by Don Miller
Smiling, she curtsied to her aunt. “Thank you kindly, Aunt Madeleine. As I look at myself in the mirror I too have a hard time believing it is me. I am even willing to admit I may be almost as pretty as my sister Jane.”
"Lizzie, I have told you before, and I will tell you again. Jane's appearance is quite elegant and the kind many, maybe even most ladies of the ton, highly approve, but yours is vibrant and sensual, the kind which, I believe, is more appealing to men."
“I always felt few men of higher circles would be interested in a young lady with little wealth and social status.” She paused for a moment, looking at herself in the mirror again. With a twinkle in her eye, she continued, “But now that I am an acknowledged friend of the Lord and Lady Matlock, I may be more attractive to such men.
“I have no doubt you will be highly attractive to any man. Not only are you beautiful, but you are also intelligent and accomplished. I think you are meant for greater things and despite what you may think, I believe there is a man of the higher circles out there who would love to have you as his wife.”
“If you only knew,” thought Elizabeth. “What would you think if I told you about Mr. Darcy? Do you suppose she is right? Is there another man of Mr. Darcy’s circle out there who would be willing to make me his wife and with whom I would have more in common? ”
“That is a nice dream, Aunt Madeleine, but the question is, would I want the man of higher society who wants me? I wish to marry for love and respect, like you and Uncle Edward. I will not marry just for comfort and security. I have no compunction against marrying a merchant or tradesman if his personality is suited to mine and he is not impoverished.”
“I know you do not, Lizzie, but, as I said, I have this feeling that you are meant for greater things and I hope this tea is the start of your journey. And speaking of the tea, it is time we got in the carriage and left for Dumont House.”
The trip to Dumont House, which was near Darcy House, took nearly half an hour. When they arrived, they found they were the first to be ushered into the salon where they were met by Lord and Lady Monttard. After greeting them, her Aunt Madeleine introduced Elizabeth and Lady Monttard said, "Miss Elizabeth, I am aware this is your introduction to the ton, but you certainly need not be worried about your appearance. Your modiste did a wonderful job on the gown and your hair looks beautiful. You look every inch a high born lady.”
“Thank you, Lady Monttard. I even admitted to my aunt after seeing myself in the mirror before coming here I may look almost as pretty as my sister Jane.”
“I have never met your sister,” said Lord Monttard, “but I cannot believe she is any prettier than you are, Miss Elizabeth. You are even prettier than your aunt said you were.”
As he was saying this, the butler entered and announced, “Lord and Lady Matlock, Col. Fitzwilliam, Lady Alicia Rutherford, and Miss Darcy.”
Seeing Elizabeth, Col. Fitzwilliam smiled and immediately came over to her. “Miss Elizabeth, what a pleasure. I said I hoped we could meet again, but I had no idea it would be so soon. I understand you are to perform for us today and I greatly look forward to it. “
“Good afternoon, Colonel. I wondered if you would be here. I understand you are very busy at the War Office.”
Before he could answer, the butler announced the arrival of General Sir Randolph Marshall and his wife, Lady Phyllis Marshall, who was also on the board of directors of Hope Home. Lady Monttard took Elizabeth over to introduce her to them. A few minutes later, Lady Monttard asked Lady Matlock, Lady Marshall, and Mrs. Gardiner to go with her to her private sitting room to discuss their strategy for the tea. Not to be out done, Lord Monttard invited the men into his study to share a bottle of port. That left Elizabeth, Lady Alicia, and Georgiana to their own devices.
“Before we go any further, Miss Elizabeth, I want to tell you again how I enjoyed being part of your practice with Georgie and I hope you will allow me to do it again.”
“Of course, Lady Alicia. I enjoyed having you. I have never had a chance to sing with harp accompaniment before and I hope you and I can work up a song or two we can perform when Georgie cannot be there. Would you be willing to do that?”
Alicia thought about it for a minute. “I do not see why not. I have not performed at an event for several years, but I think it might be fun. But if we are to work together, I must insist you just call me Alicia. I feel so old when you call me Lady Alicia.”
“Thank you. I would like that, and you must call me Lizzie.”
“Alright, Lizzie it is. Now I have another question. I know you are well acquainted with my distinguished cousin, Darcy. Tell me, what do you think of him?”
Elizabeth hesitated, not quite knowing how to answer the question truthfully, when Lady Alicia, seeing her hesitation, chuckled. “I can see you struggling, trying to determine how to answer the question without offending us, but, please, tell us frankly. We know he can be somewhat difficult in company he does not know.”
“If I must speak frankly, I fear I must admit my first impression and indeed, that of my acquaintances, was not good. At the assembly in Meryton, the small town near our estate, he acted rather aloof and looked very…..I guess I would have to say severe…. most of the time. There were more ladies than gentlemen and he refused to dance with anyone other than one dance with his friend’s sister. Needless to say, that did not make him popular among the young women.”
“But I know things got better, because he wrote so favorably of you and the interactions he had with you,” said Georgiana. “And he saw you again in Kent, although I had to learn about that from my cousin Anne.”
“Your brother and I have had an interesting relationship, Georgie, with a few significant differences of opinion. Fate seemed to throw us together more than we anticipated. He probably did not tell you about Kent because neither of us wants to be reminded of our somewhat unpleasant interactions there.” She stopped and stared at the two of them for a moment. “It just came to me. I suspect we are talking about him because you know what happened there. Is that true?’
Looking somewhat embarrassed, both of them acknowledged they did. “And I do not see how you could have refused him, Lizzie. He is the best young man in England. I almost decided I never wanted to see you again when I discovered that.”
“I suppose I can understand, Georgie, but I hope you have changed your mind and will not stop being my friend. I know your brother is one of the best young men in England. I admire and respect him, but Georgie, I do not love him and I believe his professed love for me may have been an infatuation derived from the fact I was so different from the women of the ton he knows and with whom he has become so disenchanted. I will be very unhappy if my relationship with your brother means we cannot be friends, because I think you and I have a lot in common and I can help you prepare for the next few years. But I will understand if you no longer want me to come to visit you and practice with you.”
Georgiana became teary eyed. “It is so hard for me Lizzie, because I love my brother so much and I have come to care a great deal for you. I was envisioning this perfect future with you as my sister and mistress of Pemberley, and now it will not be true and it makes me sad.”
Elizabeth looked around, and seeing no one, got up, went to Georgiana and knelt in front of her, taking her hands. “Georgie, I will tell you a secret, but I want you and Alicia to promise me you will not tell anyone. Will you agree?”
When they both agreed to keep her secret, Elizabeth said, “I have not entirely given up on your brother, Georgie. I told you I knew he was one of the best men in England and that I respected him, but did not love him. I do not love him now, but I do believe it is possible I could love him if I knew him better. But Georgie, I believe he is a more deserving man than I am a woman. He has taken care of you, taken care of Mr. Bingley, helped your Aunt Catherine, and been so good to his tenants and who knows how many others. He deserves a woman that knows how to be mistress of Pemberley and help him integrate better into the soci
ety in which you move--one who can guide you into that society better than I can. I am afraid I am not qualified to be that woman, but if in the coming months, he cannot find that woman and discovers he still has affection for me and I am not married or engaged, I promise you I will welcome his attention.”
Georgiana was quiet for a moment, looking carefully in Elizabeth’s eyes and then suddenly, she smiled. “I think you are wrong. I think you are very deserving and I think you would make the best mistress Pemberley has ever had, including my mother, and I cannot imagine anyone I would rather have with me to help me grow up these next few years. I promise I will say nothing to Will, but Lizzie, you have not only given me hope, I have decided my dream will come true, because I do not think he can possibly find anyone as good as you and he will discover that this Season.” But then her face fell a little. “But you are a very desirable lady. I will be afraid that some other man will capture your heart before my brother realizes he needs you.”
Elizabeth laughed, “I do not think you have to worry about me being married or engaged in the coming months. I doubt seriously any of the men whom I meet are going to pursue someone with as little wealth and status as I have.”
“My brother did.”
“Yes, he did, did not he? But I think that is a special case. By the way, speaking of your brother, why is not he here with you? Was it to avoid me?”
“No. He is in Scotland, tending to some problem with the tenants renting our estate there. I am not sure what the problem is, but I believe he was anxious to go. He probably wanted to put distance between him and you, but he also is always concerned when something goes wrong and he feels it is his responsibility to set it right.”
“Yes,” chimed in Lady Alicia, “my cousin’s middle name should be ‘responsible’ because he thinks just about any problem he comes across, if it even remotely has anything to do with him, is his responsibility to fix. He has his huge estate of Pemberley as well the one in Scotland and a farm in Ireland, and he insists on managing them personally to ensure everyone does their job and is treated fairly. Everyone in our extended family, particularly our Aunt Catherine, counts on him for advice on how to fix problems on their estates. And speaking of Aunt Catherine, what did you think of her and Cousin Anne?”
Again Elizabeth hesitated and Alicia laughed. “Another difficult question to answer about our family, is not it?
“Yes, it is. I did not get to know Anne at all. She seemed very quiet and sickly and somewhat intimidated by her mother. As for your aunt, I can only say she was what my picture of an elder woman of the ton would be like until I met your parents, who I find the opposite of her in demeanor and character.”
“Very good. A very tactful answer and said without grimacing. Did she grill you about your family and perhaps have you perform?”
“Yes, she seemed quite upset my younger sisters were out already, before my older sister and I were married and I think believed I might be a little too outspoken for one of my age. She did request I play the piano, but I think heard very little of it.”
Lady Alicia laughed. “And I dare say she told you that you would improve greatly if you practiced more and that she and Anne would have been very proficient pianists had they decided to play it. I have always wondered why she has three beautiful pianos in the house when no one there plays them. Did you sing for her also?”
“No. The fact I was a singer was never mentioned and, therefore, I did not have the privilege of singing for her.”
Lady Alicia laughed again. “That is too bad. I cannot remember hearing that anyone has ever sung for her. I would be greatly interested in what her comments on that would have been.”
A smiling Elizabeth admitted, “I hope you will excuse me if I admit I am glad that she did not ask me.”
“You are excused. But that is enough about my family. Would you mind telling me something about yours?”
“There is not much of interest to tell. I am from a small estate in Hertfordshire; I have four sisters--one elder and three younger and the older is a great beauty and currently the favorite of Mr. Bingley, whom you know. I am anticipating a marriage between them in the coming months. I have a wonderful aunt and uncle, whom you have met. They are like a second father and mother to me and, as you know, I stay with them while I am in town and help them in their businesses. I also have an aunt and uncle in Meryton. He is a lawyer, and I believe rather a good one, while she may have the distinction of being the town’s leading purveyor of news. I was educated by my father, who spent a brief stint as a teacher at Cambridge. My mother is just my mother and has no particular distinction, except I fear her behavior would be unacceptable to the ton. As you know, I sing and play the piano just well enough to accompany some of my singing. I also read several languages, love to go on long walks, greatly enjoy dancing and, as Mr. Darcy said in one of his letters to Georgie, engage in verbal combat. I just turned twenty years old in March.”
“I believe it was your aunt who had the idea for the Hope Home which is the focus of this tea, was it not?” asked Lady Alicia. When Elizabeth said it was, Lady Alicia went on, “I know she is of the merchant class, which most of the ton disdain, but my mother is very complimentary of your aunt. I also know my father is very impressed with Mr. Gardiner and I believe has invested in his business.”
“They are a very sophisticated couple, despite being of the merchant class. I must admit that any understanding of proper social behavior I have is mostly due to my aunt and uncle.”
“I believe our whole family buys almost all of our books in your uncle’s bookstore, and Georgie, do not you buy most of your music there?” After Georgiana acknowledged she did, Lady Alicia continued, “Are you at the bookstore often?”
“Yes, I am. I always work in the back reviewing new books, particularly those written in a foreign language, and I help organize them. My aunt and uncle do not think it proper for a gentlewoman to act as a clerk and I suppose they are right. It would probably ruin my image in the ton if I was seen selling books.”
As she said that, the gentlemen returned from the study and conversation turned to other things.
Chapter 10: Tea at Dumont House
When the gentlemen arrived in the salon, Col. Fitzwilliam immediately went over to the three young women. “I hope the three of you had a pleasant conversation and my sister did not give you too much of a grilling, Miss Elizabeth.”
“She asked me some questions and I answered. I would hardly call it a grilling.”
At that moment the four ladies reentered the salon and Lady Monttard said, “The guests should start arriving soon. Let us go into the ballroom where the tea service is set up and tables and chairs have been arranged. I invited quite a few people to this tea, so decided the ballroom would handle us more comfortably.”
Soon after everyone had repaired to the ballroom, the guests began arriving. One of the first families to arrive was Lord and Lady Denby and their granddaughter, Margaret Farnsworth. Lord and Lady Denby were one of seven couples who referred to themselves as the Group of Seven. Lady Monttard immediately brought them over to meet Mrs. Gardiner and Elizabeth, who were standing by themselves.
After the introductions, Mrs. Gardiner remained to speak with Lord and Lady Denby, while Lady Monttard went back to greeting other guests. Margaret stayed with Elizabeth. “Miss Elizabeth, I just learned my debut ball at Denby House weekend after next may be your introduction to the ton. I do hope it is true. Lady Monttard seemed to think you and I had some common interests and might become friends.”
Elizabeth’s initial impression of Margaret Farnsworth was highly favorable and she wondered if this young woman of such high birth might become a friend. She could imagine there would be great advantage to having a young woman of the ton of her own age as a friend and she would certainly like to have a friend her own age in London. But Margaret’s statement of the ball came as a surprise to Elizabeth. Nothing had been said to her about a ball. “Miss Farnsworth, I am sorry, but I kno
w nothing about a ball. If I am, for some reason, invited to the ball, it will, indeed, be my first ball of the ton, but I assure you I will not be introduced as a debutante. If I go, I believe I will be slipping unnoticed into the ton, hoping that by the end of the Season, some members of the ton will have grudgingly accepted me as belonging among them, but unsure as to how I got there.”
Margaret was silent for a moment after this revelation and looked carefully at Elizabeth, wondering what it would be like to be a gentlewoman, yet of little wealth and social status and not being a member of the ton because of birth. Margaret had never really thought about it, having lived in this society all of her life and realized she did not really know any gentlewomen who were not wealthy and born into a high social status. She liked what she saw of Elizabeth and Lady Monttard certainly seemed to think she might fit into their circle, but could she? “Miss Elizabeth, I was born into this society and have given very little thought to what it would be like to not live in it. Yet I can believe it might be very difficult for one who was not raised in this society to adapt to it, accepting all of its strange rules and regulations that we, who were brought up in it, take for granted. It was my grandmother, Lady Denby, who told me it would be your introduction, but maybe she did not mean it would be a formal debut. In any case, she thought maybe I could help you adapt, although I am not sure I am particularly qualified to give you advice. I may be a member of the highest circles of society by birthright, but I have had very little to do with the ton and I have only just turned nineteen.”