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Mrs. Bennet turned to catch her youngest daughter up in her fantasy. “Lydia, shall you like that? Just imagine all the rich gentlemen you will have to flirt with!”

When she eventually paused to take a breath, Mr. Bennet called over to her; “Mrs. Bennet, of what are you speaking?”

“Of our trip to London, of course!”

Mr. Bennet raised his voice before she could continue.

“We have already discussed this, madam, and the plan shall not be altered. I have business with Mr. Gardiner and so I will be accompanying our eldest daughters to London. You shall remain here with the younger girls and make certain that the wedding planning goes smoothly.”

This last he threw in as a sop to Fanny’s feelings but it worked very well to distract her.

“Oh, good heavens… it would be a disaster if I left Longbourn so close to the wedding.” She turned to her second daughter’s fiancé.

“Mr. Darcy, are you quite satisfied with the date? It is so soon; I don’t know if I’ll be able to arrange things to the standard as you are accustomed. ”

Elizabeth held her breath but Fitzwilliam felt only a sort of bemused affection for his future mother-in-law.

Having seen the behavior of Lady Catherine, Darcy appreciated this woman’s simple desire to please him.

With a small smile, he spoke kindly; “The date is quite perfect, Mrs. Bennet, and I am certain that the celebration you plan will be lovely. My own parents were married in a very intimate gathering at a small Derbyshire chapel and I would be very content for mine to be similar.”

While Mrs. Bennet was staring at the gentleman as if she had never seen him before, Darcy turned to see the look of open affection on Elizabeth’s face.

“Well, I shouldn’t like to go to London anyway, not now that the regiment has returned,” cried Lydia and the superior look she shot at her sisters troubled Lizzy a great deal.

Likewise, Darcy was worried by this evidence that Elizabeth’s youngest sister was still enthralled by the militia.

Before he could think of anything to say, however, Mrs. Bennet rebuked her offspring; “Don’t be foolish, Lydia!

I’ve been known to admire a man in a red coat myself, but those soldiers are nothing to the rich gentlemen that your new brothers shall introduce you to! ”

Lydia’s chin jutted out as she glared at her mother.

“I don’t want to meet their boring old friends!

I don’t care how rich they are—I want to marry an officer who is interesting and exciting and fun !

” In a whirl of skirts and curls, Lydia stormed out of the room; her progress up the stairs and into her bedroom easily tracked by the pounding of feet and slamming of doors.

Jane and Elizabeth blushed with mortification even as Darcy uttered a silent prayer of thanks for his own sister’s very different temperament.

Mr. Bennet snorted at the antics of his youngest daughter with a wave of his hand.

“Well, then. At least she saved me the trouble of sending her to her room!”

Meanwhile, Mrs. Bennet’s mind had reverted to the wedding planning as if there had been no interruption, and soon she had engaged Mr. Bingley and Jane in a discussion of the menu for the wedding breakfast. Longbourn’s master was just wondering if he might retreat to the solitude of his bookroom for the evening when Elizabeth approached him and spoke quietly.

“Papa, I am worried about Lydia. She seems to have become even more fixated on the regiment during their absence, and now that they are returning…” She trailed off; there was something about her youngest sister’s attitude that had particularly unsettled her but she could not quite put it into words.

Resigned but slightly irritated that his presence would be required in the drawing room until their company left, Mr. Bennet was not in the mood to consider the workings of his youngest daughter’s mind.

“Don’t fret about it, Lizzy—your sister is only behaving as she always does.

She won’t be in London to embarrass you, if that is your concern. ”

This last was said with enough of an edge to his voice that Elizabeth began to protest immediately. “Indeed, sir, it is not any specific event that worries me, but her general attitude…”

Mr. Bennet waved her off. “The matter is settled, Lizzy. Lydia shall not be attending any assemblies or parties until the wedding and your mother knows not to entertain anyone from the regiment here at Longbourn while I am gone. Now then, Mr. Darcy—what about a game of chess? My daughter has spoken highly of your abilities but you and I have yet to play a match.”

Fitzwilliam had drawn close enough to listen to the exchange between father and daughter.

Like Elizabeth, he was concerned for the youngest Miss Bennet, knowing the trouble she could get into if she associated herself too closely with the officers (especially one in particular), but he was not sure how to say so without offending his host.

Hoping that a more private moment might present itself later, Darcy agreed to the match and moved with Mr. Bennet to a small table by the window where they proceeded to set up the board and play with only minimal conversation.

It would not have surprised either Elizabeth or Darcy to know that their thoughts ran along a similar path, both hoping that all would be well despite a nagging worry over Lydia’s behavior.