The second week at home began. It was the soldiers’ last week in Meryton, and all the young ladies in the area were very sad. Only Elizabeth and Jane were happy to see them go. Kitty and Lydia, however, were miserable.
"What will we do?" they cried. "How can you smile, Lizzy?"
Even Mrs. Bennet was upset. "I remember when a regiment left twenty-five years ago," she said. "I cried for two days. I thought my heart would break."
"I am sure mine will break now," Lydia said.
But Lydia’s luck soon changed. She received an invitation from Mrs. Forster, the wife of the Colonel, to go with them to Brighton for the summer. Mrs. Forster was young and liked to have fun, just like Lydia.
Lydia was incredibly excited. She ran around the house, laughing and shouting, while Kitty cried because she wasn't invited.
Elizabeth was very worried. She knew that Lydia was too young and too silly to be left alone in a place like Brighton, surrounded by soldiers. She secretly went to her father and asked him to stop Lydia from going.
"Lydia is too wild," Elizabeth warned him. "If you do not control her now, she will become a source of shame for our whole family. She is already a flirt, and in Brighton, she will only get worse. People will lose respect for all of us because of her behavior."
Mr. Bennet listened quietly. Then he said, "Do not worry, Lizzy. You and Jane will always be respected. We will have no peace in this house if Lydia does not go. Let her go to Brighton. Colonel Forster is a sensible man and will look after her. At Brighton, she will realize she is not as important as she thinks she is."
Elizabeth was disappointed. She had done her duty by warning him, but she knew her father was making a mistake.
A few days later, Elizabeth saw Mr. Wickham for the last time. She was no longer attracted to him. In fact, she now found his polite manners very fake. When he tried to flirt with her again, she felt annoyed.
During a dinner at Longbourn, she mentioned that she had seen Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam in Kent. Wickham looked alarmed.
"I think Mr. Darcy improves when you know him better," Elizabeth said pointedly.
Wickham grew pale and nervous. He tried to tell his old stories about Darcy again, but Elizabeth did not let him go on. She smiled and changed the subject. Wickham realized that Elizabeth knew the truth. They spent the rest of the evening being polite, but they both wanted to avoid each other.
The next morning, Lydia left for Meryton to join Mrs. Forster. The goodbye was very loud. Mrs. Bennet told Lydia to have as much fun as possible, and Lydia shouted her farewells. Kitty was still crying from jealousy, and Elizabeth was glad to see her youngest sister finally go, even if she feared what might happen in Brighton.