Sketching Character : A Jane Austen Inspired Novel by Pamela Lynne EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
- Authors: Pamela Lynne
- Language: English
- Genre: Classic Historical Fiction
- Format: PDF / EPUB
- Size: 2 MB
- Price: Free
Elizabeth was roused from her sleep by a quick movement on the other side
of the bed. Her mind was still somewhere in twilight when the sound of
retching reached her ears and the smell of sickness washed over her.
Coming to awareness, she quickly rolled over and sat behind her sister,
rubbing circles on her back in an attempt to bring comfort.
“I am sorry, Lizzy,” Lydia said after long moments hunched over the
chamber pot. “I did not make it in time. It can come upon me so quick,
especially at night.”
Elizabeth put her arm around Lydia’s shoulders and pressed tenderly.
She looked down at her soiled nightgown and then at her pale face. Her
sister had barely eaten in the past few weeks, and when she did it came
back up with so much violence that Elizabeth wondered if it was possible to
die from such an expulsion.
“Do you think you are finished?” Elizabeth’s voice was soft, full of sleep
and concern. At Lydia’s nod, she stood and placed the pot on the bedside
table. “Can you stand, dearest? We need to clean you.”
Lydia stood as Elizabeth helped her out of her gown. The events of the
night were now a regular occurrence and Elizabeth was prepared. She
moistened a towel from a basin placed close to the fire and began to wipe
away the evidence of the evening’s disturbance. She drew the cloth gently
over Lydia’s face then cleansed the rest of her thin frame, pausing briefly
over the slight protrusion just below her ribcage. They would not be able to
conceal her condition much longer. The lasting evidence of Lydia’s
seduction was growing even as the rest of her was wasting away.
Elizabeth pulled a clean gown over her sister’s head and helped her back
to bed.
“How much longer will this last, Lizzy?”
Elizabeth sat next to her and stroked her face. “I know not, dearest, but
from what we have been told, you should not suffer much longer.” She
hoped it was true. Lydia had been sick for longer than their aunt advised
already.
“It is only what I deserve. I… “
“Shhh.” Elizabeth leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her head. “None
of that, Liddy. You must try to rest now. We begin our journey tomorrow.”
She rose from the bed and donned her robe. Taking the basin from the
table, she turned back to Lydia.
“I will return in a moment. Go to sleep, dearest.”
Elizabeth walked Longbourn’s darkened passages, reaching the servants’
stairs by instinct more than by sight. She moved through the kitchen to the
back door, where she slipped into boots and a cloak that waited there. She
stepped through the door into the night, thankful for the cool burst of air
that helped calm her own stomach.
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