The Unexpected Miss Bennet (20 page)

Both the eldest Bennet daughters had been keenly aware of Lydia’s fall and took pains that Kitty should not, through the neglect of one parent and the encouragement of the other, find herself in the same predicament. Accordingly, when Jane invited Kitty to stay with her and Mr Bingley at their establishment, it was to impart to Kitty some acquaintance with society and conduct. Only Caroline Bingley was not pleased with the arrangement, but she had never been able to forgive Lizzy and thus her whole family from ruining what she had thought were her chances with Darcy. And Kitty, admittedly, could wear on anyone’s nerves. However, Kitty had already improved immeasurably, now that she had been away from Lydia’s influence, and Lizzy opened up Jane’s letter, expecting nothing more exciting than that she had taken Kitty shopping for a bonnet and that the girl had attended one quiet ball.

Lizzy’s eyes widened. The matter of Wickham? She searched through the other letters and found an earlier one from Jane.

Lizzy folded the letter carefully and set it down on her little table next to her little figurines from Longbourn.

‘Wickham,’ she said out loud. The man could not leave them alone. He had not just ruined Lydia, but bid fair to ruin two families. She had not thought much of Caroline’s predicament, but she could see it now. Caroline was a grand lady who was now tied to the Bennets and could do nothing about it. She would think every move the Bennets made reflected poorly on her. She makes it worse for herself, Lizzy thought. I will not be held to blame for every fault and failing of Caroline Bingley’s life. But she could not but admit that Caroline had a point.

And something must be done about Wickham. If he had taken up with another woman and abandoned poor Lydia, it was but a predictable result of his actions. He had never loved her – indeed, their elopement had been less about love than about embarrassment of Darcy. She was an expedient, and a willing target, though she loved Wickham, in her careless, saucy way. She loved him, and would be devastated at his betrayal. Lizzy had a wistful moment, indulging a dream that Lydia could be returned to Longbourn, to live out in quiet company with her mother, who had always loved her youngest best, and her father, never to stray in company again. But Mr Bennet would not allow it, and so Lydia was banished from her childhood home.

Nor would she be welcome at Pemberley or with Bingley and Jane. Lizzy felt a pang of sadness for her exasperating little sister.

‘Lydia, what is to be done with you?’ she said out loud again. She did not want to talk to Darcy. She understood Jane’s reticence. Darcy could call out Wickham, less to avenge Lydia than to have reason at last to avenge Georgiana’s near disgrace. Wickham should have realized that, Lizzy thought. So what is his game, to be openly seen in London with another woman and knowing the word would get back to his archenemy?

He wishes to wring money from the family again, she thought. After all, it worked so well the last time. Her anger rising, Lizzy got up. If I were a man, I would call him out myself, she thought. She went off in search of Darcy. He might want to call out Wickham, but she had faith that he would not let his passions overrule him in this matter.

She found him with Georgiana. She was playing for him in a desultory fashion, more extemporizing than playing one of her pieces. Darcy was reading. They both looked up at Lizzy in relief.

‘My dear,’ he said. He held out his hand. ‘Come.’ She sat down with him.

‘I’m glad you’re here,’ Georgiana said mournfully. ‘I miss Mary. I can’t believe we abandoned her to Aunt de Bourgh. I think Mr Aikens was right.’

‘We didn’t abandon her,’ Lizzy said with exasperation. ‘Goodness, Georgiana, please don’t take it so.’

‘But what if Mr Aikens wanted to marry her? Now he’ll forget all about her.’

‘Mr Aikens does not want to marry Mary!’ Lizzy said, feeling quite like her mother and guiltily so. For Mrs Bennet had often discounted Mary in this very same way. Oh bother, she thought. If we don’t restore some sense to Kitty and deal with Wickham, never again will a Bennet get married.

‘Mary felt that Anne de Bourgh wanted a friend, and I own that I agree with her, though the sacrifice may be too great,’ Darcy said.

‘And there is the matter of Hyperion,’ Georgiana went on disconsolately, or so it would have seemed if Lizzy had not caught a gleam of mischief in her expression.

‘Hyperion will recover, Georgiana. And Mary was quite determined. She is very independent in the matter. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Lady Catherine decides that she is too independent for her Anne and sends her home to us. I also wouldn’t be surprised if she wins over Lady Catherine and Anne with her sermons and speeches. Either way, we did not abandon Mary. She may come home any time she likes, and Hyperion and Mr Aikens may fall in love with her as soon as she returns. But Georgiana, may I borrow Darcy for a time? I must talk with him.’

Georgiana pouted and went back to her piano. ‘I have the fidgets,’ she said. ‘All this talk of Mr Aikens, I expect. I want to go riding – may I?’

‘Make sure Jameson goes with you,’ Darcy said, and she slid from the piano stool and went off to change into her habit. He pulled Lizzy towards him, and she sat on his knee. ‘As for you. Why must you interrupt all the terribly important things I am doing?’

Lizzy made an unladylike expression. ‘Be forewarned. I give you one chance to escape, Darcy. You should go riding with Georgiana and leave the groom to his work.’

‘I will take my chances.’

She took a breath. ‘It’s Wickham. He’s returned, and if possible, it’s worse than before.’

She told him all, not omitting Kitty’s escapade among the tigers, though she was not entirely sure what that was about. When she finished, Darcy sat for a moment, staring off into space. At last he helped Lizzy to her feet.

‘My dear,’ he said. ‘I can see nothing else to do but go to London and meet Bingley.’

‘I’m so sorry,’ she said, and her voice broke. But Darcy kissed her.

‘It is not you who needs to be sorry. Wickham came into your life because of me. He would never have run off with Lydia, never would even have looked at her, if I had just told you the truth, all of you, sooner. This would not have happened.’

She didn’t quite agree but she didn’t disabuse him. The Bennets were at fault, too, and she knew, if it had not been Wickham, it would have been someone else. It had only been a matter of time before Lydia followed her untamed nature.

Georgiana came rustling back in, dressed in a smart dark-green riding-habit with epaulettes and braid. Her hat had a sweeping green feather and her riding crop had a silver handle.

‘I’m ready! And, Lizzy, you should learn to ride. I am tired of going out with the grooms. They are always telling me not to jump this or not to gallop there.’

‘And do you listen to them?’ Darcy said sternly.

‘Of course, because I know they will carry tales. But my sister wouldn’t tell on me.’

‘Indeed I would, if you were unsafe,’ Lizzy said. ‘And if I learned to ride, you would be bored to distraction. I would have to sit on the smallest pony and be led around.’

Georgiana giggled.

Darcy said, ‘Come give me a kiss before you go. I have had some news and must go to London immediately. But do not use this as a time to disobey the grooms, because I will hear about it when I come back.’

Georgiana looked as if she wanted to take her chances, but at last she said, ‘All right. Lizzy, are you making him go?’

‘Indeed I am not. It’s his decision.’

‘But this is what you wanted to talk to him about?’

Lizzy nodded.

Georgiana tilted her head, then said, ‘And you have no plans to tell me, do you.’

‘I promise you won’t remain in the dark if it turns out there’s any news I can tell you,’ Darcy said. Georgiana was almost a grown woman and they could not keep news from her for ever, but Wickham had been such a bad man, better to allow her some peace.

Knowing that Georgiana would continue to tease, Darcy kissed Lizzy and said, ‘I must be off. Georgiana, be good. My dear.’

He left them. Georgiana watched her brother go, a considering look on her face. ‘You won’t tell me, either?’

Lizzy didn’t reply. Instead, she took the young girl’s arm. ‘Come. I will walk to the stables with you and then we can watch Darcy out of sight.’

Georgiana let herself be persuaded, and they went off to the stables, there to watch Darcy depart for London.

When Georgiana had set off in another direction, riding her sprightly bay mare, followed by stolid Jameson on a grey gelding, Lizzy had the house to herself. Now she really felt lonely. She returned to her parlour, missing everyone. She sat and reread Jane’s letter, still puzzling over the tigers. What on earth could Jane mean? She sat down to write a reply to her sister, wishing the house were not so very quiet.

M
ARY’S NEW LIFE was hard, much harder than she had ever suspected it would be. It should be hard. Lady Catherine ruled her daughter’s every waking moment with a fist of iron and if she could have ruled Anne’s sleep she would have done so. As it was, if Lady Catherine could have ordered it so, Anne would have received all manner of unsuitable physic. Instead, she was attended almost daily by the doctor, a learned man who quickly understood that his real patient was Lady Catherine herself. So his nostrums were mostly wholesome and anodyne, for he knew that Anne suffered from nothing but too much maternal attention. His remedies provided a sop now and again to Lady Catherine’s desire for dosing.

Each morning, before Anne dressed, this gentleman came up, and in the presence of Lady Catherine and Anne’s maid, he checked her pulse with utmost attention, looked at her tongue, and prescribed something or other. Anne dutifully swallowed all that he gave her, while he checked her pulse again, his eyes closed, as if communing with her humours, and then pronounced her well.

Mary, upon first witnessing this scene, tried to discern what the doctor was doing, but could come to no conclusion other than that he meant only to allay Lady Catherine’s fears whilst doing as little harm as possible, to his patient or his purse. Lady Catherine spoke throughout the examination, telling him his business, and he remained calm and collected throughout.