“Be quiet,” Jane snapped. “Well, have you nothing to say for yourself?” Jane asked, looking pointedly at Elizabeth. “Or did you nearly reduce this family to ruin and scandal, only to end up profiting by your licentious behaviour?”
Elizabeth took a steadying breath, put her fork down, and folded her hands tightly in her lap. “Mr Darcy and I have done nothing for which we ought to reproach ourselves.”
“I quite agree. My dear, you should not say such things. Mr Darcy is the nephew of the illustrious Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and would do nothing shameful,” Mr Collins said. “Furthermore, I am astonished at my good luck at becoming related to him by marriage! What a fortuitous connection!”
For an awkward moment, everyone stared in silent astonishment at the stupidity of Jane’s husband-to-be. Jane’s face turned a brilliant red with humiliation. She said nothing more, thankfully, and breakfast mercifully ended rather early. As everyone was returning to their rooms to ready themselves for the wedding, Mr Bennet pulled Elizabeth aside.
“Are you well, Lizzy? I will speak with Jane —”
“No, I thank you, for I do not think she would listen. It doesn’t matter now, Papa. I will no longer be a source of jealousy for her when I leave this house. And she will soon leave it herself. Perhaps we can mend things one day, after we have spent some time apart.”
Mr Bennet took her by the shoulders and leant in to kiss her on the forehead. “You are a treasure, Lizzy. I am sorry things have been so difficult between you and Jane. And I am sorry for any part I might have played in this breach by my show of preference in bringing you to Scotland.”
“I will never regret going to Scotland with you, Papa,” Elizabeth said. “What I do not understand is that Jane has said several times how savage she thinks Scotland is. She cannot have wanted to go. It is as though the real problem is something else entirely.” And what that was, Elizabeth could hardly imagine. Nothing had occurred to her beyond jealousy, a desire to always have the first place in their family and their neighbourhood, but could Jane truly be ruled by so petty and ignoble an emotion?
“All will be well, my dear,” her father said, kissing her on the forehead. “Now, no more of this today. You have your wedding to prepare for.”
Elizabeth smiled, kissed her father on the cheek, then retired upstairs to change into her wedding dress. When she arrived at her door, she paused a moment in confusion, for the door was cracked open. She had certainly closed it before going downstairs. When she approached the door, she heard a strange ripping sound, and her heart began to thunder in her chest.
When Elizabeth opened her bedroom door and looked in, she was horrified to see her wedding dress in shreds, lying spread across the floor.
“Jane! What are you doing?” Elizabeth cried out in shock. She gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. Nothing could have prepared her for such a scene. Jane stood in the middle of her room, holding a knife to the lovely neckline of Elizabeth’s gown. She had already shredded the skirts. It was as if she had waited to do the last of the deed when Elizabeth could see her do it. “What have you done?” she cried out.
“There, that is an end to it!” Jane said, with a last, vicious slash of the knife. “Now, get married without a wedding dress,” Jane hissed. She let the knife fall from her hands. It clattered to the floor.
“Why? Jane, why do you hate me so? What did I do?” Elizabeth asked, staring at the shreds of her gown that lay scattered about the room. “What does it matter if I marry Mr Darcy? You say you are happy with Mr Collins. Why do you wish to ruin my day?”
“Because you deserve none of it. I am the eldest. I should have been married first. I should have been with Mr Bingley, and you ruined that for me.” Jane’s face was an ugly purple, her eyes wild like a cornered animal. “Papa has always favoured you above the rest of us, and I am sick to death of simply standing aside and taking it. Do you hear me, Elizabeth? I despise you. I shall never forgive you, never!”
She raised her chin and opened her fist, allowing the last tattered pieces of the gown to drop to the floor. Elizabeth stood frozen at the display of such virulent emotion. What could one say in the face of such hatred?
Their father stepped in then, no doubt having heard Jane screaming at her. “What is this? Trouble amongst my women?” he asked as he was coming around the corner of the doorjamb. He froze when he saw the state of Elizabeth’s room. “What is this?”
Next came their mother, holding a hand on her forehead and looking very pale. “What have you done, Jane? How could you do this to your sister on the day of her wedding?!” she shrieked. “What will Mr Darcy say when we must postpone?”
“I do not care. Elizabeth has made her choice. She wants nothing to do with her real family. She thinks herself so high and mighty, now let her see just how low she has brought me. Let her see how it feels.” Jane crossed her arms and turned to go, but their father would not allow her to pass.
“You have gone too far, Jane. I know you have been upset with Elizabeth for quite some time, but it was not she who invited herself to Scotland; it was I. Your quarrel is therefore misplaced.” Mr Bennet said. It was the first time Elizabeth had heard him talk so firmly to one of his daughters. He stepped forward, took Elizabeth’s hand, and tried to reach for Jane’s so he could join the two sisters. Jane pulled her hand away and refused to allow it. “Are you really going to let your relationship with your sister die over petty jealousies?”
“It is already dead,” Jane said coldly, looking down her nose at Elizabeth. “She is no sister of mine. From this day forward, I will think of her as dead to me.”
Mrs Bennet gasped. “You cannot mean that, Jane.”
“I do,” Jane snapped. “When I leave Longbourn to be wed, I will never enter it again until it belongs to me. And when it does belong to me, Elizabeth will never be welcome here again.”
In her shock and horror, Elizabeth could hardly speak. The blows seemed to come nonstop against her heart. Her relationship with Jane might never recover. However, she would not hold this, what she hoped was temporary madness, against her. The years before that they had shared as bosom confidantes, as best friends and sisters, were too valuable to her to let go of completely.
“I hope you might change your mind someday, Jane. I, for one, am not willing to let go of everything we have shared throughout our lives.” She looked around the room at her shredded gown. Then Elizabeth looked up at Jane with tears pooling in her eyes. “I forgive you.”
Jane glared at her. “I will never change my mind.” She stepped over the gown and went to the door. This time, her parents allowed her to pass, still in shock, no doubt. “And I do not need your forgiveness. You should be begging for my forgiveness. Indeed, if you and Mr Darcy ever fall on hard times, expect no help from Mr Collins and me.”
The very ridiculousness of the statement was its own balm. How pitiable of Jane to seek to hurt her in such a way! It was then that Elizabeth had no choice but to accept that her once-beloved sister would never change her mind. But that did not mean she had to greet her hatefulness with more hatefulness. With the acceptance of her sister’s true nature came peace.
She raised her head, sadness blooming through her chest, making it difficult to breathe. But she would not allow Jane to see her cry. She had cried enough over the last weeks and days for something she would never get back. “If ever my family finds themselves thrust into hard times, I will be there to help. Even you, Jane. I hope you will come to us if ever you are in need.”
Jane scoffed at this, nonplussed. She seemed to search for something to say that would hurt her all the more. “We will not attend the wedding, obviously. I do not wish you well.”
“I think that would be best,” Elizabeth said. Her sister turned and stomped down the hall, slamming her bedroom door behind her.
