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Meryton Preparations

dedicated to: MissHiraeth98

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The excitement seemed to hum through the air at Longbourn in preparation for the upcoming assembly at Meryton. Lydia and Kitty ran through the house in a sing-song about the evening's impending dancing and frivolity that awaited them. Mary sat at the pianoforte plunking out a sour tune. Lizzy curled Jane's lovely locks and Beatrice sat in a room by herself, drawing the landscape from the view of her window seat, humming a tune to herself as she went sketched.

It was not that Beatrice Bennet disliked assemblies. In fact, she found them rather gay; but like her sister Jane, Beatrice was painfully shy about the opposite sex. Except, Beatrice was far worse. If a man so much as looked her direction, her cheeks would flush and words fled her mind. She wished she was half as witty as Lizzy when it came to such matters or that her beauty and grace might make up for her lack of words, like Jane. Instead, she was simply forced to muddle her way through, much to the dismay of her mother. Beatrice feared she was forever going to be a burden to her father.

Beatrice knew she should be readying herself for the assembly, but there would be no one there she wanted to impress. Almost all the gentlemen that would be in attendance already had their eyes set on a woman. Well, all but the two unmarried gentlemen newly arrived in the area.  Mama hoped that Jane would catch the eye of one of the gentlemen.  But Beatrice had heard through the grapevine that the other man was rather dour.

 No, there would be no one she needed to impress. So to Beatrice, her appearance did not matter much more than simply looking presentable and not disgracing the Bennet name as some of her sisters were likely to do. As long as she didn't dress in rags she ought to be fine on that matter.

Jane gracefully ran into the room on her toes. "Bea, you're missing out," she teased before performing a twirl and giggling from all the excitement as her soft curls bounced about, gently slapping her face.

Lizzy leaned against the door opening with a lazy smile as Beatrice huffed a tendril of hair from her face. Jane reached Beatrice and stretched out her hands for her sister to grasp.

"Come now Bea, it's your turn," Jane said.

"What about Lizzy?" Beatrice asked, trying to put the attention on her other sister even though she knew it would not be much use.  Still, one could try.

"I've already pinned it back. Can't you tell?" Lizzy chuckled as she tenderly patted her hair.

"One good curl to her fringe and she's perfect," Jane added before wiggling her fingers on her outstretched hands. "Unless you plan on going like that, Beatrice Bennet, I do believe you require our assistance."

"If you'd rather, I can go find Mamma," Lizzy teased before she walked over and rested her head on Beatrice's shoulder.

"You wouldn't dare!" Beatrice gasped, which caused both Lizzy and Jane to throw their heads back in laughter.

If Beatrice thought Jane and Lizzy were pushy, her mother was ten times more so. She would be lucky to leave the house looking minutely like herself if Mamma was involved. Beatrice also knew Lizzy would make good on her threat - as this wasn't the first time she had threatened such a thing. 

Lizzy and Jane knew they had convinced their sister by the state of her furrowed brow. After a long groan, Beatrice reluctantly took her sister's outstretched hands and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet before Jane pulled her along to another room.  A room where Jane and Lizzy had been doing their hair.

"I shall have my revenge one day, Lizzy. You know I shall!" Beatrice called to her sister over her shoulder as she was being pulled into another room.

"Empty threats," Lizzy taunted as she followed Beatrice and Jane. "You still haven't had your revenge from the last time, Bea." Lizzy arched her eyebrows daring her sister to defy her.

"Then my revenge will be twice as terrible, Lizzy! You'd better sleep with one eye open!"

Lizzy simply laughed at Beatrice's attempt to threaten her. Jane spun Beatrice onto the seat in front of the vanity and Bea's bottom landed on the plush seat with a thud. Lizzy then came and rested her hands on Beatrice's shoulders to hold her in place. Then Jane pulled the ribbon loose on Bea's braid, making her long brunette hair cascade down her back in soft waves. Lizzy and Jane both lifted strands of Beatrice's hair and looked at each other. 

Beatrice glanced at her sisters in the mirror and folded her arms across her chest.  "I hate you both," Beatrice teased, making her sisters laugh quite jovially as they began to work on the atrocity that was Beatrice Bennet's hair.

Through the mirror, Beatrice watched as her sisters began to put pin after pin in her hair to get it to stay in place. Several pins pricked at her scalp and Beatrice was almost certain Lizzy did one of them on purpose because Lizzy would make eye contact with her through the mirror and grin slyly. Was beauty truly worth enduring such things? Surely a woman was worth more than her looks.

After Beatrice's hair was pulled back, quite beautifully she had to admit, Jane began to pull some curls out to hang down the side. She took Beatrice's curls that hung and twisted them around her finger, held them for a few moments, and then released them.

"There," Jane said, resting her chin on Beatrice's shoulder. "Was that so bad?"

"I don't think you'd truly like to know my answer," Beatrice teased.

Aside from Lizzy's accidental pricks, the process truly was not as terrible as she knew it could be. She knew Jane went easy on her as far as beauty regimen was concerned and for that Beatrice was grateful. It was also likely enough to pass Mrs Bennet's muster. Beatrice pursed her lips and then relaxed them. She offered her sisters a smile through the mirror.

"She'll catch some gentleman's eye tonight, don't you think Lizzy?" Jane said as she squeezed Beatrice's arm.

But before Lizzy could answer, Beatrice interjected. "Please don't tease me, Jane," she groaned, tilting her head away from her sister. "It isn't nice."

"She wasn't teasing you, Bea. Truly. You look lovely," Lizzy said, swooping in and resting her chin on Beatrice's other shoulder before rubbing her sister's back.  

"You think so?" Beatrice barely whispered, blinking rapidly. She had never considered herself beautiful. Especially not compared to Jane. She felt so plain compared to all of her sisters.  Then again, Beatrice never found herself good enough at anything.

She wasn't as beautiful as Jane. She wasn't as funny or witty as Lizzy.  She wasn't as confident as Lydia nor did she have as much perseverance as Mary. And she certainly was not as devoted to others as Kitty.  No, Beatrice found herself rather unremarkable, truth be told. 

But Beatrice was knocked out of her reverie.

"We know so," Lizzy offered. "And it's time you accepted it as truth. Besides, any man who can't see your beauty isn't worth your time anyway."

"Lizzy," Jane chided before giving Lizzy a gentle shove.

"What? It's true. Besides, Beatrice has beauty on the outside as well as within - a treasure not often found.  Any man who can't see that isn't worth the time."

Jane simply rolled her eyes in disapproval, making both Lizzy and Beatrice chuckle. Just then, Lydia came prancing into the room with Kitty. They both carried ribbons in their hands that flew out behind them in the air. Lydia dangled some in front of Beatrice's face, making Beatrice scrunch her face and swat at the ribbons to keep them from going in her mouth.

"You shouldn't make that face, Bea. It might stay like that," Lydia teased before dangling the ribbons in front of Beatrice's face once more. "Then you'll never find yourself a husband. Well, at least not a handsome and rich one. "

"Lydia!" Both Lizzy and Jane chastised.

"What?" Lydia groaned, pulling the ribbons back toward herself, skimming the top of Beatrice's hair. "Even Mamma says so. She says that Bea isn't likely to. . ."

"Stop wagging your tongue, Lydia." Lizzy interrupted. "You don't want to hear what Mamma has to say about you."

Lydia immaturely jutted out her chin and rolled her eyes dramatically.

But Lizzy wasn't to be trifled with. "And for that. . ." Lizzy snatched the ribbon from Lydia's hand, leaving her younger sister looking dumbfounded. "Bea's going to wear this ribbon." Lizzy smiled.

"That's the one I was going to wear!"

Lydia attempted to snatch it back, but Jane took hold of one of Lydia's arms and ushered her out of the room. "You best be getting yourself ready now, Lydia.'

"Especially if you're going to find yourself a handsome and rich suitor!" Lizzy added before Jane shut the door.

Jane exhaled a breath rather loudly. "I don't know what's wrong with her," Jane said softly.

This time it was Beatrice who forced a smile. "I'm certain she was only teasing." The words were rather forced, given the fact that she knew quite the contrary.  Lydia rarely minced words for Beatrice's benefit.

"Well, she's entirely wrong about everything," Lizzy said, wrapping her arms around Beatrice's shoulders. "Young and naive - and hopefully she'll grow out of it one day soon."

"If not, it will be her handsome and rich husband's problem," Beatrice said in jest.

After a moment of silence, both Jane and Lizzy burst into a fit of laughter. Jane slid down the door and was in a heap of giggles on the floor. Lizzy took several steps and fell backward onto the bed in laughter. Even Beatrice joined in the laughter.

Following several minutes of laughter, Jane wove the ribbon through Beatrice's hair and kissed her sister's cheek. Beatrice then moved to sit on the bed while Lizzy finished Jane's hair, pinning it perfectly into place with curls framing her face. Jane looked like what Beatrice assumed an angel to look like.

By the time Mr Bennet called that it was time to make haste, the second time, all the Bennet women were ready to leave for the Meryton Assembly. Jane looked angelic in light pink and Lizzy quite handsome in dark green. Mary opted to dress in brown, Lydia in spring green, and Kitty in yellow. Beatrice felt ill at ease dressed in her light blue gown. But there was no time to change as Mrs Bennet herded her daughters to the carriage like sheep.

The Bennets practically had to sit atop one another in their carriage, as their family could only afford one and Mrs Bennet refused to allow one of her daughters to walk lest they spoil their appearance. Not to mention that it was hardly proper. Lizzy and Beatrice gladly would have volunteered to walk together had they been allowed.  Although, Mamma would never allow it, not only because of propriety's sake, but that Lizzy and Beatrice might have too pleasant a walk and never make it to the assembly.

Squeezed between Lizzy and Mary, Beatrice nervously wrung her hands. It was always like this. Her nerves appeared on the way there.  She could only hope that they'd leave once she was inside the assembly.  Although that might be too much to hope for.  Mamma cast her a knowing glance and Beatrice swallowed hard, trying not to move her hands.

Then Mamma set to making a speech about their behavior for the evening and how to fetch themselves a husband. Beatrice was certain she had likely already heard it before, as her mother gave such a speech before every social event. So, she opted not to listen. Perhaps the speech was the way her mother calmed her nerves. If only she hadn't inherited her mother's nerves. And yet, Mamma still managed to find someone to marry.  Why did something so simple in theory have to be so hard?

When the carriage came to a stop, Beatrice inhaled deeply and looked outside at the beautiful lanterns beckoning them inside. A small smile came to her face, but her reverie was ruined by Lydia and Kitty squealing in excitement. Mrs Bennet did nothing to stop them. Lizzy and Beatrice exchanged knowing glances silently.

The door then opened and a footman appeared with his hand extended to help the ladies out. Lydia was the first to scramble out and take the man's hand. Next in the Bennet procession was Kitty, followed by Mrs Bennet who took Mary's hand seemingly dragging her from the carriage against the younger Bennet's will, but much to the amusement of the older Bennet sisters. Then went Jane, Beatrice, and Lizzy before Mr Bennet finally exited.

"My dears, you all look lovely tonight," Mr Bennet complimented his daughters.

"Thank you, Papa," the three girls said simultaneously.

With that, Mrs Bennet took hold of her husband's arm and ushered him inside. Again, the older Bennet girls found the scene quite amusing.

"How do you suppose Papa puts up with it all?" Beatrice asked with a chuckle.

"Papa can hold his own when he wants to," Lizzy responded.

"He doesn't seem to want to very often," Beatrice mused.

The three girls giggled once more.

Beatrice looped one arm through Lizzy's and one through Jane's. Together the three eldest Bennet sisters walked inside the building hosting the Meryton Assembly. None of them was quite aware that fate would be intervening that night - for better or for worse.

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HUGE SHOUTOUT TO MY COMMENTERS:

 MissHiraeth98  grndelwald  MM1776  oneirataxia_girl

kristinatoska1234  bluedevils3  -kazuha  serialkilerz

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Author's Note:

Things have been crazy.  I was forced to resign or be terminated from my job - mostly because of church attendance. I didn't go to their church. Not to mention that I went back into my depression and the principal there didn't know how to deal. But honestly, it was for the best. That place was hella toxic. But now I got a new teaching job come fall that pays more and has no extra duties! Whereas before, I was teaching 3 grades in one classroom, athletic director, junior & adult choir director, drama director, art teacher, creating curriculum, attending curriculum meetings, in charge of technology, running grandparents day & junior olympics, looking over testing results and explaining them for the other teachers, creating class schedules, watching recess, watching lunch, updating the online school calendar, directing the Christmas service (literally didn't celebrate Christmas for 5 years because I had to direct their children's service on Christmas Eve, which was when all my family celebrates it.) and more . . . only to be told I wasn't doing enough.  There's more to it, but it was a toxic and draining place. And my therapist told me at my first session with her that she was glad I left. So, that says something.

That being said, I'm working on my mental health. I'm in an IOP group class to help grow in my coping & DBT skills.  I'm getting tested for ADHD. And I've recently added PTSD to my list of diagnosis (which include depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and social anxiety)

I have no idea what my update schedule to things is going to look like while I work on myself and then start a new job. But I'm not going to be gone forever. I'm just adjusting to new positive changes and trying to leave the toxicity behind.