Page 24 of Pride, Prejudice and Prudence

“Tell me, is young Darcy in town?” Lady Howard enquired of Lady Matlock, and that lady owned that he was. “We must ensure that the introductions are made with these fine young ladies,” Lady Howard said.

“We are acquainted with Mr Darcy,” Elizabeth said, and a blush arose on her face, which his aunt and her friend quite misinterpreted.

“Indeed,” Lady Matlock replied, “you must have met in Kent, for he and Darcy always visit with Catherine together.”

“We did see him in Kent, but we had also met him previously in Meryton, the town closest to our father’s estate of Longbourn.”

“Hertfordshire,” Lady Matlock exclaimed, obviously remembering some other fact tied to the name Bennet in her memory. Lady Howard looked at her, and she merely gave a little smile and nodded, and some unspoken agreement must have been made between the two, for Lady Howard then continued, and in a way that gave much pleasure to Mrs Bennet and her daughters.

“I am hosting a ball next week. I will ensure that you, Mrs Bennet, Miss Bennet, and Miss Elizabeth are added to the invitation. Oh, that will be a treat for you girls, for as you know, Darcy is a fine tall fellow, though not so engaging as Colonel Fitzwilliam, but he is a very fine dancer.”

The ladies spoke for some short minutes further, before recalling the errand which had drawn them to the shop– a gift for the daughter of a friend– and biding them all adieu, with promises of invitations to follow. This happy meeting had given new impetus to the acquisition of dresses, and the modiste now looked to choose both fabrics and designs for the coming ball.

Chapter 40

“Eliza Bennet!” Elizabeth heard the strident exclamation of her name, or rather a nickname she had never given Caroline Bingley the permission to use, and turned to see that lady at the entrance to the modistes. Miss Bingley had not yet noticed that the other patrons of the shop were all her family, but before Elizabeth could acknowledge her, she seemed to recognise Jane, and then the rest of her family.

“Miss Bingley,” Elizabeth said her name by way of greeting, but only because manners required that she recognise the acquaintance. In Meryton, Miss Bingley had given Jane some attention until the Bingley party left the neighbourhood without any farewell, but in London, the sneer on her face showed that no such attentions would be paid to Jane now.

“Madame Lanchester,” Miss Bingley addressed the modiste, ignoring everyone else in the shop, “I beg that you would not allow these people to inopportune you; they are not the sort of customers you want to be associated with,” she explained, her distaste with the Bennet family’s appearance obvious in her tone. Jane gasped, but she did not have time to react further before Miss Bingley continued.

“In truth, I feel it necessary to inform you that it is very likely they will be unable to pay their bill,” she said, her tone sickly sweet.

Elizabeth’s fist tightened; she was in great danger of punching the woman, but before she did, the modiste responded.

“You are entirely incorrect,” Madame Lanchester responded. “These ladies are the sort of customers I most welcome. But, given your apparent dislike of my patrons, I suggest that a different modiste would be more to your taste.” Madame Lanchester made this reply in an even and polite tone, but the meaning was clear.”

Miss Bingley made a moue of distaste. “You are correct, another modiste would suit me better,” and with those words, she turned back to the door. Elizabeth thought that was the end of it, but as she exited, she said, “I will ensure that all of the ton know of your fall from grace,” and with those final words, the bell at the entrance rang again to mark her departure. Then silence reigned, but only for a few moments.

“Please accept my apologies that you had to experience such unpleasantness in my shop,” Madame Lanchester said.

“Think nothing of it,” Mrs Bennet replied. It was only then that Elizabeth wondered how her mama had managed to remain silent in the face of such poor behaviour. “I hope that she will not cause you any trouble?” she asked.

“No, indeed not,” Madame Lanchester replied. “I may be only a modiste, but my connections in the ton are many times more substantial than those of a daughter of a tradesman, no matter how wealthy he was,” she explained, which drew a giggle from Jane, and when Elizabeth caught her eye, she blushed at her reaction.

“Money and class are not quite the same thing,” her mother pronounced to the astonishment and amusement of all her family.

Sometime later, Elizabeth had time to wonder if the scene with Miss Bingley might have turned out quite differently if not for two facts that lady had been unaware of. Firstly, that the Bennet family was now very wealthy, and their father had provided a substantial line of credit with the modiste, and secondly, that they had just been noticed by Lady Matlock and Lady Howard, two of the great dames of the ton.

Chapter 41

Lady Howard’s ball marked the Bennet ladies' first step into London society. They were greeted with warmth by that lady and her distinguished husband on their arrival. Once the greeting line had cleared, Lady Howard performed the service of introducing them to nearly everyone in attendance, particularly young gentlemen, all of whom seemed grateful for the introduction to two very handsome ladies.

Elizabeth was dancing the first set with Simon Howard, Lord and Lady Howard’s nephew, when she saw a head of dark, wavy hair. She nearly missed a step but managed to save herself in time. Mr Darcy had arrived. Elizabeth did not know whether his aunt had informed him of their attendance, but she hoped that she had. She would not want him to come across her so unexpectedly after their last meeting. He may have no very cordial feelings towards her now, and she did not want to see his first reactions to seeing her again.

She need not have worried, as his aunt had told him of meeting with the Bennet ladies and that they would attend Lady Howard’s ball. She also had no cause for concern because Mr Darcy’s feelings for her were unchanged. His heart once engaged was not easily swayed;. Even on the refusal of his proposal, he remained steadfast in his affections. His eyes had sought her out as soon as he had entered the ballroom and had seen her momentary misstep. Had anyone been looking his way, they would have seen every emotion he felt play out on his face, but he went unobserved.

“Mrs Bennet, Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth,” he said, making his greetings to the ladies once he saw Jane and Elizabeth return from the dance floor.

They all acknowledged him and curtsied at the greeting. Elizabeth’s eyes sought out his, but she saw only indifference in his countenance. He did as expected, requesting dances from Jane and then Elizabeth.

Elizabeth’s eyes followed him as he guided Jane in their set, barely leaving any attention for her own partner. Thankfully, it was a dance she knew well, or she might have missed her cues. When their dance arrived, Elizabeth placed her gloved hand in his as he led her to the dance floor. Elizabeth was not sure what the feeling in her stomach was as their hands met, but it was most disconcerting. They flowed together to the rhythm of the music, their bodies in perfect accord, their eyes caught by each other’s, and Elizabeth felt as if they were completely alone, until the last notes died and she once more became aware of her surroundings. Mr Darcy kept hold of her hand as he returned her to her mother’s side, making a final bow before disappearing into the crowd.

Colonel Fitzwilliam, apparently arriving late to the ball, approached before Elizabeth could be taken away for her next set. She was still disconcerted by her dance with Mr Darcy when he made his greetings, but she managed to rally tolerably. She made the requisite responses, including acceptance of a dance for later, her dance card being quite crowded.

Jane and Elizabeth danced every dance, and their mother was approached by many of the matrons with sons of marriageable age. Discreet enquiries as to the dowries of the ladies were answered with scant but sufficient detail to reassure the mamas of the ton that the Bennet girls were well worth catching.

And as their carriage drew up outside the house at Connaught Place, Mrs Bennet confirmed herself well pleased with the evening. Elizabeth knew she should also be well pleased. She danced all evening and had many handsome men offering to bring her refreshments, and the Colonel danced the dinner set with her and was a most engaging companion. But she could not pull her thoughts from Mr Darcy. Mr Darcy, appearing and disappearing like a genie, had vexed her quite as much as he always had. So much so that she could not help but express her annoyance at breakfast with her younger sisters the next morning.