Chapter 23 Curiosities
On the day of the museum visit, Mrs Gardiner received a message while at breakfast. She read the note which was accompanied by several inclusions.
‘Lady Sefton has sent vouchers for Almack’s for all of us,’ Mrs Gardiner informed her nieces. ‘She also mentions in her note that there is a ball tomorrow night, and she hopes to see us. As we have no other commitments, I suppose that we should arrange for tickets so that we may attend.’
The sisters exchanged glances which did not speak of enthusiasm. ‘Do we have to go?’ mourned Elizabeth.
Mrs Gardiner smiled encouragingly as she responded, ‘I am afraid we cannot avoid it. Not only will it put the rumours to rest about Mr Darcy if you are seen to be dancing with him and being on amiable terms, but it will also benefit Jane. Since Lord James is most determined to win her heart, being seen in that exclusive environment will show your sister in a good light.’
Elizabeth sighed dramatically. ‘The sacrifices we make for family and friends,’ she said with a martyred expression, which changed to a grin when she saw that Jane was about to demur.
‘Do not trouble yourself, Jane. I confess to curiosity. I wish to see for myself if those balls are as insipid as I have been told and as you know, I do enjoy dancing.’
‘At least we shall not have to worry about the gentlemen being in their cups,’ offered Mary as a consolation. ‘No one can get foxed on weak bohea or lemonade.’
‘That is true. Unfortunately, those delightful refreshments accompany nothing but brown bread and butter or stale cake.’
‘Therefore, we shall have a good dinner before we go so that you will not faint from hunger,’ Madeline Gardiner reassured her nieces.
~T~
The outing to the museum was a success in many respects.
As expected, the three incipient couples paired off to wander around the exhibits, while Mrs Gardiner and Mrs Carlton trailed along behind them.
Darcy and Elizabeth were most fascinated by the stone which had been discovered at Rosetta.
Elizabeth asked, ‘Did you know that scholars are using copies of the stone to help them learn to translate Egyptian writing?’
‘I do indeed,’ Darcy responded as he leaned closer to get a better look at the bottom section of the stele. ‘The decree must have been of great importance to be recorded in three different scripts – Greek, demotic and hieroglyphic writing.’
‘I suppose the pharaoh wanted to ensure that everyone was aware what the tax rules were,’ Elizabeth said and hid a grin at Darcy’s astonished expression.
To make her point even stronger, she too leaned forward and started to read and translate the Greek text.
’ In the reign of the young one who has succeeded his father in the kingship, lord of diadems, most glorious, who has established Egypt and is pious towards the gods, triumphant over his enemies, who has restored the civilised life of men… ’
As soon as Jane and Mary heard Elizabeth start reading the Greek text, they led Deveril and Fitzwilliam away.
‘I think it best if we leave them to their esoteric discussion. Personally, I prefer to admire more mundane objects,’ Mary told her companions, who heartily agreed.
While Darcy and Elizabeth argued about the finer points of Egyptian culture, the rest of their party thoroughly enjoyed browsing through the other exhibits.
Discussing their likes or dislikes of the various items they viewed, both couples learned more about each other and came to a greater understanding.
When the subject of the ball at Almack’s was raised, the gentlemen also agreed to attend the ball the next day.
~T~
The entrance of their party at Almack’s caused quite a stir.
Young ladies were generally escorted to those hallowed halls by their doting parents or guardians to be displayed to society as fresh meat for the marriage mart.
While the Bennet sisters were indeed escorted by the Gardiners, they were also in the company of three very eligible gentlemen, as well as Lord and Lady Matlock, and Mr and Mrs Carleton.
Lady Sefton’s brows rose as she spied Elizabeth on Darcy’s arm.
Deveril escorting Jane was not so much of a surprise, since she was already aware that he had declared his interest in Miss Bennet.
That Colonel Fitzwilliam was escorting the youngest Bennet sister was easily explained by the presence of Lord and Lady Matlock and therefore raised no speculation.
After greeting everyone in the party, she turned to Darcy.
‘I must confess to prodigious surprise at seeing you here, Mr Darcy. But having met the young ladies, I can understand that even an elusive bachelor like you cannot resist. Although I was not aware that you were even acquainted with the Misses Bennet.’
Darcy put on his most charming smile as he answered, ‘I had the good fortune to briefly encounter the ladies when I stopped in Hertfordshire and then was properly introduced at dinner with Lord and Lady Matlock the other day.’
‘Hertfordshire you say?’ Lady Sefton’s brows climbed even higher than they had earlier as she asked, ‘Please forgive me if I am being indelicate, but is one of these ladies the object of Miss Bingley’s… gossip?’
Elizabeth smiled brightly, having anticipated the question.
‘Indeed, Lady Sefton. But you know how it is with rumours. Someone makes an ill-considered comment to a friend where someone else can overhear a part of it. They add their own interpretation and tell it to someone else. Once the story spreads it is embellished at every retelling. Before you know it, that one comment that a lady looked tolerably ill, due to the heat of the room and it would tempt fate for her to exert herself, has become an insult worthy of a blood feud.’
‘So, did Darcy insult you or not?’ The lady was not to be diverted.
‘Well yes, Mr Darcy did make an unflattering comment, but he apologised for it at the first opportunity. Did Miss Bingley not mention that? Or perhaps she did not know, after all, Mr Darcy is not accountable to her.’
‘Or perhaps the lady hoped to divert attention from her own behaviour which was probably a major cause for that eviction,’ Lady Sefton speculated.
‘I could not say. I was not privy to the discussion which caused that decision, and I refuse to start unsubstantiated rumours,’ Elizabeth said with a guileless look.
Lady Sefton gave a snort of laughter. ‘Unlike a certain lady who is unsuccessfully attempting to blacken the name of all her rivals.’ She smiled and turned to Lady Matlock.
‘I am pleased to see that your assumption was correct. It will be my pleasure to ensure this information reaches all the right ears.’
‘You are too kind,’ murmured Lady Matlock.
Lady Sefton gave her a mischievous smile. ‘Kindness has nothing to do with it.’
~T~
As the music started for the next set, Darcy bowed to Elizabeth.
‘Would you do me the honour of dancing this set with me… if you are available,’ he asked, careful not to presume that she did not have a dance partner already, despite having just arrived.
After all, she could have promised a dance to one of her acquaintances at a previous function.
‘I would love to dance with you, Mr Darcy,’ Elizabeth replied and realised that she was speaking the truth.
When she answered in the affirmative, Darcy recognised that he was pleased that Elizabeth was willing to dance with him.
He smiled and proffered his arm to lead the lady to the dance floor.
As they made their way there, he noticed with pleasure that she was only lightly resting her hand on his arm, unlike Miss Bingley who had always grasped it tightly.
It was an exceedingly pleasant experience.
They danced in silence for a few minutes until he asked, ‘Did you have an enjoyable time at the museum yesterday?’
‘I did indeed. It makes such a difference seeing something in the flesh, so to speak, instead of just reading about it. My father has a number of books on the subject, but it is somehow more real when you can see the objects,’ Elizabeth smiled with such genuine enjoyment that Darcy’s breath caught for a moment.
He almost missed it when she asked, ‘What about you? Did you enjoy the exhibition?’
‘I did enjoy seeing it, but I have to confess that my greatest enjoyment was the discussion we had. To me it is a great pleasure being able to have a debate with an educated and erudite opponent. I had not realised that you could read Greek. I suppose it had never occurred to me that a lady could be taught such a subject as I have never met a lady who was as educated as yourself.’
Elizabeth’s eyes sparked as she said, ‘Did you not know that there are thousands of ladies who are taught to speak Greek?’
‘Indeed? I had thought that was a language too difficult for most ladies to master as even many of my fellow students struggled to learn the language.’
‘Yes, Mr Darcy. I know of what I speak. If you wish to verify my assertion, it can be done quite simply.’ Lizzy’s grin widened. ‘All you need to do is go to Greece.’
Darcy stared at her speechlessly for a moment before a guffaw of laughter escaped him. He grimaced and gave her a rueful smile. ‘Touché, Miss Elizabeth.’ Suddenly his demeanour changed to a challenging grin. ‘I wonder how many of those ladies speak English?’
‘Possibly as many as ladies in England speak Greek,’ conceded Elizabeth.
‘I am still amazed that you are one of those ladies,’ Darcy commented respectfully.
‘As I explained to your aunt, in a house full of women, my father wanted someone with whom he could have an intellectual discussion. Since I have wide ranging interests, he chose to teach me and allowed me complete access to his library. While it might not be as grand as I have been informed is the one at Pemberley, it is still quite substantial.’
‘I admit to being proud of my family’s library. It is the work of generations and I have enjoyed contributing to it as much as I can.’
‘Have you read every book in your library?’
‘Good heavens, no. Even if I did nothing else but read, a lifetime is not enough time to read every book.’
‘Some people would consider it a waste then. What good is a book if it merely sits on a shelf and gathers dust,’ Elizabeth challenged with an arch smile.
‘True. But I am not the only person at Pemberley who reads. My parents did and now my sister also enjoys the wisdom those pages hold. And the occasional guests are also welcome to peruse the volumes to their heart’s desire.’
They continued their relaxed discussion for the rest of the set until Darcy returned Elizabeth to Mr and Mrs Gardiner.
After he had danced a set each with Jane and Mary, he was tempted to request a second set from Elizabeth but judged it wiser not to show his preference so openly since he did not wish to make the lady uncomfortable.
~T~
Jane and Deveril also enjoyed their dances. Since he had already declared his interest in the lady, it came as no surprise to anyone when they partnered for two sets.
When they had an opportunity to speak privately, Deveril told Jane, ‘I had a letter from my mother. She is planning to come to town next week in the hope of meeting you… if that is agreeable to you.’
Jane blushed as she said, ‘Your mother is wanting to meet me?’
‘I believe that I have mentioned this before. The question is, would you like to meet her?’
Swallowing hard as she considered the implication it was a moment before Jane was able to answer, ‘I would be honoured to meet the Duchess.’
Deveril smiled as he said, ‘There is no need to be nervous. I believe that you two will get along famously.’
‘I hope that you are proven right,’ was all that Jane was able to say.
~T~
Since no one was paying them any attention, Mary and Richard also enjoyed two sets.
The more time they spent together, the more each of them found themselves liking the other. Richard set himself to drawing out the young lady who seemed to be a more subdued version of her older sister. He was delighted with his success when his banter caused Mary to display her sly wit.
Mary for her part was becoming rather fond of the dashing officer and privately thought that she was not that different from her younger sisters since she had discovered a liking for a man in a red coat. Although unlike her sisters, her liking was not general but rather very specific.
~T~
The next two weeks were to be busy for the Bennet sisters and their friends and relations.
After the ball at Almack’s, most days were filled with social activities since Mrs Carleton and Lady Matlock used their connections to secure invitations to various teas, dinners, musical soirees, and balls.
A number of these invitations came because Lady Sefton made good on her promise and spread word of Darcy’s friendship with the Bennet sisters.
It did not take long for people to notice that at each of the functions the same gentlemen accompanied the ladies and speculation was rife that three more or less eligible bachelors were quite fixed in their attentions.
Meanwhile, Miss Bingley languished in obscurity since without her brother, or more accurately her brother’s access to Darcy, no invitation to exclusive events were forthcoming for her.
She had to be content with making morning calls on those of her acquaintances who were in a similar position. Miss Bingley even called on Miss Grantly, although in her case it was to berate her friend on spreading malicious gossip.
‘My dear friend, you cannot possibly believe that I had any malicious intentions. Like you, I thought that the treatment you received by those country bumpkins to be insupportable. I expected all other civilised people to agree with us and to support you,’ Miss Grantly protested.
Hearing what she wanted to hear, Caroline allowed herself to be mollified and directed her ire where it belonged. She consoled herself by venting her spleen in blackening Jane Bennet’s name, unaware that the lady had the approbation of the society to which Miss Bingley would have liked to belong.
Instead of ruining the reputation of Miss Bennet, people, including Miss Grantly, sniggered about Miss Bingley’s delusions, and waited with delicious anticipation for the two ladies to meet… hopefully in public.
~T~