Page 122 of Regrets

“A month! And then it will become two months, and then three! No, no, I will not have it!”

“Not so very long ago, you would have been everything delighted to have Lydia a hundred and fifty miles away,” she observed.

“But not now,” he snapped. “Now she is a very promising pupil, and I do not wish to lose her.”

“As it happens,” Mrs. Bennet said. “Kitty is making no progress whatever on embroidery, and she confided to me that she thought she might wish to do more reading.”

“Reading? Kitty? I do not believe you.”

“Ask her yourself; I think she would welcome your instruction, particularly if Lydia will be gone. There would be no need for the two girls to compete with one another, which is a good thing, as you must know.”

Mr. Bennet resigned himself to the inevitable and went to find Kitty.

Mrs. Bennet watched him go and then recalled the letter she had not yet opened.

Dear Mama,

Well, here we are in London! Rochester House, like Netherfield, has been kept fully staffed while Robby was on the Continent, so it has taken very little effort on my part to get settled in.

Robby is becoming quite well-known in the art world here in London, and we spend a good amount of time going to galleries and dining with other art collectors. I am doing well, I think, in learning about art, and I find that I even have opinions! But I do not like London, and that is the plain truth of it. It is dirty and noisy, and – well, it just smells terrible. I miss the country, but will never say so to Robby.

We see the Gardiners frequently, and I very much enjoy spending time with my little cousins! I think I may confide in you, Mama, that I believe I may be in the family way! It is too soon to know for certain, of course, but I have good reason to think it is so, and Aunt Madeleine agrees with me!

Your loving daughter,

Mary

Mrs. Bennet had tears of joy in her eyes by the time she finished reading.

Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen

What does your father say?” Mr. Darcy asked his wife.

“Well, he is none too pleased about it, but knows not how to refuse us,” Elizabeth said, smiling to herself. “Kitty will not be joining Lydia, as she is apparently to become Papa’s new pupil!”

Mr. Darcy could only shake his head at the notion of Kitty under Mr. Bennet’s tutelage, but then again, he would not have guessed that Lydia had a taste for learning. The Bennet girls were unpredictable, that much was certain.

Elizabeth went on, “We should send a carriage, I think, as my parents will not want to be without theirs for so long, and a maid must go as well.”

“I shall arrange it,” Mr. Darcy promised. “Write to Lydia and tell her to expect the carriage in three days’ time. Will we tell Georgiana?”

“I think it might be fun to surprise her,” his wife said. “I will write back to Lydia and ask her not to tell Georgiana.”

Both Mr. and Mrs. Darcy went to Mr. Darcy’s study, where a small writing desk had been installed for Elizabeth’s use. Mr. Darcy’s duties required him to be out of doors a good deal of the time, so the opportunity for the two of them to sit in a room together while catching up on their correspondence could not be missed!

Dear Lydia,

Your thought about coming to Pemberley to visit Georgiana is a very good one. We will send a carriage for you, along with a maid and sufficient funds.

One thing – I think it would be good for this to be a surprise for Georgiana! So do not let on!

With love,

Lizzy

And finally –

Dearest, dearest Papa,