We are no longer the same - A Pride and Prejudice Variation by DiChiara Lorena

Author:DiChiara, Lorena
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-06-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

July – Mid-August 1812

The last month and a half of Elizabeth's life had been a whirlwind of activity and obligations. A few days after visiting the last estate in Hertfordshire, Elizabeth received an interesting and unexpected letter from Sandstone's owners.

4th July 1812

Sandstone

Dear Mrs. Harrison,

I hope you are in good health. As you requested in our meeting some weeks ago, I wanted to let you know that my wife and I gave serious consideration to your request to lower the price of Sandstone. Since I have some health problems and my doctor has recommended that I move to Bath rather sooner than later, we are willing to lower the price by £1,500.

This is our final offer. If you agree with our proposal, please contact us and our solicitor.

Regards,

Mr. Martins

The Gardiners were initially surprised by the good news, but suspected that the decrease in price might be linked to Mr. Darcy's desire for Elizabeth to move closer to Rosings; since they were both intelligent and discreet, they chose not to tell their niece about their suspicions.

Since she still needed an additional £1,500 to buy the property, her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner finally convinced her to accept their help. They knew that it would be very difficult for her to find an estate with such good qualities as Sandstone at a lower price.

At last, in the first week of July, Elizabeth signed the purchase papers for Sandstone and it was agreed that in two weeks the former owners would vacate the property.

In the middle of July, she went with the Thompsons, the Gardiners, and Isabella to Longbourn to attend Mary's wedding. Unfortunately, Kitty was unable to attend as she was with her husband in the north of the country, but she sent Mary a long congratulatory letter. She was glad that her sister was marrying a good man.

Mary’s wedding was, in accordance with the wishes of the bride and groom, very simple and only about 30 people attended. On the way out of the church, Charlotte approached Elizabeth to talk. The Lucases, including Charlotte, had not been invited to the wedding breakfast but they still wanted to attend the ceremony at the church. Elizabeth asked her aunt to stay with Isabella for a few minutes while she spoke to Charlotte.

They began to walk toward Longbourn in awkward silence and after several seconds, Charlotte was the first to speak. “Lizzy, I'm so glad you are back in Hertfordshire. The last time you were here, unfortunately, it was for such a short time and we didn't have the chance to chat. I hope you can stay longer this time!”

“No, I'm going back to London tomorrow morning. I came solely for Mary's wedding.”

“What a pity you come for such a short time again! Maybe this afternoon, after the guests have left Longbourn, you could come to Lucas Lodge. My parents, and especially John, are looking forward to seeing you and speaking with you. It’s been so many years since you last visited us, and you know my father always said you were the jewel of Hertfordshire.

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