Page 18

As the rain and cold weather battered the streets, Lizzy threw herself into her work and the suffrage movement.

The prime minister had introduced a bill giving all males, no matter their landowning status, the right to vote.

While Elizabeth believed in giving everyone the right to vote, whether they owned land or not, she agreed with the Pankhursts that this was a slap in the face to their movement.

They had been pressing to give landowning women the right to vote, and now this bill seemed to solidify suffrage into the hands of only men.

Something had to be done. Lizzy was prepared to do it.

After attending a rousing meeting of the WSPU to find out what could be done, Elizabeth shook off the rain from her woollen coat in the dark, thinking Jane might be asleep. But the light turned on, and there was Jane, still dressed and sitting on her bed, holding a letter. She looked unnerved.

“ Thank goodness you’re home.” Jane got up and handed the letter to Elizabeth.

“ What’s the matter? What’s happened? Is someone ill?” It wasn’t a telegram, so there was little likelihood that someone died, but still, Jane looked shaken.

“ It’s from Mama. Bad news, I’m afraid. I don’t know what we are supposed to do.” She spoke as Lizzy opened the envelope and started to read.

Dear Jane and Lizzy,

I hope you are doing well and that you are in good standing in your positions.

“ Good standing in our positions? Whatever does that mean and what a way to begin a letter,” said Lizzy.

“ I know, I know. Read on.”

“ I will come right to the point, girls, your sister Lydia needs your help. She has involved herself with a young man who is most unsuitable, and she needs to leave Meryton for a while. I don’t say that she has disgraced herself, but that is not long off in my estimation.

Your father and I are in agreement. You two will get her a position at Selfridges and she will live with you for a time.

The occupation will do her good and you two can supervise her.

“ Oh, no.” Lizzy sighed and dropped her hands to her side.

“This is too much. Do they think that we’re great friends with Mr Selfridge and all we must do is ask?

What if there’s no position? What if she makes trouble at the store and the two of us lose our own positions in the process?

No, no, we must tell Mama to find another way to—”

“ It’s too late, Lizzy. She’s coming on the evening train tomorrow.”

Lizzy sat heavily on the bed, the letter dangling from her hand. Lydia. What were they to do with Lydia?

The next evening, Lizzy stood with Jane at King’s Cross Station in the early evening to meet Lydia’s train.

On reading further into her mother’s letter, Lizzy found that her father must have intervened and involved the Gardiners.

He, at least, had sense enough to know that Jane and herself had no hope of arranging accommodation and employment in one day.

They met their uncle at the station and were greatly relieved.

“ So, our little Lydia is coming to stay for a while. How nice.” He was always a pleasant man, and Elizabeth liked him very much.

“ I’m afraid the Bennet sisters impose on you too much, uncle.” Jane couldn’t meet his eyes. The entire situation upset her as much as Lizzy.

“ Nonsense, nonsense. We love having her. Your mother wrote that the two of you are going to make enquiries at Selfridges for her.”

“ We will make enquiries, but I cannot guarantee Mama the outcome she prefers.” Elizabeth didn’t want to mislead him into thinking that they had some magic plan to obtain employment for their flighty sister.

“ No matter. We will keep her for a visit. The children will keep her occupied and there is much to do about the house. Perhaps your aunt will teach her to cook.”

Elizabeth looked at Jane after that remark and could see that it finally brought a smile to her face. “I would very much like to see that. Oh, here is the train.”

***

From Lydia’s demeanour, Elizabeth knew she was not best pleased to be shipped off to London to stay with her uncle, or her sisters for that matter.

Lydia’s bags were duly deposited in the attic bedroom at the Gardiners’.

It was rather makeshift and small, with a sloping ceiling and one dormer that provided much-needed light.

Lizzy was grateful that her uncle gave Lydia a room of her own rather than having her share with her younger cousins.

He and her aunt really were most accommodating.

The rest of the family had adjourned below with Jane for tea and cake, but Lizzy insisted on talking to Lydia.

After all, she was due an explanation to this extraordinary turn of events, and she could hardly rely on her mother for accurate information…

or any information, for that matter. Lizzy imagined that her face must have looked like thunder as she turned to follow Lydia up the stairway, for Jane clasped her by the arm and wordlessly told Lizzy to be patient with Lydia.

Lizzy nodded, pressed her lips together, and resolved to hear Lydia out.

Lydia sat pouting and bouncing disconsolately on the bed. “This is like a prison cell. I don’t know why Mama and Papa are being so mean.”

“ You have a room to yourself in a crowded household. You should be grateful.” From Lydia’s pose, arms crossed, head tilted toward the ceiling, Lizzy knew immediately that she had taken the wrong tack.

Patience… patience . She pulled a chair from under the dormer and sat opposite Lydia, taking both her hands.

“Perhaps you should tell me what happened. I know nothing of the situation except that Mama said there was some man involved.”

Lydia finally raised her gaze to meet Lizzy’s. They were so narrow; it was almost frightening. “Oh, that. I don’t know why they were so upset. We didn’t do anything, not really.”

Lydia jumped up off the bed and leaned her head on the narrow, sloping ceiling, and proceeded to gaze out the window. Lizzy knew that ploy. Lydia didn’t want to look her in the eye.

“ What didn’t you do?”

A bit of sighing and huffing ensued. “Martin is a little bit older than me… an officer in the marines.” Lydia turned suddenly and flashed Lizzy a dazzling smile.

“He was so handsome, Lizzy. Just so handsome. Then, just because he took me out on a picnic in his motorcar without telling Mama and Papa where we were going… Oh, it was so humiliating.”

Lydia turned dramatically back to resting against the window.

“ Something must have happened, or you wouldn’t be here. You haven’t told me anything.”

Lydia glared back at her. “When they couldn’t find me at home, Papa went to the barracks to ask after Martin.

Papa told his commanding officer that he ran off with me and had an entire patrol of marines interrupt our picnic…

which, by the by, was going splendidly. I had my first entire glass of wine… and, well… other things.”

Lizzy’s face must have betrayed her feelings of… shock—horror?—because Lydia burst into a gale of giggles. “Oh you should see your face. I told you nothing happened… not really.”

“ Oh, Lydia. No wonder Mama and Papa wanted you to leave Meryton for a time. This could have been… It could have been the ruin of you. Really, you need to learn to be more discreet.”

“ I knew you would be on their side. I just knew it.” Lydia abandoned her stance at the window and threw herself on the bed.

“ I’m not on their side. I know it isn’t fair that men can do as they please and women bear the consequences, but that is the way things are right now. You must learn to... judge more carefully…You are very young and older men will take advantage…”

“ You just don’t understand. We were in love… at least I think we were. He said he was going to marry me… eventually.”

Lizzy sighed. “Oh, Lydia.” What more could she say? It would fall to Jane and herself to keep a close watch on their wilful and impulsive younger sister.