Chapter 20
Elizabeth did not much enjoy spending the day in the ladies’ company, and she could hardly conceal her dissatisfaction from her uncle.
“How come you did not like—”
“These activities that are so pleasant to other women?” she asked.
Thomas Bennet smiled at her annoyance, inviting her to continue.
“Because losing a whole hour matching a ribbon to a gown is not my favourite pastime. I know what I want to wear, or I simply place my confidence in Madame Clotilde, and in one hour I could have an entirely new wardrobe.”
“My dear, you may go alone whenever you wish.”
“Thank you,” Elizabeth replied at last with a smile.
“Are you ready for Wednesday’s dinner?”
She already knew her uncle well enough to understand what lay behind the question.
“Yes, I shall be glad to see Mr and Miss Darcy—”
“And Lord Matlock and his family.”
“You seem to know a great deal about this dinner,” she replied with apparent curiosity and that touch of amusement Thomas so enjoyed.
Elizabeth was a lady in the best Bennet tradition, accustomed to viewing life with a little irony.
Her beauty extended far beyond a lovely face and graceful figure.
There was something lively and intelligent about her that gave distinction to everything she said and did.
“Uncle?” Elizabeth asked, curious at his silence.
“I know that a certain gentleman is very eager to present you to his family.”
“I know his family already. Lady Catherine is representative enough, whilst Colonel Fitzwilliam is a dear friend.”
“Representative?” Uncle Thomas laughed. “On the contrary, I suspect she is the least representative member of it. I do not imagine the Matlocks are coming to dinner merely for the menu. They wish to meet you, and I am certain Mr Darcy has informed them of your arrival in London.”
“And of the place where we are living, and the present owner of the duke’s house.”
“Why do I detect a certain disdain in your words that was absent only a week ago, when we were awaiting Mr Darcy’s arrival at Netherfield?”
It was a fair question. She remembered the wave of excitement she had felt whilst signing the church register as witness to Jane’s marriage, and the way Mr Darcy’s eyes had followed her throughout the ceremony.
She remembered her heart beating far more rapidly than usual.
Yet since arriving in London, her eagerness to see him had diminished. The change puzzled even her.
“I do not know, but you are right,” she admitted without hesitation.
“Has this new attitude anything to do with the gentlemen the duchess introduced to you at Madame Clotilde’s?”
She smiled, and a trace of guilt crossed her face that Thomas detected immediately.
Just as they were leaving Madame Clotilde’s establishment, a carriage had drawn up before the door, and a lady had alighted in great haste to greet Henrietta.
Of the same age as the duchess, she possessed an elegant appearance.
Paying no attention to the busy street, she embraced her friend warmly.
Soon afterwards, an elderly gentleman and two younger men joined them.
They greeted the duchess with such warmth that Elizabeth immediately understood they were old friends.
Madame Clotilde quietly led them into a private parlour.
Before long, the Bennet ladies found themselves introduced to their first members of the ton: Lord and Lady Wimborne, their son, and their grandson.
Lady Wimborne seemed delighted to find the duchess abroad at last.
“You cannot imagine, Mrs Bennet, how hard we tried to persuade her to leave the house. It is almost a year since the duke’s death!”
“You cannot imagine, Mrs Bennet, how hard we tried to persuade the duchess to abandon her mourning. It has been almost a year since the duke’s death!”
Elizabeth admired what she considered an excellent example of a lady’s conversation, as undoubtedly all London knew that the duchess mourned a lost life rather more than the husband who had shared it.
The meeting had indeed been pleasant, and her uncle was correct. The young Lord Wimborne was tall and handsome. Yet he was not the source of Elizabeth’s embarrassment.
“But how do you know what happened?” she asked, then immediately blushed. Her uncle and the duchess had obviously spoken, and not by accident, for he appeared informed of everything that occurred during the day.
“Come, my dear great-niece, there is no need to blush. I have no secrets, and I make no attempt to conceal how much I enjoy spending time with Henrietta. We are old friends, and it is all that remains to us.”
Yet Elizabeth found herself wondering whether friendship entirely explained the matter.
For the first time, she considered that she and her sisters had always thought of Mr and Mrs Bennet only as parents, not as a man and woman who had once been young and in love.
The discovery gave her a different perspective.
However many children she might one day have, she hoped always to remain a woman to her husband as well.
She wanted to know more about them, but Uncle Thomas seemed determined to discover the source of that trace of guilt which had crossed her face.
“You have a great talent for escaping questions you do not wish to answer. When we left Hertfordshire, I thought you were very close to making up your mind. Now we are in London, and suddenly there is no hurry at all.”
Again, a shadow crossed her face. Uncle Thomas had seen right: she still had some doubts regarding Mr Darcy despite the feelings she could not deny.
“You like Mr Darcy!” she accused, watching Thomas burst into laughter.
“My dear, it is not I who must like him, but you. And it must be love, not merely liking.”
“I have made no decision. I need more time.”
The astonishment visible upon her uncle’s face made her uncomfortable.
“It is not that I am unreliable. I know very well how Henrietta broke your heart,” she said, blushing again before hastily correcting herself. “Her grace.”
“When we are alone, you may call her Henrietta. That is who she remains to me, the girl who lived near Luton.”
“Thank you. I like calling her Henrietta, as you do.”
“And I like hearing her name. It makes me feel that we are still young and have our whole lives before us. But you are not in Henrietta’s position.
Our story was entirely different. You never promised anything to Mr Darcy.
Quite the opposite. You refused him. But to answer your reproach, yes, I do like him. ”
“And any other gentleman who might court me begins at a disadvantage?”
Again, Thomas laughed.
“My dear, you make it sound as though the road to your heart were a camel race!”
“It is not!” Elizabeth protested.
Yet her tone, slightly too vehement, suggested otherwise. London was proving far more interesting than she cared to admit, and meeting new people had become one of its greatest attractions.
“I am on your side, whatever happens. But you may be certain that I shall remain vigilant and will not allow an unworthy gentleman to steal your heart.”
His open declaration that he intended to interfere in her affairs left Elizabeth uncertain whether to rebel or submit.
In some ways, he was reliving his youth, and perhaps he was right to be cautious.
Yet she was not Henrietta. She had no attachment to remain faithful to and was entirely free to choose.
For the moment, however, she still could not find within herself the overwhelming certainty she had witnessed in Jane and Mr Bingley.
Mr Darcy exercised a powerful influence over her.
In his presence, she felt more alive than she had ever felt before.
Yet until now, he remained the only gentleman who had truly interested her.
“Do you enjoy Mr Kendall’s company?” Thomas asked.
And this time it was Elizabeth who laughed.
“You are worse than Aunt Gardiner, always wanting to discover my little secrets! I had no idea men could gossip with such enthusiasm.”
“I am a man who enjoys every variety of conversation, and ladies’ secrets are my particular favourite,” he replied, leaving her to prepare for dinner.