Elizabeth and Kitty saw their father off, bundled in his greatcoat, hat, and muffler, and then the elder turned to the younger, saying, “I should like to see Lydia, and then I must speak to Mary. Will you mind sitting with Lydia while I do?”
“Not at all. I am so glad you are here, Lizzy!” Kitty embraced her quickly, then they turned as one to ascend the stairs. The thought that the house seemed very quiet flitted through her mind, but she pushed it aside. No doubt they would speak of their mother soon, but for the moment Lydia and Mary were foremost in her mind.
Mary’s eyes grew impossibly wide as she opened the door to Lydia’s chamber to find Elizabeth on the other side, Kitty beaming behind her. “How…?”
“The gentlemen of Netherfield escorted me here on their way to the church. Do not worry, all was proper,” Elizabeth replied with a smile.
“I had not even considered that,” Mary admitted. “I was only glad you had not walked three miles in this cold.” She glanced behind herself. “Lydia is stirring. She will be glad to see you, I think. Come in.” She stepped aside for her sisters, and Elizabeth reached the bed just as Lydia’s eyes fluttered open.
“Lizzy!” she breathed.
“Surprise!” Elizabeth smiled widely as she sat on the edge of the bed, allowing nothing of her distress to show at Lydia’s shrunken form, altered visage, and clouded left eye.
“Are you home to stay?”
“No, only for a few hours. I am breaking quarantine, though I think it acceptable because I am only visiting another house where the illness dwells. Still, best say nothing to Mr Jones,” she concluded with a wink, and was rewarded with a little chuckle, followed by a great yawn.
Elizabeth’s concern that even that little conversation had wearied Lydia she hid as well, saying only, “Why do you not take more rest? I will visit you again before I depart.”
Lydia nodded and allowed her eyes to close, and as Elizabeth stood Kitty came forward to take a place at the bedside. “Come, Mary,” Elizabeth whispered, reaching out for her middle sister. “Let us speak below.”
They settled into chairs by the fire in the parlour, and Elizabeth fixed her with a serious look. “Mary, I most certainly do not think you ought to give Lydia’s care over to Kitty, although now…now that Mama does not need her any longer, you should certainly allow her to help.”
Mary’s surprise at this pronouncement appeared so great as to render her speechless, and after a moment of waiting for a response which did not come, Elizabeth continued. “You are the natural person to see our sister through this crisis of confidence. You, my dear sister, have never cared a whit for appearances. Who better to now teach Lydia to value those qualities in herself which smallpox cannot scar? And who among us has the patience to assist her in re-learning those things which will be so different now, with her sight damaged? Again, I say that it is, obviously, you.”
“Do you truly believe that?” Mary asked in utter bewilderment.
“Oh, Mary.” Elizabeth’s head dropped, and she shook it slowly before raising it to face Mary with an expression of remorse. “I have not paid you the attention I ought to have done, as your elder. But you trusted me enough to ask me these questions, so I will request that you trust my answers. I am certain Kitty would take your place by Lydia’s side if you were to ask it of her, but I do truly believe that you are best suited to seeing her through those ailments which are not of the body.”
Mary looked shocked, and Elizabeth realised with no little regret that her sister had never before had anyone express confidence in her abilities. “I can hardly discount what you say, when I have specifically requested your guidance, and particularly when your wishes so neatly align with my own.”
“I am proud of you, Mary,” Elizabeth said emphatically. “You have performed excellently in a difficult situation, and I hope you never again doubt your own strength, for it is prodigious.”
* * *
Mr Bennet returned in the early afternoon, weary and windblown. Kitty helped him shed his heavy coat, and Elizabeth ran down the stairs to prepare for her departure. He smiled at them tiredly. “Well, my girls, it was not the send-off your mother would have wanted, but it was better than it might have been. Mr Jones and Sir William Lucas also attended, and they and the gentlemen from Netherfield even stayed for the burial. Captain Carter has taken upon himself the greater part of their daily visits in the neighbourhood, which allowed them to attend. You must remind me, Kitty, to write a note of thanks to each of them, in a few days. Lizzy, the gentlemen from Netherfield await you. Mr Darcy is having the curricle brought round.”
Elizabeth tied on her bonnet and gave her father a fond smile.
“They are a fine pair of gentlemen,” he added. “It was very good of them to come, and bring you to us.”
“It was, and I wish I had had more time with you today,” she said sadly, after kissing him on the cheek. “But my sisters had a greater need of the little time I could be away from Jane.”
“Indeed we did,” said Kitty. “We have spent most of it all together in Lydia’s room, Papa, and I do believe it perked Lydia up a bit.”
Not wishing to keep the gentlemen waiting, or the horses standing in the cold, Elizabeth’s farewells were hurried, and sooner than any of them would have wished, she was gone.
* * *
Caroline,
You will no doubt notice that the hand of this message is not my own. I have imposed upon my valet to serve as secretary for me in this instance, for his hand is vastly superior to my own and I wish that there should be no opportunity for misunderstanding of those things I am about to relate.
I received on the same day your letter and another from Hurst’s housekeeper informing me of the amount she will be required to disburse for the services of your companion. Let me be perfectly clear: in choosing to leave Netherfield against my wishes and all good sense, you created the need for a companion to lend you respectability, and I will not pay the price for your defiance. Her wages will come out of your funds. I have instructed my banker to release to you the quarterly interest from your dowry on or after 2 January, and if she expects her wages at the quarter-day as I suspect she does, you had best reserve it from the funds you currently have on hand. Mrs Burley has been instructed that she is not to be paid with the household. She is likely to expect a little something extra on Boxing Day as well, so I hope you have exercised prudence in your expenditures of late.
Henceforth, all bills I receive for anything of yours will be forwarded to my banker, who will pay them out of your next quarter’s funds. You have eight hundred a year in your own right, Sister, and I shall no longer fund your excesses. You are now responsible for your wardrobe, fripperies, subscriptions, &c. You may remain in Hurst’s townhouse for the time being, but I must caution you that he and Louisa approve of your actions no more than I do. Do not anticipate my own acquisition of a house in London, either, for I will not do so until I marry, and then will not subject any wife of mine to your selfishness and controlling ways.
It is likely that Parliament will convene in January, bringing many to the capital in advance of the Season. I advise you to use these next months well. Find yourself a husband, Caroline. Cease to wait for Darcy; he will not have you. This has been obvious to everyone for years, and only your own conceit blinds you to this reality. Find a man who enjoys London and needs your dowry, and if at all possible, try to consider the feelings and wishes of others on occasion, for this will help you secure a proposal. No man wants a wife unwilling to think of his comforts, you know.
