Page 56 of Elizabeth and Caroline
“She’s beautiful in a real way,” said the colonel. “Not an artificial way, not the way that women try to manufacture, but in a way that can’t be manufactured.”
“Yes,” said her husband.
Lady Matlock got to her feet. “You need to rein your wife in, Mr. Darcy.” She turned to Elizabeth. “You need to learn some restraint.” She started for the door, still speaking, “I don’t mean to be so very blunt, but sometimes one can be nothing except direct, I’m afraid.”
She left the room.
Elizabeth allowed herself to grimace.
“You mustn’t worry about my aunt,” spoke up Georgiana very quietly. “She is like that with absolutely everyone.”
“It’s true,” said the colonel. “You two are going to the ball at the Windling’s this weekend, though?”
Mr. Darcy rolled his eyes. “I am being dragged along, yes. Apparently, my presence is necessary a bit longer, but she says soon enough she will have established herself well enough to do embark on these awful social events herself.”
The colonel laughed. “Oh, trust this one to hate everything fun.”
Elizabeth laughed, too. “Well, not everything fun, truly, but he is not one for crowds.”
“I shall wish a dance,” said the colonel.
“Oh, of course,” she said, for it would be impolite to refuse.
“And I shall tell my mother precisely what I think of the way she behaved, never fear,” said the colonel, standing up. “I must get to the carriage and give her the tongue-lashing she deserves.” He chuckled.
After they were gone, Elizabeth wrung out her hands, feeling dreadful.
“It could have been worse,” said her husband.
“Really?” she said.
“Wait until you meet my aunt Lady Catherine.”
Elizabeth made a face. “I heard enough about her from Mr. Collins.”
Mr. Darcy laughed. “I should have warned you about my wretched family members before we married.”
“You didn’t?” said Georgiana.
“Well, my own family members…” Elizabeth shrugged. “I have no leg to stand on, of course.”
CAROLINE HAD SOMEHOWarrived before Elizabeth at this ball. It was down to Mr. Hurst wanting to arrive early because there was to be an attached room with whist tables, and he wished to have his pick of the tables, something about being positioned in the best place to observe the other players or something.
So, now, she and Louisa were stuck together and they were only the third people to have arrived, and there was no one to talk to. It was ever so awkward, and she was nervous, and she had nothing to say to her sister.
Caroline had been present during a few of the times when callers had come to the Darcy house over the past week, and she could see that everything was going well for Elizabeth,but she did not see how any of this was getting her closer to finding a match. Elizabeth seemed only to eliminate men. Everyone who called seemed to only wish to say awful things about the eligible bachelors.
Caroline thought Elizabeth was narrowing it down too much, anyway.
She had tried to explain that she did not need everlasting love or anything like that. She needed a good match with a man who would not treat her too despicably, really. That was all. As long as they respected each other, it was enough. She would not mind living mostly separately from her husband if they grew tired of each other. She could make many, many different sorts of situations work.
She had already been moving about through society and getting no interest for some time now. She did not need to get a reputation as being too choosy on top of everything. After all, no one actually wanted her.
A man entered the room, head down, looking through the pockets inside his jacket, not looking where he was going.
He was going to run directly into Caroline and Louisa, but Caroline thought they should simply move out of his path.
Louisa however, spoke up. “Excuse me, sir,” she said, quite affronted.
