Chapter 15. Caroline’s Fashionable Arrival
The Gardiner carriage arrived in Mayfair at the appointed time and a footman came down the stairs of the great house to open the carriage door for Mr Gardiner as he helped his wife and niece to the street.
At the door of the beautiful London townhouse, the butler waited, and they entered to find Mr Darcy and Miss Darcy waiting in the foyer.
Their outer clothes and hats were taken by a footman.
“Mr and Mrs Gardiner, welcome this evening!” Mr Darcy said in greeting. Then he turned to Elizabeth and continued saying, “Miss Bennet, you are most welcome.”
Miss Darcy stepped forward to take Elizabeth’s arm and lead her to the parlour. Mr Darcy escorted Mr and Mrs Gardiner where they found Colonel Fitzwilliam already waiting.
Darcy noticed the gown and pearls that Elizabeth wore; the young woman’s curves were perfection, her hair shining and lustrous, and her laugh infectious. He drew close to his sister and her guest as Colonel Fitzwilliam moved to speak with Mr and Mrs Gardiner.
“Mr Darcy, your sister and I were just discussing the lack of evergreens in your home for the holiday,” Elizabeth reported.
“We leave for Derbyshire soon and upon arrival, Georgiana can decorate Pemberley to her heart’s content; a forest can be denuded to provide enough boughs to decorate the balustrades and doorways at our home.”
Elizabeth smiled and said, “At Longbourn, we festoon the parlours with evergreen but do not attempt to decorate the stairs.”
The company enjoyed a pleasant conversation for many minutes until the clock chimed the half hour. Mr and Mrs Gardiner exchanged glances and Colonel Fitzwilliam walked to the bar to pour himself a short whiskey.
“Brother, do you think anything could have occurred to delay the Bingleys?” Georgiana asked when another fifteen minutes passed without the arrival of the remaining guests. Darcy enjoyed the conversations with his sister, the Gardiners and Miss Bennet, and had not noticed the delay with supper.
With the time brought to his attention, he sighed and addressed the company, “I imagine that Miss Bingley wishes to arrive fashionably late and thus she delayed their departure at least until the half hour. Rest assured they will arrive momentarily.”
“If we were attending a ball, I would understand a delay,” Colonel Fitzwilliam interjected into the conversation. “But for family dinner, prompt attendance is expected.”
Just before the clock struck the hour, a footman came to the door and Mr Darcy stepped closer to hear Jones announce that the Bingley carriage had arrived at the door.
Georgiana moved toward her brother to ask, “Shall we greet them at the door?”
Darcy shook his head, “To arrive this late, they are lucky we are not already at table in the third course.”
The late arrivals were barely in the parlour and not even greeted by their host before Jones came to the door and announced the dinner was served.
“Supper already?” asked Miss Bingley as Mr Darcy took Mrs Gardiner and Elizabeth on his arms and lead the procession into the dining room. Fitzwilliam offered Georgiana his arm and Mr Hurst lead his wife forward.
“Charles, what is the meaning of this rush? We have barely removed our coats and immediately we are shuffled off to the dining room.”
Miss Bingley was disappointed that she would have no time to speak with Mr Darcy and she wanted her brother to notice.
Bingley sighed. “We are an hour late Caroline–Darcy does not hold with the ‘fashion’ of late arrivals.”
At the door of the dining room, Miss Bingley discovered yet another disappointment–she was seated in the centre of the table, away from their host and hostess. Before she was able to unfold her napkin, the footmen had placed the first course on the table and withdrawn.
Frowning once again, she realized that none of her favourite dishes were within reach, and she was regulated to beef and legumes in this course.
Across the table, she watched her sister and brother enjoying the meal and conversation with their dining partners. To her left sat Mr Gardiner–a tradesman! Her brother on her right talked with the Bennet girl and ignored her attempts to steer the conversation into the decor of the dining room.
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