Page 26 of The Long Road Back to Yesterday

“No, but he was born with every advantage, while I was not. This will settle the account between us. For once, I shall have the upper hand.”

Chapter 13: Friends

The four sisters sat in the drawing room working on their mending while despairing over the fate of their youngest sister.

Jane laid her petticoat aside to dry her eyes. She blew her nose and then took up her needle once more. “I pray our sister is not suffering greatly.”

Elizabeth said, “That will depend entirely upon the men into whose hands she has fallen. I imagine that, because she is so young, so beautiful, and a gentlewoman besides, they will reserve her for gentlemen. Whether those gentlemen have any regard for a woman's dignity, even a fallen woman, is another matter.”

Jane bowed her head and began to weep anew.

Mary said, “Since we cannot know what has befallen our sister or how she fares, I believe we should speak of something else.”

Elizabeth looked to Kitty. “How are you, Kitty? You ate very little at breakfast this morning.”

Kitty kept her eyes upon the stocking she was darning. “I have no appetite, Lizzy, and I can scarcely rise from my bed in the mornings.”

“Do you blame yourself for what has befallen Lydia?”

Kitty covered her face with one hand. “It is all my fault, Lizzy. Had I spoken to Papa, he might have prevented her from running away.”

The sisters listened as the younger girl poured out her heart. Kitty had lost her favorite sister to a dreadful fate and now laid the entire blame upon herself simply because she was the elder of the two and believed she should have known better.

When Kitty had said all that weighed upon her heart, Elizabeth spoke.

“Kitty, we all bear some measure of responsibility for Lydia's ruin, beginning with Papa. As the head of our family, he alone possessed the authority to govern Lydia's conduct, yet he failed to exercise it until it was too late. The rest of us saw things we ought to have spoken of sooner. We all failed her in one way or another, and Lydia herself made choices that brought about this terrible end.”

The sisters spoke quietly for some time, each acknowledging the part she believed she had played in Lydia's downfall.

At last, Jane said, “Kitty, you must remember that you are still very young yourself. You are little more than a child. And it is possible that had you spoken, Lydia might have been saved. But she was exceedingly headstrong and may well have found another way to meet that man. We have all learned a painful lesson from this tragedy, and now we must learn to forgive ourselves for our failings.”

Their attention was drawn to the sound of a carriage pulling up the drive. They rose as one and went to the window. A handsome carriage stopped before the entrance to Longbourn, and they watched as Mr. Bingley stepped down and assisted an elegantly dressed lady from the carriage.

“Mr. Bingley,” Jane said.

Their mending was quickly tucked into their sewing baskets, which were then put away in a cupboard. The sisters resumed their seats and waited for their guests to be shown in.

Within minutes, Hill entered the drawing room, followed by Mr. Bingley and a tall young woman with lovely copper-red hair and green eyes. The four sisters rose as Mr. Bingley performed introductions.

Once tea had been served, the sisters listened with great interest as Mr. Bingley recounted his encounter with a gander.

“I assure you, Miss Bennet, I had just walked to the stable to fetch my horse when a great gander came charging around the corner of the barn. His neck was outstretched, his wings flapping, and he hissed at me most ferociously. I am not ashamed to confess that I turned and ran from him.”

The earnestness of his expression made the tale all the more comical, and the sisters could not help smiling.

“Just as I thought the danger had passed, I heard Cloud stamping and neighing. The wretched bird charged my horse, bit him, and began striking him about the face with his wings. Cloud is the gentlest creature imaginable, but the attack proved too much for him, and he bolted. Two stable boys and I spent the next hour attempting to catch my thoroughly terrified horse.”

His expression became perfectly solemn.

“Nor did I escape unscathed. At one point, the gander turned upon me and bit my arm. I would show you, ma'am, if I could, but that would hardly be proper. You would scarcely believe the size of the bruise he left upon my forearm, and he even broke the skin.”

The sisters regarded him with expressions of sincere sympathy and murmured words of commiseration as he finished his tale.

Miss Bingley then addressed Jane.

“Miss Bennet, is that embroidery intended for a fire screen? The floral design and the color combination are absolutely lovely. Whose work is it?”

Pleased by the compliment, Jane replied, “It is mine, Miss Bingley. Would you care to see it?”