pleasing features, why, the man I met yesterday who was so kind as to hand me down from the carriage appeared to be a mirror image. Is he related? I did not learn his name."
"You, you met a man? And he was handsome?" Lydia's lower lip quivered.
"Calm yourself, Lyddie, it was Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Darcy's friend and our neighbor. I'm sure you will meet him yourself in a few short weeks."
"The resemblance was most remarkable."
Elizabeth laughed. "I believe Mr. Graham Hamilton is a twin. I have not met the Marquess, but Mr. Hamilton holds a rather large farm he inherited from his mother's side of the family, being the second born. Their mother was the Duke's first wife." Elizabeth prayed Jane would remember her earlier question, but instead, she fell right into another subject sure to aggravate the fragile nerves of Lydia Bennet.
"How terrible they lost their mother! Was it their birth? I have heard bearing twins is tricky." Jane gasped as the weight of her words registered and she jerked her focus to Lydia. Large, fat crocodile tears poured down the young girl's cheeks.
"What if I am having twins? Look at me, I am so ridiculously large!" Sobbing and wretched, Lydia grasped her dress with two fists and pulled at the fabric.
"Lydia, no! You'll tear your lovely dress! Tell me about this fabric, what a wonderful pattern of calico, I do so love these sweet flowers along the trim." Jane smiled at her youngest sister and reached over to still Lydia's hands.
"Don't touch me!" Lydia snatched her hands away from Jane, her eyes wide with fear. "I know you two laugh at me when I am not in the room. Laugh as I waddle like a duck and I am so ugly, not even my dear Wickham will desire me anymore!"
Helpless, Jane looked to Elizabeth as Lydia continued her tirade but Mrs. Darcy, calm as could be, rang the little bell on her tray. In seconds, a maid appeared and curtsied.
"Please tell Seamus and Brandon Miss Lydia will be retiring upstairs for a rest. Thank you."
"No! No! I don't want to rest! I won't be banished to my bedroom! It's too early!" Lydia began to whine and cry harder.
"Should I fetch Dr. Simpson?"
Lydia bit her lip and shook her head. The last time Dr. Simpson visited for one of her fits, she had been sedated for days. Since none of her letters she had sent to her mother or aunt had ever seen a reply, Lydia needed to be awake and alert for her plans to escape. Besides, with any luck, she might convince one or both of the footmen to visit her later.
"I am sorry. Please tell Mr. Darcy I'm good. I will go to my room and rest. There's no need to send for the doctor."
As the footmen arrived, Lydia stretched out her arms for their assistance to rise from her chair, and walked to the stairs, accepting one's arm to help her keep balance as she climbed while the other footman walked behind her to catch her should she fall again. Jane viewed the odd procession with her jaw dropped before turning her stare at her sister, Elizabeth.
"Has she always been this poorly behaved?" Jane whispered.
Elizabeth blew out a breath and cooled her warming cheeks with the palms and backs of her hands. "Worse. Today she was relatively calm. I expected her tantrum to rile up into an all out battle!"
Jane shook her head. "I feel so pained for her! She still has no grasp of her situation, does she?" Jane's heart beat wildly as she reflected how her original plan to care for Lydia on her own would have failed miserably. Mr. Darcy's letter had described Lydia a combination of her mother's terrible nerves and spoiled upbringing finally resonated. And the picture those words now painted was ghastly in the most extreme!
"Pity will serve you ill. For months I pitied and sympathized. My reward was the abuse of her temper! Life became so unbearable, why, I learned how to ride a horse!"
Jane giggled, feeling slightly relieved she could tease and jest again. "Come Lizzie, now I know you are exaggerating."
Elizabeth shook her head. "No, I am most fond of my
"You, you met a man? And he was handsome?" Lydia's lower lip quivered.
"Calm yourself, Lyddie, it was Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Darcy's friend and our neighbor. I'm sure you will meet him yourself in a few short weeks."
"The resemblance was most remarkable."
Elizabeth laughed. "I believe Mr. Graham Hamilton is a twin. I have not met the Marquess, but Mr. Hamilton holds a rather large farm he inherited from his mother's side of the family, being the second born. Their mother was the Duke's first wife." Elizabeth prayed Jane would remember her earlier question, but instead, she fell right into another subject sure to aggravate the fragile nerves of Lydia Bennet.
"How terrible they lost their mother! Was it their birth? I have heard bearing twins is tricky." Jane gasped as the weight of her words registered and she jerked her focus to Lydia. Large, fat crocodile tears poured down the young girl's cheeks.
"What if I am having twins? Look at me, I am so ridiculously large!" Sobbing and wretched, Lydia grasped her dress with two fists and pulled at the fabric.
"Lydia, no! You'll tear your lovely dress! Tell me about this fabric, what a wonderful pattern of calico, I do so love these sweet flowers along the trim." Jane smiled at her youngest sister and reached over to still Lydia's hands.
"Don't touch me!" Lydia snatched her hands away from Jane, her eyes wide with fear. "I know you two laugh at me when I am not in the room. Laugh as I waddle like a duck and I am so ugly, not even my dear Wickham will desire me anymore!"
Helpless, Jane looked to Elizabeth as Lydia continued her tirade but Mrs. Darcy, calm as could be, rang the little bell on her tray. In seconds, a maid appeared and curtsied.
"Please tell Seamus and Brandon Miss Lydia will be retiring upstairs for a rest. Thank you."
"No! No! I don't want to rest! I won't be banished to my bedroom! It's too early!" Lydia began to whine and cry harder.
"Should I fetch Dr. Simpson?"
Lydia bit her lip and shook her head. The last time Dr. Simpson visited for one of her fits, she had been sedated for days. Since none of her letters she had sent to her mother or aunt had ever seen a reply, Lydia needed to be awake and alert for her plans to escape. Besides, with any luck, she might convince one or both of the footmen to visit her later.
"I am sorry. Please tell Mr. Darcy I'm good. I will go to my room and rest. There's no need to send for the doctor."
As the footmen arrived, Lydia stretched out her arms for their assistance to rise from her chair, and walked to the stairs, accepting one's arm to help her keep balance as she climbed while the other footman walked behind her to catch her should she fall again. Jane viewed the odd procession with her jaw dropped before turning her stare at her sister, Elizabeth.
"Has she always been this poorly behaved?" Jane whispered.
Elizabeth blew out a breath and cooled her warming cheeks with the palms and backs of her hands. "Worse. Today she was relatively calm. I expected her tantrum to rile up into an all out battle!"
Jane shook her head. "I feel so pained for her! She still has no grasp of her situation, does she?" Jane's heart beat wildly as she reflected how her original plan to care for Lydia on her own would have failed miserably. Mr. Darcy's letter had described Lydia a combination of her mother's terrible nerves and spoiled upbringing finally resonated. And the picture those words now painted was ghastly in the most extreme!
"Pity will serve you ill. For months I pitied and sympathized. My reward was the abuse of her temper! Life became so unbearable, why, I learned how to ride a horse!"
Jane giggled, feeling slightly relieved she could tease and jest again. "Come Lizzie, now I know you are exaggerating."
Elizabeth shook her head. "No, I am most fond of my
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