Jane Austen discussion
Christmas Writing Competition
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Entry #1 - my entry!
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Mod
At Longbourn...
Having just enjoyed an unnecessarily flamboyant breakfast, particularly given the depleted number now residing at Longbourn, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet were both in the sitting room whilst Kitty and Mary had gone on a shopping trip to Meryton. Mr. Bennet was, as usual, reading a book as his wife was attempting some needlework. She met with little success as her mind was rather distracted by thinking of other things which were much more important compared to an inconsequential piece of embroidery. What could be more important than the marriage of her final two daughters?
Momentarily, Mr. Bennet paused in his reading as he had a topic of conversation he believed he needed to broach with his wife. At least he told himself he needed to have such a conversation, even though he knew full well what answer he would receive. He also knew that he would get a great deal of enjoyment from such a conversation, knowing his wife as he did, and how he took such delight in vexing her. And thus he began...
"I was just thinking, my dear, about our breakfast this morning. Did you not feel it was perhaps a little excessive to have that amount of food for only four people? We are no longer providing for a family of seven you must remember."
"Oh, do not be so silly Mr. Bennet! Of course there was no excess of food. Did you not observe that the three dishes disappeared with relative ease?"
"I did observe it, indeed. Our remaining girls do seem to have an unusually large appetite, particularly in the morning. However, I also noticed how the additional three dishes spread across the table, to the ones you mentioned, remained relatively untouched."
"Well, why should we adjust our way of living purely because three of our daughters have married? It is not as if we will ever suffer financial problems for Mr. Bingley has five thousand a year and Mr. Darcy ten thousand!"
Stifling a laugh, Mr. Bennet continued, hoping to move the conversation to the crux of the matter, as he was becoming rather irritated by his wife's antics this morning. "As you keep reminding me, my dear, although I do not think your daughters would appreciate having to provide for a family who has wasted their income on trivialities and extravagances. Perhaps it would be sensible to try and think of the new size of our family once in while, particularly on grand occasions, such as Christmas?"
"Oh, Mr. Bennet how could you be so tiresome! Of course we must have our usual large Christmas feast! Do you want our neighbours to be thinking we cannot live up to our reputation and deliver the best Christmas spread in Meryton?"
"That would be a heavy misfortune indeed. Although, my dear, you forget the point I have already raised; the fact that our household will be sadly depleted this year, with Lizzy away at Pemberley, Jane not likely to spend her first Christmas back at Longbourn, and of course Lydia celebrating her Christmas in the north with my favourite son-in-law of all. Who exactly do you wish to impress with your extravagance?"
"Come now, Mr. Bennet! You must not forget our other two unmarried daughters! Besides, we will in fact need to put special consideration into our feast this year, as I have had it from Mrs. Long that there are to be some guests visiting many of our friends in Meryton this year, many of them very eligible bachelors! What a fine thing for our girls!" Mrs. Bennet cried.
"I had thought,” and hoped, he was sorely tempted to add, but refrained from doing so at the last second, “that now that three of our daughters were so advantageously married, our Lydia in particular, that your worries for Mary and Kitty had subsided. Or have I been mistaken in this matter?"
"How do you expect me to be satisfied until all of our daughters are married and settled? When you die, which may in fact be very soon, it would be a relief to have all our daughters settled. That way I could rely on the good nature of at least one of them to provide for me! I would hope it to be Lydia and dear Mr. Wickham, although I suppose it is highly unlikely, but perhaps if Mr. Darcy could..."
"Excuse me my dear," interrupted Mr. Bennet, "before you continue to lament my impending death, I believe you have one fundamental problem in your match making plans for Mary and Kitty. You say there are eligible bachelors coming to spend Christmas with our friends in Meryton?"
"Yes! Were you not listening?"
Although Mr. Bennet would never admit to his wife how often he did indeed cease listening to her ramblings, he had developed the talent of grasping the main point she was trying to make. Choosing to ignore the last remark, he continued, "If this is the case, then how exactly do you propose to steal our neighbours’ guests away to be impressed by our Christmas spread and amiable daughters? Have you not informed me yourself that these eligible bachelors have come with the express intent to spend Christmas with their friends in Meryton, not their friend’s neighbours at Longbourn?"
For once in her life, from what Mr. Bennet could remember, Mrs. Bennet could not formulate an immediate response. Pleased with this triumph and sensing the time to be an opportune moment for departure, Mr. Bennet quickly exited the sitting room where this conversation had taken place and headed straight to his favourite place in the house, his study. And with a self-satisfied grin on his face, he continued reading his book in welcomed silence.
Mod
Where to begin with such a couple as Mr. and Mrs. Wickham... As is to be expected, the slight infatuation Wickham may have felt for Lydia at one time - although this in itself is highly questionable - had long passed and his adventures in Brighton had landed him with an annoying and infuriating wife. In his darkest moments, he had even begun to wonder whether his life with Lydia was in fact worth the pain and suffering he inflicted on Darcy and the money he managed to squeeze out of him, especially given the fact that Darcy still managed to marry the love of his life - scandal or no scandal! Of course, this was only in his darkest moments, and he was sure to find plenty of amusement to help him through these hard times with the large number of pretty young ladies he found in Newcastle.
As for Lydia, predictably, her imagined love for Wickham did survive longer than his. As we join the couple, she still hung onto the last of her hopes, not quite willing to give in. Although her hopes for a successful marriage had not quite been completely destroyed, as yet, her hopes of happiness in Newcastle had long been crushed. The imagined balls and parties every night were non-existent, and the thousands of officers who were meant to pine over her did not. This was partly due to the lack of interest the officers had in attempting to peruse and flirt with a married woman, whether her husband minded or not - and be assured that Wickham would not have minded in the slightest, and would have been grateful, in fact - but it was mainly her insufferable character and unspeakable behaviour. No one would ever admit such a thing to the lady’s face, however much they wished to. It seems that the militia in Newcastle were much more discerning when it came to silly young women such as Lydia; they could easily see through her charming facade to the shallow person behind the pretty face. As would be expected, Lydia was perfectly oblivious to the strong dislike shown not only from the officers, but from the ladies too; they very much disliked her continual boasting about her 'dear Wickham', who, if rumours were to be believed, was not so very dear after all.
As such dislike had only grown each time they were in company, Wickham believed it wise to remove his wife as much as possible from society. It might have been more accurate to say he felt it the best course of action so as not to lose his commission, or continue being victim to very nasty incidents which threatened him from other - stronger - officers!
And so it was that, as had become their usual habit, both Mr. and Mrs. Wickham sat in a dark and dingy sitting room in relative silence, until the latter began.
"Dearest, can we not go out tonight? Perhaps to the party I believe is taking place in town? We have not been out for so very long!
"No, we cannot." Wickham said dryly.
Stomping her foot, she whined, "But, my dear, I imagine all the officers are missing the opportunity to dance with me! It has been so long since I last danced!"
As it was rather late in the evening, and Wickham had had rather too much to drink and showed no signs of stopping, he was unable to find any patience whatsoever for his wife. The combination of drunkenness and the overflowing emotions and difficulties which had been building from the day he married Lydia, proved to be too much for him tonight. He had had enough, and so he began in a very icy manner, "I can assure they are not missing the opportunity in the slightest."
Astonished at such an ungentlemanly comment from her dear Wickham, she summoned the best pout she could muster and retorted, "Not missing the opportunity? What nonsense you speak! Whatever can you mean by stating such a falsehood?"
With this statement, his last thread of patience snapped. "Are you really such a stupid, infantile, naive specimen of a woman to be so oblivious as to the complete contempt that people feel towards you around this camp? I honestly cannot believe that you do not know what I am talking about! They could not be any clearer in their dislike of you!"
Stunned into silence by such harsh words from her 'dear Wickham', Lydia could do nothing but allow tears to begin to form in her eyes. This was not from the pain of hearing such words, as you may expect, she simply would not believe such lies; how could anyone not like her? She had, in fact, hoped her tears would prevent her husband from saying anymore, as she had done in the past. Tonight, however, it was not to be, and so, unfortunately for Lydia, he continued.
"You wonder why we never go out anymore? Well, let me enlighten you, my obnoxious little wife! We never go out anymore because we are not wanted! In fact, it is known that if the Wickham’s intend to attend a certain ball or a certain production at the theatre, it is subsequently avoided at all cost! Or, if the company of the Wickham’s is to be endured, it is most definitely dreaded! It started very innocently enough, with hints from the female members of the camp to attempt to curb my wife's behaviour. However, the officers in this militia are a lot less subtle in their suggestions. At first they would tease me that I would be dismissed if I did not take that, and I quote, ‘pestering wife of mine’ in hand. But then this teasing grew more serious and I was being threatened - all because of you!"
By this time the tears were freely flowing down Lydia's face as the words were finally beginning to sink in, but this still did not stop Wickham, who was rather enjoying releasing all his pent up feelings.
"And do not try that crying act with me, you pathetic creature! It may have worked in the very beginning of our relationship, however it will not do anything to me now, for it has been many months since all feeling - or rather infatuation - I felt for you has disappeared!" Adding with a smirk, "Not that there was much to lose in the first place."
Having expelled most of his anger, he had but one remark to finish his speech, "I must thank you, Lydia - I have been wishing to speak of this for quite some time and I am relieved to finally have my true feelings made perfectly clear."
Lydia was dumbfounded. As Wickham continued with his monologue she had slowly begun to sink lower and lower in her chair until she was practically curled up on the floor. However, instead of dissolving into a second bout of tears, her pain developed into nothing but pure, steely anger. How could she have been so blind, not only to the feelings and behaviour of the persons here in Newcastle, but most importantly to her husband’s true character and feelings. She wondered with amazement how she could ever have thought otherwise. He had been forced to marry her, and would not have taken such a serious step had it not been for Mr. Darcy's generous bribe. She now understood how she had been used. At first she was amusement for Wickham and the means of revenge on his greatest enemy, but once he was safely trapped in wedlock, all the amusement vanished, as did any emotions he might have felt for her, leaving only bitterness and hatred for his new wife.
All these thoughts only fuelled her anger and she believed action needed to be taken, particularly to wipe that all too smug expression off Wickham's face. So she rose from her chair, gathered any remaining dignity she could find, walked straight towards her husband, and she slapped him hard across the cheek before storming out of the room with an almighty slam of the door. It is safe to say that had Lydia remained long enough, she would have been satisfied to find that smug expression was successfully wiped from Wickham's countenance and a large red mark began to develop upon his usually handsome cheek.
At the start, Lydia had been clinging onto a few remaining strands of hope that all was not lost. However, as anyone would have most probably surmised by now from what transpired as well as her reaction, all hope was lost. One would think that if this did not make her fully regret her actions at Brighton earlier that year then this poor young girl really has no chance.
Mod
There may be a few - how many remains uncertain - who are interested in what became of the Collins’s. Be assured that they were indeed enjoying all the possible happiness available to such a couple that were brought together for the convenience of one, and out of necessity for the other.
Mr. Collins believed he had found a very useful wife in Charlotte, and the feeling was in fact mutual. As to be expected, the ever practical Charlotte was able to make the best of her situation: being married to such a ridiculous man as Mr. Collins. She found that being no longer a burden to her parents, and having a house of her own, was very pleasing indeed. As Charlotte had been married to Mr. Collins for a considerable length of time, she had now learnt the best ways in which to deal with her husband and the most successful ways of handling his silliness; which translated into staying as far away as possible from him for as long as it was acceptable for a husband and wife. Therefore, the reader must be forbidden from feeling sorry for the former Miss Lucas.
Of course, in such cases as these, even for a person of such practical inclinations as Charlotte, there will always be certain times where her situation is to be pitied – for even she felt a little sorry for herself. Christmastime was just such an occasion, as she found she missed her family terribly. Fortunately, unlike Charlotte's first Christmas as a married woman, which naturally had to be spent at their own house in Kent, she was able to obtain permission to spend the festive season back at Lucas Lodge for her second Christmas as Mrs. Collins. And this is where we join the couple, on their bumpy carriage ride to Meryton. How they had been able to gain such permission, Mr. Collins would never be able to comprehend, however much he would try and talk himself round to understanding it.
Mr. Collins wittered on, "... to be granted leave for the entire Christmas period, resulting in her ladyship having to be so troubled as to find another parson suitable to conduct the numerous services which must be performed at this sacred time of year! Such extraordinary condescension she has shown us! I do not know how we will ever begin to express our gratitude and have her ladyship understand how deeply we appreciate such extraordinary condescension!" Charlotte had no worries on this score. "Of course, you yourself, my dear Charlotte, must realise how very much indebted we are to her ladyship as this Christmas sojourn to Meryton was a result of your express wish to spend the Christmas season with your family."
"I assure you I feel this great honour most acutely, and will do all in my power to assure her ladyship most profusely that I am eternally grateful for the particular condescension she has shown me in allowing us such a journey at such an important time of year."
Charlotte had, by now, become very skilled in the art of placating her husband by supplying the appropriate words and assurances to calm his worries when it came to matters involving his most esteemed patron, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. This was a useful skill to have perfected, given that Lady Catherine seemed to feature in almost every decision, however small or insignificant. She observed how it seemed to be Mr. Collins' life ambition to directly involve Lady Catherine in as many aspects of their lives as possible. Not surprisingly, one needs not be informed that such excessive inclusion was not unwelcome on the part of Lady Catherine. This idea of Charlotte's was confirmed when her husband had asked for her ladyship's opinion on whether to replace the upholstery in the servants quarters with an azure blue or emerald green fabric. As for what reason Lady Catherine would ever have to grace the servants quarters with her noble presence she could scarcely begin to imagine.
Her husband was suitably calmed by her assurances, but this was a particularly prominent line of thought for Mr. Collins at the present time, being as they were on their way to Lucas Lodge, and so his effusions about such particular attention as they had been shown continued.
"I do not know whether her Ladyship shall be able to find a suitable parson to fulfil my duties in time. One must acknowledge, after all she has been through these last few months, with having to come to terms with her nephew's less than pleasing marriage, to leave her at such a time is a very hard choice for me to make. I believe she has refused the usual invitation to spend Christmas at Pemberley and I am sure she will wish for our company, and how I detest the thought that we will not be there to oblige her!"
Charlotte was becoming rather irritated at the continual references to the pain which Lady Catherine must be suffering after “such blatant disregard” of her wishes shown recently by her favourite nephew, Mr. Darcy. Charlotte knew full well how very happy the new Mr. and Mrs. Darcy were and how their match had been one based on true love and affection, which was so far proving a very successful and beneficial match for them both; they were each just what the other needed.
Charlotte had, after a year of marriage, become accustomed to the fact that, as a general rule, Mr. Collins never listened to a word she said. However this particular topic was particularly important to Charlotte and she felt compelled to attempt to defend her friend. So, trying to keep her tone as unaffected as possible, she responded, "It was Lady Catherine's own decision to refuse the invitation, and so we need not feel sorry for her. Any displeasure she may feel this Christmas will be solely due to her own choices." And, she added to herself, down to her insufferable pride preventing her from acknowledging the new Mrs. Darcy.
Completely ignoring his wife's comment, he again continued. "And poor Miss De Bourgh. She must feel her loss most acutely, having been all but engaged to Mr. Darcy for so many years, only to have all her hopes dashed! And to think it was the dearest wish of both her mother and his."
Charlotte knew full well how glad Anne had been to have the prospect of marriage to her cousin removed. Since becoming Mrs. Collins, she and Anne had built up a valuable friendship and each had an invaluable confidante in the other, that is, when it was possible for such confiding conversations to be had since Lady Catherine very much liked to be part of all conversations. Anne had told Charlotte often how relieved she had been to hear of Darcy's engagement as she had dreaded the idea of becoming the mistress of Pemberley!
Not trying quite so hard to continue maintaining her calm tone of voice, Charlotte reasoned, "My dear, have I not told you many times before how pleased Miss De Bourgh had been to hear of Mr. Darcy's marriage? And have I not told you how misguided her mother's ideas about their supposed engagement had been? It may have been her ladyship's dearest wish, but it was never the wish of Mr. Darcy's mother; I have it on good authority."
Again - whether he was in fact completely oblivious to his wife's words or was tactfully choosing to ignore them - Mr. Collins continued on in this manner for the remainder of the journey, much to Charlotte's annoyance. Consequently when Charlotte started to recognise the familiar surroundings, and shortly afterwards caught the first glimpse of her former family home, she was overjoyed. Alighting from the carriage, she was met by her mother and father who were waiting for her. They were a very welcome sight, and never had she felt such love and gratitude at seeing her parents as she had at that instant.
"Mama! Papa! How good it is to see you again!"
Mod
Lady Catherine de Bourgh and her daughter, Anne, sat quietly in the sitting room after breaking their fast for the morning. Both, as always, sat in silence and continued with their embroidery or any such accomplishment deemed suitable by Lady Catherine and which was possible considering Anne's poor health.
Relative silence, that is, for this was only true for one of the ladies. Anne sat patiently, ignoring her mother as she had grown accustomed to doing, for seldom did she require a response or was called to give an opinion on whatever subject her mother was discussing, whether it be her latest advice which had been adhered to after her extraordinary condescension, or, as had become common as of late, the great misfortune which had befallen Darcy to be drawn in by such a fortune hunter as Elizabeth Bennet with all her “arts and allurements”. Anne slowly attempted to apply herself to her embroidery, which consisted of a beautiful wintry scene, however her mind was more agreeably engaged. She was just waiting for the opportunity for her plan to be put into action, for it must be understood that Anne's apparent poor state of health, although she had not a strong constitution, was really not as bad as her mother tried to make it out to be.
Grabbing her opportunity in a short respite from her mother’s moaning, she thus began, "Mother, have we received our usual invitation to spend Christmas at Pemberley this year?" Not that Anne needed to ask such a question since she already knew the answer, but she deemed this question her best way of introducing the conversation she wished to have. Her hope was that once she brought up this particular subject, her mother would easily talk herself right to the place where Anne wanted her to be. She was proved correct in her assumption.
An exasperated Lady Catherine tersely replied "Of course we have received it. However, I do not understand your need to even broach the question, for what on earth possesses you to believe we will be accepting the invitation this year of all years?” As Lady Catherine fumbled around in her pockets for the letter, the grin began to appear on Anne's face and grew so wide she could barely keep her countenance as her plan really was panning out nicely. Anne knew full well what that invitation said.
"Ah, here it is. Listen to this, Anne, just listen. 'Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy cordially invite you to spend Christmas at Pemberley. We look forward to receiving your response and we hope you will be able to honour us with your presence as we celebrate our first Christmas together as man and wife.' Such insolence! How dare he even include her on the invitation?”
"I think it a charming invitation, mama," Anne replied boldly.
"Are you feeling quite well, Anne? Charming! No, you cannot have heard me properly when I read you the invitation. Perhaps you have exerted yourself too much today and should go and rest."
"Mother, I assure you I am perfectly well and I heard you quite clearly."
"Are you out of your senses? How do you deem such an invitation charming?" But before Anne could respond she carried on, "but it is of no importance anyway, for we are not going. I have refused the invitation. I cannot bear the thought of seeing Miss Elizabeth Bennet ruining Pemberley - that insolent, headstrong girl! The shades of Pemberley are now well and truly polluted!"
"Mama, how many times must I tell you, she is Mrs. Darcy now, and you really ought to begin referring to her as such. It is disrespectful!"
"Disrespectful!? Do not talk to me of disrespectful behaviour! Darcy knew very well what he owed to the Darcy name and to his family - to you Anne! He was rightfully yours to wed! It was the greatest wish of his mother, as well as mine. I shall never think or refer to Miss Bennet in any way other than precisely that, Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn!"
Anne, who during this last outburst, had been slowly making her way towards the door, whilst grimacing once again at the mention of her ever having been destined to marry her cousin Darcy, was just about to walk out when she turned and uttered to Lady Catherine the most satisfying, to the former, and shocking, to the latter, statement:
"Well, I hope you have an enjoyable Christmas, mama. And there was no need for you to have read me the invitation because I knew full well what it said. I made sure I was informed of its arrival and whether you had refused or not. I have accepted the invitation on my behalf and will be off this very instant to spend a very happy Christmas at Pemberley." Beginning to feel extremely smug, she saw her mother begin to rise from her chair, however she quickly added, "Oh, please do not trouble yourself to see me off. I can manage perfectly well thank you. Merry Christmas mother."
And with that, she was gone, her smile growing wider by the second. She quickly donned her bonnet and pelisse, grabbed her gloves and hurried out the front door to the awaiting carriage, which was all ready with her trunk and the servants to accompany her on the long ride to Derbyshire. As she was leaving her stuttering and spluttering mother, she had taken the embroidery she had been working on, which she planned to give to Elizabeth for Christmas.
Never had Anne gone so expressly against the wishes of her mother nor organised and successfully carried out such a plan as she had just accomplished. She could not say she was sorry however; she was not sorry in the slightest. In fact, she felt an unseemly amount of pleasure from her actions and looked forward to spending a very enjoyable Christmas with her dear cousins at Pemberley, without her mother constantly fussing over her! Anne de Bourgh had never been so proud of herself in her life.
Mod
Mr. and Mrs. Bingley were experiencing all the marital felicities they were expected to and were very happily settled, despite the proximity to Longbourn being at times rather trying, even for Mr. Bingley's easy temper! Mr. Bennet's predictions were also proven correct; they were each of them so complying that nothing was ever resolved on; so easy that every servant did cheat them; and so generous that they always exceeded their income. But this did not lessen their wedded bliss in the slightest.
Every morning they would walk around the grounds of Netherfield Park to enjoy the fresh air. Of course, it is to be expected that if the weather was so very bad, then Bingley would not hear of his darling angel placing one foot outside the house; he would not have her catching another nasty cold as she had the first time she had visited Netherfield all those months ago. In fact, the weather did not need to be so very bad - if there was the slightest trickle of rain or even just the possibility of drizzle, he would prevent their walking out.
On this morning, however, the sky was beautifully clear and unusually warm for the time of year. For the majority of the walk they remained in a companionable silence, revelling in the pleasure they experienced from being each in the other’s company. Jane was not surprised by this continued silence, as their walks were usually conducted thus. However, she had come to understand her husband very well, as would be expected from such a devoted couple, and she could sense that her dear Charles was rather agitated this particular morning. She had learned from experience, that this was often a sign that he had something he wished to tell her, and considering the wider than usual grin on his face, the information he had to relate could only be pleasant. She believed, in fact, that he had been hiding something for the past few weeks. Unwilling to rush her husband, she would not prompt him to enlighten her for the world, even if her curiosity was growing by the minute!
Bingley was feeling perfectly content this morning, in fact more than content - very satisfied! He had received a very important letter earlier in the morning and had the most wonderful news to tell his darling Jane, news which he knew would please her beyond anything. Unwilling to reveal his secret quite yet, he reasoned the best course of action would be silence, lest his excitement cause him to forget his resolve and blurt out his news before he wished to! Yes, silence was definitely the way forward. For now.
Growing ever more impatient which was unusual for someone of Jane's temperament, she decided she would initiate a conversation in the hope that it would naturally move onto whatever it was that Bingley had to talk about. And of course, what better way of beginning a conversation, even between a happily married couple, than with a remark about the weather?
"Unusually warm for early December do you not think, my love?"
"Undoubtedly, my dear. Although I do not believe I can justifiably comment as to the unusual weather in Hertfordshire, given that I have not lived in these parts for as long as you have, my dear. Though as a general rule, I do believe that this warmth would be thought of as unusual in any place for this time of year."
This extensive response was all Jane needed to be assured that Bingley did indeed have something to say but was attempting, with his very best effort, to conceal it from her for as long as possible. Never had her husband given such a lengthy and considered response to an enquiry about the weather - or to an enquiry about anything in fact! She persevered however, and politely replied, "You indeed make a fair point, but you are correct, this is unusual weather for Hertfordshire. I do not remember such a warm winter in all my two and twenty years of living here."
After Jane received no response and no indication that her husband would continue the conversation, she added, "I suspect Lizzy is experiencing a very much harsher winter than she is accustomed to. I hear it can be very cold in the wilds of Derbyshire."
"I am sure she shall. It is generally very much colder in the north. She will also no doubt experience a great deal of snow," Bingley replied, with a mysterious edge in his voice, as if trying to gage her opinion of such weather.
"Oh, that will please Lizzy immensely!"
"Will she not miss her long walks that I know her to value so dearly?"
"Nothing so easy as a few snowflakes would stop my sister from her rambles about the grounds, I can assure you!"
"It is likely to be much more than just 'a few snowflakes', my angel, but I take your point. Darcy will no doubt join her on many of her walks, particularly in the snow; he always loved the snow up in Derbyshire. He used to tell me tales of snowball fights and all the fun he would have as a boy during the snowy winters in Derbyshire."
Sensing that Bingley was beginning to fix his interest on this certain subject of Derbyshire, she decided not to let it drop. "Well, the Darcys must be having a very enjoyable Christmas season then. When we had a particularly bad winter here, Lizzy and I would venture outside in the hopes that the snow was thick enough for a snowball fight! It was our favourite pastime during winter when we were little girls. Oh, how we would laugh when our mama would reprimand us for ruining our dresses or getting snow in our hair! Lizzy was much faster at making snowballs than I was, and so she would generally win, but I had rather good aim and precision with my throws!"
"And did you have the opportunity to have such a fight in your more recent years?"
"As a refined young lady Mr. Bingley? That would hardly be considered ladylike behaviour!" Jane responded, giving him her best look of mock disapproval.
"I do not notice you denying the accusation, my dear, Jane," he countered with a smirk.
"Well, perhaps our last fight did take place when we were a little too old to be behaving in such a way, but the winters have not been so cold in recent years, resulting in a sad lack of snow. I do hope to relive these happy memories - and exact my revenge - sometime in the near future."
Bingley was becoming completely lost in Jane's tales of her and her sister and in the wistful look in her beautiful eyes as she uttered her final sentence, that before he realised he had spoken and revealed his secret, he said, "Perhaps that wish may come true as soon as next year, my dear."
"Next year? I think that highly improbable, as to travel such a distance from here to Derbyshire in such conditions as you describe! Surely it would be impossible, not to mention dangerous. Unless we were to be invited to stay at Pemberley for Christmas or if we were already in the area..." Suddenly Jane believed she was beginning to unravel her husband's secret. That letter which had given him such joy this morning had been sent from Derbyshire. It could not have been from Darcy as Charles would have shared it with her, since it would no doubt include something of her beloved sister. Not wishing to raise her hopes or expectations, she believed the best way to know what he was hiding from her was to be direct; "My dear, I believe you have something of import to tell me. Something to do with that letter you received from Derbyshire this morning, if I am not mistaken, although I will admit I have had my suspicions for a few weeks now."
Smiling, Bingley responded, taking hold of Jane's gloved hands between both of his, "Very perceptive, my dear. I do, indeed, have some news. Or perhaps you will consider it an early Christmas present; I have just secured the purchase of a beautiful estate in Derbyshire, not thirty miles from Pemberley, which we can move into in a matter of months."
Jane’s astonishment was beyond anything! She had always wished to be located closer to her beloved sister, and a lot further from her trying family; now she had learnt that her dearest wish was to come true! She was speechless and continued to remain in such a state of shock, her hands enclosed within his, looking lovingly into her husband’s eyes. As she finally recovered herself, she immediately made for the house at a much faster pace than was often observed in her, calling over her shoulder to Charles, "I must write to Lizzy at once! She will be so happy!" but recalling herself before she progressed very far towards the house, she turned on her heel and went directly to her husband. She bestowed on him a very gentle and loving kiss, before setting off once again in the direction of the house, tears beginning to flow down her cheeks as such a happy turn of events guaranteed to secure her happiness forever.
Bingley could not have been happier with his wife's reaction to the news; it was everything he had hoped it would be. After standing a few more minutes watching the graceful form of his wife hurry towards the house, he chuckled to himself, then followed, contemplating the notion of writing to Darcy about this news. However, this idea remained only an idea; Bingley did not enjoy the task of writing letters, and he reasoned that there was really no need for the exertion on his part for Elizabeth was certain to inform Darcy as soon as she read her sister’s letter.
Be assured that the elation Jane felt on hearing such news was equalled, if not bettered, when Elizabeth received Jane's letter but a few days later. Darcy did wonder why Bingley had not written of his final decision to purchase, but then he reasoned that after all the correspondence they had had in the past few months, another letter might just be too much to ask for. Darcy knew Bingley well enough to know how much his friend disliked the undertaking. He understood Bingley would make sure the news would eventually be shared with his wife, by way of Mrs. Bingley, who was indeed sitting directly across from him at the breakfast table reading every word of said letter aloud at that very moment. It will not come as a shock to learn that Darcy had been the one to visit the estate in question on behalf of Bingley and make all the necessary enquires. It's safe to say that Darcy is much better at keeping secrets than Bingley, because Lizzy, unlike Mrs. Bingley, never suspected a thing.
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Mr. Darcy, who had been busy with attending to tenants and preparing them for the winter season, which was fast approaching, was out for the majority of the day. This left Elizabeth and Georgiana to entertain themselves and they knew exactly how to occupy their time. Their activities proved very successful and by the time Darcy had returned, Pemberley was decorated from head to toe in the most beautiful fashion. Elizabeth was excessively pleased with the results and was very much looking forward to her first Christmas as the mistress of Pemberley. She was even more pleased when her husband walked through the door, his face immediately lighting up with the most charming smile. He was so very handsome when he smiled!
Mr. Darcy could not contain his admiration. "The house looks wonderful Elizabeth! You and Georgiana have really excelled yourselves in its decoration."
"Oh, thank you, brother!" answered Georgiana enthusiastically, "but really the credit must go to Elizabeth. She has such wonderful taste in such matters. I cannot remember enjoying myself as much as I have today!"
The pleasure which such a simple activity had brought Georgiana caused Darcy to feel such gratitude towards his wife that he could not prevent his smile from spreading widely across his face. Before Elizabeth had come into his life, he had begun to despair that the horrid events of Ramsgate had affected his sister beyond recovery, but Elizabeth had helped to restore her confidence and had succeeded in curing some of her shyness. Darcy could not remember a time when he had seen Georgiana in such a state of happiness.
Elizabeth could not help but smile either as she watched Georgiana tell her brother of all they had done to make Pemberley ready for the Christmas season. Once Georgiana had ceased her effusions about the day’s activities, Darcy once again begun to speak, which caused her to turn her eyes upon him as he said, "Well, I cannot remember a time when the house looked so beautiful." As he uttered this last word, the tone of his voice altered, just slightly, and the penetrating look he bestowed upon Elizabeth gave her the impression that he was no longer referring to Christmas decorations. As this pleasing thought was passing through Elizabeth's mind, he leaned in towards her and, as if reading her thoughts, lowered his voice to whisper for her ears only, "I particularly enjoy the excess of mistletoe I seem to find around Pemberley this year. I hope this was under your instruction.”
Although Darcy knew he did not require a response, the confirming nod he received pleased him immensely. "Well, now that you have gone to the trouble of locating and hanging such an amount, I will have to make the most of the perfect excuse to kiss you any time I wish, which shall be as often as possible, I can assure you." Darcy was still pleased with the effect he had on his wife, even now that the first few months of marriage and newly wedded bliss, which always affects those brought together by mutual love, had passed.
Elizabeth was blushing furiously after such a compliment, although Darcy would prefer to say 'blushing prettily', not out of embarrassment, but out of pure elation and love for her husband. Well, perhaps there was a little embarrassment, due to the fact that Georgiana was beginning to remove herself discreetly from the room. Her marriage to Darcy had been the best thing that had ever happened to her, however unexpected it may have been. Especially considering those fateful words uttered at the Meryton assembly where they had first met, which had been the cause of many misjudgements and misunderstandings between the couple.
Georgiana, now removed from the presence of the devoted couple, skipped cheerfully away to practice her music. She was thoroughly pleased at how happy her brother's marriage to Elizabeth had made him, and how blessed she was to have gained such a sister as Elizabeth.
Back inside the room so recently departed by Georgiana, Darcy now held Elizabeth in a tender embrace. The latter was convinced she could feel something clutched in Darcy's hand, but all thought of enquiring were wiped completely from her mind when he said, in that voice only a man truly in love can create, "I am so looking forward to our first Christmas together at Pemberley, Mrs. Darcy. I still cannot believe the good fortune I was given at a second chance with the most wonderful woman in the world."
However much such compliments as this do very much please Elizabeth and make her feel suddenly giddy - luckily for her that Darcy was still holding her tightly against him! - such was her nature that she naturally has to respond in jest, "Prettily said, I grant you, my dear husband, however I cannot fully appreciate such a compliment due to the rather problematic fact that I know you have not met all the woman in the world."
“Ah. That is rather a problem, you are correct. In response, I suppose I could say that I do not need to meet all the women in the world to confirm my belief; however I can sense this would not be a satisfactory reply for you. So instead, what I can state in all truthfulness is that you are the most wonderful, beautiful, intelligent and charming woman of all my acquaintance." To make any impertinent response impossible, Darcy quickly removed one of his hands from Elizabeth's back, consequently answering Elizabeth's silently pondered question about what he had been concealing.
Suddenly a small piece of mistletoe appeared above their heads, and before Elizabeth had time to retort to Darcy's remark or enquire as to where on earth he had found this mistletoe - as she was under the impression that she and Georgiana had hung every last branch of it around Pemberley! - he claimed her lips in a most tender and familiar way. And so it is to be expected that this question became rapidly unimportant, as did any and every other thought Elizabeth had; once his lips touched hers it was much more pleasant to allow herself to melt into the embrace of the man she loved most ardently, than to ponder anything else.
This is a delightful story. You've captured the characters and the mannerisms beautifully, and sparkled your way through. It's written with a light touch, and is a lovely story to start the competition with. You have a real talent there, as I think to write well in this genre is very difficult, especially to carry on from the original. Very well done. I love it.
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Finally I had some time to read your entry and I must say I love it! You convey every character very well and it really seem to read something written by Jane Austen.Well done!
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Oh my! Sophie I love your stories!! You did a wonderful job at describing everything. Mrs. Bennet is perfectly depicted and also Jane and Bingley... they're so sweet! I love them all but my favourite is the scene with Elizabeth and Darcy :) They're perfect for each other and you wrote such beautiful words to show how much they love each other. Well done, my friend!
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I have to admit that Jane and Bingley were fun to write, as were the Bennet's (and the Collins) but my favourite is also Lizzy and Darcy! The characters are so brilliant that really, these stories just wrote themselves once I got going!
Thank you for your lovely comments and I am glad you enjoyed my stories!
Great job Soph! I’ve kept you waiting so long to say something you’re probably expecting an essay but I promise I never meant to be so tardy, the cold I’ve had the last few days has just kept me dopey.You’ve managed to capture a real charm with the little snapshots of our favourite characters’ Christmas, I couldn’t help but smile and be carried away by them.
I think I liked the Bingleys best because of the playful level of trust and understanding between them, but you did justice to all of them… the only one I found perhaps a little far fetched was Anne, but wouldn’t we all love to see her do just that! I liked that she has become friends with Charlotte too, perhaps it was that influence that has helped her so much. ;)
Wonderful story Sophie.I loved every second and was smiling throw most of it.My favorite is The Collins that remark about Lady Catherine picking the hangings for the servant's halls had me laughing.It was so what I would see Mr.Collin's asking her.Poor Charlotte but she know what she was getting into.I loved how you added so much strength to the character of Anne and kept all the characters just how I would see them being.
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I hope you are now feeling better!
I am so pleased that you have enjoyed my stories! I found the Bingley actually the easiest to write, which is why it is my longest, so I am glad you liked!
Oh, I know Anne was far fetched but I wanted to give her a stronger character - you never know what Charlotte's influence might do ;)
@Nicole
I am so glad that it made you smile! Oh good old Mr Collins - I don't know how I thought of that, but I just thought it sounded like something he would say and something Lady Catherine would try and advise on!
I am very glad you, and everyone else, feels I managed to keep the characters the same (perhpaps except Anne!) - it was very important to me to try not to change them as Jane Austen has already created wonderful stories!
So hard to pick a fav Soph!! :D I am enjoying seeing those wonderful scenes again!
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And I am glad you enjoyed them again Anne!!
http://laughingwithlizzie.blogspot.co...
but of course I said I would post each one in this folder as well as online so I shall do what I promised (I think it will be easier to read on the blog as it is a clearer font and there are a few pictures :) )