Caroline now decided to be frank. “Kind, indeed. I was an obnoxious social climber, and Alicia and her friends ignored me as I deserved.”
“No,” Alicia said. “We could have given you a chance. We did not have to be so very mean and superior.”
“But youaresuperior,” Caroline argued. “You are the daughter of an Earl and I am the daughter of a tradesman! I am a nobody!” Her voice was now teary.
“And yet the daughter of the Earl almost eloped with an unsuitable suitor, while the daughter of the tradesman did not,” Alicia said, sadly.
Mr. Lindsay said, quietly, “Being well-born is good; being well-mannered is better. I think we have all learnt that.”
The carriage pulled up at Gunter’s. As Caroline had expected, the shop was quite crowded, and it was too cold to sit in the Square, but Mr. Lindsay seemed not the slightest bit concerned.
Alicia explained, “My brother cleverly sent a servant on ahead to reserve a table for us inside.”
Caroline said, “Well, that was good thinking indeed!”
Mr. Lindsay explained, “I will take you and my sister to our table, and then I will wait outside for Miss Taylor, Miss Davies and Miss Johnson in order to guide them to our table.”
Within a quarter of an hour, the six of them were seated in the shop, and a waiter came to take their orders.
“They are staring at me,” Alicia whispered, after glancing at the table beside them.
Caroline looked at the table so indicated; yes, poor Lady Alicia was being stared at, and tongues were quite obviously wagging.
“Ignore them,” Caroline advised.
But it soon became impossible to do so, as one of the ladies at that table rose and walked right up to Lady Alicia. “I am amazed that you dare to be seen in public,” the newcomer said. Her voice was clear and loud, heard by many at the nearby tables.
“I do not know you, so I wonder that you dare to speak to me,” Lady Alicia said to the newcomer, but her voice was too soft and so her reprimand was unheard.
Other people glanced over, and the whispers grew louder.
Would they be asked to leave? Caroline had been delighted at the idea of being seen in public with Mr. Lindsay and Lady Alicia, but this was turning into a nightmare! Something had to be done, and quickly. Caroline rose to her feet, preparing to take on this rude interloper. “Have you never done anything that you regretted?” she demanded of the unknown lady. “If not, you are certainly in the minority!”
It happened that the Countess of Matlock was sitting at her preferred table in the back of Gunter’s, and she looked up when she heard the ruckus. Lady Matlock had been involved in thetonfor quite some time, and she immediately understood the situation. Lady Alicia Lindsay had finally shown her face in public – good girl! – but was being chastised by Miss Powys, the eldest daughter of the Baron Bolton. Miss Powys herself had been guilty of a minor discretion a few years ago. What was it? The Countess searched her memory. Ah, yes, she had been seen dancing in the ballroom of her family home with a footman!
Rank must be preserved, she thought. The daughter of an Earl should not be reprimanded by the daughter of a Baron, and a Baron who was a fairly new creation at that. And was that Caroline Bingley, actually preparing to take a stand against Miss Powys?
It was time for action. The Countess rose and made her way, unhurriedly, to the Lindsay table. As she walked, the shop fell silent, waiting to see what she would do. The Countess wielded great power in theton, and everyone knew it.
“It is The Honourable Miss Powys, is it not?” the Countess asked pleasantly, upon reaching the Lindsay table.
“Yes, My Lady!” The girl preened at being addressed by no less a personage than the Countess of Matlock.
“I see that you have taken it upon yourself to address Lady Alicia Lindsay.”
“Yes, My Lady, but only because –“
The Countess would not let her finish. “Lady Alicia Lindsay is your social superior, is she not?”
“She is, but –“
“And yet you address her without an introduction! I am all astonishment! Perhaps afootmanmight teach you better manners.” The Countess stared at the young lady icily.
The girl turned ashen. She dropped a curtsey and all but ran back to her own table, where she gathered up her outerwear and departed at once.
The Countess cast a gaze over the Lindsay party, nodding at the entire group before returning to her table without another word.
Conversation broke out everywhere. Several young ladies made their way to the Lindsay table to praise Lady Alicia for her courage; Lady Alicia promptly explained that her courage came directly from her friends: Miss Taylor, Miss Davies, Miss Johnson and Miss Bingley. Thus Caroline was introduced to a number of well-placed young ladies, just as she had hoped.
