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He did not need to say anymore, and Elliot reached out to clasp his brother on the shoulder because he knew exactly what Jack was worrying about, and it was confirmed mere hours later as they—all six of them—stood at the entrance to Netherfield Hall.
Poor Jack was wearing the alarming waistcoat. Mrs. Bennet had insisted, and he hadn’t the heart to refuse her. Though it paled in comparison to the one Louis was wearing, a concoction of bright greens and yellows and completely inappropriate for daytime wear. Christian, who tended to do whatever Louis did, had also gone for something just on the wrong side of suitable, and Marc once again looked like he was in mourning.
“This house,” Mrs. Bennet whispered as they waited for admittance. “Of course, I have seen it from a distance, but I had no notion it was quite so grand close up!”
“If Jack is Bingley’s fated mate and ends up living here, will we be able to move into one of the wings?” Christian asked.
“Or perhaps the dower house?” Louis said, craning his neck to look across the grounds to where it nestled in one of the hills. “You could play the pianoforte all you like there, Marc,” he added. “No one would be subjected to your talents at that distance.”
“Subjected?”
“I am not going to be living here,” Jack muttered, and Mrs. Bennet frowned even as she shushed Marc and Louis who were now arguing in furious whispers.
“Not with that attitude!” she said.
“Perhaps we should refrain from discussing such things in earshot of our hosts,” Elliot said, keen to rescue his brother from what they had both known would occur on this visit. “Perhaps we instead stick to social niceties as would be expected and also proper.” He turned to Louis and Marc who were now trading insults. “And cease from commenting on one another’s proficiency in the musical or written arts,” he said, as Marc had just disparaged Louis’ poetry.
“Are you instructing us on how to behave?” Louis asked.
“Someone has to,” Elliot said, and Louis laughed.
“And it is always you, brother,” he said slyly. “Always you.”
He likely would have said more but the doors were opened then by a forbidding looking butler—brought up from London surely as no one recognised him—and they were ushered inside.
Netherfield was as imposing inside as it was out. The floors were polished marble, the walls covered in fine art, and the sweeping staircase made of a dark, shining wood that Elliot thought might be oak. The furnishings that could be seen were covered in rich fabrics and the few objects d’art scattered around were clearly French in origin—Elliot recognised the style from a book in his papa’s library.
Netherfield was undoubtedly magnificent.
Netherfield was also something outside of their realm of experience.
Home to an alpha.
And for the first time Elliot really understood what that meant.
He gave Jack a look and an understanding passed between them. However, if they had expected the grandness around them to have a similar sobering effect on their brothers and mama, they were to be disappointed. Whilst Marc remained dour, the other three whispered excitedly as they were shown into a large room where Mrs. and Mrs. Hurst were waiting along with Miss Bingley. Trouble was, their whispers were pitched at far from the normal volume that such words usually were, and Elliot and Jack could hear everything that was being said…which meant their hosts could too!
“How delightful to see you all again,” Miss Bingley said as she awaited their bows.
Duly given Mrs. Bennet replied, “How delightful to have been invited!”
Miss Bingley gestured to the seats arranged around the table where tea and cake were ready to be served. “Please do be seated.”
They all sat though Mrs. Bennet’s manoeuvres ensured that Jack was directly opposite Miss Bingley with her to his immediate right. Elliot found himself next to Mrs. Eleanor Hurst and she gave him a small, unenthusiastic smile. She was beautiful of course. They all were, though Mrs. Eleanor was exceedingly pale which was accentuated by the very severe dress she wore.
“How lovely for you to have come today,” Miss Bingley began. “We are expecting the Lucases later this afternoon but that allows us ample time to deepen our acquaintance.”
“The Lucases are chief friends of ours,” Mrs. Bennet said.
“They are the most prominent family in this area, are they not?” Miss Bingley replied, and Elliot fancied he could hear a slight scathing tone to her words, as if being prominent here, so far from proper society, was meaningless. He had heard similar whispers during the ball regarding the Bingley sisters’ views on being so far from London and was saddened to realise that those whispers were based in fact. It disposed Elliot immediately to dislike them, but he wanted to be fair so gave himself a small reprimand to encourage just that!
“There are many prominent families within carriage distance,” Mrs. Bennet was saying now, and her tone conveyed quite clearly that they, the Bennets, were one of them, and to her mind this was quite true.
“Perhaps you could describe the shape of your society here,” Mrs. Hurst said. “And your own place within it.”
Mrs. Bennet smiled and did just that. She was clearly trying to be careful with her tone, keeping it light and engaging but Mrs. Bennet had never been blessed with tact and more than once she gave her own opinions on members of the local society a tad too freely. Elliot tried not to wince. He could see Jack doing the same. Marc was oblivious. Christian too. Louis sat back in his chair, arm slung carelessly across it, smirking.
The conversation did not stop there either. Between them, Miss Bingley, Mrs. Hurst, and Mrs. Bennet covered a number of topics, from the ball to society in general, even through to the cakes being served. The others spoke when they were required, though that did not happen often through the main part of the visit, as this was clearly something that the Bingley sisters and Mrs. Bennet needed to do, a sounding out of sorts. Eleanor Hurst said very little, spending most of her time sighing and looking out of the window. Elliot got the impression she would rather be outside than in and sympathised with her immensely!
