“Miss Darcy,” Jane replied, emphasizing the name with a slight frown. “Is to have her come-out and be presented to the Queen.”
“Thanks to her aunt, the Countess, no doubt.” The envy in Caroline’s voice could not be missed. She sipped her tea, frowning mightily at the cup.
Jane threw her husband a look, clearly begging him to step in.
Mr. Bingley took a quick breath and said, “I thought we might go to London for the Season as well.”
The change in Caroline’s countenance was immediate and marked. “Oh, Charles, do you mean it? I shall need a new wardrobe, of course! Our carriage is too old to be respectable, it should be replaced immediately. And the drawing room at Bingley House has not been redecorated for at least three years; I shall attend to that the moment we –“
Mr. Bingley interrupted the flow of words. “We will discuss a budget for your new clothes. The carriage is one year old, Caroline, it does not need to be replaced. As for any decisions regarding redecorating Bingley House, that will be determined by Jane, not by you.”
Jane added, “Caroline, Lizzy says that you will be invited to a number of events that she has planned for Georgiana, but only if you are well-behaved.”
“Well-behaved? Indeed! Eliza Bennet will lecturemeon behaviour?”
Jane’s voice was now steely. “Caroline, my sister is Mrs. Darcy, not Eliza Bennet. I will remind you that she does not wish to be called Eliza, and that she has made it clear that the Darcys will cut any connection with you if you do anything that she considers offensive. Do you understand me, Caroline?”
Caroline’s mouth fell open as she stared at Jane. Then she carefully set her teacup down on the little table beside her chair, rose, and left the room without a word or a backward glance.
Mr. Bingley and Jane sighed in unison.
Chapter Three
Elizabeth was under no illusions about the appeal of being in close company with Caroline Bingley. While Caroline had appeared to accept Elizabeth’s marriage to Mr. Darcy, her envy and resentment showed in her tone whenever she deigned to speak to the new Mrs. Darcy. Elizabeth would have to make it clear to Caroline that this would not be tolerated.
Meanwhile, Georgiana’s lessons continued. Elizabeth sat in on a discussion about calling cards. She received quite an education, as she had been unaware of the finer details involved in giving and receiving cards. Meryton’s society was informal; Lady Lucas had calling cards, but they sat in her desk drawer, gathering dust.
“The purpose of giving the butler the card,” Mrs. Annesley began. “Is to allow the person on whom you are calling to make the decision as to whether or not to see you.”
“So the butler gives the card to the lady of the house,” Georgiana surmised.
“You might be calling on more than one person – a young lady of your own age and her mother, for example – so you would give the butler two cards. Either or both ladies may choose to not be at home to you.”
“Is that not an insult?” Georgiana asked, brow wrinkled.
“Well, it rather depends on the situation. It might be, yes. Or it might be that the lady is already entertaining someone she knows you do not like, and she does not wish to create an awkward situation. Or perhaps she is not well.”
“I do not have calling cards,” Georgiana said.
“Nor I,” Elizabeth added. “We will have them made up in our first week in London. We will be shopping that week as well, as neither of us has anything suitable for the Season.”
“You will be guided by the Countess,” Mrs. Annesley assured them. “In that you are fortunate. She is well aware of what gowns, gloves, shoes, and so on are necessary. But let us return to the subject of cards. Sometimes someone will leave a card just as a social nicety, with no intention of entering the house and actually seeing you.”
“The butler will know the difference?”
“Yes; if the caller asks if Miss Darcy or Mrs. Darcy is at home, it means they would like to be admitted. Otherwise, the person might just leave a card out of politeness, as an acknowledgement that you are in Town.”
Elizabeth said, “So as soon as we have our cards made up, we will make it a point to call on suitable ladies and leave cards to show that we are in Town.”
“Precisely.”
Georgiana complained, “Is all this really necessary to find a suitable husband, Mrs. Annesley? Look at Lizzy here; she did not have to endure all this and she found the best husband of all!”
“She did indeed, but her situation is to be regarded as the exception rather than the rule.”
“Lizzy, do you wish you had had a Season?” Georgiana asked.
Elizabeth shook her head. “I never seriously considered it, Georgiana. Oh, all the gowns and balls sounded quite marvelous when I was growing up, but we Bennet girls knew it was never going to happen for us. I agree that all these rules do sound quite overwhelming, so I understand your frustration.”
