“Assuming I survive this elucidating discourse on horses, shall I retire to the settees for the elderly?”
“Most assuredly not. You shall not escape, Elizabeth.” Allegra was sounding more and more like a governess than a society friend. “When the waltz concludes, Lord Coke will offer his arm and escort you to the supper room. You will sit beside him at the table. The placement is deliberate—Lady Matlock will have ensured seats nearby, close enough to observe your conversation without appearing to eavesdrop.”
“She eavesdrops while appearing not to eavesdrop. That requires talent.”
“She has thirty years of practice and a complete absence of shame.” Allegra met Elizabeth’s eyes in the glass. “During supper, you must be charming but not forward. Allow Lord Coke to lead the conversation.”
“I am sure all this will go over my head, and I shall indeed be quite backward,” Elizabeth said. “And after supper? I usually go back for the rest of the country dances. The walking about helps my digestion.”
“You shall not!” Allegra blinked in shock. “A lady of breeding does not rush back to the dance floor. She will sit out the subsequent sets to converse with the gentleman’s mother. Lady Matlock will expect it. An assessment will be made of your manner, grammar, and your suitability as the future Countess of Matlock.” Allegra’s voice dropped slightly. “This is the true audition, Elizabeth. The supper dance determines whether you are worthy of her attention. The conversation afterward determines whether you are worthy of her son.”
“And then what? Does no one assess whether her son is worthy of me?” Elizabeth asked.
Allegra’s eyes widened as if the thought of a woman rejecting a worthwhile suitor was anathema.
“Ordinarily, your father would perform that assessment; however, in your situation, I doubt Mr. Bennet would object to a connection to an earldom. However, I must warn you, Elizabeth.If you decide after tonight that you do not wish to receive Coke’s address, you must exercise the utmost caution. You must keep him from declaring his intentions without insulting him. Practice absolute serenity. Do not allow him to guess your inclinations by so much as a twitch of your fan.”
“But why keep him guessing?”
“So he will neither declare his intentions nor will his mother spread word of your unsuitability!” Allegra declared as if such machinations were as plain as the sun at high noon. “You must not give your inclinations away, one way or the other. If you find him charming and engaging, do not sparkle and dazzle him, or he may be moved to act too fast, and you will lose your reputation. A premature proposal is a catastrophe. Thetonwill whisper and wonder whether you have been too favorable or allowed him liberties.”
“But if I refuse him, surely they would not believe I was at fault.”
“Oh, but that is even more disastrous. If a man of Coke’s standing is rejected by a country miss with fifteen thousand pounds, thetonwill never forgive you. His mother will make it her life’s work to see you blackballed from every drawing room in London. A refusal will ruin your reputation forever.”
“So I must not charm him too much, but I must not offend him either.”
“Precisely. You must practice serenity.” Allegra said the word as though it were a technical term, which perhaps it was. “You must be pleasant without being encouraging. Attentive without being warm. You must make him feel that you enjoy his company while giving him no indication of your deeper inclinations. He must leave the ball believing he has made progress, but uncertain how much.”
Elizabeth stared at her. “That sounds exhausting. And dishonest.”
“It is both. It is also necessary.” Allegra’s eyes held no apology. “This is how the game is played, Elizabeth. A woman who shows her hand too early loses her leverage and her reputation. A woman who refuses too quickly gains a reputation for coldness. But a woman who maintains serenity—who keeps her suitors guessing, who neither encourages nor discourages—she remains fresh in the marriage market. She preserves her options. She buys herself time to weigh one gentleman against another without devastating any of them.”
“Why not simply tell Lord Coke I am uncertain? Let him know I need time to consider.”
“Because uncertainty, stated plainly, sounds like rejection dressed in polite clothing. A man like Lord Coke—proud, titled, accustomed to being wanted—will hear ‘I am uncertain’ as ‘I do not want you but am too cowardly to say so.’ His pride will be wounded. He will withdraw, and his withdrawal will be noted, and the whispers will begin.” Allegra shook her head. “No. You must keep him hoping without letting him hope too much. You must be warm enough that he believes he has a chance, and cool enough that he does not presume to take it.”
“This is absurd.”
“This is London.” Allegra’s smile was thin. “The marriage market operates on uncertainty, Elizabeth. Certainty ends negotiations. A woman who is certain she wants a man loses her bargaining position. A woman who is certain she does not want him creates an enemy. But a woman who is serenely, pleasantly, charmingly uncertain? She holds all the cards.”
Elizabeth turned back to the mirror, watching her maid fasten the final hooks. The ivory silk gleamed like armor. The gold thread caught the light like a warning.
“And what if I do not wish to play cards at all?”
“Then you had better learn to bluff.” Allegra placed a hand on her shoulder, her reflection meeting Elizabeth’s in the glass.“One evening, Elizabeth. Practice serenity for one evening. Smile at Lord Coke without promising anything. Converse with Lady Matlock without committing to anything. And when the ball is over, you will still have choices. Serenity is the only way to staying fresh in the marriage market without committing to the first man who asks, or devastating his pride.”
Elizabeth thought about Darcy and how she had devastated him. “So, what would Fitzwilliam Darcy be doing at the supper? Entertaining this Miss Elveden?”
“Unlikely.” Allegra regained some of her usual spirit. “Lady Matlock has played the Miss Elveden hand once too many. He has always been polite, but does not dance with her. He refuses to raise expectations.”
“From a daughter of a Marquis?” Jane interjected for the first time. “I thought you told us old Mr. Darcy would have approved.”
Here, Allegra lowered her gaze and smiled, as if to herself. “I’ve known Fitzwilliam for fifteen years. He tends not to notice the women presented to him. He has very particular criteria that he applies, and no woman has yet satisfied them. I have watched him carefully, and because I am so much below his sights, he allows me an intimacy he does not grant to the women Lady Matlock throws at him. I know he will not marry his cousin Anne, and he does not easily grant his good opinion. He is too guarded with his heart, and hence he will lurk in the background with your dance card, Miss Elizabeth, and do his duties without appearing in the least bit interested in any of the beauties paraded in front of him.”
Allegra’s grimace was almost poignant as she picked up Elizabeth’s shawl and draped it over her shoulders, smoothing it down.
Jane caught Elizabeth’s eye in the glass, a glance that contained the conversation of two sisters without speaking:sheloves him.Elizabeth returned the look with the fractional tilt of chin that meantI know, and the fractional drop of gaze that meantnot now.
