“How is your brother?” Jane asked tentatively.
“Charles is much happier now that he is in London, especially as he is much in company with Mr Darcy, and of course, Miss Darcy,” Miss Bingley reported. “I am sure you are aware that at our level of society there are always events to attend.”
“Please inform him that his friends from Meryton send their regards,” Jane requested diffidently.
“I will,” Miss Bingley dissembled and then stood. “As I said, my sister and I must away.” Before the guests could stand, Miss Bingley swept out of the room, her sister trailing behind her.
Mrs Hurst did not think that Caroline needed to be so very rude and dismissive, but as was her wont, she would say nothing to her forceful sister.
Jane stood and followed Aunt Maddie out of the room. They descended the stairs and were assisted into their outerwear by the butler. When they thanked him, Maddie did not miss the look of surprise on his face before he quickly schooled his features. She was not surprised that the women she had just seen did not know how to show their staff and servants respect. Thankfully, the carriage was ready, as Maddiehad told the coachman to remain close to the house.
They had been travelling back towards Gracechurch Street for about five minutes, and Jane had said nothing, so Maddie decided she needed to speak. “Well, Jane, what did you think of the way we were treated?” She asked.
“What do you mean, Aunt Maddie? My friends were very gracious to receive us when they were on their way out to an important event. They still took the time to speak with us,” Jane stated. “I thought they were as they always were, and it confirmed my opinions that they are my good friends.”
As much as she wanted to tell Jane how much she disagreed with the assessment she was making as seen through the filter of her personal philosophy, Maddie held her peace. “And the excuse that none of your letters were received?”
“It was not an excuse; it was the truth. Caroline would never prevaricate. She is too much of a lady for that,” Jane claimed. The truth was she was shutting out the voice screaming in her head that Lizzy had been correct the whole time, and she had been wrong in her assessment of the sisters. Jane could not face that at this point. It would mean that all of her long-held beliefs were fallacious, and she was not ready to contemplate the results of owning that. “You will see, in the next few days, my call will be returned when Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley are not in a hurry, and they will be as friendly as they have always been.”
In the part of her mind she was ignoring, she had seen the signs of prevarication and had recognised the cold treatment. She just could not, or would not, allow herself to listen to that side of herself which saw the truth.
Ever since that first fight she had witnessed at the age of three between Mama and Papa, she had been protecting herself. It was just too hard to imaginewhat her life would be like if she began to make significant changes. Jane adopted her serene mask, smiled at Aunt Maddie, and sat smiling as the carriage was drawn ever nearer to the Gardiners’ house.
Seeing Jane’s mask firmly in place, Maddie knew it was pointless to try and say anything else.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Gardiner was fighting to maintain his equanimity after his wife told him about the call to Hurst House. His first inclination was to storm into the Hursts’ house and take the supercilious sisters to task. As much as he wanted to, Gardiner was aware that he could not do that. He had always felt protective of his two eldest nieces, almost in the same way he did his own children. He had calmed himself, thankful for the fact Maddie had waited until he was in his nightshirt before she shared all with him.
“You need to write to Lizzy,” Gardiner opined. “You know Jane will write to her with the version of events as seen through her own eyes. We both know that although she would never prevaricate, the truth she will tell will not be the facts.”
“I agree with you, Edward; I will write in the morning and make sure my letter is posted with Jane’s.”
“If Jane does not begin to see the world as it is, she will be hurt even more than she has already been. Maddie, what are we to do to assist Jane? I hate to see her trust being abused as you described happened earlier today.”
“We will be prepared to assist her when she is ready for it. She will have to be open to it; if we try to force her to see reality, it will do more harm than good.”
“I agree, Maddie.” Gardiner yawned. “Sorry, love, it was a long day.”
After some physical expression of the deep love theyshared, each blew out the candle on his or her side of the bed, and as they did every night, fell asleep in one another’s arms.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
On Wednesday, Elizabeth received two letters, one from Jane and the other from Aunt Maddie. She read Jane’s first.
Regardless of Jane’s interpretation of the call at Hurst House, Elizabeth did not think that her sister was seeing things clearly, so she picked up her aunt’s letter, broke the seal, smoothed the paper, and began to read.
24 January 1812
23 Gracechurch Street
London
Lizzy,
How are you, my dear niece? I will not beat about the bush, as I am certain you have read Jane’s letter already.
I am sure you know those twoladieswell enough to know that the way Jane needed to see things was not the way it actually was.
