You know how much I love Papa and will be forever thankful that he took me under his wing and taught me so much, including how to manage an estate, but there are times I am disappointed in him. His refusal to check Kitty and Lydia is one of those times.
I trust you are finding peace in London. For my part I am looking forward to departing for Hunsford to visit Charlotte and Mr Collins in March. Sir William and Maria will collect me on the 16th day of March, almost a fortnight before Easter. It is hard for me to believe that I will have reached the age of 21 before we depart. You and I will celebrate when I return from Kent and spend about a sennight with the Gardiners.
My prayer is that by the time we return home, Mama has found something new to harp on, especially if by then, you have seen Mr Bingley and he realises how much he loves you.
I will wait to hear from you. Only write after you have seen Miss Bingley, Mrs Hurst, and hopefully, Mr Bingley.
I am sure all will be well.
With all of my sisterly love,
Lizzy
It was not comfortable to read the way Lizzy criticisedher parents, especially Mama, and Jane ignored the voice which told her that her next younger sister was not wrong. To own that would call her personal philosophy into question, and Jane could not do that.
“I will pray that God heard you regarding Mr Bingley, Lizzy,” Jane said aloud to her bedchamber.
She placed the two epistles into her memory box before making her way down to the drawing room where her aunt was seated working on some sewing. Jane picked up her sampler. “I was reading letters from Mama and Lizzy,” she informed her aunt.
“Did they have any interesting news?” Madeline Gardiner, called Maddie by all, enquired.
“Only that Mr Wickham is courting Mary King,” Jane replied. She did not want her aunt to have a bad opinion of either her mother or younger sister, so Jane did not share most of what was written in the letters. “Other than that, just the normal news from home.”
Knowing how much Jane hated conflict and wanted to always see everything in a positive light, Maddie was sure there was more, but she did not want to push her niece. If Jane wanted to speak, she would be willing to listen. Like Lizzy, Maddie was able to see past Jane’s mask of serenity and detect her emotions behind it.
“Have you heard from your friends, Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley, yet?” Maddie enquired.
Jane fought to school her features. She was greatly disappointed that after Miss Bingley wrote about how she wanted to maintain a correspondence with Jane, that none of her letters had been answered. She had been sure to write her direction when she had notified her friends of her presence in London, but in four days, nothing had arrived. She was certain that they would send a noteduring the coming week.
“They must be very busy with social obligations, so I will wait another sennight to allow them time to reply. If not, I will call on them during the following week,” Jane responded.
Maddie did not push Jane about the letters she had written from Longbourn, to which there had been no replies. Even without meeting the tradesman’s daughters, who thought themselves above everyone else, both she and her husband agreed with Lizzy that the ladies did not look on Jane or the Bennets with a friendly eye. Given the way Jane saw the world, neither of them had expressed their opinions to their eldest niece.
“They are your friends, so we will wait per your desire,” Maddie responded evenly. She was sure they could wait for a month, and there would be no reply. She prayed that when Jane called on them, the supercilious sisters—as Lizzy had named them—would be pleasant to Jane.
She was so tender-hearted, and that combined with her refusal or inability to see evil or bad, would make such a reception much worse for Jane.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“That woman is a very determined fortune hunter,” Miss Bingley remarked to her sister. “After I never deigned to write back to her no matter how many letters she writes, you would have thought that Jane Bennet would have gotten the message.”
Mrs Hurst was well aware that Miss Bennet believed them to be her friends and was writing because Caroline had asked her to in the letter she had written before they quit Netherfield Park. She was also certain that Jane Bennet was no fortune hunter, but she would not chance Caroline’s wrath by disagreeing with her.
“Quite so, my dear,” Mrs Hurst stated evenly. Her life wasmuch easier when she agreed with her sister.
“I need to ask Mr Darcy’s advice. I hear him, Hurst, and Charles arriving. You distract your husband and Charles; that will give me time to see what he advises regarding Miss Bennet if she has the temerity to call on her betters,” Miss Bingley stated nastily. As soon as the three men entered the room, she plastered a smile on her face. “How good of you to call on your friends, Mr Darcy,” she cooed.
She quite ignored the fact she had demanded Charles bring Mr Darcy back to Hurst House with him after meeting him at the club, so it had not been his choice to call.
“Mrs Hurst, Miss Bingley,” Darcy greeted curtly, giving one bow to both ladies.
It did not take long for Mrs Hurst to engage her husband and brother in conversation on one side of the room.
“Mr Darcy, will you join me on the other side of the room, please?” Miss Bingley purred. She was not happy when she saw his reluctance. “It is about Miss Bennet,” she clarified.
Darcy had been about to refuse. However, they were in the same room as three others, and he wanted to hear what Miss Bingley said because as soon as she said the name Bennet, a pretty face with the most magnificent emerald-green eyes flashed before his mind’s eye. How was it that after making sure none of them would return to Hertfordshire, rather than forget about Miss Elizabeth, he thought about her more? He could never offer for one so far below him, which was why he had needed to escape the area before he did something he would regret. He nodded and followed the shrew to the other side of the room.
“Miss Bennet sent a note to tell me she is in London residing with thattradesmanuncle in Cheapside. I will not respond to the fortune hunter, but what if she calls here and sees Charles? You know he is weakand will want to see her more if he is aware she is in Town,” Miss Bingley related insotto voce. She had attempted to rest her hand on his arm, but Mr Darcy had stubbornly placed his arms behind his back.
