Page 38 of Elizabeth and Caroline
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 shallget 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.”
