Even if she was socially too low for him to consider, Jane would have liked to see him again. It was something beyond her control so she decided not to expend energy dreaming of that which was impossible.
By December Aunt Maddie’s morning illness had all but gone away, however, it was a particularly cold winter so walks in Hyde Park were out of the question. Even the pond in the park opposite had—much to Lilly and Eddy’s consternation—frozen over. Both had been very concerned about their friends the ducks until Jane and Mary had explained how they would fly to the south of England where it was a little warmer.
So far, other than the month after her presentation, letters from Lizzy had not stopped coming. No matter how much she wanted to see her younger sister above all else, Jane was well aware it was in their best interests to be away from the old man’s company.
It was a small consolation, but from what Jane could see, and in her letters received from Charlotte, her friend had agreed, it seemed there were parts of Lizzy’s life which were not terrible for her.
Her husband had not restricted her from taking walks and Lizzy had learnt to ride at Falconwood.
That was something which had surprised Jane. Lizzy had been afraid of riding horses ever since she had fallen and broken her arm while learning to ride a pony when she was but ten. It was nothing the placid mount had done, Lizzy had simply lost her seat and fallen. That had led to, until now, her refusing to learn to ride.
Lizzy had written in one of her first letters after beginning her riding lessons about the extensive stables at her husband’s estate. The stablemaster, and head groom—the one who had been her teacher—had introduced her to a perfectly docile white Arabian mare namedJamil, which Lizzy had been told was Arabic for beautiful. Evidently. rider and mare had adopted one another, so the horse was unofficially Lizzy’s
According to Lizzy, the name was apropos as her mare was truly beautiful. She had perfect lines and the longest eyelashes and perfectly coiffed main and tail. If she did not know better, Lizzy stated she would have swornJamilwould preen when anyone looked at her, as if she knew how pretty she was.
The old man did not ride himself. Lizzy had opined it was his age, girth, or both which was the cause of his not partaking in the sport. Jane had smiled when Lizzy had written how her pleasure in riding had increased as soon as she discoveredhedid not ride.
She wrote that most days she saw him no more than once at dinner. Even when he imposed himself on her, she told Jane since the first time she had kept her eyes shut tightly so even though she was in his company—after a fashion—she did not see him. In her last letter, Lizzy had expressed frustration she was not with child yet.
Jane’s thoughts meandered to her three sisters living with the Gardiners. All three had matured considerably. Mary no longer needed to hide her true self, her intelligence, or her beauty now Mrs. Bennet was no longer around to denigrate her.
Kitty—now called Kate—had been working with art masters who were developing her native talent for drawing, sketching, and painting. Subsequent to her past birthday, Kitty had decided she preferred Kate as it was a much more mature sounding name. She had become so accomplished at her art thatJane had requested she take a likeness of the Gardiners and Bennets in residence on Gracechurch Street which would be sent to Lizzy. The art master would add Kate to the portrait.
Lydia had grown the most. No longer was she the vapid, unmanageable, animal-spirited, and spoilt girl she was well on her way to becoming under Mrs. Bennet.
With her energy directed toward positive pursuits, Lydia had discovered her intelligence. She was now, more rather than not, seen reading a book. To her own shock as much as everyone else’s, it was discovered that she had a talent for music! Lydia was now learning to play the pianoforte and the harp.
After the first few weeks living with the Gardiners, any mention of her mother and missing her had ceased. Lydia did not refer to them as Mr. and Mrs. Bennet like the rest of her sisters, she simply did not mention them at all.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Fanny Bennet could not believe it was more than seven months since that ungrateful, wilful girl married His Grace, and things had not improved for her in the Meryton area.
No one called on her and she was not welcome at anyone’s house. Ever since the supposedly jovial Sir William had arrested her and caused her to languish in the town gaol for five days—a humiliation she was certain she would never live down—when she was told she was not welcome, Fanny took the person stating thus at their word.
The worst betrayal she felt, even more than her own sister turning on her, was the fact not one letter had been received from either Jane or Lydia.
Jane had begun to be influenced by that cursed Miss Lizzy, which was the obvious explanation for her defection. ButLydia, the girl who had been her unabashed favourite, to have abandoned her as well cut her to the quick.
There was nothing she could see she had ever done to cause this level of disloyalty from her favourite daughter. There was only one explanation, it must be Miss Lizzy’s influence. That was it, she had turned Lydia against her own mother, just like she had done with Jane.
Writing to her illustrious son-in-law had produced no results. Not one letter had been received in reply, and that too Fanny had convinced herself was Miss Lizzy’s doing. She conveniently forgot what the Duke had told her in the one and only reply he had sent.
Fanny could not remember the last time she had been in her husband’s company for more than a few minutes at a time, not that she regretted it too much. He took all of his meals on trays in his infernal study and whatever estate business he needed to do was done in the early mornings before she rose from her warm bed.
Her only company was Mrs. Hill, her maid, and the other servants working at Longbourn’s manor house. If it were not for them, Fanny Bennet would go weeks, or longer without conversing a word with another living soul.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Other than the fact he could no longer order his needs, mainly his books, port, and pipe tobacco on account, life had not changed too much for Thomas Bennet.
Without Lizzy there to perform his estate duties, he actually had to venture forth from his study to deal with estate issues—occasionally, not as much as was needed, but he made sure he did so when his wife was yet abed so she would not be able to accost him.
That he was drinking far more port than he used to did not worry him, nor the fact the more he imbibed, the more he seemed to need to dull his senses. To increase the effectiveness, Bennet had taken to substituting some of his glasses of port with at first, an occasional tumbler of whisky, gin, or brandy. Soon the volume of those spirits being imbibed increased, and they became the primary drinks for Bennet.
The one thing he missed was the stimulating conversation and games of chess he used to enjoy with Lizzy. There was a time, not long after Gardiner had hit him, when Bennet had felt a modicum of guilt for not protecting his daughter, but that was not a feeling he had indulged in for quite some time.
In his mind, the ends justified the means. The entail would be broken and his daughters who were no longer his concern, would have dowries to rival those in the first circles. In addition to the monthly amount he sent to Gardiner, he missed the four hundred pounds per annum interest from the initial payment of the girls’ dowries he had planned to use, but there was nothing to be done about that. He ignored the fact the settlement precluded him from using any of the interest.
