Page 6 of Brighton Rescue (Pride and Prejudice Variation #23)
Mrs. Harriet Forster glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece and then at Lydia Bennet, who was slowly munching on a piece of toast. “Lydia, are you not finished breaking your fast? I received word that The Mysteries of Udolpho is waiting for me at the circulating library and I wish to obtain it as soon as possible!”
Lydia swallowed her bite, took a sip of tea, and tilted her chin winsomely.
“Harriet, dearest Harriet, can we not wait two hours? You know that very few of the officers are up and about this early, and dear Mr. Wickham always sleeps until at least eleven. We have far more chance of meeting him and the other officers if we wait.”
Mrs. Forster rubbed her forehead in frustration. She was very fond of Lydia, who was lively, fun and handsome, but the girl had little understanding of Harriet’s responsibilities as wife of a colonel.
“No,” the lady explained patiently, “we must go now. I am to have tea with Mrs. Allen and Mrs. Pembroke this afternoon.”
“Oh, must we, Harriet?” Lydia whined. “They are so old and dull!”
“They are rather dull,” Harriet admitted, “but their husbands serve alongside Colonel Forster and he particularly wishes for me to stay on good terms with them. You can stay in your room, if you wish.”
“I will,” Lydia said decidedly, patting her mouth with a napkin and rising to her feet. “Very well, if we must go to the library now, we must, though I am quite heartbroken I will not see Mr. Wickham and Captain Denny.”
The door opened and a maid entered and dropped a curtsey. “Madam, a Lady Amelia Hartford is here to see you.”
Harriet Forster stared at the girl in astonishment. “Lady Amelia Hartford?”
“Yes. She is waiting with her companion in the drawing room.”
“Thank you, Charity,” the young Mrs. Forster responded and looked over at Lydia rather helplessly. “Do you know of a Lady Amelia, Lydia?”
“No,” the youngest Miss Bennet said carelessly, “but why does it matter? She probably is collecting donations for the church or some such thing.”
“Do come along, Lydia, do!” her friend begged. “I do not have much experience with members of the nobility. ”
Lydia nodded agreeably and sashayed out of the room. She quite adored Harriet Forster, but her friend was a timid mouse at times. There was nothing to be afraid of, after all.
She led the way into the drawing room where the visitors were waiting and halted in amazement.
“Lizzy!”
Elizabeth, who had been talking softly with Lady Amelia, hurried forward to throw her arms around her sister. “Lydia, how wonderful to see you!”
“Oh Lizzy, I am glad to see you too, but what are you doing here? Are Mother and Kitty here as well?”
“No, oh, Mrs. Forster, good morning!”
Harriet Forster smiled nervously at Elizabeth; on the one hand, she was pleased that one of her visitors was an acquaintance from Meryton in Hertfordshire, where the militia had previously been stationed.
On the other hand, Elizabeth Bennet had always proven a mystery to young Mrs. Forster; the second Miss Bennet was prone to speaking casually about books and Greek philosophy and the like, which quite hurt Harriet’s head.
“Good morning, Miss Bennet,” Mrs. Forster responded softly, her eyes shifting to the well-dressed matron standing patiently near the bay window which looked out into a small garden .
“Miss Bennet, will you kindly introduce me to your sister and her friend?” Lady Amelia requested.
“Certainly! Lady Amelia, my sister, Miss Lydia Bennet, and her gracious hostess, Mrs. Forster. Colonel Forster commands the regiment which was recently in Meryton, near our home of Longbourn. Lydia, Mrs. Forster, Lady Amelia Hartford.”
Lydia and Mrs. Forster curtsied to the lady, and Amelia Hartford nodded agreeably in return as she considered the youngest Miss Bennet.
Mrs. Bennet must be handsome indeed to pass on such beautiful features to her daughters.
It was no wonder that a man like George Wickham was attracted by the buxom form and engaging features of Miss Lydia, even if the scoundrel would calmly ruin the girl without a twinge of conscience.
“Please, will you not sit down and join us for tea?” Mrs. Forster said as Charity entered with a tray.
Elizabeth and Lady Amelia took seats near an open window, through which flowed a slight breeze.
Elizabeth found herself vigorously cooling herself with her fan; Colonel Forster’s hired house was far better than the barracks allotted for most of the militia officers and men, but it was still a substantial distance from the sea and very warm on this July day .
“Lizzy,” Lydia demanded as soon as she had captured a scone from the tray, “why are you here? Did Papa relent and bring the rest of the family to Brighton?”
“No,” Elizabeth answered, nodding her thanks at her hostess for her cup of tea.
“No, our aunt and uncle Gardiner were going to tour Derbyshire with me as their guest, but at the last minute decided that we would prefer to go to the seashore than to set out on a more arduous journey through the northern counties. I had heard through Kitty that you are greatly enjoying Brighton and we decided to come here.”
She took a sip of tea, pleased that she had spoken the absolute truth without revealing their true reason for coming to Brighton.
“Oh Lizzy, you will have so much fun!” Lydia squealed in excitement. “Harriet and I see officers every day, and there are dances almost every week! Of course, aunt and uncle Gardiner do not care much for dancing but perhaps you can hire a carriage, or perhaps you can stay here with the Forsters…”
Lady Amelia was taken aback at this gauche display; it was incredibly rude of the girl to invite her sister to stay without giving Mrs. Forster a chance to convey an invitation.
Young Mrs. Forster, who was very young indeed – what had the colonel been thinking to marry a child in her teens?
– looked taken aback, as did Elizabeth, who was obviously uncomfortable with her sister’s impulsive speech.
“Thanks to the introduction of a mutual acquaintance, Miss Bennet is staying with me,” Lady Amelia explained, “along with her aunt and uncle Gardiner. My home is only a few minutes walk from the Old Steine Green, which is a delightful place for a stroll and near enough to the Prince’s Marine Pavilion to enjoy a splendid view of His Highness’s abode here in Brighton. ”
“Oh, Lady Amelia,” Mrs. Forster asked excitedly, “have you ever met the Prince Regent himself?”
“Certainly,” the lady responded. “My family is a well-established one, and we have been invited to more than one party in the Pavilion.”
“What an honor!” Harriet Forster said, obviously awestruck.
“Yes, indeed. Well, I am sure you ladies have your own pursuits for the day so Miss Bennet and I will be departing. I will be sending you an invitation soon for dinner at my mansion, Mrs. Forster. Are there any days that are particularly convenient for Colonel Forster, Miss Lydia, and you?”
The lady of the house could hardly speak in astonishment. “You … you wish to invite … us? ”
“Of course, Mrs. Forster! We would be honored to have you and your husband and guest visit us, and I am certain Miss Bennet would enjoy spending time with Miss Lydia.”
“Indeed I would,” Elizabeth declared with a warm smile at her sister, who was looking more bewildered than anything else.
“We are free every evening except Thursday this week,” Harriet said hesitantly, “and even on Thursday I daresay the colonel can cancel his dinner with …”
“That will not be necessary,” Lady Amelia assured her.
“No, I believe Wednesday will work well, but I will send a formal invitation soon. Well, Miss Bennet, I believe we must be going. Colonel Fitzwilliam should be arriving in time for dinner and I wish to consult with my cook as the dear man has a great fondness for fruit tarts. I would not wish to disappoint the colonel by not giving my cook sufficient time to secure the required ingredients.”
“Who is Colonel Fitzwilliam?” Lydia asked hopefully.
“He is the nephew of a dear friend of mine,” Lady Amelia explained, “and a colonel in the Regulars as well as a charming man. You will meet him at dinner, along with my son, a retired army man.”
“We look forward to it very much,” Mrs. Forster said meekly .
“Until Wednesday evening, then. Mrs. Forster, Miss Lydia, it was pleasant to meet you both.”
Elizabeth and Lady Amelia swept out of the Forsters’ hired house and into the Hartford carriage, and a moment later the matching black horses were trotting back toward the wealthier section of town.
“I believe that went well,” the older woman said in a satisfied tone. “Mrs. Forster was obviously pleased at the idea of visiting a member of the aristocracy, and Miss Lydia seems quite excited to meet Colonel Fitzwilliam.”
“I did not know that the Colonel was coming to Brighton,” Elizabeth said diffidently.
“Oh my dear, I do apologize! I have had so many conversations of late and had forgotten you were not present for that one. Darcy sent an express to the colonel only yesterday requesting that he come to Brighton. Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam is the second son to the Earl of Matlock and Miss Darcy’s other guardian… ”
“I am aware,” Elizabeth explained hastily. “I know the Colonel; he accompanied Mr. Darcy to Rosings a few months ago and I met him while I was visiting my friend, Mrs. Collins.”
“Oh! Is Richard aware that Mr. Darcy proposed marriage to you? ”
“I do not know, Lady Amelia. Given that Mr. Darcy seems a private man, I would think not, but it is possible; he and the Colonel are good friends.”
“The very best of friends,” Amelia Hartford asserted, “and more brothers than cousins in some ways, though their characters are dissimilar. I apologize again for not informing you of his arrival. Do you like him?”
“Oh, pray do not be concerned. Yes, I like Colonel Fitzwilliam very much indeed, and I understand that as Miss Darcy’s other guardian, he would wish to be here to look after his cousins’ interests.”
Amelia Hartford bent a worried look on her young friend. “Do you believe Richard likes you very much too?”
Elizabeth was briefly confused and then chuckled. “If you mean, is he in any way attached to me, certainly not. We dealt with one another very well in Kent, but he made it clear that he must marry for money and we Bennets are, regrettably, without substantial dowries.”
Lady Amelia leaned back in some relief; it would be extraordinarily awkward if Darcy and Fitzwilliam were fighting for the hand of the fair Elizabeth. “Yes, I fear that as the second son of an earl, Richard is used to a rather lavish lifestyle.”
“I entirely understand his perspective,” her young friend said reassuringly. “Indeed, I look forward to seeing him very much. ”
“I am glad,” her hostess said and then, thinking over the various people coming and going, and young Miss Lydia, and Wickham, and an uneasy Darcy, declared, “I believe I am going to enjoy myself very much over the next week. I also relish that my second son, Gabriel, will be joining us today at my request. He lives only some fifteen miles away at a small estate, but he is very much a man who enjoys the country, and rarely comes to Brighton during the summer.”
“Does he enjoy hunting?” Elizabeth asked politely.
“He does not,” her hostess explained decidedly, “though he used to be an excellent shot. He is a former army man, my dear, and lost his left arm in the Battle of Corunna three years ago. He is now retired and has a passion for beekeeping, while also diligently overseeing his estate of Beehaven.”
“Oh, Lady Amelia, I am so sorry to hear of such a grievous injury!”
“It was most distressing at the time,” the lady responded, a shadow darkening her countenance, “but he survived it when so many men did not. It is well to remember, Miss Bennet, that we owe much to the brave men who are fighting the Tyrant in Europe. Gabriel gave the Crown his arm; many men gave their lives.”