It was with more than a little excitement that Lydia closed her journal, put away the magic quill they had been provided, and checked herself in the mirror. She wore a simple white day dress and straw bonnet, and her cheeks were flushed with her excitement. Coming to Summerview Park had been such a good scheme. While the invitation to Brighton would have been exciting, it had nothing on being here. Balls every single week, music, cards, fancy dinners every night...Lydia had never had so much fun in all her days. And despite Lizzy and Jane (Jane especially) being so upset about the gossip, Lydia quite loved the fact that she was learning about the comings and goings of others. Her mother and aunt weren't half as good at sniffing out gossip as Lady Whistledown seemed to be. After all, they could only speculate, where Whistledown seemed to have eyes all over. But, as exciting as that was, nothing compared to seeing Wickham again and getting the chance to dance and talk with him.
Lizzy had mostly claimed him to herself before, and while she didn't seem very keen on him these days, that meant she felt not at all bad about spending time alone with him. Technically it was unchaperoned, and technically her sisters would probably not like that, but it was the afternoon and there were plenty of gardeners and others milling about. It would hardly be that shocking for two friends to walk about and enjoy the fine day, right?
Lydia arrived at the entrance to the garden and maze, her feet unable to stay still as she paced, waiting for the familiar face of Mr. Wickham. George.