‘Lizzy, it is not nice of you to laugh at our acquaintances,’ Jane admonished her sister although there was a suspicious twinkle in her eye.
‘Indeed, it is most uncharitable of you to do so. Especially as the good book says that we are supposed to be kind to those less fortunate than us,’ Mary adjured Elizabeth with a pious expression which she managed to maintain until confronted with a disbelieving look from her sister. She sighed. ‘I know that is how we should feel and act, but I am forced to admit that I too found Miss Bingley’s attitude to be vexing.’
Elizabeth grimaced and changed the subject. ‘I believe that Grosvenor Square is also not far from Hyde Park.’
‘It is but a quarter mile from here,’ Mr Gardiner confirmed with an indulgent smile. ‘As long as you take a footman and a maid to accompany you, you may walk there as much as your heart desires… provided you have no other commitments.’
Mary raised a more practical aspect. ‘Uncle, if Aunt Mary could afford this house, is there anything else which we should know about?’
Gardiner nodded and proceeded to explain the history of Henry and Mary Carleton. At the end he added, ‘The old fogies who objected to Uncle Henry’s choice of profession have died off and the latest crop ofcousins is quite pleasant. Admittedly, the relationship is now quite distant, but the current Mrs Amelia Carleton will be happy to introduce you to her friends.’
‘Why did you never before tell us?’ Jane asked with a surprising edge to her voice.
‘We wanted to protect you from fortune hunters.’ Gardiner grimaced. ‘Do you think that if we had told your mother, it would have remained a secret?’
~T~
That evening before going to bed, the sisters congregated in Jane’s sitting room.
‘How do you feel about being heiresses?’ Elizabeth asked her sisters.
‘Torn,’ was Mary’s succinct answer while Jane hugged her arms about herself.
Their sister chuckled. ‘Most girls would be jumping for joy if they found out that they are extremely well provided for.’
‘Perhaps I will do so, once I get used to the idea,’ Mary replied. ‘At present I am worried that people will try to take advantage of us if they should learn of our expectations.’
‘You heard Uncle Gardiner explain that our inheritance will only be given to us if the trustees approve of our husbands and we are properly married, rather than having eloped.’
Jane perked up a little at that reminder. ‘It also means that if we choose not to marry, we will be most comfortably situated.’
‘You would choose not to marry?’ gasped Mary.
‘It was bad enough when men only saw my so-called beauty without consideration of me as a person. Now they might see beautyandwealth. I shudder to think what kind of men will approach me and how I will be able to distinguish if someone is genuinely interested in me.’
Elizabeth looked thoughtful. ‘You know that I always railed against the custom amongst thehaute tonof marrying for money. Now I have to admit it has a certain kind of logic. If you have a choice of two equally rich partners, you can choose the one whom you like better.’
‘Are you suggesting that we should only consider wealthy men as potential husbands?’ Jane cried in outrage.
‘I merely thought that if you are concerned that a man might only offer for you because you are wealthy...’ Elizabeth trailed off.
Mary had a different opinion. ‘There is a flaw in your logic, Lizzy. I believe that most wealthy men only marry a woman of wealth so as to preserve or increase their fortune.’
Her sister threw her hands up. ‘It is ironic that mama used to worry about us not finding husbands because we did not have enough of a dowry. Now we worry that there might be too many men who would want to marry us because we have large dowries.’
Mary, of all the sisters was the most practical. ‘There is a simple solution. While we will not lie outright, we can imply that we each have a dowry of a few thousand pounds. A respectable amount but not uncommonly large.’
‘We all know that it is terribly gauche to speak about money in social situations,’ Elizabeth added.
She and Mary turned towards Jane, who dropped her hands into her lap and her posture became less rigid as she gave a relieved smile. ‘Thank you, Mary. Although disguise is my abhorrence, but as you suggested that we should not have to lie, I can go along with your scheme. You greatly relieve my mind.’
~T~
The next few days were exceedingly busy for the ladies.
The first stop was the Gardiner warehouse where the sisters selected fabrics, ribbons, and lace for new outfits.
Jane was horrified at the sheer number of fabrics Mrs Gardiner insisted on for each of them. ‘But Aunt, you cannot be serious. Even the ribbons alone cost more than I normally spend on dresses in a year,’ she exclaimed.
