Chapter 6 A Distant Shore
Elizabeth stood apart from the scene, as if removed from it, watching the rector, Lydia, and Mr. Adams from a distance. Only a week had passed since Lydia eloped, and now she stood in church speaking her vows.
Elizabeth stood next to her father in the front pew of the church.
Mr. Adams appeared scarcely older than a boy.
How were such a young pair to succeed in a distant land?
Had Lydia escaped ruin only to face a country where so many fell to cholera or malaria?
Her sister was strong and full of vigor, but her slight husband appeared ill-fitted to withstand such trials, should illness overtake him.
Yet they were happy, looking forward to the future, and it was not her place to counsel them otherwise.
After the service concluded, her aunt and uncle, who had stood as witnesses, followed the couple to the register. When the names were entered, there were congratulations, embraces, and kisses.
Lydia was beside herself with delight. She skipped up to Elizabeth and said, “What do you think of my husband, Lizzy? Is he not a charming man?”
Elizabeth drew her sister into a close embrace. “Yes, he is, my dear sister. Mr. Adams is a fine-looking man, and he has a promising career.”
“And I am now Mrs. Adams,” Lydia said with a giggle. “Oh, how droll that sounds.” Then, still laughing, she added, “I am sure all my sisters will envy me, especially Jane, for now I take her place and she must go lower, for I am a married woman. I only hope you may all have half my good fortune.”
“I hope so, too, Liddie.”
“Jane surely will,” Lydia chirped. “She is five times prettier than every other woman in the neighborhood.”
Lydia clung to her sister. “Oh, Lizzy, I shall miss you all. I shall miss hearing Mamma declare that Jane cannot be so beautiful for nothing, or lament that we shall all end in the hedgerows.”
“You will carry your memories of us, and when you sail and begin your grand adventure, it will provide such constant delight that you will soon forget your sisters, seated in the drawing room, mending stockings and replacing cuffs and collars.”
One week later, on the fourteenth of April, Lydia’s family stood upon the East India Docks, in a throng of strangers.
Elizabeth watched as her fifteen-year-old sister boarded the ship with her young husband.
She forced down the thought she might never see Lydia again and kept her fears to herself as she held fast to her father’s arm.
She raised her eyes to him. He was in tears, but she could not weep. Her distress was too deep for tears.
When the ship drew away from the quay, they all waved. Lydia leaped and waved in return, radiant with expectation. She stood upon the brink of adventure, while Elizabeth foresaw only misfortune ahead. She clung to her father’s arm, silent and filled with dread.
That evening, it was a quiet company that assembled for dinner. A melancholy had settled upon them all. When the meal was concluded, the four retired together to the drawing room, and Elizabeth at last broke the silence.
“Papa, I am weighed down with foreboding. I cannot shake the feeling I shall never see Lydia again.”
“Lizzy, it is only the truth, my dear. We may never see Lydia again. She must now live by her own wits. She is a clever girl, though she has not always applied her understanding to worthy ends. She has pursued only men and frivolity. Now she must turn her mind to her own preservation.”
“Papa, I cannot help but think Mr. Adams too young to be a provider and protector in a foreign country.”
Mr. Gardiner spoke. “There, you are mistaken, Elizabeth. The East India Company operates much like a government. It has its own ports, ships, hierarchy, and established systems for managing its people abroad.” His voice was firm and persuasive.
“Adams has conducted himself well in London and now is to work under a senior Company man engaged in trade with the local population. There will be someone to receive him and his wife upon their arrival in Calcutta. They will be provided with suitable lodgings and introduced into the Company circle. If they escape the fevers and the cholera, they may do very well, and if Adams continues as he has begun, he will rise in time.”
She ventured one more thought. “Then this may prove the making of my sister.”
Mr. Gardiner did not pursue the point but instead turned to his wife. Madeline rose. “Lizzy, let us have some music.”
Elizabeth smiled faintly and rose, the topic was now closed.
“We shall have none of your melancholy airs tonight, my dear. We will perform something lively. What say you to ‘The Irish Washerwoman’?”
The following morning, Elizabeth and her father were the only two remaining at the breakfast table.
“Papa, what is to be done now? Will you return directly to Longbourn?”
“I must return by the end of the week, Elizabeth. There is no telling what mischief Kitty may contrive. If Lydia could be so taken with a vagabond, I tremble to consider what Kitty might do.”
“You misjudge Kitty, sir. She is easily led, whether for good or ill. I imagine she is at home pining for her sister.”
“Yes, I believe you are right. She is likely at loose ends, uncertain how to occupy herself.”
“How long must I remain here, sir? And what account will you give Mamma and our neighbors of Lydia?”
“That is a difficult question. What might detain you both until the matter is forgotten? It will not escape notice that Lydia and that fellow disappeared at the same time.”
“I doubt it, sir. Lydia is devious when she wishes to escape the house for what she considers innocent amusement, but she is also inclined to boast. We should have heard of it. I believe it was a recent attachment.”
Mr. Bennet shook his head. “Worse and worse, Elizabeth. That a daughter of mine should leave her home for a man she scarcely knew is beyond comprehension.”
“She is very young, Papa. Only fifteen.”
“Yes, that must be her only excuse, though she appears to have inherited more of your mother’s disposition than any of her sisters.”
Elizabeth considered for a moment. “I shall not quarrel with you, sir, except to say that Lydia possesses understanding, though she has never applied it to anything of worth. She trusted a handsome face and pleasing manners and believed what she wished to believe. She is young, uninformed, and lacks sound judgment.”
His lip curled. “I confess I feel a strong disgust at this entire situation. And now we must live a lie for at least two years to conceal her ruination. When I return, I shall say your aunt requires your assistance. You will manage the household, while Lydia remains at Madeline’s side to do her bidding. ” He rubbed his eyes wearily.
“In a month or two, you shall write that your aunt is improved. Your uncle, grateful for your care, will send Lydia to a ladies’ seminary. It must be at some distance from London, or your mother will insist upon visiting her.”
Elizabeth caught the thought and continued it. “Anywhere north of Hertfordshire would do, sir.”
Mr. Bennet tapped the table. “I shall scour the advertisements tomorrow and search for a ladies' seminary in the north.”
"If the seminary has some distinction to recommend it, Mamma will find something to boast of. Say, for example, that it is patronized by the daughters of peers or of wealthy families."
Mr. Bennet regarded her. “Elizabeth, I believe the story will answer very well.”
“And what of me, sir? How long am I to remain in London? When shall I be permitted to return home and be with my dear Jane again? I shall miss her exceedingly.”
“I am sorry for you, Lizzy. Your sister committed the offense, yet you must bear a part of the consequence. Your aunt is four months along. Remain with her for two or three months, and then we shall say she is out of danger and no longer requires your assistance.”