“I’m getting to that. I just need a little liquid courage first. And you might want a little too, for what I’m about to tell you.”
“Very well.” Lydia held up her bottle to me, and knocked the whole thing back, slamming the glass down on the table. I tossed mine back too, the cheap whisky burning all the way down. I tossed the bottle on the desk and leaned forward.
“Here’s the thing, Lydia. A lot of stuff has changed since Jane Austen wrote your story. For one thing, we have refrigerators now, and we can keep our shitty whisky cold for occasions like this.” I coughed as the alcohol burned through my chest. “We also have feminism, which means you don’t have to find a husband in order to lead a rich and secure life.”
“Not this feminism larkagain.” Lydia’s lip curled back. “It sounds horrible.”
“I can assure you it’s actually quite fun. Feminism means that you don’t have to make decisions based on how amicable and eligible you will be to men. For example, you don’t know this yet, but when you ran away with Wickham, your family had to tear up and down the countryside to find you because they were worried about your reputation. Now, you can do whatever you want, and your reputation is fine. You could go to bed with Wickham and talk about it with your girlfriends the next day, and it would make you no less desirable as a wife. You can go to bed with anyone you choose and you don’t have to marry them.”
Lydia’s lip curled back. “Is this true?”
“Yes. Well, sort of. People love to gossip. They might say mean things about you behind your back, and call you a slut, because we haven’t quite smashed the patriarchy yet. That’s a whole other conversation.” Sensing Lydia glazing over, I gestured to the door that separated our rooms. “”Thepointis, Morrie may be your escort, but he’s already taken. By me.”At least, I hope he is.I thought of the ultimatum I’d given him last night. “And so is Heathcliff. And Quoth. I’m not married to any of them, but that doesn’t mean we can’t date and sleep together. We could even live together if we wanted.”
Lydia’s eyes were so large and round she should have had orbiting moons. “I never believed such a thing would be possible.”
“Why not? Lots of old stories have men with harems of women. Why shouldn’t it be the other way around? That’s feminism – equal rights for all. Now, the thing is, this having multiple partners thing is still not entirely socially acceptable. It’s the kind of thing we all know happens but we don’t talk about it.”
Lydia’s face perked up. “Oh, yes. Like how Father caught my sister Mary kissing Maria Lucas behind the stables.”
Okay, wow.I stifled a laugh. “Yes, exactly like that. It’s very important that you don’t tell anyone about me and the guys. This town is small, like Meryton, and some people won’t approve. Their disapproval could hurt all of us, including you.”
“But you just said—”
“I know what I just said.” I rubbed my temple, where a headache had started to blossom. “By Isis, it’s too early in the morning for this. It’s that patriarchy thing I told you about. I’ll give you a book to read when we get back to the shop. For now, let’s just say you can do whatever you want, as long as you aren’t flaunting it. Think of it this way – knowing Morrie is off the table only frees you up to enjoy any other man you might desire. Or a woman,” I added, thinking of what Morrie and I had unwittingly witnessed last night, and of what Lydia had just told me about her sister. “You could even have a woman, if you so chose.”
“Women freely cavort with other women?” Lydia gasped. “My mother is at this moment rolling in her grave, and Iloveit.”
I grinned. “Lydia, I think you’re going to really enjoy being a teenager in these times. There’s a reason ‘It’s complicated’ is the most popular relationship status on Facebook. Now, will you stop holding on so tight to Morrie – there’s a ball tonight, and a whole house filled with weird costumed freaks who would love to bed an actual Regency lady.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Lydia threw open her suitcase and started throwing dresses over her head. “Help me into this outfit. I need to looksensationaltoday if I’m to fill up the rest of my dance card for tonight. And we must hurry, for I don’t want to miss an opportunity to speak with David over breakfast.”
* * *
Lydia dressed in the muslin gown she’d arrived in, pinned her hair and adorned it with silk flowers she’d purchased from the market in Netherfield. As soon as she was satisfied that she was ready to receive an onslaught of gushing admirers, the three of us rose to make our way to the day’s activities. I kissed Quoth goodbye, running my hands through his black hair. “I’ll think of you all day long,” he said between kisses.
“You do that,” I kissed him. “We have the ball tonight, so—”
Quoth pointed to the bedroom window behind his head. “I’ve left that open wide enough so I can come in. But I think I’ll probably sit outside the ballroom and watch the ball. It’ll be fun to see the costumes and hear the band and watch you batter Heathcliff’s shins.”
I placed my hands on my hips and glared at him. “I’ll have you know I’m a fantastic dancer, thank you.”
“That’s a lie,” Heathcliff called from the hallway.
“Mina, let’s go!” Lydia dragged a distraught Moriarty toward the stairs.
I clung to Quoth, not wanting a whole day to go by where I didn’t see him. He laughed, pressing his lips to my forehead. “Just know that when you clomp around that dance floor tonight, I’ll be watching you.”
A delicious shiver ran down my spine at the thought. “I like that.”
Lydia barged through the door and grabbed my arm, dragging me away. “Christ, you’re more of a dawdler than my sister Jane, always with her head in the clouds.”
I waved goodbye as Lydia dragged me from the room and slammed the door behind me. Heathcliff wrenched me from her grasp and settled my hand on his arm. “Her method leaves much to be desired,” he murmured. “But I can’t argue with her logic. I heard the breakfast is quite something to behold, and my grumbling stomach has a mind to behold it.”
Breakfast was served in two large rooms off the main house kitchen. The walls had been whitewashed, and the normal furnishings removed and replaced with long banquet tables. My mouth watered when we approached the buffet. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was. Having a foursome must’ve worked off a hell of a lot of calories.
The food was arrayed in silver chafing dishes, with labels written in tiny print attached to the tops. I leaned over to read my choices.Scrambled egg? Yes, please.I dumped a spoonful on my plate.Pork and fennel breakfast sausages? Don’t mind if I do. Croissants with ham and cheese? I’ll take three—
“Excuse me, dear, but you shouldn’t breathe all over the food like that.”
