At Last: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

by Anne Morris

  • • •

  It was always windy in Scarborough, though as January gave way to February, the Bennet family had to admit that they had gotten used to the weather, and to the difference from their own little county of Hertfordshire. Along with getting used to the wind, they became accustomed to the moderate temperatures that are found at the coast. They heard locals say it would be rainier in March and April as Easter approached, so if one wanted to take advantage of the benefits of the sea, though it was still cold, one should do it presently. It was not exactly the warmest month to be sea bathing, but it was best not to put it off until March when it often rained every second day.

  Elizabeth missed her long walks in the country, but did enjoy strolling along the Spa Terrace, or through the town center. She was beginning to know a number of people, and often she would run into an acquaintance and continue her stroll with that friend and enjoy a pleasant conversation while she enjoyed her exercise. Her mother was never a great walker and, often, whenever Elizabeth expressed an interest in stepping out, Mrs. Bennet said that she would stay in, as had often been the case back home. However, Elizabeth would sometimes combine forces with Miss Simnel, Simon, and Lydia.

  She discovered that Lydia had become known to a number of officers, and they would stop and talk to red coats, which thrilled Simon. Some of the officers did not take the time to speak to a six-year old boy, but Captain Gage always had a kind word, and would crouch his muscular frame down to speak to Simon, who had wide-eyes and wild ideas about the army. The captain never spoke condescendingly to him, for which Elizabeth was grateful.

  Mr. Wolton-Fane had said his morning goodbye, and Elizabeth turned to meander slowly towards the terrace before returning home. Simon was to be delivered to the charge of Captain Gage and a few friends that day who were to take him sea bathing. The six year old had often been allowed time to play along the beach, with his governess in tow, but Miss Simnel's fear of the water meant she always kept him above the tide line. His sisters had not yet partaken of the sport—or rather the health benefits—of sea bathing, though for ladies it was called 'dipping.'

  Miss Simnel and Lydia were to use the morning to do some shopping, though Elizabeth felt Lydia, who went to the shops most days, did not need to make any purchases. She suspected Miss Simnel did, however. The governess probably had few opportunities when out with Simon to shop.

  "Miss Bennet!"

  She looked up to see Mr. Darcy standing before her. He was alone, hatless, and with a slight smile on his face as he called to her where he stood at the terrace rail. Elizabeth had been so lost in thought she had not noticed him among the crush of people out on that February morning, despite his height. The weather seemed the finest there had been since they had come, and no doubt many others were seeking the fresh air, though the wind still whipped at her skirts.

  She greeted him, and he surprised her by offering her his arm and inquiring after her direction. "I am enjoying the fine weather this morning," was her reply, and he acknowledged the same. They continued along the terrace looking out more at the sea beside them, than at the people around them, and not speaking much to begin with.

  "Do you often walk in the mornings?" he asked at last.

  "Yes, every morning, if I am not otherwise engaged, or if the weather is not too cruel, but the locals inform me we have had a spate of unusually fine weather," she looked again at the view. "Simon has gone to enjoy sea bathing this morning, and I am sure I shall hear a long report about it this evening."

  "I am sure the young rascal shall enjoy himself," said Darcy. She thought she could hear a note of amusement in his voice and wondered at it; was he amused at the prospect of Simon's going on such a pleasant day, or was there something else she could not anticipate?

  "I believe you said you are not here to partake of the health benefits Scarborough has to offer, Mr. Darcy, so you would not be up to sea bathing?" she asked, attempting to discern why he would be so amused.

  "No, I will not," his voice lost the hint of amusement, and they walked on for a while in silence until they reached the top of the hill where the terrace sloped down to the spring. She did not wish to go drink the waters, nor did she feel like traversing the hill down and back up again with such a companion.

  "I am going to turn for home," she said, and he turned to walk back with her. Whatever awkwardness there had been a few moments before was gone, and he became talkative, asking about her stay in Scarborough and even inquiring about her sisters in Christchurch.

  • • •

  Not only did Simon get to go sea bathing with Captain Gage, but he was then invited to visit the army barracks, and to spend the better part of the day at the military installation seeing the inner workings of army life. He was wide-eyed as he described his day of adventure to Elizabeth and Lydia that evening as they sat with their mother and Miss Simnel.

  He talked about seeing men drill in formation, of seeing an assortment of real weapons, and being overwhelmed with all of the red coats everywhere. He was, Simon declared, going to grow up to join the army. Elizabeth would have opened her mouth to argue with him, that he was a landowner, and a gentleman, and would never be a soldier, but a huge grin came over his face suddenly.

  "We were naked!" cried Simon. Mrs. Bennet yelped, her tea cup rattling down on the saucer, Miss Simnel gasped, the two Bennet daughters looked at him, and Simon wore the largest grin she had ever seen on his small face.

  "What!" cried Elizabeth, "when were you naked?"

  "When we went sea bathing; the men were all naked." He knew he had their assured attention; knew he was likely to be admonished for his story, but he did not care. "The men are bold and daring, and go into the sea naked, but Captain Gage told me the ladies wear gowns."

  "You don't mean to tell me the men and women all bathe together?" gasped their mother with a hand over her mouth, and her eyes almost as wide as Simon's.

  "No," he answered. "They make the ladies go to one end of the beach to bathe and the men; us men because we are so bold and daring, bathe off in another area, so we do not offend the ladies." He crossed his arms over his chest, and Elizabeth could tell what a delightful day he had had, probably his best day ever. She glanced over at Lydia who was staring at their brother with equally wide eyes, but she thought that Lydia was contemplating the idea of a beach area where the men bathed naked, and was not, perhaps, as offended as she should be by such an idea.

  • • •

  The next morning she was hurrying home after her usual morning discussion with Mr. Wolton-Fane, and lost in contemplating some facts he had shared with her which she had not known about their political system, when she was brought up short by hearing Mr. Darcy's voice calling to her.

  "I took the chance that you were out walking again," said he, and he turned to walk with her. He did not offer her his arm that morning but had not asked her permission to pace beside her either.

  "I am, as I said, out most mornings," she replied. "I am due home today as Miss Church was to call." His face was often so unreadable, but she glanced at him and thought she could see his mouth twitch.

  "You must be pleased with having made new acquaintance in Scarborough," his tone did not match his words, and she looked again at him for understanding, but he was looking at the street ahead and not over at her.

  "It has been a delightful visit. We were here once before, many years ago. I do miss my father and sisters though. Whenever my mother is ready to return to Longbourn, I shall be perfectly ready to depart," she answered.

  "Are you likely to leave soon?" his voice sounded anxious then, and she wondered if he worried, on his sister's behalf, since Lydia was enjoying Georgiana Darcy's company. He was concerned that Miss Darcy's new friend would be leaving.

  "I believe we shall stay at least another fortnight; we had planned to attend a dance at the Long Room before we leave. Mamma wishes to stay until mid-March, but there is no telling; she may suddenly change her mind," said Elizabeth. "I know that my
sisters are due to return to Longbourn the first week in March." She looked again at him, and this time he was looking at her. "I have heard that the awful business in London, that so concerned everyone, has been laid to rest and that they found the second conspirator."

  "Yes, though there still appears to be some unanswered questions. They have not shared any motive about why the attacks were perpetrated," he replied.

  "If the perpetrators are both dead they may never know," she said, and he agreed, and left her at the door to Silver House.

  • • •

  Her days in Scarborough had developed a rhythm and most of it surrounded her new acquaintance. In the mornings, she walked the city streets and spoke with Mr. Wolton-Fane about politics, sometimes also speaking to Mr. Darcy. She spent her days with Lydia and Georgiana; sometimes Miss Church would call and join them in whatever the young ladies chose to do—which often included the officers. In her afternoons and early evenings, she might see Mr. Spencer and Reverend Tiploft. Because Georgiana was not out formally, they did not attend a lot of evening social events which suited Elizabeth, though Lydia expressed more interest in dancing or the theater. The Bennets, at least, were to attend a dance at the Long Room for Lydia's benefit, which had almost daily dances, though Miss Darcy was not permitted to go. But one activity they might all participate in was dipping.

  Lydia became obsessed with the idea of dipping after hearing of Simon's adventures. She seemed not to have heard his descriptions of being plunged completely under the water a number of times—for full immersion of the body was deemed the most healthful part of the process. He said repeated how cold it had been, but Lydia did not heed his words. He also had spoken with animation of the bathing machines, and of Captain Gage and his friend Lieutenant Cooper teaching him some rudimentary swim strokes. Lydia was wild to go bathing as if she would suddenly learn to swim all in one attempt. She and Miss Darcy spoke of it for a number of days, discovered the cost of renting the bathing machines—one shilling—and badgered Elizabeth to come with them.

  • • •

  An outing planned, their bathing machine booked, and their helper hired, the three of them had hot baths waiting for them at home for whenever they returned from their 'dipping.'

  Elizabeth and Lydia finished their breakfast and headed to gather Miss Darcy to their party, for it was to be just the three of them. Mrs. Younge had no wish to go sea bathing, and they had, that first day, figured out that Miss Simnel was quite afraid of the water and kept as far from it as she possibly could. That her charge loved the water was a constant battle which why was Captain Gage's attentions to Master Simon had been so welcome.

  They dressed in loose clothing knowing that they would change into flannel costumes for their sea bath; they also wrapped themselves in their warmest outwear, for Lydia it was a soft green cloak she currently wore jauntily thrown open, showing off her thin dress beneath, for Elizabeth a dark gold pelisse which she had properly buttoned. Miss Darcy was retrieved from her hotel, and they headed to the beach area with excitement on the two girls' part.

  The bathing area was just south of the harbor. The men's area was right up against the harbor wall that extended out from the beach. The women's area was perhaps three or four hundred feet beyond that. The bathing machines were little sheds with wheels as tall as a man, and tracery that could be hitched up to a horse. Both the front and the back of the machine had a door. The bathers, or if women, they were 'dippers,' entered the carriage while it was still parked on the sands. An attendant then hitched the machine to a horse, and it was pulled out into the sea until the back door was the level of the sea water. Meanwhile, the bathers inside had time to change from their street clothes into their dipping gowns. Or, as they had learned from Simon, if they were men, they simply stripped their clothes off altogether. The women placed their street clothes on high shelves in the bathing machine to keep them dry.

  Lydia and Georgiana giggled continually as they looked at the collection of devices before them on the rocky and sandy shore. They had reserved one beforehand, and an attendant led them to their machine, the steps into it had been affixed to the land side. He assured them that Mrs. Jackmann, their dipper, would be waiting for them once they were pulled out into the water. Another burst of giggles erupted from the two girls.

  "Go on up," said Elizabeth.

  Lydia led the way, clasping the top stair, then reaching up to grasp the sides of the open doorway as she pulled herself up into the bathing machine.

  "The floor is damp," she declared once she was inside. Georgiana followed at a more tentative pace, clasping wherever she could hold, and attempting to keep her slippers and skirts dry as she climbed up into the machine next to Lydia. Elizabeth then heard another burst of giggles rain down towards her. She climbed up with more ease than the other two had shown. The floor was indeed wet. They did not have the fancy slippers that many ladies purchased if they were constant partakers of dipping, and which one wore with the flannel gowns, and were made to get wet.

  "All right?" called their attendant, "goin' to have the horse pull ye out now." He shut the door, and the light was shut out with it. There was a tiny, perhaps six inch gap in the door that constituted a sort of window, with a piece of wood that could be slid before it for privacy, but it was closed up, with a few small holes up at the peak of the roof, but there was not much light, as the three women stood in their box on wheels. Even Elizabeth felt inclined to giggle as she looked at the other two who stood with their arms around each other.

  "We need to change to be ready," and Elizabeth pointed at the dull yellow gowns that had been left for them on the high shelves just above their heads in the machine. She unbuttoned her pelisse and had gotten so far as to pull it from her shoulders when they felt the lurch of the machine, and she watched as her two companions swayed as they held onto each other, wide-eyed, but still laughing. The box shuddered and lurched again, and they had to reach out to the sides to steady themselves, but the motion steadied. Elizabeth finished removing her pelisse, unbuttoned her gown, and stepped out of it, folding them and putting them up on the shelf.

  "I suppose I should remove my chemise too," said Elizabeth, "I shall be glad to have it for warmth after the sea." She looked at Lydia, who had stripped off her cloak, which she had messily folded and tossed to the shelf, and was in the process of unbuttoning her own dress but her ties at the back would not come loose.

  "Help me," cried Lydia, turning around as she finished the buttons in front, and Elizabeth untied her laces, and the gown joined her cloak. Both sisters removed their chemises and placed those with their other garments, pulling down the dull yellow flannel dresses. Elizabeth turned to see Georgiana staring at them in their nakedness. She was still fully clothed without having undone a single button. Elizabeth supposed as the only daughter, she was not used to the certain familiarity that went along with having so many sisters, a certain easiness with being naked in front of each other; Elizabeth pulled the mostly shapeless gown over her head.

  "Shall I help you with your buttons and ties?" Elizabeth offered their guest. Georgiana blushed as she had been looking rather obviously at her and Lydia's naked forms.

  "Yes, please," answered Georgiana softly, who turned her back. Elizabeth undid Georgiana's ties and the few buttons that were still there, and her dress came off. She had not thought about the need for undressing, and still wore stays, so that needed her friends' help with its removal as well. They were fumbling with loosening them when there was another lurch, and Elizabeth suspected that they had arrived at their destination. The man would need to unhitch the horse still. Georgiana, blushing prettily, finished dressing in her yellow gown. There were matching little yellow caps to wear and with many blushes, and much laughing and giggling, they finished changing into their dipping attire.

  The door to the seaside of the bathing machine was pulled open by Lydia, who peered out at the water that was right outside the door; it was only an inch or two below the deck level of
the machine where they stood, which accounted for its probably perpetual wetness. She leaned out, holding onto the frame of the door, to peer to the sides, and could see three other bathing machines in the women's area on either side of them.

  "Hello," called a figure striding through the water. Mrs. Jackmann was not dressed in the thin yellow flannel gowns that they wore, and which had, Elizabeth could tell, weights sewn into the hems. Mrs. Jackmann had a sturdy gown of dark blue which looked to be wool serge fitted closely to her figure, and even looked as though she wore stays underneath. She had on a magnificent bonnet of blue and white, with a rather limp and wet feather drooping from it, but her smile was broad.

  "You can jump in, and I will make sure you do not wash away, or I can attach the ladder, and you can climb down," said their guide. "You need not worry about the dress floating up and embarrassing you—that is why there are weights in the hem, to keep your bum from showing!" she laughed as she looked up at them, and Lydia caught on and joined in. Georgiana, for once, did not join her friend, but looked surprised and embarrassed.

  "I think I want the steps," whispered Georgiana to Elizabeth, looking down at the floor of the bathing machine.

  "I will ask," said Elizabeth, and they watched as Lydia jumped in, then emerged back above the water open-mouthed and sputtering, coughing out water as her arms pushed desperately around her. Mrs. Jackmann laughed as she wrapped her arms around the flailing girl and held tightly to her.