Elizabeth couldn’t suppress a laugh. “You have a devious streak, Jane.”
Jane’s eyes twinkled. “Only when necessary.”
A moment later, their mother entered the room in a flurry of lace and indignation. “Girls! Girls! What is this I hear about you staying at Netherfield overnight? With all that riff raff present! How could you, Jane? And you, Lizzy? Do you think I have no care for your reputations?”
Elizabeth opened her mouth, but Jane spoke first, her tone calm and sweet as ever. “Mama, the snowstorm made it unavoidable. Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley were both perfect gentlemen, and Sir Thomas was the soul of propriety. You must not worry so.”
Mrs. Bennet’s expression softened slightly, though her hands fluttered over her shawl. “Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley—who are they, I ask? More ne’er-do-wells, come to darken the shades of Netherfield, I’ll wager. Well, I shan’t have my girls mixed up with it!”
“Mama,” Elizabeth broke in, “Mr. Darcy is an earl’s grandson.”
Mrs. Bennet blinked. “What was that, Lizzy?”
“And they are very wealthy businessmen. Uncle Gardiner knows them well,” Jane added. “They have sterling repulsions, and Papa liked them very much.”
“Oh, your father would like a grub if it left him alone in his library. You must consider what people will say!”
Elizabeth’s eyes widened. “That the Bennet ladies had the first intelligence of two handsome, single,wealthygentlemen come to the neighborhood?”
“ButNetherfield? Do you not hear yourself, Lizzy? Everyone will say you are loose. How will we answer such accusations?”
“By inviting them all to Netherfield ourselves,” Jane said smoothly.
Elizabeth nearly choked on her tea, staring at her sister in disbelief. Jane continued without missing a beat.
“We were just discussing Sir Thomas’s idea to host a Christmas party, Mama. Everyone in the neighborhood will be invited. It will be the perfect chance to show our gratitude for his hospitality—and to put any silly rumors to rest.”
Mrs. Bennet’s face lit up at the mention of a party. “A Christmas party? At Netherfield? Oh, my Jane, what a splendid idea!”
Elizabeth set her cup down with deliberate care. “Indeed, Mama, a splendid idea. Jane has thought of everything.”
Jane smiled serenely, but Elizabeth caught the faintest flicker of triumph in her sister’s eyes. She was not the only Bennet skilled in subtle manipulation, it seemed.
The brisk winter airwas biting as Elizabeth and Jane set out for Meryton. The cobbled streets glistened with frost, and the town hummed with quiet activity—shopkeepers arranging wares, matrons bustling between errands, and the occasional red-coated officer strolling past, tipping hats to passersby. Elizabeth tucked her gloved hands into her muff, her cheeks numbly flushed from both the cold and the anticipation of their task.
“Who shall we call on first?” Jane asked.
“Lady Lucas, of course. As you said, we have Mama’s support now, and she has already gone to see Aunt Philips. Charlotte will help us, I am sure, and if we can bring Charlotte’s family around, others will follow. The Lucas name carries weight—though not, I fear, due to Lady Lucas herself.”
Jane gave a small laugh. “You are dreadful, Lizzy. But yes, Mama’s closest friend is as good a place to start as any.”
They were ushered into the drawing room by a servant, where Lady Lucas sat embroidering with Charlotte at her side. Both women rose to greet the Bennet sisters warmly, though Lady Lucas’s expression carried a hint of curiosity, as if suspecting ulterior motives.
“Jane, Lizzy, how lovely of you to call!” Lady Lucas exclaimed. “I heard the most curious thing—youmusttell us all about your night at Netherfield. I have always wondered at your father for his… eccentricities, but a thing such as this! Indeed, I do not exaggerate when I say that the entire town is simply aflutter with speculation.”
“Speculation,” Elizabeth echoed innocently as they took their seats. “How amusing. I had not thought a snowstorm worthy of gossip.”
Lady Lucas gave her a knowing look. “Not just the snowstorm, my dear. It is the company you kept. Two eligible gentlemen, under the same roof with you and Jane? Why, tongues are wagging from Purvis Lodge to the market square, and there are some who might say I ought not to have received you today.”
“Ah, yes, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley,” Jane said lightly, pointedly ignoring Lady Lucas’s slights. “Charming gentlemen, both of them. We had the most delightful dinner conversation.”
Elizabeth hid her smile behind a cough. “Indeed, and speaking of charming, Netherfield itself is simply beautiful. The ballroom alone—have you seen it, Lady Lucas?”
Lady Lucas blinked. “The ballroom?”
“Oh, you must have,” Elizabeth said, feigning surprise. “We were just looking it over to be sure that it is suitable, and it is far beyond that.”
“Suitable?” Lady Lucas glanced at Charlotte, who was eyeing Elizabeth with unbridled curiosity. “Suitable for what? A whelping room for ruined trollops?”
