She understood it was her Christian duty to forgive, and that she had done. Forgiving her parents on the one hand and wanting to see them again or feel sympathy for the situation of their own making on the other hand, were very different things.
As a footnote, her father wrote the Gardiners had purchased Netherfield Park and were now in residence there with theirfivechildren. She understood from her father’s message Lizzy was no longer named Bennet—at least that was one thing she had in common with the sister she had wronged so terribly.
Mr. Collins had reiterated how important it was for her to report anything the parishioners said about his esteemed patroness, or anything else they told her in confidence, to him. Jane felt no guilt about lying to his face and telling him she had heard nothing but respect expressed for the great lady.
Her friendship with Anne de Bourgh was proceeding anon. Mrs. Jenkinson facilitated meetings between them of which neither Anne’s mother nor Jane’s husband were aware. During a recent meeting, Jane shared what she had written to the Bishop of Kent.
The next time they met, Anne gave Jane a letter to the Bishop to post the next time she was in Hunsford. Anne told Jane she had confirmed everything Jane had written and in addition that Mr. Collins had not been appointed to the living legally, as he was appointed after her birthday when she had turned three and twenty. It was the date that Anne became the owner and legal mistress of Rosings Park.
Without explaining what she meant, Anne told Jane not to worry. If she were ever left homelesswhen—Anne said when,not if—her husband was defrocked for his transgressions against church law, Jane would not be left to fend for herself. Anne told Jane that around Easter of this year all would be put to rights, without going into detail.
Jane was once again being called an angel, but now it was not because of her looks or a put on serene countenance. Those in need of assistance in the parish thought her heaven-sent. She went as far as to dole out her meagre pin money to those who needed it more.
If a lady of the house was sick, Jane would care for her children, clean, cook—whatever was needed was done. As much as her husband was reviled by those in the area, Jane Collins was loved.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Just before three, the Bennet carriage brought Mary and Kitty to Netherfield Park. “Lizzy!” Both girls yelled in unison as the first person they saw when the door was opened by one they still considered their sister.
Both had tried to write to Lizzy, but their mother burnt their letters and punished them for disobeying her. “Mary, Kitty! It is so good to see you after almost three months.” Elizabeth opened her arms and her younger sisters hugged her back with gusto.
“We did not think you would want to see us again,” Mary admitted.
“I do not hold you accountable for the actions of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and the former Jane Bennet. I hope you have realised none of them are people on which to model your behaviour,” Elizabeth assured them.
The Gardiners led the three into the drawing room, where it was just the five of them. Madeline Gardiner called for tea and after cake was consumed and tea drunk, Gardiner looked at the two Bennet sisters.
“Did your father inform you of the purpose of today’s visit, girls?” Gardiner asked kindly.
“No,” Kitty spoke for the first time. “He just told us we would be able to choose a better life than the one we have had up until now.”
“You girls know what is about to happen to your mother, do you not?” Madeline asked gently.
“Papa has not said much except Mama is in the town gaol. Lydia has not made any sense since she returned from Netherfield Park babbling about Bedlam,” Mary informed the Gardiners.
“There is no way to know why, but we believe, and your father agrees, that your mother has gone insane. It is sad, but she will need to be committed to an institution like Bedlam,” Gardiner explained. “I will not allow my sister to go to the public part of Bedlam if the doctors recommend she be assigned there. Regardless of the way she treated Lizzy, I do not want her to be viewed like a wild animal at a menagerie.”
“I have always harboured such a suspicion. Her talk of Lizzychoosingto be born a girl and cursing her so Mama would not birth a son made me wonder,” Mary shared.
“There were many signs that we all dismissed. Many of them we simply explained away as her selfishness,” Madeline opined.
“The reason you are here today is to ask if you would like to live with us,” Gardiner broached the core reason the two sisters were present. “With your mother no longer living in the home, your father has admitted he will not be able to protect and look after you as he should. Would you like to talk to Lizzy first before you decide? Know we will not force a choice on you; it is up to you.”
Mary and Kitty were shocked into silence, so they simply nodded. Gardiner and Madeline stood and exited the drawing room, closing the door quietly behind them.
“It is a shock, but I can understand it. Remember, I did not have a choice,” Elizabeth opened. “Let me tell you something. Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Collins did not intend it, but they did me the greatest of favours. I will not lie to you—it took me time to be able to see that, but I have never been happier than I am with Mother and Father. Sorry, you know them as Aunt Maddie and Uncle Edward.
“There are no favourites in this household.Every oneof their children are loved and valued equally regardless of if they are children of Mother’s body or not. You willneverhear your aunt and uncle denigrate any of their children; they do not make anyone feel less than because they are different looking or do not resemble them.” Elizabeth paused and let her words sink in.
“You mean Aunt Gardiner would never tell me I am plain and nothing to her other daughters?” Mary asked softly as a few tears escaped before she could stop them.
“No, Mary, never!” Elizabeth assured her younger sister. “And you know what?” Mary shook her head as she dried her eyes. “What your mother told you, and you Kitty, was all lies. Mary, you are no less pretty just because you do not look like her. If you remove the glasses you do not need, and change your hair and style of dress, you will see for yourself. The same goes for you, Kitty. She always told you that you were nothing to Lydia because your hair is light brown and your eyes are hazel, like Mary’s. The only thing Mrs. Bennet looked for were physical attributes which fit her idea of beauty, which washerself.”
“If I want to pursue my drawing and painting, will anyone make fun of me?” Kitty asked tentatively.
“No, no one will. Not only that, but Mother and Father will employ any masters that are needed. You will both be loved, just as I am,” Elizabeth related.
“What about our last name? Will we have to change it as you did? Mama ranted about your pretentions of taking the Gardiner name after she returned from London,” Kitty enquired.
