “Someone who has ten thousand a year and has an estate larger than all of Meryton put together should be shy around us? No, I am certain it is his excessive pride that silences him.”
“I could endure a little disdain to be wife of a man with ten thousand a year,” Kitty said with a giggle.
“There are more important things than wealth,” Elizabeth said seriously. “A life spent joined with his disadvantages would only give one unhappiness. He is rude, conceited, arrogant?—”
All of her sisters and Mrs Gardiner looked at her questioningly.
“I thought you said you hardly knew him,” Lydia said .
“That is correct, I do not really know him,” Elizabeth said quickly. “But his feelings were plain for anyone to see.”
Wishing that the subject of Mr Darcy might be left behind, Elizabeth turned to her older sister. “Did you say you needed some help thinking of how you wish to dress your hair for the wedding?”