The two Bennet ladies and one Lucas all made it out of the presentation chamber without any errors. The Queen had spoken to Lizzy. Someone had mentioned the debutante with unrivalled abilities in chess. Her Majesty had mentioned that Prince Edward was the best player in the family and invited Elizabeth, her mother, and the two Mrs Hursts to Buckingham House for tea and a chess match against the prince. She had adjured Elizabeth not to play at less than her full capability to spare a royal from defeat.
By the ball that evening, thoughts of the impending chess game against Prince Edward were pushed aside as Lizzy was readied for the ball at Matlock House and her first set with Papa.
Many of her sets were spoken for already. Andrew and Richard—he had invited the Bennets and Charlotte to address him informally—had requested sets, as had Lord Matlock and Harold. Most surprising of all was Mr Darcy, who had requested the supper set. When Elizabeth saw the shock on his relatives’ faces, Lady Elaine had explained that William, as they called him, never danced a significant set with a single lady, especially one who was not a family member.
When she was ready, Elizabeth stared at herself in the mirror and could not believe the elegant lady staring back at her. She was wearing a shimmering silk gown in very light green—which made the colour of her eyes look that much more vivid—cream satin elbow-length gloves and her hair was in the fanciest coiffure she had ever seen. Her tresses were piled atop her head, held in place with pearl-tipped pins, which stood out against her raven-coloured hair. Some curls were hanging down the sides of her face and the back of her neck. She felt like a princess.
She was only wearing simple jewellery: the chain with the pearl the Hursts had gifted her and matching earrings which Aunt and Uncle Gardiner had given her.
In her opinion, the elegance she was projecting was enhanced because she was not dripping with jewels. Elizabeth made her way first to Charlotte’s, and then to Jane’s chambers to make sure they were ready.
Jane had been floating on air earlier in the day when Andrew had requested all three of her significant sets. She had told Elizabeth how she had asked if that was the statement Andrew wished to make before theTon. He had told her it was the exact message he wanted to send. If that was not enough, he had asked if he may have a private interview with Jane in the morning, preferably before her father departed. All of this contributed to Jane walking among the clouds.
Charlotte, besides looking rather beautiful in her finery, was in great anticipation of opening the ball with Mr Fitzwilliam.
Against her protests, she had been taken first to Uncle Edward’s warehouse and then to a modiste, where a good portion of a wardrobe had been made for her. She knew her father had not sent money for that kind of expenditure. Although it would have been gauche to ask who paid for everything, Charlotte suspected that between the Bennets, Gardiners, and Hursts, all costs had been covered.
Unlike how she used to speak of Charlotte, Fanny could not say enough about how well she looked before the ball.
The Hursts and their guests had been asked to arrive an hour before other invited attendees. When they arrived, the Gardiner parents and Darcy—who was thunderstruck by Miss Elizabeth’s beauty—were already present.
Hilldale only had eyes for the woman he planned to propose to on the morrow, the one he loved, and he suspected she returned his love.
Knowing what her son planned, Lady Matlock told Jane to call her mother, and for Lizzy to address her as Aunt Elaine. She was almost as happy as her future daughter, having been in such great anticipation of one of her boys finding a match, and now, it seemed there would be two on the horizon.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“No, Caroline, we willnottry to enter the Matlock ball uninvited,” Bingley insisted.
“Yes, we will attend! I know Mr Darcy would want me there if he knew I was available,” Miss Bingley screeched back. “Did you forget what our father meant for you to do for me?”
Unfortunately for Caroline, Bingley had done much soul searching since the day at White’s, where Hurst had basically rung a peal over his head. In the past, he would have looked to Darcy to step in and save him, but this time, Darcy had remained silent. It had taken two days of introspection before Bingley had made for Hurst House. He had been handed all of the things Hurst had mentioned he had when they had been at White’s. That included the unopened letter meant for his late mother and the copy of his late sire’s epistle to Caroline. He had hoped Hurst had been mistaken, but in his father’s own words, he had seen how wrong he had been and just how easily he had allowed himself to be manipulated in service of keeping the peace, which he had not come close to achieving.
Once Hurst had seen Bingley was willing to face the truth and no longer bury his head in the sand, Bingley had beenhanded one more letter; this one was from his father to him. In it, his father had laid waste to all of Bingley’s assumptions.
His late father had not minced words in explaining that he simply could not trust his only son to allow his mother and sister, who did not have a good relationship with the truth, to fritter away huge chunks of his fortune which had been earned through force of will and hard work. Father had been more explicit than in the will regarding an estate. He repeated that it was up to his son to decide. He also stated that if Charles decided to take up the management of the business, that it would please him, as long as it was a free choice. If he chose that, when Uncle John thought him ready, and after his thirtieth birthday, Bingley would receive a controlling share of the carriage works.
He was brought out of his reverie as his sister huffed and stamped her slippered foot to gain his attention. The days of Caroline manipulating him were at an end.
“That lie will no longer work. I went to Hurst House and read the full document which constitutes Father’s Last Will and Testament. Not only that, but Hurst had a copy of the letter Father wrote to you and the one which would have been given to Mother had she survived him. Nothing you have been claiming is true, and even worse, you are fully aware of that fact. Father explained why he had changed his will in the letter to Mother, as well as in one he wrote to me. It was all because you and Mother could not be honest in the pursuit of your delusional aims.”
Miss Bingley opened and closed her mouth a few times, but no sound came out. Charles was not supposed to know the truth. How was she to get her due now? She was sure he would not be able to resist her tears. She began to force tears from her eyes, not realising how she had to contort her face to achieve her aim. She had not expected Charles to begin to laugh.
“Really, Caroline, did you honestly think I would give you what you desire because you forced a few tears to fall? While you did that, I was concerned you were suffering an apoplexy. Again, no, we will not go to Matlock House. If you attempt it on your own, I will disown you because you will be ruined, and I refuse to partake in your self-induced ruin,” Bingley said firmly once he had ceased guffawing. “As to your delusion regarding Darcy, he has only seen you once, and he does not remember the encounter with a friendly eye. The reasonIhave not been invited to any of his houses is because he is awareyouwould come with me, regardless of how the invite was worded.
“None of the men I know are interested in a tradesman’s daughter who thinks she is the daughter of a duke. As to your plans to compromise Darcy, or failing that Lord Hilldale, none of them will gratify a compromise, and I, sister dear, will not support you. If you attempt such, all you will achieve is your complete ruin. By the by, Lord Hilldale is courting a woman.” Bingley paused as he cogitated for a few moments. “The sad thing is, had you not been here with me, I would have been invited to the Matlock Ball.
“One last thing. As I am not responsible for you, I will not be paying for anything more for you. Pay from your allowance, or do not purchase it. I will not try to reclaim what I have spent on you from your allowance. I was fool enough to do so, but no more.”
Miss Bingley stared at her brother as if seeing him for the first time. He stood there looking back at her, not flinching, not looking away like he used to; in fact, it was she who looked away this time.
How could it be that all of the plans she and her late mother had made had come to nothing? As much as she wantedit to be otherwise, Charles was not one to dissemble, and if he said his friends had said they would never gratify a compromise, they would not.
Without another word, Miss Bingley turned on her heel and made for her bedchamber. She had much to think on.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Andrew Fitzwilliam, Viscount Hilldale, arrived at Hurst House well before calling hours. He cared not that he had not slept much after his mother’s ball had ended in the small hours of the morning. Even had he wanted to, he was too excited to sleep for very long.
