Chapter Text
Chapter OneThe smallest of incidents... the junction of a dizzying range of alternatives... any one of which could have had a different outcome – Dorothy Lintott (The History Boys)
Kitty eyed her eldest sisters with envy. It seemed impossible to her that they were able to partake of dinner so easily. Did not their stomachs and heads ache with the knowledge that the militia were to leave Meryton?
Lizzy had always been made of stern stuff, and had seemed to Kitty to be very indifferent to the officers since she had returned from Rosings, but Jane was usually so tender hearted. Perhaps it was not possible for her heart to break any further after Mr Bingley. Others may not have been able to see how Mr Bingley’s defection had affected Jane, but her sisters certainly could. It was difficult of Kitty to feel ill disposed towards a man who had looked so well in his blue coat, but clearly the man was a cad if he could treat Jane so poorly.
Even those distracting thoughts were not enough to make Kitty wish to eat, and their mother had gone to all the trouble of purchasing fish, perhaps more for her benefit than theirs, although Kitty noticed Mrs Bennet was eating little as well.
Mrs Bennet then gave out a great sigh. “Oh my poor girls.”
Mr Bennet looked up from his meal with a quizzical smile. “We are not quite in the hedgerows yet, Mrs Bennet!”
Kitty noticed Lizzy’s admonishing look at their father. She clearly did not wish to discuss yet again their mothers’ plan to take them all to Brighton. Kitty found it monstrously unfair that Lizzy would not aid them in their scheme. It apparently was quite all right for her to be allowed to jaunt about the countryside to visit Charlotte Lucasand she would be accompanying their aunt and uncle to the Lake District! However could she be moved to offer even the most desultory support to a plan that would allow her sisters a modicum of the happiness she had experienced? No of course not and Lydia and herself had not even had the pleasure of going to London! It was unfair in the extreme.
“We shall all be in the hedgerows if you will not bestir yourself to help your daughters find husbands!”
“But surely, Mrs Bennet, in a whole camp full of soldiers, in such a retiring place as Brighton, our daughters will fare very ill indeed, if they have not managed to secure a proposal or two here in Meryton? I do remember you assuring me that one visit to one gentleman would result in our salvation and look what came of that!”
“Papa!” exclaimed Lizzy.
“I have had a proposal!” cried Lydia.
“Yes, from a spotty fifteen year old ensign,” retorted Kitty who did not envy her sister the gentleman in question, only the proposal. Lydia was not yet sixteen and Kitty would be eighteen soon and no gentlemen – spotty – or not had ever tried to propose to her. Steal a kiss perhaps, but not a proposal.
“If I should go to Brighton, I should do much better,” said Lydia.
“Yes, yes, you would, my love. I do not see how your father thinks you are to all find husbands if you have no opportunity to meet young men.”
“My dear, Meryton has seen a veritable influx of men soldiers and gentlemen too, and Jane and Lizzy have abandoned us to explore what London and Kent have to offer, and yet still we have five unmarried daughters. I see no reason why removing the household to Brighton will assist in any way.”
Mrs Bennet, seeing that matrimonial prospects were of no interest to her spouse, moved to her second line of attack: attempting to convince her husband with the joys of sea bathing. Lydia added her vocal support.
Kitty had already tried to explain to her father the many health benefits of sea bathing, but as he had been reading at the time she did not think he had listened. Either way, she did not think her father would be swayed by immersion in salt water as it did not sound as though it was an activity he could enjoy while reading and eating gooseberry fool.
She turned her attention from her mother and Lydia to see that Jane had gone quite silent and put down her knife and fork.
Kitty had wondered whether Jane might have seen Mr Bingley in town and now she was certain Jane had not. Kitty thought it quite cruel of her father to constantly tease about Mr Bingley and not see how it was affecting Jane. Jane would have had Mr Bingley if she could, and it was obvious to anyone who looked that Jane had wanted him very much indeed.
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“Oh Kitty! Kitty!” Lydia was waving a letter. “Harriet has written.”
Harriet Forster was lately married to Colonel Forster of the militia; she had been one of the lucky girls to have managed to parlay a short stay by the militia in her town to a lasting happiness of being able to attend the officers wherever they went. Kitty was most jealous of Mrs Forster, particularly since she had become very intimate with Lydia. There seemed little room for Kitty in their plans and no need to include her in their jokes.
“Can you guess what has happened?” Lydia’s eyes were wild.
“The militia is not to remove to Brighton?”
“No! Harriet has asked me to go to Brighton with her as her particular friend! Oh Kitty, there will be balls and parties every night and so many officers! A whole camp full of soldiers!”
Kitty felt distinctly unwell, she might not be Harriet’s particular friend but she was two years older than Lydia, and it seemed unfair that Harriet not invite her as well! She could not find any words to congratulate her sister on her good fortune because there were none to be had.
“Oh and she has asked you as well, Kitty,” said Lydia distractedly, “I must find Mama.”
With that short utterance, Kitty was transported from the depths of despair, contemplating a summer where she would remain at Longbourn sentenced to hearing about the delights of Brighton from an indifferent and gloating correspondent, to the dizzying heights of happiness.
She was to go to Brighton!
Their mother entered into all their raptures and that was enough for Lydia. Her sister did not take any notice of Lizzy’s active interference but Kitty noticed the hushed conversations and shut library doors.
She could not understand it. Lizzy had never been so selfish. There was little expense – though of course they must have new wardrobes, they could not be embarrassed in Brighton – in accompanying the Forsters to Brighton. Certainly it was a far cheaper scheme than if the whole family had decamped. It could not be that Lizzy was jealous; when asked directly, she had disclaimed all desire to go to Brighton herself. Kitty could not then understand her objection.
Lydia, when made aware of Lizzy’s objections, dismissed them as pure jealousy but not because of Brighton itself but because of Mr Wickham. After all, Lizzy was violently in love with Lieutenant Wickham; everyone knew her partiality.
Kitty, however, doubted that was the reason. Lizzy had been very cold towards him the last time the officers had come for tea and, unless her heart was broken and she was too proud to show Wickham the impact of his defection, Kitty rather thought Lizzy had begun to dislike Mr Wickham preferring to bait him like she did all men she took a dislike to.
Whatever the case Lizzy did not prevail, because Mr Bennet chose to bow to his daughters’ and wife’s pleas; it was not a surprising outcome as it was common knowledge that Mr Bennet would do almost anything to preserve a quiet house with as few silly girls in it as possible. The idea of Mr Bennet refusing to allow Lydia and herself to go to Brighton and then put up with the outrage that would follow was ludicrous.
The joy of their going to Brighton far out shadowed Kitty’s upcoming birthday, although all her sisters bought her gowns and bonnets and other fine things, excepting Lydia who promised to find something in Brighton. Kitty knew how much that promise was worth.
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Lydia ignored her mother, too excited to do anything much then babble excitedly at Harriet.
“We have not forgotten anything, Mama,” soothed Kitty.
“Oh well, my dear girls, take every opportunity to enjoy yourselves. Oh Colonel Forster, look after my girls.”
“I will indeed, Ma’am. You can have no reason to concern yourself.” Kitty thought Colonel Forster would have addressed himself to their father, but Mr Bennet had said his farewells from his library and had seen no reason to come out and see them off.
“Lord, Mama, what a fuss!” said Lydia, pulling Kitty into the coach. “We shall send word by express when we have found husbands for all our sisters!”
With that, they were off and in a moment of unexpected sisterly charity Lydia grasped her hand and squealed in excitement. This charity lasted all of an hour, and Kitty wondered that Colonel Forster did not turn the carriage around, or choose to ride next to the carriage. Harriet and Lydia were giving even Kitty the headache, and of course it was her fault for every inconvenience attendant on having four occupants squeezed into a too small carriage and a long journey.
They were to travel to Brighton in a day, as Colonel Forster wanted to reach his men as swiftly as possible. Kitty would have liked to spend a night in London, and thought Lydia would support her as Lydia had always wanted to go to London. But Lydia could only think of soldiers and camps and wishing to be as close to them as possible.
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Lydia was disappointed to discover that their lodgings were not to be on the water’s edge. Colonel Forster had instead rented a house that was within respectable distance of the delights of Brighton, but also did not weigh heavily upon his purse.
The house was not a large one, and Kitty could tell that Lydia was disappointed that they still had to share a room and now a bed.
Kitty was exhausted by the journey, but Lydia was full of energy as she proposed all manners of diversions the next day.
In the end Lydia’s planned diversions came to nothing as Harriet had the headache. Colonel Forster promised to bring some of the officers by after he had completed his duties and neither Lydia nor Kitty could contain their excitement at seeing all their old friends, Denny, Chamberlayne, Saunderson and Wickham again.
Kitty used the time to unpack their trunks, while Lydia interrogated the local servants.
“There are balls on Monday and Thursday night, and card parties twice a week!” Lydia shook her head. “Although if they should be deathly dull parties of whist I daresay we can find some other amusement. And that is only the public parties. We shall have many more private parties. I expect we will have to turn down invitations! Oh Kitty!” Lydia flopped upon the bed, crushing Kitty’s new ballgown and deaf to remonstrations.
These preparations barely took the morning and Lydia grew increasingly wild to be out and amongst it all. Kitty was unsure as this was not Meryton where they knew every lane, nook and cranny and could have navigated in the dark.
At length Lydia prevailed; she had secured the services of the man servants who had been born in Brighton and lived there all his life.
“See, Kitty, we shall not get lost now. Not that I should.”
Lydia soon quieted when they stepped out upon the street. Meryton was not a quiet hamlet by any means and while they had not much opportunity to visit any of the other local towns, except when they could surprise returning sisters, Kitty had thought she had seen a busy town. Brighton’s inhabitants must double that of any town she had visited and she was pleased to note that her sister was similarly affected.
Not that Lydia would be dampened for long. Kitty’s arm was almost pulled out of her socket as they marched towards the shore. Lydia was so determined to see the sea that she did not notice Kitty pointing out the Old Ship Tavern, which was sure to be the site of many a jolly evening.
The smell hit them first, and brought both them to a stop and brief silence. Then as one they could not contain their excitement, rushing forward as far as they were allowed, and in Kitty’s case as far as she dared.
They were in Brighton. They were by the sea!
It was not clearly the most fashionable part of Brighton but Kitty could see a red coat or two amongst those who had chosen to breathe the sea air that day.
She did not care how provincial she looked as she gaped in wonder. The breeze almost blew her bonnet off and as she turned to keep her face out of the wind, she noticed she had been under observation.
A gentleman seemed amused by her excitement. As he was a handsome gentleman, despite the lack of regimentals, she accepted his observation with no rancour. He then, with a nod of his hat at her, continued on his way. Kitty turned back to squeal at Lydia, but her sister as usual was no where to be seen when Kitty had tales to tell of her interaction with a handsome gentleman.
But what were men when one had the sea? Kitty breathed in deeply and coughed at the smell of fish; on second thought, the attraction of Brighton was indeed the officers.