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W ith Lydia tucked away upstairs, Mr. Bennet, Jane, Elizabeth, Mary and Kitty gathered, as if by unspoken agreement, in the parlour.

“She must be punished in some fashion,” Mr. Bennet said. “I am certainly in agreement with that. But what? It must be something that is not noticeable by our neighbours, of course.”

“Do you not think she has been through enough?” Jane asked.

“Papa does not want her to think that what she did was acceptable,” Mary put in.

“Quite right, though being in mourning and without entertainment until July will be trying enough for her,” Kitty said.

“I have a thought. Papa, you know you always said that she was dreadfully ignorant and had been let out of the schoolroom too soon?” Elizabeth said.

“He said that about me as well,” Kitty added.

“Well, what if Lydia was made to learn? To study?” Elizabeth suggested.

“Hmm. Mathematics? French?” Mr. Bennet asked.

“Yes; all the things she should have learnt, had she ever put her mind to it or been put in a proper school. She would feel that to be a harsh punishment, I warrant, but she might at least be less ignorant at the end of it.”

“It is a passably good notion, I think,” Mr. Bennet said.

“There is but one difficulty,” Elizabeth cautioned him.

“Which is?”

“You would have to work with her, Papa. Unless you can afford to hire a governess?”

“A governess? At her age? That would set the neighbours a-twitter, Lizzy! No, I will teach her myself. It will be a punishment for me as well as for her, I suspect, but we both deserve it.”

“And you will both be the better for it, I think,” said Jane. “You will be a better father, and she will be better suited for whatever life has in store for her.”

“I notice you speak very carefully, Jane,” Mary said. “You suspect she will not marry?”

Jane shifted in her chair, clearly uncomfortable. “We do not doubt that she has lost her virtue, do we?”

Mr. Bennet coughed. “Must this be discussed?”

“Not discussed, but certainly acknowledged,” Jane insisted.

“Does that make her unmarriageable? I do not doubt that there are many girls in England who lost their virtue to one man and then married another!” Kitty insisted.

“Lydia’s future is not my immediate concern,” Mr. Bennet said. “Just knowing that the Deception can end is enough!”

“It has not ended, nor can it,” Mary said. “We must always remember the false history we have created for her; we cannot refer to her time in service in any way, other than to those who already know of the deception.

Jane sighed and closed her eyes. “You are right, Mary; it will never end.”

Kitty reminded them, “And she needs black gloves at once; her hands may not be seen until they are quite healed.”

***

When Lydia came downstairs for dinner, she looked far better; her rest had done her much good.

“Aunt Gardiner gave me fabric for mourning clothes,” she said, after greeting her family. “I would prefer just to dye a few of my own gowns and give the fabric to my sisters.”

“She gave us a good deal of fabric already,” Jane said. “You must keep what she gave you for your own use.”

“I will help you sew new gowns, if you like,” Kitty offered.

“Thank you both,” Lydia said. “Very well; I will use the material. Kitty, you have the best eye for fashion out of all of us, so I would be grateful for your help.”

Mr. Bennet joined the girls, and everyone sat down to eat.

“What was the food like where you were?” Elizabeth asked.

“Quite good, actually; Cook was very kind to me when I first arrived. I was near starving, and she gave me a big plate of food without a word of censure.”

“Lydia, I have made a decision as to how we will move forward,” Mr. Bennet said, once plates had been filled.

Lydia put her fork down and folded her hands in her lap, waiting for the dire punishment her father had in store for her. “Yes, Papa?” she whispered.

“You are a silly, ignorant girl,” he began.

“You are right,” she said, nodding.

“We will address that, beginning tomorrow. You are to present yourself in my study every morning after breakfast, and I will assign you lessons.”

“Lessons?” Lydia looked deeply confused.

“Yes; mathematics, French, and literature, to start. Later, we will add history and current politics.”

“You are going to teach me?” Lydia was not certain she understood.

“Precisely; and you are to take these lessons quite seriously, or I will put you back in the schoolroom at once.”

“Oh! I will be very, very good!” she exclaimed, astonished at the idea of her father taking such an interest in her. “Thank you, Papa; I will study as hard as you could wish!”

“Hmmph,” he replied. “We shall see.”

“And there is one more thing I should like to learn,” Lydia added. “Mary, might you be willing to instruct me on the pianoforte?”

Mary was surprised at having been so applied to, but she replied at once that she would be happy to do so.

“Mr. Bingley will visit us tomorrow,” Jane said. “I imagine Mr. Darcy and Georgiana will join him.”

“Georgiana?” Lydia asked.

“Mr. Darcy’s young sister; she is very sweet, Lydia. I think you will like her,” Jane explained.

Lydia looked down at her plate. “And she knows about me?”

“She does, yes; after all, it was her brother, Mr. Darcy, who was ultimately responsible for your rescue.”

Elizabeth wondered if she should explain Georgiana’s history with Mr. Wickham; she glanced at Jane and raised an eyebrow; Jane quickly shook her head. Jane was right, Elizabeth thought; it was for Georgiana to tell her story, but only if and when she wished to do so.