by Jann Rowland
“There is little about Miss Bennet that is not to like,” replied Darcy. “You like her very well yourself.”
“Perhaps I do,” replied Georgiana. “But I am not a gentleman in need of a wife, whereas you are the first without question, and if our aunt is any guide, the second as well!”
When Darcy did not reply at once, Georgiana huffed with displeasure. “Come, Brother, I shall not attempt to push you together in my nefarious matchmaking schemes, nor will I betray it to Elizabeth. I can see your admiration in every interaction with her, for I know you as well as any other. Will you not own to it?”
“As I said, Georgiana,” said Darcy, “I like Miss Bennet very well. If you are suggesting I wish to propose to her, that is premature, for I do not know her well enough yet.”
Georgiana smiled at him, a faint whiff of satisfaction hovering about her. “Then I am pleased to hear it, Brother. I hope you will not blame me if I hope that I will have a sister someday.”
Darcy could not help the laugh that burst from his lips. “As long as you do nothing to interfere, you may espouse all the hope you desire.”
“Then may I invite her to Pemberley for the summer?”
Brought up short, Darcy peered at his sister, who huffed and folded her arms. “I do not wish to invite her because I wish to throw you together, Brother. If you recall, I wanted to invite her long before I had any knowledge of your admiration.”
“I suppose it would be acceptable,” said Darcy, watching with indulgent amusement when his sister clapped her hands. “The question is whether Mrs. Annesley is sufficient chaperonage.”
“Then invite Mr. and Mrs. Bingley too,” said Georgiana, waving his caution away as if it were no trouble. It was not, Darcy reflected, for he had thought of the same remedy, and his aunt had suggested it too .
“That is possible, and especially more so because Bingley wishes to look for an estate.”
“In that case, I shall consider it settled,” replied Georgiana.
And settled it was. Now that he had all but allowed Georgiana her way in this matter, Darcy felt lighter than he had in some time. If nothing else, it would allow him much more time to come to know Miss Bennet, to see if she suited his needs. Any other thoughts on the matter he quashed for the moment, though he knew they would return in force at another time.
Though much to their maids’ chagrin, Jane and Elizabeth assisted each other in their preparations for the ball. Lucy, eager as she was to remain in her position as a ladies’ maid, fussed and fidgeted over Elizabeth’s hair, molding, sculpting, making touches here and there, even after Jane had pronounced it presentable. Jane’s maid was much more secure in her position and accepted the change in their routines with better grace than the other girl.
“I am sorry you feel neglected,” said Elizabeth, laughing at her maid, “but Jane and I have long assisted each other. It has become something of a ritual.”
“Oh, it is no trouble, Miss,” replied Lucy. “I hope you do not find my presence unwelcome.”
“Not at all,” assured Elizabeth.
“Besides,” said Jane, a hint of laughter in her tone, “I cannot leave the matter to chance, for I must ensure that my sister’s appearance is stupendous. Why, my mother is not here, so Lizzy is my responsibility. How can I throw her into the paths of rich men if she does not look her best?”
While Elizabeth and Jane laughed at her joke, the maids watched them with incomprehension, neither knowing Mrs. Bennet. Jane’s comment, however, was apropos to her mother.
“That is something that Mama might have said!” exclaimed she with glee.
“It is something she did say,” replied Jane. “During my wedding breakfast, she said those very words to me, abjuring me to ensure I presented you to the best and wealthiest of gentlemen.”
With a rueful shake of her head, Elizabeth said: “I should have guessed. At least Mama is not here.”
Jane nodded her head in commiseration, and they left the subject behind. For some moments, they dressed, each looking over the attire of the other, adjusting here or inspecting there. Knowing the ball they were to attend was one which would see the finest of society, they looked the dresses over, ensuring there was no danger of a loosed stitch or a frayed hem. When they had satisfied themselves, Jane led them from the room to the vestibule where Mr. Bingley was waiting for them.
When they reached the stairs and started down, Elizabeth, watching as she was, saw the exact moment when Mr. Bingley caught sight of his wife. The utter adoration with which he regarded her, the way he would not move his eyes to any other view, filled her with satisfaction. All she had ever wished for was Jane’s happiness, and now that she was assured of it, Elizabeth took great comfort in that fact.
“What visions of loveliness have appeared before my eyes,” said the gentleman when he tore his eyes away from his wife. He bowed and kissed each of their hands in turn, adding: “I must be the luckiest man alive to be presented with such perfection as this.”
“There is no need to flatter me, Mr. Bingley,” jested Elizabeth. “I know very well that you have no thought for me when Jane is nearby.”
“Perhaps my thoughts dwell on her for the most part,” said Mr. Bingley, “but a man would need to be blind to miss your beauty, Elizabeth. I shall be hard-pressed to keep gentlemen away from you both, for you shall be the belles of the ball.”
“But keeping gentlemen away from us is not the point, is it?” asked Elizabeth. “I wish to dance, you know.”
The gentleman threw his head back and laughed. “Then I shall take care not to intrude upon your senses, dearest sister, though you may wish for my protection by the end of the evening.”
With a mock glare, Mr. Bingley continued: “Now I must take issue with this matter of you stealing my wife. I declare I have not seen her all day! If this is the way it is to be, perhaps I should reconsider my decision to invite you to live with us.”
“I think, Mr. Bingley, you can do without her for one night.”
“Perhaps I can,” said Mr. Bingley. “But I do not wish to.”
Laughing, Elizabeth stepped forward and kissed the gentleman’s cheek. “Then I shall give you this time before we depart.”
With a grin, Mr. Bingley turned to Jane and they conversed in quiet tones while Elizabeth sat some distance away, thinking about the night to come. As it had of late when she was not thinking about something else, Elizabeth’s thoughts turned to Mr. Darcy. It was a pleasant few moments of contemplation of the gentleman until Mr. Bingley’s movement interrupted her reverie.
“Where the deuce is Caroline?” demanded the gentleman.
Mr. Bingley stood at the foot of the stairs looking up, his foot tapping an impatient cadence on the tiles. As he muttered about his sister and her penchant for making his life difficult, Mr. Bingley pulled out his pocket watch and looked at it, his countenance contorting into a scowl when he noted the time.
“We are to depart in ten minutes, and she has not descended.”
“Perhaps she had some difficulty with her dress,” suggested Jane.
Mr. Bingley released a mirthless laugh. “Though it is good of you to say it, it is far more likely my sister intends on being late, for she has ever emulated those of higher society.”
“If you will pardon my saying, Mr. Bingley,” said Elizabeth, “I do not consider an inability to be punctual as a mark of good breeding.”
With a laugh, Mr. Bingley exclaimed: “I cannot but agree with you. Let us see if we can rouse my sister from her chambers.”
Summoning the housekeeper, Mr. Bingley instructed her to dispatch a message to his sister to attend them at once. While the housekeeper carried out his instructions, the way Mr. Bingley paced the floor suggested he did not believe his sister would obey. Jane attempted to calm him, but his pique limited her success. When another five minutes had passed, Mr. Bingley instructed his housekeeper to take another message to his sister.
“Tell my sister that if she does not appear w
ithin five minutes, we shall depart without her.”
Though the urge to laugh was nigh overpowering, Elizabeth refrained, wondering what the woman’s response would be. Nothing good, she thought. It was possible Miss Bingley would believe her brother would not follow through with his threat and stay above stairs until she was ready to descend.
While Elizabeth’s supposition might have been true before, in this instance Miss Bingley soon descended, though not long before the allotted five minutes had passed. That she was not in a humor to allow the command to pass without commentary was something Elizabeth had expected and was not disappointed when she opened her mouth the moment she alighted from the stairs.
“Why are you in such a rage to depart? Do you not know that everyone of any consequence shall be fashionably late?”
The look Mr. Bingley shot at Elizabeth—where Miss Bingley could not see—once again tested Elizabeth’s control.
“That may be true, Caroline,” said Mr. Bingley. “What you have failed to remember is that while those of consequence may be late without repercussion, we are not of consequence to most of these people.”
Miss Bingley did not like the reminder of their position and opened her mouth to speak, but Mr. Bingley cut her off. “Lady Susan has done us the singular honor of inviting us to her ball, Caroline, and we shall not repay her by delaying our attendance. Please gather your wrap, for we shall depart at once.”
There was no reply to make, for Miss Bingley seemed to understand her brother would not be persuaded. Within moments they were prepared, escorted to the waiting coach, where Mr. Bingley handed them in one at a time, Jane last so he could sit beside her. Then with a tap on the roof of his carriage, they were off.
Chapter XVII
Ever since Elizabeth had known her, Caroline Bingley had spoken of the wonders of the London season with a laughable level of reverence. Now that she had been there for almost two months, Elizabeth had seen nothing worthy of the praise Miss Bingley had lavished on it. Those in London were people—many were wealthy and more considered themselves to be very high, but there was nothing exceptional about them which did not consist of their wealth and their opinions of themselves. Though the amusements were plentiful, Elizabeth did not think there was anything extraordinary about the season.
That evening at Lady Susan’s ball caused Elizabeth to reassess her previous position to a certain extent, for there was something fine about the arrangements, the people, and the entertainment. The hall was lit up with candles tastefully arranged, while ribbons and flowers festooned every available wall and every nook and cranny. The people in attendance were dressed in fabrics costly and ostentatious, and while Elizabeth thought many were puffed-up peacocks, preening about to attract a mate, there was something in their demeanor that appeared different from she had heretofore witnessed.
When the carriage stopped to allow them to exit, Elizabeth followed her sister, who was on her husband’s arm, looking about with interest. As the ball had not yet opened, they found the greeting line to be short, echoing Miss Bingley’s words about the propensity of those invited to be late. The angry glance of annoyance the woman shot at her brother suggested she had noticed it too, but Mr. Bingley paid her no heed.
Thus, it was only a few moments before the line progressed far enough for them to stand before their hostess. Those ahead of them appeared like they were people of some prominence, for their noses were raised in the air and the woman wore costly jewels; they appeared to be several years older than Mr. Bingley. Perhaps more important to Elizabeth’s understanding was the countess’s slight grimace when they moved down the line after receiving her greeting. Then she noted Elizabeth’s presence with her party and her face lit up.
“Mr. Bingley, how lovely it is to see you.” She then turned to the ladies and greeted each in turn, expressing sentiments of equal warmth.
“I do not believe you have met my family, so please allow me to introduce them.”
The earl was a tall, slender man, aristocratic in bearing, yet jolly in his greetings, and welcoming in his demeanor. Elizabeth had already made Colonel Fitzwilliam’s acquaintance at the first ball she had attended and had seen him on one or two more occasions. Of particular interest to Elizabeth was the introduction to Lady Susan’s daughters.
“It is agreeable to have a face to go with the name,” said Lady Charity, the Lady Susan’s youngest daughter. “Georgiana has had much to say of you, and it seems she has not stinted or exaggerated her praise.”
It was clear to Elizabeth that Lady Charity was an affable sort of woman, for she grasped Elizabeth’s hands and squeezed them with pleasure. Her sister, Lady Rachel, was more reserved, though her grin was as wide as her sister’s.
“Do not concern yourself for my sister’s enthusiasm, for Charity loves to make new acquaintances.”
“And I am delighted to make your acquaintance!” interjected Miss Bingley, nearly pushing Elizabeth to the side in her haste to be known to the two highborn ladies.
While Miss Bingley jabbered on, exclaiming several times over her sense of honor and relish, Elizabeth noted, where she did not, the looks exchanged by the sisters. They endured it for some moments, both bemused, before a noticeable line began forming behind them.
“Thank you, Miss Bingley,” said Lady Charity, interrupted at length. “I am certain we shall have more opportunity to converse as the night progresses.”
“Come, Caroline, Elizabeth,” said Mr. Bingley, drawing them away. “Let us go into the ballroom.”
Though Miss Bingley was reluctant, she allowed her brother to lead them away. It was, perhaps, fortunate that Mr. Bingley did not choose to speak to his sister about her eagerness, for Elizabeth did not think Miss Bingley would listen, regardless. In this manner, they entered the ballroom.
And what a ballroom it was! The size was such that Elizabeth had difficulty understanding how it fit into the house, for it seemed almost as large as Longbourn itself! The décor which had been present outside was there to a greater extent on the inside, and in the center of the dance floor was a large design in chalk, what seemed like the earl’s coat of arms, with other smaller murals radiating out from the center. A veritable orchestra of musicians gathered on the far side of the room were now tuning their instruments for the coming evening. Elizabeth wondered if the entire income of Longbourn was sufficient to host such a fete!
As there were still more people arriving, the Bingleys stood together, speaking in low tones, though for the most part Miss Bingley stood a little separate, looking out on the crowd with hungry eyes. Elizabeth might have thought the woman to be salivating at the prospect of so many people of consequence! For Elizabeth’s part, she stayed close to Mr. Bingley, for the first time in her life uncertain how she should behave.
“Do you know many people here, Mr. Bingley?” asked Elizabeth after an acquaintance stopped to greet them and claim an introduction.
“Not all, by any means,” was the gentleman’s reply. “If you ask Darcy, I suspect he knows many, if not all, for he has moved among these people all his life. But this is a level of society above what I usually inhabit; many of them are unknown to me.”
“And this is our opportunity to better our position,” interrupted Miss Bingley. “It is the opportunity for which we have always wished, Charles, and we must take advantage of it.”
The lady paused, and her gaze raked over Jane, though her disdain was reserved for Elizabeth, and she added: “It is unfortunate that . . . circumstances did not allow us to take this step earlier, but we must make what we can of it now.”
Though Mr. Bingley, to Elizabeth’s eyes, wished to push back against his sister’s characterization of the situation, he grimaced and held his peace. Knowing their position as well as he did, Elizabeth thought it unlikely anything they did tonight would raise their status much, though poor behavior might do much to lower it. There was little reason to explain that to Miss Bingley, so her brother did not make the attempt. At that moment, the one
best known to them all appeared before them.
“Bingley,” said Mr. Darcy in greeting. “Mrs. Bingley, Miss Bingley, Miss Bennet.”
Though it may have been nothing more than Elizabeth’s fancy, she thought the man addressed her with more tenderness than the rest of the company. The moment passed however, as Miss Bingley sidled up to him and latched onto his arm with the grip of an eagle’s talons. Then the woman actually batted her eyelashes!
“Oh, Mr. Darcy,” simpered she, “how lovely it is to see you here tonight. Have you come ready to dance and socialize at your aunt’s ball?”
Some of the things Elizabeth had heard from others concerning Mr. Darcy’s behavior at a ball—and what she had witnessed herself—suggested Miss Bingley also knew of the gentleman’s habits and was desperate to ensure he paid her special attention. Mr. Darcy, however, appeared to know this as well himself, for he settled with deflecting her obvious attempt to induce him to dance.
“It is my aunt’s ball, so I shall do my duty.”
“Then I hope you will favor us all with your attention, sir,” replied the woman, fixing him with a conspiratorial smile. “For we are such excellent friends. I hope you shall also introduce us to your friends, for I have a great desire to be known to all.”
“It should be possible to introduce you to some of those present,” replied Mr. Darcy, “though most will, of course, need to make the first overture.”
The way Miss Bingley fixed Mr. Darcy with a moue of disappointment suggested she thought he would recommend them to all and sundry. Mr. Darcy, however, turned to Mr. Bingley, ignoring the man’s sister.
As a young lady of some standing and recognition in the society of Meryton, Elizabeth had never lacked for dance partners. It was a matter of some pride for Mrs. Bennet that her daughters were among the handsomest girls in the neighborhood. If her mother could have seen her at the opening of Lady Susan’s ball, however, she would despair, for no one solicited Elizabeth’s hand for the first dance.