Page 4

“Lizzie please.”

Her nerves were frayed and her patience, never her strongest suit, was hanging by a thread.

“You insisted you needed to visit Longbourn. I will walk.”

Paul Philips saw at least two people staring at them from down the street. He did not need any more gossip.

“Paul, why are you allowing Lizzie to act this way?”

“I am her uncle, not her father. She is right, you insisted on joining us, effectively pushing her out of the buggy. Now our neighbours are staring at us, looking for gossip.”

Martha Philips was one of the premier gossips of the small town. But she was not so keen to be the subject of that gossip. She sat quietly, although staring mulishly ahead. Philips was just glad for the peace and quiet, even if only for a few minutes.

They arrived at Longbourn and Martha Philips immediately went to her sister. Which just made matters worse, as other than the fact there was news, and it involved Elizabeth, she knew none of the details. Bennet was all but dragged by Philips through to his study, the door firmly closed.

“There is a major problem for the family.”

Philips’ recitation took less than a quarter of an hour. Even Thomas Bennet could not dismiss this with a sardonic remark. Philips gave him no place to hide.

“You know as well as I do that everyone will look for the most scandalous angle, which was articulated last night by Caroline Bingley. In the presence and within the hearing of most of the servants, as well as the rest of the party, and Elizabeth’s sister. Which is a problem that Elizabeth refuses to discuss. There is something there, I saw a flash of anger before she got her mask back in place.”

“No one can understand why his wife married him. Why would anyone believe that Lizzie would attempt an assignation with him? It is beyond absurd. He is a fat, drunken.”

Bennet stopped.

“I was going to say oaf, but no one has heard him make any utterances other than on food, drink and cards. He could be a second Newton, however unlikely that is, and no one would know. Elizabeth may not be as openly devout as Mary but to ascribe any wrong doing to her is, is.”

Another pause.

“It is a sin.”

Philips did not disagree.

“I know Bennet, I know. But in the court of society mores, in public morals, a woman in Lizzie’s position is guilty until proven innocent. Which is impossible, so therefore she is guilty.”

He looked at his brother-in-law with a heavy heart.

“And her other sisters will feel the sting of this as well. And to call it a sting is to understate it. There is a chance that this disgrace, her perceived disgrace, will attach to them.”

Philips guessed, correctly as he later discovered, that Jane had already made that leap.

Their quiet sad musings were rudely interrupted as Mrs. Bennet burst into the room. Philips was struck by the way she entered and by Elizabeth’s description of waking up to Hurst bursting into her room.

“Mr. Bennet, this is intolerable. I know that hoyden as done something. I demand to know what she has done this time. If she has disrupted Jane’s courtship then I will never forgive her.”

It was a measure of Bennet’s mood that he ignored the obvious tease about a mythical courtship.

“The only hoyden I see is the woman who barges into my study without a by your leave. Do not talk to me that way in my own home. In fact, do not talk to me in that way anywhere. Now get out and close the door, quietly, behind you.”

Fanny Bennet, for once in her life, realised she had overstepped the mark. She did as she was bid and returned to the dining room.

“Mr. Bennet is never like that with me. It is even worse than we feared.”

It was unfortunate timing that, before the two sisters could try to outdo each other with ever more inventive catastrophes, Elizabeth returned home.

“Lizzie Bennet, come here immediately. What have you done now? I have complained to Mr. Bennet about your hoydenish ways but he always ignores me and I am left to suffer in silence. Well not this time. I demand to know why you were talking to your Uncle Philips at the crack of dawn.”

Mrs. Bennet’s dulcet tones had echoed through the house. Elizabeth’s three younger sisters all arrived, the appearance of hastily getting dressed on all of them. Before Elizabeth could say anything her father interrupted.