The past day had been full of cloudy prognostications of doom for her purpose. Mrs. Bennet talked once Georgiana and Jane left at thudding length about those scheming Lucases, the condescension she had shown to Lady Lucas, and the way England had fallen into decline in these latter days.
Mrs. Bennet had never entirely forgiven Lady Lucas for Charlotte’s deeply lamented marriage to Mr. Collins, and this latest provocation heaped great addition onto existing complaints. Elizabeth receivedsomeof the opprobrium heaped upon Lady Lucas; after all, the woman would never havedaredsuch a thing if her daughter was not to inherit Longbourn.
Elizabeth had always known Mrs. Bennet held some confusion about the details of the entail, but to forget that it was Mr. Collins, not Charlotte, who was the inheritor, struck her as a worsening of the misapprehension. Though the laws of England did make a man and his wife one person.
Who was the man?
Mrs. Bennet predicted Elizabeth would suffer a ghastly failure when she asked Mr. Lucas to attend their party. Why would John Lucas, a dutiful child, undercut Lady Lucas’s desperate, doomed leap for social superiority over the Bennets and Bingleys?
There might be something to her mother’s mistrust of her dearest friend. Elizabeth nonetheless thoughtherfriendship with Lucas and his wife would overcome family loyalty.
“Hullo! Hullo!” Elizabeth smiled broadly as the housekeeper shooed her into the low-ceilinged drawing room. She was not sure if it was fortunate that Lady Lucas was absent, but Maria sat embroidering with Mr. Lucas’s wife and the gentleman himself.
“Good day! Good day!” Lucas stood enthusiastically, and with rustic sophistication took Elizabeth’s hand and kissed it. “My dear Eliza, as always you brighten our day.”
Elizabeth smiled back and pressed her hand to her face. “Goodness you make me blush.”
Lucas’s wife Felicia said, “’Tis true. Even if my husband speaks as a coxcomb.”
“I confess, I am here to brighten the day,” Elizabeth replied as she sat. “First, what news.”
“All of Johnny's teeth have arrived!” Felicia laughed. “I can sleep at last now that he is not gnawing and crying every day.”
“Sweet boy!” Elizabeth laughed with a feeling of relief — teething was a frequent cause of convulsions, digestive dysfunctions, and sometimes the untimely death of children. The wait for teeth to erupt always worried those who loved the child. “Bring this paragon forth, so all may admire his magnificent jaws and teeth.”
John Lucas rolled his eyes. “Do not talk of my son like a horse to be sold at auction.”
“I do not — such a grand beast would never be sold.”
Felicia laughed. “For my part, you can freely call the boy a grand beast. Though I love him dear.”
As she spoke the maid brought the giggling toddler into the room.
“I believed you would want to see him,” Felicia said. “I called for Johnny as soon as I realized who our visitor was.”
The child crawled in Elizabeth’s lap and cooed and touched her face. “Luzzy!”
“Wholly correct! Luzzy!” Elizabeth giggled. “How many teeth do you have?”
The child held up his chubby fingers as he counted out all of the teeth, before losing track half way through. He then proudly opened his mouth so Elizabeth could examine for herself. “Teeth!”
Adorable. If only she had her own child to cuddle, kiss and play with.
That was a new thought. What strange quirk of the female animal gave hernowthis desire for her own little child to climb about her, and to beg for her attention, and to wholly depend on her.
Lucas pulled his chair closer to Elizabeth’s. “What errand brought you?”
Elizabeth felt a slight nervousness before asking the question. She would feel terrible if she could not introduce Georgiana to these friends. Worse, a refusal would occasion a substantial degree of awkwardness.
Lucas would accept her invitation. They had been friends forever. Not so close as her and Charlotte before Charlotte’s marriage, but close. Lucas even had atendrefor her when they were both younger.
“I have an invitation to dine at Longbourn. But only for two of you” — Elizabeth gestured to Lucas and Felicia, then waggled her finger at Maria — “No disappointment! You are too impressionable in your maidenly state to survive contact with Georgiana Darcy.”
Lucas and Felicia looked at each other. Lucas asked, “You wish Miss Darcy to be introduced to the neighborhood in acircumscribedmanner?”
“Circumscribed! A fine word. We hope the circle shall widen — never fear, Maria, your maidenliness will protect you from contamination.”
“Who else? The Gouldings?”
