Page 20 of The Wager
“Lydia Francine, sit up straight. A young lady never slouches, never folds her arms across her chest, and…” Elizabeth gave her sister a warning look from where she sat at her writing desk. “She never pushes her bottom lip out far enough for a bird to perch upon it.”
Lydia dropped her arms and straightened her posture. At the arched brow, her elder sister sent her way, she stopped pouting and gave Elizabeth an extremely fake smile.
“Better?” she asked with saccharine sweetness.
“Much.”
“Nowcan I tell you my news?”
Catherine huffed and flopped onto the bed, throwing an arm across her eyes. Elizabeth gave her second youngest sister a sideways glance.
“Is it worth all the drama, Kitty?” Elizabeth asked.
“It is if you want to hear all about how the militia is coming to Meryton,” she muttered without uncovering her eyes.
“Kitty!” Lydia jumped to her feet and flailed her arms around. “That wasmynews to give.”
“I cannot help you took so long to tell her.”
Catherine sat up and gave her younger sister a saucy look. Lydia gaped slightly, then clapped her mouth shut. With a ferocious scowl marring her pretty face, she whirled to face her elder sister.
“Lizzy, she stole my news.”
“You stole my ribbon yesterday. Turnabout is fair play,” Catherine taunted.
“You know that ribbon looks better on me.”
“That is not the point, it was still my ribbon.”
“Girls!” Again, Elizabeth broke in, her tone one of exasperation. “Would you please take this argument into another room? I am attempting to write to Aunt Sarah and cannot concentrate when the two of you chatter like overwrought magpies.”
“Oh, do tell Aunt Sarah I love the new fan she sent for me,” Lydia said.
“And thank her for the shawl she sent me,” Catherine added.
“I have already done so at your earlier request.”
Elizabeth looked from her sisters to the open door and back to them, arching a brow.
“I hate when you do that,” Lydia huffed. When the brow lifted a tad higher, she threw her hands up in frustration. “Fine! We shall find Mary and tellherthe news.”
Both girls left Elizabeth’s bedchamber and blessed peace settled in the room once more, broken only by the scratching of her quill on paper. When the sound of a carriage was heard coming down Longbourn’s gravel drive, she carefully cleaned the pen and sealed the inkpot. After sanding the still unfinished letter, she quit the room and made her way downstairs toward the parlor, rightly assuming the carriage held Lady Lucas and her daughters, come to talk about last night’s assembly.
“Did you enjoy the evening, Charlotte,” Elizabeth asked once the greetings were set aside and everyone had a cup of tea in hand.
“I did. I may not have caught the eye of Mr. Bingley like someone in this room, but Mr. Samuel Henderson asked me to dance twice.”
“How wonderful,” Jane said, blushing from the oblique reference to Mr. Bingley’s seemingly open infatuation with her. “I understand he has returned from India after making his fortune there.”
“I did not ask him about that. Instead, we spoke of what has changed while he was away and what has not.”
Elizabeth laughed lightly and said, “Conversation over what has changed in Meryton would have been short and sweet.”
“Laugh if you must, Eliza. Mr. Henderson’s fresh outlook made me realize much has changed in five years.”
“In what way?”
“For example, when he left Meryton we did not have Miss Watson’s tea shop. The Gouldings were not leasing Haye Park, and Clarke’s library did not come into existence until just last year.”
