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In the middle of the night, Mrs. Bennet threw off the bed covers in exasperation.

It was impossible to get comfortable. Only a moment ago she had been cold.

Now she was boiling hot. But before long she would be cold again.

Followed by more boiling. So it went every night. She was quite fed up with this torment.

Lady Lucas had assured her that these sufferings would eventually come to an end, but Mrs. Bennet could only feel that they were getting worse.

She barely slept at all, her head was always aching, and sometimes her mind was so foggy that she scarcely knew what was going on around her.

But it was irritatingly clear and full of worries as she lay awake at night.

After hearing such exciting news, she had expected tonight to be an exception, but now she was worrying as usual.

What if her husband was right about the officers not having the means to marry?

What if one of them could afford a wife, and one of the Miss Peacocks carried him off?

And the other two contrived to get Mr. Bingley and Mr. Madison?

Mrs. Peacock would never cease boasting of such a glorious success.

And Mrs. Bennet would never recover from the humiliation of her daughters being entirely overlooked.

And what about her friends? Despite having no shortage of her own anxieties, Mrs. Bennet had lately found herself much affected by thoughts of their troubles as well.

She knew that Lady Lucas despaired of getting Charlotte and Maria married, and Mrs. Long worried about her nieces’ prospects.

It would be nice if they could find husbands too.

But that would require nine eligible men altogether, which Mr. Bennet had made her think was a great deal to hope for.

Especially for poor Charlotte, who was over five-and-twenty and unlikely to attract any suitors.

Mrs. Bennet felt particular sympathy for her.

There had been a time when she herself had been getting close to that age and fearing that spinsterhood was to be her fate.

It might have been if Mr. Bennet had not cut short his travels on the continent and come home in time to notice her before her beauty faded.

That had been a miracle too. But she had felt sorry for all the people in France getting their heads chopped off.

And currently there was some trouble in Spain, which she didn’t properly understand, but she felt sorry for those people too, foreigners though they were.

This world was a harsh place with so much suffering and misfortune.

She was lucky to have a nice home. Except that it was an entailed home which could be lost at any moment.

That was harsh too. A property going away from the family just because there were no sons. How was that fair? And how could she have had five children without even a single boy among them?

Shivering, Mrs. Bennet pulled the covers back over her shoulders.

What if Mr. Madison decided against Purvis Lodge?

Were her hopes to be smashed by those dreadful attics?

What if Mrs. Long’s information was incorrect, and Mr. Bingley wasn’t single?

What if she had misunderstood about the regiment, and it was only passing through Meryton on the way to spend the winter in another town?

What if this miracle vanished?

She would be left with five daughters on her hands, no prospective husbands in sight, and that dreadful entail hanging over their heads.

Where would they go if Mr. Bennet died tomorrow?

Would they have anything nice? Would they even be able to afford food?

These were the fears which tormented her night after night.

Jane was of an age when she should already be married.

Her beauty should have guaranteed it. Lizzy had recently turned twenty, and although she was pretty, her headstrong temperament and whimsicality were great disadvantages in the marriage stakes.

Mary was obsessed with her books and extracts, and whatever she might think, bookishness was not what gentlemen look for in their wives.

Kitty and Lydia had the sense to be lively and cheerful, but if Jane could not find a husband despite her loveliness, then what hope was there for them?

What hope for all of them? Throwing the covers off again, Mrs. Bennet agonized over the inevitable day when Longbourn and their comfortable existence would be lost to them.

After a night divided between broken sleep and worrying, she dragged herself out of bed, at rather a late hour, to face another day with a groggy head and wobbly legs.

And blurry vision. Something seemed to be wrong with her eyes now. These time of life troubles were such a bother. And so was going out in the evening when she hadn’t the energy for it. But it was pleasant to see friends and hear a bit of gossip.

Gossip! All those gentlemen! Who were certain to notice her daughters above all others.

They were the prettiest girls in the neighbourhood.

And also the best natured, and the liveliest. They would shine above all others.

Even though many would be pushing themselves forward.

Especially the Miss Peacocks. Who would probably be wearing new gowns.

Their mother would go to any expense to get them noticed.

New gowns? Although her own daughters didn’t really need any advantage, Mrs. Bennet still felt that they should look their best for all the gentlemen. They must have new gowns as well. And bonnets. And slippers and gloves.

There was work to be done. Feeling energetic in mind if not body, Mrs. Bennet rang for Hill to come and assist with her toilette. After a cup of tea and a morsel of toast, she would order the carriage and go to the shops.