A Covenant of Marriage Read online

  “That is very true,” agreed Mrs. Gardiner, “but the question remains: What do we do now?”

  “Colonel Forster said he had to return to Brighton after only a day or two, so I assume my father has continued the search alone,” Jane said, turning to her uncle. “When I wrote, I thought your advice and assistance would be valuable, and it would be even more helpful now.”

  “Has my brother written to tell of his progress in his search?”

  “He wrote me a few lines on Wednesday last to say he had arrived safely and to give me his directions, which I particularly begged him to do. He merely said he should not write again until he had something of importance to mention, and I have had no further communication with him. Mr. Collins, however, wrote a letter to my father. I opened it in accordance with Father’s instructions to read whatever came for him in his absence. It contained nothing of real importance and just stated his sympathy for our situation.”

  “I can only imagine what heights of rectitude and condescension would be contained in such a missive!” Elizabeth said, half in sarcasm and half in anger.

  “I can find it for you if you so desire,” offered Jane. “I left it on my father’s desk.”

  “No, no, I am sure it would prove useless in this situation,” Elizabeth said.

  “There is also Lydia’s note to Mrs. Forster. Colonel Forster brought it with him, and my father left it with me.” She retrieved the note from her pocket and handed it to Elizabeth, who read it quickly and then passed it to her uncle.

  “What a letter to be written at such a time!” Elizabeth said in exasperation. “I had thought Lydia to be extremely foolish, but it is distressing to see such thoughtlessness written out on paper.”

  “At least it appears she thought she was going to be married to Wickham when she wrote this,” her uncle said.

  “I never thought she would believe otherwise,” Elizabeth said morosely, “at least at first. But since we have had no news from her and she has not returned, I am afraid we have no choice but to assume she has succumbed to Wickham’s deceit.”

  “Likely so,” agreed her uncle unhappily.

  “Will you go to town to assist my father?” Elizabeth asked. “That seems to be the only thing you can do as Jane has received no news since last Wednesday.”

  “I shall, but I think it would be best to wait until after the post arrives tomorrow in case there is any news. If your father is not at my house, then I shall first find him and make him come there and try to convince him to return home. I fear trying to find Lydia and Wickham in London is going to be difficult. In fact, I am very much afraid it will prove impossible.”

  “Then there is no hope?” Jane asked anxiously.

  “I shall not give hope where there is little to be had. If they are still in London, the number of places they might be concealing themselves is so large, it would take a miracle to find them. You have undoubtedly heard of the criminals who are able to disappear forever in the lanes and warrens of the more disreputable parts of town.”

  “And Mr. Wickham should be well familiar with them,” Elizabeth said bitterly, “having lived in London for years.”

  Both her aunt and uncle looked at her speculatively. Elizabeth realised they must be wondering how she had come by such information, but she volunteered nothing further. Eventually they repaired upstairs to provide what consolation they could to Mrs. Bennet.

  Elizabeth’s dread of having to meet and deal with her mother proved all too justified since her mother received them with tears and lamentations of regret. She reserved her special invectives against the villainous conduct of Wickham, but she was still able to complain about the actions of everyone involved in the affair except herself. Her husband, Colonel Forster and his wife, and even Elizabeth shared the blame, according to her recital, but she never so much as considered the possibility that her own indulgences of Lydia’s foolishness might have played a part in the situation that now embroiled them all.

  Elizabeth found it especially hard to hold her tongue when her mother laid blame on the Forsters, saying Lydia was not the kind of girl to do such a thing if she had been well looked after.

  Lydia is exactly the kind of girl to do such a thing, Elizabeth thought angrily. It was due to my fears she might do something highly improper that I warned my father against allowing her to go. Granted, even I did not foresee she might do something as reckless as eloping with Mr. Wickham, but I did fear she might do something to damage the reputation and standing of her family and her sisters.

  Elizabeth was unable to restrain herself, however, when her mother said she had been overruled as usual.

  “How can you say such nonsense?” Elizabeth burst out. “I remember your parting comment to Lydia. You told her she should not miss the opportunity of enjoying herself as much as possible. Well, she has plainly enjoyed herself into complete ruin for both herself and the rest of the family—and most especially for her sisters. The very idea you might have been overruled is ludicrous! You should have been restraining her from her wild and unseemly pursuit of officers! But you would not do that, and you overruled Jane and me whenever we tried to speak some sense to Lydia!”

  Elizabeth quit her mother’s chambers immediately in a cold fury, pursued by the bitter accusations of filial disloyalty and betrayal hurled by Mrs. Bennet before she could be calmed down by her brother and his wife.

  Chapter 2

  There are no greater treasures than the highest human qualities such as compassion, courage and hope. Not even tragic accident or disaster can destroy such treasures of the heart.

  — Daisaku Ikeda (1928–), Japanese writer

  Thursday, August 13, 1812

  Longbourn, Hertfordshire

  On the following day, Mr. Gardiner departed after no letter was received from Mr. Bennet in the morning post. The Longbourn party had not believed there would be one, for they knew Mr. Bennet to be a most negligent and dilatory correspondent.

  There had been no word from him since the first letter to Jane, but with Mr. Gardiner gone to town, they could at least hope to receive information on a regular basis. They also hoped Mr. Gardiner might successfully convince his brother to return to Longbourn. That would provide a measure of relief to his wife, who feared her husband would be killed in a duel with Wickham.

  Mrs. Gardiner and the children did not accompany her husband since she thought her presence might be advantageous to her nieces, who attended their mother. Mrs. Philips also visited though the news their aunt brought from Meryton, relating further instances of Mr. Wickham’s extravagances or irregularities, always left Jane and Elizabeth more dispirited than before she came.

  Despite Mrs. Gardiner’s attempts to contain the unhappy news, all Meryton was awash in rumours of the Bennet family’s misfortune. The talk was especially energetic concerning Wickham, whose reputation was being blackened from all quarters. When he had first arrived, he had been regarded as almost an angel of light, both in his person and his character, but soon reports of his transgressions varied from debts owed in all quarters to attempted seductions of those same tradesmen’s daughters. He was everywhere declared to be the wickedest young man in the world.

  Though Elizabeth disbelieved more than half of what she heard, it was enough to make her certain of her sister’s ruin. Even Jane, who was less sceptical than her sister, became almost hopeless. If Lydia and Wickham had truly gone to Scotland, there would have been some news of them by this time.

  On Saturday, Mr. Gardiner wrote to inform them that he had found his brother soon after he arrived and had persuaded him to come to Gracechurch Street. By that time, Mr. Bennet had already gone to Epsom and Clapham and inquired at all the principal hotels in town, all without any news of Wickham or Lydia. Mr. Gardiner hoped to persuade Mr. Bennet to return to Longbourn quite soon because of their lack of success.

  Her u
ncle said his most likely hope of information, small as it was, would come from Colonel Forster. He had sent him an express before he left Longbourn, asking him to inquire among Wickham’s intimates in the regiment about the man’s relations or his connexions in town. Mr. Gardiner also inquired whether Elizabeth or any of her sisters might have heard Wickham mention anything during his stay in Meryton about favourite places where he might have concealed himself.

  Unfortunately, neither Elizabeth nor her sisters could provide any information. Elizabeth had never heard Wickham mention any of his relations beyond his mother and father, and she knew both of them had been dead many years. She hoped her uncle was correct that Wickham’s companions in the regiment might possess better information.

  Every day at Longbourn was filled with anxiety, and the arrival of letters was an occasion of great impatience, but nothing of importance was received until a letter came from Mr. Gardiner with tidings from Colonel Forster. Unfortunately, the news was not advantageous since the colonel said all his inquiries had come to nothing. Wickham was not known to have a single relation in town with whom he kept any connexion, and his acquaintances in the regiment were just that—acquaintances, not particular friends. The wretched state of his finances, especially his debts of honour, gave Wickham a powerful motive for secrecy. The colonel had discovered those gaming debts came to a considerable amount—probably more than a thousand pounds.

  The only encouraging note in Mr. Gardiner’s letter was the news that Mr. Bennet could be expected back at Longbourn on Monday. Their father had at last acceded to his brother’s arguments to return to his family and leave it to him to continue the pursuit by whatever means possible.

  Surprisingly, this news did not provide the solace to their mother that Jane and Elizabeth expected since she now professed displeasure about her husband giving up his search without finding Lydia.

  “Why is he leaving London without finding poor Lydia?” she cried. “If he comes away, who is to find her? And who will fight Wickham and make him marry her if he comes away?”

  Elizabeth could only roll her eyes at this further evidence of her mother’s capriciousness and lack of sense, for her present worry was in direct contradiction to her previous fear of Mr. Bennet fighting Wickham and being killed, resulting in all the family being thrown out in the cold by Mr. Collins. This thought only added to Elizabeth’s growing conviction that the failings of her parents had played a more significant part in what had happened to Lydia than she would have heretofore considered.

  ***

  Saturday, August 15, 1812

  Longbourn, Hertfordshire

  Mrs. Gardiner was desirous of returning to Gracechurch Street, so she and her children took the coach to London that morning. The same vehicle would then return Mr. Bennet to Longbourn.

  As soon as her father arrived, Elizabeth could easily see how much he had been affected by almost two weeks of fruitless searching. When he greeted his family, he tried to give the appearance of his usual composure, but the dark circles under his eyes and his sallow complexion belied the attempt. Afterwards, he said as little as he usually did and especially avoided speaking of his vain endeavours in London. In fact, it was late in the afternoon before any of his daughters summoned the courage even to mention it.

  When Elizabeth ventured to broach the subject, her father at first gave lip service to being responsible for the present scandal by his neglect. However, he almost immediately made light of his confession, saying he was not afraid of being overpowered by guilt and expected the feeling to pass soon enough. Elizabeth looked helplessly at Jane and shook her head at the further evidence of their father’s adroit ability to avoid his parental duties.

  Mr. Bennet thought it highly likely Lydia was still in the company of Wickham somewhere in London, and he firmly stated he expected her tenure there to be lengthy. This was quite unsettling to Elizabeth and Jane since it seemed he was little affected by a daughter living in sin with Wickham.

  And even when her father complimented Elizabeth on her warning to him in May, saying she had been justified in her advice that he should not allow Lydia to go to Brighton, she was left with a feeling of dissatisfaction at the half apology, especially at the sardonic manner in which it was said. It seemed he was unable to make himself take the events and challenges of life seriously, and she doubted he would follow through when he stated categorically that Kitty was not going to be given the freedom to repeat the mistakes of her disgraced sister.

  The days passed slowly, and a message was received from Mr. Gardiner in London every day or two, detailing the progress of his search. The reports, unfortunately, were uniformly bad—no news of Wickham, no news of Lydia—and after a week of fruitless searching, Mr. Gardiner had to return to his business affairs and was unable to carry on. He hired agents to continue the search in his stead, but this effort, regrettably, had as little success as all the previous attempts.

  Mr. Bennet soon resumed his normal life, little affected by the scandal now sinking its claws into the rest of his family. The neighbourhood had the news of the unrewarding searches for Miss Lydia Bennet though Elizabeth was unsure whether the source of this information came from Aunt Philips, Lady Lucas, or the gossip of servants at Longbourn.

  Whatever the source, it was generally acknowledged that Lydia had taken up residence somewhere in the trackless warrens of London. Opinion split over what had become of her, the majority believing she was living with the wickedest man in the world. However, a substantial faction wondered whether Wickham had already abandoned her, and even those who thought she was living with him were of the opinion he would abandon her sooner or later. What her lot would be then could only be guessed, though the options for a penniless, unmarried girl in the dissolute sections of London were exceedingly slim and almost universally led to unsavoury occupations.

  Mrs. Bennet remained in her room, comforted to the degree possible by visits from Mrs. Philips. Lady Lucas also called occasionally and offered her condolences, but Elizabeth noted she was the only one of her mother’s erstwhile friends to do so. The sisters also kept to the house—save only Elizabeth, who spent many hours in solitary walks about the neighbourhood. She grew quite tanned despite her umbrella and bonnet, but her mother was so sunk in lethargy she did not even bother to chide her least favourite daughter.

  On the few occasions when the girls walked to Meryton to see their aunt, it was noticeable that, while their acquaintances would return their greetings with a nod, none of them tarried to talk more than a few moments. And, when visiting one or the other of the tradesmen, it was clear none of the other patrons in the establishments seemed to notice them.

  Kitty was more affected than Mary was for she depended more on conversation and society while Mary had her books to keep her occupied. Elizabeth and Jane bore it more stoutly since they had comprehended from the beginning that this would be the result if Lydia was not found. Though not a true ostracism, they had been dropped from the list of eligible guests by every gentle family in the neighbourhood.

  The sisters discussed the matter on numerous occasions, and Jane thought the scandal would eventually dwindle in importance and other news would replace it. Elizabeth did not dispute this opinion, but Jane seemed severely shaken when her sister responded by stating that none of them could credibly hope to make a good marriage. A generous dowry for the girls might have made possible a marriage to a small landholder, but since no dowry was available beyond a fourth share of their mother’s fortune of five thousand pounds, they would be fortunate to marry a clerk, a tradesman, or the owner of a small farm. Anything beyond these meagre prospects, Elizabeth affirmed, had been rendered impossible, for their reputation as the sisters of the unfortunate Lydia Bennet could not be evaded.

  Weeks passed, and nothing had been uncovered by Mr. Gardiner’s occasional and increasingly less frequent inquiries. Lady Lucas continued to visit and to rec
ognise the Bennet family, and gradually the Bennet sisters began to resume their normal affairs. Mrs. Bennet began to come downstairs for meals and sit with her daughters in the parlour, waiting for visitors who would never arrive. Elizabeth and Jane found it painful to see the effect on her as no invitations ever came to dine with other families, and their mother was too fearful of being slighted to issue any invitations of her own.

  During her long walks, Elizabeth had time to dwell on the expected results of a family so ill-directed by her parents. She struggled against the resentment she felt towards them, but she was only partially successful in quelling her anger. Her spirits were further cast down when news was received of Netherfield again being open for lease since Mr. Bingley had given it up. Jane gave little open sign of being distressed by the news, but Elizabeth was far too familiar with her sister to be deceived, and it had only added to her own disheartened mood.

  ***

  Thursday, September 10, 1812

  Longbourn, Hertfordshire

  The days were beginning to turn cooler as summer drew to an end, and late afternoon found Elizabeth sitting beside her bedroom window, contemplating the letter Mr. Collins had sent her father almost a month previously. She had never read it though Jane had mentioned it when she first arrived back at Longbourn.

  She had not even thought about it until her father shared it with her that very morning. He had found it among his correspondence and had found this particular missive highly entertaining.