Whispers and Wickedness
By Sophie Forsyth
Chapter 1
Gracechurch Street bustled with lively chatter and clamour, but Elizabeth Bennet hardly took notice as her carriage pulled to a halt. She peered up at her aunt and uncle’s home, a tidy brick building with handsome red shutters, hoping to spot her sister in a window.
She had thought herself so clever to suggest that Jane return to London with the Gardiners! It had seemed the perfect solution to the low spirits resulting from Mr Bingley’s sudden departure from Netherfield Park.
Only, matters had not turned out quite as Elizabeth had hoped. Jane sounded cheerful in her letters, but Elizabeth did not trust the happy tidings she reported. Her sister had not yet seen either Caroline Bingley or her brother, despite having received correspondence from Miss Bingley, no doubt full of empty promises. It was only too like Jane to hide her sorrows at the lack of connection — both with Miss Bingley and her brother — behind a smile and pleasant words.
Determined to lift her sister’s spirits and chase away the shadows of heartbreak, Elizabeth marched up to the Gardiner’s front door. The smell of horses, coffee, and bread waftedthrough the air, and the calls of friends meeting, shop boys loudly advertising their wares, and the laughter of girls as they swept up the street towards the shops hummed in her ears.
Before she could lift her hand to knock, Mrs Gardiner swung open the front door and welcomed her niece with a warm smile. “Lizzie, what a relief to see you! Come in, come in. Jane is in the drawing room.”
Elizabeth pressed her aunt’s hands. “How is she, truly?”
Mrs Gardiner’s lips thinned. The hesitation confirmed Elizabeth’s suspicions about her sister’s pretence at happiness.
“Jane is well enough, but she will be even better now that you are here.” With that, Mrs Gardiner looked fondly up at her brood, who had congregated on the stairs. Though they had seen their cousin scant weeks ago during the Gardiner’s Christmas visit to Longbourn, renewed shyness prevented them from descending.
Elizabeth removed her cloak, and after bidding her cousins good day, hastened to the drawing room.
To Elizabeth’s relief, Jane looked entirely healthy and as lovely as ever. She sat near the window with a book open and forgotten on her lap. Hearing Elizabeth’s footsteps, she raised her eyes to meet her company, and seeing who it was, her countenance lit with joy. She jumped to her feet, arms open to embrace her sister.
“Lizzie, I am so glad to see you!”
Elizabeth stepped into her arms as a wave of relief pulsed through her. Whatever troubled Jane, it had not dimmed her light completely. Breaking away from her, she peered into Jane’sface carefully. She was a touch thinner in her cheeks, faint dark rims lined her eyes, and her arms had trembled slightly.
She cupped her sister’s face. “Oh, Jane,” she said softly. “If you tell me you are happy, I shall not believe it until you smile.”
Jane offered a quavering lift of her lips. “I am happy you are here.”
Elizabeth guided her sister back to her seat and settled herself beside her. She brushed her hand fondly over her hair as she spoke. “And your happiness shall extend past my arrival. We’ll go to every shop, theatre, and walk every street in London. You will feel like yourself again soon, I promise.”
Jane laughed softly. “You make everything sound so simple, Lizzie.” Her smile warmed, but Elizabeth caught the flicker of worry in her sister’s eyes.
Before she could press the matter further, the Gardiner children, who had finally gained their courage, surrounded them and began chattering so loudly and with such enthusiasm that all confidential conversation was at an end. They passed the morning most pleasantly, sharing news and watching the children play games. Elizabeth shared their mother’s latest excitements, Kitty and Lydia’s scamps and squabbles, and Mary’s new determination for moral improvement. They spoke about Hertfordshire, and soon colour returned to Jane’s cheeks.
But when Mrs Gardiner departed to oversee the midday meal, taking her brood with her, the mood took a sudden turn. Jane reached for her book, but did not open it. Instead, she sighed and brushed her fingers over the cover.
Elizabeth seized her moment. “You need not pretend with me. You have been out of sorts for weeks. No, do not deny it! I know your heart, Jane. So does our aunt. Tell me what has been troubling you. Is it the Bingleys?”
Jane placed her book gently to the side. “They have been otherwise engaged, I think.”
“They have been so occupied they could not spare a note or visit, even knowing you are in the same city?” she asked pointedly.
Her sister blushed. “Do not be unkind, Lizzie. London is a large city, and their time is not entirely their own. There are many social engagements they must attend to, I’m sure.”
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. “I am aware London is a large city, but they have a carriage, do they not?”
Jane tried to smile again, but the attempt was painfully unconvincing. Her gaze fell to her hands, placed carefully in her lap. “I believe they mean well. Miss Bingley has written to me. More than once.”
Elizabeth made a noise in her throat that conveyed her scepticism. She had never held Miss Bingley in high regard, and her cold treatment of Jane since her arrival in London only proved that she was right to feel less than charitable towards her.
Ever optimistic, Jane continued, although Elizabeth suspected she was merely trying to convince herself to remain positive. “Perhaps they have good reason for not calling. They may be occupied with matters we know nothing about.”
Elizabeth took her sister’s hand in her own. “You give them every benefit of every doubt.”
