Page 4 of The Painting (Pride and Prejudice Variation)

T he beginning of June found Longbourn in a state of relative upheaval. Lydia had joined Mrs Forster and the regiment in Brighton and Kitty had been whining about being left behind ever since, much to Mr Bennet’s annoyance.

Elizabeth had barely found any peace after her tormenting time in Kent.

She had confessed only to Jane about Darcy’s disastrous proposal; while she did not regret refusing him, she struggled with remorse for how greatly she had misjudged the gentleman and how undeservedly she had offended him.

Some of her accusations were just; his interference in separating Bingley and Jane could not be easily forgiven, regardless of his somehow logical explanations.

But when it came to Wickham, Elizabeth felt ashamed of her silliness.

She had been a simpleton to trust a man she barely knew, just because he possessed charming manners and an apparent partiality to her.

She felt angrier with herself than with Wickham and was unsatisfied with their last argument.

She had had the chance to speak to him before the regiment left Meryton and she had wished to confront him, to reprimand him for his lies.

But she had not dared, for fear of betraying Darcy’s confidence.

So she had restrained herself from doing anything more than alluding to the truths that Darcy had revealed to her, but Wickham seemed to understand.

His impudence and lack of contrition for his betrayal of Darcy’s name was appalling to Elizabeth and she felt relieved to be excused from his presence.

Other than that, however, she found no other cause for satisfaction in the loss of the regiment.

Parties were less varied in Meryton and at home, her mother and sisters constantly complained about the dullness of everything around them.

Mrs Bennet had not yet forgotten that Mr Bingley had left with no reasonable explanation or that Elizabeth had refused Mr Collins and condemned them all to poverty as soon as Mr Bennet died.

While Elizabeth ignored such outbursts, every mention of Mr Bingley hurt Jane and her pallor and sadness revealed that her feelings were still strong, although she refused to discuss the subject.

There was another subject Elizabeth avoided discussing too: Mr Darcy.

Strangely, the gentleman’s image was often vivid in her mind but she dismissed it.

She did not expect to ever see him again, so any musing upon the past was pointless.

She looked forward to beginning the promised tour of the lakes with the Gardiners—it was now the subject of her happiest thoughts.

If she could have included Jane in the scheme, every part of it would have been perfect but sadly, the eldest Miss Bennet had elected to remain at home and take care of her cousins—the four Gardiner children.

“I will be sad to see you leave again, Lizzy,” Mr Bennet declared.

“However, I am pleased to see Kitty so much recovered as to be able to enter Meryton without tears for the loss of the officers. And I have great hopes that by next Christmas she will be so improved as to not mention an officer above once a day.”

“Papa!” Elizabeth laughed. But he continued with feigned seriousness.

“God forbid that, by some new cruel and malicious arrangement, another regiment will be quartered in Meryton anytime soon. But then again, you might grieve the loss of the officers too, Lizzy. You were quite diverted by that good looking storyteller Wickham. I hope you do not miss him too much.”

She was forced to laugh further. “Papa, you need not remind me of my foolishness. I am embarrassed enough by how easily I believed Mr Wickham’s fabrications.”

“Are you? So you admit to having been wrong? And silly?”

“Yes, Papa. I am ashamed to admit it, but I was.”

“And may I ask how you came to change your mind?”

“I... Whilst in Kent, I had the chance to speak more to Mr Darcy and to his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam. It appears that Mr Wickham took advantage of the late Mr Darcy’s generosity and when his privileges were withdrawn due to his questionable inclinations, he responded with false accusations against the present Mr Darcy.

Everything he told us was half of the truth and he concealed his share of the blame. ”

Mr Bennet rolled his eyes. “My darling, I could have told you as much; there was no need to go to Kent to discover the obvious. I must say, I was surprised that you allowed yourself to be so easily fooled. The mere fact that he began sharing his stories with the entire town as soon as Mr Darcy left and could not defend himself, was enough proof for me if I had cared enough for either him or Mr Darcy.”

“Well, Papa, you surely give my wit too much credit, since I ignored all the signs that should have alarmed me.”

“Well, it is good that you did not fall in love with that fellow and elope with him. Fortunately, you are all too poor to tempt such rascals. That might force you to remain a spinster, my dear. You are too clever and too poor to attract any man,” Mr Bennet mocked her.

Elizabeth, however, felt her cheeks burning with shame.

If only her father knew how far he was from the truth.

“And how is Jane? Still pining after Mr Bingley?”

“Papa, we should not joke at Jane’s expense. You know her heart is loyal and her feelings deep and strong. She is still upset and we must treat her with care and gentleness.”

“Do not worry, I am only teasing, Lizzy. I admit Mr Bingley’s departure bewildered me.

I expected he would ask for my blessing any day; instead, he ran away.

It is possible I give too much credit to my wit too, Lizzy.

Or I allow myself to be drawn in by your mother’s fantasies. I shall not repeat that mistake again.”

∞∞ ∞

Between the time spent with her father and her sisters, Elizabeth was forced to face another disappointment, just as their northern tour was fast approaching.

At the beginning of June, a letter arrived from Mrs Gardiner, explaining that Mr Gardiner’s business would prevent them from setting out till a fortnight later in July, and he must be in London again within a month.

Therefore, they were obliged to give up the Lakes and were to go no further northward than Derbyshire.

In that county, there was enough to be seen to occupy the chief of their three weeks.

They were to visit Matlock, Chatsworth, Dovedale, and the Peak, as well as the town where Mrs Gardiner had formerly passed some years of her life, and where they were to spend a few days.

To compensate for Elizabeth’s disappointment, Mrs Gardiner’s letter also contained some unexpected and exciting news.

‘A wonderful opportunity has arisen and we may spend some time at the seaside too. Your uncle’s partner, Mr Talbot, had rented three rooms in a lovely cottage in Brighton, close to the sea, but they are kept in London and must cancel their journey.

Your uncle suggested the children and I should go instead.

You, Jane, Mary and Kitty—even Mrs Bennet if she wishes to join us—are all invited.

Since Lydia is already there, it will be quite a lovely reunion.

A month of sun and sea bathing will prepare us for the journey to the North.

If you agree, I will be able to fetch you in a week and we will travel to Brighton together. ’

At first, Elizabeth was excessively disappointed that she would not see the Lakes.

But the compensation brought by a month at the sea was sufficient to raise her spirits again.

She had always loved the seaside but rarely had the opportunity to enjoy it.

This turn of events was equally astonishing and wonderful.

With her father’s approval, she shared the news with the family and sent Mrs Gardiner their acceptance.

Immediately, Longbourn was filled by the noise of excited females.

Kitty was overwhelmed with joy; her cries and laughter could be heard all around the house.

Even Mary, though more quietly than her sister, expressed her desire to go.

Mrs Bennet was exceedingly happy for her girls but refused to join them.

Her nerves would not bear travelling in the hot weather, nor spending time in a rented room with her daughters.

But she was pleased to have another reason to brag to her sister Phillips and Lady Lucas—so there was enough satisfaction in the plan for her too.

The latest changes to her summer plans caused deep reflection for Elizabeth, as soon as she found some moments of peace. Her aunt was eager to visit Derbyshire, but the mere mention of that county was distressing.

It was impossible for her to hear the word without thinking of Pemberley and its owner. “But surely,” she mused, “I may enter his county with impunity, and visit it without his perceiving me.”

Her thoughts had often returned to Darcy and the tormenting day of his proposal.

She could not regret rejecting him—her feelings forbade her to even consider other options.

But she did regret her emotional defence of Wickham and the accusations thrown at Darcy, as a result of her misguided opinions.

She did deserve her father’s mockery—she laughed at her own silliness every day too.

If not for Darcy’s confession, she would have probably still thought of Wickham tenderly and would have regretted the departure of the regiment, just like Kitty. What a simpleton she had been!