“From what Papa said,” Jane replied in a confused tone, “you did not have a great deal of money to spend upon paper and postage, so how could I have expected you to write more frequently?”
Elizabeth laughed, nearly on the edge of tears. “My dear, good Jane. And you look so very well—Ididbuy Brussels lace foryou.”
“You must know that I could not expect anything of that sort?”
“Lizzy, what did you buy for me?” The two youngest girls had approached, and the taller one asked with a grin.
“I shall tell you. I shall tell you—but you both have changed so much. I can hardly tell which of you is which. Are you Kitty?”
“No, such a joke!” the girl laughed with good humor, “I’m Lydia! But I am very tall. I am the tallest, am I not? And the best humored, that is what Mama always says about us. None of the rest of us are so beautiful as Jane, or so good humored as I am.”
“Exceedingly tall,” Elizabeth agreed, slightly disconcerted by the explicitness of this self-praise—she would never dream of blaming someone for harboring such thoughts about themselves, but to say them aloud was odd. “I have a great big pile of silk ribbons, the best that Mr. Gardiner could find for you, and a lovely gold necklace. I’ll pass everything out in good time.”
“Oh, that shall do—but I would have liked lace, like you gave Jane.”
Elizabeth laughed at that. “The next time I visit, I promise to bring you a supply of the finest lace.”
“Oh, do not worry about that, it will not signify unless Papa lets me enter society! I long for a ball! I do—Lizzy, can you convince him to let me go to a ball?”
“Not until you are eighteen,” Papa replied convivially, carrying George on his shoulders. “We have the tables set out for a picnic in the other side of the yard. Let’s go around to the shade, shall we? And there will be time enough for handing out gifts after our guests have refreshed themselves.”
“It is not fair!” Lydia exclaimed. “And you said that Lizzy married well this time! So, see! You can let me out while young.”
They went around, and Elizabeth exclaimed in delight at seeing the old trees. “I used to climb that tree—It looks exactly the same. I could get to the top of it. Though I think that was when I was only ten or eleven, and much lighter. Oh, and you’ve changed nothing.”
Mama said, “We’ve been very precise with our economy, so that Mr. Bennet could pay for dowries for the other girls. But I do not see how that matters, sinceyouhave married twice without any dowry. Oh, poor Wickham! I always liked him.”
Elizabeth glanced with some concern towards Mr. Darcy and Georgiana. Georgiana was far enough away, talking with Mary and Kitty.
Darcy clearly had been able to hear, but as he saw her looking to see his reaction, he flashed a comforting smile.
“I beg you, Mama, say nothing about my former husband. His memory is not in my good graces, and I have seen him buried.”
“Oh, very well! But I am sure that he never would have spent all that money and abandoned you if you had not made his life unbearable—you must not do anything of the sort with your new husband, especially since he is so rich. Very rich men are particular about their expectations.”
“Yes, well, Mama.” Elizabeth pulled her shoulders back, lifted her chin up and smiled. “I assure you; I shall be exactly the wife that I think I ought to be.”
Darcy took Elizabeth’s hand and kissed it. “Mrs. Darcy, we have now spent time enough together that you can say something upon the matter. Am I so very particular about my expectations?”
She laughed. “Oh, very particular. But my particularities seem to be the ones that meet your expectations.”
They looked at each other, and she felt her smile going wide across her face as he looked at her with that warm approving gaze. She was, in fact, exceedingly fortunate in her husband.
She wished to dosomething, something sweet, affectionate and caring for him to reward him for how he kept his temper in front of her mother. He could not like how Mama spoke any more than Elizabeth did.
She was not quite sure what best she could do for him though.
Seduce him.
They all sat down around the tables that had been brought out. A great deal of fruit and salads and cold soups were set out, with wine brought up from the cool cellars.
As they set to eating the soup, Mrs. Bennet apologized several times for the quality of the kitchen saying, “Mr. Bennet had us dismiss our old chef, and hire one who only charged half so much. And we have not given him a permanent assistant. I do not say that he waswrongto do so—he was most concerned after Elizabeth eloped with poor Wickham—do not look at me in that manner, Lizzy, I shall always be sure he was misused by both you and my husband.”
“I assure you,” Papa said from the head of the table, “I would have never used him in any other way.”
Papa had Emily on his lap, and he encouraged the girl to eat her soup with her own spoon—some great portion of that soup naturally ended up on his coat and pants. Papa looked quite happy, though he was clearly a little annoyed with his wife.
Elizabeth tilted her head curiously. “You do know the tale of how he died, and that it was my husband involved in a key manner. And that he is sitting right here?”
