Chapter 29
Chapter twenty-nine
There were several letters sent from Longbourn that day.
The first was from Papa to Uncle Haupter.
He explained that Valeraine wanted to come to visit him for an indefinite amount of time.
He implied this was because she wanted to learn about the newspaper business, or that there was something incompatible now with Valeraine and Longbourn.
It was a letter that had mastered the art of saying nothing, and Uncle Haupter received it with grace and the ability to read between the lines.
He wrote back to say he would send a coach for her, to escort her to Kinellan City.
The post was depressingly prompt in delivering these letters, and it was only four days from when Papa had told Valeraine she would leave to the time that she would be going.
Alyce also sent a letter during those days.
She wrote to Nethenabbi, inviting him to tea at Longbourn.
The letter was promptly delivered — confirmed by the servant who had taken it there.
This was the advantage of being neighbors: you knew exactly how long your correspondence was being ignored. No response came.
Mamma campaigned for Alyce to go to Netherfield anyway, unannounced and uninvited. “As soon as he sees your face, he will be smitten. Perhaps he only misplaced your letter.”
Alyce knew better. All the sisters knew the terrible truth: Pemberley had told Nethenabbi of Valeraine’s racing, and now he wanted nothing to do with Longbourn.
Before this scandal, it had been of some question if Longbourn was a respectable dragon house (the question hanging on if you believed that their single, dying dragon really counted as a dragon).
Now, Longbourn was decidedly unrespectable.
Nethenabbi couldn’t marry a woman from a disreputable house with no real dragons.
He must think Alyce a fool to even attempt to contact him.
When Mamma sent another letter herself, she received a response from the Netherfield housekeeper: the Nethenabbis would be going to Kinellan City for an indefinite amount of time, for the end-of-summer balls, and perhaps the autumnal ones as well.
Their dragons and eggs would (for now) be watched over by another dragon house, or brought to Kinellan City.
Longbourn had not been asked to assist in this duty, despite being easily the closest and most able of the neighbors.
It seemed Netherfield house was no longer interested in being neighbors with them, either socially or geographically.
Alyce was far too polite to show the depth of her disappointment to Valeraine.
Valeraine understood her far too well to miss it.
They both knew this was Valeraine’s fault.
Alyce would give her false smiles, and say something about how she hadn’t really loved Nethenabbi anyway, so it was not a great loss.
Valeraine was far too smart to believe that.
She was also too polite to tell her sister that.
The balance of not-upsetting each other was so terrible that Valeraine was almost glad the day of her departure was coming upon her.
She could get away from Alyce, who was the most depressing sort of trying-to-be-happy.
She could get away from Merna and Selaide, who were sad Valeraine’s derby adventure was at an end.
She could get away from Papa, who sent apologetic looks her way, but never actually apologized.
He would not lift Valeraine’s looming banishment, no matter how she pleaded.
Mamma had her own schemes, and they involved inserting Alyce into the orbit of Mr. Nethenabbi once again, to rekindle their flirtation.
Nobody had told Mamma of the scandal of Valeraine’s riding (who wanted to poke that hornets’ nest?) and so she still believed this was all some misunderstanding.
And so it became the plan that not only would Valeraine be sent to Kinellan City, but Alyce as well, so she could chase her lost love.
It was sad how this seemed to give some sort of hope to Alyce.