Chapter 17 #2
“It is my pleasure, my Lords and Ladies and all of our guests, to welcome you to our annual end of season ball. Before we start, it is my great pleasure as her Uncle and the host to announce that our niece, the oldest daughter of Lord and Lady Longbourn and goddaughter of Lord and Lady Jersey, Lady Jane Bennet, was recently affianced to the Honourable Mr Richard Fitzwilliam, second son of Lord and Lady Matlock. Please raise your glasses and join me in wishing the engaged couple joy and love for all of the days of their lives.” The Duke turned and looked directly at his niece and bowed his head in approval and recognition of her.
There was a loud chorus of hear-hear and not a few matchmaking mamas were unhappy that one Bennet lady was now claimed by one other than a son of theirs.
The Duke nodded to the musicians who then raised their instruments to signal the start of the first set.
“Where are the Hursts and the Bingleys?” Elizabeth asked Darcy as he led her to the line before he took his place.
“I am sure they are waiting for the harridan; she thinks that she has to come late to make an entrance.” He leaned close and murmured into her ear.
When the conductor saw that the line was formed, he lifted his baton and the music commenced.
As the dance was starting, the Bingley carriage arrived at the entrance to Bedford House.
“Why is there no one here to greet us?” Miss Bingley asked in her haughty tone.
“There is no one here as anyone with class arrived on time, at the appointed time, an hour ago!” Hurst’s eyes locked on Caroline’s and he scowled as he had had his fill of the woman’s poor behaviour.
As Bingley’s footman lowered the stairs, he left the carriage and did not wait to assist them from the vehicle. The three siblings followed him up the grand staircase and they presented the invitation to the butler who checked it and handed it back to Bingley.
“Announce me, I mean us, at once,” Caroline instructed the butler rudely.
“If madam wants to be announced then madam needs to arrive before the commencement of dancing,” he retorted then resumed his statuesque stance.
“Well, I never!” Miss Bingley was vexed, and her ire grew as no one walked over to greet them and apologise, though they were staring at her in her ‘fabulous’ gown.
Caroline was certain that behind the hands of those staring she was being complimented and it would just be a matter of time before people came to beg her notice.
She would have been most astonished that behind those hands and fans was amusement, even disdain, for her horrible ensemble.
Her vexation was nothing to the rage she felt when she spied the noted harlot Eliza Bennet dancing with her Mr Darcy.
Not only was the fallen woman dancing with her soon to be husband, but they looked like they were enjoying each other’s company far too well.
‘Did he ignore everything I told him about that brazen strumpet! How dare a fallen and kept woman show her face among my equals, especially that one who is but a country nobody that never belonged in this circle and would never be wanted as anything but a courtesan! What are the ridiculous and grasping Bennet parents doing here? How dare they!!’
Bingley and his older sister saw the look of fury displayed by Caroline yet failed to restrain her as she marched further into the ballroom.
She stopped close to some ladies she did not recognise, therefore decided that they did not much matter in society.
Unfortunately for her, the ladies happened to be the Duchess of Bedford, Lady Jersey, and Lady Matlock who had all seen the horrendous burnt-orange mess make her way into the ballroom with a malevolent look toward their Elizabeth.
No matter how much she lied about her connections, Caroline Bingley had never been introduced to any of the ladies standing near her.
She decided that they were as good a group as any for her to explain just who and what Eliza Bennet was and to begin the ruination of her so Darcy would be saved.
She could then cement her position amongst those here.
Not understanding that she was displaying rudeness and lack of manners, she marched up to the three ladies and without introduction launched her attack.
“I did not know that fallen women are permitted at the ball of my acquaintances Her Grace, Lady Bedford and Lady Jersey,” she stated in a conspiratorial tone of those who most like to gossip excel at affecting.
“To whom do you refer miss and are you close to our hostesses?” her Grace asked with feigned interest. Caroline Bingley never knew when to restrain herself, especially when enraged as she was at that moment, she ignored her sister when she tried to pull her away and as she shook off Louisa’s hand, she condescended to answer the lady’s questions.
“I refer to the fallen Eliza Bennet.” Caroline spat the name out as if she had sucked on a lemon.
“I also see her sister Jane, who is little better than she, and her lowborn country bumpkin parents here. I am well acquainted with the ladies and will have to point out the error of inviting such lowborn persons to this ball, which after all is an honour to me and my soon to be husband.” As the shrew talked, the pitch of her voice became higher and equally grew louder with her shrill nasal tone.
She did not notice that all dancing had ceased and that the object of her derision, along with the Bennets and Gardiners, were now standing behind her.
Bingley, who was starting to understand the exorbitant price his family was about to pay for avoiding difficulties and placating his sister, was on the verge of stepping forward to grab her and rush her out of the ball room when he was restrained by Richard Fitzwilliam with a look that brooked no opposition.
Seeing it, he knew that he had also lost Richard as an acquaintance, and there was now no hope of rescuing his sister.
He could only watch the disaster unfold as his shoulders slumped when he turned to do so, he noticed that all in the room were watching the spectacle that his younger sister was making.
“You claim to be ‘well acquainted’ with the hostesses of this ball, but yet, without introduction mind you, you approach myself whose house this is and Ladies Jersey and Matlock, then have the audacity to spew your slander against my goddaughter? The only lowborn ones here are you, your brother, and your sister!” the Duchess retorted loudly.
“You must be insane madam! Did I not tell you that all connection between us is severed?” Darcy demanded.
Caroline’s mouth hung open like a beached perch, and she visibly cringed when she heard the very voice from behind her that she had expected to gush with relief and pleasure when he caught sight of her filled with derision and disdain instead.
“Did your brother not inform you that I cut my friendship with him for his inability to check you? Knowing his abhorrence of confrontation, I will wager that he did not!” As he was saying this, Darcy skewered Bingley with a look that could kill.
“Did I not tell you and your family the truth of Lady Elizabeth’s wealth and connections at our last meeting when you spewed your wild lies and conjecture to me?
Was not my message emphasised when my butler denied you entrance to my house?
You, madam, were NEVER an object of affection for me.
Quite the opposite as in fact, it was hard to tolerate you for three minutes together, and you will NEVER under ANY circumstances, be my wife!
” Darcy announced to all, his anger impossible to deny.
A quivering woman slowly turned and saw that she was the object of disgust and derision of all at the ball, and right there standing in a magnificent ball gown wearing jewels that Miss Bingley could only dream about and on Mr Darcy’s arm was the hated Eliza Bennet.
“L-l-lady Elizabeth?” Caroline stammered softly.
“Why yes Caro, you do not mind if I call you Caro do you as you persist on calling me Eliza when there is none but a single particular friend of mine and her family who are allowed to call me by that appellation. You are not now, nor have you ever been, a friend.” Elizabeth offered a false smile, her voice dripping with disdain.
“Let me guess. Your brother and sister hid the papers from you so you did not see the elevation of my family!” Mrs Hurst and Bingley tried to shrink and hide in their mortification and shame, but there was nowhere to hide.
Before the vile woman could respond, Lady Elizabeth continued.
“Let me introduce you to my family, Caro, there,” she pointed to her parents, “are Lord and Lady Bennet, the Earl and Countess of Longbourn. My sisters Lady Jane, her betrothed and soon to be my brother, the Honourable Mr Fitzwilliam, and with them is Lady Mary,” she turned her head toward each, “and Sir Edward and Lady Gardiner, a Baronet, my relatives in trade that you ridiculed so vocally. Caro, do you understand what the word hypocrite means?”
Darcy winced a little as the word brought visions of his setdown in the grove at Rosings Park back to him. Bingley had gasped as he heard of Lady Jane’s betrothal, the cost of his character faults became more and more evident to the man who knew that their life in society was now forever over.