Your sister under the skin,
Mary
Miss Elizabeth Bennet to Miss Susan Sotherton
Hunsford, near Westerham, Kent,
March 24
You will be anxious to know all about my visit to London and my arrival in Kent, and so I sit down now to write you a letter.
Jane was very happy to see me and I to see her, as you can imagine. We have been apart for a long time and we had much to talk about. But on questioning my aunt later, I found that my dear sister has periods of dejection, and who can blame her? She has lost the attentions of a most amiable young man, through no fault of her own, and does not see how she will ever meet a man she likes half as well. I sympathise with her deeply, for I am no luckier in my attachment to Mr Wickham, but I believe my spirits are of a sort to better bear the disappointment. Besides, I was not separated from him by others, but by his own choice, and that I think makes it easier to bear.
Through all this, though, I cannot help blaming Mr Bingley, for if he was as much in love with Jane as he appeared he should have resisted his friends’ efforts to influence him and followed his heart; which leads me to think that it is possible for a young man to be too amiable. But even as I write this I remember Mr Darcy saying that Mr Bingley was easily swayed by his friends; how much more blameworthy, then, must those friends be for influencing someone they knew would not be able to resist. But blame will not help Jane, and I believe that she is in the best place, where there is congenial company and plenty to do.
The company here at Hunsford is not so congenial. Charlotte is the same, but I cannot place such confidence in her as formerly, for I cannot forgive her for marrying such a stupid man. She has a home, it is true, and a life of her own, but the price she paid is a heavy one and although she does not resent it, I resent it for her. Oh, why can there not be as many amiable and sensible young men in the world as there are women who deserve them! She welcomed me affectionately, however, and I was very pleased I had come. Despite everything, I miss her. Meryton is unfortunately not supplied with so many sensible young women that I can easily bear the loss of another one.
Mr Collins was in all his glory, displaying the good proportions of the rooms, their aspects and their furniture—everything from the sideboard to the fender—and showing us around the garden, pointing out the numbers of fields beyond. Sir William and Maria were as admiring as he could have wished for, pleased with everything they saw and exclaiming over the sight of Rosings Park in the distance.
Luckily I did not have the right shoes for walking over the fields, nor did Maria nor Charlotte, and whilst Mr Collins conducted Sir William thither, we three returned to the house. With Mr Collins forgotten there was an air of comfort throughout, and I believe he is very often forgotten. And when he cannot be forgotten, and says something particularly foolish, then Charlotte is wise enough not to hear.
We are to have the honour of seeing Lady Catherine at church on Sunday, and I am assured by Mr Collins that she is all affability and condescension; although I was warned by Mr Wickham that she is authoritative and self-important, and I suspect his judgement is the true one. Apparently, she is likely to include Maria, Sir William and myself in every invitation issued to the Collinses for the length of our stay—courtesy indeed!
And so our time is to be spent sharing Charlotte’s daily activities, which will be enjoyable enough. It will only be made vexatious when we are interrupted by Mr Collins or patronised by Lady Catherine.
Then, my dear Susan, I will have more pleasures to look forward to, for my aunt and uncle have invited me to go on a tour of the Lake District with them in the summer. I am already looking forward to it.
Write soon and tell me all your news.
Lizzy
Miss Susan Sotherton to Miss Elizabeth Bennet
Bath, March 25
Dearest Lizzy,
Your letter makes me ashamed—I have not written to you in an age, for my Mr Wainwright is keeping me busy. I have been to visit his family and found them all charming, and a wedding date has been set. We are to be married in August. My mama is very happy, for it is a better match than she hoped for me, and I am overjoyed, as I truly love my Mr Wainwright. Papa is happy, as Mr Wainwright’s mother has insisted on arranging the wedding, so it will not cost Papa a penny, and he went out to celebrate by getting drunk. Frederick, however, said he wished me happy and gave me a small present, a brooch, bought with money he had saved himself from his inheritance from our late aunt. Although it is not a large fortune, it is not inconsiderable and he has begun to husband it, spending less than its income so that he is gradually restoring the capital. News of this has spread and he is no longer shunned so resolutely by the Bath mamas. Eleanor is now more hopeful of finding a husband for herself, and Lucy hopes that Frederick will restore the library at Netherfield so that she might continue her studies there when we return home. If we return home. But as Jane no longer needs Netherfield to be let to Mr Bingley, I hope we will return home sooner rather than later. Alas, until Papa mends his ways it is not likely.
I am glad that Charlotte is happy. I wish her many fine days and a husband who is busy elsewhere. And to you, Lizzy, I wish fine weather for country walks and a handsome stranger.
Your dear friend,
Susan
Miss Elizabeth Bennet to Miss Jane Bennet
Hunsford, near Westerham, Kent,
March 26
My dearest Jane,
I have had my first sight of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. We dined at Rosings last night and saw her in all her glory. She is a tall, large woman with strongly marked features and a sense of self-importance which rendered Sir William speechless and reduced Maria to perching, in fright, on the edge of her chair.
Miss de Bourgh was as unlike her mother as it was possible to be, for she was thin and small, with insignificant features; there was neither in face nor figure any likeness between the ladies.
The dinner was exceedingly handsome, and Mr Collins could not have been happier as he took his place at the bottom of the table, by her ladyship’s desire. Lucky Mr Collins, to be so easily pleased! He commended every dish, his flattery echoed by Sir William, so that I wonder Lady Catherine could bear it; however, she seemed very pleased. We ate almost in silence, although when we retired to the drawing room after dinner, there was a great deal of talking, all on Lady Catherine’s side. She held forth at length, enquiring into Charlotte’s domestic concerns and giving her a great deal of unnecessary advice, and then turned her attention to me. Oh, Jane! I could scarcely keep from expressing my astonishment at her impertinence when she asked about my sisters, demanding to know if any of them were handsome or likely to be married soon, where they had been educated and what kind of carriage my father kept! She then demanded to know about our governesses, and on learning that we had none, remarked that our mother must have been a slave to our education! I did not know where to look, nor how to keep from smiling! She then deigned to tell me that my sisters should not all be out at once, and was surprised when I answered her back, saying that I saw no reason why the younger girls should not have their share of society and amusement as well as the older. I do not believe anyone has ever answered her back before.