The Adventures of Lizzy Bennet - Book 1: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

by Kate Speck

  The Adventures of Lizzy Bennet

  Book 1

  By Kate Speck

  “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”

  ~ Helen Keller

  Year 1803

  Chapter 1

  March 1803

  “LIZZY!!” Mrs. Bennet shouted. “LIZZY BENNET! Where is that child, Jane? It is nearly dinnertime and I will not delay the meal again if she is late like yesterday.”

  “I will find out where she has gone, mama.” The twelve-year old girl answered softly. “She is likely on Oakham Mount again and I will bring her back. Please start without us and we will return shortly.”

  Mr. Bennet, her father, smiled tenderly, as he peeked his head out from his study. “We will delay until your return, Jane.” He looked at his wife in the foyer, “I am not hungry yet, Mrs. Bennet, and would not mind finishing my book.” He walked back to his solitude as he chuckled.

  “Lizzy!” Jane called for her sister breathlessly near the top of the mount with a lone tree. “Lizzy, where are you? It is dinnertime and mama is upset that you are not home yet. Where are you?”

  “SHHHH!!!” Jane heard but could not see where the sound came from.

  “Where are you?” The older girl looked up and around but saw no one in the tree.

  “SHHHH! You must be quiet, Jane. The bear will become frightened and I will lose my chance to capture the magnificent creature.” The young girl whispered from behind the tree trunk about eight feet above ground. “I would rather be on ice than on the dreaded ship where I will be sick repeatedly. Do you have some rope? A large net, perhaps? Maybe the polar bear will enjoy some fresh fish instead. Blasted! I am unprepared to capture the animal, Jane! I must retreat for now and begin again tomorrow.”

  Jane giggled, “Who are you today, Lizzy? What is a bear? A polar bear?”

  Lizzy climbed down the tree with ease and swung from a branch before her feet landed on solid ground, “Polar bear is a large, four-legged, animal that lives in the cold northern ice-lands. It is a gigantic beast with sharp teeth and long claws with white fur to match the icy environment and can eat a man whole. It stands tall on its hind legs and is the most fearsome creature in the arctic lands. I am Midshipman Horatio Nelson, the fearless leader of the Royal Navy! All bears will bow to me and once I capture the king polar bear, I will be the most famous naval officer in the world!” She exclaimed as she raised both of her arms in victory.

  “Well, officer,” Jane laughed, “your dress is dirty and mama will be angry with you for being late to another meal. Let us dust you off and get you home.”

  Lizzy kicked the dirt on the ground, “I don’t understand why girls have to wear dresses and be so dull. I would rather wear trousers and go on explorations and be on a ship. I want to learn how to fence and shoot.” Her spirits lifted quickly and she had a gleam in her eye as she spoke, “I believe papa is close to allowing me to ride Lily, Jane. I have been begging him to show me and you know our mare cannot go very fast so it should be completely safe. Will you help me convince him?”

  “If you wish, Lizzy,” Jane nodded. “I still think it is scary but if any of us can convince papa, it is you. He denies you very little.”

  Lizzy beamed and spit into her hand and stretched it out to her sister. “Come, come, Jane. You must shake on it. This is how pacts are made, I read, and you are giving me your pledge.”

  “That is foul, Lizzy Bennet!” Jane crinkled her nose. “I don’t want to touch your dirty hands. Hurry, sister. You still have to change out your dress before mama sees you. She will be furious when she sees your petticoat deep in mud again.”

  Lizzy grinned, “Last one home is a rotten egg!” And she lifted up her skirts and ran as fast as her little legs could take her.

  Jane laughed as she hurried her steps. “I will still beat you to the door, Lizzy! Run fast but do not fall!”

  ~*~

  Mr. Bennet looked out his window from his study and saw his daughters running towards home outside. He smiled to himself as he listened to their merry giggles with the joie de vivre that radiated from their innocence.

  He looked at his pocket watch to check the time and knew that his wife would be flustered with the delay of their meal but he cared not of her reaction. He loved that his second daughter, who had just turned ten, enjoyed life as he had once done, while he was now a miserably married man, carrying the burdens of life and adulthood. He loved his wife and his family but this was not where he had envisioned his life all those years ago before his older brother had unexpectedly passed in an accident. With his lack of interest of being a landowner and wishing he had been allowed to pursue his academic career instead, he sighed as considered what he could do to encourage his dear Lizzy to find happiness. Of his five daughters, ranging from four to twelve years in age, he knew Lizzy was extraordinary at ten years old and more intelligent than grown men who had received some schooling.

  He looked down at the ledger and sighed again. The Longbourn funds were enough to be comfortable but not quite sufficient to hire a governess or tutors, to provide for the education that he wished for Lizzy. They were no paupers but with Mrs. Bennet’s propensity to overspend, with her extravagance for elaborate tables and large joints of meat, and with his own lackadaisical view of managing the property, not caring whether his land was being fully utilised or if the tenants were content with his ownership, he knew there were limited options to give his daughters their hearts’ wish. He closed the ledger to give up once again and to return to his book when he heard Lizzy shout, “I AM THE MASTER OF MY WORLD!”

  Mr. Bennet laughed loudly to himself and opened the door as the girls entered Longbourn, “I AM THE MASTER OF MY WORLD, TOO!” He lifted the young spitfire and circled her around in his embrace and placed her back down to hug Jane while both girls laughed. “I am determined to be a better father to you, daughters. There will be some changes in our immediate future and more to come. I solemnly swear it!”

  Mrs. Bennet ran to the foyer to see her husband of thirteen years and her two eldest daughters cheerfully laughing together. She began to shriek, “Lizzy! Your dress is a mess and there is a tear on it. You horrid child, you will give me grey hairs before my time. Dinner is half an hour late and it is all your fault!”

  Mr. Bennet stood in front of the petite girl and coughed, “Mrs. Bennet, I kept the girls from getting to the dining table and take full responsibility for the delay. Go on, girls.” He nodded to his daughters with a soft smile. “Fanny, let us give them five minutes before we eat. I would like a word with you in my study.” He looked at his wife directly who was scowling at the girls heading up the stairs. “Now, Mrs. Bennet.”

  Mrs. Bennet begrudgingly followed her husband to the study and he closed the door after a deep breath.

  ~*~

  “I’m soooo hungry,” whined Lydia, the four-year old girl who was attempting to steal a piece of potato from the dining table. “My tummy is crying. Can I eat now?”

  Jane slapped her hand away from the potatoes and gave her a piece of bread. “Papa is speaking with mama in his study and I do not know what is taking so long. Lizzy, go and see if they are done. Papa will forgive you if he catches you sneaking about.”

  “NO!” Lizzy exclaimed, “Mama will tan my hide. You know she hates that papa allows me so much freedom. YOU go and see what is taking so long. Mama forgives you for everything.”

  “It is because I do not eavesdrop on them, Lizzy!” Jane retorted and laughed. She stuck out her tongue at her silly sister and gave a piece of bread to Kitty under th
e table while Lizzy split one with Mary.

  Mr. and Mrs. Bennet then entered the dining room where the five girls were already sitting. He coughed, “My apologies for the delay, ladies.” He sat down and looked at the young girls. “I am surprised that you did not dig into the meal already, girls. How kind of you to wait for us without taking a bite.”

  Lizzy suddenly choked on her bread and began to cough violently. She spit out her food and spray of crumbs landed on her plate as she gasped for breath. She looked sheepishly at her parents and mumbled, “Sorry, mama. Sorry, papa.”

  “Oh, Lizzy Bennet!” Mrs. Bennet admonished, “You will be the death of me.”

  Kitty and Lydia began to laugh as Mr. Bennet chuckled. “I had some, too, mama!” Lydia gladly shared. “So did Jane and Mary and Kitty! I’m starving and want to eat now!”

  Mrs. Bennet covered her amusement, “Once your father says grace, we may eat.” She patted Lizzy’s hair gently and smiled at her before lowering her head for prayer.

  The Bennet family ate their meal with their typical rowdiness and excitement in sharing their day. Mrs. Bennet spoke of some of the gossips she had heard from her sister Phillips and Mr. Bennet talked of some of the events in the papers. Lizzy asked morbid questions after questions about the Despard Plot, which was an attempt to assassinate King George III in 1802, and how quickly someone would die from being hanged, drawn, and quartered; and the younger girls spoke of the new puppies born at Lucas Lodge, their nearest neighbour in Hertfordshire.

  Mr. Bennet stood after the meal and made an announcement. “Miss Bennet, Miss Bennet, Miss Bennet, Miss Bennet, and Miss Bennet,” he took a deep breath. “Whew, that is quite a number of Miss Bennets in one place.” He smiled. “I would like to share with you the discussion your mother and I had earlier, and tell you of the changes coming to our humble home. After much deliberation of the choices before us, we have agreed to hire a governess for you girls. There will be some tightening of the belt, sort to speak, and we will all have to adjust to economising some of our comforts, but I promise it will not be a heavy burden. We will need to work as a family to reduce any excess costs and I will do my duty to ensure that my family is cared for. I know your mother worries for all of our future and it has come to my attention that her fear of being tossed into the hedgerows is not completely unwarranted, since Mary’s piano stool will belong to my distant cousin who will inherit Longbourn if we have no sons in the future.” He looked at his wife and smiled, “I will be a better husband to you, dear Fanny, and we will strive to be better parents.”

  Lizzy stood and embraced her father first. “Thank you, papa. I have always wished for a governess and I will do everything I can to help you as well. I can look over the ledgers with you and,” she looked at Jane and winked, “if you will teach me to ride Lily, I can tour the property with you and your steward and take on the duties that a son would have. I know I can be a good helper, papa!”

  Mr. Bennet chuckled, as he kissed the top of his daughter’s head, “We shall see about Lily, Lizzy. I do not think your mama would want you to behave as a son and I am quite content to have five wonderful daughters by my side. As for the ledgers,” he patted her back, “I shall welcome your help there. You have a good brain for arithmetic and it will be nice to have another pair of eyes to review the numbers.” He turned to the rest of the girls, “Now, we shall have everyone do their share but first and foremost, we must ensure that our tenants are looked after so we have a good planting season. If the crops are plentiful and we have a good harvest in the fall, we will all benefit from helping each other and everyone will be content. I know Jane and Lizzy have begun to learn about visiting tenants from Lady Lucas,” he looked at his wife, “but I believe as mistress of Longbourn, you will also benefit from calling on them with the girls.” He knelt next to her seat and kissed her hand. “I know you have not had the experience of being a mistress of a manor, Fanny, but I am tremendously proud of all that you have done so far. I know I can trust you to learn and be the best mistress Longbourn has ever seen.”

  Mrs. Bennet blushed profusely with the sudden show of affection and nodded. “I will do my best, Thomas. I promise.”

  Mr. Bennet beamed and kissed his wife’s hand once more. “Girls, into the drawing room with you all. I shall read to you a story by Jonathan Swift tonight. It is called ‘Gulliver's Travels’ and it begins with a voyage to a wondrous place called Lilliput.” He looked at Lizzy and smiled, “Captain Lizzy, if you will please bring it from my study.”

  Lizzy jumped from her seat and ran to the study. She had read it once before but it was most entertaining when her father read to them, as he was best with the voices and kept the girls on the edge of their seats with his storytelling.

  The Bennets sat together to begin a new custom of spending more time as a family and Mr. Bennet was eternally grateful that he had stepped out of his study for a change so that he could provide for his family to the best of his capabilities.

  Chapter 2

  April 1803

  Lizzy was once again atop her favourite tree at Oakham amount, this time imagining herself as a giant looking over the Lilliputians and attempting to not squash them with her enormous feet. “I must stay up here, my dear friends, so that I do not flatten you with my large size. If I sneeze the wrong way, you will be blown away to the next county!” She commanded the small wild-berries she had picked and had lined up at the foot of the tree. “You can’t come up here! Stay!”

  “To whom are you speaking?” A tall young man suddenly appeared out of nowhere and asked her.

  Lizzy screamed from the surprise and fell out of the tree, unable to hold on to the branch. She braced for impact with the ground but rather than the hard surface of the land, she fell into the soft arms of the stranger.

  “Oof!” The young man grunted. “You are heavy for someone so little. What are you doing up in a tree? Girls should not be climbing.”

  Lizzy growled, “What do you know about being a girl? You are just an overgrown boy with long arms and a big nose! Put me down!”

  She straightened her dress and her hair when her feet touched the ground. “Who are you? I was only playing harmlessly and you startled me. This is my tree. I can do whatever I wish on it.”

  The young man huffed, “You can climb it all you wish but you do not own this tree! This part of the land does not belong to anyone and it is for everyone’s use. Perhaps I will claim it for myself.”

  “Ha! Too late!” Lizzy laughed. “I’ve claimed it for my use and you’ll have to fight me to the death to take it from me!” She pointed to her name that she had carved on the trunk on the opposite side. “My house is right there,” she pointed to Longbourn, “and is the closest estate to this tree. If you’ll pay me a small usage fee, perhaps I might share it with you.” She grinned broadly at the prospect of earning a farthing or two.

  The young man covered his amusement with a cough. “Your name is Lizzy?” He read the tree carving. “You are not dressed like a servant so I believe you are a gentleman’s daughter. How old are you?”

  “Why should I tell you? We have not been properly introduced and you are a stranger. You could be a thief, for all I know! Are you here to rob me?” Lizzy asked impertinently. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

  “My name is Fitzwilliam Darcy.” He replied patiently. “I am here with my father to tour Netherfield as a prospect to lease it. Father is riding with the steward there but I am upset with him and had no desire to stay there so I decided on a walk. I only wish for a seat to calm myself for a while.” He pulled out a guinea from his pocket. “Payment to use your tree for a quarter hour?”

  Lizzy’s eyes opened widely to see the shiny coin in his hand and gladly took it from him. She sat down at the foot of the tree first and Darcy sat down next to her.

  “Why are you upset with your father?” Lizzy asked. “Why give me such a sum to sit here? Are you very wealthy?”

  Darcy sighed, “You ask a lot of questi
ons after being paid so handsomely, young lady. What is your surname, Miss...?”

  “Bennet. Lizzy Bennet. You can call me Lizzy. I live in Longbourn and I am ten years old. My mama gets vexed with me often and she used to call for her smelling salts but that was before papa decided to be nicer to her and she doesn’t get as cross as much now except when I dirty my dress, which is all the time. I have four sisters and mama says I am a hoyden but I prefer it. I wish I were born a boy instead and I hate wearing dresses, but John Lucas smells awful so I suppose I like being a girl.” She leaned over and sniffed the young man. “You don’t stink, though. You smell quite pleasant.”

  Darcy began to chuckle and it became boisterous and could not cease until there were tears in his eyes. “Oh, I have not laughed so in ages. Thank you, Lizzy. You are most entertaining.”

  Lizzy smiled, “So, why are you angry with your father? What kind of name is Fitzwilliam? I thought ‘Elizabeth’ was a hard name but having to spell out your name sounds terribly difficult.”

  Darcy began to laugh again but grew sombre soon. “You can call me William, Lizzy. I argued with my father that I am old enough to take on more responsibilities but he would not hear of my delaying attending university this year. I will be eighteen in July and am all grown up, but he wants me to go to Cambridge while my mother is ill and might die soon. She wants to be close to Cambridge and London and papa chose Hertfordshire as the midpoint. I want to go back home to Derbyshire but mama needs her treatments and I cannot disappoint her.” He wiped his eyes discreetly with the back of his hands. “I wish I were a girl so I do not have to leave. I have a little sister who is five and she can stay with mama. I was at Eton when mama got sick and I will be at Cambridge while she gets sicker. I don’t want to go.”

  Lizzy sympathetically leaned on her head on his shoulder. “I would be angry, too. I’m sorry to hear about your mother. Although I don’t get along with my mama, I wouldn’t want her to be ill. But it is not your father’s fault. He must love her very much to look at Netherfield for your mother so she can be close to you.”