Page 105 of I Thee Wed
Darcy grinned. “Come, Charles. Let us retire to my study, where we may talk. I have a mellow cognac there, the finest you are ever likely to taste.”
Elizabeth tapped on the bedchamber door but became alarmed when she saw her sister’s face.
“What is it, Jane? Is everything well between you and Charles?”
Jane looked grave. “Lizzy, we left a week earlier than we had intended. I did not feel free to write all the particulars, for these are not matters that should be committed to paper. Caroline has lost the baby.”
Elizabeth looked stunned. “Oh, Jane, how dreadful. Was she not already six months pregnant? She looked well when last I saw her.”
“She has been well, Lizzy. But her aunt Martina wrote, saying she lost the baby, and she begged Louisa to come to her. Thatwas two weeks ago. Now, Louisa has written asking for Charles. Caroline will not be consoled. She declares she still loves Lord Dunwich, and she had hoped for a son to cherish in his place. The baby was a son, and when she held him, she broke down, saying she had nothing to live for.”
Elizabeth asked, “Does the physician say why she lost the baby?”
“They said the cord was wrapped around his neck three times, and compression of the cord most likely was the cause.”
Elizabeth sank onto a chair, distressed. “Poor Caroline.”
Jane sat down and began to wring her hands. “Louisa writes that Caroline is insupportable, yet full of grievances, declaring she loathes her husband, and is angry because she is now bound to him forever. She is angry because he is nothing but a tradesman. We all feel for poor James, he has loved her faithfully through all these years, yet she has turned against him. She even raves that she will never have Mr. Darcy, for he is married to that ‘country nobody,’ and that Lord Dunwich, the love of her life, openly spurned and ruined her.”
Elizabeth listened, her expression grave. “Jane, this surely comes as a result of this terrible loss. Any woman would feel she had nothing to live for. Louisa ensures that her sister is watched day and night, does she not?”
“Yes, and they are hopeful that her spirits may revive in time.” Jane looked at her sister. “Charles will do what he can to support his cousin, while Louisa tends to Caroline. I only pray to keep out of the way, lest Caroline’s wrath fall on me as the sister of the country nobody who stole away Mr. Darcy.”
Elizabeth pressed Jane’s hand warmly. “My dear, I hope the family will not take Caroline’s side against you.”
Jane smiled faintly. “Charles has said, if they do, we shall leave.” Jane’s eyes brightened. “Did I tell you? The owner of Netherfield Park accepted the offer, and Charles will soon have his own estate. Mamma is no longer an embarrassment. You remember how we used to wish we could escape our mother and move away as far as possible?” Both sisters laughed at the memory. “Charles loves the house; the little creek has good fishing, and he can hunt. Most of all, he values its nearness to London. His solicitor has come to Netherfield to conduct business, saving Charles the trip to town. And Lizzy, Lady Lucas, has been so kind to me since Charlotte’s marriage. She behaves towards us as she used to in former times. Your kindness to Charlotte has resulted in a kindness to me. Thank you, sister.”
Elizabeth reached for her sister’s hand. “My dear Jane, I hope things go well for you in Yorkshire. You must take care of yourself, for you, too, are in a delicate state. I send my best wishes to Caroline in her present distress. We cannot know the depth of her suffering.”
The sisters sat in silence until Elizabeth turned the subject. “And what of Lydia? Papa does not mention her when he writes. Perhaps her behavior is not a topic to commit to paper either.”
Jane looked more concerned than before. “Papa is keeping Lydia’s behavior very quiet. When he arrived at the school in East Suffolk, the headmistress filled his ears with a long account of our sister’s misconduct. One of the instructors caught Lydia attempting to slip away with a boy who delivers food to the kitchens. Papa was shocked. He put her into the carriage straightaway and drove her to a women’s academy in Nottinghamshire.”
Elizabeth looked baffled. “Why Nottinghamshire?”
“The school is locked, located miles from the nearest town, and employs teachers who are specially trained to work with troubled students. Papa says girls from all walks of life attend, from daughters of dukes to daughters of tradesmen. They have one thing in common.”
Elizabeth answered, “Bad behavior?”
Jane nodded. “Yes. Lydia has been put to work as a scullery maid. The headmistress told both her and Papa that she may earn her way out of that task into other, less objectionable duties, but only by good conduct and diligence in her studies. If she receives poor marks or persists in rebellion, she will remain in the scullery all four years. Papa warned her that if he sees no improvement by the time she is nineteen, she will remain at school until she reaches twenty years. If she is still ungovernable at that age, he will find her a husband who intends to immigrate abroad. He wants her far from England, where her behavior cannot besmirch the family name. He is so resolute that he has even begun to set money aside for her dowry toward that end.”
Elizabeth pressed a hand to her lips. “Surely he did not speak so harshly to her?”
“He did,” Jane said, her eyes narrowed. “She sneered at him and said she would see about that. The headmistress, Mrs. Hendrickson, told Papa it was best if he left matters in her hands. She will write to him once a month with a full report. He is very concerned for Lydia, and though he blames Mamma, I cannot help but think the fault is also partially his. Lydia knew that neither of them would ever stand firm against her, and so she has grown very wild.”
Elizabeth looked bemused. “I had no idea our sister was so rebellious. I pray she will learn to comport herself. If she does not, she may end far worse than Caroline.”
Jane reached for her hand. “Let us hope that, in time, Lydia may yet be reclaimed.”
The sisters then retired to dress for dinner.
That evening, when the household assembled, Lady Helen placed the Stanton sisters, one on each side of her, and then asked Elizabeth to sit on the other side of Anise.
After the soup bowls had been collected, Lady Helen began. “Miss Stanton, tell me of your family. How many brothers and sisters have you?”
Abby responded in her bright way. “We are three in all. My elder brother Michael, my twin sister Anise, and I.”
“And your family? Would I know of them?”
