Chapter Sixty-Seven
The girls had all agreed weeks ago that they would not exchange Christmas gifts, nor expect anything of their parents but, of course, something had to be given to the Gardiners’ children.
Jane had made some small shirts from one of her old gowns, and had embroidered little soldiers on them, much to the boys’ delight; Kitty had found some old toys in the attic and had painted them with bright new colours for the children.
Before her departure, Elizabeth had gone into the attic and had found some picture books. She had sewn new covers onto the books so that they now looked new. She had left them for Jane to find and present to her little cousins.
Lydia surprised everyone by presenting each little boy with a small bag of sweets.
Upon being questioned as to how she had managed to purchase these treats, given that she had long ago exhausted her pin money, she confessed that she had arranged a trade with the wife of the confectionary shop.
She had remade the woman’s bonnet in exchange for these small bags of sweets.
Mrs. Bennet wrinkled her nose and wondered aloud if, in so doing, Lydia had engaged in trade; she was reassured by a rather stony-faced Mrs. Gardiner that trading favours with a merchant hardly diminished Lydia’s exalted status as a gentlewoman.
***
The week after Christmas was cold and icy. The warmth of Christmas day was gone. The fires were small, as the coal bin was almost empty. It felt to everyone at Longbourn that a hard, cold reality was now upon them.
Shortly after the start of the new year, Mr. Bennet quietly asked his wife, the Gardiners, and Jane to join him in his study. Mr. Bennet had asked Mrs. Hill to bring in more chairs, but it was not a large room and so it was a rather tight squeeze.
“I need not tell you that our plan to capture Mr. Bingley has not born fruit,” Mr. Bennet began. He studiously avoided looking at Jane, who nonetheless blushed and looked down. “I have paid the servants for this quarter, but I think we will have to let Bridget go.”
Bridget was the maid of all work; she made up the fires in the morning, helped with the laundry, dusted, swept and scrubbed floors.
Mrs. Bennet paled. “But who will do her work?” she demanded. “Mrs. Hill is already run off her feet, and we need Sarah to do the mending and the laundry and help with our hair. Do you expect our girls to ruin their hands with Bridget’s tasks?”
Mr. Bennet spread his hands wide. “I do not know what to do,” he said.
“Unless there is some sort of miracle, I will not be able to pay all the servants on Lady Day. Is it right to have them continue to work for us, when their wages are not secure? I know we cannot do without Mrs. Hill and Cook, and certainly James cannot be spared.”
Jane said, speaking very quickly, “Papa, I believe Mr. Bingley can be brought to the point. Lizzy and I agreed that he was struggling to choose between us because he had raised her expectations. Now that she has chosen to remove herself, I do think I have a good chance with him.”
Mr. Gardiner said, softly, “If Jane does not succeed with him, then we can bring her back to London. She had a number of offers there that she chose not to accept, as she did not understand the family’s situation.
I rather suspect that at least one of them could be persuaded to renew his offer if he learns that Jane has reconsidered his suit.
Three thousand pounds is a good deal of money, but I believe that half of that sum might be made available to you from one of those men. ”
Mr. Bennet at Jane, who was sitting with her hands folded neatly on her lap and her eyes on the floor. He asked, “Jane? Are you willing to return to London and accept one of those gentlemen?”
Jane swallowed hard and said, “I am.”
Mr. Bennet nodded and said, “Very well. Jane, I give you a fortnight with Mr. Bingley. Then you must go to London. If one of these suitors can part with even one thousand pounds, that would buy me some time to explore other options, such as leasing out the estate. My dear, I am sorry, but we cannot afford to lose more time.”
***
The Gardiners left the next day, promising to send a carriage for Jane the moment it was required.