Chapter One #2
Lizzy again lifted her wide, dark eyes to his, and this time she appeared abashed.
He noticed, as he always did, her thick, black lashes and the flecks of gold illuminating her irises.
She had his mother’s eyes. Lizzy’s sisters all took after their own mother, blonde and blue-eyed like the Gardiners, but apart from her Wilmot eyes, Elizabeth was a Bennet through and through.
Without another word, she slipped back outside, and Thomas knew she was returning her new friend to the exact place from which she had taken him.
Despite her impetuous nature, Elizabeth was a good girl.
Kind. Compassionate. He nodded at Hill, silently thanking the man for standing guard.
Fanny would have given the girl a scolding out of all proportion for the crime of dripping a little water on the floor.
The thought elicited a sigh. His wife was worried and unhappy, and though she loved all her girls, she had never understood Elizabeth’s exuberant curiosity.
The more Lizzy’s behavior deviated from quiet Jane’s, the more critical Fanny became.
Hill exited the room in search of a maid to clean the small muddy puddle on the threshold, and Thomas moved down the hall to his book room, hands clasped behind his back, head down, further considering his aunt’s request.
Fanny was correct that Mary, Catherine, and Lydia were too young to leave the family.
Lydia was not yet five. Jane, close to twelve, was old enough, but most comfortable at home and in familiar surroundings; she would be miserable away from Longbourn.
Though Thomas had not seen his aunt in many years, he knew enough from her letters to judge that gentle Jane, while level-headed and bright, would wilt in the presence of Olivia’s keen intelligence and sharp speech.
Elizabeth was the Bennet daughter most like him.
She was at once her mother’s constant target and growing into his favorite child.
That posed a problem of its own. He should not have favorites among his girls.
Heaven help Elizabeth should Fanny ever discover such a thing.
Lizzy was a lively sprite. She had a sense of adventure and a glib tongue to match Olivia’s, not to mention a wit that begged for the more formal education his aunt had promised.
She would be ten in May. Not too young. He stood at the door to his bookroom for a moment and heard Fanny begin to fuss about the mess in the entry.
Very well, he thought. Lizzy it will be.
Early Summer, 1801
Elizabeth hugged Jane tightly. She had gone to the nursery early in the morning to say her goodbyes to her younger sisters, though they had been too sleepy to give her much notice. “I will miss you, Janie,” she whispered. “You must write to me very often.”
Jane smiled and took her younger sister’s hands. “I shall,” she said wistfully. “Do not forget to write back and tell me everything you are doing!”
“I was surprised that Aunt Olivia wanted me to come, Jane,” Elizabeth admitted, suddenly concerned. “I cannot comprehend anyone not wanting you instead.”
Jane’s blue eyes widened. “Oh, no, Lizzy,” she said nervously, her cheeks flushing pink. “I could not possibly travel so far away from home. I am not nearly brave enough.”
Mollified, for she could not imagine taking anything that Jane truly wished to have, Elizabeth kissed her older sister on the cheek.
“I am glad you are not angry with me. For I must admit, I quite look forward to traveling beyond Meryton and seeing the north.” She pressed her lips together, embarrassed, “Of course, I anticipate meeting our aunt and uncle as well.” She laughed at herself, and Jane laughed with her.
“I will sleep at an inn tonight, Janie. Just imagine!”
“Come, my girl,” her father said, his voice rough. He held out his hand. “Let us say our adieux.”
Elizabeth gave Jane’s hand a final squeeze and released it before turning, warily, to farewell her mother.
Mama had been distant and angry for the past fortnight, and she was not certain what she had done wrong.
Unfortunately, the list of possible offences was prodigious.
Prodigious, she whispered to herself, savoring the word’s cadence. Prodigious.
When she reached her mother, she stopped, waiting to be addressed. When she was not, she cleared her throat. “Mama?” she asked cautiously, lifting her head to meet her mother’s gaze.
Her mother gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head. “Goodbye, Elizabeth,” she said brusquely. “Mind your aunt and uncle. Make us proud.”
Lizzy worried her bottom lip. “I will miss you, Mama,” she said suddenly, and threw her arms around her mother’s waist. Mrs. Bennet patted her daughter’s back twice and then took a decided step back, requiring Elizabeth to release her or be dragged off her feet.
Elizabeth’s expression pinched as she straightened, and she glanced uncertainly at her father.
“Papa?” she asked, hurt. He kissed her cheek. “Let me help you into the carriage, dear. I’ll be along shortly.”
Elizabeth nodded, her dark eyes solemn as he handed her up the stairs and she took her seat.
She turned to view Longbourn one last time before she set out.
Jane was standing to the side, and Papa and Mama were having a hushed conversation.
Papa’s back was to her and Mama was staring at the ground, but Elizabeth clearly heard her say, “She is not ours anymore, Mr. Bennet. The sooner you realize that, the better.” Jane’s head quickly shot to the carriage, her expression panicked.
Jane’s face and her mother’s words made Elizabeth blink hard.
Did Mama not want her anymore? Was she being sent away?
I am not like Jane, but I try to be good.
When her vision cleared, her mother was gone, and the carriage tilted a bit to the side as Papa climbed the steps.
He sat on the rear-facing seat and jabbed at the ceiling with the brass handle of his walking stick.
As they rattled down the drive, away from everything she knew, Elizabeth met her father’s brown eyes. They were sad, but not angry. She felt the tears rising, and before she knew it, her father was on the seat next to her, pulling her into his lap.
“It will be all right, my dear,” he murmured to her. “Just you wait and see. You are about to embark on a marvelous adventure.”
Lizzy choked back a sob and leaned into her father’s chest, breathing in the familiar scent of pipe tobacco and soap. “Do you promise, Papa?” she asked querulously.
He reached down to adjust her bonnet. “Yes, Lizzy” said her father, moving his arms to hold her close. “I promise.”