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“Miss Elizabeth is also not a lady who responds gently to attacks against herself or her family.”

“Darcy, you really must stop these leading statements without providing details. All you are doing is forcing us to ask the question. An example if you please.”

Lady Matlock and Georgiana briefly looked at each other, the slightest of smiles ghosting across their lips.

“Sorry Andrew. You all know my friend Bingley, and that he still has one unmarried sister?”

Nods all round. None of the other gentlemen had met the lady but all were aware of her reputation. Lady Matlock watched her sons lean forward slightly.

“Miss Bingley has many qualities I am sure, but she also has a sharp tongue. A tongue that Bingley does not sufficiently control. The result is she regularly reaches the limit of what is acceptable. While I was a guest at Netherfield Park she far exceeded that limit at least twice.”

Darcy briefly explained the illness of Jane Bennet and the resulting stay of Elizabeth.

“Miss Bingley’s view of life is that for her to rise someone else must sink. When in Hertfordshire she demonstrated an unpleasant need to try and belittle those of the local society. She equated wealth with consequence. She was barely tolerated by most, but not at all by Miss Elizabeth.”

Rather than drag it out, Darcy retold the tale of the two evenings at Netherfield Park. He kept his eye on his little sister but was accurate and complete in his recitation. When the company heard Elizabeth’s final rejoinder everyone leant back, visibly shocked at her response.

“What was Bingley doing while all this was happening?”

“Being ineffective, she is his Achilles Heel.”

“Richard, you have danced with this Miss Bennet, talked with her, sat at supper with her. Can you believe it of the young lady you met?”

“I am at a loss mother. 15 minutes ago I could never imagine this, yet we know it is the same young lady. She has given no indication of that temper when I have been in her company. She is open and friendly when you engage her in conversation, yet quiet and discreet as part of the larger company.”

“Brother, may I clarify something?”

“Of course, Georgiana.”

“These events happened before Mr. Bingley’s ball, yes?”

“They did.”

“Yet you still asked her to dance, sat with her during your scheduled dance because of her bruised foot, and she was your supper companion.”

There was no question posed by Miss Darcy but everyone looked expectantly at Darcy.

“The morning of the final confrontation between Miss Bingley and Miss Elizabeth I had the opportunity to talk to Miss Elizabeth at breakfast. She had been reading the paper and the conversation that followed was similar to the one Richard had with her at the ball. She could speak of the situation on the Peninsula with confidence. She was exactly as Richard just described her, friendly and relatively open. At the ball I chose to focus on this side of her personality. The time passed quickly in her company.”

“That is a good point cousin. The two dances of the set seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.”

Georgiana was taken by surprise and could not quite stifle her yawn. Despite her protestations her brother used her tiredness as an excuse to end the evening. She had lots of questions and was unsure who to ask, and whether she would even receive answers to some of them.

Richard retired to his rooms leaving his parents and older brother. Viscount Snowdon did not dissemble.

“I have danced with the second daughter of the Earl of Traquair several times. This is her third season and she is changed, and for the better, from when she was a debutante. When I first met her my impression was not good. She was conscious of her Scottish accent and was trying too hard to make a good impression, ironically doing the exact opposite. This season she is calmer, more sure of herself, and it has allowed her many charms to shine through. She has granted permission for me to call on her and we shall see how things progress over the season.”

The Earl and his wife did not bombard their son with questions. They let him also retire to his suite of rooms. Both of them would work their circles to build a complete picture of the young lady and her family. Just as they knew her parents would be doing the same thing with them.

“I did not expect to receive such good news.”

“What do you know of her?”

“A lot of my limited knowledge is as Andrew described her. In truth, her accent is not very strong, but she was always conscious of it.”

“Her grandfather, no actually now that I recall, it was her great uncle, was arrested after the ’45.”

“Was he guilty?”