Miss Bingley walked into the room with absurdly affected stateliness. “Mrs Bennet, what a surprise.” To Jane, she said, “I thought only you and Miss Eliza had come to town.”
“My mother has been here since before Christmas, visiting a friend who is in ill health.”
“And I must return to her directly,” Mrs Bennet added. With a nod to each of them, she all but flew out of the door.
Elizabeth knew she ought not to abandon Jane to Miss Bingley, but she refused to let her mother leave without giving a better account of herself. Promising to return directly, she ran down the stairs to catch up with her in the hall.
“Mama, for heaven’s sake, what can you mean by leaving in such haste? What will Miss Bingley think?”
“What is it to me what that woman thinks? She did not care what any of us thought when she left Netherfield without so much as a by-your-leave last November.”
“There is no advantage to Jane in insulting her in retaliation.”
“It was not my design to insult her. I must simply return to Mrs Randall.”
Elizabeth recognised it would be fruitless to argue that point, but she had plenty of others to make. She stepped forwards and lowered her voice. “Did you write to Papa?”
Mrs Bennet narrowed her eyes. “I did—yesterday. Though I do not see what business it is of yours.”
Elizabeth exhaled, relieved. “He will be pleased. I know he has been worried about you.” She could not interpret the turn of her mother’s countenance. “You are well, are you not? There is nothing the matter?”
“Nothing at all,” Mrs Bennet replied. “Now, may I go?”
“Before you do…what did you mean when you said that Mrs Randall had a supporter?”
Her mother frowned, then smiled, then laughed. “Oh Lizzy, you do like to think you know everything about everything, but you are still so very naïve. Mrs Randall is the particular friend of a very rich gentleman from the south—Mr Bradshaw. He is excessively fond of her and looks after her prodigiously well.”
Elizabeth stared at her mother, aghast. “She is someone’s mistress? Is that not scandalous?”
“Do you think I would have agreed to stay with her if it were? I can assure you she is received everywhere she goes. Mr Bradshaw is unmarried, and Mrs Randall is widowed, so you may dispose of any moral objections.”
“Why do they not simply marry in that case?”
“Obviously, he needs a wife who will give him heirs.”
Elizabeth could scarcely find the words to express her incredulity. “Does Papa know?”
“I have no idea, and really it makes no difference.”
“I think it makes a world of difference! Mama, you must see it is time to go home. If this Mr Bradshaw is as generous as you say, he can pay for Mrs Randall to have a proper nurse.”
“I daresay he could, but Mrs Randall prefers to have me. And for as long as that is the case, I shall remain.”
“Do you even wish to go home?”
“Enough! I will not be browbeaten. You had much better put that sharp tongue of yours to use by helping your sister get rid of Miss Bingley.” And with that, Mrs Bennet left, slamming the front door behind her.
Elizabeth stood rooted to the spot in disbelief until Hannah walked past her, carrying the tea tray. Unthinkingly, Elizabeth followed her to the parlour, where she discovered Jane looking thoroughly miserable and Miss Bingley looking insufferably superior.
“I was just saying what a cosy little room this is, Miss Eliza. It must be ever so easy to keep warm in the winter.”
Elizabeth was too discomfited to counter her pettiness with anything clever. “Yes, it is.” She sat down, absently nodding in response to Jane’s silent offer of tea. “I trust you have been well, Miss Bingley. Jane tells me your plans for Christmas were not what you had hoped.”
Miss Bingley might have sneered; it was hard to tell beneath the permanent expression of contempt. “Our plans are always very fluid, which is essential when you have as many acquaintances as we do. And all in all, I think it a good thing for my brother not to be too tied down. He is far too young to settle and ought to be out in the world, making new friends.”
“Goodness, Miss Bingley. You sound just like my mother.”
Miss Bingley’s disingenuous smile flattened into a much more sincere scowl that did not budge from her countenance for the remainder of the visit. When she was gone, Jane slumped into a chair and closed her eyes. Elizabeth lowered herself into the adjacent seat and leant on the arm, watching her closely.
