Chapter 8

“Let us head out for a walk.”

“Are you going to ask permission from your mother?”

Elizabeth shook her head. Instead Robert mentioned to Hill that Miss Elizabeth was going out for a walk before accompanying her and his wife. Once they were out of the grounds of the Manor and onto the estate Elizabeth paused.

“Thank you Claire for lowering your voice when talking about my society friends. I do not want either of you to mention them inside the house. Before I left Longbourn Lydia was already a sneak and had been caught trying to listen at doors. And given the number of times Mrs. Bennet was ‘conveniently close’ to the study door when I left after meeting with my father, it appears to be an inherited family trait.”

Both Robert and Claire acknowledged the request.

“Right, tell me your thoughts about the Assembly please.”

Claire indicated that her husband should go first.

“It was as I would expect of a small country Assembly. Everyone knew everyone else, with the exception of the one obvious party, and they were friendly to both of us. They were interested in us of course, but given it was because you were home, there was little fuss. We were unknowns so we not immediately accepted but at the same time we were not distrusted.”

He paused for a moment.

“The best way to describe it is that we are strangers but the locals are prepared to accept us. Slowly.”

This last made all three laugh.

“Claire?”

“It was no different for me. I had a lot of questions about what you were like now. Most did not come across aggressively, it appeared more as curiosity about you. This was the first time anyone had seen you in four years, so it was natural.”

Typical country behaviour, Elizabeth was not perturbed by these revelations.

“Let us talk about the obvious exception, the party from Netherfield Park. Shall we dissect them one at a time?”

With nods of acceptance she started.

“Let us deal with the two easy ones first, the Hursts. The husband appeared like a Hogarth or Gillray caricature brought to life. He did not dance with his wife, did not converse with anyone, beyond the bare minimum of replying to questions, before sitting close to the refreshment table and trying to drink it dry. Like I said, a caricature. The wife reminded me of Kitty, a follower. She was the echo to her sister’s speeches. Is she as bad as her sister? I am not sure, she is irrelevant.”

Claire turned to her husband to stifle her smile. Miss Elizabeth was just warming up.

“Who next? The brother or the sister?”

“They both lead in different ways to Mr. Darcy, so it does not matter. The brother?”

“My first impression of him was that he was an amiable, cheerful even, person. But on reflection I do not know if that is because he was beside his sister and his friend. Standing between the two of them anyone would look cheerful in comparison. The other aspect of his character I could discern was that he made an effort. He greeted everyone, he did not think himself above his company, unlike the other four members of his party, and danced every dance. Rather than some kind of grotesque caricature he acted like a gentleman.”

“You have told us about the incident with your sister. Is any fault attached to him?”

Elizabeth considered this.

“He did badger his friend, and everyone else in the room could tell that Mr. Darcy was in a foul mood. So yes, I suppose he does share some of the blame.”

Elizabeth thought for another moment.

“He is a tenant at Netherfield Park, Mr. Bingley is trying to establish himself as a gentleman. So he wants to make a good impression on the neighbourhood. So I can see why he was badgering Mr. Darcy. Neither his friend nor his sister were aiding him in creating a good first impression. Even now, I can mostly forgive his actions. So yes, he does have a small portion of the blame but nothing more than that.”

“You murmured to me on the way home that you had lots to tell us about Miss Caroline Bingley.”

Elizabeth broke into a large smile. Claire and Robert shared a look, this was going to be good.

“Mr. Bingley is open about sharing that his father was in trade and that it was his wish that his son become a landed gentleman. The lease of Netherfield Park for a year is the first step in achieving that dream. So far, not any different than so many other men who have made money through trade. But Miss Bingley is an even larger figure of mockery than her brother-in-law. She stood there, looking down her nose at all around her, making snide comments to her sister who slavishly agreed with her. Again, I do not know or frankly care whether the sister is similarly snobbish or just a wall upon which her sister’s words can echo.

“I just do not know what Miss Bingley is doing, why she thinks this is the correct way to behave? I have been in the company of a Duchess, a Countess, the niece of a Duke together with many other ladies in society in London. I have not spent much time with them, but I have seen them in several situations. And nobody acted in a similar manner to Miss Bingley. I have also seen and interacted socially with ‘ladies’ with a similar background to Miss Bingley. Namely they are the first generation to step back from the trade that made the family rich. They do everything possible to avoid ‘the taint of trade’ or more coarsely, ‘the stench of trade’.

“Yet yesterday evening she snubbed and was visibly rude to the ladies of families that have owned land for hundreds of years. The first Bennet to be granted the lands of the Longbourn Estate was in the reign of Edward VI, more than 250 years ago. And just to cap her ridiculous behaviour, I have met her uncle. It was nothing more than a brief introduction when he was visiting my uncle’s offices but Mr. Paul Bingley still runs the carriage works in Scarborough that his father started. On his father’s death the business was passed onto the two sons, the uncle that I met and our Mr. Bingley’s own father.”

“What was the business?”

“Carriages. The Bingley Carriage Works had, or rather has, an excellent reputation in the industrial cities of the north of England. Mr. Paul Bingley was in London talking to Mr. Gardiner about the opportunities to export the carriages. I know nothing about any of these negotiations, like I said it was a brief introduction. But it amazes me how Miss Bingley is behaving. Is her family really removed from the taint of trade? I consider my Uncles Gardiner and Philips as part of my family. Charles, Caroline and whatever the other sister is called are no longer in trade. But the Bingley family, whose surname they share, is most definitely still in trade.”

They continued walking before Claire had a sudden thought.

“I am sure she does not think anyone in Meryton or the surrounding area would know this. Are you going to spread your knowledge?”

Elizabeth slowed her pace as she considered the question.

“Given that I met her uncle at my own uncle’s place of business it would be hypocritical to make a fuss of the connection. Truthfully, I do not care. My hesitation is because of Miss Bingley’s behaviour. I would like to say no, but Miss Bingley might annoy me sufficiently that I make mention of it.”

Both Claire and Robert knew that Miss Elizabeth could be merciless if sufficiently angered. It was something to behold, as long as you were not on the receiving end.

“We have delayed long enough, what are your impressions of Mr. Darcy up until he decided to be cruel to Mary.”

Robert started further back than expected.

“At the inn on the journey here we encountered the four of them, the Hursts, Mr. Darcy and Miss Bingley. At the time we thought they were two couples. And when the party finally arrived last night you could see Miss Bingley grasping Mr. Darcy’s arm. It was not laid gently upon his arm, she had a grip and was determined not to let go. It must have loosened during the introductions because Mr. Darcy took the opportunity to move away immediately.”

“Oh, so that was why he was not introduced to anyone other than the Lucases?”

Robert nodded and his wife took up the tale.

“I do not wish to be rude and compare the two of you Miss Elizabeth but I believe Mr. Darcy was similar to you.”

Elizabeth looked both aghast and affronted.

“What I mean is that the party arrived at Netherfield Park at exactly the same time as we returned to Longbourn. Mr. Darcy did not want to attend the Assembly just as you would not have if given the chance. The comparison stops at that moment, he was rude and ill-mannered whereas you were polite and cheerful with everyone you met, be it old or new acquaintances.”

Elizabeth smiled.

“Okay, I will not be mortally offended, I can see exactly what you mean. Mr. Darcy did not want to be there and made no effort to hide the fact. Why did he attend if he was determined to be miserable?”

“Mayhap it was the lesser of two evils. Based on the way Miss Bingley has acted around him, both at the inn and again at the Assembly, would he have risked being alone with her at Netherfield Park?”

With no way of knowing for sure, this seemed the most likely scenario. It was time to deal with the main issue.

“Let us grant Mr. Darcy a pardon for all that. What about his behaviour to his company generally and to Mary specifically? I have played his words over and over in my head. We will return to the first part of his charming speech in a moment. But it is the second part that is giving me pause. ‘I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men.’ By his own admission Darcy thinks he has consequence, and much more than anyone else in the neighbourhood. Why is he not helping his friend? He is not staying here for the year, he will be gone before Christmas never to return. How does being publically rude help his friend?”

Elizabeth shook her head. Claire asked a very pertinent question.

“Do you know who he is, Mr. Darcy I mean?”

“I have heard the name before, I think he may have come to the office to make a purchase, but other than that, no.”

“Does he think we all know who he is?”

Elizabeth pondered this point.

“I suppose he must. In London society he must be well known. Charlotte told me this morning that he is from Derbyshire, it was mentioned when she was introduced to him. I presume he is well known in that county as well.”

“So you do not know much about the gentleman?”

Elizabeth shook her head.

“No. What are you getting at?”

“The rumour went round the room that he had ￡10,000 a year. You heard that as well, yes?”

“Yes I did.”

“Who started the rumour, if no one knew him? Miss Elizabeth, you have lived in London for four years and devour newspapers on a daily basis. If you did not know, then who else at the Assembly would know such a thing?”

Elizabeth had no immediate answer. Then it struck her; his own party. She started laughing.

“What is so funny?”

“There is an obvious suspect and I had a vision of Miss Bingley as Lady Macbeth holding the bloody dagger.”

They all laughed anew.

“She got it out into the community while at the same time trying to stake her own claim.”

Elizabeth was not convinced this was a clever tactic regardless of its inappropriateness but it no longer mattered.

“He has set himself up as far above his current company by his actions and the rumours now circulating. And he will get away with it because he is a rich gentleman. Despite the fact that we know he is not a true gentleman based on his words to my sister.”

“It is pointless to ask if she was upset, of course she was upset. Maybe a better way to ask the question is how upset was she?”

“Initially she was mortified, and rightly so. What you probably do not realise is that Mrs. Bennet has a marked preference for two of her children, Jane and Lydia. This is something in which Kitty, Mary and myself are blameless, it is something that our mother has spoken of all our lives. Both Mary and I have been unfavourably compared to Jane, me more than Mary although I suspect Mary has borne the brunt of it the last four years. I grew inured to it but I would be lying to say that it did not sting at times. I do not think Mary is so thick-skinned. Mr. Darcy making such a comment was like a knife through her self-esteem. But I was able to calm her down and focus on something more outrageous.”

“What?”

“Me. I made an even more inappropriate comment about Mr. Darcy. Although I was careful to ensure that we were not overheard.”

“May we ask what you said?”

“I started by calming her and stating that nearly all men were idiots, a lot of them were cruel, society dandies most of all. I called him handsome but then twisted his comment back at him. ‘He is handsome but not enough to tempt me. His stony facade is a reflection of his heart of stone and because of that he will have to buy consequence with his alleged ￡10,000 a year. In fact, I am going to stand close to him and let him inhale my stench from trade.’”

“Oh my! How did Miss Mary react?”

“She was so startled that she stopped feeling sorry for herself and turned to abrade me instead. I had an unrepentant smirk on my face and just hugged her. Mary then laughed and threatened to find her old copy of Fordyce’s Sermons and read them all to me.”

“So what you said to Miss Mary, did it drag her out of her doldrums?”

“Yes, but only to an extent. Mary is like me, she thinks about things. She has, what, at least 10 years of comments from our mother. My being outrageous got her through the evening but she will still believe what Mr. Darcy said.”

“You have recounted what you said in the moment. Is that what you really think about him?”

“The only thing that I can be sure about is my first sentence. Yes. he is a handsome man, but it is also true that it is not enough to tempt me. Other than that, everything else is conjecture. That he does not even pretend to be amiable is a mark against him. We were not introduced and I hope that I can avoid an introduction before he leaves the area forever. I suspect that is wishful thinking on my part but I can but hope.”

Little did she know.

--

After an overly eventful first weekend back, things quickly settled into a calmer routine. For Elizabeth that meant that she retreated to her small bedroom and quietly read. She did not believe it was a long term solution but it helped reduce the tension at Longbourn. She had long conversations with Mary, Jane and Charlotte Lucas repeatedly over the next three weeks. Elizabeth tried to be more of a listener than talker, letting the other three start to fill in the blanks of her local knowledge. When she did talk she was able to direct their attention to her having been the mistress of a house.

“You had a lot of freedom.”

Charlotte’s choice of word was interesting, especially as the opening comment.

“I can see why you would think that. I do not think at the time that is how I would have described it. The situation was daunting and I relied on so many people to help me.”

“Listening to you, and hearing the stories from Mary when she returned from her trips, I understand why you thought that. But I suppose I was meaning that you had no one to second guess you.”

Jane nodded and followed on from Charlotte’s response.

“You were the mistress, the lady in charge.”

“That is true but I never felt alone. Remember Uncle Gardiner was in the house with me six days out of seven, and I was with him at his offices and warehouse on the other day. He might not have interfered but his presence was a comfort. But the key thing was the Gardiner’s had hired good staff. From the housekeeper Mrs. Brewer, to the Cook, to the nurse, even to the coachman, they all stepped up and helped me, helped the family.”

None of the other three belaboured the point, Elizabeth was always going to deflect credit to others. Mary changed the subject to a topic that Elizabeth herself had been constantly been thinking about.

“What are you going to do now, Lizzie?”

“If only I knew Mary, if only I knew. I have only been back here in Hertfordshire mere days. I do not think it prudent to rush into anything. I will spend time with family and friends.”

Here she reached out and grasped each of their hands.

“I am going to spend time with Aunt and Uncle Philips, I will ask if I can spend most of a day with them. If they are agreeable then I will walk into Meryton and Uncle Philips can give me a ride back in his gig at the end of the day. Since the start of this year I had introduced Angela and Rebecca to the stillroom at Gracechurch Street. Of course we had to buy the flowers and plants but it was fun to start to teach them the basics. Now that I am back here in the country I will have to brush up on my skills, as I have not had the opportunity to prepare some of the restoratives. Between all of that, my reading and general visits I should have no trouble filling my days.”

Jane and Charlotte did not appear to pick up on what Elizabeth had mentioned but Mary had to stifle a smile. For a young woman whose first response was ‘if only I knew’, Elizabeth had filled her week with little difficulty.

Charlotte and Jane however, had a different topic they wanted to discuss, but only between themselves.

--

“When did Eliza change?”

“What do you mean Charlotte?”

“Surely you can see it Jane. Eliza has changed since she went to live in London.”

Jane and Charlotte were sitting on a bench at the end of the garden at Lucas Lodge. They were in sight, just, of the house but they had privacy to talk. Jane was confused by her friend’s line of questioning.

“Charlotte, it has been more than four years since Lizzie went to stay at Gracechurch street. She is now 20, I would be more surprised if she had not changed.”

“I am sorry Jane, I am not being clear. Of course Eliza has grown up, she has been the mistress of your uncle’s house all that time. She has experienced what neither you nor I have yet managed, running her own home. What I was asking you was about her, well feelings I guess. Maybe even her dreams.”

Jane’s smooth forehead was marred by creases as she still sat confused at Charlotte’s side.

“I am doing no better. Let me see if I can explain more clearly. Remember back to ’07, I was already 23 years old while you were 18 and Eliza was 16. The two of you talked to me about love, what was the phrase? You would only marry for ‘the deepest love’, yes?”

Jane nodded.

“Both you and Eliza took me to task for being much more practical and that I should consider love when thinking about a future husband. Here we are at the end of the summer of ’11 and neither of us has changed. You are still romantic, wanting love, and I am now firmly on the shelf and want to stop being a burden to my family. For me it is also about escaping, getting a little freedom. Eliza invited me to visit her in London, and did so several times a year ever since she went there, yet I was never allowed by my parents, well really by my mother.”

Charlotte lowered her head and spoke the next part quietly.

“I have found myself being jealous of Eliza’s good fortune.”

She heard Jane’s gasp but did not look up.

“I know, I know, the circumstances are terrible and tragic. But Jane it did not stop me in moments of weakness of wishing that something like that would happen to me. It is only occasionally but I have had those thoughts.”

Charlotte sat, staring at the grass in front of her. She felt Jane’s hand grasp hers and looked up.

“I have never confessed this but I too have had moments when I wondered whether I could have done what Lizzie has done. I comfort myself knowing that Mama would never have let me take over Uncle Gardiner’s house the way Lizzie did. But rather than wish that we could have swapped, I instead have spent more time wondering if I could have done as much, and done it so well, as Lizzie.”

It was not the same as Charlotte’s confession but she squeezed Jane’s hand in thanks.

“Thank you. It rather nicely brings me to the point that I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to make.”

Charlotte sighed.

“Please believe me when I say I do not want this to come across as hard as it will sound. I think that Eliza has become somewhat bitter at the world and has lost any sense of romance.”

Rather than have to defend herself Charlotte was shocked by Jane’s response.

“I agree completely. It took me a moment or two to understand what you were meaning but you are correct.”

“Oh.”

It was not the most cogent of retorts but Jane’s immediate agreement had caught Charlotte unawares.

“Lizzie has talked about this with both Mary when she visited her and with myself the two times I visited her.”

“She never mentioned anything in her letters. We must have written tens of letters over the years.”

Charlotte tried to hide the hurt in her tone but was not completely successful.

“She never writes about it in her letters, it was the same with Mary and me. And it would take several hours of conversation with her before she shared much even with her two sisters. Elizabeth says that she has managed to trap herself.”

“Trap herself? How do you mean? What does she mean?”

“Calm yourself Charlotte, I will explain. First of all I am going to use the word wife despite the fact that Elizabeth is still a maiden. All of the things, the positions, I am going to list partially apply but very few of them tell the whole story. Lizzie has taken over the role of Uncle Gardiner’s wife, within the context of running his house and entertaining. She is more than just his hostess, as she has helped raise the three youngest children and is the mother figure to all three of them, especially Michael who has almost no memories of his mother. She interviewed all the governess candidates and it was the person that she recommended that Uncle Gardiner hired. She even deals with the nurse that cares for him. But what is different is that she assists Uncle Gardiner in running his business. And it is that aspect that has hardened Lizzie.”

Charlotte had used the word bitter but as she thought about it she realised hardened was an even better way to describe Elizabeth.

“Two things contributed to this. The first is the way gentlemen deal with tradesmen. She mostly refuses to share examples with me. She has confided in Mary once or twice, but that is more a matter of timing. Mary had arrived at Gracechurch Street and Lizzie needed to vent. That trait has not changed.”

They lightly chuckled, Elizabeth had often vented to both of them, mainly about her mother, when she was younger.

“From what Mary has shared, occasionally a gentleman would make a comment about the ‘stench of trade’ when attending the Uncle Gardiner’s offices. I never knew any of our grandparents. You have told us more stories of them from your childhood memories than either of our parents. They were all dead before I was three years old. It has never been a secret that Mama’s father was a country solicitor. Or that one daughter married the man who took over the practice while the son went to London and started a business. Papa’s family has owned Longbourn since the time of Edward VI, so more than 250 years. We are the daughters of landed gentry, minor to be sure but gentle-born nonetheless.

“Elizabeth has been exposed to the scathing snobbery of society in London. Her descriptions of life in the ‘Ton’ seem to be so shallow and so petty. Everyone appears to think the worst of everyone else, and they all wait for an individual or a family to make some kind of mistake so that they can pounce. And as the example Mary shared shows, they would also make pre-emptive comments.”

Charlotte thought about this last point and held up her hand.

“Is it any different to how my mother or your mother act within the small society of Meryton and its surrounding area? Remember how gleeful they were when they heard the story of one of the Purvis’ nieces had suddenly gone to Scotland for a year?”

Jane stopped and pondered this point.

“So it is nothing more than the scale, I can see that. London is multiples bigger than Hertfordshire so there is more scandal to report and talk about.”

“I interrupted. You were talking about tradesmen.”

“Lizzie has been the eyes and ears of our uncle ever since the accident. He laughingly calls her his legs, she can get places that he is no longer able.”

Charlotte gasped at this black humour.

“I know, that was my reaction as well when he first said it to me. What Lizzie has been exposed to is the snobbery of Uncle Gardiner’s customers. Well some of them. The polite version that is commonly spoken of is ‘the taint of trade’. You cannot be a gentleman if you have any taint of trade. The less polite version is ‘the stench of trade’ that I just mentioned. It is Lizzie’s contention that although it is not repeated out loud very often, it is the way that most of the London gentry think. It is something that I find very difficult to challenge. She is the person that deals with that attitude, or at least hears it, or of it. To be honest, when Mary first told me I thought that it was Lizzie over-exaggerating things but according to Mary she has been consistent about it for years and the few times that she has mentioned it in front of Uncle Gardiner he has not refuted what she is saying.”

“The stench of trade? Really?”

Jane nodded. Charlotte looked pained.

“Did people say that about us, the Lucases I mean, when father bought Lucas Lodge?”

“I know that there were one or two comments but it happened when we were both young. I definitely never heard the phrase but that does not mean it was not said.”

There was nothing Charlotte Lucas could say so they moved on. Jane picked up her story.

“So there is the first part, Lizzie was around people who think that way. But the aspect that has changed her the most is how men treat her.”

“Is she okay? Has she been…”

Charlotte did not know how to ask the question. Jane understood and vehemently shook her head.

“No, nothing like that fortunately. It is all to do with them dismissing her just because she is a woman. Elizabeth will be the first to tell anyone that she does not know how to run Uncle Gardiner’s business. She has never claimed that she does. But she has been immersed in that business for four years, and at a level that no one realises. She is incredibly clever when it comes to ledgers and has an understanding of what these numbers mean. But because she is a woman she is dismissed. Her contention is that men are incapable of recognising that women can be intelligent. And she has lots and lots of experience of what she calls idiot men being taken advantage of in business. And these same men see her only value as. Well I am not going to say it.”

Charlotte was not a delicate fainting flower. Her eyes narrowed.

“Really?”

Jane nodded.

“18 months ago was when she first told Mary she had been propositioned and given the opportunity to be a man’s mistress. In April she told her that it had happened two more times.”

Jane saw the muscles in Charlotte’s jaw clench.

“I do not say this next point to be cruel to you Charlotte but you and I have both been judged on our looks. It has been that way all our lives, if in different ways. I have heard my mother repeat endlessly that ‘I could not have been so beautiful for nothing’, yet I am 22 and no closer to the alter than you are. Maybe you and I are the odd ones in that we are not hardened or bitter.”

Charlotte stood and walked back and forth, a nervous reaction to the conversation. She inelegantly slumped back down on the bench.

“Well this has been a cheery conversation, has it not?”

Jane smiled and patted her hand comfortingly.

“Can I ask what prompted you to ask me the initial question?”

“Elizabeth’s behaviour at the Assembly.”

“Charlotte, stop saying these short sentences and making me ask all the questions. Elaborate!”

Jane smiled at Charlotte’s mock-chagrin expression.

“Sorry, I cannot help myself sometimes. It annoys my mother, it is my only excuse. Anyway, what I was meaning was her overall cool demeanour ever since she returned from London, but specifically the way she assisted Mary when that Mr. Darcy upset her. Although she did not raise her voice and was not overheard, she was very scathing in her assessment of him, his manners and his behaviour in a public place.”

“How did you hear, if she was not overheard?”

“I was the third person in the group, and faced out to the rest of the Assembly making sure we were alone while Eliza spoke with Mary. I heard everything she said.”

Jane indicated for Charlotte to continue.

“She said that most men were idiots, some of them were cruel, society dandies most of all. She called him handsome but then twisted his comment back at him. Let me get this right. Hang on.”

Jane watched Charlotte mumble under her breath for a moment.

“He is handsome but not enough to tempt me. His stony facade is a reflection of his heart of stone and because of that he will have to buy consequence with his alleged ￡10,000 a year. She even offered to stand next to him so that he had to breath her stench from trade.”

“Oh my! How did Mary react?”

“She was so startled that she stopped feeling sorry for herself. By the time she was done Eliza was smirking and Mary was threatening to find her copy of Fordyce’s Sermons and read them all to Eliza.”

“So Lizzie said what she said to drag Mary out of her doldrums?”

Charlotte shook her head.

“That is why we are talking. Every time she and I have chatted over the last week she makes variations on the same point. She has got to the point where she does not see any good in any men. And I mean practically all men. The only two that are exempt from her scorn are her two uncles.”

Jane sat and processed Charlotte’s contention. Suddenly she looked up at her friend who pursed her lips and nodded her head. The question was not asked aloud, just as the answer was similarly silent, but Jane knew that Mr. Bennet was not exempt from Elizabeth’s disappointment.

“What do you think we should do?”

Charlotte shrugged.

“That is also why we are talking. I have absolutely no idea. Eliza is seven years younger than me, two years younger than yourself, yet she has years more independent life experience than either of us. It comes back to what you said. Eliza is a still a maiden yet has lived as a wife for four years. Other than the marriage bed, what has she not done.”

They both flushed at the mention of the marriage bed but everything Jane had related supported the label of ‘wife’.

“She is not happy at the world. She is woman who, if she were a man, could succeed in society. I do not know that there is anything that we can do. Any positive point we can make about society, about men generally, or even about a particular gentleman, she can counter with real world, personal experience.”

Silence reigned, punctuated by occasional sighs.

“Let us change the subject. Rather than indulge in simple gossip, shall we discuss the newest additions to the neighbourhood?”

This did cheer them both up, gently mocking their mothers with their more dignified description of the same activity.

“We can ignore the Hursts.”

Jane nodded in agreement.

“Who next?”

“Let us deal with the sister before turning to the gentlemen. She confuses me, because she comes across as delusional. The whole neighbourhood knows the family history, at least the short version. Does she really think that acting like a Duchess is going to make us all ignore the fact that she is the daughter of a tradesman? Yes, her brother is leasing an estate, but that is the point, he is only leasing. The family have not yet made the step into the gentry. They are just rich, frankly a classic example of the nouveau riche. False airs and graces just make her a figure of ridicule. And the gowns and headdresses are an affront to taste, fashion and any sense of colour. All of that being said, she has her eyes on the big prize.”

“The big prize?”

“Mr. Darcy. Father called us together and we were the first family the party were introduced to. And as it turned out, the only family from the neighbourhood that was introduced to them altogether. Mr. Hurst immediately wandered off to the drinks table. But what I did notice was that Miss Bingley did not have her hand resting gently on Mr. Darcy’s arm. I could see a whitening of her knuckles as she grasped his arm. It was like an owl with a mouse. As your family came to be introduced and their party fractured, I watched Mr. Darcy pry her hand off his arm. It was why he was standing with his arms behind his back when you were introduced.

“As you know the rumours quickly spread about Mr. Darcy, the ￡10,000 a year and half of Derbyshire. But who, other than his own party, would know that. I had never heard of him, neither had father, and my parents are the most in tune with the neighbourhood.”

Another tinkle of laughter. Mrs. Bennet and Lady Lucas vied for the top spot in the gossip ladder but both were a distant second to Sir William. As the laughter died down Jane thought about Charlotte’s suggestion.

“I cannot refute what you say. He is clearly not the sort of person to self-promote, his attitude at the Assembly did not give off an air of someone wanting to know his present company. And we were not all introduced to him. Your father introduced us but when Mr. Bingley went to introduce the Netherfield party Mr. Darcy had already wandered away. Your family is the only one in the neighbourhood where there has been a proper introduction.”

“Goodness, really?”

Jane nodded but then raised another point.

“When I stop and think about it, how is Mr. Bingley’s income of ￡5,000 a year known?”

“I do not think it is known, it is a guess by our mothers.”

“Our mothers!”

“Yes. Your Uncle Philips handled the lease and so your aunt was able to pass the word of a new tenant to our mothers. They in turn guessed Bingley’s income as ￡5,000 a year as that is what the Uptons were rumoured to have.”

Jane’s sangfroid was seriously challenged and she placed her head in her hands for a moment.

“I do not know whether to laugh or cry. When did the neighbourhood descend into madness?”

“I think it started during the reign of Edward VI.”

“Charlotte!”

The two ladies returned to Lucas Lodge arm in arm, giggling at the sudden craziness of Hertfordshire.