I must go. Mama has invited some of the officers to dinner and I hear their horses outside. Mr Wickham is one of them, and if all goes well, I believe he will soon propose to Elizabeth. He is certainly very warm in his regard and I know she likes him immensely. I will write more after dinner.

Eleven o’clock

My dear aunt has invited me to stay with her in London. Nothing would give me greater pleasure, or more relief, for a sojourn away from home is just what I need. I hope that, as Caroline does not live in the same house as her brother, I might occasionally spend a morning with her, without the risk of seeing him.

I must go.

Truly yours,

Jane


Miss Susan Sotherton to Miss Jane Bennet

Bath, December 24

My dear Jane,

I envy you your visit to London, and your chance to visit the parks and the museums, and of course the shops! I am more sorry than I can say about Mr Bingley, but he must be very stupid to leave so good and lovely a woman as you, Jane, and I will console myself with the fact that you do not deserve a stupid husband.

I have some good news of my own to report. I think I am not precipitate in saying that, although our removal to Bath has had little effect on my father, it appears to have had a beneficial effect on my brother. He used to be courted wherever he went, and so he had no incentive to curb his taste for spending unwisely and drinking to excess. Now, however, instead of pursuing him, the mamas look at him coldly and draw their daughters out of his path. It has shaken him. He is beginning to realise that he is no longer Frederick Sotherton of Netherfield Park—a prime catch—but Frederick Sotherton of nowhere in particular, with nothing to inherit but a mountain of debt.

At first he sneered at those who treated him differently; then he laughed at them; but lately he has started to drink less, take more care over choosing those with whom he associates and conduct himself in a more agreeable manner.

If Bath has not been the saving of my father, I believe it might be the saving of my brother.

Your dear friend,

Susan


Miss Lucy Sotherton to Miss Mary Bennet

Bath, December 27

Hail!

Do not start back in horror, I beg you, when you see the enclosed, for I have not left the path of Athena, indeed I have opened my mind to her wisdom, for on reading the dedication of this book, which at first I took to be a novel, I see that it is in fact a true story, and that the events described, though seemingly impossible, actually took place. They are of great historical and geographical value, as they occurred in Italy in the sixteenth century. Lest you should be reluctant to open it, let me state the full title here: The Mysteries of Udolpho: A Romance, Founded on Facts; Comprising the Adventures & Misfortunes of Emily St. Aubert.

Emily is a young woman of noble virtue, superior sense and understanding. In short, dear friend, she is a Learned Woman. She would make a very useful addition to our select circle, were it not for the fact that she has been dead these two hundred years. Her conduct is exemplary, despite the many trials she passes through; similar, dear Mary, to the trials we daily pass through, though for her there were more dungeons and fewer bonnets.

With this in mind I read it thoroughly, learning much about the Italian landscape, and the cruel and barbarous banditti who inhabit the hills, as well as the villainous nature of many of the men across the ocean. I enjoin you to read it, and to share with me your thoughts on the nature of the citizens of Europe, who, it would seem from this informative book, are prone to locking up innocent women and sacrificing them upon the altar of matrimony to wealthy, ignoble men. If you and I, dear Mary, were in such a position, forced into marriage by our coldhearted relations, I am sure that you and I, too, would escape by flying through the forests of England and taking refuge on holy ground.

Your sister in study,

Lucy


Miss Mary Bennet to Miss Lucy Sotherton

Longbourn, Hertfordshire,

December 29

Most noble Friend,

Your gift has enlarged my knowledge of the Continent and its strange practises, for which I thank you. I perused it assiduously this afternoon, and could scarcely put it aside when we had to leave for Lucas Lodge, so enlightening did I find it. I believe you are right in your conjecture that, should we ever be forced into marriage with wealthy counts who have murdered their previous wives, we would take refuge in holy places. It is therefore convenient that I am acquainted with Mr Collins, who would, I am sure, accommodate me at the rectory in the event of such a misfortune, and who, I am persuaded, would also find room for you.

Mr Collins was the chief topic of conversation at the Lucases’ tonight. Sir William happened to mention that Charlotte had been blessed with her husband, who was in every way an estimable son-in-law, and who combined the virtues of an excellent living with the blessings of a noble patroness in the form of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Mama was so annoyed that she said, ‘If Elizabeth had not been such an obstinate girl, she could have had Mr Collins, and not Charlotte.’

I believe it was this very obstinacy which caused Mr Collins to withdraw his offer and seek consolation elsewhere. Mama was of the opinion that if Charlotte Lucas had not been so artful, Mr Collins would have proposed to me. If he had done so, I might have felt it my Duty to accept him, for although I have otherwise foresworn marriage, I think that Mr Collins has some intelligence and with a settled course of reading, such as that on which you and I are now embarked, he might have one day become, if not a Learned Woman, a Learned Gentleman. And might it not be our Duty, if such is the case, to put aside our own feelings and embrace the marital path?

However, as he was ensnared by the feminine wiles of Charlotte Lucas, such questions need not trouble us, dear Lucy.

Your sister in learning,

Mary


Miss Jane Bennet to Miss Caroline Bingley

Longbourn, Hertfordshire,

December 31

My dear Caroline,

Thank you for your letter. I was pleased to hear all your news and I am glad that you and Louisa are keeping well. I was sorry to hear you were not to return to Netherfield, but I hope we will be able to see each other soon, for I am happy to say that I will be travelling to London tomorrow, as I am to stay for some time with my aunt and uncle. I am enclosing my uncle’s address so that we might arrange a meeting. I will be very glad to see you again.

Truly yours,

Jane

1800

JANUARY

Miss Elizabeth Bennet to Miss Susan Sotherton

Longbourn, Hertfordshire,

January 1

My dear Susan,

My aunt and uncle have gone, taking Jane with them. I am glad she is to have a change of scene and, although I did not say so to her, I think there is some chance she might renew her acquaintance with Mr Bingley. My aunt told me it must not be thought of, as they live in such a different part of town that a meeting is unlikely, but if Mr Bingley learns that Jane is in London, I think it not unlikely that his former affection will be restored.

As for his sister Caroline, I wish that Jane could see her in her true colours, for she is a cold, supercilious young woman who will drop Jane just as soon as it suits her.

I hope your affair with Mr Wainwright is prospering, since our affairs all seem doomed at the moment. I am still very fond of Mr Wickham, who grows more agreeable every day, but my aunt has cautioned me against him—not because of his character but because of his lack of fortune. I have promised her to do my best not to fall in love with him. But it makes me think, Susan, where fortune is concerned, where does good sense end and avarice begin? If it is wrong to marry a man for his fortune, why is it then equally wrong to marry a man without a fortune? I will only hope that Mr Wickham will discover one of the wealthy great-uncles who have been so singularly lacking in our own lives, and that the said uncle will leave him a moderate fortune: not substantial enough to make me a fortune hunter, but large enough for us to live on with a degree of comfort.

Charlotte’s—I cannot say love, I had better say affairs—are, however, prospering. Mr Collins has returned to Meryton, but thankfully this time he is staying at Lucas Lodge and not at Longbourn. Tomorrow is to be the wedding day.

Charlotte has asked me to write to her often and I have promised to do so. I have also promised to visit her in Kent in March, when her father and her sister go there. I promised only reluctantly at first, as there can never be the closeness between us that there once was, but I find that I am looking forward to it. It will make a welcome change from home, I must confess, for Mama has still not stopped complaining that she has been cruelly used by Mr Collins, by Mr Bingley and by everyone else of her acquaintance. Besides, I am curious to see the parsonage and to meet Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

Your dear friend,

Lizzy


Miss Jane Bennet to Miss Elizabeth Bennet