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MISS CAROLINE BINGLEY had the very devil of a time getting herself to London that winter. It was February by the time she managed it, and it was the effort of many false starts and stymied attempts.

At first, she tried—in vain—to convince Charles and Jane to go to London, but neither of them were interested.

She first dropped hints and then ended up stating her intentions even more plainly, and that was when her brother took her aside and said that she must tell no one, because they had not made an official announcement yet, as it was still very early, but that his wife was increasing, and that he was certainly not taking her to London in her delicate condition.

No, his wife must stay here, in comfort, whilst she carried his babe.

So, then Caroline appealed to her sister Louisa to go and visit.

But Louisa put her off.

Caroline went to Charles about it, and he informed her that Louisa had indicated to him that she simply wanted some time alone with her husband and couldn’t Caroline find something else to occupy her besides trying to get to London?

Her final attempt, the one that worked, was to simply become so much of a nuisance at Netherfield that Charles got fed up with her and shipped her back to Louisa, demanding that his sister take his other sister because he was done with her for the time being.

After arriving in London, Caroline knew she wasn’t really welcome in the house, but then, she hadn’t felt welcome in any of the family houses, not truly, not since their father had died.

She hadn’t been her father’s favorite, for her father didn’t play favorites, but she had been the youngest girl, and there had been a special bond between her and her father.

He had seen Caroline as pretty and precocious.

He had loved her. Her siblings tolerated her, and she knew it was done out of a kind of love, the love borne of familial obligations.

There weren’t people in the world, however, who made Caroline feel as if she were enthusiastically accepted. No one was pleased when she arrived.

Perhaps it wouldn’t have been so painful if she hadn’t known what it was like to be loved that way. If her father hadn’t doted on her, maybe she would never have realized she was missing anything.

Anyway, she sat down with Louisa and made it all plain to her sister. “I am seeking a good match, and Elizabeth, who is lately married to Mr. Darcy, is going to assist me—”

“You two and your matchmaking schemes,” interrupted Louisa, sighing. “Haven’t you given this childish playtime up yet?”

Caroline pressed her lips together, inwardly amused that Louisa thought her own marriage would have come together without the assistance of Elizabeth and Caroline.

How do you think you ended up at the same table with him at the whist party at the Lucas house?

she wanted to say. Why do you think that he knew that you were partial to dancing reels?

But she didn’t say those things. Instead, she said, “Let me be plain, Louisa. I know you wish to be rid of me.”

Louisa looked up at her with wounded eyes. “Oh, Caroline, that is just like you. You always take everything so dramatically, don’t you?”

Caroline decided not to address that. “This is the best way to have me out from beneath your feet, don’t you see? I shall get married, and then I shall not be your responsibility.”

“You are always acting as if we hate you or something, when it is not the case. Charles and I love you. We indulge you. You’re the baby of the family, you know.”

Indulge her? Caroline’s nostrils flared.

“You could stand to be more grateful,” said Louisa. “You could stand to be less dramatic.”

Was she dramatic? Caroline didn’t feel dramatic. She did feel, however, as if she was dogged by tragedy, wherever she went.

She sent a letter to Elizabeth to let her know she had arrived, and Elizabeth called the very next day, in the actual morning, even though morning calls were usually conducted after luncheon. Elizabeth, however, was there at eleven o’clock, eager and ready to get to work.

It became clear, however, that Elizabeth didn’t have anything to add to the scheme yet.

“He has taken you nowhere?” said Caroline.

“Nowhere,” Elizabeth said. “Nowhere at all.”

“Not even to the opera?”

“I don’t know if there is an opera right now,” said Elizabeth, furrowing her brow.

Caroline resolved to check on that. “Well, this is worrisome.”

“He’s ashamed of me,” said Elizabeth.

“Well, I wasn’t going to say that—”

“We know it must be true,” said Elizabeth.

“I have decided that I don’t hold it against him, however.

We can all see that the difference between us in terms of social standing is vast. He must know that he will—that we both will—face some consequences because of it. I think he is protecting us both.”

“Yes, perhaps,” said Caroline.

“The problem is that we can’t use my status as Mrs. Darcy to assist you if I have no status.”

“Do you think he has concealed his marriage?” said Caroline.

“There was an announcement in the paper, of course,” said Elizabeth. “My mother saw to that. Now, whether anyone in his family saw that paper, I don’t know. She had an announcement run in London, though.”

“Well, no one has called upon you,” said Caroline. “So, I believe they did.”

“What do you mean?”

“Perhaps it is not entirely Mr. Darcy’s doing,” said Caroline.

“Truly, he could have brought you to some society function, but also, no one has come to call, and that would be the purview of the women.” She pointed at Elizabeth.

“You, of course, cannot call upon anyone until you have been introduced. But they, who already know Mr. Darcy, could come and introduce themselves. Especially his family members.”

“So, I’m already being snubbed,” said Elizabeth with a groan. “Oh, Lord, Caroline, I shall be no good to you at all!”

“Let us not worry about me for now,” said Caroline. “We can right all this, easily. We just need to get you to a ball.”

“Well, my understanding was that balls were few and far between at this time of year.”

“They should begin to pick up soon,” said Caroline. “Once you have charmed the men, the wives will be forced to follow.”

“No,” said Elizabeth, shaking her head. “That doesn’t seem like the best strategy to me. Is there no way that I can win over the women directly?”

“Well, you can’t dance with women,” said Caroline. “Anyway, if there’s a way to win over anyone, I certainly am not the person to ask. I have won over exactly no one, ever.” She said this matter-of-factly, because it was just truth.

But Elizabeth looked at her with compassion in her eyes. “That can’t be true, Caroline.”

Caroline sighed, because the compassion made her realize that regardless of whether it was just the truth, it did hurt somewhat.

“I am only saying, however,” said Elizabeth, “that I think we must assume that it is the women who are set against me, and not the men to begin with. And that charming their husbands may, in fact, make them even further set against me.”

Caroline could see the sense in this, she supposed. “Yes, I guess they would feel as if you were an interloper, wouldn’t they?”

“Yes, I don’t belong, and I have gotten into this echelon of society precisely because my husband has been charmed by me. So, if I go about charming men, that will only confirm their opinions of me,” said Elizabeth.

“But do we care?” said Caroline. “We are trying to find me a man, after all.”

Elizabeth considered this. “Well, that would mean I must make inroads amongst single men, of course.”

“Yes, entirely,” said Caroline. “Everyone knows that when one goes to a ball, one is meant to dance with as many people as possible, and not with one’s own husband, of course.”

“Of course,” said Elizabeth. It was considered rude to spend too much time with one person, especially to the detriment of people who were looking to dance.

“So, I could try to ingratiate myself to single men, I suppose. It would not have a good effect on the women in society, I don’t think, doing that, however, but it would not make them feel as if I were using their husbands against them.

And single men do have mothers and sisters, do they not? So, if everyone views me badly—”

“They don’t view me well,” said Caroline.

“How do they view you?” said Elizabeth.

Caroline hesitated, only because she was not entirely sure.

“I shall need you to discover that for me, I think. Because I cannot quite say. I only know that when I am at a ball, I have difficulty filling my dance card. I know that when I join conversations, people are not welcoming. They will speak politely to me for a bit, but then they make excuses and leave. I am often alone. Something about me is off-putting.”

Elizabeth surveyed her. “Well, we may have our work cut out for us, indeed. ”

Caroline bowed her head.

“No, no,” said Elizabeth, “don’t take it that way, Caroline. I do not say this because there is anything flawed within you, or within me. We, as we both know, are quite delightful people.”

Caroline smirked.

“We are,” said Elizabeth, lifting her chin.

“And anyone would be pleased to be quite close to us. But only because we are both outsiders and neither of us has any way in to the inner circle and the people who are closing ranks against us are likely quite stubborn. But we shall find a way. I am determined.”

Caroline nodded. “Yes, you are, are you not? Always determined. And you always succeed.”

“Always?” said Elizabeth with a shrug.

“Always,” said Caroline firmly.

Elizabeth met her gaze, smiled, and gave her a quick nod. “All right, then. Always.”

Caroline smiled, too.

“Are there any men that you have your sights set on?” said Elizabeth.

“Well, perhaps it would help us to make a list of the sort of man I am looking for, and then see if we cannot match certain men to the attributes.”

Elizabeth considered and then nodded.

“You don’t approve?”