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Kissing Captain Carter's Ear

Lydia Bennet's Online Diary.
At this time of the year I always read Pride and Prejudice and I thought it would be fun to see what Lydia is thinking about all the goings on at Longbourn. Lydia's online diary starts just before Mr Bingley arrives and finishes where my novel, Lydia Bennet's Story, begins.

Wednesday, December 16th, 1801
Kitty and I set forth to Meryton to visit our friends at Emma Nicolson’s. We were eager to tell them and anybody we met along the way about our news of poor Wickham’s treatment at the hands of vile Mr Darcy. Everyone was shocked, although not in the least surprised, for Mr Darcy is generally despised by all who have had the misfortune to become acquainted with him.
Isabella and Diana voiced their concerns about my sister with regards to Mr Bingley’s friendship with Darcy.

“Jane is probably better off without him,” Isabella declared. “Who knows what sort of a gentleman Bingley really is, if he can be friends with the likes of a man who would deny his childhood friend the right to his inheritance?”

We were all agreed on this point but feel very sorry for Jane because a broken heart takes so long to mend and as Kitty pointed out she would have been certain of a rich and comfortable home, dresses, bonnets, gloves and shoes of the latest fashion and a carriage of her own. What more could anyone ask for?

“I am sure I would not have let him get away so soon, if I had thought he was on the verge of making ME an offer,” cried Diana. “There are tricks a girl can employ to keep her beau interested you know and if Jane had anything about her, she would have at least attempted one or two.”

“Diana!” cried Emma, “Whatever can you mean, you bad girl?”

“I do not mean anything so wholly naughty,” she protested, “but a few stolen kisses and soft, whisperings in his ear would go a long way to keep a man like Bingley interested.”

“You speak as though from experience, Diana!” I shrieked and although she hotly denied any such behaviour, her blushes betrayed her yet again. As everyone fell about, insensible with laughter I could not but wonder about her employment of ‘tricks’ and a vision of Diana kissing Captain Carter’s ear floated before my eyes.

Lydia Bennet