Commentary on Chapter 7
with Peaches, Biscuit, and Mary
Peaches (The Cat): Okay, Chapter 7 is pure chaos. Mrs. Bennet has officially weaponized the British weather. She forced Jane to ride a horseback to Netherfield in a literal downpour just so she’d get sick and be forced to sleep over at Mr. Bingley's house. That is diabolical. I respect the hustle, but as a cat, the concept of being forced into the rain for a guy is a federal crime.
Mary: It really is wild. Mrs. Bennet was actually thrilled when the letter arrived saying Jane had a massive cold and couldn't leave. Meanwhile, Elizabeth is so worried that she decides to walk three miles through the mud alone just to check on her sister.
Biscuit (The Corgi): Three miles of mud?! Mary, that sounds like the greatest walk in human history! Think of the smells! Think of the squishy paws! Elizabeth is a hero! Did she get to shake the mud all over the rich guy's fancy carpets? Tell me she shook the mud!
Peaches: Oh, she did better than that, Biscuit. She walked straight into the Netherfield breakfast room looking like a swamp monster, with her petticoats six inches deep in mud and her face glowing from the exercise. The Bingley sisters looked like they were going to faint from the pure horror of a girl walking outside without a carriage. They are so fragile.
Mary: Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst definitely judged her for it, but Mr. Darcy was secretly super impressed by how bright her eyes looked after the walk.
Biscuit: Yay! Mud eyes! But Mary, is Jane going to be okay? When my nose gets cold, you wrap me in the fuzzy blanket and give me a spoonful of pumpkin pureé. Is Mr. Bingley giving her pumpkin?
Mary: Jane is tucked away safely in a nice room upstairs, and Bingley is making sure she has the best doctors. Elizabeth stays behind to nurse her, which means she is now officially trapped in the same house as Mr. Darcy and the snobby sisters.
Peaches: The tension is going to be magnificent. A house full of wealthy snobs, an angry Elizabeth, a lurking Darcy, and Jane coughing upstairs. It’s like being locked in a house with three other alpha cats and only one sunny spot on the rug.
Mary: It really is the ultimate pressure cooker dynamic. Ready to see the drama unfold in Chapter 8?