I have a peculiar request. My husband has decreed that I may not come to my uncle’s warehouses to purchase fabric, and so I wish to present a request for you to bring the textiles to me. I shall compensate you and my uncle fairly, I assure you. You know my preferences and my coloring; it should be no trouble for you to find fabrics that will suit my complexion.
Pray, respond with your answer as soon as possible. I am to take tea with Lady de Bourgh this afternoon and wish to tell her what to expect.
All my love,
Elizabeth
She smiled smugly and sanded and sealed the letter. Alerting a footman, she instructed that the missive be conveyed to Gracechurch Street immediately. The footman bowed and took it, and Elizabeth went to her chambers to see to personal matters.
An hour later, her aunt’s reply arrived, and she eagerly opened it.
Dear Lizzy,
We are well here, and I was pleased to receive your letter this morning. I have shown it to your uncle, and he believes we can accommodate your request. I shall accompany him to the warehouse this afternoon and select silks, muslins, and other fabrics for gowns. If you would be so kind as to send word of a date, we can transport these items to Mayfair at your convenience.
Love,
Aunt Gardiner
Pleased, Elizabeth folded the letter and secured it in her reticule to show Lady de Bourgh. She spent her time reviewing menus and household matters until it was time to prepare for tea.
Lady de Bourgh’s house was within easy walking distance. A footman accompanied her, and she walked briskly to a house with a bright blue door. She knocked and was admitted forthwith.
“Welcome, Mrs. Darcy,” Lady de Bourgh said when her guest was announced. “How do you do?”
“I am well, Lady de Bourgh. Thank you for the invitation. And Charlotte, I am so glad to see you!” Charlotte and Elizabeth embraced, and they all sat comfortably while Lady de Bourgh poured tea.
“Now, I wish to discuss the next two months with you,” the lady said, handing Elizabeth a cup. “There are any number of soirees and balls to attend, and I have selected several that take priority. Lady Miller’s yearly ball is well-attended by those who will welcome you warmly. Likewise, Lady Sophy’s musical evening will provide an opportunity for you to mingle with those who would be your friends.”
Lady de Bourgh paused. “My sponsorship will open many doors for you, Mrs. Darcy. Society places much of a person’s worth on their wealth and connections. You had neither, so we must supply them for you. My name carries weight in the first circles, despite my humble beginnings. The welcome that you received from Darcy’s uncle and cousins will also lend you distinction.”
Her words were painfully close to her husband’s, and Elizabeth did not like it. “Will no one see my worth beyond that?” she asked. Had she managed Caroline Bingley well enough whilst she dwelt at Netherfield Park?
Lady de Bourgh regarded her steadily. She slowly placed her cup and saucer on the table next to her. “Let me be rightly understood, Mrs. Darcy. The denizens of thetonwill not be merciful. They will look for your every weakness and exploit it. They will wish to put you down, force you to know your place, make you believe that you will never be one of them, be their equal. You must be prepared. I will do what I can to put you in the path of those who will accept you without trying you, but I can only do so much. You must do the rest.”
She paused before continuing, as if contemplating something of great importance. “I believe I shall tell you why my daughter-in-law so despises me,” she said finally. “My story began many years ago, when I had just entered society at eighteen years of age. My father was a lowly country squire. I was his only daughter, one of two children. My older brother was to inheritthe estate. My mother was the daughter of the local solicitor. Her father in turn was the third son of a third son and the line had long since deviated from the gentry.
“My father saved diligently for my dowry, knowing that I did not stand a chance at making a good marriage if I did not have funds. I had a respectable ten thousand pounds, which was not enough to see me married into the first circles, but enough to see me well-settled.”
Lady de Bourgh’s eyes looked distant, and Elizabeth wondered if she was lost in her memories.
“My father’s best friend from university married the daughter of an earl. She agreed to sponsor me in spite of my low birth. I had not been long in London before I was introduced to Sir Anthony de Bourgh. He was a baronet of some importance. His mother was the daughter of an earl, and he had a prosperous estate. His family expected him to make a match that at least equaled that of his father’s. But he fell in love withmeand married me despite their protests. You see, he had already inherited, and both his mother and father had passed away.
“My entry to the ton as Lady de Bourgh was fraught with chaos, insults, intrigues, and more. No one could believe that a simple country girl had won the heart of a baronet through anything but nefarious means. In truth, he found my nature refreshing. I did not simper or bat my eyes. I did not agree with everything he said.” She cast a knowing look at Elizabeth.Confused, Elizabeth wondered perhaps if Lady de Bourgh knew more than she had let on. She smiled and nodded, encouraging the lady to continue.
She continued. “We were well matched, and though that first season as his wife was a disaster, we moved on and did very well together. I encouraged my sons to find love matches, too. Andrew did. Lewis did not. He married for convenience after the former Lord Matlock approached him, looking for a match forCatherine. I begged him to rethink the matter, but he did not. Of course, I would not trade Anne for anything. She is a sweet girl, though sickly.
“Catherine despised me. She hated that I had come from such humble beginnings, and we never did get along. Now, she will likely never forgive me for sponsoring the woman who, in her eyes, destroyed the happiness of her daughter.”
Lady de Bourgh concluded, picking up her tea again and taking a sip. “And so, we must prepare you better than I was prepared so that you can triumph. Your match will be fodder for gossip, and they will wish to know how a young lady of no connections, no fortune, managed to secure the most eligible bachelor of theton.”
“I still do not know how Darcy fell in love with me,” she confessed. “I thought he did not like me until he proposed.”
Lady de Bourgh looked at her knowingly. “I wondered if the affection was one-sided. You seemed determined to antagonize him at every turn. Does he know you do not feel the same way?”
Elizabeth hung her head. “No, he does not. I faced an uncertain future if I did not accept him. Surely, you noted my father’s condition at my wedding.”
“I did. But your sister is married to the heir to your father’s estate.”
