Chapter 14
On the Road to Meryton
Noon
Two Days Later
A bevy of warmly dressed ladies, along with one soberly clad gentleman, made their collective way down the road to Meryton.
All five of the Bennet girls had errands in town, and Miss Trent usually accompanied Lydia and Kitty wherever they went.
The sisters often walked to Meryton together in company with their governess, and it was almost always pleasant.
Today would be less enjoyable than usual thanks to the addition of the seventh member of their party; Mr. Collins had invited himself to go with them, professing at great length his desire to see the “charming little town” so close to Longbourn.
Elizabeth heartily wished that he had chosen to stay behind, but then, that was an uncharitable thought.
For the past days, Mr. Bennet had found excuses to invite his tiresome cousin into the sanctum of his library, so that the womenfolk need not find pursuits to occupy them away from the loquacious Mr. Collins.
It was only fair, Elizabeth mused, that their father received a break from Mr. Collins's chattering.
The girls would survive for a few hours.
It was certainly a lovely day for walking. The sun was out, and the wind was still; not even a breath of air moving to chill the bones. The brisk pace was making Elizabeth’s blood sing, as good exercise always did, and she was happy.
Their plans for the day were varied and enjoyable, Mr. Collins's inane volubility aside.
The elder girls needed to consult with their dressmaker regarding their most recent order, a trip to the lending library was eagerly anticipated by all of the sisters, and while a visit to the milliner's was not strictly necessary for Kitty and Lydia and Mary the way it was for Jane and Lizzy herself, both the youngest Misses Bennet enjoyed such visits enough that it was likely they would all descend in force upon the hat-maker.
The last stop of all promised a most enjoyable evening.
Mrs. Phillips, wife of a solicitor and sister of Jane’s deceased mother, had invited all the girls to a dinner party she was holding.
She stood on friendly terms with the second Mrs. Bennet and treated all the girls as kindly as if they truly were Jane's sisters through the maternal line.
Mrs. Phillips had arranged a treat for that evening; a number of the militia officers would be joining the party, and she proposed that a game or two of lottery-tickets would be amenable to the company after dinner concluded.
Mrs. Phillips’s dinner parties were invariably excellent, and Elizabeth looked forward to this one eagerly.
Her step-aunt ever set a generous table when she entertained, and the drawing room after was always filled with mirth and good cheer.
Even the presence of Mr. Collins could not entirely depress such a merry prospect.
“Is this field here a part of the estate, Miss Bennet?” Mr. Collins asked suddenly, drawing Elizabeth’s attention.
Jane, who was walking arm in arm with Elizabeth, slowed down a trifle and said, “No, Mr. Collins, that field belongs to Lucas Lodge.”
“Lucas Lodge?”
“Yes,” Elizabeth said, “The Lodge is owned by Sir William Lucas, who lives there with his wife and children. They are a very pleasant family and good friends of ours.”
“Is the Lucas estate as large as Longbourn?”
“Longbourn is the second largest estate in the area,” Elizabeth said patiently. “Netherfield Park, which lies to the east of Longbourn, is nearly twice as large as Longbourn, but every other estate is substantially smaller.”
She noted the look of pleasure on her cousin’s face and stifled natural irritation.
She had no great respect for Mr. Collins’s intellect and character, but she could not, she supposed, despise him for being pleased by his future property.
It was a great thing for the rather stupid clergyman to be heir to a tidy and prosperous estate.
Lydia, who had been marching ahead of them with Kitty at her side, slowed and turned around to walk backwards for a moment.
“Jane, Lizzy, do you mind very much if Kitty and I go immediately to the lending library instead of the dressmakers? The last time we were there, Mr. Sydney said that a new crate of novels was due, and I wish to look over all of them.”
“I am quite appalled, Cousin Lydia,” Mr. Collins said in a censorious tone, “that you would spend so much time reading novels. Would it not be more to your benefit to read books of a more serious nature, such as Fordyce’s Sermons?”
Lydia was blessed with a strong will, and only her long training under the auspices of Miss Trent permitted her to respond with a modicum of courtesy.
“I like novels,” she said simply and then spun around and grasped Kitty’s arm, and they both began walking faster to draw away from the group. Miss Trent and Mary, who were farther ahead still, also increased their speed, which kept the four ladies together.
“And what of you, Miss Bennet?” Mr. Collins asked. “Do you read novels as well?”
Jane blinked and said, “I confess that I am not a great reader, Cousin. I have read Shakespeare, naturally, and the Bible, but when I have spare time, I far prefer to spend it doing needlework, or knitting, or something of the sort.”
“I understand and approve completely, Cousin,” Mr. Collins said. “Indeed, my esteemed patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, has said many a time that the mark of a true lady is…”
Elizabeth tuned out her cousin’s blathering as she considered the rest of the day.
The pace of her life and of her family’s lives had certainly quickened since she had learned of the vast fortune that would be hers on her majority, what with the plans for the Season, and the associated purchase of clothing, and considering a house to rent, and so on and so forth.
Elizabeth was looking forward to her Season in Town tremendously, not because she expected to be a great success, but because she relished new experiences and meeting new people.
It was odd, really, that even though Mrs. Bennet and her eldest daughter were alike in looks and disposition, the mother seemed content to hide in Longbourn and her environs, whereas the daughter wished to explore what a Season in London had to offer.
But then again, perhaps it was not so surprising.
Elizabeth had grown up happily at Longbourn under the munificent care of her stepfather, who loved her as much as any of his daughters.
Mrs. Bennet had been the only child of a feeble mother and manipulative father, and she had been sold into an unwanted marriage.
Her poor mother had suffered a great deal, and it was natural enough that she had wished to stay safe on a quiet country estate.
“Lizzy,” Jane murmured, “look at that young man there!”
Elizabeth shook herself a trifle and considered the gentleman in question.
He was dressed in the red coat of a militia officer, and she thought she had never seen an individual so suited to the uniform.
He was of good height, though not overly tall, with handsome features, dark hair, and carried himself with easy assurance.
To his right was Captain Denny, one of the officers, and to his left was Lieutenant Smythe, a tall, willowy young man with a thatch of jet-black hair peeking out from under his hat.
Across from them stood the other three Bennet daughters, as well as Miss Trent.
“Jane, Lizzy, Mr. Collins!” Kitty cried out. “Do come over and meet Mr. Wickham!”
Elizabeth did not mind in the least, and within a moment, she was being introduced, along with her elder sister and cousin, to the young gentleman.
“Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth,” Captain Denny said with a smile, “may I please introduce you to Mr. Wickham, who joined the militia regiment only this morning. Wickham, Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth, older sisters of Miss Mary, Miss Kitty, and Miss Lydia.”
The ladies curtseyed, and the gentleman bowed, and Jane said, “May I please introduce you all to our cousin, Mr. Collins. Mr. Collins, Captain Denny, Lieutenant Smythe, and Lieutenant Wickham.”
The gentlemen bowed to each another, and Lydia said, “It is so very good to meet you, Mr. Wickham. I hope we will see one another sometime soon, but now we need to visit the library.”
“And we have an appointment with the dressmaker,” Elizabeth said. “Mr. Wickham, welcome to Meryton.”
“Thank you,” Wickham said with a smile, which was wiped away in an instant as his face paled and his eyes flared wide.
Elizabeth looked at the man in bewilderment and then, noting that Mr. Wickham’s gaze was to her right, turned to observe three individuals on horseback; Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy, and Miss Darcy.
***
Main Street of Meryton
A Few Minutes Earlier
Meryton really was an appealing little town, Serena thought, as she rolled with the gentle motion of her mare's walk.
It reminded her of Lambton, with the line of storefronts along Main Street, the honest country folk bustling about their business, the women beaming and curtseying to the local Quality, while the men bowed and tipped hats and touched forelocks.
Darcy had all the appearance of being entirely focused on keeping his high-spirited stallion Phoenix on best behavior.
Bingley, over on his bay gelding, had no such excuse, nor stood in need of one.
Unlike Darcy, he gloried in such attentions and exchanges, and cheerfully returned the many greetings.
Serena forced herself to smile in response to curtseys and bows.
She was thankful for the friendliness of the community, but she was uncomfortable in crowds and looked forward to attaining their destination, the manse of Longbourn.