“Outside of the family I am called Catherine, or Lady Catherine now. The girls are Georgiana Darcy who is sixteen, and Lady Tiffany Fitzwilliam, Jane’s betrothed’s sister, and Lady Lorretta De Melville, the daughter of Lord and Lady Jersey, who are both seventeen so we are all close in age.” Kitty smiled as she held her sister’s hand.
“When Lizzy wrote that she had accepted a courtship from the man that she used to hate, Mr Darcy, I was flabbergasted. Mr Darcy who used to look at Lizzy to find fault and called her ‘not tolerable enough to tempt’ him before they had even spoken a word to one another! You will have to tell me the whole story when we are home. Wickham told me that Miss Darcy is very proud and arrogant. Is that true or was that, like everything else that he told me, a lie?” Lydia was grateful for the chance to prove she knew the truth and had learned from her mistake. Her mother took her hand and Lydia turned and met her eyes when she felt the gentle squeeze.
“My dear girl, I have to inform you that Mr Wickham is dead. He was shot while trying to desert his unit in battle, and yes, nothing that he said was true. Some of his utterances may have had a kernel of truth in them, but they were surrounded by lies and deceptions. You will not mourn for him, will you Lyddie?” the Countess held her breath, watching as Lydia’s face contorted as her daughter contemplated the question.
“No Mama, I do not mourn that desultory, lying manipulator at all. I was just thinking how close I came to allowing a practiced seducer to ruin me and the family for no other reason than his own selfish desires. When the headmistress informed me about the true nature of the dastard, it finally permeated my thick skull even though you and Papa had tried to tell me many times before. I thank all of you for the forbearance that you have shown me.”
She looked straight at her father who was sitting on the rear facing seat next to her sister. “Papa, I am no longer that silly, flighty, flirtatious girl that used to chase after any man in regimentals. That is a vow that I make to you and all of my family.”
Her father reached across the carriage and took and squeezed her hands. “I know that Lydia, and you make me very proud to see what a worthy young lady you are becoming.” He smiled gently.
“Thank you, Papa.” Lydia replied simply with a quiver in her voice and tears of happiness pooling in her eyes, grateful to no longer feel her father’s disapprobation.
To lighten the mood, Kitty told her sister about the school that they would attend together when the new school year started in August. Kitty would only attend finishing school for one more term. Lydia would be a pupil for the full school year. The youngest Bennet showed unbridled joy when she was told that she would reside at Bennet House when the family was in residence during the season. She felt a little maudlin when she thought about how much she would miss Helen Jacobson during the coming school year.
As they had time in transit to their home in London, Kitty and their parents filled in the gaps in Lydia’s knowledge of the relationship between Darcy and their second oldest sister from Hunsford until the granting of a courtship. All agreed that the two had certainly had a tempestuous relationship, but it seemed that the blistering setdown Lizzy had delivered him had bettered the man and had not cooled his ardour for her.
When her family informed her about the comeuppance that Caroline Bingley had received and her attempted attack on Lizzy, Lydia was disgusted and not very nonplussed as she could see how the woman would do anything in furtherance of her delusions. She was saddened for the other two Bingleys, but clearly saw that they had done nothing to check their sister no matter how outlandish her behaviour became.
‘That could have been me,’ Lydia ruminated, ‘I was selfish and blind in my naiveté. Was I not delusional as well? I will thank God every day that I finally saw the error of my ways. My family loved me enough to correct me. No matter how I reacted, the tantrums, my horrendous behaviour, even promising things I never actually intended to follow through with, they stayed the course and had faith that I would learn and correct the direction of my life. Rather than a ruined family because of my reproachful behaviour, look at how different, how much better my life will be now. As much as I fought against it and hated my time in the scullery, Mrs Gilbert knew exactly what she was about. How I will miss Helen, I will write more than once a week!’ Soon after her introspection, Lydia curled up on the very comfortable seat with her head against the squabs and fell into a restful sleep and her mother lovingly placed a travel blanket over her followed by her arm as she gently drew her youngest’s head into her lap.
Chapter 20
Lydia was a very happy girl as she sat waiting her turn to be measured by one of Madame Chambourg’s seamstresses. That morning before heading to Bond Street, the three girls that Kitty had told her of had been shown into Bennet House’s family sitting room and it was not long before the three had welcomed Lydia into their group with open arms. It was not many minutes later that she was asked to call each by her first name. She felt an affinity to Georgiana that she would never have imagined before that morning. As much as a shock the grandeur of her home and her bedchamber and rooms had been, the discussion that she had with Miss Darcy, the revelation that the girl had made in private after Lydia mentioned the name Wickham, had stupefied and mortified her. Her mind drifted back to their conversation, which was so powerful she could recall it word for word.
“Lydia, that, as my brother refers to him, wastrel did not manage to ruin you, did he?” Georgie asked fearfully.
“No Georgie, although at the time I was both outraged and resentful that my Papa separated me from him, I did nothing beyond one or two very chaste kisses. I see now that he was grooming me for more. I thank God that he did not succeed,” Lydia admitted as she blushed with shame.
“He came very close to ruining me. I see your shocked look, but it is true. My brother and my cousin, who are my co-guardians, know all except this part. I have never shared this with anyone, but I feel the need to confide in you as we almost committed the same folly with the same man.” Georgiana took Lydia’s hand in her own so they could give each other strength.
“I vow that I will keep your confidence and I am happy to hear what you have to say,” Lydia had said while at the same time petrified about what she was about to hear.
“You have heard tell that I almost eloped with him while I was under the care of his cohort in Ramsgate?” Lydia had nodded her agreement, “As you know, my brother arrived unexpectedly two days before the planned elopement.” Georgiana smiled thinly, still grateful that he had despite the time passed.
“Yes, my family relayed the facts to me on the way back from school yesterday,” Lydia admitted softly.
“What no one was aware of is that he had started to tell me that if I truly loved him then I would demonstrate it by anticipating our vows.” Georgiana had the shame and disquiet written on her countenance.
“T-that is exactly what he told me! I would have allowed him to have me in another day or two had my parents not put me back in and made sure that I would not be able to escape Longbourn,” Lydia gasped.
“He had convinced me as well! Lydia, you are not the only one. In fact, I know now that we are two of the lucky few as he ruined many naïve girls with the same manipulation. I had agreed to lie with him the night that my brother arrived. At first, I was humiliated and shameful when I comprehended that the only reason that he wanted to anticipate our vows was to guarantee that even if my guardians found out, they would have to allow him to marry me!” Georgiana finally vented her anger at him.
“Thank the Lord on High that your brother arrived when he did. I understand that that…wastrel,” she smiled at Georgiana who nodded that she used the appropriate word, “was hoping to get your dowry and revenge himself for his own problems that he blamed on your brother.”
“Correct, except he did not know that without prior permission from both guardians, he would have received not a single penny of my dowry. When my brother enlightened him of the restrictions on my dowry, he became verbally abusive and showed me his true character as he denigrated both my brother and me.” Georgiana blushed in shame.
Lydia, although she still censured herself for her foolish ways, was now sanguine about the ways of men and concluded that although the rules of propriety were not equally applied to men and women in society, she understood the need for said rules and made a solemn pledge to herself that she would always follow the rules, no matter how hard.
‘Georgie and I are bonded for life by our very narrow escapes. All of this,’ she looked around the exclusive store that had been closed to all others besides their party, ‘would have been lost to me. But more salient is the fact that my family would have been lost to me too.’ Rather than become maudlin, Lydia smiled and looked at Georgiana. “I submit that we both have had a tough lesson, and now can look toward the present and future much more wisely than we once may have. Let us follow some of Lizzy’s advice to only think of the past as the remembrance gives us pleasure,” Lydia offered, smiling with Georgiana knowing that together they would look forward to their futures with much better judgement.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Lord Longbourn stood on the dock where ‘The Whippet,’ the Dennington Lines ship that made the London to Liverpool run, was tied up. Bingley had arrived a short time ago with his sister Louisa in tow who was presented with her annulment papers. Louisa Bingley was not surprised that Mr Hurst had made good on his threat, just the speed at which it was accomplished. Brother and sister looked everywhere but at their sister when she had been carried, bound and gagged, down to the brig of the ship looking much worse for wear.
“Mr Bingley,” the Earl called to gain his attention.
“Yes, Lord Longbourn?” Bingley prayed that the Earl was not about to impose further punishment on them.
