Goodly Creatures: A Pride and Prejudice Deviation Read Online Free

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    Silently laughing at her nonsensical thoughts, she returned to imagining a handsome and wealthy Ferdinand who would sweep her away from Longbourn to an exciting brave new world. Perhaps, it would be better if Jane caught his eye. The kind and considerate eldest Bennet daughter would be the most likely to share her good fortune with her sisters. Besides, she was quite the loveliest of the five—though it was difficult to tell at ten exactly how little Lydia would turn out—she was dark and lively in contrast to Jane’s pale serene beauty. Lizzy, Kitty and Mary were variations on a theme with similar hair and eyes but differing profoundly in personality.
    Even with Jane’s face and figure, entering into an advantageous marriage would not be easily accomplished. They were practically without dowries as each had only one fifth of Mrs Bennet’s original five thousand pounds. With such a small inducement for matrimony, they were not even going to be the first choice for neighbourhood men in the marriage market much less a wayfaring stranger. Young Thomas Trent would have been the exception; he and Jane had loved each other since they were practically in their cradles. Nothing would have kept them apart except what did; he had died of a trifling cold at fifteen. Elizabeth dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief. Thinking of Tom and Jane always brought tears. It was even more tragic than Romeo and Juliet because it had really happened.
    Lizzy felt an arm slip through hers in response to her distress. Aunt Gardiner was such a compassionate creature. Elizabeth would be hard pressed to come up with a plausible excuse for the antics of drunken sailors bringing her to tears. That thought alone brought her out of her sadness, and she turned her mind back to the present. She noticed the dour man she had observed before lifted the hand of the woman next to him and kissed it. It seemed such a simple loving gesture. Lizzy realized she had been wrong about who was the husband. It was not her handsome imagined marquis—the man who had smiled at her—but the stern man, who had directed a concerned glance in her direction. First impressions were not always correct. But the thought that the pleasant man who had acknowledged her might not be married brought on a grin and another blush. How wondrous to be a marchioness.
    Her gaze returned to the players. She was here in London enjoying The Tempest thanks to her aunt and uncle. Elizabeth had long been a favourite of the Gardiners, and they had proposed a solution to the growing animosity between mother and daughter that pleased both Mrs Bennet and Lizzy. Noticing their niece’s distress when they were in Hertfordshire for Christmas, they had intervened on her behalf. She had overheard her uncle commenting to his sister that unlike Jane at fifteen, Elizabeth still appeared very much a child. He had then gone on to genuinely praise Lizzy. ‘Despite her girlish appearance, she is by far the most intelligent of your daughters and the most resourceful at solving problems. Fanny, you know she has hardly been idle. She took on writing letters at Tom’s dictation at thirteen.’ Her Aunt Margaret had added, ‘Yes, Sister, your Lizzy is a good girl—she will come round to entering society; but first allow her to spend some time with us in London. Now that I have baby Susan, I could certainly use her help with Davy and Marianne. Her cousins adore her. Who knows, she might meet someone in town who will cause her to think better of the advantages of marriage. The company is very varied there.’
    Her Uncle Edward had exerted impressive persuasion in gaining his older sister’s agreement to an extended visit to London for her second oldest daughter. Lizzy had often played the role of diplomat in her family, and as she had observed her uncle’s skill in negotiating on her behalf, she wondered whether she had inherited the trait from him. For years, she had used the humour learned from her