Remember the Past - Chapter Two

Prologue

Read Chapter One here...

It was a truth universally acknowledged at Longbourn that if Mrs Bennet was unhappy with a state of affairs, no one would be spared knowing about it.

Papa had steadily refused to visit Mr Bingley, thus obliging him to return the call and be introduced to Papa's five very eligible daughters, and Mama was unhappy about it. All of Longbourn, from the laundry maid to the stable boy to the children of the tenant farmers, was aware of this unhappiness by the end of the first day, and remained keenly observant of it in the days following. Lydia, who by the third day had been twice forstalled from walking to Meryton, under the proclamation that if Papa would not go to visit Mr Bingley, there could be nothing in the Milliners or any other shop that the Bennet daughters would have opportunity to use.

Lydia thought this quite unlikely, as Aunt Phillips and Maria Lucas lived in Meryton, and just because Mr Bingley might not see her did not mean that the plain bonnet Lydia received for her last birthday was not in need of decorating. She had thought to point those facts out - Mama always liked visiting her sister, and an accidental encounter might still be contrived if there were estate matters still to be worked out - but Jane had called Lydia away to help in the stillroom before she could voice her opinions.

Lydia did not actually mind helping in the stillroom, for all that she complained when Hill wanted to make lye soap. Lye soap for the laundry was a messy, sweaty process that left one's hands red and sore, with none of the sweet smells to mitigate the unpleasantness that making ointment or perfume brought as a consolation. Besides, it was not as though Lydia washed her own clothes! How was she to be expected know the correct proportion of lye to tallow fat?

The stillroom was one area where a country gentlewoman, even one of means, was expected to be as proficient as any skilled servant. Burn creams, hand lotions, the scented oils used to wash hair before a ball or assembly... there was no shortage of things that it was better to use one's own family receipts, handed down from mothers and grandmothers, rather than rely on the local apocathary. Whatever Lydia's other flaws might be, this was one area where no future husband would find her lacking!

It was even fun, when Mary brought down the latest book of herblore that she was studying, and occasionally they managed to sneak in the brewing of a potion or two.

With Mr Bingley, whoever he was, newly come to Netherfield, Hill had conceded to Lydia and Kitty's arguments that scented soaps, a rare indulgence, were entirely appropriate to the occasion. Normally Hill would argue, as scented soaps required more preparation and hours of work, and a different recipe to the plain soaps. Besides, Hill thought that the maids got ideas above their station when they were allowed to keep the scraps for their own use.

Today, Lydia suspected that Hill was as tired of Mama's nerves as the rest of the household, and willing to go along with anything that might serve to sooth her.

Lydia made sure to fill a few of the soap molds only part-way; that would result in small, misshapen bars that would be deemed unsuitable for family use, but the maids would enjoy. Jane deliberately dropped one, which Lizzy allowed to shatter on the ground when she could have easily caught it, then put the pieces aside to slip into charity baskets for the tenants who had just had babies.

Lizzy pushed a few errant curls out of her face, flushed pink after tending the vat. "What plants did we use today, Mary? I recognize the smell of honeysuckle and roses from the garden, but what were the others?"

Mary opened the small commonplace book that never left her chatelaine, filled with notes, lists and tiny sketches. For all that Mary never forgot a book she read, her memory for everyday tasks, conversations and schedules was somewhat less refined. "Lilac, for joy in youth; we had some preserved from earlier in the year. If I'd had more forewarning, I would have gathered white chrysanthemum and larkspur, for truth and an open heart, too, but the estate has been picked bare, and now is not the time to ask for a footman to accompany me to pick flowers outside the garden."

Lydia reminded herself to plant more nasturtiums, especially in her the box garden outside her bedroom window, as Kitty hummed agreement, "Not with the state Mama is in. I wish Papa would not tease her so, but I suppose he is waiting for a suitably dramatic moment to reveal that he has visited Mr Bingley, after all."

The rest of the sisters looked up sharply. "Papa went to Netherfield? When?"

As much as the Bennet sisters loved their parents, both were ignorant of the danger posed by visiting Netherfield. Papa was such an odd mixture of humor, reserve and caprice that it provided something of a defence, as the Darkness was unsure which aspect to target. Mama, bless her, was not stupid, but was such a straightforward creature that the subtle insideousness the Darkness favoured with it's victims often flew right over her head. Still, that slight resistance did not mean that there was no danger; Papa's delight in making sport of others and Mama's desperation to marry off her daughters left them open to exploitation.

Kitty carefully moved the soap vat back to its shelf, away from the canning supplies. Cook would be wanting to make jam and preserves at some point in the coming days, and no-one wanted a repeat of the time a new maid had mixed up the two, ruining an entire batch of preserves before the mistake was realised. Lizzy swore blind that the shouting could be heard from Meryton, where she had been calling on Charlotte Lucas at the time. "Papa walked to Netherfield this morning, along with Sir William, while Mama was complaining to Aunt Phillips about his refusal to visit. I saw them coming back while I was at the tea shop with Maria."

Kitty and Maria Lucas had a standing weekly appointment at the tea shop, for both were great lovers of a particular kind of cake that was not allowed at Lucas Lodge, due to one of the Maria's younger brothers being allergic. It left Kitty well-placed to hear the local gossip that was not always judged fit for drawing rooms. Lizzy sighed, "I suppose we will hear of it by tonight, then. Papa will not be able to resist keeping his joke to himself for much longer than that."

Indeed, Papa waited until that evening, when they were gathered in the drawing room before dinner, to announce that he had called at Netherfield, obliging a return visit and permitting the introduction of his family at some later date.

Not before goading Mama to declare that she was sick of hearing of Mr Bingley, of course, allowing Papa to have his private joke by declaring that he wished she had told him earlier. "It is very unlucky; but as I have actually paid the visit, we cannot escape the acquaintance now."

Mary, who had been reading a book of protection spells and was caught by suprpise when Papa asked her opinion, whispered one under her breath. Lydia twitched her feet in the opening steps to an Italian Promenade dance, inviting the protection to settle upon her.

If Mr Bingley were to dance with her at the next ball, as Mama proclaimed, she wished to be prepared.

My second Jane Austen Fantasy Variation, as if I needed more projects to distract me... You can read the first one at the link above; some chapters can be found here on Vocal, but not all of them.

Read the next chapter here...

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