Page 22 of A Life Diverted
“Calm down, Janie,” Madeline said as she placed a hand on her niece’s arm. “I dare say that you will impress Mr Wendell’s parents no matter the gown you choose to wear.”
As her feelings for Mr Wendell—David—grew, Jane’s desire to make a very positive impression on his parents increased.
With it, she had an attack of nerves that somehow, she would make some great faux pas .
It was not that she did not know how to behave in company; she most certainly did.
Her anxiety stemmed from the fact that she had never been on the cusp of meeting the parents of the man who she believed could one day be her husband.
Aunt Maddie’s voice coupled with her gentle touch helped bring Jane out of her nervous state.
“I was being a silly goose, was I not?” Jane realised.
Madeline gave a single nod.
“Dav…Mr Wendell has told me that his parents are unassuming even though his mother is sister to a countess. I suppose that also made me worry.”
“You mean the note that told us Lord and Lady Matlock will be present as well?” She saw Jane nod.
“From what I know of them; they do not put on airs and graces. Lord Matlock is one of your uncle’s investors and has been in this house a few times.
I met him once, and he treated me like anyone else.
I will meet the Countess for the first time tonight,” Madeline said to calm her niece further.
“Remember that your beau told you how much his mother and aunt look alike.”
“Yes, he said that they could be twins, except there are a few years in age between them, with Lady Matlock being older,” Jane recalled.
“Now do you see you have nothing with which to be concerned?” Madeline asked.
“You know, I think part of it is that Lizzy is not here to give me strength. I know she feels that my presence gives her fortitude, but I feel the same with her. She is so much braver than me. I hope she is attending the assembly tonight,” Jane related.
“She will; you know what she says about her courage always rising, do you not? Lizzy will be well,” Madeline insisted.
“Now that my nerves are settled, I will choose the sky blue satin gown.”
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Where is dear Georgiana?” Miss Bingley asked when her guests entered the drawing room. As far as she was concerned, the earlier confrontation had not occurred.
“Nephews, have either of you or Giana given permission for Miss Bingley to address her so informally?” Lady Catherine enquired. She already knew the answer, but it was time to put the woman in her place again.
“No, Aunt Catherine, a fact which has been pointed out to her brother more than once,” Richard responded.
“It is neither here nor there, but my niece is attending to some of her lessons. Were you not taught it is the higher-ranked person who may permit or deny the use of their familiar name?” Lady Catherine queried with obvious disdain dripping from her voice.
“I know my niece has not invited you to use her familiar name, so how is it you address her thusly?” She turned towards her cringing host. “Did you not pass the message on to your sister?”
If he could have, Bingley would have crawled under the nearest piece of furniture. Rather than reply, he looked away.
“But we are such good friends…” Miss Bingley tried to say.
“Only in your own mind,” Lady Catherine interpolated. “Miss Bingley, you do know you are in the country, do you not? Perhaps not. You are dressed for a ball in London, which is quite inappropriate for being at home at a country estate. ”
Caroline Bingley was reeling. She was supposed to impress the noble aunt, but the woman was criticising everything about her.
And worse, neither of the men she had marked as candidates to be her husband had said a word in her defence.
As she had told Charles earlier, when she married one of them, she would banish the aunt from her homes.
“There is a local assembly tonight. I accepted on behalf of all of us,” Bingley blurted out to change the subject away from his seething sister.
“We will all remain at the house rather than mix with the mushrooms hereabouts. How could my brother expect us to rejoice in the inferiority of the locals’ connections?
To congratulate myself, all of you, on the hope of meeting nothings, whose condition in life and social standing is so decidedly beneath our own?
” Miss Bingley stated with her air of superiority back in place.
“My nephews and I will attend this assembly. Please elucidate as to how you, the daughter of a tradesman, are somehow socially above landed gentry? Whoever paid to send you to that seminary, my nephews tell me of which you boast, wasted his money. You learnt nothing.” Lady Catherine stared with fire in her eyes at the woman whose mouth had flapped open like she was desirous of catching flies.
She turned to Mr Bingley. “What time does the ball begin?”
“Half after seven, your Ladyship,” Bingley replied meekly.
“My nephews and I will travel in one of our coaches. I understand there are some who believe they should be fashionably late , a practice I abhor and find very rude. We will not insult the locals by either arriving late or being dressed in clothing inappropriate for a country assembly,” Lady Catherine stated firmly, leaving no room for argument. “Tea would be good now.”
Miss Bingley ran out of the room, up the stairs, and into her chamber. After the slamming of the door, the sound of porcelain being broken could be heard.
“What does your lease state? Oh yes, anything maliciously destroyed will be paid for at five times the price of replacement. I assume it is another thing you forgot to tell your younger sister?” Richard stated near Bingley’s ear.
The younger man cringed. He looked at his older sister pleadingly. She ordered tea.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The Gardiners and Jane arrived at Fitzwilliam House in Berkeley Square a few minutes before seven, the time they had been invited to arrive. They were met in the foyer by the older and younger Mr Wendells.
With their outerwear having been taken by the butler and a footman, the Gardiners followed Mr Wendell.
Jane accepted her suitor’s arm and allowed him to lead her towards the drawing room where his family was waiting. The Gardiners were ahead of them when David leaned closer to the woman to whom he was losing his heart.
“I am very pleased to be able to introduce you to my parents,” David stated.
They were about to follow Aunt Madeline and Uncle Edward into the drawing room when they both froze, both gasped as they stared ahead of them. Jane was concerned, so she disengaged her arm from her partner and walked to join her aunt and uncle.
Before her on a settee, two ladies were seated. Both looked like older versions of Lizzy. Jane instantly fainted.
David had followed Miss Bennet forward, not understanding why the Gardiners were rooted to the spot. He was greatly concerned when Miss Bennet—Jane—took one look at his mother and Aunt Elaine and fainted. Thankfully, he was close enough to catch her before she fell onto the carpet .
Seeing Jane’s reaction brought the Gardiners out of the shocked stupor.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Bennet, Fanny, and Lizzy arrived about ten minutes prior to the start of the assembly.
While the former two were speaking to the Phillipses, the latter sought out her good friend, actually best friend after Jane, Charlotte Lucas.
Charlotte was six years older than Eliza, as she called Lizzy, but the age difference never came between them.
They were in a corner speaking with the Long sisters when two men and an older lady entered the assembly.
Elizabeth suspected they were part of the Netherfield Park party.
Given Papa’s description, neither man was the Mr Bingley who chased Janie away.
She supposed in an unintentional way; Mr Bingley had done Janie a good turn thanks to her sister’s unofficial courtship.
She turned back to her friends, her back to the newcomers.
Darcy felt his feelings of being trapped with those he did not know rising quickly. To alleviate this feeling, he escorted Lady Catherine to some seats near a huge potted plant in one corner.
Meanwhile Richard was staring at the raven haired, petite woman in the opposite corner.
She had turned briefly, and he could have sworn she looked like Mother and Aunt Cilla.
It had been too brief and too distant to see the colour and shape of her eyes.
Soon Sir William approached him, made himself known, and volunteered to introduce him to some of the locals.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Caroline Bingley was in a foul mood. She had not thought Lady Cathrine was serious when she had made an entrance twenty minutes after the time the others had discussed departing.
Rather than the men being there to admire her in her signature burnt orange ensemble with a turban and a half dozen dyed-to-match ostrich feathers, only her brother and the Hursts were present. Messrs Fitzwilliam and Darcy had done what Lady Catherine had threatened and departed without her.
So it was, when she entered the assembly rooms, she was determined to have the men dance with her.
When she approached Mr Fitzwilliam, he was standing and staring at some chit with dark hair.
The woman had nothing to recommend her. No matter how much Miss Bingley attempted to attract Mr Fitzwilliam’s attention, he ignored her.
Mr Darcy was with that termagant of an aunt of his, so she would not approach them and have the old lady insult her again.
Instead, she decided to discover anything she could about the one who had drawn Mr Fitzwilliam’s attention away from herself.
During one dance, Richard could swear he saw a flash of emerald-green eyes. It had been too quick, so he could not be sure. He saw her take a seat near Aunt Catherine and William after a set was complete. Richard made his way to his cousin and aunt.
“William, I know you do not want to look at any woman at a ball except to find fault, but look at this lady seated just the other side of this pot,” Richard suggested as he cocked his head towards the lady in question.
Elizabeth had felt the man staring at her, but she had ignored it.
Now he had followed her to where she was while she sat out one of the two sets each lady did thanks to the war with the Corsican Tyrant, and the dearth of young men.
Not only did he follow her, but he was telling the man speaking to the older lady to look at her.
Did she have some dirt on her cheek? To show she was not intimidated, she was about to glare at them when she saw the overdressed, supercilious, ridiculous-looking woman approaching them, which caused them to look away.
“I know why you have been staring at that chit,” Miss Bingley said in her grating voice as soon as she stopped near the men. “She is a foundling!”
Richard’s head shot to the woman, and Darcy’s followed suit. Staring back at them, with fire in her eyes, was a younger version of Aunt Cilla. Without thinking, the cousins exclaimed in unison, “Ellie!”
Hearing that name, the one she had tamped down and refused to use for so many years, shocked the anger out of Elizabeth, and she promptly fainted.
Fanny had been watching Lizzy. Seeing her daughter faint, she grabbed Thomas and almost ran towards where two men were trying to assist Lizzy while an older lady seemed to be scolding the overdressed one.