Page 45

Book 2 Chapter 7

“It is sad that you are able to return to Meryton for Charlotte’s wedding but that you are unable to stay for the wedding of your sister.”

“There is nothing I can do about that. Charlotte has invited me to stay at Lucas Lodge in the week before her wedding and I know that Sir William and Lady Lucas would be happy to accommodate me for the additional week until Kitty’s wedding. But I have no invitation, and I am not going to spoil Kitty’s day.

Elizabeth stopped and sighed.

“I suggested she use her full birth name, I must do better. I do not want to spoil Catherine’s day by turning up unannounced. You know Mrs. Bennet would make a scene, even at church. I will talk to Catherine while I am there for Charlotte and let her know she is in my thoughts. She is resigned to the wedding and seems to be in better spirits.”

“Mary too seems to be recovered. You are still sure that I should invite her to stay with me in London for two months?”

“Yes. It was your comment that Mr. Warburton’s brother knew several of the staff of the Archbishop that made me think of Mary. The older, and more successful, of the staff will be in the position to consider taking a wife. We both know that Mary would make a very good wife to an ambitious member of the church. She was overlooked by Mrs. Bennet and so it was Kitty that ended up as engaged to Mr. Collins. From what they have both written, he will never be anything more than a country parson, plus he will step down from his pulpit when he becomes Master of Longbourn. Mrs. Bennet will not look out for Mary so you and I shall.”

Elizabeth looked at her sister.

“Do you not agree? Are you having second thoughts?”

“No Lizzie, I still agree. I suppose I am troubled that we are effectively going behind the back of our parents with this plan.”

“Are we? Mrs. Bennet has squawked long and loud about wanting us all married. How can she complain if we aid her in this endeavour?”

“That is disingenuous in the extreme Lizzie.”

“That is the great thing about being disingenuous Jane. It is still true.”

Jane sighed but said no more. All she could do was try and rein in some of Elizabeth’s more outrageous suggestions. Unfortunately, the most outrageous were not discussed with her, she often found out after the event.

“Lizzie, Mama’s last letter was full of concerns of the hedgerows again. She wrote that Kitty, I mean Catherine was horrible to her at the dinner table, telling her that she would be leaving Longbourn when Papa passed on.”

There was no question there, but it did not stop Jane looked at Elizabeth for a response. She was not obliged.

“Lizzie, from what Mama wrote it sounded like you talking rather than Catherine. I know that you write to her regularly, did you coach her as to what to say?”

“Yes.”

Elizabeth was not going to lie to her sister. She might not volunteer any information but she would truthfully answer a direct question.

“Why?”

“I will not just say why not? Even although I am tempted. What I will say is that the matter needed to be addressed now, rather in the days after Papa’s death. Mrs. Bennet wrote in her letter to you that it was a great match for Catherine as she, meaning Mrs. Bennet, could stay at Longbourn. How long do you think that would have lasted before everything came to a head? There cannot be two Mistresses, as I wrote to Catherine. Mrs. Bennet needs to become reconciled to the fact that she will be moving to the dower house.”

“But there is no dower house!”

“And is that our sister’s fault? No! There has been 40 years for a dower house to be built, and yet there is still not one. Catherine will be mentioning this to Mr. Collins before their wedding and ensuring that he in turn mentions it to our father. It is time people started to fulfil their responsibilities.”

There was something about the way that Elizabeth said that last sentence that caught Jane’s attention. She looked at her sister in admiration.

“Lizzie Bennet, you devious, yet clever soul. You have organised that Mary will return to London with me after the wedding. And the new Mrs. Collins will be off to Kent.”

She did not have to say anything else. They both knew that Lydia would never do anything on the estate. Elizabeth looked at her with a wide smile, but hard eyes.

“And yes, Mr. Collins will be writing to both Mr. Bennet and Uncle Philips demanding that the provisions of the entail are fully met. The needs of the tenants cannot be ignored.”

“Uncle Gardiner should hide your copy of The Prince. I am not sure your repeatedly reading that volume is safe.”

Jane’s joke had an underlying seriousness to it. Elizabeth Bennet had become extremely ruthless.

--