Page 47 of The Bordeaux Book Club
‘But she’s dreadful!’ Grace said. ‘Her hysterics! The way she is so determined to micro-manage her girls’ lives. And she even gets what she wants in the end – two married off very well.’
‘She’s even quite pleased about Lydia’s wedding, in the end, despite the scandal,’ added Leah.
‘True. Yes, see?’ Grace said. ‘She’s not worried about her daughters’ happiness, just their station in life. Bit selfish and money-grabbing, in all honesty.’
‘I guess she must feel a bit desperate though,’ George said. ‘She’s just trying to make sure her daughters are OK. It must be difficult knowing that Mr Bennet isn’t allowed to pass the house on to a female heir in his will, so she and the girls are basicallyscrewed… um, in trouble, when he dies. Enough to make anyone desperate. Especially in those days.’
Leah had never looked at Mrs Bennet with anything other than humour or exasperation. But she could see it – the lack of choice in society that had led to Mrs Bennet becoming the extreme meddler she was. ‘I suppose you’re right,’ she said. ‘And as a character, too, she’s great fun. When you step away from the… position she’s in and just look at her actions. She’s such a quirky character – I bet Austen enjoyed writing her.’
‘I find the book very strange,’ Camille admitted, flicking her hair back over her shoulder and sitting forward. ‘Because it is strange to me that all the girls they want to marry for money and not for love. Even Elizabeth, the love she get from Mr Darcy, it is strange. He say he love her, and he do things… but I cannot imagine how they would live together! After the wedding, what do they say to one another? Are they happy? I cannot see it.’
Leah thought about Mr Darcy – his frosty manner, his stiff haughtiness. Yes, he let his guard down later in the book. But he would hardly be a relaxing companion. ‘No fun at parties,’ she said, nodding her agreement.
‘Still, they’ve got the ten thousand a year to keep them occupied,’ Monica said.
‘What would that be in today’s money?’ Grace speculated.
‘At least a million,’ Monica said. ‘I looked it up. Some people reckon it’s more like £450,000 and some estimate it as up to £8 million. But in any case, that would just have been a return on his investments – he’d have had loads more. And he’s got the estate at Pemberley too – that sounds, well, pretty good.’
‘Yes,’ said Camille. ‘But that is not love. That is money.’
‘Sometimes they come hand in hand,’ Monica said.
Camille shook her head. ‘But this is rare. And I think for Elizabeth, she like the money a lot. Because she say to her sister,Jane, that she fall in love when she see Monsieur Darcy’s estate at Pemberley. So, maybe it is the money, for her too.’
Grace shook her head. ‘No, I don’t see it that way. I think she’s joking there with Jane – in the way sisters do. I think she does start to soften at Pemberley but it’s when she sees the other side of Darcy – maybe he’s more comfortable on his home soil, so to speak. She can see that he’s more than this dark, brooding man who seems so awkward and judgemental.’
‘Maybe,’ Leah said. ‘And there’s the letter, isn’t there. Where he explains things more. And I wonder whether she can see through his kind of awkward mannerisms once she’s read it?’
Camille shrugged. ‘To me, this is not love. It is making a life and having money and perhaps it is the only choice they have. But this book is not about passion,l’amour. It is more like getting a job.’
Alfie laughed and leaned slightly against her. ‘Always the romantic,’ he said.
Camille looked at him, her eyes lighting up. ‘At least with us, we know that it is not about money, eh.’
Alfie blushed. ‘Sadly not,’ he said. ‘No, notsadly… what I mean is, it would be nice to have both. A bit of money too.’
‘Amen to that,’ said Monica.
They all murmured. George sipped his wine. ‘What do you think of Lydia?’ he said, one eyebrow raised.
‘She’s certainly a fun character. Always giggling, seeing the funny side,’ Leah said. ‘And I feel a bit sorry for her – she’s only a kid and gets totally led astray by Mr Wickham.’
‘I feel sorry for her,’ said Monica. ‘I know she causes problems for the family when she elopes, but looking at it with modern eyes… For goodness’ sake, she’s fifteen! This man – he’s definitely quite a bit older than her – persuades her. And she’s… well, vulnerable and susceptible. And has everything to lose.’
‘Yes,’ Camille said. ‘It would be quite a scandal, yes, for her. But for him, he can get away with it.’
‘Not much different to nowadays,’ Monica said. ‘Obviously, you wouldn’t be ruined for sleeping with someone. But it’s still much more men who get the high five and women who get talked about behind their backs.’
‘Not if she was fifteen though,’ George said. ‘He’d be thrown in prison.’
‘Hopefully,’ Grace said.
‘You do wonder,’ said Leah, ‘about their lives together after the wedding – whether they could really be happy. I mean, Wickham’s more or less forced into marriage by Darcy; it’s not something he’s naturally wanted to do. And he and Darcy are no great fans of each other. I’m guessing things might not be that happy behind the scenes.’
‘Were they for any of them, though?’ Monica said, shaking her head. ‘Like, with such a, well, shallow pool of suitable suitors, it’s not likely any of them found anything really meaningful. The kind of relationship that can stand the test of time. The ups and downs.’
They were all quiet for a moment.
