Page 13

High Society on Drury Lane!

Mr. Mayweather’s troupe put on an energetic performance of Mr. Culpeper’s latest offering, Fortune Favours the Meek , at the Little Theatre last night.

Mrs. Adler’s sympathetic interpretation of her character, Albertina, displayed the depth and lightness of touch that we have come to expect of this talented actress.

Unfortunately, the cast’s timing appeared off, most likely due to the last minute substitution of an understudy for Mr. Archer as Albert.

As a result, some of the subtler political satire fell flat, though the primary comedic plot still emerged relatively unscathed.

However, any deficiencies acted out upon the boards went largely unnoticed by the audience, as most eyes seemed to be turned upon the Earl of M.

’s box. What could possibly draw attention away from the extraordinary Mrs. Adler, you ask?

Nothing short of the first public appearance of the Earl’s nephew and that gentleman’s new bride!

For those of you not caught up with Le Beau Monde’s latest on dit , a certain extremely eligible bachelor from Derbyshire wed an unknown Hertfordshire lady less than a month ago in a private ceremony attended by only family and close friends.

The publicity-shy Mr. D. appeared at several Society balls last spring but his manner gave no hint that he was considering a matrimonial offer, except perhaps to those boastful females longing to inspire such a sentiment.

Much has been speculated about the former Miss B.

, a relative unknown to London Society. This writer will testify that her appearance at the theatre last evening was everything that was lovely.

Her exquisite evening gown was light green with silver Vandyked embroidery, complimenting her thick chestnut curls, expressive eyes, and a glowing complexion.

However, one would not expect Mr. D., winner of the Lane medal in Classics at Cambridge University, to fall for just another pretty face, and by all appearances, he has not.

The new Mrs. D. was observed to pay close attention to the performance (unlike many others in the audience) and was later overheard discussing some finer points of Culpeper’s metaphors with her husband and Professor P.

M. from Oxford University (with whom the lady appeared to have a prior acquaintance).

The couple was joined in the Earl’s box by that gentleman’s wife, Lady E.

, their younger son, Colonel F. (rumored to be in line for a knighthood), youngest daughter, Lady L.

, and the dowager Countess T. of Staffordshire.

The latter, famously impatient with follies and nonsense, appeared to be well-known to the new Mrs. D.

and chose to sit by her during the play instead of with her own son and daughter-in-law.

One begins to wonder if rumors about the former Miss B.

’s lack of connections are only the wishes of the ton’s disappointed ladies!

Curious readers are advised to visit Drury Lane soon to be entertained by Mr. Culpeper’s intriguingly original play before it ends its run Friday.

As for the audience, we forecast that the next public outing of the elusive Mr. D.

and his lovely bride will be at the grand ball to be hosted by his uncle on Thursday, expected to be The Event of the year, Little Season or no.

Those of you lucky enough to have received an invitation should put it under lock and key, for they are proving to be worth their weight in gold, ladies and gentlemen!

Miss Caroline Bingley had just finished reading the gossip columns and was looking for something to throw when voices from the hall alerted her to visitors.

Hoping for someone who would want to talk about anyone other than the Darcys, she quickly hid the newspaper beneath a pillow and smoothed her skirts, only to be disappointed when the butler showed in no one but her brother and his new wife.

“Oh—Charles… and Jane. How nice. I had no idea we were to expect you today.” Her nose wrinkled when it became obvious that the pair still wore their traveling clothes.

Charles Bingley was exhausted and wished to do nothing more than take a long bath, have a light meal, and then collapse into bed with his dear wife in his arms. The unexpected appearance of his less-than-dear sister settled in his drawing room filled him with little but resentment.

Before he could do more than stare, however, Jane replied pleasantly, “Caroline, how lovely to see you.” After exchanging kisses and pretending that she did not notice her new sister’s obvious disdain over her dusty skirts, the former Miss Bennet turned to her new husband.

“I’ll check on the luggage and have a bath drawn for you. ”

Jane’s actions gave Charles the moment he needed to gather his wits. Kissing her cheek, he smiled, “Thank you, angel. I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

The new Mrs. Bingley departed with a sweet smile and the entire scene was enough to turn Caroline’s stomach.

As a result, her tone was even more caustic than usual.

“I suppose that you will want me to have Mrs. Barton hold dinner for you. Really Charles, this is all quite inconvenient. I have plans…”

“Caroline, what the devil are you doing here?” interrupted her brother impatiently.

“What am I… are you attempting to be witty, Charles? This is my home, is it not?”

He sighed. “Do not trifle with me, Caro. You know very well that you were to stay with the Hursts until we leave for Hertfordshire.”

“Oh, I knew you couldn’t possibly be serious. Surely you know better than to leave the servants unsupervised while the house is being redecorated?” Caroline adopted the gently chiding manner that had always worked on her brother in the past.

Though he knew that he ought to send her packing that very instant, Bingley just didn’t have the energy for a confrontation. “Remember, Caro, Jane is mistress of my house now. You may remain here so long as you treat her with the respect and courtesy that she deserves.”

“Oh, dear Jane… truly, Charles, I’m doing everything I can to ma ke her comfortable in our home.”

Bingley actually snorted at that bold bit of insincerity, but he was too muzzy from seasickness to fight.

Instead, he turned on his heel and headed for the door, saying over his shoulder; “Just remember, Caroline… I’m no longer legally responsible for you after your twenty-fifth birthday, so if you desire another Season, you had best tread carefully. ”

Once she was certain that her brother was gone, Miss Bingley dropped any semblance of congeniality and threw a teacup at the fireplace.

What had gotten into Charles?!? She had assumed that, once enough time passed, he would return to the easily influenced brother that she had been managing for years. “I will overcome this… I must!”

Caroline’s desire to retain control of her brother’s home (and more particularly, his pocketbook) warred with her increasing suspicion that this recalcitrant attitude might not be a passing whim.

She had spent the last month at the Hursts’ home and had no interest in returning.

Louisa was taking her husband’s side more and more frequently, and Miss Bingley had little use and no respect for the man.

Unfortunately for her, the feeling was quite mutual.

In addition, now that Charles had established a separate residence, the Hursts were receiving far fewer invitations of the caliber Caroline desired.

A quick perusal of the accumulated mail during a visit to Waverley Street had confirmed what she already suspected—the invitations she wanted were now being directed to Mr. and Mrs. Bingley.

Caroline had correctly predicted that a closer relationship to Mr. Darcy would open doors for the Bingley family, but it gave her little pleasure now.

Indeed, to have that relationship established through a double wedding of her brother and Mr. Darcy to the Bennet sisters made her feel positively ill.

Even so, her ambition exceeded her disappointment.

Miss Bingley was keenly aware that the only way for her to rise as high as she desired was to marry very well, and the only way for her to achieve such a marriage now was to maintain her connection to the Darcys.

She considered Georgiana to be easily managed but somewhat useless now that there was no longer any possibility of attaching the girl to Charles.

There was no getting around the conclusion that, in order to maintain the perception that she was an intimate member of the Darcys’ circle, it was necessary to befriend the former Miss Bennets.

Caroline had no concerns with regard to her new sister—by her estimation Jane had as much spine as a wet rag. It was Miss Eliza who unsettled her.

A great deal of Miss Bingley’s self-confidence in Society was tied to her attendance at an exclusive lady’s seminary with offspring of some of the wealthiest families in the Kingdom.

She had little true intellectual curiosity; the education she prized consisted of studying those young ladies whose birth made it possible for them to take their position in Society for granted, and she had worked doggedly to model her own manners and speech after them.

That Miss Eliza Bennet, a country girl of no importance who had not even had the advantage of a governess, might impress no less than Mr. Darcy with her pert opinions and conceited independence had been disconcerting, to say the least. Although Caroline believed herself to have paid off every arrear of civility to the Bennets before the wedding, she had been left with the sensation that the little chit was not fooled at all.

“Humph,” she sniffed before standing, brushing out her skirts, and stalking out of the empty room.