Even before Lydia’s marriage, Mr. Bennet had often wished he had saved some of his income each year instead of spending everything.
Now he regretted it more than ever.
If he had saved money for his wife and daughters, Lydia would not now have to depend so heavily on her uncle to protect what little remained of her reputation.
Mr. Bennet was deeply uncomfortable knowing that his brother-in-law was paying the main cost of fixing Lydia’s disastrous situation.
He was determined to find out exactly how much Mr. Gardiner had spent and repay him as soon as he possibly could.
When Mr. Bennet had first married, he had never thought saving money was necessary.
Everyone expected him to have a son.
That son would eventually inherit Longbourn and could then change the inheritance arrangement, securing the future of his mother and sisters.
But one daughter followed another.
Jane was born.
Then Elizabeth.
Then Mary.
Then Kitty.
Then Lydia.
For years, Mrs. Bennet continued to believe that a son would eventually arrive.
By the time they finally gave up hope, it was too late to build any savings.
Mrs. Bennet had never cared much about saving money.
Mr. Bennet’s desire to remain financially independent had at least stopped them from spending more than they earned.
Their marriage agreement had provided five thousand pounds for Mrs. Bennet and their children.
The exact amount each daughter would receive depended on their parents.
Now Mr. Bennet needed to decide what Lydia would receive.
He had no hesitation about accepting the arrangement his brother-in-law had made.
He wrote to Mr. Gardiner, thanking him for everything he had done and agreeing to fulfill whatever financial promises had been made on his behalf.
He had never imagined that Lydia’s marriage could be arranged with so little cost to him personally.
Of the money being paid to Wickham, Mr. Bennet would probably lose less than ten pounds a year.
Lydia’s usual expenses, including her allowance and the money her mother regularly gave her, had already come close to that amount.
The fact that he could settle the matter without much personal effort was also a relief.
After his first burst of anger and panic, Mr. Bennet had returned to his usual desire to avoid trouble.
He was slow to begin unpleasant business, but once he finally acted, he did it quickly.
His letter was sent without delay.
He asked Mr. Gardiner to tell him exactly how much money he owed him.
But he was still too angry with Lydia to send her any message.
The good news that Lydia and Wickham were going to marry soon quickly spread through Longbourn and then through the entire neighborhood.
People in Meryton received the news with a mixture of relief and amusement.
Some people might have found Lydia’s downfall even more interesting if she had been publicly disgraced or sent away to live in some remote farmhouse.
But her marriage gave everyone plenty to talk about.
The women who had once pretended to worry about Lydia’s future were now happy to discuss her marriage.
Most of them believed that Lydia could never be truly happy with Wickham.
Two weeks had passed since Mrs. Bennet had last come downstairs.
But on the day she heard that Lydia was going to marry, she returned to her place at the head of the dining table in excellent spirits.
She felt no shame at all.
As far as she was concerned, her greatest wish had finally come true.
Ever since Jane had turned sixteen, Mrs. Bennet had wanted nothing more than to see her daughters married.
Now Lydia was about to become a married woman.
Mrs. Bennet immediately began planning her future.
She talked about expensive dresses, beautiful carriages, servants, and a suitable house.
She began searching the neighborhood for a home for Lydia and Wickham.
She rejected several houses without even knowing what their income would be.
“Haye Park might be suitable if the Gouldings moved out,” she said.
“Or perhaps the large house at Stoke, if only the drawing room were bigger.”
She shook her head.
“Ashworth is much too far away. I could never bear having Lydia ten miles from me.”
“And Purvis Lodge is impossible. The attic rooms are dreadful.”
Mr. Bennet listened quietly while the servants were still in the room.
But once they had left, he finally spoke.
“Mrs. Bennet, before you choose a house for Lydia and Wickham, we need to understand one thing clearly.”
“They will never live in Longbourn.”
“I will not encourage their foolishness by welcoming them here.”
Mrs. Bennet was horrified.
A long argument followed.
Mr. Bennet refused to change his mind.
Then Mrs. Bennet discovered something even worse.
He did not intend to give Lydia any money for new clothes.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly what I said.”
“You will not give Lydia anything for her wedding?”
“Nothing.”
Mrs. Bennet could hardly believe him.
“How can you be so cruel?”
“She is your daughter!”
“She needs new clothes for her wedding.”
Mr. Bennet remained firm.
“I am not going to reward what she has done.”
Mrs. Bennet was more upset about Lydia’s lack of fashionable wedding clothes than about the fact that Lydia had run away with Wickham and lived with him for two weeks before their marriage.
To her, the clothing was the greater embarrassment.
Elizabeth, meanwhile, deeply regretted telling Darcy about Lydia’s disappearance.
When she had received Jane’s letters, she had been too distressed to think carefully.
Now Lydia was going to marry Wickham, and the family might eventually be able to hide how badly the affair had begun.
Elizabeth had no doubt that Darcy would keep the secret.
There were few people she trusted more with such private information.
Yet she was painfully embarrassed that he knew about Lydia.
It was not because she feared that the knowledge would personally harm her.
She simply believed that Darcy and she were now separated by a distance that could never be crossed.
Even if Lydia’s marriage were completely respectable, Elizabeth could hardly imagine Darcy wanting to marry into a family so closely connected to Wickham.
Darcy had every reason to despise Wickham.
Elizabeth could not blame him for avoiding such a family.
And the hope she had begun to feel in Derbyshire now seemed impossible.
Darcy’s love for her could not reasonably survive another disaster like this.
Elizabeth felt ashamed and miserable.
She regretted something, although she could hardly say exactly what.
She had begun to care deeply about Darcy’s opinion of her.
She wanted to hear news about him, even though she believed there was almost no chance of seeing him again.
She had finally realized that she could have been happy with him.
And she realized it just when such happiness seemed completely impossible.
Sometimes she even thought,
“What a victory this would be for him if he knew.”
Only four months earlier, she had proudly rejected his proposal.
Now she would gladly have accepted it.
Darcy was generous, she believed.
But he was still human.
He would naturally feel some satisfaction knowing how completely her feelings had changed.
Elizabeth was also beginning to understand that Darcy was exactly the kind of man who suited her.
His intelligence and personality were different from hers, but perhaps that was part of what made them fit together.
Her lively and easy nature might have helped soften him and make him more relaxed.
His judgment, education, and experience of the world would have helped her grow wiser.
Their marriage might have made both of them better and happier.
But that marriage could never happen now.
Instead, another marriage was about to take place in her family.
And it was one that promised very little happiness.
Elizabeth could not imagine how Lydia and Wickham would support themselves comfortably.
But she could easily imagine how unhappy they would eventually become.
They were being married because their desires had been stronger than their sense of responsibility.
That was not a strong foundation for a happy life.
Mr. Gardiner soon wrote to Mr. Bennet again.
He briefly replied to Mr. Bennet’s thanks and assured him that he was happy to help any member of the family.
Then he added,
“Please do not thank me again or mention this matter to me in the future.”
Most of his letter contained another important piece of information.
Wickham had decided to leave the militia.
Mr. Gardiner explained that he had strongly wanted this to happen as soon as the marriage was settled.
He believed it was best for both Wickham and Lydia to leave the regiment.
Wickham intended to join the regular army instead.
Some of his old friends in the military were still willing to help him.
He had already been promised a position in General ——’s regiment, which was stationed in the north.
Mr. Gardiner considered the distance a good thing.
Far away from Hertfordshire, Wickham and Lydia would have fewer opportunities to cause trouble.
“I hope that living among strangers will make them more careful,” Mr. Gardiner wrote.
“They will both have a reputation to protect in a new place.”
He had also written to Colonel Forster.
He asked the colonel to assure Wickham’s creditors around Brighton that their debts would be paid soon.
Mr. Gardiner had personally guaranteed those payments.
He asked Mr. Bennet to do the same for Wickham’s creditors in Meryton.
Wickham had provided a list of everything he owed.
Mr. Gardiner hoped that he had told them the truth.
“Everything should be settled within a week,” he wrote.
“After that, Lydia and Wickham will join his new regiment.”
“Unless, of course, they are invited to Longbourn first.”
“Mrs. Gardiner tells me that Lydia very much wants to see the family before she leaves the south.”
“She is well and sends her respects to you and your wife.”
Mr. Bennet and his daughters could clearly see the advantages of Wickham leaving the local regiment.
Mrs. Bennet could not.
She was deeply disappointed.
She had expected Lydia to remain nearby, where Mrs. Bennet could enjoy having a married daughter close to her.
She also hated the thought of Lydia leaving the officers she knew so well.
“She is so fond of Mrs. Forster,” Mrs. Bennet complained.
“It will be terrible to send her away.”
“And there are so many young officers she likes.”
“What if the officers in General ——’s regiment are not as pleasant?”
Lydia also wanted to return to Longbourn before leaving for the north.
At first, Mr. Bennet refused.
He did not want Lydia and Wickham coming back into the family home.
But Jane and Elizabeth both believed that, for Lydia’s sake and for the family’s reputation, her parents should receive her properly after the marriage.
They spoke to their father calmly and reasonably.
“Father, whatever Lydia has done, she is still our sister.”
“She should at least be received by the family after her marriage.”
“If we refuse to see her, people will talk even more.”
Their arguments eventually persuaded Mr. Bennet.
He agreed that Lydia and Wickham could come to Longbourn after the wedding.
Mrs. Bennet was delighted.
At least she would have the chance to show her married daughter to everyone in the neighborhood before Lydia left for the north.
Mr. Bennet wrote to Mr. Gardiner and gave permission for Lydia and Wickham to visit Longbourn.
It was agreed that they would come immediately after the wedding.
Elizabeth, however, was surprised that Wickham was willing to do this.
If she had been given the choice, meeting Wickham again would have been the last thing she wanted.