As the days passed, Miss Bingley had convinced herself that she had been ill-used, and she had not done anything so very bad. She certainly had done nothing for which she deserved the scorn of, and ejection from, polite society. It had been the work of a few hours to transfer the blame from her own actions to the hated foundling. All of this, her brother once again active in trade, her not being married to the man of her choice, and her not being a member of theTon, could be traced back to the damned foundling.
She had already convinced herself that Mr Fitzwilliam had been wrong about the hoyden being a member of his family. That was until she saw the bloody broadsheet. Although Miss Eliza Wendell was in fact related to the Fitzwilliams and Darcys, it did not change the fact that she was the one to blame for all of the ills which had befallen the Bingley family since they were at that benighted estate in the backwater of Meryton.
In Caroline Bingley’s mind, if she could find a way to discredit or injure the former foundling, all of her own problems would be over. She knew not how yet, but Miss Bingley was determined to extract her vengeance and restore her position in society.
Chapter 23
Elizabeth was somewhat nervous about meeting many new people from London at the ball where she would be considered an oddity. She had not verbalised her anxiety, as she did not want the aunts and Emily to begin making last minute changes because of her.
It was the day before the ball, and Mama had come to see the décor and arrangements. She had invited Jane and Lizzy to join her.
The former had accepted with alacrity, knowing that her fiancé was at the estate, and once Elizabeth knew Jane was joining Mama, she did as well. As the three Bennet ladies rode towards Netherfield Park, with attendant outriders and guards who doubled as footmen, Elizabeth could not but smile as she recalled the discussion she had with Charlotte the previous day.
“You know, if you have Barney propose before the ball, we will be able to celebrate two engagements,” Elizabeth had teased.
“Eliza, you know full well that we have been courting for less than a sennight. It would be rather precipitous to announce an engagement already.” Charlotte had noted her friend’s sly smile. “It is not the same situation as Jane and David. You well know their reasons for only marrying in January.”
“I suppose,” Elizabeth had responded. Then she changed the subject. “At first Mama was not sanguine with an invitation being sent to the Ravenclaws. After I reminded her that Mrs Ravenclaw will look like she has been sucking lemons when she is reminded that you, the ‘plain one who would remain a spinster’ is beingcourted while her own daughter, who is a year older than you, has never come close to receiving an offer.”
“It is not nice to revel in another’s misfortune, and normally I would say nothing rather than make a negative comment,” Charlotte had stated. “However, in the case of this mother and daughter, not to mention the rake of a son, I will make an exception. The way they spread their nastiness about, as well as that directed at me, they deserve to eat lots of humble pie. I will not rub my good fortune in their faces, but I will also not spare their sensibilities by hiding it away in their company. As it is written in Galatians 6:7, ‘for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.’ I have no time for those who think they make themselves look better by pulling others down.”
“Brava, Charlotte! That is the harshest statement I have heard you utter, and Mrs, Mr, and Miss Ravenclaw deserve your scorn,” Elizabeth had opined.
“I am not blind to the ways of the world, Eliza. As I said, I would rather say nothing than something negative. That does not mean I will not say what I need to if the situation calls for it. That time at your Aunt Hattie’s, I was spared from saying anything because your Bennet mother said what needed to be said to that woman,” Charlotte had insisted.
“On a more serious note, you must know how I am looking forward to having you as my sister, Charlotte.” Elizabeth had smiled, “I know Barney, like David has with Jane, reserved your three significant sets.”
“If Barney proposes and I accept, then I too am in anticipation of that. And yes, I was very happy to cede those three sets to your brother.” Charlotte had paused. “Eliza, have you decided which family name to use yet? In the article they used the ‘Wendell’ name for you.”
“Once I visit Willowmere, I may begin to use the family name with which I was born. It is, after all, my legal name. As long as Grandmama Beth, Mama, and Papa agree it is time, that is. Iwill always be Lizzy to them and the rest of my Bennet siblings, which, considering my familiar name is Elizabeth, is acceptable as the diminutive of my name. I assured Grandmama Beth that my family name will never alter my connection to my Bennet family. I love the fact that Mother and Father have never attempted to push me further than I was willing to go. Also, we have become one large family. How fortunate am I to have two loving mothers and fathers? When you look at all of the rest—Grandmama, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins—if wealth was measured in family, I would be richer than Croesus.”
“I admire that your two families have worked together and not against one another,” Charlotte had said.
Not long after, Charlotte had returned to Lucas Lodge.
With their arrival at Netherfield Park, Elizabeth was snapped out of her reverie. She chastised herself for worrying about meeting new people because she would have more support than she could imagine, and besides that, she was to dance two very significant sets with William.
Rather than be nervous, she felt the anticipation of the ball building within herself.
Thanks to the efforts of Ladies Catherine, Elaine, and Emily there were no changes needed to the décor in the ballroom. After spending a few hours with the residents of the estate, Fanny, Jane, and Elizabeth returned to Longbourn.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The day of the ball, thanks to decent weather Elizabeth was able to ride—with sufficient escorts—to Oakham Mount in the morning and watch the sunrise. She had hoped that William would be there as well, but she reminded herself she had not said anything to him of her intention to ride out this morning.
Once the sun was well above the horizon, Elizabeth and her escorts rode back to the manor house where after changingout of her riding habit, she joined the family to break her fast.
Later, after nuncheon, the ladies dedicated themselves to prepare for the ball. By the time it was time to depart, both Jane and Elizabeth could not get there fast enough.
When the Bennet carriage arrived at Netherfield Park, the three Bennet ladies hurried inside out of the cold wind. Lizzy’s Wendell mother, Lady Catherine, Lady Elaine, and Emily were waiting for them in the entrance hall. Unsurprisingly, David was there waiting to offer his arm to Jane.
“Thank you for having us arrive before the rest of the guests are to arrive,” Fanny said gratefully as the Bennets were escorted to the drawing room.
“We wanted all of you to meet some of our close friends before the ball without the crush of everyone in the ballroom,” Lady Matlock replied. “Ellie, dear goddaughter, we did not want to overwhelm you, so we only invited a few close friends.”
“I thank you for your consideration, Godmother, but I think I am past my aversion to change, which, in the past, has always included meeting new people,” Elizabeth assured her aunt.
Once the rest of the Bennets, which on this night included Beth Bennet, Fanny, Bennet, and Jane, were in the drawing room, Elizabeth with Mother on one arm and Aunt Elaine on the other, followed them into the room. Those within had been prepared for how much the recovered Wendell daughter looked like her mother and aunt, but it did not stop a gasp from a few of them when the aforementioned ladies glided in.
