Gossiping Like Women

Kitty’s confession.



It was during the Bennet Parents’ cuddle and tears that Mary ran into the house, ignoring everyone so she could carry out her task. Lizzy needed clean nightwear and underthings; the apothecary had recommended one of Mr. Bennet’s night shirts – as it was looser.



“Papa, I shall be taking three of your nightshirts for Lizzy.” Mary said as she walked past her parents, who still embraced and shook with shock, “Mama, I will ask Hill for some more sheets, the Marchbanks are not poor – but the sheets will need changing more frequently than they can be washed, and the Marchbanks do not have enough linens to spare.”



Mrs. Bennet might still be in a dreadful state, but the Lady-of-the-house part of her mind came to the forefront. “Yes! A good idea, Mary! Oh! I shall have Hill send a basket of… well, not fruit because the Marchbanks have all they could need… but a basket of something to thank them for taking in Lizzy. Take as many sets of linens as you need – but leave enough for us, my dear.”



“Yes, Mama.” Mary replied, already out of the room to complete her task.



Thomas and Francess still held each other in the middle of the parlour, and they stood there frozen as Mary and their few servants bustled about them.



“Thomas, we’re rather useless, aren’t we? We’re stood here like puddings while Mary does all the organising!” Mrs. Bennet said, almost pulling herself together, but not moving.



“I think we’d only get in Mary’s way.” Mr. Bennet chuckled, watching as his middle daughter packed sheets, pillowcases and garments into a small-ish trunk on the chaise after Mr. Hill and their maid, Sarah, shook them out and folded them once more.



Kitty rushed through the door, bending to catch her breath. “Is the trunk ready yet? I’ll take it back to the Marchbanks’. You stay here and get some sleep; Jane is going to sleep until midnight and then she shall watch while I sleep until dawn – can you be at the Marchbanks’ at dawn?”



“Yes, though I do not know if I shall sleep so well.” Mary said, closing the lid on the trunk.



“Neither do we.” Kitty said, turning to her parent’s (who still cuddled in the middle of the room),



“Papa, Mama? I am so sorry! It is all my fault! If I had not gone with Lydia and stayed with Lizzy she would be fine! I could have… well, I’m not sure what I’d have done – but I’d have done something to stop him… doing…” tears fell down her face as she was welcomed into her parent’s embrace.



“Hush now, hush.” Mrs. Bennet soothed, pulling away from her husband and pulling her penultimate into her bosom, “What has happened has happened, but you are doing what you can now. I do not think you could have stopped him, Kitty, it took several stout men to do that! But yes, you should have remained with your elder sister.”



“I didn’t want Lydia to get into trouble, so I stayed with her. Lizzy’s so sensible, and fed up of officers, that I didn’t think she’d want to follow Lydia… not that I’ve done much good…” Kitty clamped her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide.



“What has she done? Tell me Kitty!” Mrs. Bennet said, as gently as she could.



“I tried to follow her! But she just vanished! I turned around and she wasn’t there! I looked and looked for her, but I couldn’t find her! She said that she and Wickham had… urm… well… donethingsthatshouldonlybedoneonaweddingnight.”



Mrs. Bennet looked close to fainting once more at the garbled last.



“She said she’d hurt me if I told anyone! She… she struck me a few times after she said that. I knew I should have told you, but it hurt and I was frightened!” Kitty whispered, from her sobbing position on Mrs. Bennet’s shoulder, there was only Mrs. Bennet who heard her.



“Shh… twas naught you could do about it, but your confession was right.” The matriarch said, rubbing Kitty’s back. “Now, take a deep breath, dry your eyes and get back to Lizzy; you’re a good girl and, apart from being silliy, you’ve done nothing wrong.”



“What about Lydia?” Kitty whispered.



“We will deal with her.” Mrs. Bennet said firmly, taking a deep breath.



“Kitty, don’t just stand there, the trunk!” Mary said, helping her sister carry the box of fabrics out to the Marchbanks’ waiting wheelbarrow, that was being pushed by the greengrocer’s nephew, with their niece waiting with him (for propriety’s sake).



~ ~ ~ ~ ~



“We could make her take the veil.” Mrs. Bennet said later, after Mary had retired.



“No, most nuns take the veil because of their love of God – to force it upon Lydia would be punishment for those women who took the veil with purpose… I cannot force her shrieking complaints upon a nunnery.” Mr. Bennet said, seriously.



“We could lock her up in her room.” Mrs. Bennet supplied.



“And then we shall be subjected to her complaints!”



“Had Wickham been alive, we’d have demanded they wed!” Mrs. Bennet said.



“Hmm… fortunately for her, he’s dead… but perhaps there would be someone in search of a silly, ridiculous, flirtatious hussy of a wife? She’s too young to do much else with.”



“Not too young to do… that.” Mrs. Bennet said scathingly, “How many times have I told them that such things are unthinkable and unforgivable?!”



“I think that was the invitation for Lydia, she did it because she knew it was wrong… a little mutiny from her family – or perhaps trying to show she wasn’t a child anymore?”



“That doesn’t make any sense, Thomas, but it must make sense to you somewhere.”



“We shall think of something, my dear, we shall think of something.”