Page 46 of The Fire at Longbourn (Pride and Prejudice Variation)
Mrs. Bennet tilted her head, regarding her second daughter carefully, and Elizabeth felt a brief stab of concern, which dissipated when she remembered her careful inspection in the mirror only this morning at her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner’s home.
Her black eye and bruised cheek had entirely healed, and thus she no longer needed to worry about someone asking difficult questions about her appearance.
“You are beautiful,” her mother finally said, “not as beautiful as Jane, of course, but you look very well indeed. I still can hardly believe that … but enough of that. My dear, I am so very proud of you and Jane! For all these years I have worried and fretted over the entail, fearful of being thrown to the hedgerows when your father died, and now you are both marrying wealthy men! Oh, Lizzy, I have not slept so well in years!”
Elizabeth stared at her mother in wonder. Mrs. Bennet had been an incandescent beauty in her youth, but in the last years she had often worn a peevish expression which, along with her high pitched fussing, had made her seem older than her years.
Now, in spite of the fire, in spite of the reality that Longbourn still boasted an empty space where the east wing had been, in spite of the loss of her clothes and jewelry, her mother looked calm and even radiant.
Elizabeth felt tears well in her eyes, and she stepped forward to wrap her Mrs. Bennet in her arms. She had long been irritated by her mother’s manners, her vulgarity, and her frenzies, but now she felt only compassion.
The poor woman, born the daughter of a tradesman, failing to bear a son, had been living in fear for many years, and within a week, she would have two sons-in-law who would ensure that she never went hungry or cold or lacked any necessity of life.
“I am so proud of you, Lizzy,” her mother whispered again.
/
Longbourn
That Night
Elizabeth pulled the last of her gowns out of her wardrobe and looked around the room thoughtfully. “Kitty, I will only bring the six gowns on my bed. The rest, I think, can be easily altered to fit you.”
Kitty, who had been standing near the window staring out at the bare branches of a nearby tree, turned around at these words and asked, “Only six? No, Lizzy, I could not take so many of your clothes!”
“Nonsense, my dear,” Elizabeth replied, rushing forward to embrace her second youngest sister. “I am marrying a man with ten thousand pounds a year and a large estate in Derbyshire! I assure you that I can easily spare these gowns.”
Kitty hesitated and then said, “I hope Lydia will not be upset if I have more clothes than she does.”
“I am not upset,” Lydia declared, sweeping into the room with Mary and Jane at her heels. “Truly, Kitty, I could never wear Lizzy’s clothes anyway, since I am so much taller than she is. I have enough gowns for winter, and Father has said he will pay for more clothes when spring comes.”
“Well, if you are certain,” Kitty said hesitantly, looking at Elizabeth.
“She is,” Lydia declared confidently. “Now come along, all of you; we have only a few more days under Longbourn’s roof as unmarried sisters. I do not wish to spend much time arguing about clothes. Shall we let Daisy pack up Lizzy’s garments while we repair to Jane’s room to talk?”
Elizabeth nodded and said, “That is a wonderful idea, Lydia.”
/
Netherfield
Two days later
White flakes whirled and wafted on the wind, the horses’ hooves and the carriage wheels on the drive muffled by the snow already piling up on the ground, the lights shining from Netherfield’s front windows a welcome beacon in the gloom.
Colonel Fitzwilliam hopped down energetically and shivered a bit in the cold as Darcy disembarked behind him.
The colonel handed down his young cousin onto Darcy’s arm, offering his own to Mrs. Annesley before the group hurried gratefully but carefully up the ice-slick stairs to the inviting warmth of the house and the already-opening front door.
“Miss Darcy, Mrs. Annesley, Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam!” Bingley said hospitably as he hurried into the vestibule of Netherfield. “Welcome, welcome!”
“Bingley,” Darcy said, shaking his friend’s hand. “It is good to see you. I apologize for our late arrival, but one of our leaders went lame a few miles out of London, and we had to change horses earlier than anticipated, and then change an additional time, which delayed us.”
“I am merely delighted that you are here safely,” Bingley declared, and turned as Mrs. Hurst hurried up to the group and said, “Yes, we are very pleased indeed. Now Miss Darcy, Mrs. Annesley, I am certain you wish to refresh yourselves after your longer than anticipated journey, and I daresay the gentlemen would like to enjoy a round of Madeira together. May I show you to your rooms?”
Georgiana glanced at her brother, who nodded reassuringly, and said, “Thank you, Mrs. Hurst, that would be delightful.”
Darcy watched as the ladies climbed the stairs toward the upper floors, and then turned to Bingley and asked piteously, “I suppose it is rather too late for a morning call to Longbourn?”
“Too late, and too snowy!” Bingley said with a laugh. “I understand, I assure you. I know you have not seen Elizabeth in three days, and you miss her!”
“I do,” Darcy agreed fervently, his mind casting back to the kiss he and Elizabeth had shared in Darcy House on Christmas.
“Darcy,” his cousin said, jostling his arm, “I realize you wish to stand around and dream of your lady, but I want some Madeira.”
He colored a little in embarrassment, but he obediently followed his host toward the billiard room. Tomorrow, he would marry the love of his life. He would not need to wait much longer.
/
Longbourn
Jane looked around one more time at her bedchamber, where she had slept for so many years.
Like Elizabeth, she had given away many of her gowns and some of her jewelry to her younger sisters, and everything else was packed away tidily except for the dress she would be wearing for her wedding.
The room looked strangely forlorn, but tomorrow evening, Mary would move into this chamber, and Kitty and Lydia would shift their belongings into Elizabeth’s old room.
“Mary, Kitty, Lydia?” she said suddenly.
The three youngest Bennet girls were seated on her bed admiring the necklaces and bracelets they had just received from their elder sisters, and they turned as one toward her.
“What is it, Jane?” Lydia demanded, her expression uneasy. “Is something wrong?”
“No, not at all,” Jane said, as she sat down on the window seat next to Elizabeth, who was staring contemplatively at the darkening sky.
“I wished to say to all of you that ... that if any of you find it difficult to live here at Longbourn, you must tell me. Netherfield is very large, and we can easily provide a home for you as long as you like.”
Elizabeth had turned around as her elder sister began speaking, and she immediately said, “The same is true for Pemberley; it is a great mansion, with plenty of room for any or all of you. It is a long way away, of course, but sometimes a little distance from home can be a good thing.”
“Thank you, Sisters,” Mary said sincerely, and Kitty nodded and smiled.
“Yes, thank you,” Lydia murmured and felt her chest ease a little. It was a great relief to learn that she had somewhere else to live if Mamma continued to be upset with her.
/
The Church
Meryton
The Next Day
There were no flowers to decorate the vestibule of the small church in Meryton in the dead of winter.
Sprigs of greenery and bright ribbons were set about instead, creating a picturesque frame for the two young women and their father.
Jane’s cerulean eyes were set off vividly by the bright blue of her gown and the ribbons on her fetching bonnet.
Beside her, Elizabeth was resplendent in a hue of green that perfectly highlighted the amber flecks in her eyes and the chestnut tones of her hair.
A mother-of-pearl comb held her hair in its elaborate style, her maid having spent quite some time on it this morning.
“Are you ready, my dears?” Mr. Bennet asked of his two eldest daughters.
Elizabeth looked at Jane, and then said, “We are indeed.”
Bennet nodded at a manservant standing by, who promptly opened the door into the sanctuary.
Elizabeth tightened her grip on her father’s arm and stepped forward along with Jane, her gaze sweeping around the familiar church she had attended since she was a child.
It was not a large church, but she had always thought it beautiful, with its wooden beams and high ceiling. It was still decorated for the season of the nativity, with green boughs and bright red holly berries enlivening the scene.
The pews were crowded with relatives and friends.
Their Aunt and Uncle Gardiner had traveled from London for the day, and they were seated with Mrs. Bennet and her three younger daughters.
The Lucases were here in force as well. Charlotte, who would marry Mr. Collins in less than a fortnight, was smiling, obviously delighted in spite of Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s displeasure over the match.
And now, Elizabeth’s gaze shifted to her beloved Fitzwilliam, who was standing at the end of the nave alongside Charles Bingley.
Elizabeth had thought him a very attractive man the day they first met, but now, with his tall figure clad in a blue coat and gray breeches, with his cravat tied neatly and carefully, his head bare, he had never been so handsome.
He was looking at her, his eyes filled with wondrous joy, and now Mr. Bennet was releasing his daughters to their respective bridegrooms, and Mr. Allen, the rector, was gazing down at them with approval written large on his elderly countenance.
“Dearly beloved,” the parson said, “we are gathered together here in the sight of God…”