The Pursuit of Mary Bennet by Pamela Mingle

Author:Pamela Mingle
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2013-11-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

For a long while, I did everything in my power to encourage Lydia to form an attachment to Felicity. Every few days, I either pleaded a headache, lied about Mama needing my help, or sneaked out of the house for a walk, forcing her to tend the baby by herself. Each time I returned, the poor thing would be lying in the middle of Lydia’s bed sleeping, but more often, wailing pitifully, while her mother leafed through old issues of The Lady’s Magazine or arranged her hair in a new style. When I entered the room, Lydia would glower at me and say, “Where were you, Mary? She’s been crying for hours.” I knew she wouldn’t tolerate my lecturing her about her treatment of Felicity; she had already made that clear.

Even Mama noticed not all was well. One evening after her last feeding, I brought Felicity downstairs to the drawing room after I’d readied her for bed. Papa had retreated to his library by then, so it was only Mama, Lydia, and me in attendance. “Oh, let me see my darling granddaughter!” my mother exclaimed, and so I placed the babe in her arms.

My mother did seem genuinely to enjoy her granddaughter—when she was not crying or fussing, of course. Now she held the child out in front of her, raising her brows, puffing out her cheeks, and making all manner of funny faces, which delighted Felicity. “Oh, will you look at that smile? She looks like you when you were a baby, Lydia.”

For the first time ever, at least in my presence, Lydia took notice of her daughter, smiling and asking, “Did I really look like that?” For the briefest moment, I saw a spark of curiosity flash in her eyes. Mama, to my surprise, set the baby into Lydia’s accepting arms. “There’s a pretty girl,” Lydia said. “There’s my sweet girl.”

A sharp jolt of jealousy nearly overwhelmed me. It caught me by surprise, and I had to make an effort to keep command of my expression. Wasn’t this what I wanted? For Lydia to love Felicity? Yes. Decidedly. Then what was wrong with me?

“I declare, she is a cute little thing, is she not?” After a moment or two, Felicity began fussing, and Lydia said, “Take her, Mary. She’s sleepy.”

“You put her to bed, Lydia,” I said irritably. “You’re her mother, and you must accustom yourself to doing more for her,” I added.

“Don’t you take that tone with me, Mary! It is your responsibility to take her upstairs.”

“Oh? I beg your pardon. You are Felicity’s mother; therefore, you are responsible for her care. I thought I was merely helping you through a difficult time.”

“Mary is right, Lydia. You have been very lax in your attentions to Felicity. She will soon think Mary, not you, is her mama.”

My sister leaped up, jostling the baby. I reacted without thinking, reaching out to steady Lydia. She recoiled from me, turned, and made it as far as the door before she said, “What should I do if she cries?”

“Rock her for a while.

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