Welcome to our epistolary retelling of Pride & Prejudice! Jane Austen’s original version of the story, First Impression, was told entirely in letters, so it seemed like a great group project. We’ll be posting a new letter every Wednesday.
Mrs. Reynolds to her sister
9 July 1812
My dearest sister,
I am, as you surmised, busy with the upcoming visit by my dear boy and my little girl, though I should long since have started calling them Mr. Darcy and Miss Darcy in my head as well as when I speak of them! But I cannot help how I think of them, and you are the only one to share my thoughts.
The only cloud on my horizon is That Woman. Yes, my dear boy has invited her here again! I worry for what it might mean. If it is only that her brother is his particular friend, I can tolerate it. But if there is any chance my dear boy plans to give in to her wiles and make her his bride, I dread the consequences.
He is the best master, of course, and only rarely comments on the housekeeping, and then usually to compliment us. She, on the other hand, has nothing but complaints. Her bath is drawn too slow, her gown was not laundered well enough, her sheets must be pressed, her fire is smoking. As if any fireplace at Pemberley is allowed to be in ill-function! Thank heavens she brings her long-suffering lady’s maid, for whom we all have the greatest sympathy, for she takes the worst of her misbehavior. She is too well-bred to complain to us, but her grimaces when the bell rings for her tell us everything.
Then there are her constant criticisms of the décor here, as if it were not beautiful and tasteful! Only to us, of course, never to the master. To him it is all praise, but to the servants, it is a constant refrain of, “If I were mistress here, those curtains would have to go.” Well, my dear sister, Lady Anne Darcy picked those herself, and my dear boy would never touch them!
She frightens poor Miss Georgiana, too. My little girl puts a good face on it, but I can see how her shoulders become tense and her voice is even quieter when speaking to That Woman. I suppose I am glad she is clever enough not to be taken in by the constant flatter pouring out of That Woman’s mouth, but still, she should not have to suffer it.
Fortunately, Miss Georgiana will have her new pianoforte to distract her. It is a surprise gift from her brother, and I know she will delight in it. Hopefully it will give her an excuse to avoid That Woman’s company.
If only my dear boy would fall in love with a woman who truly cares for him! Then I would not have to worry about That Woman somehow maneuvering him into a compromising situation. The upper servants, bless them, know what to do to prevent it, though. One of the maids will remain within view wherever she goes. My staff is highly motivated to prevent such an outcome. I only wish I could do the same when he is away. How I worried when he visited Mr. Bingley at his new house! Fortunately, he escaped unscathed.
How I have gone on with my complaints! I thank you, dearest sister, for bearing with me. I must never be critical in front of my staff, of course, so I must pen my misgivings to your sympathetic ear.
As always, I hope you are well. Pray write to me immediately when Eliza has her new addition. I cannot wait to hear news of my new grandnephew or grandniece,
Sincerely yours,
Alice Reynolds
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I wonder who she is talking about? Surely it can’t be the meek and retiring Miss Bingley?
Thank goodness the staff are all determined to protect Darcy from her!
I do hope they will all appreciate Elizabeth when they see Darcy’s reaction to her visit 🤞🥰🥰
Mrs. Reynolds’s voice here is so well done — you can really feel the affection she has for Darcy and Georgiana, and how hard she’s working to stay proper while venting to her sister. The detail about the staff keeping a maid within view to prevent a “compromising situation” made me laugh out loud. It’s a lovely touch that the real threat in her eyes isn’t Wickham or Lady Catherine, but Caroline Bingley with her curtain complaints. Looking forward to seeing how she reacts when Elizabeth actually shows up at Pemberley — that’s going to be quite the shock for her.
Oh I love this! I hope we can get another Mrs. Reynolds to her sister letter once Elizabeth has arrived/once Mr. Darcy has told her about Elizabeth accepting his proposal
I know this serves as the prelude to Pemberley but I’m hoping that it will carry on even after the events soon to unfold. I would love to hear Mrs. Reynolds observations after Elizabeth visits to see what she thought of the whole situation, what with Elizabeth coming first as an uninterested visitor to the house on tour and then suddenly sitting by the piano forte with the young Miss Darcy, (And reflecting back on asking Elizabeth if she knew the master) and the contrast to that other woman mentioned in this missive
This is a chapter just as charming and endearing as Mrs. Reyolds herself. I hope, Abigail, that we will see another letter to her sister after Elizabeth’s visit to Pemberley. I’d love to her her comments about Miss Bingley’s reaction to Elizabeth and how she observes Darcy’s composure during the visit. So much rich material to draw from; we hope to read more good stuff from you!