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The regiment arrived first. Within a day of their arrival Mrs. Long came to call upon the Bennet ladies with the information that many of the officers were unmarried, including the colonel, whose well-made carriage and handsome horses suggested that he possessed a substantial income.

The exact amount had so far eluded her curiosity, which was unusual, but she was confident of it being more than enough to provide a wife with dresses, bonnets, and a comfortable life.

After Mrs. Long left, Mrs. Bennet urged her husband to call upon the colonel immediately.

“I see no reason to bother. We are certain to encounter him at some time or other,” Mr. Bennet replied without even looking up from his book. Irritating man!

“There is plenty of reason. He will make an excellent husband for Kitty. Or perhaps Mary or Elizabeth if either of them is more to his taste.”

“An officer is not to my taste,” Mary said. “I would prefer a man of studious habits.” Obstinate girl! She was almost as difficult as Lizzy.

“I do not know where to find men of that sort,” Mrs. Bennet responded. “You will have to make do with the choices at hand.”

“What about me?” Lydia cried. “If this colonel is handsome and not too old, I would rather marry him than Mr. Bingley.”

More obstinacy. Mrs. Bennet flapped her fan fiercely. Why could she not have had five sons? Her daughters had lately been trying her patience exceedingly.

“Mr. Bingley will be able to afford even more dresses,” she reminded Lydia. “I am sure you will prefer him.”

“It remains to be seen if he will prefer her,” Mr. Bennet pointed out. “Perhaps Mr. Bingley does not desire a foolish wife. Nor the officers, for that matter.”

“If you hurry to Meryton, you might find out,” Mrs. Bennet declared. Then, realizing what he had said, she frowned at him.

But he was still looking at his book.

“How is Colonel Forster to discover which of our daughters he wishes to marry if you will not stir yourself to go out and meet the man?” she cried in aggravation.

“Someone will introduce them to him at the next assembly. I understand that all the officers are planning to attend.”

“And how would you know that? You have not left the house these past two days.”

Before Mr. Bennet could reply, a loud shriek startled Mrs. Bennet.

She was about to point out the disastrous effect of such a noise upon her nerves when Kitty cried, “There are officers! Coming to the door. Six of them.”

“Are they handsome?” Lydia asked, even as she was already jumping up to see for herself. In her rush to the window, she knocked over a chair, which crashed to the floor.

Instead of wincing at the noise, as one might expect of a lady who suffered from her nerves, Mrs. Bennet stood up to take a look as well. The room faded away, and suddenly she was Miss Gardiner again, thrilled to see a sizable group of red-coated gentlemen approaching her father’s house.

Mr. Bennet’s voice cut into this happy recollection.

“You might want to calm your daughters, Mrs. Bennet. No gentleman wants to marry a lady who will not respect the furniture. And in answer to your question, I know the officers plan to attend the assembly because Colonel Forster mentioned it when I visited him earlier this morning.”

Wonderful man! Although he could have just said this in the first place instead of teasing her. But at least he had done his duty to his family. She would express her gratitude if there was time. But their visitors would be upon them in a moment.

“Quick! Pick up that chair and sit yourselves down,” she commanded her youngest daughters. “And all of you put on your brightest smiles.”

Kitty and Lydia complied at once, fixing charming expressions upon their faces as they sat down.

Jane smiled in that lovely way she had. Such a good girl she was, and so beautiful.

It was hard to understand how she could not already be married, but Mr. Madison was certain to adore her, and so would his daughters.

Lizzy was smiling too, although not very widely. But Mrs. Bennet gave her a slight nod of approval. A small smile was better than none.

Mary also appeared to be making an effort, but without much success. Mrs. Bennet sighed. The poor girl meant well, but she had no idea how to make herself attractive to gentlemen. Something must be done about that. But what was there to do when she did not care?

The door opened and six handsome officers entered the room. Mrs. Bennet felt a flush of excitement. Her daughters were very lucky indeed.

Mr. Bennet introduced them. Colonel Forster, Captain Carter, Mr. Denny, Mr. Chamberlayne, and Mr. Pratt, who were all very handsome. And Mr. Fordyce, a rather plain man with a serious expression.

To Mrs. Bennet’s astonishment, Mary, who rarely put herself forward in company, suddenly perked up. “Have you any connection with the author of Fordyce’s sermons?” she asked the latter gentleman.

“Yes, I do. He was a distant cousin. I met him once.”

“You did? How exciting. Will you tell me about him? I am a great admirer of his work.”

Looking excessively gratified by this appreciation of his relative, Mr. Fordyce took a seat beside Mary. Clever girl! Apparently she was not so inept with gentlemen after all.

The colonel sat beside Mrs. Bennet as befitted his rank, and also suited her intention of telling him about the excellent qualities of the three daughters for whom she had not yet chosen suitors. Actually, with Mary having just made this unexpected conquest, that was now two unattached daughters.

The remaining officers dispersed themselves, with one beside Jane, one beside Kitty, and one on each side of Lydia, who had seated herself in the middle of a large sofa.

How astute of her! Unfortunately this meant that there wasn’t a gentleman left for Lizzy, but she appeared so indifferent that one would have been wasted on her anyway.

The officers were obviously delighted with their new acquaintances, and Lydia in particular.

She had them all laughing at her jokes and gazing at her in admiration.

Except for Mr. Fordyce, but as he was a more serious man, she could not be faulted for his disinterest. The important thing was that the others were captivated, just as Mr. Bingley was going to be.

The conversation kept growing louder, and the room warmer. Mrs. Bennet was feeling dazed and finding it hard to concentrate upon what the colonel was saying. Her head nodded, and his voice faded away…

She must have dozed off, but fortunately Colonel Forster seemed quite happy talking to Kitty instead. It looked as though another conquest had been made.

After the officers left, Mrs. Bennet declared her satisfaction at finding them so very agreeable. “I was pleased to see the colonel admiring you, Kitty.”

“He was more interested in me,” Lydia protested.

“You must wait for Mr. Bingley, my dear.”

“But Colonel Forster is very handsome, and not old at all.”

“He is indeed, but we have yet to see Mr. Bingley.”

“I will only marry him if he is even more handsome.”

“I’m sure he will be. Now I must say, Mary, that it was clever of you to connect Mr. Fordyce to that sermon fellow you like so much.” Mrs. Bennet gave her a rare smile of approval. “That was very well done. He will do nicely for you.”

Her smile dropped as she moved on to Elizabeth. “You might have tried to make an effort with the officers.”

“I don’t see how I could. It was hardly possible to get a word in edgewise.”

“La,” Lydia cried. “I got two officers, and you had none. And they are all in love with me already. I cannot wait for the assembly. They will be fighting over me, and all our friends will be envious.”

“They can fight over you after you dance with Mr. Bingley,” Mrs. Bennet said. “Preferably twice. And you must do the same with Mr. Madison, Jane.”

“That will not be up to Jane,” Elizabeth pointed out. “It is not as though we ladies can ask the gentlemen to dance with us.”

“What fun it would be if we could,” Lydia declared. “I would ask all of them, for I am never shy.”

What a fabulous idea! In her youth, Mrs. Bennet would have enjoyed choosing her partners instead of waiting for them to choose her. But Lizzy seemed not to care if she had any at all.

“I wish you would not be so difficult,” Mrs. Bennet said to her. “There is plenty Jane can do to encourage Mr. Madison. And on that subject, you should be applying yourself to the art of casting out allurements.”

“I would really rather not.”

“Then do not be surprised if you end up unmarried.”

“Better unmarried than pursuing a husband in an undignified manner, which would very likely result in having an undignified husband.”

Good heavens! She was beginning to sound like Mary. This earnestness was even worse than having her father’s sense of humour. Some of the officers had been very jocular, but there was unlikely to be another one as serious as Mr. Fordyce.

***

“I thought the officers’ visit went well,” Jane later said to Elizabeth.

“Well?” Elizabeth queried. “Kitty and Lydia flirted dreadfully, Mama encouraged their behaviour, and the officers indulged it. And Papa was obviously amused, which I wish he wouldn’t be.”

“They probably just thought that he is very cheerful. And Mama only did a little bit of encouraging.”

“Because she dozed off. I wonder what they thought of that.”

“I don’t think they took much notice. They were so busy chatting. And they weren’t bothered by Kitty and Lydia flirting.”

“They are probably used to admirers. But what excuse have you to offer for them indulging flirtation? That they were just being friendly, I suppose.” Elizabeth smiled.

“They were very friendly. I thought them pleasant. Quite agreeable, actually.”

“They do seem to be extremely good-natured,” Elizabeth conceded. “But I was quite happy that Lydia stole away my share of their company. The less I talk to them, the less Mama can think one of them will marry me.”

“She will just find someone else for you.”

“She would if she could, but where? This horde is not large enough.”

“What about this new assistant that Mrs. Long tells us Mr. Jones is taking on?”

Elizabeth laughed. “That sounds perfect. Mama will find it convenient to have an apothecary in the family. But I may escape her attention altogether while she is busy encouraging Colonel Forster and Mr. Fordyce.”

“Poor Mary,” Jane said feelingly. “I hope she will not be excessively embarrassed.”

“I am more concerned that Mama will be encouraging her to some excessive expectations.”

“Mr. Fordyce did appear to be very much taken with Mary. It would be nice if he were to make her an offer.”

“It would be wonderful if he could afford to. I think that she will do well to confine her expectations to some agreeable conversation with him this winter. And you too, my dear hopeful sister.”

Jane blushed a little. “I shouldn’t be making such hasty assumptions, but I cannot help being a little hopeful. She looked so happy. And they had so much to say to each other. I think they could be well suited.”

“I thought the same thing myself,” Elizabeth admitted.

“Since I wasn’t talking, I couldn’t help hearing some of their conversation, and it seemed to me that Mr. Fordyce brings out the best in Mary.

If this turns out to be the romance you were hoping for, then I will consider their engagement to be a good thing.

But I cannot think it a good idea for Kitty to pin her hopes on Colonel Forster.

There is no reason to think they have anything in common, nor that his friendliness toward her was more than a liking for lively company.

I am sure she is going to be disappointed, but since her interest in the man is superficial, we may hope for her recovery to be quick. ”