Chapter Two #3
Her four sisters, her father, and her mother stood near the table. They turned to observe her entrance. Jane smiled in welcome, Mary raised an eyebrow, Kitty and Lydia—funny how she always thought of them as one person—looked annoyed. Her father smiled and waved at the table.
“Let us sit,” he murmured, holding the chair for his wife.
“You should not make people wait for you, even when they are only your family,” Mary preached. “I am starving.”
“You should have eaten more when you woke,” Jane said in a gentle voice.
“I beg your pardon for making you wait,” Lizzy said, finding her seat next to Jane. “I had to take a moment to change.”
“Thank you,” her father said as he took his seat, his manner cordial. “How are all your animals?”
“Oh, Lord,” Lydia groaned, rolling her eyes.
Their father raised his eyebrows at his youngest daughter, and she lowered her gaze to her lap.
“Harry brought me a new creature,” Lizzy announced, grinning at everyone around the table. “He is a guinea pig. Jane named him Jeffry.”
“Another rodent,” her mother moaned. Hill brought in the food, setting the platters and bowls on the table so they might serve themselves, family style. “Pass me the beef tongue, please, Kitty.”
“Yes, Mama,” Kitty said, sending the platter of sliced tongue in pan sauce down the table.
“And how could you stand around talking to Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy wearing that old dress?” her fond mother asked, shaking her head as though Lizzy had caused all the hopes of heaven to disappear.
“Anyone can see your ankles in that dress, too. What will they think of you? How many eligible gentlemen do you think will come your way? And when they do, you will probably be dressed like a hoyden.”
“I did not act like a hoyden, however,” Lizzy pointed out. She explained about Mr. Bingley’s errand. “Gerty accepted the lamb easily, too. Yes, I will have some beetroot, Mary.”
“I am sure Mr. Bingley took no notice of dear Lizzy’s dress, Mama,” Jane said in her soothing way. “His kindness would prevent it.”
“Yes, yes, he is a delightful man,” their mother said, nodding emphatically. “If you can catch him, dear Jane—and why should you not when you are so beautiful—then that would be an exceedingly fine thing. But I cannot imagine that your sister does us credit when she dresses the way she does.”
“I have never seen Lizzy dressed in any way to cause us shame when she goes into company,” her father interjected.
“Roasted parsnips, please. Thank you, Mary. Now, Bingley and this Darcy fellow arrived unannounced—perfectly acceptable considering their errand. If people come around without an invitation, then they must take us as they find us.”
“You are quite right, Papa,” Mary said as she reached next for a bowl of mashed squash. “Besides—”
“I do not wish to listen to you moralizing today, Mary,” their mother snapped.
Lizzy watched Mary’s shoulders slump beneath their mother’s harsh words. She patted her sister’s arm, smiling sympathetically.
“Were you going to say that I dress sensibly when I am with my animals?” Lizzy asked kindly. “Because, you are quite right.”
“Thank you,” Mary said in a subdued voice.
“Can we speak of something other than Lizzy’s choice of clothing?” Lydia demanded.
“Well, I was going to beg you all to ask your friends and the people you may meet if they know who Jeffry might belong to,” Lizzy explained.
Lydia sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes.
Clearly seeking to please her most beloved sister, Kitty said, “I heard the militia is going to be wintering in Meryton this year.”
Their mama clapped her hands in delight. “I dearly love a man in uniform. When will they arrive?”
“Aunt Phillips says they should arrive in early November,” Lydia supplied, her mood improving substantially.
“I am surprised they are coming here,” their father commented. “St. Albans seems like a better choice.”
“Not St. Albans!” Kitty and Lydia cried at the same moment. Lydia continued, pointing out the flaw in that idea. “We would hardly see any of the officers if they billeted there.”
“It would be a shame,” their father said dryly.
“It would, husband,” their mother said, grinning. “There will be eligible young men amongst the officers, and we have five unmarried daughters.”
“I do not wish to marry an officer,” Mary said, and worried at her bottom lip.
“Why not?” Kitty demanded, her eyebrows high. “What is wrong with an officer?”
“I hope to find a husband who is studious, like Papa,” Mary revealed.
“Someone dull you mean,” Lydia said, shaking her head.
“Thank you, daughter,” their father said, his expression wry. “I would not be dull if you applied yourself to your education. Then, you might be intelligent enough to hold a proper conversation with me.”
Lydia’s eyes opened wide at the rebuke. “I did not mean it the way it sounded, Papa. I swear it.”
“Humph.” He took a bowl of spiced squash and spooned some onto his plate. “After our meal, come to my bookroom. I have a history book I wish you to read before the week is over. I will grill you on its content, so concentrate when you are reading.”
“Oh, Papa,” she moaned. “What about Kitty? Does she get to do nothing while I am studying?”
Kitty poked her sister in the ribs. “Be quiet,” she hissed.
“You make a good point,” their father said, eyeing his next youngest daughter. “You will benefit from reading a geography book. I believe you said that the river Seine was in Russia. It is not.”
“It is in France,” Mary said, her nose in the air. “It flows through the heart of Paris.”
“Mary is correct,” their father said. “Kitty and Lydia, you will both spend two hours in the bookroom every morning except for Sunday. If you give me grief while I am in there with you, I will send one of you to the attic to read.”
Lizzy folded her lips between her teeth to keep from smiling. Neither girl liked the attics, claiming they were cold and musty—which they were, surely.
“As well, if you do not apply yourself to my satisfaction,” their father warned, “you will receive no more pin money this month.”
“But, Papa,” both girls objected. Lydia alone continued, saying, “We were planning to purchase some fabric to make matching reticules for the assembly next week. We do not have enough pin money left to do so.”
“All the more reason to do well in your studies,” their papa replied, his expression tight and unrelenting.
Kitty opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, her mother said, “That is enough, Kitty. Kindly pass along the roasted potatoes.”