P&P:TUS The Wickhams Depart Longbourn

The Wickhams Depart Longbourn

September 10, 1812

Elizabeth stood with the rest of the family on Longbourn’s front steps. The sun hung high in the cloudless sky, teasing with vague warmth, as Lydia waved her final goodbyes. She edged back to allow Mama and Kitty better vantage.

The ten days of the Wickhams’ visit could not have gone more slowly, and the final three had been the longest of all. Especially this morning, when Lydia summoned all her sisters to help her pack, as though in...