For the Love of a Bennet Chapter 1

Elizabeth Bennet walked out of her father’s study in a daze of anger. Her thoughts became too jumbled as she heard piano music practiced from the parlor and the high-pitched squeals of her youngest sisters. How could her father be so foolish? His words swirled in her memory:

Squeamish youths. 

He would not say such a phrase if he knew he was speaking of Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley! she thought.

Ducking out of view of the open parlor door, she scurried up the creaky, wooden stairs. Elizabeth wisely held back any signs of discontent. It would not serve her well for the rest of the house to notice she quarreled with her father. 

Once she reached the bedroom that she shared with her elder sister, Jane, she released the breath she had been holding out of stubbornness. She left the door open so as not to slam it shut. However, she offered no such relief to the small desk drawer where she kept writing supplies. Elizabeth jerked the knob with such vigor, that the contents slid violently against the front panel, and she huffed. She pulled out her best quill and ink pot from the shifted arrangement.

Again, her father’s dismissive words haunted her better senses.

We shall have no peace at Longbourn if Lydia does not go to Brighton.

Elizabeth closed her eyes. Instinctively, her plan had begun to form the moment she reached for her quill and ink. With the necessary instruments in hand, a clearer picture of the perfect solution manifested in her imagination. Her father would just have to abide an abundance of peace! She would go with Lydia to Brighton!

A small bird, dappled in grey and white spots with a small black rim around its eyes, landed on the branch directly under the bedroom window. It cocked its head at Elizabeth standing stoically in front of the cross-hatched panes. When Elizabeth opened her eyes to spy the unexpected visitor, she leaned closer for a better examination. The movement scared the bird away. She stared at the branch wobbling from the takeoff. An empty pit formed in her stomach as she realized the worst part of her plan: she had to write to her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner and cancel her plans to travel with them to the Lake District.

Elizabeth pulled out a fresh piece of paper, then hesitated. She licked her lips as furtively, she tried to think if her other sisters could protect Lydia? But Jane would never stand up to her, Mary would taunt her with sermons, and Kitty would aid Lydia in any mischief that involved the officers. She was the only suitable candidate to chaperone. Her aunt and uncle had counted on her presence for their trip to the Lake District since Christmas. With only a few weeks’ notice, she was to dash their hopes.

Feeling a tight pain in her chest for the disappointment she was to pen, she shook her head and sat down to write. 

My Dearest Aunt and Uncle Gardiner,

I hope this letter finds you both well and in good spirits. I am to relate news to you that I am afraid you shall find unpleasant, but I believe you will agree with me that such a measure must be taken. My father has agreed for Lydia to accept the invitation of Colonel Forster’s wife to Brighton without the protection of a chaperone or sister. I appealed to his good senses; stressing that Lydia’s behavior, lack of maturity, and easy manners with more than a few soldiers in the regiment make her a poor candidate for such an adventure.

None of my arguments persuaded him. He is convinced my sister, and our collective reputations, are safe from unscrupulous suitors and soldiers. I might be convinced if I did not hold in my possession on good authority that one soldier, in particular, deviates from gentlemanlike behavior. While I cannot pen his name for fear of this letter falling into the wrong hands, you may recall me asking about your memories of a man from your home county.

Perhaps my sister’s lack of fortune and connections shall make her immune from his nefarious aims, but should it not, and I was aware of the risk, I would regret my lack of pluck. And so I write to you, begging your forgiveness, but pleading for your understanding, that I am declining your most generous invitation to travel this summer. Instead, I shall take myself to Brighton, endure Lydia’s antics, and play politely with the regimental society.

“Lizzy, there you are! I thought you were speaking with Papa,” Jane interrupted her sister’s letter writing. Elizabeth spun around in her chair and the redness of her cheeks gave Jane pause.

“He refused to listen to reason!” she yelled, infuriated. As her father’s words had stung her heart, the words of another man were suddenly fresh in her mind. In Kent, just three months past, Mr. Darcy had unkindly laid out her family’s shortcomings, even listing her father as a participant in the ridiculous behavior. Although his words were said after a rejection of perhaps the worst proposal in English history, he earnestly meant them as an explanation for his approach. If Mr. Darcy could know Mr. Bennet’s decision about Lydia, Elizabeth was certain he would feel quite vindicated.

“Who won’t listen to reason? Papa?”

Elizabeth nodded. Tears of frustration began to fall mixed with a sudden melancholy in her heart. Stupidly, part of her had thought if she went to the Lake District with her aunt and uncle, there might be a reason to stop in Aunt Gardiner’s home county of Derbyshire. Elizabeth could never call upon Mr. Darcy at his home, not after spurning his affections, but she irrationally hoped an opportunity to speak to the man might arise. Determined to stop her flight of fancy before it spiraled out of control, Elizabeth explained her reasons to Jane.

“Lydia is a flirt. Unchecked, she will ruin us all.”

Jane calmly sat down on the edge of their bed. Ever the peacemaker, she attempted to soften Elizabeth’s harsh critique of their youngest sister.

“She is spirited. And with the right guidance—”

“He means to send her alone!” Elizabeth interjected and Jane gasped. Spying an ally, Elizabeth pressed her case. “See? Even you agree. Especially after that business with Mary King and Lydia taking such delight in Mr. Wickham’s salvation from the match. Lydia cannot behave. So I am writing to our aunt and uncle and turning down their invitation—”

“But you were so looking forward to going!”

Elizabeth shrugged, purposely ignoring the nagging tugs of regret in her heart. “It is no matter. I shall go to Brighton, and you can go to the Lake District.”

Jane shook her head and leaned back away from her commanding sister. “Please, no, I am done traveling. Send Kitty. Or Mary.”

Watching Jane hold up her hands in defense, Elizabeth searched her sister’s expression for a deeper meaning. It was not like Jane to avoid time with the Gardiners or opportunities to leave Mama’s incessant match-making. The last thought made Elizabeth suppose what irrational hopes her sister was holding onto.

Softly, she tried to ask Jane to reconsider. “Mr. Bingley is not going to come back,” Elizabeth said, and both girls suddenly remained quiet. Only they knew the private details of each other’s dealings with Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy. But not even Jane knew that it was Mr. Darcy who had warned Mr. Bingley off Jane directly.

“Write your letter and tell them to write back to me,” Jane said, diplomatically. “But I do not wish to travel.” She sighed as though to emphasize her position. “I am tired. But if they invite me, I shall go and fill your place, for their sake.”

After Jane left, and Elizabeth trusted her to make excuses for her downstairs as she finished her letter, she considered her eldest sister’s words. Kitty had been the most upset by Lydia’s invitation, but Mary was the next in line by precedence. To invite one and not the other would cause a new problem of jealousy and unrest at Longbourn, their ancestral home in Hertfordshire.

Suddenly, inspiration sparked and Elizabeth dipped her pen once more.

I humbly suggest you send an invitation to both my sisters Mary and Catherine as my replacement. Mary’s quiet will help soothe the children. Kitty’s lack of travel will provide the sense of marvel you so enjoy when you’ve introduced Jane and me to new experiences.

I dearly wish I was able to travel with you this summer, but I shall put on my bravest face and follow Lydia to Brighton. If my uncle agrees with my aims, perhaps he could send a letter to my father in support of the scheme. I am afraid my mother may not like that I am spoiling the fun of her youngest daughter, but I truly feel I must protect my family.

Your Loving Niece,

Elizabeth Grace Bennet

Finished with one letter, she set it aside to dry and began to pen another. This one was to Colonel Forster and his wife, from the perspective of her father. Elizabeth knew for her plan to work, her father would not expend any effort to bring it to fruition. This would not be the first time she aided her father in his correspondence, not even without his initial input. If worded correctly, and if he did not feel that Elizabeth would give up in her aims to go to Brighton, Mr. Bennet would review the letter and sign his name to the bottom.

In this missive for the Colonel, she wrote that Mr. Bennet was grateful for the invitation of his youngest daughter. However, he added the stipulation that for Lydia to accept such a favor, one of her sisters must accompany her. Elizabeth listed her name as the candidate. Finally, she began to breathe more easily.

Pacing the room while she waited for the ink to properly dry, she wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to settle her agitation. She would never win the affections of Mr. Darcy again, but she could aspire to raise her family above his censure. Though it pained her to accept her family’s shortcomings, Elizabeth felt relief in possessing a small amount of power to remedy them.

When at last she believed the letters were dry, she collected them to confront her father. And if he did not accept her plan to keep their family from ruin, she held one last lever of negotiation. But she desperately prayed she would not need it. There really would be no peace in the house if Mrs. Bennet learned of why Mr. Bingley abandoned Jane and that Elizabeth had turned down yet another proposal of marriage. But if it meant Lydia would not leave for Brighton alone, then Elizabeth would disclose how dangerous Mr. Wickham could be. She would tell her mother everything.