Page 59 of Elizabeth and Caroline
“Before that, of course,” said the colonel, “you must introduce me to your friend Miss Bingley.”
Elizabeth looked back and forth between them, confused. “But you two were just dancing…?”
Caroline laughed and explained the entire story to her friend, all about their meeting, and Elizabeth laughed in all the right places, but her laughter wasn’t meeting her eyes.
It wasn’t until after her dance with the colonel that Caroline got the chance to speak with Elizabeth. It meant there was half an hour when Caroline was essentially alone, but she was used to that. No one spoke to her most of the time, after all, and the only way she had been able to have any social interaction at a ball was with Elizabeth’s intervention. She went into the whist room looking for Louisa at one point, but her sister was paying more mind to her husband’s cards than her sister.
“She’s done something,” Elizabeth muttered when Caroline found her.
“Who has done what?” said Caroline.
“The Countess of Matlock, my husband’s aunt,” said Elizabeth. “She called upon us recently, and the next day, the callers dried up, and I did my best not to panic, but then here we are, and everyone is pointedly snubbing me. Everyone I have attempted to speak to has barely acknowledged me. Three people have walked away from me whilst I was speaking. All of that work, all of that effort, all of it ruined.”
Caroline looked around and could see that people lookedaway when she lifted her gaze, as if they had been staring at them and were trying to conceal it. “She doesn’t approve of you, I suppose.”
“It’s more than that,” said Elizabeth. “She is threatened by the way I was pushing my way into society. She wishes to preserve the gates that keep people like me from getting in. She is affronted by the way I have been going around the obstacles. It’s a point of pride for her, I suppose. You and I did talk about how difficult it is for women to be accepted into good society by other women, especially when they have done so by charming a man.”
“We did,” said Caroline, remembering.
Elizabeth sighed. “Well, I have cultivated an image of being unruffled, so I must remain unruffled.” She looked around the room. “No matter. We shall switch tactics, I think. I’ve been spending far too much time on the women of society, anyway, and they have been doing nothing except warning us off every single eligible man. We are no closer to a match for you, and that has been the point of all of this, after all.”
“Well, you needn’t worry over me,” said Caroline. “I quite, erm, I feel as if I may have a connection with Colonel Fitzwilliam.”
Elizabeth looked up at her. “The colonel? Oh, no, Caroline, I don’t think so.”
Caroline felt hurt. “You don’t think he’s appropriate for me? I own he’s not exactly the right sort of match. He’s practically penniless with whatever the awful salary a man is paid in the army. It’s really nothing. He must have some money from his family, I suppose. My dowry would have to keep us, and my dowry is… well, there would be struggles, but it might be worth it, because—”
“No, you mistake me,” said Elizabeth, smiling a gentle and sympathetic smile. “I only mean that he’s the sort of man who flirts with everything. You should not take his general geniality to mean he has any especial interest in you. Why, he flirted withme. Openly. In front of my husband. He was not the least bit subtle, either.”
Caroline straightened. “Oh,” she said in a very different voice. Of course, she had never been flirted with, not really, so she would not know how to tell the difference between a man being friendly and a man being interested.
“Don’t do that,” said Elizabeth, shaking her head. “It is not your fault. The fault lies with him. He’s the sort of man who makes unspoken promises and then acts as if he is unaware of what he has done. I’ve seen it before, I’m afraid. Men don’t realize how much it hurts us when they toy with women thus. I think the colonel likely doesn’t realize how despicable he is being. I shall have a talk with him, however, I think.”
“No!” Caroline shook her head. “No, I’m quite, quite embarrassed now. I beg you to say nothing.”
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. “Speaking of the colonel, however, we can use him for introductions. He’ll be ever so much better at it than my husband is. Where has Colonel Fitzwilliam gone?” She searched the area with her gaze. “No surprise there. He’s dancing.”
Caroline’s stomach turned over. Yes, she had been very foolish.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“YOU WISH MEto introduce you to men who I think would be a good match for Miss Bingley?” said the colonel.
Elizabeth had barely caught him coming off the dance floor, wishing to get to him before he could ask someone else to dance and be lost to them for another half an hour. It was getting late, and she did not wish to lose the entire evening. She wished to accomplishsomething. “Yes, I would ask my husband, but I think you might be more comfortable at making introductions in general. Furthermore, I think you might have a better idea of the sort of men she is looking for. I have been attempting to do this in what I think was a backward way. It has not worked, anyway.”
The colonel was quiet.
It wasn’t the response she had been expecting, and she wondered if she should actually give up on the entire evening. She didn’t like to accept this setback, but maybe she had no other recourse. “I don’t mean to intrude upon your evening, sir, if you are enjoying yourself. Please, if you do wish to dance with someone else, I would not stand in your way. There is no reason for you to do me favors. We are barely acquainted, truly.”
In truth, had she not already determined that the colonel appeared more friendly than he truly was? He had been quite complimentary towards her, but she had pinned him as simply being that way. It wasn’t because he truly likedher more than anyone else.
“She asked you to ask me?” said the colonel, and there was something different in his voice.
“No, no, she doesn’t know what I am about,” said Elizabeth. “Truthfully, I think she…” She sighed. No, no, if she scolded the colonel for being overly solicitous now, that was no way to get a favor from him. “Never mind that. I am formally withdrawing my request and I make no claims upon your time. I think I must gracefully accept that tonight has been a bit of a defeat.”
“Truthfully, you think shewhat?” said the colonel.
“No, nothing,” said Elizabeth. “I think I have embarrassed myself. If you’ll excuse me, sir, perhaps I shall seek out a bit of refreshment.”
