Chapter 96: Lady's Daily Life 10: Good things come to those who wait

Longbourn was only a small parish, where weddings and funerals were major events, and the wedding of Miss Bennett and Mr. Bingley was an important event worthy of being recorded in the local history.

"Who would have thought at this time last year that the new tenant of Netherfield would actually marry a lady from Longbourn, and a lady from the Bennet family?" said a country lady.

As usual, the ladies gathered at Mrs. Lucas's house for afternoon tea. Mrs. Bennet was too busy to join them today, so the topic of conversation during tea was naturally the family that was not present.

Mrs. Brooke pouted. "Nothing can be predicted until the last minute. Didn't you hear about Lydia?"

Mrs. Lucas had calmed down considerably since marrying off her eldest daughter. Hearing this, she wanted to change the subject: "Lydia's gone to London. Her uncle and aunt are both there. She'll be very comfortable in either house. I heard from Sir Lucas that the house in Heysel looks very grand."

Mrs. Brooke didn't want everyone to envy the wealthy Mrs. Laurence. She continued, "Do you really think Lydia went to live with a relative? I haven't heard any Bennett relatives send anyone to pick her up. I heard from Mrs. Fane of Meryton that Lydia disappeared after the ball. Maybe she eloped with an officer."

Mrs. Lucas interrupted her quickly: "Mrs. Brooke, you can't just say something nonsense because you envy the Bennett family's good fortune. Everything needs evidence. If the rumor gets out, how can Lydia get married?"

Mrs. Brooke wasn't angry either. She said calmly, "Just wait and see. The wedding is the day after tomorrow. If Lydia doesn't show up then, everything will be clear. Besides, Mr. Bingley's sister might be so angry that she'll help her brother cut his losses."

For a moment, everyone was looking forward to Miss Bennett's wedding. The days in Longbourn were as peaceful as flowing water. If every family was peaceful and stable without any trouble, life would be too boring.

Mrs. Brooke had guessed quite right, for Mrs. Hurst was already very unhappy.

"What's going on? I've always disliked Mrs. Bennet and her two little girls. They're all cut from the same cloth, with such noisy tempers. You never know what might happen, and look, it happened right before the wedding." She threw the fabric on the coffee table and leaned back on the sofa with a frown. "Jane's personality is pretty good, but if she didn't have such a powerful and generous aunt, I would never support her marriage to Charles."

Caroline rummaged through the newly delivered stack of letters listlessly, confirming that nothing she expected was there before casually responding, "What's the big deal? Even if you disagree, if Charles insists, we can't change his decision. We might as well just support him."

Mrs. Hearst agreed. It was impossible to cancel the wedding now. She might as well go to the priest and make a wish that Lydia would come back in style tomorrow to surprise all those who were waiting to see her make a fool of herself.

The next morning, with only one day left before the wedding, even Mrs. Bennet, who had been busy all the time, became anxious.

After sending off another group of guests who came to inquire, Mrs. Bennet pulled her two eldest daughters over and asked anxiously, "Will your father be late for tomorrow's wedding? And Lydia, oh, and Heather, if they are all absent, what will happen to tomorrow's wedding?"

Jane sat beside her and comforted her: "No, didn't my aunt send a message yesterday saying that Lydia had been found, and her physical and mental condition were also good. They will definitely come back today."

Although she said this, she couldn't help but worry in her heart, fearing that something unexpected would happen, such as a sudden change in weather or a broken wheel, which would prevent her father from coming back to witness her happiness.

Elizabeth was very confident: "Don't worry, with my aunt here, even if there are any obstacles, I will be able to find a solution."

Elizabeth was extremely confident in Heather. Heather was also thinking that if she went back directly, people would definitely chase her and ask why she came back so late and why even Mr. Bennett had to rush to London. If she didn't explain clearly, the rumors might spread for twenty years.

In short, by the time everything was ready, it was already the day before the wedding, and their entire family rushed from London to Longbourn.

Mrs. Gardner and Lydia took two of the children in a carriage, Heather and Mary took the other two, Mr. Bennett and Mr. Gardner sat together, and Darcy and Lancaster were put in a carriage again after half a year.

In addition, there were three large four-wheeled carriages filled with various gifts and items following behind.

All the horses were replaced with the best post horses, and the carriages were spacious and stylish solid wood double-horse carriages transferred from London by Lancaster, striving to ensure comfort while pursuing speed.

It was almost lunchtime when the rumbling of horse hooves rang out on Longbourn Avenue.

Not only the tenants, but even the wives and daughters of the gentry put down their work and rushed out to watch.

"Wow, why are there so many carriages? Look, they're parked in front of the Bennett family's house."

"It should be Mr. Bennett who has returned. But that car doesn't look like the Bennett family's car. The pattern on the carriage looks so imposing."

Mrs. Bennett had already run out in a panic. She was in a bad mood today and didn't even want to eat lunch. She just lay on the sofa in the living room and sighed.

There was a noise at the door at this moment. She was the closest to it and was the first one to jump up and rush to the door.

"Who's here, Mrs. Morley? Is it Mr. Bennett who has finally arrived?"

Mrs. Morley was still busy in the kitchen, and before she could run out, the people in the first carriage got out.

"Oh, God." It was her dear brother and sister-in-law.

Soon after, people from the carriages behind got off. Lydia rushed over, holding up her long skirt, and threw herself into her mother's arms. She wanted to complain, but she held back and gracefully saluted her mother while holding up her skirt.

Mrs. Bennet was confused by her and almost suspected that the daughter she brought back was not her own daughter, but she was happy that she could come back safely.

She soon saw her biological sister again, and she finally seemed to have found her backbone. She threw everyone else out of her mind and walked quickly towards her sister.

"Dear Heather, you are finally back." Mrs. Bennett pressed Heather against her strong chest: "I knew you would bring your niece back. Who else but you would take my poor nerves seriously?"

Heather noticed that several familiar neighbor ladies had come over here together, so she patted her sister on the back and whispered in her ear.

"Okay, sister, cheer up. You have to remember that Lydia was only taken to London to learn etiquette. There happened to be a famous teacher from the palace in London who was free this week to instruct the noble ladies on etiquette. I also applied for a place for Lydia. In addition, my brother-in-law went to London to deal with the funeral of a distant relative."

Miss Cliff probably never imagined in her life that someone would take the initiative to gild her cram school and call her a famous teacher.

Mrs. Bennett was also confused, but when she saw her fake sisters coming before her, she skillfully put on a confident expression.

"Mrs. Lucas, why didn't you have lunch and came to my place?"

Mrs. Lucas was pushed to the front by the others, so she had to bite the bullet and ask, "I heard the carriage and thought maybe Mr. Bennett and Lydia were coming back from London, so I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help."

Mrs. Bennett enthusiastically pushed Lydia to her side: "Mr. Bennett is still busy. Look, Lydia is here. She went to London to take classes with some very famous master."

Mrs. Brooke leaned out from behind and scanned Lydia with her eyes like lasers. She was so taken aback by her new primrose red satin dress and radiant face that she began to doubt her life.

"What class did Lydia take? She looks like she's lost a lot of weight."

Mrs. King beside her added frankly, "She's a little thinner, but her face is prettier. At this point, she could easily surpass Jane to become the most beautiful woman in Longbourn. She's just a little short."

Lydia didn't really care about their opinions, after all, they weren't the judges of the Almack Club dance. But she humbly accepted their suggestions.

"It's a course related to etiquette and general education, Mrs. Brooke. If there's a chance, I can recommend Anne to attend, but I must warn you in advance that the teachers there are not so easy to talk to." She turned and said, "Mrs. King, you're right. I've been worried lately too. Fortunately, I heard that young ladies at London balls wear something called etiquette shoes. The heels are two to three inches high, which makes them look much more coordinated. I was planning to ask my aunt to get me a pair so I can practice dancing in them in advance."

Lydia was called in to help, leaving the ladies to gossip behind her.

"Mrs. Brooke, you have nothing to say now, right? I think Lydia really has taken etiquette classes. Look how much she has changed now." It was just a little like her neck was injured. Even when she turned around, she stood stiffly without any shaking.

Mrs. Brooke was disappointed that she hadn't witnessed the Bennett family's joke. She said stubbornly, "Why don't you go and find out why Mr. Bennett ran to London at this critical moment? Could it be that Lydia had to be sent there by her father to study?"

But soon she became even angrier.

"What are you talking about? When did Mr. Bennett have an old aunt living in London? This is simply a fabrication!"

Mr. Brooke walked impatiently to the study. "Okay, I've gone to Mr. Bennett to inquire as you requested. He clearly said that an old aunt who I hadn't contacted for many years passed away. The old lady appointed Mr. Bennett to help deal with her estate. She also gave him a small woodland with a cottage on the outskirts of London. I even saw the title deed."

Mrs. Brooke collapsed and screamed, "Why do the Bennetts get all the good things?"

Your own failure is painful, but your opponent's success is even more heartbreaking.