Elizabeth assured her that visiting Hatchard’s was easy to accomplish, and there were a good many music stores in Town that Mary would doubtless want to patronise as well. She reassured Mary’s concerns about the expense of such delights by saying, “I am happy to have all the bills sent to Mr. Darcy’s man of business.”
***
Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner had been apprised of Mary’s arrival in London, and they immediately invited their nieces to dinner. With hugs and kisses all around, Mary and Elizabeth spent some time playing with their young cousins before sitting down with Mrs. Gardiner in the drawing room.
While waiting for Mr. Gardiner to join them, Mary was asked about the family in Meryton. Mary made a face. “Kitty and Lydia were none too pleased at having Kate taken from them.”
Mrs. Gardiner said, sympathetically, “I imagine they were not.”
“I sent enough money for Mama to replace her,” Elizabeth shrugged. “And Papa no longer has the burden of supporting Jane, Mary and myself, so there should be plenty of extra funds available in any case.”
“If he does not spend it all on books!” Mary exclaimed.
“None of that is your concern any longer,” Mrs. Gardiner said. “You have enough to think about without worrying about your father’s expenditures.”
“I suppose that is true,” Mary said, sounding unconvinced. “But Mary Wollstonecraft has quite convinced me that we ladies must interest ourselves in those things that affect us, even if it is considered unwomanly to do so.”
“Mary Wollstonecraft? I see,” Mrs. Gardiner did her best not to smile. “Your sister is in some difficulty, Mary; let us focus on that.”
Mary subsided, though she clearly wished to say more.
Elizabeth stared at the carpet at her feet. “I supposedifficultyis as good a word as any.” Then she looked up. “I am married to a man who now wishes he had married his cousin. Aunt, what am I to do?”
Mrs. Gardiner looked concerned. “As your husband, he has the right to command your return at any time.”
Mary frowned. “And is that not entirely wrong?”
Elizabeth laughed, but it was a bitter sound. “It is wrong, but it is so. Though I do not know why he would want me back, given his feelings.”
“I think you know the answer to that, Elizabeth,” Mrs. Gardiner said, very gently.
“To give him an heir, I suppose.” Elizabeth’s tone was flat.
“You suppose correctly.” Seeing her niece’s mutinous expression, she added, “Elizabeth, it all looks very bleak now, but things are likely to change. Change is the only constant, you know; nothing stays the same.”
“He does not yet know you are in London?” Mary enquired. “How is that possible?”
“The only person who knew of my destination was the coachman, and he remains here with me. But I can tell you that I am living well at my husband’s expense.” Elizabeth’s words were light, but her tone was flat.
“Do you still love him?” Mrs. Gardiner asked, very gently.
“I wish I did not!” Elizabeth cried out.
“The heart can be very stubborn, my dear.”
Mr. Gardiner entered the room, putting an end to such sentimental conversation. Instead, Elizabeth described the fun she and Mary would have, once Mary was provided with a suitable wardrobe. Mr. Gardiner glanced at his wife, and she glanced back at him. Very good, he thought, settling back in his chair; Madeline will explain all later.
***
Mademoiselle Laurent was by now well acquainted with Elizabeth Darcy, who had become a favorite client simply because her bills were paid promptly by Mr. Darcy’s London man of business; this was a rarity in London society. As a result, she was delighted to be asked to create a wardrobe for Mrs. Darcy’s sister and was willing to push aside the orders of far more important clients in order to attend to Miss Bennet immediately.
She drew the line, however, at accommodating Mary’s preferences for greys and browns, saying that her own reputation was on the line. “You need colour, Miss Bennet, and I hope you will trust me to supply that colour without rendering you in any way immodest or uncomfortable,” the woman said, pinpointing Mary’s concerns immediately.
Mary mumbled something, clearly unhappy, but Elizabeth intervened, saying, “Mary, what is appropriate for Meryton and what is appropriate for London are vastly different. I beg you to trust Mademoiselle Laurent. Kate, do you not agree?”
Kate, who had been invited on the outing, replied, at once. “I have always thought Miss Bennet’s clothing did not flatter her; it is past time for her to try something new.”
Mary protested that trying to look attractive to the male sex was merely pandering to the inequality of modern society, but she finally succumbed to pressure from Elizabeth and Kate, and allowed the modiste’s assistant to take her measurements.
