Page 29 of A Different Impression

Once they had obeyed, he looked from his wife to his youngest daughter and spoke with deliberate firmness.

“Mrs Bennet. Lydia. As I have explained to you both on several occasions now, Lydia has no business being out. She is too young and far too immature for society.” His gaze settled on his wife. “Mrs Bennet, I would like you to explain to our youngest daughter why you were wrong to suggest that kissing boys—or men, particularly officers whose history we do not know—is acceptable behaviour. Then you may explain what conduct is appropriate for a young girl who is not yet out.”

“Whatever do you mean, Mr Bennet?” Mrs Bennet asked, looking genuinely perplexed.

Bennet stared at her for a moment. He had known his wife was foolish and flighty; he had not fully understood until now how dangerous that foolishness had become.

“Lydia believes that the quickest way to ‘catch a husband’ is to allow a man, particularly an officer, to kiss her. She believes, based on what she heard from you, that kissing will lead to an engagement and that officers are eligible suitors,” Bennet explained, his patience already waning.

“What is wrong with that?” Mrs Bennet asked, looking surprised.

For one terrible moment, Bennet wondered whether he had been the only sensible adult in his daughters’ lives for years—and had simply chosen not to act. Then he remembered that Elizabeth and Jane had enjoyed the steady influence of the Gardiners, which explained much of their good sense.

“Mrs Bennet, have you forgotten so soon everything we spoke of earlier this week? Officers, particularly those in the militia, are not eligible merely because they wear a handsome uniform. Most can barely afford their own food and lodgings on their pay.”

He paused until both his wife and Lydia were at least looking at him before continuing.

“Unless they receive a generous allowance from their families, they have very little to live on until they reach the rank of colonel or higher. If Lydia were to marry such a man, she would live without servants or fine clothes and would be responsible for cooking and cleaning in whatever lodgings her husband could afford.”

Lydia’s expression shifted at that, and Bennet felt a grim satisfaction. At last, he had found an argument that seemed to reach her.

“And that assumes he remains in one place,” he continued. “A wife of an officer may be expected to follow the drum, moving from town to town with little comfort and even less certainty.”

He let the words settle for a moment.

“There would be precious little pin money for ribbons, dresses, or any of the other furbelows on which you waste yours. You might receive a small amount from me or your mother, but it would not be enough for the life you live now.”

Again, Bennet waited, hoping at least one of them had grasped the reality he had laid before them. Judging by Lydia’s sulky expression and his wife’s continued bewilderment, he feared he had been overly optimistic.

Bennet then fixed his youngest daughter with a hard look. “And this all assumes that the man is honourable and does not take more than just a kiss. Or that he offers for you after taking such a liberty. A real lady does not allow such liberties before she is engaged, at the very least. Even then, liberties should still not be allowed, particularly those of a more intimate nature, until after one is wed.”

Bennet shook his head in disbelief. Turning to his wife, he asked, “Mrs Bennet, what does your daughter know about appropriate behaviour with men? What have you taught her? That is, if you have ever taught her anything beyond flirting.”

Deciding Lydia needed time to consider what he had said, he addressed her once more.

“Lydia, I will see you in the morning when we discuss your reading. I expect you to have it completed by then,” he told her as he stood to exit.

His gaze travelled from his youngest daughter to his wife. The more he observed them together, the more convinced he became that Lydia’s faults had not developed in isolation. “Mrs Bennet, it seems we need to have yet another conversation, although I believe sending Lydia to school and hiring a governess for Kitty will be best since what is appropriate behaviour for young ladies appears to be beyond you.”

He led Mrs Bennet from the room and locked the door on Lydia. A loud crash sounded almost immediately from the other side of the door. Bennet closed his eyes briefly. So much for hoping his words had penetrated.

“I will expect your pin money to pay for whatever you broke, Lydia. And you must clean it up if you intend to be served dinner this evening.”

Mrs Bennet gasped in outrage at Lydia’s treatment and attempted to berate her husband. That lasted only a moment before he fixed her with another hard look, and she immediately stopped speaking. “Mrs Bennet, I will remind you that I am the head of this family. I have failed you and our daughters, but I intend to remedy that. I do not know if Lydia can be corrected, but I will not allow her to taint the rest of our daughters with her misguided and foolish behaviour. You must see that Lydia is headed for ruin if she continues unchecked?”

“I do not see it, Mr Bennet. I do not know what you speak of or why you find it necessary to be so harsh on my dear Lydia all of a sudden,” she moaned.

The words struck Bennet harder than he cared to admit. If even now his wife failed to recognise the danger, the task before him was greater than he had imagined.

“I am being harsh on our youngest so she does not ruin our family. She has not learnt proper behaviour, and you seem incapable of teaching her the correct way to behave,” Mr Bennet said. “She will go to school soon to see if her behaviour can be amended.”

Mrs Bennet continued to protest, repeating many of the same complaints she had voiced throughout the week. Bennet waited until she finally exhausted herself.

“I am beginning to wonder if hiring a companion for you would not be better than hiring one for our girls. Mary will improve with wider reading and perhaps by hiring a music master. Kitty has already improved by being away from Lydia and observing her elder sisters. Some education would benefit her as well, but she might do well by simply visiting Mrs Gardiner, since that is where Jane and Lizzy learnt proper comportment. That might be possible in the spring,” he concluded.

Even as the words left his mouth, Bennet realised the notion was not entirely absurd. His wife had long lacked the guidance she should have received herself.

“Whatever would I do with a companion, Mr Bennet? Oh, why are you so cruel to me? Oh, my poor nerves,” she moaned.