New Neighbor

A new neighbor just moved into the estate near to ours, Netherfield. His name is Charles Bingley. Rumor has it that he is single, handsome, and very eager to marry! Oh how excited this makes me! Now maybe one of my five daughters will finally marry and move out! I am sure he will be interested in Jane, or maybe even Elizabeth! Lord knows they both are running out of time before they start to be old and grey, then no man will want to take their hand in marriage. I begged and begged my dear Mr. Bennet to go introduce himself to Mr. Bingley and invite him to dinner before someone else did, and we lost our chance to introduce him to our daughters. Even though there are really no other slightly attractive, single young ladies within a large radius of our town, I would have rather been safe than sorry. As it turns out Mr. Bennet was one of the very first to meet Mr. Bingley, and this increased my hopes highly that he would be interested in one of my daughters. At the ball, Mr. Bingley seemed to be hypnotized by Jane. He danced with her numerous time and was around her a great majority of the night! Oh! Jane Binlgey sure sounds like music to my old ears!

Charles Bingley

Holy Matrimony

I am so very happy with my daughters! Lydia, Jane, and Elizabeth all married! Now just two more to go! Oh! What joy and happiness this brings to me and my dear Mr. Bennet. Although Lydia almost caused her poor mother to die of a heart attack from shock, I am still very proud of her and happy that she has found a husband. I could not believe she ran away the way that she did! What was that child thinking? Surely she was blinded by her love for Mr. Wickham when she decided to run away with him. No one in their right mind would do such a thing to their family. If Mr. Wickham would not have married Lydia, none of my daughters would have had a chance at finding a respectable husband. The Bennets’ reputation would have been ruined! Also, I am very thankful for Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy. Both Jane and Elizabeth seem very madly in love. And, from my observations, they will be very well supported by their husbands’ income. I am ecstatic they both have found wealthy, respectable men to fall in love with. My two daughters will be very much taken care of. Maybe one day, when I turn old and gray, they will take care of their poor mother. Hopefully Mary and Kitty have as much luck as Jane and Lizzy in finding a husband!

Elizabeth and Darcy

Stubborn Child

I am furious with my Elizabeth! Our lovely cousin Mr. Collins asked her hand in marriage and she refused! How dare her act as if she has no sense! Surely Mr. Bennet and I have raised her much better than that! She is much too old to turn down an offer of marriage. Not to mention that Mr. Collins is to inherit our estate when Mr. Bennet passes! Now Lizzy has lost her chance to have our beautiful home. She has taken away the chance for any of our daughters to have it! Oh! What such action does to my nerves. I myself am much too old to deal with such ridiculous and humiliate behavior. To make matters worse, Mr. Bennet was not on my side at all! He told Lizzy he would never speak to her again if she accepted Mr. Collins, and I told her I would never speak to her again if she didn’t! What chaos! And just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse we were informed that, after Elizabeth’s rejection, Mr. Collins proposed to Charlotte Lucas and she accepted. I can’t bear the thought of her inheriting our estate along with Mr. Collins, instead of one of my own daughters! What a shame on Elizabeth, what a shame!

Mr. Collins

Letter of Fate

My dear Jane received a much exciting letter from Caroline Bingley. She was invited to dine with her at Netherfield. Unfortunately, to our understanding, Mr. Bingley was not in town and would not be attending the occasion. When Jane asked to use the carriage I denied her request and said her father already had arrangements to use it, so she was forced to go on horseback. While there, just as I had expected, the storm came through and Jane was forced to stay over night at Netherfield. The next day, we were informed that our poor Jane had caught a cold, and Caroline Bingley insisted that she stay at Netherfield until she was well. Oh! My plan worked! Mr. Bingley will soon return home, and he and Jane will get to spend more time together. Mr. Bingley HAS to fall in love with my dear Jane. They are just perfect for each other. Not to mention that she is my eldest daughter and has yet to receive any offer in marriage. She cannot stay single the rest of her life! So I, as her mother, have taken the initiative to help her in her search for a husband. Lord knows she cannot do it on her own. Just as I had hoped, Mr. Bingley returned home while Jane was still ill, and they shared many, many conversations. The more time Mr. Bingley spends with Jane, the more he will realize she is the perfect prospect for his wife, and he will fall madly in love. Jane will thank me greatly one day for all the good I do for her!

Caroline Bingley