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She wondered whether they would be forced to see Mr. Darcy while in town. Elizabeth hoped not. The man was proud, had been uncivil to her before they were even introduced, and had used Mr. Wickham abominably ill. Of course, as willing as he might have been to return to London at little notice, it was Miss Bingley, Netherfield’s hostess, who had written to Jane, closed the house, and carried the whole party off to town.

She frowned. The worst thing about making this call was that Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst would then be obliged to return it. Elizabeth could not decide which would be worse—to have them come, no doubt late, unwilling, and disapproving, or to have them eschew etiquette entirely and not call at all.

“Lizzy,” Jane said. “We have not even knocked yet.”

“I have said nothing.”

“You say everything with the face you are making.”

Elizabeth took a breath and forced her expression into placidity. “There. How do I look now?”

“You do not wish me to answer that.”

This made Elizabeth laugh. “Come, let us knock, for Aunt will return soon.”

They were admitted, and Jane sent in her card. After a few minutes, they were led into the drawing room.

Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst received them with every sign of civility. Miss Bingley approached Jane, all friendliness, complaining how Jane should not have waited so long to call upon them.

Elizabeth bristled. This woman was mocking Jane and doing so in a way that she could not be directly confronted about it.

“We have only been in town a day,” Jane said, prompting Miss Bingley to exchange a knowing look with Mrs. Hurst. “This was our first opportunity.”

“We must thank you then, for your prompt attentions to us,” Miss Bingley said.

“How fortunate that you have relations in the city with whom you might stay,” Mrs. Hurst said.

“Fortunate indeed,” Elizabeth said, and both of Mr. Bingley’s sisters turned to her. Miss Bingley’s stiff smile vanished entirely for a moment.

Elizabeth was pleased to see that she could provoke this sort of response. Just because Jane was kind did not mean that either she or Elizabeth was unaware. Miss Bingley was not as clever as she believed herself to be.

Both ladies returned their attention to Jane.

“How long will you be in town?” Miss Bingley inquired.

“Several weeks,” Jane said. “Our uncle and aunt have been invited to Longbourn for Christmas, and we shall travel home with them.”

“A brief sojourn then,” Miss Bingley replied. “How pleasant.”

She appeared relieved, Elizabeth thought, that they would not be in town longer. “Jane may return after Christmas,” she added. “Our plans are not yet fixed.”

Jane cast her a sidelong glance as if to ask her what she was talking about.

“Town will be rather thin through January,” Miss Bingley said. “Although the few families who are in town do remain active. We shall scarcely have an evening free between now and Twelfth Night, is that not right, Louisa?”

Mrs. Hurst already appeared bored with the conversation. How a woman could go through life interested in little more than the bracelets upon her wrist, Elizabeth could not fathom. She wondered whether Mrs. Hurst’s ennui had influenced her husband, or whether it had been the other way around. Or perhaps this was a case where they had both always been this way and they had been a perfect match.

“Tea?” Miss Bingley asked, as it was clear Mrs. Hurst would not.

“No, thank you, Miss Bingley,” Jane said. “We came only to say that we are in town and that we should be happy to see you while we are here.”

“We were sorry to lose your company in Hertfordshire,” Elizabeth added, which created a brief silence.

“We were obliged to come to town rather sooner than we expected,” Mrs. Hurst replied.

“As I said in my note,” Miss Bingley said smoothly, “Mr. Darcy was anxious to see his sister again, and we were sure that my brother’s business could not be completed in a few days as he thought. Charles has a great many claims upon his time here.”

“Of course,” Jane said.