A Constant Love: A Pride & Prejudice Continuation, page 11
Mary had obliged them by dancing a few dances, but her heart was not in such things, and all her hopes for the evening were in supper, when Elizabeth had promised her she might entertain them with a few songs on the pianoforte. This she did, and her performance was remarkable in its quality, instead of its silliness. Her lessons with Mr. Palmer and her constant attendance of the viscountess’s musical evenings had turned her into a very good performer. She had finally accepted Mr. Palmer’s requirement that she no longer sing, and instead of distracting her audience with large, dramatic pieces, she chose works that were complex, but subtle, and well-suited as a backdrop for supper. She played three songs, and was roundly applauded and encouraged to play a fourth, however, a sharp look from Elizabeth made her instead suggest that any other ladies with an interest in exhibiting should come forward.
Other ladies did come forward, and supper passed pleasantly for the majority of those in attendance. All of the dishes came out as Elizabeth had expected, and were praised by most, although Elizabeth did not hear much of the praise. She and Darcy had encouraged those most likely to criticise to sit at the table with them, so that at least some of the other guests would not hear them, and Caroline Bingley, true to form, had not been seated for a quarter-hour before she began speaking of how out-of-fashion the decorations were. It seemed she might go on in this manner throughout the entire supper, but for Sir Sedgewick patting her hand and murmuring something in her ear, after which she smiled and was silent.
This left the brunt of the criticising to Lady Catherine, who took up Miss Bingley’s topic and continued on to others. This dish or that dish was found wanting, the punch was too thin, although she dared not attack the wine, knowing the wine cellar to have been largely stocked during Darcy’s bachelor days. Elizabeth bore it all with as much patience as she could muster; it helped her to look around and see Georgiana and Lord Alfred once again engrossed in conversation, and to note that even the Hursts seemed to be quite enjoying themselves. Mr. Hurst even went so far as to compliment her on the food after supper, which allowed her the vindication of knowing that it was likely no one else at the ball had found it at all wanting, for if anyone would have, it was he.
Discussion between Elizabeth and Darcy about whether to include the waltz in the dances for the evening had been short; they both determined that since it allowed Georgiana another opportunity to dance it with Lord Alfred, they must certainly give her such a chance. Thus after several more sets, Elizabeth began making her way around the ballroom and letting it be known that the waltz was to close the evening. She ensured that every young lady who wished to dance it was paired with a suitable partner, one her family approved of. Elizabeth took full advantage of her brother in pairing Charles Bingley with a young lady known to be a bit clumsy; Charles had the countenance of a man who could not possibly be happier, and Elizabeth was fairly certain he would have gladly danced with a horse, had she so suggested.
Kitty, who had been disappointed that none of the officers had appeared in uniform, happily enough accepted Colonel Fitzwilliam’s request for the dance; at least she knew him to be in possession of a uniform. She had grown wise enough not to consider him a marriage prospect, for even her new dowry was vastly insufficient for the second son of an earl, but knew him to be a fine dancer and very pleasant company.
As this was her ball, all in the room looked to see whom Georgiana should dance with, and none that knew them were surprised to see her on the arm of Lord Alfred as the couples took to the floor. It was much murmured that they looked well together, and that the lady might not long be single following her coming-out ball. Elizabeth, overhearing some of these conversations as she and Darcy made their way along the floor, could not help but wonder if they were correct. Perhaps Lord Alfred had been waiting until after Georgiana’s ball to offer for her; perhaps he considered it improper to do so until after this final step towards her being fully out in society was complete.
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All in the family were very late to break their fast, the day following the ball, even Mr. Darcy, who was usually up before all of them, attending to correspondence in his study. When they did finally gather, it was with lively recollections of all that had happened in the course of the evening. Kitty teased Georgiana good-naturedly about her three dances with Lord Alfred, so that the subject of such teasing coloured nearly as much as she had when he had asked for her hand in the waltz.
Kitty herself was happy for her friend, if a bit jealous. She had danced with many men in the course of three balls, and although many of them were amiable, none who had caught her interest had returned that interest. She consoled herself that with the true season starting up now, she should have even more balls to attend, and even more opportunities to be in company. As well, England was beginning to truly settle into the peace, with officers and naval captains coming into the city in large numbers; many men had died in the war, but at least those who could come home would do so. Kitty had noticed these men on the streets when they went out shopping, and in Hyde Park as they took the promenade, and her spirits still never failed to flutter at the sight of a uniform.
They were all to dine at the Hursts’s that evening, and Elizabeth could not even be seated before Jane was speaking of how well the ball had gone off, roundly seconded by her husband. Caroline Bingley said nothing in response to their comments; she merely stared at Elizabeth with a haughty expression on her face, and then made her way over to where Elizabeth and Georgiana were seated.
“Dear Georgiana, how well you looked last night!” Caroline said. “It is such a delight to see you finally out in society. When you did not come out last year, I told everyone it must have been your brother’s wishing to wait until you had garnered even more accomplishments.”
“Thank you, Caroline,” Georgiana said, looking deeply uncomfortable.
“I must tell you, though – you danced too many dances with Lord Alfred Mallory. It would never do for you to settle on a second son so soon!”
Georgiana looked far too embarrassed to respond, so Elizabeth spoke: “A second son of the Duke of Bolton is hardly settling, Caroline.”
“But Georgiana can do so much better, with her accomplishments and her dowry. She should not settle for anything less than the heir to a viscountcy and ten thousand pounds a year, in my opinion. And of course he must have his own estate, a house in town, and at least two carriages.”
“It sounds as though you have a gentleman in mind,” Elizabeth said. “Georgiana, would you be open to the introduction?”
“Yes, I suppose I would,” Georgiana said, although her countenance showed little enthusiasm for the idea.
“I do not actually have a gentleman in mind,” Caroline said, turning quite red, for as much as Sir Sedgewick doted on her, if she did have such a gentleman among her acquaintances, she would have pursued him herself, instead of a knight with four thousand pounds a year.
“Well, it is no matter,” Elizabeth said. “But let us know if you do happen upon such a gentleman.”
It was only during dinner that Jane and Charles made the announcement that they were expecting a child; they were roundly congratulated by all, Jane’s need to sit out the dancing now made sense to them, and everyone was quite happy that two such good-natured people should soon enough have a baby. Darcy noticed that his wife was not quite so enthusiastic in her congratulations as the rest of them, but determined she must have had the intelligence already, and was still exhausted from hosting the ball.
Chapter 14
There began a certain welling impatience within the family when, during the week following Georgiana’s coming-out ball, Lord Alfred called almost daily, with nary a marriage proposal. None, however, were quite so impatient as Lady Catherine, who invited the Darcys to dinner one evening so that she might speak of it at length.
“I find it difficult to believe that the young man should wait so long,” she said. “If I were his mother, I certainly would have told him that he must not toy with a young lady who possesses thirty thousand pounds.”
“I can understand his waiting, if he is not yet sure of his affections,” Elizabeth said.
“Pah! Affections! I cannot name one person of my generation who married with any certainty of affection. This foolishness of wanting to marry for love instead of giving precedence to what is due to one’s family I shall never understand,” Lady Catherine said, with a pointed look at her nephew.
“Aunt, the world is changing, whether you like it or not,” Darcy said. “I have no wish to see Georgiana in a marriage without affection.”
“And what if these affections never do develop? How long shall we wait for that, might I ask?” Lady Catherine said. “I do not think we should continue to assure ourselves that this young man will make an offer, and if that is the case, Georgiana has not been nearly enough in company so far this season. I will procure her a voucher for Almack’s for Wednesday next. Mrs. Darcy should have been taking her there already, but of course she does not hold enough sway with the arbiters, and I suppose her other aunt did not think to do so, either.”
“Aunt, I thank you kindly, but I do not think that is necessary,” Georgiana said, hoping to assuage some of the fury on her brother’s face.
“It is not about what you think is necessary,” Lady Catherine said. “You are only just out in society, and you do not know what is needed to ensure that you make a good match.”
None of them could point out that Lady Catherine had never before made any sort of match, much less a good one; it would be impolite to draw everyone’s thoughts to Anne de Bourgh’s health. Only later, during the carriage ride home, did they determine that regardless of how it was delivered, Georgiana should not turn down an invitation to Almack’s.
They found themselves inundated with other invitations soon enough; in hosting a ball so early in the season, the Darcys had assured themselves of any number of reciprocal invitations, although few were for something so nice as a ball. Most were not even for dinner, or tea, but rather for at-homes, as Darcy called them, because the invitations usually stated “Mrs. Such-and-So At Home.”
Darcy made it clear to Elizabeth that of all the possible social engagements they could participate in, these were the ones he loathed the most. Yet they could not very well turn them down unless they had alternate plans for the evening.
Elizabeth’s first experience of an at-home was at the Allens’s town house, which at least was a familiar home. However, while it had been perfectly pleasant for a ball, on this night it was horribly crowded, filled with far more people than had been on the ball’s invite list. The crowds moved between rooms, drinking port and tea and eating such meagre refreshments as were provided in that space between dinner and supper. There were so many people there that seats were few, and it was so crowded that even a card table could not be made up. Elizabeth stayed close to her husband and could easily see why such an event made him miserable; it was already beginning to do so for her.
As they were moving from one room to another, in the hopes of being seen in attendance by Lady Allen, so that they might then be free to leave, they came across Lady Stewart. She was one of the ladies Elizabeth had invited to Georgiana’s coming-out ball, but she had immediately claimed another engagement, and Elizabeth greeted her with some embarrassment.
“How are you this evening, Lady Stewart?”
“Pardon me, Mrs. Darcy, I was just making my way into the dining room to look for Mrs. Chapman,” Lady Stewart said, departing without another word.
Elizabeth felt all the sting of the snub; she could not help but think of Lady Ellen, who would never have shown such manners as to greet any acquaintance without utmost politeness. She felt as though she was drowning in the crowd, and only her grip on Darcy’s arm gave her any semblance of comfort. These women like Lady Stewart, who would snub her now, and call her the nobody who married Mr. Darcy – what would they say about her in a year? That since she was a country nobody, and had brought little fortune and few connexions to the marriage, she should have at least provided Mr. Darcy with an heir.
They pushed on into the ballroom, where there was at least room to move, and a more substantial table of refreshments set out. They made their way there, and with some relief did Elizabeth see Lady Allen, inspecting the table to see that all was well. Lady Allen noticed them, they all made their bows and curtsies, and obligation was thus discharged. Darcy made a few selections from the table; for it was only polite now to also be seen eating Lady Allen’s food, but Elizabeth still felt tense from her encounter with Lady Stewart; her stomach was tight, and she would only take a little tea.
“Are you certain you will not have anything, Elizabeth?” Darcy asked her. “The rout-cakes are quite good.”
“I am not hungry, but thank you, my dear.”
“Are you ready to leave? I was hoping we might see the Fitzwilliams, but they may already have come and gone. We might always call on them instead tomorrow.”
“Yes, let us do that,” Elizabeth said, quite relieved just at the thought of leaving.
It seemed, impossibly, that there were still more guests arriving than were leaving, but at least this meant that their wait for the carriage was not a long one. Darcy only spoke when they were seated inside, making the short drive back to Curzon Street:
“You must not pay any mind to women like Lady Stewart, Elizabeth. There are any number of women like her in town who seek to elevate themselves by stepping on whomever they can,” Darcy said, and then continued on in a tone of some embarrassment: “In her particular case, I believe the discourtesy is more directed at there being a Mrs. Darcy, rather than at you specifically. She set her younger sister at me, some years ago, and Lady Stewart was quite furious that I did not court her.”
Elizabeth smiled a little at the thought of Lady Stewart’s sister being thrown at an indifferent Darcy. He rarely mentioned such things, and yet she knew a man of his station, particularly one so handsome, must have been pursued by more ladies than just Caroline Bingley. For a man who generally did not prefer society as it was, it must have made him miserable.
“I will try not to pay them any mind,” she replied. “And now if I am snubbed, I shall just assume them to be related to some jilted lover of yours.”
He laughed heartily at this, and reached over and clasped her hand. “At-homes are not really the best place for you to be, in your first full season in town. I loathe them enough as it is, but I should have thought of that. They are merely a place to see and be seen, and there is little chance for you to converse. If there were, I believe more of them would see why I value you so.”
This was not, however, the last at-home invitation they had accepted; there was one evening where they had three separate events to attend, and Elizabeth’s weariness with these house parties grew rapidly. They soon began to ensure they had some sort of prior engagement to keep most of their evenings free of the at-homes, and so they frequently endeavoured to have the Bingleys, Gardiners, Fitzwilliams, Lady Tonbridge, Lord Alfred, or some other favoured company over to dine.
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There was a prior invitation that one member of their family might have preferred to miss, but Georgiana could hardly avoid attending Almack’s with her aunt. The voucher arrived at Curzon Street as promised, together with a note from Lady Catherine as to when she would bring the carriage by for Georgiana, and what the young lady would do best to wear for the evening.
Georgiana was thus ushered into Lady Catherine’s carriage by one of her aunt’s man-servants later in the evening, and she took a seat across from Lady Catherine, looking blankly at her aunt and wondering how long it should be before the evening was over. Georgiana did not expect that Lord Alfred would be at Almack’s, and therefore had no interest in any partners that would be lined up for her. She merely hoped that they would all be pleasant enough for her to enjoy the evening as much as she could. It was, after all, a ball, and there was some enjoyment to be expected out of any opportunity for dancing, if only the partners would be acceptable.
Upon entering the place, however, she felt only discomfort. Lady Catherine first presented her to all of the patronesses, in order to justify their giving her aunt a voucher. What manner of coercion Lady Catherine had gone through to get the voucher so quickly, Georgiana did not know, but all of the ladies greeted her cordially before looking Georgiana carefully up and down, and then welcoming her into the club.
Lady Catherine then ushered her through a rather unimpressive set of rooms, introducing Georgiana to a number of acquaintances, several of whom asked Georgiana for a dance. She quickly began to understand how Almack’s had come to earn the reputation of a place where marriages were made; at any moment she felt her aunt might simply sit her down and parade suitors in front of her until she found one she liked. Georgiana felt deeply uncomfortable and wished they might go home already, but knew she must stay, in compliment to the effort her aunt had put in for her.
Georgiana noticed Harriet Grantley standing not so far from them, and, happy just to see a familiar face, made her way over to where Miss Grantley stood, her aunt following behind her.
“Good evening, Miss Grantley.”
“Miss Darcy! I did not realise you attended Almack’s.”
“This is my first time here. I have come with my aunt.”
“Who is your acquaintance, Georgiana?” Lady Catherine asked, in too loud a tone. “I should like to be introduced.”
“Lady Catherine de Bourgh, please meet Miss Harriet Grantley,” Georgiana said. “She and I have been acquainted for many years. Miss Grantley, Lady Catherine is my aunt.”
