Chapter 4

M uch to Fanny Bennet's chagrin, the day Mr Bingley returned her husband's call, she and her daughters were not at home. For her, the assembly took on much more importance so she would make sure Jane would look her best.

On the day of the assembly, the two eldest Bennet sisters were concerned as they were certain Kitty and Lydia should not be out yet, and would cause the family embarrassment, as was their wont at assemblies. Like four of the five sisters, both had entered local society at fifteen. Only the threat of their father standing up to his wife, in one case, regarding the come out age of his daughters, had allowed one to join society at seventeen, namely when it had been Elizabeth's turn to come out.

When five years past Mrs Bennet had begun to speak of the coming out of her least favourite daughter, all it had taken was Elizabeth's threat she would apply to her father to delay until she was eighteen. Fanny was aware her husband was not in the habit of denying his favourite, especially when, as now, she was very insistent. Also, he never missed a turn to vex her so Fanny had reached a decision.

Rather than taking the chance of being humiliated before all of her daughters—again—by her husband, Fanny had negotiated with Elizabeth and they had reached agreement on her coming out at seventeen.

As she had with Jane, Elizabeth had attempted to intercede on Mary's behalf, and then later for the good of the family when it was first Kitty's turn, and then Lydia's to come into society. There was no worry Mary would misbehave, but that was not the case for Lydia, and by extension, Kitty. Unfortunately no matter how many cogent arguments Elizabeth made, all of the begging and pleading, with all of her predictions of scandal or worse, her father had not relented and refused to intervene with his wife's choice of when their youngest three entered society.

In the end, Elizabeth had come out with Mary in 1809, Kitty's had been in 1810. It was one case in which Fanny Bennet had held firm against the caterwauling of her youngest who, at the time, thought herself persecuted as she was the only Bennet sister not yet out.

Even without having the education of a gentlewoman, Fanny was aware allowing a girl of not yet fourteen out would lead to much derision from her neighbours. As it was, she was tired of hearing the opinions that the age Miss Lizzy came out was far more appropriate. As much as she had railed against waiting until she turned fifteen, in February 1812 Lydia had been unleashed on society.

The Bennet ladies—Bennet never accompanied them to an assembly—were crammed into the Bennet carriage on the way to the Michaelmas Assembly. Lydia especially was cavilling peevishly about how her dress would be crushed and then, like the previous assembly she would not be asked to dance every set. If they had thought it would change things, the three eldest Bennet sisters would have explained why she was as she termed it ‘ being punished ' by the men. They had given up trying after the first assembly Lydia had attended, when she refused to listen to them about sitting out two sets, and complained to their mother, who told them not to show jealousy for her most lively daughter.

The Bennet coachman guided his team of two—the horses doubled as work animals on the estate—into the queue of conveyances offloading their occupants at the entrance to the assembly hall .

"Girls, look around and see if you spy a fancy coach, like I am sure Mr Bingley owns, so we can tell if the Netherfield Park party have arrived yet," Fanny instructed her daughters.

"La, what care I for Mr Bingley and the twenty men with him, unless they are officers, that is," Lydia sang.

Thanks to the tales the youngest Bennet had heard from her mother who romanticised officers as she had been enamoured with one when Colonel Millar's regiment had encamped near Meryton when Fanny was the same age as Lydia was currently, Lydia had begun to idealise officers. Over the years, Fanny had erased what her father had told her about low ranked officers not being able to afford a wife from her memories. Lydia had decided to succeed where her mother had failed. Of course because Lydia's ideal man was an officer, so too was it Kitty's.

Fanny ignored her youngest as she looked to see if she could spot a grand conveyance like she expected. "How vexatious, I only see carriages which belong to our neighbours," Fanny cried.

"Mama, should I have Papa go and remonstrate with Mr Bingley for not arriving at a time convenient to you?" Elizabeth asked innocently as she fought to keep a straight face. All the while she refused to look at Jane who would be shooting her a censorious look rather than her serene countenance. As it was, Elizabeth felt an elbow in her ribs from Jane who was seated next to her. She almost felt guilty, almost.

"Who asked you Miss Lizzy," Fanny bit back. Then she cogitated briefly. "If I thought your father would bestir himself, I would have had him do so." Rather than not understand sarcasm, Fanny used it from time to time.

As she would never have suspected her mother to used that form of wit, or any wit at all, it took all of Elizabeth's self-control to stop herself from bursting out into raucous laughter, thinking her mother was serious. She looked at no one as she was sure she would not have been able to maintain her equanimity had she done so.

Thankfully, Elizabeth was saved by the door of the carriage being opened by one of the men employed to assist those arriving to alight at the assemblies. The man handed Mrs Bennet down first and then Elizabeth who was closest to the door made her escape before Jane could ask her to remain back so they may speak . She was relying on Jane being distracted by her enjoyment of the assembly to forget about the perceived offence by the time they returned home.

Rather than wait for her sisters and mother, Elizabeth stepped briskly ahead to enter the assembly before the rest of her family. Luckily, she saw Charlotte Lucas standing near her two brothers, Franklin the older one, and Johnny the younger who was in his final year at Oxford. At six and twenty, Charlotte was the eldest Lucas offspring. There was a younger sister Maria, who was of an age with Lydia, but who unlike the latter had not been pushed out into society yet.

"Charlotte, well met," Elizabeth smiled.

"It is good to see you as well, Eliza," Charlotte averred. As the Lucases had always addressed her as Eliza, they were the only ones who Elizabeth was sanguine with using that form of her name.

"Are we up above twenty reputed men coming from Netherfield Park?" Elizabeth enquired as Jane joined her and their friend.

Jane had very much wanted to address Elizabeth's teasing in the carriage, even if it were inside the assembly hall, but as her younger sister was in conversation with Charlotte, Jane decided now was not the time.

"Last I heard the number had swelled to five and twenty men," Charlotte said.

"If there are more than two to three single men in the party, I will eat my bonnet of your choice," Elizabeth challenged.

"As much as I would enjoy seeing that, I believe you are correct in this instance," Charlotte averred.

The Goulding heir requested the first set from Jane, while the older Lucas son was to squire his sister, and his younger brother had been awarded Elizabeth's opening dances.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

"Caroline, if you are the cause of us being late again, then I will simply depart without you," Bingley admonished shortly after the coach departed Netherfield Park.

"Come Charles, you are showing your lack of sophistication before Mr Darcy," Miss Bingley claimed as she batted her eyelids at the mentioned man. She decided as he was not looking at her, Mr Darcy must be upset by her brother's nonsense. "Mr Darcy will tell you that it is done among the Ton to be fashionably late. Besides why would we rush? These country mushrooms will all be far below us."

"Actually Miss Bingley, I am glad you included me in your statement," Darcy stated. Miss Bingley preened at being able to please the man she intended to marry. When she heard his next words, her mood shifted radically. "Personally, I abhor the practice some follow to try drawing all of the attention to themselves. In fact I call the practice unfashionably rude . My noble relations agree with me in this."

Miss Bingley did not know how to respond. How could this be, were they not always as one mind on everything? Why would her Mr Darcy say such a thing? That was it, he was just placating Charles.

"Come now Mr Darcy, as a fellow member of the Ton , you must surely want to show the nobodies we will meet at this assembly what true class is. You do not have to agree with Charles just to guard his sensibilities," Miss Bingley simpered. As he was looking at her this time, she batted her eyelids at him furiously in as coquettish a fashion as she knew how. "I know you preferred to remain at the estate this evening and only changed your determination at my brother's cajoling."

"Miss Bingley do you have something in your eye which is causing your eyes distress?" Darcy asked. The woman just gaped but at least she ceased whatever it was she was doing with her eyes. Darcy turned to his friend who was seated next to him on the rear facing seats. "Bingley may I speak plainly to your sister?"

"You have my blessing to do so," Bingley replied firmly.

"I am afraid we are in very different social circles Miss Bingley," Darcy said firmly as the woman blanched. "Since when is the daughter of a tradesman a member of the Ton? How can you think yourself at my level of society? And need I remind you that most at this assembly will be landed gentry and, all of them and their families, are well above you in society. Until you decided to remain at Netherfield Park, I was to do so. As much as I dislike such an event to which we are on our way, it was the better option to remaining at the house with only you."

"Charles! Louisa! How can you allow Mr Darcy to speak to me in this infamous fashion?" Miss Bingley screeched.

"Caroline, how many times have Charles and I attempted to warn you that you would drive Mr Darcy to let his feelings be known in an unequivocal way if you continued to ignore what we have been telling you?" Mrs Hurst pointed out to her shocked sister. "You have been educated at, as you continually remind us, one of the best seminaries, so how is it you can be ignorant of how rank works in society?"

"As you may have noticed, being a gentleman, Darcy asked my leave before speaking plain to you," Bingley reminded his younger sister. "Why would I censure him when I gave my permission for him to do so?"

There was nothing Miss Bingley could tell herself which would make the situation seem positive. Could it be what her siblings had been telling her, that Mr Darcy would never offer for her, be true? Caroline Maleficent Bingley would not be denied, if she returned to London without the announcement of an engagement to Mr Darcy, she would be a laughing stock! Whatever she needed to do, which she now knew was to effect a compromise, would be done. She decided she needed to act, at least for a short time, as if she had receded. When everyone relaxed their vigil, she would know how exactly what to do.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

The first set was about to conclude when the music ceased abruptly, a few bars before the end of the piece, while at the same time a hush fell over the hall as all eyes were directed to the doors.

"You would think that royalty arrived," Elizabeth directed at her partner.

"That, Miss Eliza is, I believe, the Netherfield Park party," Johnny opined.

"I daresay you have the right of it. Oh my, do you see the lady with the flaming red hair?" Elizabeth cocked her head. Johnny nodded. "I have seen less feathers on a peacock, and that dress! Does she think she is at a ball at St James Palace?"

Without responding, judging his partner did not need one, Johnny led Eliza back to her mother and sisters just as his own father, who acted as the master of ceremonies, was welcoming the five newcomers.

Elizabeth returned in time to hear Lydia's whinging that she had not been gratified by anyone requesting the first set from her, and the first set she would dance was the third. If she had thought it would do some good, Elizabeth would point out to Lydia that she was missing two sets like all of the other young ladies present.

Jane was returned by Julian Goulding and Kitty's partner escorted her back to the Bennet party. Even Mary had been asked to dance the first. As each sister returned, especially Kitty, Lydia gave them a look to convey her sense of betrayal.

Elizabeth cared not for the youngest Bennet's whining about not having been squired for the dance. She was too busy observing the new arrivals as Sir William led them over to his family members and made the introductions. She saw the instant the man with strawberry blond hair noticed Jane, right after he had been granted a set with Charlotte, and requested Sir William introduce him and his party.

So far, the way the overdressed lady, who based on Papa's descriptions when he laughed about his call with her, must be Miss Bingley, was behaving had confirmed the initial sketch of her character—she thought herself a duchess and far above those in the neighbourhood. If she got to know more of the lady, Elizabeth expected there would be much amusement to be had.

She guessed from what Papa had told that Mr Bingley was the one who had been taken by Jane's beauty and the older lady and the shorter, slightly rotund man, were Mr I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better go seek your next partner and enjoy your dances, for you are wasting your time with me."

Bingley was horrified, but there was no time to remonstrate with his friend. Darcy had not lowered his voice and knew not about why the ladies all sat out two sets each.

Elizabeth stood and debated giving the hateful, insulting man the setdown he richly deserved. Instead, she made her way to where Charlotte was standing and related the event to her friend, and then with her looking at him, to make sure the haughty man was aware he was the subject of her derision, she laughed.

Darcy realised the lady must have heard him and he did regret his intemperate words. He was about to go apologise when he heard the derisive chortle. He watched as she went about the hall relating his faux pas to several persons she seemed to know. Why had he spoken without guarding his words beforehand? This would not help Bingley establish himself in the area.