Mary said, “Thank you, Lizzy. That was brilliantly done.”
Elizabeth laughed. “What do you mean? The whole thing was your idea in the first place!”
“Perhaps, but I thought we would have at least another week to redirect Mr Collins in the proper direction with more subtlety. I had no idea he would act so precipitously.”
“Neither did I, unfortunately.” Elizabeth sighed. “I was thoroughly unprepared, and frankly, a bit terrified. I was in a panic the entire time. I just started making things up. It would never do todeclinean eligible man just because one did not aspire to the life he offered. It would crush his spirit, and there would have been no chance to guide him in a more amenable direction. Declining such an eligible proposal would not go well, particularly considering how precarious our position is. I did not want to spend my life with the man, as you do, but I did not wish to be cruel to him either.”
“It was brilliantly done. Even if it was all bluster and panic, you did what was needed when required. I could not have managed it.”
Elizabeth caressed her sister’s cheek. “Perhaps not, but you would have contrived something. I am only glad you told me your inclinations beforehand; else I cannot say what I would have done. I might have declined his proposal, and you can imagine how well that would have been received.”
Mary frowned at the very idea, and they walked along in silence for a few more minutes.
Elizabeth asked, “You seem certain this is what you want, but if I am not too intrusive—”
“You could never be too intrusive.”
“Perhaps,” Elizabeth said with a wistful smile, “but at any rate, what led you to desire this union?”
“It is simple enough. I am not consumed by dreams of high romance; and let us be honest, you and Jane have at least some slim hopes of success, but even if I did want it, what chance would I have in your shadows?”
“I do wish you would listen to us more and our mother less. You are as lovely as Jane or I.”
Mary looked sceptical. “I will put 50 miles of good road between myself and our mother, so I daresay that should reduce her opportunities to snipe at me considerably.”
The sisters laughed gaily.
“Think about it,” Mary observed. “I was always torn between the desire to be a clergyman’s wife and the conflicting ambition to be mistress of a humble estate. With you and Jane ahead of me in both age and beauty—do not trifle with me by denying it—I thought it unlikely I could do either. With no dowries or connections to recommend us, and not a single eligible man within 20 miles, I thought my chances slim. The wife of a clerk or minor tradesman was the best I could hope for.”
Mary stared into the distance, as if remembering some past despair, but soon brightened.
“Just think. In one day,bothmy dreams passed from impossibility to reality. I may do both, and all I need do is live with a man of middling sense. He is no sillier than Sir William, no lazier than Papa, no more pompous than Mr Goulding, no more verbose than Mama, and has manners no worse than Kitty, let alone Lydia. I am satisfied, and I think we may find hiddendepths. I have nothing to prove it but instinct, but I believe the right woman will make something of him that none of us can presently imagine. I do not even think it will take as long as one might suppose.”
“There is also the added advantage of longevity,” Elizabeth laughed. “I would probably have killed him within a year over some trifle you would not even notice, and then where would the entail go?”
Both sisters laughed for some yards, and Elizabeth finally put her last doubts about the match behind her. Mary was a grown woman who knew what she was about; that was enough.
~~~
A few minutes later, Mary asked, “Lizzy, I well understand your long-standing obsession with mathematics, but I had no idea about the farming and finance. I thought you stuck mostly with science. How did you know all those figures? I doubt Papa taught you, since he can barely be bothered to keep his account books.”
Elizabeth sighed resignedly. “Did you know Uncle Gardiner occasionally takes a bit too much drink, and when he does, he curses like a sailor, and rails at our parents like a madman?”
Mary gasped. “Butwhy?”
“When in his cups, he mostly curses their indolence and neglect. He fears being left responsible for us, as if he had not enough to do with his own children. He hastriedfor years to make our parents see the light, with nothing to show for it but endless frustration.”
“What do you mean?”
“Knowing my propensity for mathematics, he taught me the rudiments of saving. He wanted to see whether my obsession could be put to use with our parents. One thing he mentionediscompound interest[i].It is magical!If you put money in an investment, such as the four percents, and justleave it there, it grows faster and faster every year. Over time, the results are astonishing.”
Mary quirked an eyebrow, so Elizabeth continued, since maths were far more appealing than discussing her parents’ failings yet again, and Mary could use the knowledge anyway.
“Suppose you put £100 intoconsols—also known as the four percents or the funds—though the interest varies. The first year, you would earn £4. That is just multiplication, correct?”
“I suppose.”
“Do not suppose. Do it. The wordpercentmeansdivide by 100,so multiply by 4 and divide by 100.”
