It came as a shock to absolutely no one when a messenger arrived hours later, carrying a letter from the Bingleys. Mrs. Bennet accepted the note with much enthusiasm and turned to Oliver—who was sitting in a reading chair nearby, book open in his lap—with a victorious smile. “You see?” she said. “It’s from the Bingleys!” Oliver didn’t respond. Mrs. Bennet slid her finger beneath the wax seal and hastily opened the letter. After a moment she gave a triumphant shout and exclaimed, “Jane is ill!” Oliver slowly closed his book, meeting his mother’s excitement with a dead-eyed stare. “Strange for a
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she needs to be jailed
