Now that there was nothing to do but wait for news from London, Jane made good on a promise she had made to herself. After reading to the children her favorite fairy tale about a princess who went into a deep sleep and could only be awakened by her true love, she went to talk to Mary. As usual, her sister was in her room reading, but she put her book aside when she saw Jane. The two had barely had time to speak about anything that didn’t concern Lydia, Mama, or the Gardiner children.

“Mary, I know you think that I am not sensible of Mr. Nesbitt’s many attributes, but I truly am. He is very kind and attentive, and works hard at his profession, which is why I have continued to encourage him.”

“But you do not love him, Jane.”

“No, I do not. But I do hold him in high regard.”

“But, Jane, do you think it is right to contemplate marriage with a man whom you do not love nor have any prospect of loving?”

“Yes, of course. I suspect there are more marriages made due to financial considerations than to love. When one does not have a fortune, one cannot marry where one wishes. I did so want to marry for love, but it has eluded me. Now I must face the reality of marrying for security and to ease the burden on our family because once Papa dies, our future will largely be in the hands of Mr. Collins. We can only hope he will permit us to continue to live at Longbourn, but even if he does allow it, we must have additional protection.”

There had always been an expectation in the family that because Jane was so beautiful she would be the one who would make the most advantageous marriage, and in doing so, she would be able to introduce her sisters to men who would make good husbands for them. Once Mr. Bingley had stepped into the picture, everyone’s hopes had risen, and when he had returned to London, they had just as quickly fallen. Mr. Nesbitt was not perfect, but if the union was viewed exclusively from a financial point of view, it would be a good match.

Standing behind Mary, Jane pulled the hairpins out of her sister’s hair and began brushing her long brown tresses. If only Mary spent a little more time on her appearance, she would be attractive. It was not that she was so very plain; it was just that she was the plainest of the Bennet sisters and suffered in comparison. Jane asked her for more information on amber, and Mary, who was knowledgeable on more subjects than anyone else in the family, explained how the bee had come to be in Mr. Nesbitt’s specimen. Neither had anything additional to say about marriage, each accepting the reality of Jane’s situation.

“I am sorry for what I said about Mr. Bingley,” Mary said as Jane was leaving. “I was angry at him for making you so unhappy. He is a good man, but he should have been strong enough to bear up under the pressure from his sisters.”

“Nothing can be gained by speaking ill of Mr. Bingley, but I want you to know that I love you. If my actions with regard to Mr. Nesbitt have hurt you in any way, it was unintentional, and if we do marry, I shall do everything possible to make him a good wife. I promise you that. But there have already been so many turns in the road, who knows what lies ahead. I certainly do not.”

* * *

As soon as the Gardiners and Lizzy arrived at Longbourn, Jane told them everything she knew of the events in Brighton and updated them as to what had come to light since Jane’s letter to Lizzy.

“Colonel Forster immediately dispatched an express rider as soon as it was discovered that Lydia had run away during the night. He came to Longbourn to meet Papa so they might go to London together. The poor man. He was very hard on himself, but when I had heard the whole of the story, short of posting a guard outside her door, I don’t know what he could have done differently.

“It had been discovered that Lydia had been meeting someone in secret, and she was to have been sent home. Apparently, Wickham’s identity was not immediately known, and by the time the colonel confirmed that it was he whom Lydia had been meeting, Wickham had gone into hiding. They have been traced as far as London, but in such a large city, they can remain hidden for however long they wish.”

“Jane, I must disagree with you,” Uncle Gardiner said. “A shortage of funds will force them out into the open. But I am hoping they may be discovered immediately, and to that end, I will join your father in London. In the meantime, we shall reunite with our children, and then Mrs. Gardiner and I shall visit with your mother to see if we can lift her spirits.”

When the sisters were alone, Lizzy wanted to know how Jane was faring. She looked very tired and had circles under her eyes.

“I am well enough considering all that has gone on. Kitty and Mary have been very helpful with Mama. When she ventures downstairs, Kitty reads to her, and the sound of her voice seems to calm her. Mary plays soothing tunes and lullabies, as her nerves are in such a state that they will not support anything more vigorous.”

“And how is Papa?”

“The only word that comes close to describing his present state is ‘devastated.’ Lizzy, do you think Wickham can be made to marry Lydia?”

“Why would he? She has no fortune and solves none of his problems. I don’t know how such a man is to be worked on.”

Mary, who had been listening from the foyer, came into the parlor. “I hope they do not marry. Everyone in Meryton already knows of her running away from Colonel Forster’s house with Wickham, and if the news had escaped anyone’s notice, the vicar preached a sermon about the fragility of a woman’s reputation and the necessity of guarding one’s virtue. Nothing can be done to restore her reputation whether she marries or not, so why are we encouraging our sixteen-year-old sister to marry her seducer? I think we should send a letter to Papa with our uncle urging that everything be done to prevent such a union and that Lydia be returned to Longbourn and her family. Hopefully, the news will not travel beyond Meryton and reach the ears of Mr. Nesbitt.”

“Who?”

Jane, who had written nothing of her admirer to her sister, remained silent, but Mary said, “I shall leave you now. Jane has some good news to share.”

“Are we speaking of Mr. Dalton Nesbitt, Aunt Susan’s friend?”

Jane nodded.

“What has he to do with us?”

“I told you there were changes while you were gone, and one of them is that Mr. Nesbitt has been calling on me.”

Lizzy laughed and then gave a sigh of relief. “For a second, you had me worried. Mr. Nesbitt! I can still picture him at Aunt Susan’s house hopping up and down at his mother’s every request.”

“Lizzy, I am not in jest.”

From her sister’s tone, Lizzy understood that Jane truly was being courted by a very tall man of some thirty-odd years, who was still tied to his mother’s apron strings.

“Lizzy, do not look at me like that. You know I had always hoped to marry for love, but since I now know that will not happen, I am doing the very best I can to secure my future as well as my family’s.”

“But, Jane, I have good news for you, and there has been precious little of it of late. While at Pemberley, I had an opportunity to speak briefly with Mr. Bingley, and I can say with certainty that he intends to renew his attentions to you as soon as he returns to Hertfordshire.”

“You wrote that Mr. Bingley was well and in good spirits, and I was happy to hear it. But as for any courtship, I already have a suitor.”

“I understand it will be a delicate matter to inform Mr. Nesbitt that you love another, but it must be done,” Lizzy said emphatically. Jane shook her head, and Lizzy looked at her with growing alarm.

“I know what you are thinking, Lizzy. Mr. Nesbitt is not overly attractive, and as you say, he is excessively attentive to his mother. However, he visits with her permission, and so she is not an obstacle to the marriage.”

“Marriage? To Mr. Nesbitt? Never! I know how hurt you were by what Mr. Bingley did, but the reasons you were separated no longer exist. He intends to proceed without his sisters’ approval, and I know Mr. Darcy has withdrawn all objections to the match. But even if Mr. Darcy was still in opposition, Mr. Bingley no longer finds it necessary to obtain that gentleman’s consent.”

If Lizzy had imagined her sister would be jumping for joy over this piece of good news, she was disappointed. Jane sat in the window seat with her hands folded in her lap with a look of resolution. She had made her decision regarding Mr. Nesbitt, and she was holding firm.

“Jane, you cannot do this.”

“We must be realistic. Mr. Bingley’s change of heart happened before Lydia’s misadventure. If his sisters were able to persuade him to go away from me before this unhappy event, imagine what they will do as soon as they find out about Lydia. And they will because Mrs. Morris writes her husband’s business letters, and it is she who writes to Miss Bingley for instructions regarding the estate. You know her as well as I do, and she will be unable to resist sharing what she knows of Lydia’s escapade. I am sure she has already shared with Caroline the sordid tale of Mr. Wickham successfully seducing Betsy Egger, who believed she was with child and told her brother. He has gone to Brighton to make Wickham marry her. Of course, he will be disappointed.”

“Oh God! It’s worse than I thought. Mary is right. We should be doing everything we can to prevent such a marriage.”

“It is my opinion that Wickham can only be made to marry Lydia under the greatest inducements, and we are in no position to make them.”

Lizzy was terribly upset by what Lydia had done. Whether they married or not, her young sister’s future would be sown with unhappiness and regret, but at the moment, it was Jane’s situation that demanded her attention.

“What happens to Lydia is beyond our control, but what is within our control is your future happiness with Mr. Bingley.”

Jane stood up and told Lizzy she needed to see to their mother’s dinner because she still preferred to take most of her meals in her room.

“Lizzy, Mr. Nesbitt may not be the ideal, but the one thing that you could never accuse him of is inconstancy. After Mr. Bingley left, I waited every day for the post to come. I was so sure there would be a letter for me explaining his absence. I even swallowed my pride and went into the village to Mr. Morris’s office, so I might learn of any news regarding Netherfield. I have been hurt beyond what words can express, and I shall never put myself in a position to have that happen again.” Jane, with tears in her eyes, continued. “And as for Mr. Bingley being independent of Mr. Darcy, I would more readily believe it if he had come directly to Longbourn. But he did not. Instead, he went to Pemberley. You must accept that that chapter on my life is closed, and there is nothing more to be said.”

Chapter 42

The search for Lydia began as soon as Mercer hand-delivered Darcy’s note to George Bingley at his London office. Methodically, Bingley’s men went to work. They eliminated those sections of London where the arrival of a gentleman and a lady would bring too much notice. They then concentrated on the areas of town where someone who was short of funds, but who gave the impression of having money, might find a room. It was known that Wickham had left Brighton wearing his uniform, so that narrowed it further. A week later, one of Bingley’s men was interviewing a certain Mrs. Epping who ran a boardinghouse with her husband, and for five pounds, she was willing to answer all questions asked of her.

“I knew someone would come looking for her,” Mrs. Epping began. “And I’m glad you did. I am so sick of listening to those two argue. Him saying he wants what he wants, but her saying he ain’t getting it until he give her her wedding clothes. I never heard no one talk about one thing as much as that girl talks about her wedding clothes. It got so I couldn’t stand it no more, and I sent her across the way for two days to stay with my sister. But then she had enough and sent her back.”

“Then it is your opinion that the couple did not consummate their relationship,” Mr. Rhys asked Mrs. Epping.

“Well, I don’t know about that. What I do know is that the two of them didn’t have sex. That’s what all them arguments was about.”

“But they shared a room?”

“And I made up their room most nearly every day until they stopped paying for it. I can tell you the man was sleeping on a blanket on the floor, and the princess was sleeping in the bed. And if that ain’t proof enough, Mrs. Royale, which is what she calls herself, spelled with an ‘e’ she says to me, come down one night ’cause Mr. Royale got drunk. He had got it in his head that he was going to have his way, and she run away from him after knocking him down. I can tell you that girl gives as good as she gets. That’s when she told me they weren’t married. No surprise there. And the reason why they was hiding out was because she was the daughter of a lord, whose name she couldn’t mention, who wouldn’t let them get married. She now wants to be known as Miss Augusta, like one of the royal princesses, even though I know her name is Lydia ’cause I heard it shouted often enough. That girl can tell some tall tales.”