Page 49

Georgiana put down her letter and finished her breakfast, idly wondering if Elizabeth Bennet would accept an invitation to spend the day with her.

As she withdrew to the music room, she returned to her brother’s letter, studying it this time.

He had not written in spirits, but then she would have been surprised if he had.

She did not know all of the details, but she knew enough to know that the next few weeks might be the most important of his life.

Never before had she seen him in love and she doubted very much that she ever would again.

He was not the sort of person who easily believes himself in love, not like Mr Bingley, who seemed to have a new love each time she saw him.

Once, when Fitzwilliam had thought her too absorbed in her playing to pay attention to the conversation, she had overheard him telling their cousin Richard that he doubted he would ever find a woman who he could love.

Georgiana knew then that if he were ever so lucky to fall in love with someone who desired him that she would do everything in her power to make sure he was happy. At least one of them desired to be happy when it came to matters of the heart.

* * *

On the Road to Longbourn - Bingley

Bingley paid little attention to his surroundings, his mind focused on one thing. Jane. He was merely killing time until he could go to see her. Ask her to be his wife.

He could see it all: Jane sitting on the window seat in the front parlour of his house in town, looking out at the street as she waited for him to get home.

Giving him a secret little smile across the drawing room at an evening party.

Sitting next to him at church, her shoulder just touching his.

Walking hand-in-hand with his angel on an evening walk.

Waking up to her smiling face, still half asleep, first thing in the morning.

Her gentleness and her sweetness seeped into every aspect of his daily life, filling his home with a golden warmth.

Taking breakfast together each morning, seated next to each other in comfortable, quiet companionship.

He wanted it all. He wanted a life with her.

His mind turned then to what he would say to her.

He would of course tell her just how much she meant to him, how much he loved her.

How he hoped that she would do him the honour of becoming his wife.

That was all fairly simple, but how to begin?

How should he get to telling her that he loved her?

What if he did not have a chance to speak to her without her family present?

Bingley was so lost in this train of thought that he failed to notice that his horse had wandered towards Longbourn until he looked up to see the Bennet’s housekeeper eyeing him expectantly from the open door.

* * *

Longbourn, Jane and Elizabeth’s Room - Jane

Lizzy laughed, and Jane looked up from her mending once more to see what had distracted her sister yet again.

This time Lizzy had found some old letters and was reading them.

She had not been with Lizzy very long, but Elizabeth seemed more interested in reminiscing rather than sorting her things out.

“Lizzy, we are never going to get all of this sorted out if you don’t stop reading everything.”

“But that is part of the fun of sorting out this sort of thing- remembering all of the odd things that happened.” Lizzy said as she moved over to show Jane what it was she was looking at. “Look. These letters are from Kitty, when we were in London with my aunt and uncle, just after she turned ten.”

Jane sighed and took the letter. Kitty’s hand was unsure and uneven as one would expect of a child of ten, especially one who thought a good deal more about dolls and ribbons than her lessons and books. Jane read the letter and laughed at a passage or two, before handing it back to Lizzy .

“I’ll keep that if you don’t want to.” She offered.

“I have a box for letters that-” Elizabeth was interrupted by Mrs Bennet’s flustered voice from downstairs.

“Where are those girls?” There was a slight pause where they could hear someone else reply more quietly, and then Mrs Bennet’s voice came again. “Hill, call Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth down, directly.”

Jane stood up quickly and brushed her gown straight, as footsteps hurried towards the door. Lizzy remained where she was on the floor, surrounded by her belongings, carefully putting Kitty’s letter away. When Hill entered the room a moment later, she was more than a little out of breath .

“Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth.” She said as she entered the room, curtsying slightly. “You are needed downstairs. Mr Bingley has come.”

“Thank you Hill, we shall be down directly.” Lizzy said with a smile, before turning to address Jane. “I think we have been inside too long today. A walk in the fresh air would be the very thing.”

“Lizzy!” Jane warned, not sure what her sister was hinting at, but not trusting her smile.

“I am sure Mr Bingley would be happy to accompany us.” Lizzy’s eyes were dancing as they headed out of the room.

* * *

Longbourn - Elizabeth

They entered the room to find that Mrs Bennet was speaking at length to Mr Bingley.

Elizabeth smiled as she watched with pleasure how Mr Bingley’s face lit up at the sight of her sister as Jane smiled at him in her gentle way.

He stood up hastily as they entered, but Mrs Bennet was not done speaking.

She was telling him about the wedding preparations.

“Mr Collins will be arriving the day before, but he is to stay with the Philips.” She smiled slightly.

“We shall have such a number of people, my brother and his wife and their children are coming from London. They will stay with us, it will be a little crowded to be sure. But it is such a thing! Lizzy to be married to Mr Collins! It does me good to know that my dear child will one day take my place as mistress of Longbourn.” Mrs Bennet paused to take a sip of tea, before continuing in a slightly breathless manner.

“The wedding breakfast will be here, of course. I have planned the whole thing. They will spend the wedding night here and then leave for Kent the following morning. Much better than spending the night in a cold inn somewhere on the road.”

Mr Bingley opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again. He glanced at Jane, who had taken a seat near her mother and was sitting silently. Elizabeth could feel her cheeks flush at the mention of her wedding night, but thankfully no one was looking at her.

“And I am sure, Mrs Bennet, that the wedding will be quite excellent.” Mr Bingley said before turning to greet Elizabeth and Jane.

They sat in silence for a minute or two.

Elizabeth did not feel that it was her place to break it, that duty rested with others.

She hoped they would soon before Mrs Bennet began to speak of the wedding again.

At length Mr Bingley suggested that they enjoy the slight improvement in the weather to take a walk in the garden.

Elizabeth readily agreed, both to get away from her mother and her continual wedding talk and to give her sister and Mr Bingley some time alone.

Lydia and Kitty had left for Meryton not long before, which left Elizabeth, Mary, Jane and Mr Bingley.

Elizabeth walked with Mary while Jane and Mr Bingley walked together, speaking softly with their heads inclined towards one another.

There was something different about Mr Bingley today.

It was true that he always paid Jane more attention than anyone else, but today, it was as if he could not take his eyes off her.

“Lizzy, do you think it will be very different?” Mary asked her suddenly.

Elizabeth turned her attention back to Mary and asked: “What will be?”

“Father, he-” Mary paused, struggling to express what was on her mind. “We should turn to the Bible and to God in times like this. But at times like this, I find that it brings me little comfort. ”

Elizabeth had often heard her younger sister quote from the Bible, or from other religious texts with little emotion unless it was exasperation that she was not being listened to.

Mary continued softly and in a voice that Elizabeth hardly recognised as her sister’s, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

And you know the way to where I am going. ”

Mary had always been the most serious of the girls, even as a child. But there was something in the way she spoke now. She was no longer quoting text, she understood the meaning behind what she was saying. It was no longer just an intellectual exercise, but said with real conviction.

“Nothing is going to prepare us.” Elizabeth was surprised by how steady her voice was.

“All we can do is pray and hope he will be well again, however unlikely it may seem. He is going to leave us sooner or later. But we must do everything in our power to make him as comfortable as he can be. What happens after, we will have to face it once it comes. There is no point trying until then.”

Mary sighed, “I think you are right.”

“Let us not think of it. Look at Jane and Mr Bingley.” Elizabeth brushed the tears away and smiled through them. “Even through all of this I do not remember a time when I saw her look as well as she does now.”