Page 79 of The Cheapside Runners
“I would,” Kitty surprised everyone by answering first and quite emphatically.
“Go on, Kitty,” Mary suggested.
“Who says we have to marry a gentleman, anyway? I would say Uncle Gardiner is five times the man our father is. Sir William is a much better man, but he was a tradesman a decade ago. What is so special about being the son of a gentleman?”
“There, you have hit on the home question, Kitty—though it brings up a few others.”
“Such as?” Jane asked curiously.
“Let us just put aside the fact that half of the Bennet family’s behaviour was dragging the rest down before this course. We may further assume that all of your manners will either improve or you will face the wrath of Mrs Black.”
Everyone chuckled as designed.
“You can still, according to the narrow-minded way the gentry thinks, drag your sisters down by marrying down. I assume none of you would marry a stable hand, and if you did, it wouldseriouslyharm your sisters… no?”
They all agreed, since it was fairly obvious.
“How about if you marry an attorney who is a third son of a gentleman? We can all agree that would not harm anybody else, correct?”
They all nodded.
“Now, let us say this attorney isnotthe son of a gentleman, and has no connexions at all… still the same good man, but of a lower social sphere.”
Jane said, “I believe we all would have to agree on whether that is acceptable before we began. For example, I was beingactively courted by Mr Bingley, but he is not a gentleman… just very wealthy.”
“Exactly. So, the answer to all of this is that if you want to marry in London, you should all accept in advance that some of you might marry down, and the rest must agree not to whinge about it.”
“That seems entirely reasonable to me,” Mary replied quickly.
Elizabeth thought about it for a minute, and finally added, “Do you all agree, keeping in mind that with your minuscule dowries, you will not be attracting the most prosperous tradesmen? I would not allow anyone to even take up with someone who cannot afford a wife in reasonable comfort, but I would not object to a parson or tradesman with a few hundred a year.”
They all discussed it amongst themselves for a few minutes and agreed it all seemed reasonable.
The non-Bennets were watching the discussion with full attention, and perhaps just a touch of envy.
When the Bennet sisters all agreed that the scheme sounded reasonable, Elizabeth looked around and took a breath.
“May I assume you all believe I expected this outcome?”
They all laughed, but nobody disagreed.
She turned to the other ladies. “What I am about to say applies toallof you, not just the Bennets.”
They all gasped, and their ears perked up.
“We are now into the area where this class is absolutely unique. I will allow anyone in this room, except Miss Darcy for obvious reasons, to live here for as little or as much time as you want…if… you meet certain requirements.”
They all watched eagerly, so Elizabeth continued.
“First—in this house, girls are out no earlier than seventeen, and eighteen would be preferred—no exceptions.”
Kitty and Lydia looked somewhat crestfallen, but they both managed to work out that it was eminently reasonable before they stuck their feet in their mouths.
“Second—everyone in this household will be accomplished. This isnotLongbourn. I presume you all heard through the gossip network what I said to Miss Bingley at Netherfield. If you want to live in my house, you will learn to be a credit to your education when you marry. You will learn some of the conventional accomplishments such as music and the like, but you will also learn how to manage a house and raise your children properly. Once again, no exceptions!”
“Will we have a chance to learn those things, Lizzy?” Kitty asked plaintively.
“Of course! It would be silly to live in a school and learn nothing. You all have years to learn and look what you have accomplished in a fortnight. You will have to put your backs into it, though. I will not accept half-hearted efforts.”
