A Walk in Oakham Wood: A Pride and Prejudice Variation Novella by Madeline Kennet

Author:Madeline Kennet [Kennet, Madeline]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2016-05-31T06:00:00+00:00

Sisters and Loyalty

“Tell me more of your sisters,” Mr. Darcy requested as they continued walking on their new path, this time drawn slightly closer to each other. “I have often thought it a sorry thing that Georgiana has only me. It would have done her good to have a sister or two for companionship. She would envy you for having four sisters.”

“Not if she heard us squabbling,” Elizabeth laughed. “You cannot understand what a dreadful noise five sisters can make when they disagree upon something, and I assure you that we do disagree with an alarming frequency. It is not always sisterly love and harmony in our family.”

“You only make it sound delightful. I am not convinced that you could make so much noise.”

“You might consult with my mother upon that subject. She will assure you that we are excessively violent in our arguments; however, I see that you are in a mood to approve of all that you hear, so I will tell you that there is also a strong bond of loyalty between us. To give you an example, when we were preparing for an assembly last month, Lydia abused Mary’s dress at length, but after overhearing another unfavourable opinion at the dance, she reversed her own position and spent just as much time complimenting the dress as she had previously spent in describing its faults. Her efforts did not go unappreciated either. Mary is rather indifferent to appearances and cared little whether anybody liked or disliked her dress, but when she heard the spirited defence of her choice, she reciprocated by drawing attention to the trimmings on Lydia’s dress. They were of Lydia’s own making, which Mary had earlier described as an unnecessary waste of time, but at the dance she pressed several people to admire her sister’s handiwork. We are not perfect, and I am afraid that none of us is especially accomplished, although I must recommend Jane’s watercolours and Kitty’s hand with a needle; however, we are a reasonably happy group of sisters.”

“That is what I would have wished for my sister. She has been too much alone, and I do not think it good for her. She has never made any close friends, and a brother cannot provide sufficient companionship, especially one who is so much older. Even before I took the place of a father, I was never really a companion for her since there was so much difference in our ages. Being part of a large family, you must have benefitted from having ready playmates in your childhood,” he observed. “It appears that you and your sisters are not very much apart in age.”

“There is only a year or two between each of us,” she replied. “It was exactly as you surmise. We did play together for the most part, and the size of our group allowed for plenty of fun games. According to my mother, we made our presence strongly felt with a great deal of noise and activity. We still are together quite often, but we divide into groups more easily these days.

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