A Summer in Brighton Read online

  A Summer in Brighton

  Jann Rowland & Lelia Eye

  This is a work of fiction based on the works of Jane Austen. All of the characters and events portrayed in this novel are products of Jane Austen’s original novel or the authors’ imaginations.

  A SUMMER IN BRIGHTON

  Copyright © 2014 Jann Rowland & Lelia Eye

  Published by One Good Sonnet Publishing

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 0992000092

  ISBN-13: 978-0992000097

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, digital, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Dedicated to our spouses and children,

  the inspiration for our perspiration.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  An effort to write is always for naught

  Unless there is someone to write for.

  So thanks to our family for helping allot

  Time for us to slave evermore

  Even through the long nights—

  None of it matters without you in sight.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter I

  Chapter II

  Chapter III

  Chapter IV

  Chapter V

  Chapter VI

  Chapter VII

  Chapter VIII

  Chapter IX

  Chapter X

  Chapter XI

  Chapter XII

  Chapter XIII

  Chapter XIV

  Chapter XV

  Chapter XVI

  Chapter XXVII

  Chapter XVIII

  Chapter XIX

  Chapter XX

  “The first week of their return was soon gone. The second began. It was the last of the regiment’s stay in Meryton, and all the young ladies in the neighbourhood were drooping apace. The dejection was almost universal. The elder Miss Bennets alone were still able to eat, drink, and sleep, and pursue the usual course of their employments. Very frequently were they reproached for this insensibility by Kitty and Lydia, whose own misery was extreme, and who could not comprehend such hard-heartedness in any of the family.”

  Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 41

  Chapter I

  While Lydia and Kitty continued to bemoan their fates, speaking incessantly about redcoats, Brighton, their father’s intractability, and anything else which crossed their minds, Elizabeth looked upon the situation they were facing with a philosophical turn of mind. The regiment was leaving—and with it, Mr. Wickham—and she welcomed the return of the peace and quiet they had enjoyed before the militia had so completely upset the balance of their lives. It was, therefore, a surprise to be invited to Brighton herself.

  Since the previous winter, Elizabeth had made the acquaintance of the new wife of the colonel of the regiment. Mrs. Forster was a woman only a little younger than Elizabeth, and in her, Elizabeth found a bright and enthusiastic young lady who looked up to her in the manner of an elder sister. Their first few meetings had resulted in several interesting tête-à-têtes, allowing a confidence to grow between them which had become a most delightful friendship. And though Lydia had apparently attempted to ingratiate herself with the young woman while Elizabeth had been away in Kent, Elizabeth had resumed her friendship with Harriet upon her return as if they had never parted.

  Still, close though they had become, Elizabeth had not expected an invitation to stay with Harriet in Brighton, and for a time, she had thought of refusing despite her desire to continue her acquaintance with her new friend. She had just returned from one extended trip, after all, and while the tranquility of Brighton was alluring, she also felt a strong desire to avoid Mr. Wickham.

  However, her subsequent discussions with Mrs. Forster convinced her to accept the invitation. The woman was a sensible companion, after all, and regardless of Lydia’s fanciful imaginings of never-ending balls and parties, Elizabeth knew that she would not necessarily be required to be in the company of the officers with excessive regularity. Besides, the opportunity to visit new locales and meet new people was too enticing to pass up. Though she hated to acknowledge it—even to herself—Elizabeth was also aware that the ability to avoid the trip to the North Country with her aunt and uncle was a motivation which weighed upon her mind.

  Now, it must not be said that she wished to shun her relatives, for nothing could be further from the truth. No, it was the fact that due to important business on Mr. Gardiner’s part cutting short the length of their northern tour, they would be spending time in his county and staying very close to Pemberley itself! Given the unpleasant scene at Hunsford and the way she had misjudged Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth was eager to avoid any further meeting with him until she had settled her own feelings. She did not think it likely that she would meet him, for surely Derbyshire was a large county, but Brighton appeared to be a much safer option.

  The reaction of her family upon hearing the news was predictable, with the loudest opinion being voiced by her youngest sister.

  “But Mama, it is so unfair!” exclaimed Lydia the evening the invitation came to light. “Lizzy gets all the amusement, and the rest of us have none! She went to Kent. She has been invited to Brighton! I am Mrs. Forster’s friend and have as much right to be invited as she does. Why can I not go?”

  Lydia’s petulant whine was echoed by her sister Kitty, who sported an identical expression of frustration upon her face.

  “Shall I point out the fact that Mrs. Forster has not invited you?” queried Elizabeth.

  “Oh, hush child,” snapped Mrs. Bennet. “Lydia merely speaks the truth; you have had more than your fair share of amusement. I believe we should send Lydia in your place.”

  “And how do you propose to do that, Mrs. Bennet?” interrupted the voice of her husband. “For Lydia has not been invited, and Lizzy has, though I must own that I am loath to part with my Lizzy again so soon after her return.” This last he said with a smile at Elizabeth, which she returned with equal affection.

  “I am sure Mrs. Forster will be vastly pleased to modify the invitation for our Lydia,” said Mrs. Bennet. “She is so close to our youngest after all.”

  Elizabeth knew Mrs. Bennet to be overstating the level of friendship subsisting between Lydia and Mrs. Forster, if her words were not indeed an outright falsehood. Harriet had told her in confidence that she considered Lydia to be a shameless flirt, and Elizabeth suspected that regardless of her mother’s schemes and whether or not Elizabeth was ultimately allowed to spend the summer in Brighton, no such invitation would be extended to Lydia.

  This new proposal by the Bennet matron was not agreeable to one of her other daughters.

  “But Mama!” protested Kitty. “I am as close to Harriet as Lydia, and I have even more right to go, as I am two years older!”

  “Nonsense, Kitty!” cried Mrs. Bennet. “I am sure you cannot truly appreciate a trip to Brighton, as you are not nearly so handsome as Lydia nor so agreeable in company. I should think it would be better for you to join your aunt and uncle on their trip to the North Country. Yes, that would do very well indeed. You, Kitty, should go with your aunt and uncle, while Lydia should go to Brighton!”

  “Mrs. Bennet, that will be enough,” said Mr. Bennet quite firmly. “You will not impose upon either the Forsters or the Gardiners in such a manner.”

  “But Mr. Bennet—”

  “No, Mrs. Bennet, I have heard enough!” said her husband, rising from the dinner table. “There will be no further discussion of this matter. If Elizabeth so desires, she shall accompany the Forsters to Brighton, and if the Gardiners wish to take one of our oth
er daughters, then they shall choose which one.”

  Mr. Bennet then left the room, surprising them all. Rarely had he raised his voice in the past; he was generally more disposed to laugh at his wife’s excesses than to be angered by them. Something in his wife’s manner—whether it was her insistence on challenging him or the impropriety of her plans—had apparently touched a nerve.

  With a huff and a glare at Elizabeth, Mrs. Bennet threw down her napkin and stalked from the room in high dudgeon. After a moment, Lydia followed her mother’s example, but not before leaving a parting shot directed at her elder sister:

  “You are very selfish, Lizzy, to be keeping such amusements to yourself. It is not as if you could attract anyone other than Mr. Collins to be your husband.”

  And with that, she flounced off. The sound of her stomping up the stairs and a louder noise of the door slamming as she entered her room echoed back down to the parlor in her wake.

  “I do not know what shall be done with Lydia,” commented Mary. Her voice contained the familiar superior quality she used when she was trying make a point. “As the great Dr. Fordyce has said, ‘Remember how tender a thing a woman’s reputation is, how hard to preserve, and when lost how impossible to recover; how frail many, and how dangerous most, of the gifts you have received; and what shame has often been occasioned by abusing them!’ I am truly afraid that Lydia, in her shameless flirting and insistence on exposing herself in every forum, shall lose that which is most precious.”

  Mary then continued to eat her dinner, unconcerned and seemingly forgetting the words which she had just spoken. And Elizabeth, though by now her middle sister’s tone of voice and overly self-righteous words caused to her to almost automatically roll her eyes, could only agree with what had been said. Lydia required a firm hand to check her behavior, lest she expose the entire family to the severest of censure.

  “Lizzy,” began Kitty hesitantly, “I . . . I wish to apologize for my behavior.”

  Elizabeth stared at her, wondering if this were truly Kitty she was seeing before her.

  “I should not have spoken so,” continued the girl, visibly screwing up her courage. “I should not follow Lydia as I do, but it is difficult. Mama and Papa have no time to spare for me, and you and Jane are so much older and immersed in your own concerns. I know I should not behave in such a manner, but Lydia can be great fun, and I do so enjoy spending time with a sister.”

  In a moment of clarity, Elizabeth suddenly understood Kitty. Mary was usually considered to be the forgotten Bennet sister, and much was made of her lack of beauty and her ability to moralize with little provocation. But Kitty was every bit as forgotten as Mary. It could not be easy living in Lydia’s ebullient shadow, especially since Kitty rarely received any notice from her parents.

  Clearly, Elizabeth had been remiss in her conduct, particularly where it concerned her younger sisters. Kitty was starved for attention, and Mary was made to feel inferior to the rest of the family. They both could use some guidance from their elder sisters, for they would certainly not receive it from their parents. Neither Kitty nor Mary was beyond assistance, as she feared Lydia was rapidly becoming.

  She shared a glance with Jane—who had clearly come to the same conclusion—and turned her attention back to Kitty, who was staring down at her plate, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

  “I thank you for your apology, Kitty, but I believe I owe one to you as well.”

  Kitty’s eyes rose to meet Elizabeth’s, marking her surprise, and Elizabeth could also feel Mary’s expressionless gaze upon her.

  “In fact, I believe I owe both you and Mary an apology. I have not given either of you the guidance of an older sister as I should have. I have been as remiss as Mama and Papa, and for that, I apologize. Perhaps I should not have agreed to this trip. Perhaps I should—”

  “No, Lizzy,” cut in Jane. “You should go to Brighton. I know you enjoy spending time with Mrs. Forster.” The look in Jane’s eyes made Elizabeth wonder if her sister knew something of her desire to avoid seeing Mr. Darcy. “Maybe our aunt and uncle will take either Mary or Kitty with them. I shall remain here. Perhaps I can reason with Lydia.”

  Elizabeth looked at her sister. She knew the Gardiners would enjoy having Jane with them, but it was true that at least one sensible sister should remain with the Bennet daughters who did not go. It seemed particularly important now that Elizabeth and Jane had realized the need to give Mary and Kitty guidance.

  After what had happened with Mr. Bingley, it might be beneficial for Jane to leave Hertfordshire once more. Yet Elizabeth wondered if Jane still held on to the vain hope that Mr. Bingley would return and that all would be well. She knew otherwise, but she could not bear to hurt her sister by imparting her knowledge of Mr. Darcy’s interference. If Jane were to learn the truth, it would only bring pain. Should Jane somehow be reunited with Bingley, however, then he could tell her the whole of it. But if he was not to return, then there was no good to be found in divulging the secret.

  As for the possibility that Jane would be able to curb Lydia’s behavior, well, Elizabeth doubted that there would be any success on that front. But Jane could certainly provide support to Mary and Kitty. Perhaps it was not too late to extract Kitty from Lydia’s yoke, and perhaps Mary could move from moralizing to holding slightly more lively conversation. Elizabeth and Jane had shared confidences to the exclusion of their younger sisters, and that needed to be remedied.

  It could be that the parting was indeed necessary. Elizabeth smiled at her sisters. “Very well. I shall go to Brighton. But I am not going for the chance to pursue men in red coats. I fancy I have seen enough of their kind for a lifetime.”

  “You must tell us all about it when you return, Lizzy!” said Kitty eagerly. “I understand the sea bathing there is splendid!”

  “I shall tell you all about it, Kitty, provided that you mind Jane while I am gone and try not to follow Lydia when she misbehaves.”

  “If Mama convinces Papa to let Lydia go to Brighton, do you think she will let me go, too?”

  Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. “I am fairly certain Papa has already made his final decision on that subject, Kitty.”

  Kitty sighed, looking downcast. “I wish I had been invited to Brighton.”

  “You have enough time for adventures yet,” said Elizabeth gently. “In a few years, I am certain we shall be begging to hear tales of your travels.”

  Kitty smiled. “Thank you, Lizzy.”

  Elizabeth turned slightly. “Mary, I was playing the pianoforte, and I seem to be having great difficulty with the fingering of a run. Would you perhaps be able to assist me?”

  Mary hesitated. Perhaps Elizabeth was not being subtle in the least, but at last Mary agreed that she would be pleased to help her sister with the instrument.

  Jane smiled warmly and caught Elizabeth’s eye. Elizabeth smiled back at her.

  Their actions were belated, to be sure, but at last they were working to improve the situation with their younger sisters.

  The trip to Brighton was affirmed to Harriet Forster, and Elizabeth began to ready herself for her upcoming departure. She was not allowed to do so in complete peace, however.

  Considering Lydia’s love of redcoats, Elizabeth was not surprised that Mrs. Bennet invited several of the officers to dine at Longbourn, but she was less than pleased to learn that Mr. Wickham was among them. She had read Mr. Darcy’s letter so many times that his accusations toward the officer had become almost tangible to her, and she was agitated at the thought of being in the same room with Mr. Wickham. She should have been more aware of the impropriety of Mr. Wickham’s leveling harsh accusations at Mr. Darcy to such a new acquaintance as she had been. Mr. Wickham had fed on her prejudices, and that did not sit well with her.

  Upon first seeing her at the dinner, Mr. Wickham smiled at Elizabeth, but he was not able to speak with her until the party had gathered in the drawing room after the meal.

  “Miss Bennet,” said he whe
n at last he had managed to reach her.

  “Mr. Wickham,” returned she.

  “I trust you are well?”

  “Indeed, I am.”

  “You certainly appear well,” said he softly. He was gazing at her with a gleam in his eyes and a slight smile on his lips.

  Feeling uncomfortable with the way he was looking at her, she endeavored to change the subject. “I am still tired due to my journey back to Hertfordshire, but I am certain I will be recovering soon. I feel I must mention, however, that I saw some mutual acquaintances of ours in Kent. Both Mr. Darcy and his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam spent three weeks at Rosings. I assume you are acquainted with Colonel Fitzwilliam?”

  The surprise—and perhaps displeasure—on his face was easy to mark, but he quickly recovered himself and gave her a smile. “Why, yes, I have met Colonel Fitzwilliam many times before. He has always struck me as a fine gentleman. Do you agree, Miss Bennet?”

  Her own smile was one of genuine affection as she thought of the man. “Yes, I do. Colonel Fitzwilliam seems to be a very honorable fellow, and he is a fine conversation partner.”

  “He is certainly amiable,” said Mr. Wickham in agreement. “I believe he is a much more pleasant conversation partner than his cousin. Did you see Mr. Darcy often while you were in Kent?”

  “I saw him nearly every day. My cousin, Mr. Collins, is his aunt’s parson, and she was generous enough to extend several invitations for us to visit Rosings.”

  “That must have been unpleasant to see Darcy so frequently.”

  “Not at all,” said Elizabeth. “In furthering my acquaintance with him, I have discovered that he is not actually unpleasant at all.”

  “Surely we speak not of the same Mr. Darcy!” cried Mr. Wickham in surprise. Then, lowering his voice, he added: “Has he changed his foul countenance to one that is actually pleasant to look upon? I dare not hope he has changed quite so drastically.”