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“I wish someone would leave me a fortune,” Lydia griped. “Then all the officers would want to elope with me.” She had come home in an ill mood, complaining that everyone was getting married except her.

“It is a good thing we don’t have any wealthy relatives,” Mrs. Bennet said. “If you cannot understand the disgrace of eloping, then it is best that you don’t have a fortune.”

“Besides, there’s hardly anyone left to elope with,” Mary said. “Most of the unmarried officers are on their way to Gretna Green.”

“I might as well go and spend the rest of the day in rational pursuit.” Lydia stomped out of the room.

“Colonel Forster must be frantic,” Mrs. Bennet said. “Who is going to do all the work?”

“Mr. Wickham does most of it anyway,” Kitty said.

“He does seem like a very reliable young man. Perhaps—”

“No, I don’t fancy marrying him,” Kitty said.

Mrs. Bennet looked at her reproachfully. “You know I don’t think like that anymore. I was going to say that perhaps he might get a captaincy.”

“He can’t meet the property requirement,” Elizabeth said.

“Oh, of course. Perhaps at least a commendation for all his hard work. Is that another knock at the door? This has been a busy morning.”

It was a knock, and it heralded the third appearance of Mrs. Long, who was looking utterly exhausted.

“You have some interesting news?” Mrs. Bennet prompted, thinking it a kindness to save the lady her breath.

“Yes. Miss King. Not fifty thousand. Grandfather changed will. Other inheritors. Ten thousand each.”

“Captain Carter will be disappointed,” Mary observed.

“It shows that you shouldn’t count your eggs until they hatch,” Mrs. Bennet said. “Although I think it might make more sense to say that you shouldn’t count the birds because after the eggs hatch they will only be a pile of broken shells. But do sit down and take some refreshment, Mrs. Long.”

“Must go.”

“After a little rest,” Mrs. Bennet insisted. “It will do you good.”

***

A mile away Mr. Wickham was also thinking about counting eggs before they hatch.

He had been a fair way to making Mary King fall in love with him before Mr. Darcy had come upon the scene, forcing him to retire from the field, and allowing Captain Carter to step into the breach.

That had pained him, but now he considered himself fortunate not to have been led astray by Mrs. King’s boasts. Ten thousand wasn’t much of a fortune.

Besides, he was rather oddly enjoying his new duties. It was surprising how interesting work could be when one wasn’t trying to shirk responsibility.

***

Another knock produced the vicar, who was both lamenting the loss of an excellent curate and rejoicing that Mr. Charlton had been given a living, and an excellent one at that.

“So valuable that his relatives could have done very well by selling the next presentation,” said Mr. Bennet, who had popped into the room to translate. “Mr. Hastings thinks they have behaved very honourably toward Mr. Charlton.”

“And he is engaged as well,” Mr. Hastings exclaimed with delight. “Such an excellent young lady, and so well suited to being a clergyman’s wife. I am exceedingly happy for both of them. But I do not know what I shall do now. Where will I find another curate?”

“In Meryton,” Mrs. Bennet informed him. “Ask at the inn for Mr. Fordyce.”

***

Mr. Collins, who had been roaming the lanes in search of a wife, had also thought about the suitability of that nice Miss Partridge, who had been so interested to hear about his parsonage and understand the workings of his parish.

After taking directions from a passing labourer, he found his way to the dwelling with an empty henhouse and a prospective bride.

But all he found was an engaged lady, sitting upon a garden bench and conversing with her future husband. After wishing the couple well, Mr. Collins beat a hasty retreat.

Perhaps he might further acquaint himself with the nieces of that lady who had been so interested to hear all about Lady Catherine and her daughter.

***

At Longbourn, Lady Lucas was declaring that the most remarkable thing had happened.

Mrs. Bennet nodded her head, thinking that it wasn’t the least bit remarkable. Since Miss Verity Lucas could not have been brought out, found herself a suitor, and received a proposal in a mere matter of hours; and besides that, she was only fourteen; this was at last about Charlotte and—

“Mr. Madison,” Lady Lucas said.

It wasn’t her ears, was it? Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Madison?

Mrs. Bennet had not seen that coming. However, she thought it an ideal match.

Charlotte would be an excellent companion for Mr. Madison and a wonderful mother to those poor children.

And being so practical, she would not mind her husband’s attachment to his first wife.

Once again congratulations were given, this time with ease.

Practice was making Mrs. Bennet perfect in that art.

But who was going to be the future mistress of Longbourn now?

And would Mr. Collins again be thinking of Lizzy when he found out that she wasn’t engaged to Mr. Madison. Or could that be if he found out?

“We must keep Mr. Collins from finding out about this engagement,” she said to Elizabeth after Lady Lucas had left for the third time.

“That may not be easy,” Elizabeth replied. “Have you forgotten that we are dining with the Lucases tomorrow?”

***

The next knock wasn’t a caller, but the delivery of a note for Jane.

Opening it, she said, “It is from Miss Bingley.”

“No doubt wanting to bamboozle you while her brother is away,” Mrs. Bennet said. “Remember, prior engagements.”

But Jane was frowning in a way which conveyed more than an unwanted invitation to dinner.

“She writes that, at Mr. Bingley’s request, the entire party has left Netherfield, with no intention of returning this winter.

In fact, he is planning to give up the lease altogether.

That is the business which took him to London, and he asked her to convey his farewells because he hates saying goodbye to friends. ”

“It is all my fault,” Mrs. Bennet cried. “I made it easy for his sisters to convince him that he would never be happy with such a babbling, bumbling, blockheaded mother-in-law.”

“No, it was my fault,” Jane said. “Charlotte advised me to make him aware of my feelings, but I did not like to put them on display. If he did care for me, I put him off by being too indifferent.”

“It wasn’t either of you,” Elizabeth said. “His sisters are trying to deceive us. I am certain that going after him was entirely their own idea, and he will be back at Netherfield in a few days, just as he said.”

Jane shook her head. “I wish I could believe that, but yesterday Mr. Bingley said the same thing to me. About never liking to take leave of his friends. I can see now that he was already planning to go and leave his sister to make his excuses.”

“He would not be so callous,” Elizabeth insisted. “That sounds like the sort of thing he might say without any particular meaning, and it just happens to coincide with what Miss Bingley has written. Indeed, she might have overheard him and later used those words to her advantage.”

“I wish that could be all it was,” Mrs. Bennet said. “But now I am wondering if Mr. Darcy decided to leave today because he knew that Mr. Bingley wasn’t coming back. It did seem very sudden of him, and there was something unusual in his matter.”

“Mr. Darcy has left?” Jane queried.

“Yes, he came to say goodbye first, and it sounded very final,” Elizabeth said. “I don’t believe that he is coming back, but I do think that Mr. Bingley is. Which we shall soon know. You only have to wait until Monday. Once he has returned to Netherfield, then you will know that all is well.”

But Mrs. Bennet thought the following week was more likely to confirm that all had been lost. She was even more certain of this after they received another succession of very late callers.

They all came to say what a pity it was that Mr. Bingley had gone away for good, and how surprised they had been by this news.

Mrs. Bennet was surprised that it was already so well-known. Had Miss Bingley written to everyone in the neighbourhood? Or had Mrs. Long stopped their carriage as it went through Meryton?

One thing was certain. These visitors were all coming to observe how the Bennets bore.

But Mrs. Bennet was determined not to make sport for her neighbours. “Cheerful young men like Mr. Bingley must always be a loss to any neighbourhood. He will indeed be missed by everyone,” she said to Mrs. Crane.

“We weren’t surprised by Mr. Darcy’s departure,” she said to Mrs. Peacock. “He mentioned to us some time ago that he only meant to make a stay of about six weeks.”

“Mr. Bingley often spoke about his enjoyment of London society,” she said to Mrs. Finch. “I never expected him to spend the winter anywhere else. I’m surprised that you were surprised with his sisters being Margaret’s particular friends.”

In these efforts she was supported by Jane, Lizzy, Mary, and Kitty, who maintained their composure and revealed nothing.

In between callers, Mrs. Bennet congratulated them on having upheld the family’s dignity. “Whatever we may suffer privately, we shall not give our neighbours the opportunity for gloating,” she said.

After the clattering of carriages had ceased and the time for calling was over, Mrs. Bennet declared that it had been a long morning. “And a very eventful one. Four engagements, the same number of elopements, and more callers than I can count.”

“It looks like we are about to have another one,” Kitty said. “There is a carriage coming up the drive.”

Looking through the window, Mrs. Bennet saw that this was a very elegant carriage. With four outriders. And two footmen on the back. She could only think that the coachman must be lost.

But a few minutes later the butler was announcing—

Lady Catherine de Bourgh?

“Have you come to see Mr. Collins?” Mrs. Bennet enquired.