Chapter 23
Mrs. Bennet was convinced that her family had no care, either for her or for their own good.
She had been tirelessly working to make sure her girls married well, but it looked like they had all joined together to oppose her.
Well, she thought, let them be as difficult as they want now, when we are all thrown into the hedgerows; that is when they will understand.
Mr. Bennet would be conveniently dead, but the girls will have to fend for themselves for she was not going to provide for such ungrateful children.
Lizzy had always been contrary with her inconceivable tendency to walk hither and thither and express her lofty opinions.
If that had not been all, Mr. Bennet had encouraged her to read all those dusty tomes in his library.
No man had ever appreciated a bluestocking, but nobody listened to her in this household.
Lizzy was second in beauty only to Jane, but all of it was wasted, for no suitor would stay after knowing her impertinent ways.
It was a miracle that she had attracted the notice of a man like Mr. Darcy but no, both father and daughter had to drive him away.
Oh! Had she married Mr. Collins last year they would all be secure in their future now.
Then there was Jane, sweet and amiable with proper manners.
Mrs. Bennet had been convinced she would be her saviour for there was no lady more beautiful than her but now she had gone and broken her engagement with Mr. Bingley.
God only knew what went on in her daughter's head these days.
Even Lydia who had been the liveliest of her daughters was often sitting idly in gathering these days with no care about what went on.
Well, she would not have any of it, nobody ever appreciated what she did for the family, but she would not let them destroy everything.
“Hill, Hill!” Mrs. Bennet shouted as the housekeeper came rushing.
“I do not want you to send trays for any of my daughters, if they are to eat, they will come down. Also make sure any letter that comes for Lizzy from Miss Darcy is first brought to me.” Once the housekeeper nodded her agreement, Mrs. Bennet went to the front parlour and sat down with her needlework, a satisfied smile on her face.
Lizzy will now have to come down for nobody could go hungry forever.
Once she was down Mrs. Bennet was sure she would make her reply to that uptight sister of Mr. Darcy with a full apology and an entreaty for an invitation to town.
Elizabeth was too distraught to even realise that she had not eaten all day.
Georgiana had mentioned her brother’s miserable demeanour and that had made her yearn to be with him.
This distance was nonsensical and all for what, Jane had broken her engagement, she thought bitterly.
She had been shocked when Jane had come to her in the morning full of rage dragging her to her father where she had ordered him to write to Darcy and ask him to come back.
It would have been so easy to agree with her, but she had known better.
The news that Jane had broken her engagement was already going to cause a lot of gossip in Meryton; if it came out that Bingley and Darcy had quarrelled it would cause all sorts of speculations.
“Papa, you should allow them to make their understanding official.” Jane had pleaded.
“Even if I were to do so it would only cause more gossip for nobody is aware that Mr. Darcy was courting Lizzy. I think it best that he remains in town for now, it would give Lizzy some clarity. While I agree that it was badly done by Bingley to conceal the disagreement from us, any man who could provoke such an amiable fellow as Bingley cannot make an agreeable husband.”
“If you had thought Mr. Darcy was to blame for their disagreement, why did you insist that Mr. Bingley speak to me?” Jane had countered.
“I had wished Bingley to understand his responsibility towards you, not for you to break your engagement. From all Bingley confessed, it did seem that Darcy reacted rather strongly to a drunken rant from his friend. Such an intolerable man would find a cause to be cross with Lizzy every day.” Mr. Bennet answered much to Jane’s annoyance.
Elizabeth had now become resigned to her father’s illogical behaviour when it came to her and Darcy.
It was confounding that her father, who himself had always been reclusive and dismissive of sociable personalities, was now advocating Bingley’s cheerful nature over Darcy’s reserve.
She had thought that he had warmed up to the idea of their engagement after Darcy had come that night desperate to speak to her, but it seemed he was back to his disapproval.
Knowing that there was no benefit in arguing, not that she had any energy left for it, she just got up and went back to her chambers where frustration finally gave way to fresh tears.
She sat on her bed hugging a pillow and sobbing uncontrollably until she had fallen asleep from exhaustion.
Her sisters had all taken turns to look in on her and had tried to cheer her to no avail.
Jane had been incensed on Elizabeth's behalf and had argued at length with her father after Elizabeth’s departure, who, though not unmoved by his second daughter’s plight was still sceptical of Darcy’s temper.
Thinking that if for the next few months, Darcy remained in town then Lizzy may finally overcome her infatuation.
Also, if Darcy stayed away, then Bingley may still visit and Jane would be reunited with him.
He had uncovered Bingley’s duplicitousness for he did not want his daughter to remain the naive, trusting girl she had always been.
As he had told Jane he had wanted her to be prepared for the world she was about to enter, not to give up on the man she loved.
He still considered that Jane and Bingley were well suited, and he could not imagine his sweet, demure daughter holding her anger longer than a few days.
The problem was that he had always abhorred any discussion of his daughter’s sensibilities, preferring to tease them about it; now he had no idea how to even broach the subject with Jane and convince her to take back her suitor.
The next morning started with another angry argument, for Kitty had discovered that both Jane and Lizzy had slept without dinner and what Kitty knew Lydia knew.
On a little prodding, it became apparent that Elizabeth had not eaten at all the previous day on account of Mrs. Bennet’s strictures.
She had only been nibbling from a tray in her room for the past couple of days and when that had not appeared she had hardly noticed.
“How can you be so unfeeling?” Lydia had shouted as she barged into her mother’s chambers.
“She will understand what it would be like after we have no roof over our head. Losing such a prospect as Mr. Darcy is beyond any of her usual nonsense,” Mrs. Bennet had responded petulantly.
“You think she is doing this for her pleasure. Why do you not convince Papa to allow them to be engaged.”
“What is all this ruckus?” Mr. Bennet muttered as he entered the mistress’s chamber, woken up by the noise.
“Lizzy has not eaten anything from yesterday as Mama forbade the servants to take her a tray,” Lydia said, with a hand on her hips, glaring at her mother.
“Mrs. Bennet, what new madness is this? You know Lizzy is already melancholy, why would you be so cruel?”
“I am being cruel. First you deny your consent for a man worth ten thousand, then you convince Jane to give up on Bingley and I am the one who is cruel.”
“Do you have any consideration for our daughter’s happiness, madam?” Mr. Bennet snapped.
“Yes, and your concern seems to have made them euphoric with joy. Both our eldest daughters are moping about as if in mourning.”
“That is enough of your arguments, madam. I have been meaning to visit St Albans to consult with my man of business. I think I will go today. I hope to see the house in a civilised state once I am back and not the ladies shouting like fishwives.”
"Of course, you are planning to go out.” Lydia muttered from her position in the corner. “I used to envy Lizzy for the easy camaraderie she had with you, now I just pity her. How disillusioned she must be to realise you are just as uncaring about her as the rest of us.”
Mr. Bennet was too embarrassed by his youngest daughter’s outburst to respond and just left the room.
Lydia turned to her mother and said with gritted teeth, “If you say anything to Lizzy, then I swear I will burn all your evening gowns.” Then slamming the door, she went straight to the parlour where Jane, Kitty and Mary had all just gathered. It was Mary who spoke.
“It seems Mama had also asked Hill to deliver Miss Darcy’s letter to her instead of Lizzy. I saw her taking it now and was able to snatch it away,” she finished as she pulled out the letter.
Lydia threw her hands up in the air and let out a deep breath then turned and urged her sisters to go up to Lizzy’s room. “We can take her a tray and Miss Darcy’s letter may also cheer her up a bit.”
The sisters ended up spending the whole of the morning together, Elizabeth had brightened a bit after reading the letter and had shared how Georgiana had made fun of her brother for reading romance novels.
This had caused a loud gasp in all the sisters who could not imagine the serious Mr. Darcy reading anything but the most scholarly of texts.
Even Elizabeth had managed a watery smile recalling some of the outrageous novels they had discussed.
With a small mischievous smile, she had told her sisters that he had once offered to climb up her window causing Kitty and Lydia to swoon.
This had then evolved in a discussion of the latest novel that Lizzy had bought and on Lydia’s insistence soon they were all reading it aloud.
It was in this atmosphere of joyful playfulness that Lydia exclaimed, “You should go to London, Lizzy!” causing all her sisters to stop talking at once and stare at her.
“Lydia, what nonsense you speak,” Mary admonished her.
“What is the problem? Lizzy can go to Gracechurch Street and stay with Aunt and Uncle Gardiner as she has done many times before. Mr. Darcy cannot come here but can easily court her in town and it would be completely respectable,” she said with eagerness.
“I do not suppose Papa will allow it.” Elizabeth replied in a dejected tone. “He seems set against Mr. Darcy.”
“Papa was planning to go to St Albans and may have already left. If you leave before he returns, he cannot stop you. Once you are in town, he would never go to the effort of summoning you back. He will just call it too much of a spectacle.”
“It would hardly be appropriate,” Elizabeth mumbled.
“It will be no more inappropriate than me going to town last year.
" This time it was Jane who had spoken. “And Lizzy I had no confidence in the feelings of my suitor, and only Miss Bingley to call upon who loathed my presence. You on the other hand will be welcomed by Miss Darcy and probably worshipped by her brother.”
Elizabeth looked at her sisters and it seemed that for once all of them were in accord.
“But what about Mama?” She said, trying to cling to reason before she allowed the hope simmering within her to take over.
“Leave Mama to me,” Jane said as she got up.
“I will come with you. I think I can help persuade her,” Lydia replied with a sly smile.