Miss Bennet & Mr Bingley (29 page)

He realized Caroline was not popular with the staff; they would be happy
to see her depart immediately.

 
* * * *

Two days following Mr Bennet’s return Jane and Elizabeth were walking in
the shrubbery behind the house enjoying half an hour’s respite from their
duties.

‘Lizzy, is that not Hill approaching. I do hope Mama is not unwell.’

‘Miss Bennet, I beg your pardon for interrupting you, but I was in the
hope you might have got some good news from town, so I took the liberty of
coming to ask.’

‘What do you mean, Hill? We have heard nothing from town.’

‘Dear, madam, don’t you know there is an express come for master from Mr
Gardiner? He has been here this half hour, and master has had a letter.’

At once Jane thanked the housekeeper and she and her sister ran towards
the house, both too eager to hear the news to have time to discuss what they
had heard. They ran through the vestibule and into the breakfast room, it was
empty.

‘The library, let us try there, Jane.’

Their father was not in their either. ‘Perhaps he has gone upstairs to
speak to our mother, Lizzy.’

They turned and were on the point of ascending when they met the butler.
‘If you are looking for my master, ma’am, he is walking towards the little
copse.’

Upon this information they instantly passed through the hall once more
and ran across the lawn after their father, who was deliberately pursuing his
way towards a small wood on one side of the paddock.

‘Run ahead, Lizzy, you are fitter and lighter than I. I shall make my
own way in my own time.’ She watched her sister race ahead and saw her catch up
with their father. A lively exchange took place and then he took a letter from
his pocket and Elizabeth impatiently caught it from his hand. It was at this
juncture Jane came up with them.

‘Read it aloud, Lizzy, for I hardly know myself what it is about.’

Gracechurch Street, Monday,

 
August 2

My Dear Brother

At last am able to send you some tidings of my
niece, and such as, upon the whole, I hope shall give you satisfaction. Soon
after you left the vicinity, I was fortunate enough to find out which part of
London they were in. The particulars I reserve until we meet. It is enough to
know that they are discovered and I have seen both Lydia and Wickham.

‘Then it is, as I always hoped,’ Jane interrupted, ‘they are married! I
beg your pardon, Lizzy, please read on.’

I had seen them both, they are not married, nor
can I find there was any intention of being so; but if you’re willing to
perform the engagements which I have ventured to make on your side, I hope it
will not be long before they are. All that is required of you is to assure to
your daughter, by settlement, an equal share of the five thousand pounds,
secured among your children after the decease of yourself and my sister.
Moreover, to enter into an engagement allowing her, during your life, one
hundred pounds per annum.

These are conditions, which, considering
everything, I had no hesitation in complying with, as far as I thought myself
privileged, for you. I shall send this by express, that no time may be lost in
bringing me your answer.

You will easily comprehend from these
particulars that Mr Wickham’s circumstances are not so hopeless as they are
generally believed to be. The world has been deceived in that respect, and I am
happy to say, there will be some little money, even when all his debts are
discharged, to settle on my niece, additional to her own fortune. If, as I
conclude will be the case, you send me full powers to act in your name,
throughout the whole of this business, I will immediately give directions to
Haggerston for preparing a proper settlement.

There will not be the smallest occasion of your
coming to town again; therefore, stay quietly at Longbourn, and depend on my
diligence and care. Send back your answer as soon as you can, and be careful to
write explicitly. We have judged it best, that my niece should be married from
this house, which I hope you will approve. She comes to us today. I shall write
again as soon as anything more is determined on.

 
Your’s
&c. EDW GARDINER’

Elizabeth was astonished by the contents of the letter. ‘I cannot
believe it, can it be possible that Wickham will marry Lydia?’

‘Wickham is not so undeserving then, as we have thought him,’ Jane
added. ‘My dear father, I congratulate you.’

‘Papa, have you answered the letter?’

‘No, Lizzy, but it must be done soon.’

‘Oh! My dear father, come back and write immediately. Consider how
important every moment is in such a case.’

Jane added her entreaties. ‘Let me write it for you, if you dislike the
trouble yourself.’

‘I dislike it very much, but it must be done, I suppose.’ And so saying,
he turned back with them, and walked towards the house.’

Elizabeth was curious about the terms mentioned in the letter. ‘It is
good news indeed; Lydia and Wickham must marry and I am pleased that it took so
little to persuade him to comply.’

Mr Bennet became quite agitated. ‘There are two things that I want very
much to know: one is, how much money your uncle has laid down to bring it
about; and the other, how I am ever to repay him.’

When Jane and Elizabeth were together after supper they discussed what
had taken place that day. ‘I do wish, with hindsight, Jane, that I had not told
Darcy about Lydia and Wickham
. Now that she is to marry, he need never
have known.’

‘It is a pity, but surely Mr Darcy
will not discuss the matter?’

‘I am certain that he will not; he
is a man of the utmost probity and I totally rely on his secrecy in this. But I
must wish he did not know about it.’

‘He will not think less of you I am
sure.’

‘Dear Jane, how can he not? He is
such a proud man. I thought he was softening in his behaviour towards me, but
this has spoilt everything. We can never be more than strangers now.’

 
‘But you do not want to be more than that.’

‘No, of course not, but I would
rather he did not think badly of our family.’

‘Poor Lizzy. Yet we must be happy
that Lydia is to marry. I wonder how long it will take our mother to persuade
Papa to relent on the matter of them visiting here. He says he will not allow
it but I think he must change his mind.’

‘He will agree either to the
wedding clothes or the visit, but I doubt that he will do both. I am certain
that even Mama shall settle for a lack of new clothes in order to be reunited
with Lydia.’

‘Then we should speak up for them.
It will give our sister’s marriage a validity it will not otherwise possess.’

‘Very well. Let us go and talk to
him.’

They were soon with their father.

‘Dear Papa, I understand how you must feel on this matter, of course
neither Lydia nor Mr Wickham deserve to receive your approval. They have both
behaved disgracefully. However, would it not look strange to the neighbourhood
if we did not bid them farewell before they set off to the north of England?’
Jane smiled sweetly and looked at Elizabeth for support.

‘Only think, sir, they shall both be so far away you will not be obliged
to receive them again in the foreseeable future. This will give closure to the
matter, allow Lydia to say goodbye to Kitty, Mary and her mother. Could you not
reconsider for our sakes, if not for theirs?’

He sighed and raised his hand in a gesture of defeat. ‘Very well, I am
not happy about it, do not expect me to be pleased to see either of them. I
shall let them come for your sakes, but it will be this once only, be very
clear on that.’

With that Jane had to be satisfied. Now that their aunt had returned
with the children to Cheapside both she and Lizzy were much involved with
duties around the house but nevertheless found time to take a daily
constitutional in the garden. On one of these occasions their conversation
returned to their own future.

‘I still cannot quite believe that our youngest sister is to be married
first. That is turning precedence on its head, is it not, Lizzy?’

‘Indeed it is, it could have been me if I had not been so mistaken in
Bingley’s feelings. Do you think that we might both be invited to London next
year? It would be so much more enjoyable to have you at my side.’

‘Perhaps next summer they might decide to go to the Lakes after all, and
I shall insist that you come too. If we are to be left firmly on the shelf we
must, at least, make an effort to see a little more of the world .’

Jane smiled. ‘That is another thing, to think that Lydia will be going
to the north of England. Indeed, being the wife of a regular soldier, she could
be sent to the Americas or even India, could she not?’

‘Travel would be wasted on her, as long as there are parties and pretty
dresses she is unaware of anything else.’

The day of Lydia’s wedding arrived and Jane and Elizabeth walked in the
shrubbery after they had completed all the little tasks Mrs Bennet deemed
necessary to prepare for the arrival of Mr and Mrs Wickham.

‘It must be so difficult for Lydia, to be married without the support of
her family, I do feel for her. To feel herself so shamed, to have let it down
her family in this way, to have put everyone to such a deal of trouble and
expense, I could not bear it myself, poor Lydia, to have her wedding day spoilt
by such feelings as those.’

‘Jane, you repine too much on the matter. She has the support of her
aunt and uncle and she will be with us by dinner time. I doubt not that the
reception she will receive from our mother, Kitty and Mary will more than make
up for their absence at the church.’

‘I wonder if she shall be very much changed by the experience, Lizzy. I
am dreading how Papa will be with them both; also I shall not know how to speak
to Mr Wickham.’

‘Knowing Lydia as I do, I should very much doubt that the experience
will have altered her much. Remember, Jane, according to our uncle she was
perfectly happy living out of wedlock with Wickham and not in the least hurry
to leave.’

‘I cannot understand how a girl with Lydia’s upbringing could have
become embroiled in such a scrape. Come, Lizzy, I think we should return to the
house, we do not wish to be tardy.’

They hurried back in order to be in the breakfast room to receive the
young couple. Although Jane and her sisters were concerned, their mother was
beside herself with excitement. Jane could not help but notice her father
looked impenetrably grave; he had not forgiven Lydia for her behaviour.

She could hear Lydia’s voice in the vestibule and the door was thrown
open and she ran into the room as though she had just returned from a
delightful visit. Their mother stepped forwards and embraced her and welcomed
her with exclamations of rapture, and even gave her hand, with an affectionate
smile, to Wickham.

‘My dear Lydia, Wickham, I am so happy to see you both and do most
heartily congratulate you on your nuptials. Imagine that! You are Mrs Wickham
now, who would have thought it? Married at sixteen, and to such a handsome man,
an officer and a gentleman.’

Mr Bennet did not greet them quite so cordially. Jane was glad it was
not she who had to face his disapproval. His countenance rather gained in
austerity and he scarcely opened his lips. The easy assurance of the young
couple, the way they behaved as if nothing untoward had occurred, as though
they had been married with everybody’s full support and approval, deeply
shocked her.

She could scarcely credit that Lydia had changed not one bit, she was
still as unabashed, wild noisy and fearless as always.

‘Well! Have I not done exactly as I said I would? It was always my
intention to be married first and see what a delightful husband I have. Do you
not congratulate me on my wedding day?’

Reluctantly, it seemed to Jane, all of them offered their felicitations.
Even Kitty and Mary were subdued in the face of Lydia and Wickham’s blatant
disregard for everybody’s feelings. Eventually they all sat down and Lydia
glanced around the room commenting on some little alteration to it, and
observing that it was a great while since she had been there.

Jane sat listening to them both and blushed, she was aware that
Elizabeth was equally uncomfortable. Neither Wickham nor Lydia felt the need to
apologize for their behaviour. They seemed both of them to have the happiest
memories in the world, nothing of the past was recollected with pain.

Several times Jane shuddered and looked to Elizabeth for reassurance
when Lydia alluded quite happily to subjects that neither of them would have
dreamt of mentioning.

‘Only think of its being three months since I went away; it seems but a
fortnight, I declare; and yet there have been things enough happened in that
time. Good gracious! When I went away, I am sure I had no more idea of being
married till I came back again! Though I thought it would be very good fun if I
was.’