Chapter 18

“Susan, it is a pleasure as always. How are you?”

Lady Maria Leonard was calling on her old friend, Lady Susan Fitzwilliam the Countess of Matlock.

“I am well thank you Maria. What has you in such a good mood this morning?”

“I bring news of your nephew.”

“Fitzwilliam?”

Lady Maria understood the family tradition of naming the first son after the maiden name of the mother but it did lead to confusion at times.

“Yes, although may we stick to Darcy to avoid confusion?”

Even his aunt agreed it was sensible.

“He has not been in town since early December. He returned from assisting his friend Bingley. He had leased an estate in Bedfordshire? No, Hertfordshire. He was only in town for a few days and then he and his sister left for Pemberley. They are expected back in town within the week. Is your correspondent from Derbyshire?”

“No, the young lady met him when he was with Bingley.”

Lady Maria had baited the hook well. Mentioning a young lady and Darcy in the same sentence could not but excite the interest of his aunt. She could not hide her smirk at her friend’s eager yet scolding face.

“I should feign disinterest for that terrible example of dragging your coat, but I will indulge you once again. Tell me more.”

Both friends laughed, Lady Susan had been equally disingenuous when passing on information about Lady Maria’s nieces and nephews.

“I am afraid to say it does not start well. I know he was out of sorts this past summer and it carried over to his visit with Bingley. He was overheard at the local Assembly speaking very poorly of one of the local ladies.”

“I know that he can get very standoffish when he is uncomfortable but he remains the gentleman.”

Lady Maria nodded at his aunt’s instinctive defence of him.

“He was being badgered by Bingley, not an excuse but part of the tale, and he lashed out, not really against the young woman but rather at Bingley to get him to leave him alone. I will not repeat the words but it was poorly done.”

“I presume he apologised once he had regained his equilibrium?”

“He did apologise eventually but it was many weeks later. I do not think he realised he had been overheard.”

“Who passed on this information? Is it reliable, truthful?”

“I heard it directly from a young lady who is a friend of my family. She is the older sister of the lady who was insulted. Rather than drag it out through a series of questions, she is Miss Elizabeth Bennet, the niece of Sir Edward Gardiner.”

“Created a Baronet for ‘services to the nation’, with support from both government and opposition. These new baronets are the subject of much scrutiny and discussion. An interesting connection.”

A bland three word statement, yet they both knew the underlying question.

“She saved the life of one of the Duke’s children, without thought to her own safety.”

Lady Susan had suffered the tragedy of one stillbirth and one child who died within weeks of being born. The Duke of Richwood and his wife had been blessed with 14 children and all of them had survived birth and their infancy. This was rare to the point of being almost unique. To have saved one of their children from an accident had heightened significance.

“Can you say more?”

“Do not pass this on, but there was an accident on Piccadilly. The building that was on the site of the new Egyptian Hall was being demolished to make way for it. Part of that building collapsed into the street. It was a miracle that no one was crushed. But horses with both carriages and wagons were out of control. Louisa, not yet six, managed to get separated in the panic. A wagon was about to shed its load and she would have been crushed, Miss Elizabeth rushed into the street and dragged her away before the worst could happen. But like I said, that is for your ears not the rest of the Ton.”

Lady Susan nodded absently while joining the dots.

“She was the niece of a tradesman at the time, difficult to know how to respond appropriately.”

“Exactly. The Duke and Duchess wrote a note of heartfelt thanks but did not initially maintain the connection. I chose to continue to correspond with the young lady.”

“Now that the uncle is ‘acceptable’ you are repaying the debt?”

“I understand why you would see it that way but it is just I find her an impressive young lady.”

“What are you not telling me?”

“She has agreed that I could introduce her to society but she wants as many introductions to ‘ladies of letters’.”

“She is a blue stocking?”

“Completely. What is interesting is that she confessed to two long conversations, no three, with Darcy.”

“Long conversations?”

Lady Maria recounted the breakfast, ballroom and supper conversations.

“Darcy is rarely comfortable in the company of women, especially those with marriage on their mind.”

“That is the thing. I do not think either of them considered marriage. Miss Elizabeth did not know of his relationship to the Earl but had heard enough about him to understand he was never going to be interested in a simple country girl. Her own words. Because she is anything but a simple country girl. She made no effort to hide her ties to trade, she talks about the taint or even the stench of trade.”

“My word!”

“I know, but she has seen it, suffered it for years. She is not wrong. But because of her remarkable candour there was no way Darcy would see her as suitable. As a result, with neither of them having to project a false front, they were able to have three detailed conversations. And as you heard, on subjects rarely discussed between the sexes.”

“Is there a connection between them? Being the niece of a Baronet, however recent and whatever his antecedents, changes things.”

“That is why we are talking. She does not realise her increased eligibility and still harbours a visceral disdain for many of the gentlemen in society.”

“Visceral disdain is strong Maria.”

“I know, but that is what I have to overcome. She assisted her uncle with his business, because of his injuries. One of the consequences of this is that she was propositioned once at 17 and twice more when she was 18 to be a gentleman’s mistress.”

Lady Susan winced.

“She has been straddling the two worlds for how many years?”

“Four. She is intelligent, well read, extremely proficient at maintaining ledgers, and frankly is rough round the edges.”

“You are painting quite the picture Maria.”

“She has no patience for the elegant verbal games of the Ton. Someone will thrust a snide, belittling, verbal poniard and her response will be to try and cleave them in half with a verbal broadsword. Her temper when aroused is, I am not sure what the right phrase is. But having heard how she responded in Hertfordshire I do not know whether to be frightened or excited to experience it here in town.”

“You sound positively giddy!”

“I cannot really explain it Susan. I find her a breath of fresh air, a terrible cliché yet true. And remember, her intemperate outbursts were both in front of Darcy. It did not stop him from intimately conversing with her mere days later.”

“He likes her temper?”

“I would not go that far. But from her recounting she was justified both times, maybe not the exact words in response but there were insults from her hostess that could not go unanswered.”

Once again Lady Susan demonstrated her intelligence.

“The hostess? So that would be Bingley’s sister, Miss Caroline Bingley?”

Lady Maria just nodded.

“She has been a plague upon Darcy ever since Bingley graduated Cambridge and joined society. Both the Earl and myself have questioned him, quite bluntly I might add, as to why he maintains the connection. His response is that Bingley is a good friend, importantly he is a cheerful soul who lightens Darcy’s own temperament. He will not force Bingley to choose between a friend and his sister. He would not countenance anyone even suggesting such a thing with Georgiana.”

“The only way he will drop Miss Bingley’s society is if he drops the connection to Bingley?”

“Exactly.”

“Based on how she behaved in Hertfordshire, that situation might be closer than you think.”

“She was that bad?”

“The usual nouveau riche airs and graces, sneering at everyone, whether they deserved it or not. Since when is the daughter of a tradesman better than the daughters of a gentleman? Attending a seminary and having a significant dowry just shows that her father was ambitious and successful.”

“What of the dowry of Miss. Are we calling her Miss Elizabeth or Miss Bennet?”

“None of the other sisters are here, so Miss Bennet. I have always called her Miss Elizabeth and she granted me permission to drop the Miss. But to society in general she will be Miss Bennet.”

“Back to my question, what of her dowry?”

Lady Maria pursed her lips.

“There is something going on there but she refuses to discuss it. Her response when asked is ‘my father has not set aside a dowry’. She will receive ￡1,000 on the death of her mother. But she dissembles when further questions are asked. I believe, with no facts to back it up, that she has a dowry from her uncle. But she does not want it bandied about town. But that is conjecture like I said.”

“Interesting. I presume you will force the issue if anyone pays serious attention?”

“I will, and I think she knows it. She is well versed in contracts, and knows that the marriage settlement will detail everything. She is not someone who puts herself forward, there is a natural reticence to her.”

“I do believe you like her. I have not seen you this engaged for several years. Not even your own nieces have captured your interest like this.”

“Given the family connections there was little need for me. This is someone who is without support and I believe she is worthy of my time.”

Lady Maria realised that she had probably overstated to Lady Susan her position, and influence, with Elizabeth. And yet at the same time the second half of her last sentence was the truth. Elizabeth Bennet was worth the time.

--

The next 10 days were trying for Elizabeth. For the first time, she was dragged through the torture known as a visit to the modiste. She may have indulged in a spot of hyperbole but standing at the whim of a temperamental dressmaker was not her idea of a good day. After a discussion with Lady Maria she agreed to buy six new dresses, and all the necessary accessories. Elizabeth did not resent the expense while at the same time promising herself that such a trip was not going to be a regular occurrence. Once her wardrobe had been updated Lady Maria once again invited Elizabeth for tea.

“Do you know whether your uncle intends to move?”

“He does. He has finalised a lease with the Portman Estate for a townhouse on Bryanston Square. The date of acquisition is in the spring I believe. Why do you ask?”

“We need to be prepared. You are accompanying me to a small private ball this Friday evening and we need to talk about your responses to any questions.”

“I understand the need for preparation. What else needs to be resolved?”

“The one that has triggered this conversation is how you respond if a gentleman asks to call.”

“You think it likely?”

“I do not know, but if we do not consider it, then inevitably someone will ask.”

Lady Maria then spent 20 minutes explaining the confusing etiquette of making calls. Elizabeth wished she had paper and a quill, she needed to take notes.

“Let me summarise all this back to you to confirm I have the correct understanding. Making calls to acquaintances is significant and is normally done between 1.00 and 4.00 in the afternoon, despite them often being described as morning calls? And there is a time limit to these calls of 15 minutes and definitely no more than 20?”

“That is correct.”

“You make calls on a Monday and receive calls on a Tuesday, although for many women it is a task that consumes most of the week. Your friends know this routine and there is an intricate dance so that not everyone is out calling on the same day and therefore no one is at home.”

Lady Maria smiled. An intricate dance was a good way to describe it.

“And this is one of the ways society works. New acquaintances are introduced, existing relationships are maintained and there is the constant moving of people into different categories, particularly the change from acquaintance to friend, and the reverse. Married couples will occasionally visit together, although this is rarer.”

“You are correct so far.”

“This then frees up the mornings for occasions such as this, meeting friends, shopping, more personal time rather than being available to anyone who calls. So what about the theoretical young man from the ball this Friday?”

“Normally he would not call immediately because that is too gauche. If you catch the eye of a young man, then normally what would happen is that he would mention this to a female relative and she would investigate the young lady.”

Lady Maria knew she had made a mistake by Elizabeth’s face.

“Once again, I am nothing but a pretty thing to be displayed in the shop window, or in this case the dance floor.”

“I know that this is an issue that vexes you but it is the way society works. How else are you going to meet a gentleman, given all the restrictions placed upon women in our society? That is why balls and dances are so popular. It really is one of the few ways you can converse with a gentleman without censure. Remember the example you recounted to me about you and Mr. Darcy at the Netherfield Park ball?”

“I am sorry for snapping. I need to approach this with a more temperate attitude. Your mention of Mr. Darcy is the right example for me to focus on. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with him that evening.”

Lady Maria smiled, internally. Time to visit Lady Susan and confirm when Darcy was back in town.

“If I receive any visits from ladies then they will point blank ask about your dowry. What are you not telling me?”

Lady Maria knew many of Elizabeth’s quirks, especially her sighs. A sigh was an indication of something that she really did not want to discuss. Based on this heavy sigh, it was going to be significant.

“What are the words that are used to describe a lady’s dowry? What is the difference between modest, good, substantial, etc.?”

Lady Maria had to smile at Elizabeth’s stubborn efforts to keep the actual amount unknown.

“If a young lady had a dowry of less than ￡5,000 then I would describe it as modest, less than ￡1,000 would be described as negligible.”

She saw Elizabeth grimace momentarily.

“A good dowry for the daughter of a country gentleman would be between ￡5,000 and ￡15,000. Obviously, the latter is three times larger, so the context is the size of the estate. Some of my circle have used the rule of three times the annual income of the estate. But that is not universal.”

She could see Elizabeth’s lips moving, mumbling almost silently.

“A good dowry is a range either side of ￡10,000. A substantial dowry would be the same principle centred on ￡20,000 so from ￡15,000 to ￡25,000.”

“I see. And beyond that?”

Lady Maria was now looking at Elizabeth with a very calculating eye.

“Beyond substantial I have heard dowries described as impressive.”

There was a long awkward silence. Finally Elizabeth spoke.

“I will confess to a good dowry, bordering on substantial.”

Lady Maria did not question her protégé. But she was almost certain this was an understated amount. She had asked for the descriptor beyond substantial. How much had Sir Edward settled upon his niece? Only two people knew what comprised Elizabeth’s dowry. Elizabeth herself and her uncle. Neither his wife nor his son knew that she held one eighth of the capital of Gardiner Import/Export. Technically it was held in trust for her by her uncle, but it was in her name. For the year 1811 the business had returned ￡13,000 of which Elizabeth’s share was more than ￡1,600. It would take ￡40,000 in the Funds to generate such an income. As Elizabeth had discovered, an impressive amount.

She was also extremely aware of fortune hunters, it was why she never confessed the exact amount. Even letting it be known that she had a dowry of around ￡15,000 was dangerous.

“I would prefer for you to refrain from any reference to substantial. I will confess to a good dowry, in line with that expected from the second daughter of a modest estate. On top of everything else I have to deal with I do not want to become the target of fortune hunters. If any of them attempt a compromise then I will simply let them and then refuse to marry. That way I will be done with the entire process.”

Lady Maria knew she meant it.

“I will ensure that such a scenario does not come to pass. The last thing I wish to discuss is whether you would consent to reside here until your uncle’s new house is ready?”

Elizabeth found herself once again staring silently at Lady Maria.

“Asking if you are sure seems rude, as if you do not know your own mind. Er, as you can tell I was not expecting such an offer.”

“To save you trying to find a suitable alternate for ‘are you sure?’ let me explain. There are two things, one mainly for me, and the other mainly for you. Personally, I enjoy your company and would like for you to be my guest for the next three months. In return for the pleasure of your company, I can spend the time to continue to educate you to the ways of society. There is a lot for you to learn.”

“How will you explain my presence?”

“The truth. You are a friend of the family staying with me here in Hanover Square while Sir Edward’s new townhouse is completed on Bryanston Square. The kind will understand and inquire no further and the unkind can be ignored. And it simplifies things with regard to any gentleman callers. Please say you will accept?”

“I am getting ever deeper in your debt Lady Maria. Your kindness to me is unprecedented. But yes, I will reside with you until my uncle’s new house is ready for occupancy.”

“You will bring your two servants? Do you require a maid?”

“I presume we will be about town each week.”

“Yes, almost certainly every week, often every day of the week.”

“If you can spare the staff I would prefer a maid. I call Claire my maid, it is just easier to explain to people. But in truth she and Robert are my protectors, my bodyguards first and foremost. I travelled to the warehouses close to the Thames many times a week. I never left the house without at least the two of them to protect me. Normally there was a second footman as well, although they rotated. Claire will not have the time to fully perform the duties of a lady’s maid if she is with me throughout the day.”

“She provides you that much sense of security?”

“Yes she does. She has stepped in front of me more times than I can recount. If I had to give her a title then I would call her my companion more than my servant.”

“Then I will assign a maid to you during your stay. We will describe Miss Claire as your companion.”

“Mrs. Smith, she is married to Robert.”

“Elizabeth! You let your servants marry?”

“Yes. I trusted them with my safety, my uncle just laughed at me and allowed me to do as I pleased. At the time, I was not aware of how unusual this was, but it has been for the best, both mine and theirs.”

Lady Maria just shook her head. Was there anything conventional about Elizabeth Bennet? Her butler entered to announce a guest.

“Excuse me my lady. His Grace the Duke of Desmond is here. Do you wish to meet him here or in your study?”

“He may join us here.”

A moment later.

“Lady Maria, thank you for receiving me with no notice.”

“You are always welcome, you know that. Will you allow me to introduce my guest?”

At his nod of agreement, she continued.

“Your Grace, allow me to present Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Miss Bennet this is His Grace The Duke of Desmond.”

After the bowing and curtseying were completed they all finally sat.

“Again, I do apologise Aunt for bursting in on you without notice.”

“It is of no import. Elizabeth, this young man is not in fact one of my nephews, he is technically a first cousin once removed. His grandmother is my aunt.”

“Given the generational gap I am guilty of just calling Lady Maria aunt.”

“The Dukedom of Desmond is within the Peerage of Ireland?”

“Indeed Miss Bennet. My father died seven years ago when I was only 13 years of age. I finally reach my majority in August.”

“I too reach that milestone this year. Excuse my asking but are your ancestors from the Norman invaders?”

“No they are not. Why would you think that?

Elizabeth flushed.

“Des monde, the two separate words, in French mean of the world. I was wondering at your title as Duke of the World.”

The Duke looked startled for a moment and then burst into laughter.

“I am not short of confidence or vanity but even I would baulk at such a title. No Miss Bennet it is an Anglicisation of the original Irish meaning South Munster. It is a geographical term.”

Elizabeth blushed at her faux pas. She stood to leave.

“Please do not leave on my account Miss Bennet.”

“Thank you, Your Grace, but I was about to leave just before your arrival.”

Elizabeth looked at Lady Maria.

“2.00 tomorrow afternoon?”

“Excellent, I look forward to it.”