Amanda Grange: Dear Mr. Darcy: A Retelling of Pride and Prejudice

Indeed, I do not know who there is for them to marry here. There is only Frederick Sotherton, a handsome young man to be sure, and the heir to Netherfield Park, but wild, sister, very wild.

If the Lucas boys were older…But then, the Lucases never had any compassion, and their sons are too young even for Lydia. Do you not know anyone in London? We could all pay you a visit. We have not seen you or my brother for ever such a long time. You have only to say the word and we will be there in a trice, even though it is not pleasant for me to go out and about at my time of life. But no sacrifice is too great for my girls.

Your poor sister,

Janet

Mrs Gardiner to Miss Elizabeth Bennet

Gracechurch Street, London,

May 7

My dear Lizzy,

I am very glad that the bonnet was to your liking. I hope your day was enjoyable and that your mama did not bemoan your single state for too long. I am relieved that neither you nor Jane is inclined to have Frederick Sotherton. I remember him from my last visit—a young man who will get worse before he gets better, I dare say. I am sorry for Susan and her sisters. Their situation is far worse than yours; for, if your mama could only see it, there is very little danger of your papa dying for thirty years or more, by which time it is reasonable to assume that one of you will be settled in life and can help the others if need be. And if not, you can always come and live with us here.

But in this particular I agree with her: there are very few suitable young men in Meryton and so I have written to your mama, inviting you all to stay for a few weeks.

Your father, I dare say, will not feel he can join you, but we hope that your mama and sisters will stay with us until the end of June. You have not seen the children since Christmas and if you do not come soon, you will hardly recognise them when next you see them. Try to persuade your father to make one of the party. It will do him good to leave his library for a short while.

Give my love to your sisters,

Your fond Aunt Gardiner

Mrs Bennet to Mrs Gardiner

Longbourn, Hertfordshire,

May 9

Sister! You are so good to us! A few weeks in London is just what I need to set me up, and Jane will find someone, I am sure of it. All that beauty cannot be for nothing! We will have her married before the end of the summer, I am certain!

Your sister,

Janet

Miss Elizabeth Bennet to Miss Charlotte Lucas

Gracechurch Street, London,

May 20

Dearest Charlotte,

How welcome it is to be in London and with my aunt once again. To be sure, Jane and I have to suffer Mama’s constant hints about finding husbands, but we have an ally in our aunt, who is full of sympathy and calm good sense. She, at least, does not want us to catch the attention of every man between the ages of twenty and sixty, and can talk about other things than fortunes, expectations and handsome faces. She even refrains from talking about bridal bouquets if we should happen to dance twice with the same young man. And yet, if anything were to persuade me to marry, it would be my aunt’s example, because between her and my uncle there is love and understanding, with a great deal of mutual admiration and respect. The house is a happy one and I must confess, if I could find the same, I would be willing to enter into the married state.

But for now I am enjoying being unencumbered and delighting in the sights of London. We have been to the Lyceum Theatre and been well entertained with The Hypocrite , a play taken from Molière’s Tartuffe ; we have been shopping and have bought some very fine muslin and a serviceable sarsenet from Grafton House; we have visited the museum and the British Gallery; we have walked in the parks and eaten ices at Gunter’s; in short, we have been devoting ourselves to pleasure!

The little children are thriving and are all benefiting from Jane’s company. She plays with them constantly and is always patient with them, and it is not difficult, for they are all of them well behaved.

The only person not very happy is my uncle. The war is bad for trade and he wishes it to end as soon as possible. We have met a number of émigrés here in London and they have seen horrors in their native France. It makes me very glad for what we have: a country where we might live out our lives in safety.

Does your brother still dream of going into the army? I hope not, or your mama will not know one easy day, worrying whether or not he is safe. Persuade him he would be better off joining the church, or following your papa into trade.

We will be here for another six weeks at least and we rely on you for news of home. Papa has promised to write but his letters are few and far between.

Your dear friend,

Lizzy

Miss Charlotte Lucas to Miss Elizabeth Bennet

Meryton, Hertfordshire,

May 22

Dearest Eliza,

What a time you are having, to be sure. I envy you your convivial entertainments and convivial company. With you and Jane gone from the neighbourhood, there is hardly anyone sensible for me to talk to. My mama is quite as eager as yours to see a daughter married, and continues to invite every promising young man to the house, but she is constantly disappointed. She invited an acquaintance of my papa’s last week and contrived to leave me alone with him for half an hour, but it did not answer. He talked to me about the weather for five minutes and then buried himself in a newspaper. I was not altogether surprised, as he was a very handsome young man and evidently thought well of himself. But I do not despair of ever finding a husband, though I would be happy to know that one would be forthcoming in the next two or three years. I am not yet an old maid, but that time is not far off.

I do not hope for much in marriage. I am not romantic and I know that such felicity as your aunt enjoys is not to be expected, though no doubt it is welcome if it should come about. But if a respectable man should offer for me, I dare say I would take him, regardless of my expectations of future happiness.

My brother is still eager to go into the army, but as he is yet too young to enlist there is time for him to change his mind.

And now I must go. We are having some friends to supper and there will be an impromptu dance afterwards. Mama has hopes of Mr Williams and is showering him with hospitality, but I think he comes only for the table. He is a man who very much likes to eat.

Give my best wishes to your friends and family in London.

Charlotte

Colonel Fitzwilliam to Mr Darcy

July 5

My dear Darcy,

At last I have time to write. I am not at liberty to divulge my position so reply to me at Fitzwilliam House and I will find your letter next month when I will, God willing, be home on leave. The army has been keeping me busy. You will have heard by now that the French have their sights set on Egypt and that General Bonaparte has landed in Alexandria. His aim is to disrupt our trade routes, but he is mistaken if he thinks Admiral Nelson will let him have all his own way. The French are no match for the British at sea.

I will call upon you at Pemberley on my way up to Cumbria. I hope to be there in the middle of August and I will be able to tell you much I am not at liberty to put in a letter. I know you are interested in the progress of the war and what it will mean for Pemberley, as well as our nation as a whole.

I am looking forward to seeing both you and Georgiana again. I intend to thank her in person for the pipe case she embroidered for me; it was very prettily done. I have seen much worse work from girls of sixteen, and Georgiana is only fourteen. You must be very proud of her accomplishments.