“You love me?” he asked. She could only nod. “Please, my dear Janie, please say you will marry me and be my wife?” he begged. “I love you so much and cannot imagine my life without you in it.”
Finally finding her voice, Jane agreed asenthusiastically as she could. He squeezed her hands tighter in his and brought them to his lips to kiss. They sat there speaking softly of matters until Jane shivered. Hastings finally felt the cold himself and led them back to the Gardiners, where they surprised no one with their news and were joyously celebrated. Knowing Elizabeth was unlikely to return to London before spring, they decided to marry in February and visit Pemberley as a part of their wedding trip.
While Christmason Gracechurch Street was celebrated happily, Christmas at Longbourn was a less happy affair. Lydia had been invited to both Pemberley and the Gardiners but decided to travel home and enjoy the novelty of being the only Bennet daughter there for once. She was delivered from school to Longbourn by a Darcy carriage.
Despite only being in school for a few months, Lydia realised her previous behaviour was not what it should be. She was going home for this fortnight determined to show her family—or at least her parents—that her time in school had not been wasted. Mr Darcy had truly frightened her when he told her how close she had come to being forced to marry Ben Lucas or to being unmarriageable, if not utterly ruined. Hearing from her ‘older brother’ how the rules of propriety were there for her protection and not just to prevent her from having fun, and hearing of girls who ignored them and the consequences they faced, was shocking. She vaguely recalled her elder sisters telling her similar stories, but in Mr Darcy’s grave tone, they seemed ever so much more severe.
Therefore, she was learning to control her liveliness and direct it into more proper behaviour. She finally understood the seriousness of her actions resulting in her going to school, and realised it was not the ‘fine joke’ she had proclaimed. She wrote letters to her sisters apologising for her actions, and now she needed to show the people of Meryton she had grown and changed.
“Mama, Papa,” she called when she arrived, surprised that neither was downstairs to greet her.
“Your father is in his library, and your mother is out visitingtenants,” the housekeeper informed her, surprising Lydia, who went to the library to talk with her father.
“Papa,” Lydia greeted him when she entered. “Why is no one expecting me to arrive home today?”
Mr Bennet’s head snapped up. “No one was aware of your coming, Lydia,” he said. “I, for one, am glad you are home for Christmastide, especially as we were not expecting any guests. The Gardiners and Jane remain in London, and Mary and Kitty will travel to Derbyshire. We assumed you would remain at school or join your sisters travelling to Derbyshire.”
“I sent several letters to you and Mama with my plans,” Lydia protested. “Since you and Mama will be alone, I thought you might like my company. I have learned much at school and want to apologise in person, especially to the Lucases, for my previous behaviour. I now realise how badly my actions could have impacted their family and my own.”
Mr Bennet was taken aback by his youngest daughter’s acknowledgement of her fault. After blinking at her a few times, he finally spoke. “Well, Lydia, I am not sure how we missed the news of your coming, but I am proud of you for seeking forgiveness for your past behaviour.”
Lydia explained what her brother said to her and how this had indeed been the catalyst for Lydia applying herself to learning better behaviour at school. Mr Bennet was once again frustrated that his son-in-law had been a better father in a few hours than he had been in the last twenty-plus years.
When Mrs Bennet returned from her visits, she was shocked to find her youngest daughter in residence. As Lydia repeated her conversation with her father, her ire grew—once again, Darcy did what neither Mr nor Mrs Bennet had ever bothered to do. Since Elizabeth married Mr Darcy, all of their daughters’ lives and future prospects had improved, which should have pleased their parents but only fed their resentment of the couple.
Christmas at Longbourn was quiet. They attended a few entertainments in Meryton for the holiday but kept mainly to themselves. Both parents exerted themselves to learn more about their daughter, and Mr Bennet discovered Lydia, who may never be as interested in books as hisfavourite daughter, had a wry wit, and he enjoyed speaking with her—in small doses.
Mrs Bennet was surprised to discover how well Lydia knew the tenants, especially the children, and that her ideas and suggestions were remarkably helpful. Until recently, she viewed Lizzy’s care of their tenants as inappropriate for a gentleman’s daughter, and now she learned Lydia had frequently accompanied her elder sisters on tenant visits. She was now aware Lizzy had taken on her own responsibilities, and she contemplated this for a moment, but she could not bring herself to regret her constant criticism of Lizzy’s every action.
Just after the new year, Lydia called at Lucas Lodge to apologise for her behaviour in the autumn. Her reception was cool, as relations between the Lucases and Bennets had been since Elizabeth’s marriage, especially after the Darcys’ visit in October. Their son-in-law, Mr Collins, had been removed from his position as the rector in Hunsford after the bishop found several violations of ecclesiastical law related to his sharing parishioners’ private information with Lady Catherine, stealing from tithes donated for the poor, and, of course, the treatment of his cousin. His fate was uncertain, and there was some speculation he would be sent to Africa as a missionary for the Church of England. The Darcys offered Charlotte a cottage in either Derbyshire or Meryton, and she was seriously considering accepting the offer to live in Derbyshire. She knew she would never marry again and would be happy in her own home, especially if she were near her friend. After living with her parents and then with Mr Collins, she relished the idea of being on her own and far from the gossip of Meryton.
Regardless, Lydia apologised, and her behaviour reflected her newfound intention of mimicking her elder sisters and the girls she looked up to at school. Her behaviour in the fortnight she was home was all that was proper, and while some were convinced of the girl’s growth, others wondered if it would last.
Chapter Twenty-Five
In the middle of December, Mary, Kitty, and Georgiana travelled to Pemberley with Colonel Fitzwilliam, which was much appreciated by Kitty, who confessed to Georgiana that she had a crush on the officer. Georgiana was surprised, given that the Colonel treated Georgiana as a much younger sister but understood the appeal of a much older man.
One evening, Kitty overheard a conversation at the inn as she prepared for bed. The walls in this in were thin, and Georgiana’s room was directly next to Kitty’s; she knew she should not listen but could not make herself move away.
“Richard,” Georgiana had begun. “What do you think is an acceptable age to marry? I ask because you and my brother intended for me to come out in a year or two, at seventeen or eighteen. You are nearly thirty and are not yet wed, and my brother married this year, just before his twenty-eighth birthday. Is it typical for the man to be much older than the woman?”
Her cousin laughed. “Georgie, there is no particular age one should marry. Darcy married at twenty-seven because he found the right woman, and she was twenty at the time. I do not know when you will meet the right man, but you still have a few years to mature and learn before you even consider it.”
“But what about you?” Georgiana asked. “When do you mean to marry?”
“Never, Georgie,” he replied. “I am a second son and need to marry with the lady’s fortune in mind if I ever marry. As yet, I have not met a woman who tempts me to give up my soldiering.”
“But if you met a lady who was interesting enough, would you sell your commission and settle down?” she persisted.
Fitzwilliam looked at his cousin for a moment. “Do you have a lady in mind?” he enquired.
“Miss Kitty is a sweet girl; I like her very much,” she answered.
The Colonel laughed. “No, dear cousin, Miss Kitty would never be the girl for me. Beyond her obvious lack of fortune, she is barely older than you and still belongs in the school room. While she might be ‘a sweetgirl’, I would infinitely prefer a woman already grown were I to ever settle down.”
Kitty could barely contain her gasp at his characterisation of her. When Georgiana returned to their shared room later that night, Kitty was already in bed pretending to be asleep. Neither mentioned this conversation, as Georgiana did not want to hurt her friend, and Kitty was too heartbroken.
The group arrived at Pemberley with mixed emotions. Kitty was relieved to be out of the company of Colonel Fitzwilliam and pleased to be with Lizzy, who was the best at comforting the sisters. Not long after their arrival, Kitty begged Lizzy for a private conference and poured out her heartbreak.
