~Fourteen~
One week later....
The time leading up to Lady Drummond’s ball in honor of her granddaughter were not spent in idleness.
The gentlemen, occupied by the demands of business and Lord Matlock’s seat in Parliament, had departed early, not to return before dinner.
But Elizabeth, suffering through a round of teas and calls, had compiled a list of eligible young ladies, or shall it be better said, potential candidates for marriage to an Earl.
As requested, none of those were less than five and twenty, and each possessed a modest fortune.
Of this particular item, Elizabeth felt hypocritical, for she had come into her marriage with less than five hundred pounds, and to a man of immense wealth.
However, she also fully understood the worry over fortune hunters, those whose charm and manners disappeared once the vows were exchanged.
As a result, she had but five upon her list, having crossed off Lady Gloriana Westlake as a definite no.
“That leaves only Miss Lucy Ayersby, Lady Matilda Albright, Lady Hetty Templeton, The Honorable Rose Carraway and Miss Angelique Robinson. If only I knew more about each, but I suppose some things must remain a surprise,” she muttered aloud, just as a maid announced the arrival of her sister Jane, and unfortunately, Miss Caroline Bingley. ”
Smiling wryly, Elizabeth rose to greet her visitors, wishing that Jane had come alone so they might converse in private. But this time, the gossip shared by Miss Bingley not only held interest, but particular value if Elizabeth’s observations of Lord Matlock had been correct.
“My brother tells me that you ran into Lady Emma Drummond at dinner. Her balls are legendary! Everyone who is anyone will be there, I have ordered a new gown, just for the occasion. Rumor has it that the new Lord Matlock will be in attendance, but as you and Darcy are out of favor with the family, I must seek an introduction on my own!” Miss Bingley declared.
To this, Elizabeth shot a sharp look at her sister, but Jane Bingley grimaced in desperation.
Foolishly, she had allowed the inclusion of herself and Mr. Bingley in the Darcy invitation to slip, and once done, could not be corrected.
Now, Caroline believed that she too, would attend, a mistake that Elizabeth desired to rectify.
“Oh Jane! I had not realized that she had sent an invitation to Bingley house, I should have reduced our acceptance numbers. I must send word at once that it will be just the three of us and not five,” Elizabeth lied, privately enjoying the barely concealed alarm in Caroline’s eyes.
“To Bingley House? But Jane, you said we were to be included with Darcy!” Caroline insisted, applying the blame to one who could not defend herself.
“I....er....I must have made a mistake...That is, the invitation was to Elizabeth and Darcy, and Charles and I are included out of courtesy....”
“Is that not still five with myself? I do not see the problem. Am I the only one who can count?”
“The fifth is for Colonel Fitzwilliam,” Elizabeth corrected, deliberately utilizing the older title of address.
“Darcy’s dowdy old bachelor cousin? How can he possibly want to attend a ball? It is not as if he stands a chance of marrying Ariana Talmadge, or anyone else for that matter!”
“Caroline! That is unkind, even for you, and as it is Elizabeth who was invited, you must not insert yourself,” Jane admonished, tears forming in her eyes for the distress she had caused.
Immediately, the callous remarks ceased, as Miss Bingley gave a loose apology, one that Elizabeth knew to be completely false.
“I only meant that with Ariana being the granddaughter of a peer, what chance does a mere soldier have, colonel or not?”
“May I remind you, that Colonel Fitzwilliam is also the son of an earl?”
“A second son, unlike his brother....the Earl,” she sighed momentarily, “ And surely, a man of his caliber would find a debutante ball immensely tedious when the purpose of which is to marry the girl off? Why I would be doing him a favor by taking his place....”
Elizabeth sighed, for she knew that Caroline would make Jane’s life miserable for weeks. While the mistake could be easily corrected, at least Jane had not revealed the fact that the colonel was now the earl, and not his brother. Forcing a smile, she patted Caroline’s hand.
“Not to worry, I suppose I can ask for one more guest to be added. Lady Drummond seemed like a reasonable sort who would understand.”
While the exact opposite was true, Elizabeth suspected that the old woman hardly paid attention to the numbers upon her guest list, only the names. But now mollified, Caroline returned to her gossip, with Ariana Talmadge being the center.
“She is such a sweet child, but I could never imagine wanting to marry at her age. Seventeen! Oh! What an impossible age, it is really too bad that she never had siblings, only that prune faced cousin and an old lady for company.”
At first, Elizabeth was confused by the insult, but then realized that it was Moira Blackpool to whom Caroline referred.
Prune? Perhaps in her choice of color in a gown, but hardly of her face.
If anything, the woman was stunning. However, Caroline Bingley, when faced with a potential rival, usually sank to criticism, veiled as charity.
“Do you mean Mrs. Blackpool?” Elizabeth inquired for clarity.
“Who else? I suppose a widow must wear mourning for a time, but it’s been years since she lost her husband.
I should think Lady Emma would have made some sort of arrangements for her, away from town.
But I suppose Miss Talmadge does require a chaperone and who better than a penniless cousin?
Kills two birds with one stone, so to speak. ”
“A widow?” Elizabeth repeated, trying not to betray the strange happiness that status had caused.
Would Richard consider a widow? A very beautiful widow?
With this food for thought, she mentally added another name to her list of potential candidates.
Indeed, Caroline Bingley had earned an invitation to the ball.