“I said no such thing.”
“Well, then, what kind of husband would you like?” Elizabeth pressed. “I know you are very private about that sort of thing, but I am your favourite sister, after all.”
Without luck, Jane tried to suppress a pert grin. Elizabeth knew she tried not to play favourites with her younger sisters. The eldest needed to set an example in all things. Yet while Jane and Elizabeth loved all their sisters, neither felt that they could truly confide in any but each other.
“I do not care so much about what he does or where he has come from. I only want a good man. A kind man. I want someone who is gentle-tempered and has good sense.” She let a small smile flash across her lips. “And if he were to be handsome —”
“Ahh, I knew it!” Elizabeth said. “And that will not be difficult. You are the prettiest woman in Hertfordshire. If all the men do not end the night half in love with you, I am no judge of beauty.”
Jane rolled her eyes, got up, and started tidying the room. “Or of men,” she shot back. “Really, Lizzy, you should be more careful of what you say.”
“You deserve a wonderful man, Jane. I mean that with my whole heart,” Elizabeth said more seriously. She placed a hand on Jane’s shoulder. “I was thinking about this very thing earlier, you know. On my walk.”
“About marriage?” Jane asked, frowning slightly. “I did not think you had put much thought into the subject.”
“I confess I am not convinced I will make an incandescent match. With my dowry as small as it is, and with no outstanding beauty such as you have —”
“Do not say such things about yourself!” Jane hissed.
“Oh, I do not mean to express any dissatisfaction with my own face. I am sure I am well enough. I only mean that I amnot as pretty as you, dear Jane. It is you who possesses the great beauty of the family. But I have something else just as valuable.”
“Oh? And what is that?”
“My mind,” Elizabeth said in a conspiratorial tone.
Jane made a great show of mock offense. “Oh, and I do not possess a brain, I suppose?” She planted her hands on her hips.
Elizabeth stood aside for a moment, looking over at her sister. She was tall and slender, with a graceful build and perfectly even features. Her lovely face had been known to send men almost out of their wits. Indeed, there had been several gentlemen who had been interested over the last few years, but none had made an offer for her. If Jane’s dowry were not so small, Elizabeth was certain she would have been spoken for by now. Perhaps it was not entirely a loss. None of the men had inspired much affection in her sister. Though necessity might not allow it, Jane had not made a secret of her wish to marry for love.
“Lizzy?” Jane questioned. She must have taken too long to answer. “Are you well?”
“Yes,” Elizabeth said, shaking her head. “Quite well.” It was not entirely the truth. The thought of losing her sister to marriage, especially when they could not count on the luxury of marrying for love, could not fail to be disquieting.
“What sort of man do you want to marry, Lizzy?” Jane asked. She busied herself folding the nightgowns that had come back from the laundry.
Elizabeth had put little thought into it, as far as profession or physique. “I do not know. I suppose I wouldneed someone clever. Someone kind. I want someone who will patiently accompany me on walks about the countryside and will never tire of admiring our surroundings.”
“You are disinterestedness itself, Lizzy.”
“And if he were to have three thousand pounds a year or more, that would not hurt his chances with me, either.”
“Lizzy!” Jane scolded with a laugh. “Do not tell me you would be persuaded to take someone only because of money.”
“No, of course not. But you have heard Mama tell us day in and out since that if we do not marry well, we will end our days in the poorhouse.”
“That does not make it right to hunt for a husband as if it were some sort of sport.”
“I have no intention of releasing the hounds, so to speak,” Elizabeth said with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “But it would be nice to think that one could marry for love and security. In the end, I hope little hope that such a man exists. In my very limited experience, either a man is very rich or is possessed of a fine moral character. Never both.”
“That is a very dim view, dearest. Do you really believe that?”
Elizabeth hated to see the disappointment in Jane’s eyes. She always thought so well of everybody she met. But the world was not so kind. “I will not say it in every case. But yes, as a rule, I have seen it proven more times than not.”
Jane smirked. “Where? In your books, I suppose?”
Elizabeth’s eyes flashed, and she laughed merrily. “Where else?”
Jane came around the bed to stand in front of Elizabeth. “Do not be too confident in that sentiment, Lizzy dear. Perhaps the man you seek could be standing right in front of you, and you would never know.”
