A hush descended on the crowd as Pritchard stepped up to the raised dais at the front of the terrace and placed a large leather-bound book on a small table there.
"The Challenge ledger," hissed Mrs Harrington to her daughter, so loudly that the whole crowd heard it. A murmur of anticipation rippled through the other contestants and their families and companions. Then came the thump of Lady Hortensia’s cane and silence fell.
She appeared from the drawing room doors in a gown of dark green silk, with a shawl of fine cream lace draped over her shoulders. A large amber brooch held it in place at her breast and her powdered hair was dressed beneath a fine embroidered cap. She looked smaller than she had in the parlour, surrounded now by so many guests, but Elizabeth noticed that her back was a little straighter, her chin tilted up. She seemed to hold the spectators in the palm of her hand.
"My friends," she said, looking over the gathering with a keen eye. "Welcome to Chaffley Hall. I am very pleased to see you here. Some of you are here because your parents once enjoyed themselves under this roof. Some of you are here because I believe you will be excellent competitors."
She paused, and her eyes moved slowly from one end of the terrace to the other.
"I have lived rather quietly these thirty years, but do not mistake quiet for ignorance. I have my sources."
Several people laughed and Mrs Harrington gave a bright smile and adjusted one of the ribbons upon her daughter’s sleeve.
"Whatever the reason," Lady Hortensia continued, "you are here now, and you should know what awaits you." She turned to the ledger and rested one hand upon its worn cover. "This book holds the history of every Ladies vs. Gentlemen Challenge ever held at Chaffley Hall. Victories, defeats, disputed points and one unfortunate incident involving a goose, which I shall not bore you with this evening."
Harriet Sitcombe let out a peal of laughter before being shushed by her sister.
"Now," she said, "to business. Those who have been invited as competitors will please step forward. Ladies to my left. Gentlemen to my right. Parents, guardians and companions, please remain in your seats."
She nodded in satisfaction as the competitors took their places. "The contests will begin tomorrow morning. The first day will test logic and observation. The second will be given over to sporting prowess. The third will concern artistic merit. Thefourth will test wit, and the final contest will, as always, take place in the hedge maze."
She looked from the ladies to the gentlemen. "I should add that the contests have been designed with fairness in mind. I shall not require gentlemen to prove themselves with embroidery, nor ladies to distinguish themselves by feats of brute strength. The object is not to expose anyone to humiliation but to discover which side can act with spirit and adapt itself best to the task at hand."
A murmur passed through the competitors at this, and Lady Hortensia waited for it to settle. "You will compete as teams. Some contests will require every member of a side. Others will be undertaken by selected representatives. On certain days you may be divided into smaller parties. Those arrangements will be explained before each contest begins."
She nodded to Mr Pritchard, who opened the ledger. "The scoring is simple. Each day’s contest will be worth five points. In some events, all five points will go to the winning side. In others, points may be divided according to performance. Mr Pritchard will record the score after each contest and announce the standings at dinner."
"At the end of the week, the side with the greater number of points will receive the Challenge Cup. The losing side will perform a forfeit at the final ball. Now, do not look so whey-faced. It shall be nothing very terrible. A little embarrassment, perhaps, but no lasting injury to body or reputation."
A ripple of nervous laughter moved across the terrace.
"This evening we shall all dine together. Tomorrow morning, after breakfast, the competitors will remain at the Hall. Parents, guardians and companions will remove to the Dower House."
She looked towards the seated guests and the looks of anxiety that passed between them. "The Dower House is part of the estate and entirely comfortable. You will be near enough to return as needed, but not so near as to interfere. The young ladies and gentlemen will remain under my roof, under my protection and under the supervision of my household."
Her voice softened a little, though it lost none of its firmness. "I have invited them here to compete, to think for themselves and to know one another better than they can in any ballroom. That cannot be done while every parent and chaperone is hanging on to their hems."
Mrs Harrington shifted in her chair, but Lady Hortensia had already turned back to the competitors. "That is the shape of the week. Tonight you may make your introductions. Tomorrow, the Challenge begins."
She paused, then glanced towards Mr Pritchard, who gave the smallest nod. "There remains only one further matter. Each side must have a captain."
The terrace stirred again.
"The captain will receive instructions before each contest, appoint representatives where required, keep order amongst the team and bring any questions to Mr Pritchard or myself. It is not a decorative position. Nor, I should warn you, is it always an easy one."
Several of the competitors straightened. Miss Harrington’s expression altered at once. She looked first at her mother, then at Lady Hortensia, with an air of barely concealed excitement. Mrs Harrington clasped her hands together and beamed. Across the terrace, Mr Ashcombe adjusted his cuffs and assumed a look of grave readiness, tilting his head to the right in the air of a Greek statue.
Elizabeth watched them both with interest, perhaps they already knew they were to be selected and were simply waiting to publicly acknowledge the accolade.
Lady Hortensia looked over the two lines with calm satisfaction. "The captains have been chosen after careful observation by myself and by the senior members of my household. My decision on the matter is final."
"For the ladies," she went on, "Miss Elizabeth Bennet."
Elizabeth went still. For a moment she thought she must have misheard. What had she done of note since she had arrived other than become furious at the vexing man stood on the other side of her host?
Jane turned to her at once, her face bright with pleasure. "Lizzy."
"But I cannot..." Elizabeth began, then remembered where she was and stopped herself.
