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“It will be quite the procession. I too have to leave by then, as do my sister and her husband. Are you to return to London this evening?”
He shook his head.
“No, I overnighted at St. Alban’s last night and drove up in the early morning pre-dawn light. I can stay an additional hour if needed as I am not returning to London until tomorrow. You are not staying for your sister’s wedding?”
A sad shake of the head.
“Before I leave I will pass on my best wishes. It is an odd coincidence, they often are I suppose, but her husband-to-be was granted the Living at Hunsford by my aunt. I heard the name of Lady Catherine and did not realise that Miss Catherine was to marry her parson.”
“That is odd but she will be grateful for any insight you can grant her.”
“It will be more than that. I visit my aunt for two weeks in March or April, depending when Easter falls, and so I will renew my acquaintance with her then, as well as finally meet her husband.”
Elizabeth nodded in thanks. Over the next hour she and Darcy, the social outcasts of the wedding, stood and talked freely. Neither of them was making any particular effort, they were a self-contained pair. It allowed both to cope with the unrelenting scrutiny.
“Have you spoken to your parents?”
“No. They knew I was at the church on Thursday but they chose not to reach out. My one goal this week was not to make Charlotte’s wedding a spectacle for the wrong reasons. It can be argued that it was provocative of her to select me as the bridesmaid. But that had nothing to do with me. I spoke to my sisters Mary and Catherine; the rest will take care of itself.”
“How are you returning to London?”
“I drove up in my uncle’s carriage on Monday. Rather than have it return to immediately come back here at the end of the week, he left it here for the week. He said he would cope for the week.”
She looked at the clock in the corner of the room.
“It is already 11.45. I suspect the coachman and footman are preparing the horses. I only hope they remember to ask for some heated bricks for my feet.”
“Essential in this weather.”
“If you will excuse me for a minute Mr. Darcy.”
Elizabeth return from visiting the necessary was blocked by the scowling Miss Bingley. A woman to whom Elizabeth had not been introduced. She could see from the sneer that this was not going to be a pleasant conversation.
“Are you not ashamed to be here? All of us respectable people have to pretend you are not a disgrace. Why, even your own parents want to have nothing to do with you.”
Elizabeth pondered how best to riposte. Then she smiled a wicked smile.
“I do not know which agency provided you, but Sir William and Lady Lucas expect better from their servants. I would moderate your tone and words.”
“I am not a servant! How dare you!”
“Oh, I am sorry. It is just you sound like a servant, you cannot have been brought up on an estate.”
Elizabeth watched as Caroline Bingley almost burst with frustration. The secret to a well-placed knife is to stab in the right spot.
“I went to one of the best seminaries in London, I will have you know.”
“Really? No introduction. Unparalleled rudeness while a guest at a wedding. A screeching voice with an obvious trace of Scarborough. I would ask for your money back.”
Elizabeth went to brush past Miss Bingley but she stepped in front of her.
“I am not finished with you.”
What had Mr. Darcy said? He had needed to be blunt with Miss Bingley, she could not take a hint. Elizabeth invaded Caroline Bingley’s personal space. Her voice was colder than the weather outside Lucas Lodge.
“You are not going to spoil your brother’s wedding to my dear friend. You are going to shut your vicious mouth, smile nicely if you are capable of such an action, and then leave.”
Caroline was frantically signalling her sister and brother in law to help her. Elizabeth deliberately waited until they were at Caroline’s side before continuing.
