life. The wretched people who write these things should be arrested and punished, but it seems they cannot be stopped. He is not a spendthrift, as they say; military life is very expensive; you should see the bills I have had, for hundreds of pounds, and a note with them saying that they are for his uniforms.
He has spent a great deal on uniforms for the men, too, for he likes his troops to look smart, which is very unselfish of him, for if they have to go and get killed, the uniforms will not be returned, and we shall be out of pocket.
It is certainly not true that he drinks three bottles of champagne in an evening; he never drinks more than two, and he quite often visits the troops, or at least the officers, though of course if there is a war, he will not risk his life in the line of battle; why should he? The soldiers do that sort of thing; he will stand on a hill, with a telescope, and direct things. After all, they have not paid for their employment; and if he were killed, forty thousand pounds would be lost.
I still hold the living of Rosings, and I want to put Mr Septimus Whiley in there, for he is excessively tedious and thinks of nothing but his books; the Duchess wants to be rid of him. The Collinses could exchange with him, leave Hunsford and come here, for though Mr Collins is equally tedious, he does show a proper respect for rank, and can be useful in little ways; but Mrs Collins writes that they do not want to move away, only because the fruit trees that Mr Collins planted are beginning to bear! You would think, after all that has passed, that they would be willing to oblige me. But people of that class are extremely insensitive.
Believe me, nephew, I am not dead to all family feeling, and there is nothing I would like better than to come to Pemberley again. If ever you come to your senses, regain the consciousness of your rank, and give up Anne's acquaintance, I shall be delighted to visit you. Until then, I remain, believe me,
Your affectionate aunt,
C. de Bourgh Meaburn.
About the Author
Judith Brocklehurst was more fortunate than Elizabeth Bennet, for she got to the lakes— in fact she was brought up there, and it was on visits to the magnificent scenery of Derbyshire that her passion for Jane Austen was developed. She won a scholarship and attended Cambridge university, then emigrated to Canada in the sixties with her husband and two young daughters, and worked as a teacher and newspaper columnist. Her greatest pleasure was writing Jane Austen sequels by installments and sharing them electronically with Janeites all over the world.
