Chapter 37 Fashion And Instruction
It was five o’clock, and the day had again proved long and torturous. Elizabeth stood upon the little platform enduring endless pinning and fitting while striving to ignore the pain in her feet and the stiffness in her muscles from remaining motionless for so many hours.
At last, she lifted her eyes and saw Mr. Darcy’s carriage draw up before the shop, followed by Mr. Darcy himself descending from it. As always, he was impeccably dressed.
At once, she imagined his scent and the warmth of his body, as he had stood pressed to her the previous evening. It had been a grave impropriety, but she justified it to herself. They would marry within only a few weeks. What could it possibly signify?
“Elizabeth? Do you not hear me, missy?”
Elizabeth started. “Forgive me, Lady Helen. I was not attending.”
The matron raised a brow, and her eyes shifted toward her nephew, who had only just entered the room.
“So, I perceived, ma’am. I asked whether you remembered that this evening the renowned Mr. Baldwin shall attend to do something with your hair.”
“Yes, my lady. I remember.”
The Countess directed her attention toward her nephew.
“Fitzwilliam, send a note to her sister advising that Elizabeth shall not be released until late this evening, though certainly before ten. Once her hair has been attended to, I intend for her to perform her songs. I must hear her myself and determine which pieces she shall perfect.”
“Aunt Helen, is all this truly necessary? Is it not sufficient for Elizabeth to concentrate upon the niceties of introductions to members of the peerage and the other conventions upon which the fabric of society depends?”
She raised a brow and frowned at him.
“No, sir. Trust that I understand the members of my sex better than you do. If Elizabeth cannot perform at least four respectable pieces, she shall become a laughingstock. If we intend to present her to the ton as an accomplished young lady who captured the affections of one of its wealthiest bachelors, then she must display competence upon the pianoforte. Fortunately, her voice is incomparable, though her skill at the instrument remains lamentable.”
She continued without softening her tone.
“Should some spiteful hostess request more than four pieces, I shall prepare myself to play two while she sings.”
Then she directed her attention toward Elizabeth.
“By the by, how many songs do you know well enough to sing in company?”
“Many. Perhaps twenty or more.”
“That is very well, missy. List them out tonight, and I shall select four for you to perfect to a high degree of proficiency upon the instrument, and two more for myself.”
She directed her attention toward Darcy.
“Nephew, Lady Isabella not only commands a considerable dowry, but also performs exceedingly well upon the pianoforte, though she does not sing, so there at least we possess an advantage. Never doubt, Fitzwilliam, that although she rejected you, she shall attack any woman bold enough to direct her attention toward you.”
Georgiana released a faint, “Oh, my.”
Lady Helen’s narrowed eyes fixed upon the passing view beyond the carriage window.
“I believe Lady Horatia shall present no obstacle, for she concerns herself more with drink than with men, but Miss Honeyfield…” She paused.
“If the Cheltenham tragedy she enacted serves as any indication, there is no predicting how she may conduct herself once she discovers you dangling after another woman. And when she lays eyes upon Elizabeth…”
She looked Darcy over with open disapproval.
“Nephew, I begin to perceive a decided pattern in your tastes. Both women are dark-haired, petite, and shapely without being overly full-figured. She may conclude you deliberately sought out a woman so similar in appearance as to insult her with a replica.”
Darcy’s eyes widened in alarm, while Elizabeth’s color deepened until even the tips of her ears flushed pink. She directed an arch look toward her betrothed.
“Elizabeth, darling, I had no notion that I possessed any particular preference in women. I saw you and fell in love. Never once have I compared you in any respect to Miss Honeyfield. Indeed, now that I reflect upon her, you could scarcely differ more had I deliberately sought a woman her exact opposite. You embody everything kind and good, as I realized very early when I witnessed your care for both Annie in her extremity and Georgiana, who had long stood in need of a true friend.”
He continued, his eyes fixed upon hers.
“Your unfailing manners prevented you from coming to open warfare with Lady Catherine. Miss Honeyfield would have stirred up discord upon the very first day, and any courtship between us would have reached its conclusion immediately.”
Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed. “Courtship, sir? Were you courting this paragon of beauty, connections, and accomplishment?”
“No indeed, darling. I shall admit that she initially caught my eye, but she proved so calculating that any attraction vanished before it could become anything of consequence. I scarcely exchanged two sentences with her during the only two occasions upon which we found ourselves in company together, and I have never even danced with her.”
“You have not danced with me either, sir, and still we find ourselves betrothed.”
Lady Helen laughed. “Elizabeth, I believe you shall do exceedingly well both in society and in your marriage. No one shall walk over you, my girl.”
Elizabeth’s eyes remained fixed upon her intended. “Sir, I find myself unsettled.”
His eyes moved first toward his aunt, whose expression held wry amusement, and then toward Georgiana, who looked deeply concerned for the two people she loved most in the world.
“Elizabeth, darling, I never loved Miss Honeyfield. Indeed, from the first occasion upon which I met her to the second and only other time we found ourselves in company together, scarcely a fortnight passed. Our acquaintance was exceedingly brief and entirely insignificant. You have no cause for concern.”
She raised a questioning brow.
“Will this paragon have anything she may use against me, sir? A public pursuit or a stolen kiss? Any promise, sir?”
His expression relaxed. “No, nothing. I was merely one among many gentlemen who moved within her circle. The only circumstance that may have distinguished me from the others was that she treated me with marked rudeness and disdain upon both occasions. Indeed, she went quite out of her way to embarrass me in public.”
Elizabeth relaxed in turn.
“I am sorry she behaved so abominably toward you, sir. Yet I have often observed that a shrewish character seeks the exact opposite in a spouse. It is the only manner in which such a marriage might survive the years. Were she to marry another of her own disposition, they would finish at sword point.”
He reached for her hand. “So, all is well, darling?”
“Yes, sir, so long as I know the full extent of what passed between you. I shall not permit her to hold anything over me.”
“I behaved with the utmost propriety toward both her and her father, Elizabeth. There is nothing further to know.”
“Her father, sir? Her father entertained you?”
He rolled his eyes. “No, he did not. I met him at a ball where he escorted her. He and her brother attended her that evening. I approached her and requested a set. She lost her temper, refused me outright, and marched from the ballroom.”
Lady Helen’s laughter sounded dangerously close to a snort.
“I witnessed it myself, Elizabeth. She is a shockingly ill-bred woman, and I place the blame squarely at her father’s feet.
His wife died when Beatrice was very young, and he never remarried.
The child grew up surrounded only by men, so it scarcely surprises me that her manners more closely resemble those of a privileged young gentleman than those of a properly raised lady of quality. ”
Lady Helen adjusted her gloves before continuing.
“Which is precisely why I believe she may create a scene, Elizabeth, should she remain in society. Her behavior proved so disgraceful that we all believed her father ought to withdraw with her to the country. However, he has four sons, and his intention is that the eldest two shall marry. He dares not leave them to their own devices in London, for they are all exceedingly green young men ranging from five and twenty downward. Thus, his hands remain tied.”
She sniffed in disapproval.
“Had he possessed a wife or even a sensible sister, one of them would certainly have insisted upon sending Beatrice back to their country estate. Still, he may have enough sense to prevent her from attending public functions while she remains in town.”
Lady Helen’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
“Nevertheless, you shall be prepared should the two of you encounter one another while paying morning calls or, God forbid, in a more public setting such as Sophia’s ball.”
When they arrived at the Fitzwilliam townhouse, Darcy asked, “Aunt Helen, since Elizabeth is to remain with you this evening, may Georgiana and I join you for dinner?”
“No, sir. We shall not sit down to a formal dinner. Your uncle returned to Hadden Hall this morning, so I need not trouble myself with one. We shall dine from trays in the red salon while planning Elizabeth’s entrance into society.”
She glanced at her niece.
“Georgiana may remain the night. It shall do her good to observe how a lady’s hair ought to be cared for, and I believe learning the politics and expectations of London society shall prove useful to her.”
Looking pointedly at the timid girl who sat holding Elizabeth’s hand, she added, “Perhaps by the time her own turn arrives, she shall have developed a somewhat thicker skin.”
That evening, Elizabeth’s eyes filled as she took in the lustrous curls scattered about her feet.
Mr. Baldwin handed her a little looking glass. “Miss Bennet, you are weeping. Take this glass and observe how beautifully your hair has turned out.”
She wiped at her eyes and sniffed before accepting the mirror. Her hair now fell a little below her shoulders, and when she examined the back, she noted how full and glossy it appeared.
“I have cut layers into your hair, ma’am, to lessen some of its weight. All the damaged ends have been removed.”
He passed his hands through the dark length of it.
“You possess a lovely head of hair, miss. Observe how it now springs and catches the light.”
“Thank you, sir. I can now see that the cut has greatly improved the condition of my hair.”
“At this length and weight, it shall prove much easier to secure your curls in place whenever you wish to wear an elegant chignon. Or, should you prefer a more alluring appearance, I have cut it in such a way that a few locks may remain loose about your temples.”
He gathered up her hair, twisted it expertly into a chignon, and secured it with pins before drawing out a few carefully chosen curls so that ringlets framed her face.
“It is lovely, sir. Thank you. Forgive me for weeping. I had no notion that a skillful cut could so improve the management of one’s coiffure.”
After Mr. Baldwin departed the house, dinner was served on trays in an intimate salon. Lady Helen made notes upon paper in a brisk, businesslike manner while Elizabeth and Georgiana dined in silence, both too exhausted to feel inclined toward conversation.