When Lydia was old enough to join her mother, she surprised everyone by becoming quite enthusiastic about the visits. Her main impetus was that she considered the younger tenant children her personal dolls whom she could dress up in the pretty outfits she made for them.
Each of the girls developed their own special skills on top of the basic accomplishments they all learnt.
Jane was the only one of the sisters who learnt to play the harp and she developed a deft hand in the stillroom. Her sisters loved the perfumes she created while her remedies were much appreciated by the tenants who could not afford an apothecary. In contrast, her skill with languages was poor.
Elizabeth continued to be widely read on diverse subjects in several languages, making her Mr Bennet’s favourite. Despite Mrs Taylor’s urging, she disliked practicing the pianoforte, but she did learn to play the instrument with great feeling if not great technical skill. Her singing on the other hand was the best amongst the sisters as she could hone her voice and go for long walks at the same time. While she enjoyed sketching people’s character, she was prone to jump to conclusions.
Mary excelled at the pianoforte as well as modern languages and once she overcame her fascination with scriptures, developed aninterest in current affairs which surprised Mr Bennet, who delighted in debating those subjects with her. But on occasions, when she wanted to vex her family, she was still known to quote sermons.
While Kitty became proficient in modern languages, she preferred to make up and write stories in her native tongue. Other than that, her artistic skills were limited.
Lydia’s accomplishments were adequate, but she had an eye for colour and dress design which was second to none in the family.
~T~
The years went by, and Jane reached her majority. Although that was a cause for celebration Mrs Bennet was perturbed since all five of her daughters were still single.
When the Gardiners came for their annual Christmas visit in 1810, Mrs Bennet had a long conversation with Mrs Gardiner.
‘Madeline, I hope that you can help me,’ Mrs Bennet said pensively.
Mrs Gardiner was startled at the worried expression of her sister-in-law. She took Fanny’s hands and enquired, ‘You sound perturbed. What can I do to help?’
‘You know that Mary will turn eighteen next summer; the exact age at which I married Mr Bennet,’ Mrs Bennet said as she searched for the right words to express her concern. ‘Jane has already reached her majority and Lizzy is nineteen. Yet none of the girls are married. They do not even have any suitors.’
‘You do know that not all girls get married as early as you did. Remember, I was three and twenty when I married your brother.’
‘Yes, I know. I also know that the girls will be financially secure if they choose not to marry. Aunt Mary, bless her heart, saw to that. But I want them to have the choice. I worry that if they stay in Meryton all the time, they will never meet any eligible men and so far, they have resisted all my encouragements to have at least a little season in London.’ Mrs Bennet hesitated to make the request which she knew was a huge imposition.
‘I gather that the latest tenant at Netherfield is not suitable husband material,’ Mrs Gardiner suggested.
Mrs Bennet huffed. ‘I would not want any of my girls to marry that man, even if he was the last man on earth.’ She shook her head. ‘No, what I was hoping for was for the three oldest girls to go to London for the little season, next autumn. I know you have quite a big house by town standards, nonetheless it is an imposition to ask you to look after my girls, but I would be ever so grateful if you could take them in and introduce them to some of your acquaintances,’ she finished in a rush.
Madeline smiled. ‘You know that I love to have the girls visit and I am certain that Edward will agree with me when I say that we would be delighted to introduce them to our acquaintances.’ She did not reveal Jane and Elizabeth’s secret, that so far, they had refused offers of a London season. Mrs Bennet might be able to change their minds if the visit was in the service of their younger sister.
Naturally, Mr Gardiner was indeed agreeable to the plan and determined to make use of the provisions which Aunt Mary had made for this occurrence.
~T~
3Netherfield Park is let
Shortly after Mary’s birthday, Netherfield Park had a new tenant. The news of the gentleman who had taken on the lease spread by the fastest means possible in the neighbourhood. Mrs Phillips was the bearer of the glad tidings at Longbourn.
‘Fanny, I have the most wonderful news. Netherfield Park has been let to a young man of great fortune and he will arrive with his family within a week,’ the lady exclaimed as soon as she burst into the parlour where Mrs Bennet sat with her daughters.
‘A young man you say? That is delightful news. I am sure that we could all be diverted by some new faces. But what of his family? Will he be accompanied by his wife and children?’
‘No, indeed. His family are his sisters and brother-in-law. Mr Bingley is a single man and must surely be in want of a wife. I am certain that he will become enchanted with your daughters.’
Mrs Bennet beamed at this intelligence and turned to her oldest daughter. ‘Jane did you hear? Perhaps this Mr Bingley will be more to your taste than Mr Proust. I was so very grateful when he did not extend his lease, him being such an unpleasant sort of man. I cannot understand how he could have got it in his head that he could just snap his fingers and you would fall at his feet.’
While Mrs Bennet was not in fear of the future, like any good mother she was hoping to see all her daughters well settled into felicitous marriages, but she had abhorred the grasping, not to say lecherous and disrespectful, attitude of Mr Proust.
Now she was torn because the prospect of having an eligible gentleman living next door to Longbourn was enticing, but there was only one of him and she had three daughters of marriageable age, and she had arranged for the girls to spend the autumn in London. Perhaps if Mr Bingley arrived early enough, they could take his measure and if itseemed likely that one of the girls might make a match with him, she could still send the other two to her brother.
‘It would be quite agreeable to have some pleasant company,’ Jane answered noncommittally with a sweet smile. ‘And I would hope that I will not need Lizzy’s assistance in keeping our new neighbour at bay, as she was forced to do with Mr Proust.’
‘I confess that I was never more grateful that he found my appearance wanting. Otherwise, I might have been forced to have a footman accompany me on my rambles,’ Elizabeth added her condemnation of the previous tenant. Apart from books and esoteric debates with her father, she liked nothing better than going for long walks and enjoying nature. Mrs Bennet considered those occupations to be unladylike and they caused the lady to become vexed with her second daughter.
