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Lady Hewitt was not ignorant of the young lady’s current problems—though she had too little patience to play Society’s games, Francesca had a wide circle of acquaintances with whom she maintained a steady (and frank) correspondence.

She was perfectly aware that Miss Caroline Bingley had gained access to Mr. Darcy’s inner circle by virtue of that gentleman’s friendship with her brother, but that, despite a sizable dowry and the best female education money could buy, she had failed to secure him.

In her bitterness, the girl had written several imprudent letters abusing the new Mrs. Darcy, and Society was waiting with baited breath to see how the drama would play out.

Knowing all of this, Lady Francesca rather pitied the young lady before her.

She had no reason to suspect that Miss Bingley would try to attend a ball to which she had not been invited, and the widow rather hoped that her own, more mature opinion of Society’s workings might help the girl regain her footing.

The dowager Baroness would not be at all pleased to learn the truth, as Caroline was to discover.

The evening in question arrived a few short days later.

The mass of carriages inching around Grosvenor Square made it instantly clear that the Darcys’ ball was to be one of the most heavily attended events of the Season.

Lady Francesca had arrived late by design, explaining gaily to her companion that age excused her from spending hours waiting to pass through receiving lines.

As it was, the residual congestion at the door testified to the crush within and Caroline barely suppressed a smirk when she was carried through the portal by the crowd.

Miss Bingley had to admit that Derwent House positively glittered, although the fact that it would be seen as a compliment to the new Mrs. Darcy made her stomach curdle.

Logically, Caroline knew it was imperative to start anew if she was to secure a wealthy husband before she was permanently labeled a spinster, but she could not yet look around at all the symbols of wealth and prestige that she had coveted for so long without being overtaken by anger and disappointment.

Firmly, Caroline reminded herself of her own superiority, touching the jewels at her neck and the feathers atop her head.

She might have done better to see to her bodice, for in a fit of pique just before leaving her dressing room, Mr. Bingley’s sister had ripped away the bit of lace intended to keep the gown on the side of modesty; the result was a plunging neckline that did nothing but emphasize her angular figure to a degree that might have caused even Miss Lydia Bennet to blush.

Sadly, the effort did not even succeed in attracting the notice of those she desired, for more than one well-bred gentleman was observed to turn away in distaste.

At first, Miss Bingley kept to Lady Francesca’s elbow as the older lady worked her way from one room to the next, greeting various acquaintances.

However, when their forward progress stalled and the dowager Baroness settled in for what looked to be a long chat with several equally aged friends, Caroline detached herself.

Certainly it would have been wiser for her to maintain a low profile, but somewhere after the front door she had conveniently forgotten that she was attending the event under false pretenses.

Miss Bingley moved toward the main ballroom as if the orchestra played a siren’s song.

She was largely oblivious to the speculative looks slanted her way by those who recognized her, and those acquaintances with whom she paused to exchange a greeting were mostly too polite (or perhaps too surprised) to question her appearance at the home of those whom she had so recently libeled.

She managed to enjoy nearly an hour in such a manner before calamity struck, and even then it was from the most unlikely of sources.

If Miss Georgiana Darcy had had a moment to think, she would have been surprised to realize how much she was enjoying the evening.

She had dreaded her debut for so long that the arrival of the actual event had been a relief, if for no other reason than to have it over with.

Elizabeth’s gentle tutelage had increased her self-confidence, and her dance card was filled with a list of respectable gentlemen vetted by her brother.

Best of all, she had opened the ball with the newly minted Sir Richard Fitzwilliam and he had taken care to keep his young cousin entertained with charming conversation and amusing anecdotes.

Indeed, Georgiana had begun to feel quite comfortable.

As her sister-in-law had foretold, no one had been anything but pleasant to her and, although any number had attempted to curry her favor, she had recognized the empty flattery for what it was and been polite to all.

Whenever she had begun to feel even remotely uncomfortable, she had but to look around to find her brother and sister, or Richard, or her Aunt or Uncle Matlock nearby, all prepared to come to her aid.

Thus, when the crowd parted and Georgiana found herself not five feet away from Miss Bingley, she was surprised but not given to panic.

Although she had not been present for the confrontation at Pemberley, her brother and sister had explained it all to her, expecting quite correctly that she would be unable to escape the gossip once they arrived in London.

Miss Darcy felt herself to be quite justifiably indignant over such defamation against her family, although her well-bred ways prevented her from speaking her mind.

Faced with the woman herself, Georgiana’s eyes widened and she turned slightly pink with shock and anger, for she knew very well that Charles’ sister had not been on the guest list.

Miss Bingley managed to arrange her features in what she had always considered to be her most agreeable expression and stepped forward, her outstretched hand accompanied by a ready stream of compliments.

In all her vanity, it had never occurred to Caroline that her years of insincere attentions to the girl would not be repaid by the same, if not by some genuine affection.

It was rapidly clear that she had misjudged yet another Darcy.

Miss Darcy’s expression froze in an inscrutable mask that would have done her brother proud and, showing no sign that she had recognized Caroline, she altered her course slightly and walked away.

To her credit, Georgiana had no intentions beyond avoiding an unpleasant encounter.

Although, in theory, she understood the power of the Darcy name in Society, she was a gentle soul and would never have set out to purposefully hurt someone, regardless of how much that person might deserve it.

Unfortunately for Miss Bingley, she was being watched closely by several ladies who had suffered not a little from her caustic witticisms over the years.

One, in particular, had spent some time at school being made miserable by Caroline and felt no qualms over pointing out that lady’s discomfort to anyone who had missed the interaction.

“Why Miss Bingley—whatever have you done to Miss Darcy? I do believe that she just cut you!” exclaimed Miss Grantley in a clear voice that carried easily to all those nearby.

After a long moment of stillness, the whisperings began and Caroline began to feel truly ill.

In later years, she would try to comfort herself that at least Mr. and Mrs. Darcy did not suddenly appear at that moment to confront her and turn her out of the house in person.

The truth—that Lady Hewitt had marched up to her with a grim demeanor and an angry glint in her eye, accompanied by Charles and Jane looking miserable—was quite hideous enough.

“Miss Bingley, unless you are planning to wet down your chemise and entertain the gentlemen in the card room, you shall accompany me home. Now .” Francesca Hewitt had a great respect for the Darcy family—Lady Edna had been an acquaintance and few of the gentry were as steadfastly honorable as Fitzwilliam Darcy—and the thought that she had been the means of transporting one who might cause a scene at young Miss Darcy’s ball left her thoroughly indignant.

The obvious unhappiness that the event caused two such gentle, sympathetic souls as Mr. and Mrs. Bingley made her blood boil.

Before she quite knew what was happening, Caroline found herself being guided firmly out of the room and out of the house; Lady Hewitt barely paused long enough to receive their wraps at the door.

Once in the carriage, Miss Bingley received such a tongue-lashing as she had never suffered in her life.

Oddly, the host and hostess were among the last to be alerted to Caroline’s final foray into Derwent House, and much of the details they learned were derived from the society columns the next day.

Although they would never say it to Charles and Jane, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy admitted to themselves that the stir caused by Miss Bingley had served splendidly to distract the gossips from another incident with far greater potential for real scandal.

Elizabeth could not say that it was the most enjoyable ball that she had ever attended, for the demands on a hostess made it an entirely different experience.

She had stood in the receiving line for more than an hour, greeting their guests with a welcoming smile and a fierce determination to persevere through the evening without making any errors in name or rank.

She was aided occasionally by her husband, who had a remarkable capacity for recalling names and faces, and not at all by her sister, as Georgiana’s nerves had rendered her nearly mute.