Elizabeth, finally filled with a sense of peace after the adventures of the last few months, gazed about herself, taking in every detail of the room where she had spent most of her life. No matter how splendid the house in London might be, Longbourn remained the enchanted place where she had enjoyed a cheerful childhood and a delightful adolescence, nurtured by parents who had placed their daughters’ happiness above all else.
Her eyes shone joyfully as she looked at her sisters, mother, and aunt, who gathered around her in a circle of delight. Even Mary, usually reserved, seemed to partake in the elation, and Elizabeth recalled the promise she had made to herself—to look after her.
“I am going to Brighton with Mrs Forster,” Lydia declared gleefully, launching into a torrent of details about her friendship with that lady.
“And Aunt Gardiner has invited us to London,” Kitty added, glancing at Mary with less enthusiasm. She had wished to accompany Lydia, but only her younger sister had been invited.
“I do not think I shall go to London,” Mary said, and at that moment, a plan took root in Elizabeth’s mind.
“What if you came with me to Pemberley tomorrow?” she suggested. In the next instant, under the astonished gazes of the other ladies, Mary embraced Elizabeth—a gesture no one could recall her making since she was a child.
“Yes!” Mary exclaimed with rare enthusiasm, and for a fleeting moment, even Lydia and Kitty felt a twinge of regret. But only for an instant, for so many things had happened in Elizabeth’s absence, the conversation soon erupted into lively chatter. For several hours, she was once more the girl who had left for Kent, unaware of what the future held for her.
∞∞∞
They gathered again at dinner, and after the delightful afternoon Elizabeth had spent with her family, she found herself admiring the dining-room, which gleamed beneath the chandelier—lit only on exceptional occasions—its reflections dancing across the fine china, the ‘best set’ gifted to Mrs Bennet upon her marriage by her godmother and which Elizabeth had seen used only in recent years, as the daughters had come of age.
Indeed, Mrs Reynolds seemed to admire the porcelain plates, edged with a broad band of gold, their elegance lying in their simplicity. And when the food arrived, it was apparent that Mrs Bennet had, as always, prepared a veritable feast.
“What have you been doing in Meryton?” Elizabeth asked of the gentlemen. She was not particularly curious, but she still dreaded her mother and aunt’s preferred topics of conversation.
“Mr Darcy wrote to me some time ago,” her uncle responded, “asking me to find someone to oversee the management of Longbourn, and Mr Balfour has come to speak to the man I have chosen.”
Elizabeth forgot to eat, so astonished was she by her uncle’s words. The revelation brought back all she had left behind in London, and the pain that had momentarily receded returned with redoubled force. At every step, she encountered Darcy’s care and love. She wondered what she could offer in return, how she could ever repay him for the life he was bestowing upon her—not only for her sake but for her family’s as well.
“I liked the gentleman,” she heard at last, returning to the present and the conversation unfolding around the table.
“We shall do here as we do at Pemberley,” Mr Balfour continued, “and I am certain Mr Smith understands our expectations. Longbourn’s revenues must increase in the coming years.”
“And Papa finally has the life he has always wanted,” Elizabeth said with elation.
“Reading all day long,” said Mrs Bennet, yet without the acid tone she usually used when referring to her husband’s love for books that made him absent from his family’s life.
“Yes, dear mother!” exclaimed Elizabeth. “And he already has a trunk full of books from London.”
They all laughed, picturing Mr Bennet secluded in his library.
“And that means more time for us at Aunt Phillips’s house and in Meryton,” cried Lydia, for it was well known that Mr Bennet required his daughters to spend two hours each morning in the library—a blessing for Elizabeth, Jane, and Mary, yet an ordeal for Lydia, and ostensibly for Kitty, who followed her younger sister in all things.
“That will not happen,” Elizabeth said with a smile. “You need those hours to acquire an education.”
“We are ‘educated’ enough!” Lydia exclaimed in that lively, playful tone that never failed to bring smiles, no matter the company.
“You are mistaken,” said Mary with great seriousness. “In this day and age, gentlemen prefer accomplished ladies—even officers.”
Elizabeth smiled at her words and felt compelled to add for their guests, “Father was not very pleased when a militia regiment arrived in Hertfordshire for the winter.”
“Mr Bennet exaggerates the matter,” said Mrs Bennet. “If it were up to him, the whole world would spend their days at home reading.” On many occasions that winter, she hadpermitted the girls to visit the officers without Mr Bennet’s knowledge.
“Not entirely,” said Mr Phillips. “While there are true gentlemen among the officers, such as Colonel Forster and Mr Denny, the militia also harbours certain…undesirable elements.”
Elizabeth regarded her uncle closely, attempting to discern whether he knew anything of Colonel Fitzwilliam’s suspicions. Her uncle likely knew only what her father had written to him, and Elizabeth realised that she did not know either how much her father had learnt of the story or what he had written to Mr Phillips.
Before she could enquire further, Lydia spoke again.
“Not here among us, Uncle! We know all the officers—none of them are dangerous.”
“There, you are mistaken,” said Mr Phillips. “Among us was one who was most dangerous indeed. One whom we welcomed into our homes, unaware of his true nature.”
