Chapter 1 #3
Mrs. Bennet was abed when her two oldest daughters entered her chamber.
Elizabeth was not surprized when her mother responded to the news of her husband’s ill health by fluttering her handkerchief and complaining of her own ailments.
“Oh my poor nerves! Charlotte Lucas, mistress of Longbourn! How could such a thing happen?” Mrs. Hill soon appeared with a tonic to help her mistress sleep.
Elizabeth sighed as she followed Jane out of the room.
Dealing with her mother’s daily antics should have inured her to the woman’s inability to look past her lacy handkerchief.
Does she ever think of anyone but herself?
But what were they to do? She stopped her sister in the hall.
“If Papa dies, you will not be able to marry for six months or more. Henry is Uncle Phillips’s law clerk and has already been named his successor.
The two of you will have a good life together.
Mary is already betrothed to Benjamin, and as curate in Meryton, he will be vicar one day. Why not marry now?”
“Now?”
“I mean within the next few days.”
Jane said nothing while she stared at her feet. “Your idea has merit,” she said when she finally spoke, but her tone was dull. Elizabeth stopped walking and stared at her sister’s retreating back. She became uneasy as a result of Jane’s lack of enthusiasm for the scheme.
“Let us speak to our sisters, and you can send a note to Henry. If Mary is amenable, you could have a simple double ceremony. Considering our father’s health, a celebratory breakfast is out of the question. For now, we can tell our sisters about Papa and hope the gentlemen agree with our plan.”
That night in their bedchamber, Elizabeth was deep in thought as she sat on the window seat with her hands wrapped around her knees.
She turned to interrupt Jane, who was reading beside the branch of candles.
“Why did you hesitate before answering my question about marrying Henry? Are you having second thoughts?” Her tone was quiet.
Jane nervously bit her bottom lip. “I do care for him.” She hesitated before continuing in the same soft voice. “Sometimes I wonder if marrying him would be a mistake. I am not certain what I feel for him is love.”
“Then you must not do it. Mary has already agreed to marry Benjamin, but you need not follow suit.”
“Let me think about it tonight, and I shall tell you my decision tomorrow. Goodnight, dear Lizzy.”
~~~
The next morning
The two eldest Bennet sisters were helping each other dress as was their wont. “I have decided I shall marry Henry as soon as possible,” said Jane.
Elizabeth’s hand stilled. “Dearest Jane, do not agree because you think it will be the best thing for our family. Do not make a mistake you will regret the rest of your life.”
“I am doing what is best for me and I shall be happy, I promise.”
“In one day our enchanted life at Longbourn has been taken from us.”
“What do you mean, enchanted?”
“We are not wealthy,” Elizabeth said, “but we always had what we needed to wear and enough fuel to keep us warm in the winter. We had plenty of food on the table for us and our friends. Mama often embarrasses us with her inappropriate comments, but we are a loving family. That is our enchantment. Who knows how Papa’s illness will affect our lives. ”
The eldest Bennet sisters went to tell their mother of their plans.
Their task was quickly concluded to the loud sound of Mama’s raptures.
As they returned to their bedchamber, Elizabeth pursed her lips when Jane said, “I was certain Mama would approve our plans. Even in her distress, her only concern is how soon she can have all her daughters married.”
“You mean except me, the caretaker of her dotage.” She attempted to keep her voice steady while her heart broke at the thought of her future. All Elizabeth ever wanted was to marry a good man and have a family of her own.
“Lizzy, one day you will meet a man who is right for you, and you will be the happiest of us all.”
“I thank you for saying that, but I am not foolish enough to believe it will ever happen.” She would be content as a doting aunt to her sisters’ children.
~~~
Three days after Mr. Bennet was stricken, Jane married Henry Horton and Mary married Benjamin Mapleton.
The simple ceremony took place in the small Longbourn church, and not unexpectedly, the brides’ mother was too unwell to attend.
This day was supposed to be happy, but Elizabeth noted circles under the eyes of the brides, and she found herself constantly in pain from strained muscles. She rubbed her neck all too often.
Both couples chose to stay close to Longbourn in case the worst should occur and alas, they did not have long to wait.
Mr. Bennet never awakened and died peacefully one week after his attack.
Even though she had expected the event, Elizabeth lost her appetite for days after, and clung to her remaining loved ones.
Papa, you left us too soon. Too much is unsettled.