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Elizabeth put another pin in Jane’s hair and stood back to survey her work. “Ah, Jane, you deserve better than my poor efforts,” she said with a small laugh.
Turning her head, Jane regarded herself in the mirror. “It is quite fine.”
Elizabeth smiled at her sister’s reflection. “Fortunately, you are so beautiful nobody will notice if your hair is bedraggled.”
Jane blushed, as Elizabeth expected. “Lizzy, you are too kind to me!”
She fussed with a curl near Jane’s face. “It is nothing more than the absolute truth.”
Jane’s reflection grew pensive. “I do wish you were attending the assembly as well.”
Elizabeth managed a careless shrug. “It does not signify. It is far better that I expend my meager skills helping you appear to best advantage.”
Jane squeezed one of her sister’s hands. “Your skills are far from meager.”
“Would that I had Annie’s skill with a brush and curling iron.” The maid whom Collins had dismissed had been quite talented in that area, but their remaining maid, Polly, was not and had too many duties to spare the time.
Jane touched the artificial rosebuds woven into her hair. “Nobody would guess these rosebuds once adorned Kitty’s dress.”
Taking her sister’s other hand, Elizabeth pulled her into a standing position and admired her gown, white silk trimmed with gold embroidery. “You will be quite the most beautiful woman at the assembly—as always.”
Her sister blushed and smiled. “Still, I wish you could accompany us.”
“We do not have another gown that would suit the occasion.” Elizabeth kept her tone light and matter-of-fact.
Jane glanced down at her own gown—three years out of fashion but the only go
wn of any elegance that remained to the two sisters. Since they were of a similar size, she and Elizabeth had been wearing it in turn. Although Jane had trimmed it with a few ribbons and lace, the gown would be eminently recognizable to everyone at the assembly. Hopefully, nobody would say anything cutting to Jane.
At Jane’s long face, Elizabeth added, “It is my own fault I spilled wine on the yellow gown.” She still winced when she recalled the red wine stain on the other silk gown she and Jane had shared.
“But you deserve—” Jane began.
“No more talk of what we deserve,” Elizabeth said tartly, straightening the folds in Jane’s skirt. “We agreed that you and Kitty have the best chances of finding husbands, so you shall attend the assemblies. After the meeting with the tenants, our hands are quite full as it is. Mary is not displeased, and neither am I.
Since Collins had arrived, the four sisters had conducted many quiet, late-night meetings in Elizabeth and Jane’s room. Although she regretted their circumstances, Elizabeth was grateful that adversity had brought the sisters closer to each other as they shared their concerns about the future and a mutual desire to escape from Collins’s authority. They had agreed that their best hope would be to have one sister marry well. As the wife of a man with even a moderate fortune, she would be in a position to help the others marry or provide them with a place to live.
Mary had little inclination for balls and said she would be just as happy never to wed, so it had been a simple matter to make over her fancy gowns to suit Kitty. Jane had required more convincing to accept Elizabeth’s best dresses; in theory, they shared the garments, but in actuality, Elizabeth had not attended a ball or party in more than six months.
How things had changed! Before her father’s death, Elizabeth had hoped to marry for love, even though she knew her chances were slim. Not long after Collins had taken possession, however, she realized she had given up these hopes without having made a specific decision. Although she still longed for the gaiety of assemblies and dinner parties, she had ceased hoping for a husband.
Her parents and the Collinses—her two closest examples of matrimony—did not give her a very good opinion of the married state. Although she could tell herself she was a different person from her mother or Charlotte, the fear of making the wrong choice haunted her. Perhaps it was best that she had never formed a tendre for any man—given what Jane had endured after Mr. Bingley had departed.
In any event, Longbourn obviously needed her presence to help the tenants and her sisters. She could not afford to wed and move to a husband’s home; it was best not to dream of it.
Mostly Elizabeth was content with this idea—part realization and part decision. Only occasionally at night, when she had trouble sleeping, did she stare at the darkened window and regret that she would never have children.
She shook off this melancholy mood and recalled she had another reassurance to offer her sister. “Besides, I must awaken early tomorrow to help purchase the seed drill,” Elizabeth said. They had been fortunate to locate a used machine that Elizabeth could afford. The next morning, Mr. Greeves would use Longbourn’s wagon to fetch the device from a neighboring town, but Elizabeth needed to meet his wife beforehand to provide him with the funds. I must fix my thoughts on that, she admonished herself. Not mooning over silly balls.
The sisters’ first meeting with Mr. Greeves, Mr. Fisher, a few of the other tenants, and their wives had shown promise. Initially suspicious, the tenants had finally trusted the sisters enough to relate some quite distressing tales about happenings at Longbourn. The meeting had provided new urgency to her project. Unless something changed soon, the estate would lose some of its best and most experienced tenants when their leases expired.
When Mary had started presenting her ideas, the men had been wary and dubious. But the middle Bennet sister had come prepared with books and articles. She had only spoken for a few minutes before the tenants launched into interested questions about the new crop system and the yields they might expect. Mary had asked their opinions about implementing the system, and the conversation had quickly become a lively one. Thank God the tenants were more open-minded than Collins.
But they were just at the beginning of the project. Elizabeth and Mary still had a lot of work ahead of them.
“As it is, Jane, I would not have time for a ball anyway.” She managed a smile. “Even if the handsomest duke in the land were to ask for my hand, I would demur, saying, ‘I have more pressing business, sir.’”
