Page 17
Book 1 Chapter 6
Elizabeth, Mary and Kitty endured the next six months, keeping themselves busy around the estate, a necessity given the idleness of their parents. What was interesting to observe was how Mrs. Bennet appeared out of sorts. She had invested so much time and energy into getting Jane and Lydia married that she did not know how to deal with her remaining daughters. All had felt the lash of her tongue for years and made little effort to heal the distance with their mother.
Mrs. Bennet’s mood was not helped when she found out that Jane had requested her aunt to assist her during childbirth and not her mother. She received a note from Jane two weeks after the birth informing Mrs. Bennet that she had a granddaughter.
“I am so disappointed in Jane, what will her husband think. She knows the importance of an heir.”
There was nothing to be said about such utter balderdash, never mind the hypocrisy. But Mrs. Bennet was happiest when she was complaining about something, and Lydia was now forever cemented as the favourite by her marrying Mr. Collins.
“What are we going to do?”
Kitty’s question was plaintive but they all felt the same way. They had taken to meeting most evenings in Jane’s former bedroom and talking openly to each other. Elizabeth had been writing earlier in the day and she brought out the paper.
“The Uptons left after the harvest in the year ’10. Mr. Oliphant arrived late in that year but was not impressed by the estate. He stayed however once he saw Jane. I was despatched off to London with the Gardiners and over the winter of ’11 the match between Oliphant and Jane was agreed. They left in the April of that year. We had six months of quiet until the benighted party from Netherfield Park arrived.”
It was time to share with Kitty what had actually been said, and how all the rumours and surmise was in fact completely correct. Mrs. Ellis had told the truth.
“As you know I left within days and was away for three months. It took Mary a week longer to leave for London. At the end of November, despite the words, the promises, of Mr. Bingley the whole lot left and has not been heard of since. No communication to Mr. Green the steward and none to Uncle Philips as the agent for the Uptons.
“At roughly the same time our cousin arrived, having given notice the previous month when he would arrive. Yet our father decided it was best to spring him as a surprise on the family the morning of his arrival.”
None of them voiced words of condemnation but all three shook their heads. There was nothing that needed to be said.
“Lydia caught his attention immediately, and we all know which two things caught his attention first.”
“Lizzie!”
Although Mary rebuked her, as expected, there was no heat to the words. Given her own figure, Elizabeth was grateful to Jane for the excuse to be away from Longbourn. She shuddered to think that she might have been married to the fool.
“Lydia married and during the wedding breakfast Charlotte was introduced to Colonel Forster’s father, the retired General. Charlotte then decided this was the man for her and proceeded to cast off all her former thoughts and pronouncements and married him immediately. Every time I think back to our conversations about her now husband I cannot help but blush. I never thought I would hear Charlotte talk about torrid passions.”
Mary and Kitty blushed on cue. They all took a minute to settle.
“The reason I have recounted all this is to show how capricious our chance of marriage is. It all starts with the Uptons and their decisions to live in Bath. Mr. Oliphant comes to view the estate, is so unimpressed that he does not even ride the estate. But he sees Jane in Meryton and four months later they are married.
“Six months after that there are two single gentlemen in residence at Netherfield Park but nothing comes of it other than offending the whole neighbourhood. Mr. Bingley is an utter milquetoast, I am surprised his sister lets him wear trousers.”
On cue.
“Lizzie!”
“Have I lied Mary? And the other man, he does not deserve the title of gentleman, is rude. And not just to me but to eight or nine of our neighbours who invited him into their house. Mr. Bingley’s absence can be felt on the estate, Mr. Darcy’s absence is to be celebrated.
“Then the heir to Longbourn turns up. Mary and I are fortunately away, Kitty’s figure is not to his liking and all of a sudden Lydia is first engaged and then early in the new year she is married off to the dribbling fool. And do not say ‘Lizzie!’ to me Mary. Again, I do not lie. At the breakfast the General is introduced to Charlotte and they are married three weeks later.”
She paused and looked at her two sisters.
“Five single men arrive in the neighbourhood in little over a year, three of them leave married. And we should all be grateful that no one caught the eye of either Mr. Bingley or Mr. Darcy.”
Another pause.
“You will note that none of these marriages have been between a local man and a local woman. There have been several tenant marriages I will allow, but not to any of the gentry. It has been six months since Charlotte’s wedding and the most notable thing that has happened is that the Militia left for Brighton. I did not include them in the list of eligible men as they are paid far too poorly to be worthy of the title eligible.”
“What does that mean Lizzie?”
“It means we must go to where the single men are, eligible single men. And even in a city as great as London where there will be eligible men, will we be eligible women? We still have no dowry other than our mother’s portion. It took Jane’s beauty and Lydia’s body to persuade their husbands to offer for them.”
“And Charlotte?”
