Page 42 of The Wager
“I can say with absolute certainty,” Elizabeth began, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “The earl’s sisters will form a definite opinion on his friendship with you.”
“What do you mean? Why would you say that?”
“As you may have heard, I have a twin brother and Jane and I would insist on meeting any young lady he showed more than a passing interest in, just as you do yours. We would hope to find her pleasing and amendable, along with being a gracious hostess to neighbors and friends, and if we discovered this lady was unscrupulous in her behavior, such as telling monstrous untruths in public, we would take our brother aside and advise him to re-assess his friendship before committing to a lifetime of misery.”
“I have nothing to worry about concerning the earl’s family. I have all the attributes of an accomplished woman.”
“What are those attributes, Miss Bingley?” Darcy's mischievous cousin asked.
“A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions.”
“I find I cannot completely agree with you, Miss Bingley,” Darcy said and felt a surge of satisfaction when that lady’s mouth dropped open. “The word accomplished is applied to too many women who have done nothing more than net a purse or paint a pretty table. While these attributes are laudable, none of them alone make a woman a good wife or a good mistress of an estate.”
“Whatever do you mean?” Miss Bingley’s face had turned ashen, she was so taken aback by him not agreeing with her view in front of the Hamilton siblings.
“I will not deny that listening to a lady play the pianoforte is a wonderful way to spend an evening, but how does her mastery of Mozart impact the running of her household? To be truly accomplished, a woman must know how to look after her servants and tenants, keeping accurate records and a balanced ledger. This requires basic mathematics and organizational skills. She visits neighbors and receives them into her home with grace and kindness and neither listens to nor spreads gossip. And to all this,” he gave a sidelong glance at Elizabeth. “She must add something more substantial, such as the improvement of her mind by extensive reading.”
“Good heavens,” observed Elizabeth. “You have given this much thought, however hearing both of you extol what makes an accomplished woman, I wonder if you know any at all. The list is quite extensive.”
“I know of at least four,” Darcy said, thinking of his Aunt Matlock, Lady Courtland, and the Hamilton sisters. He held Elizabeth’s gaze with his own. “You are one of them.”
Chapter Twelve
ElizabethandJane,seatedcomfortably on a small couch in the family parlor, spoke quietly while sewing baby clothes for one of their tenants. Inevitably, their conversation turned to their aunt’s gathering the night prior.
“Did you notice Miss Bingley touching her left ear with her fan?” Elizabeth asked as she systematically pushed and pulled her needle through the material.
“I must admit I did not. I was distracted by Mr. Bingley apologizing for their late arrival. Apparently, his youngest sister changed her gown several times and when she finally made a grand entrance, she was upset the viscount and Mr. Darcy had already departed in their carriage.” Jane tied off her thread and placed the finished garment on the pile of other items that would be added to the gift basket. “Are you certain she meant to signal that she wished to be rid of you?”
“Most assuredly. Mrs. Hurst gasped when her sister used the language of the fan to send the message.” Elizabeth turned over her tiny gown and inspected the threads. “I suppose I should be grateful she did not draw her fan through her hand.”
“I do not believe Miss Bingley hates you.”
“She does not like me.”
“True, and it is her loss for not seeking your friendship.”
Elizabeth laughed at a stray thought which passed through her mind.
“What?” Jane asked. “What made you laugh just now?”
“I was thinking of the fat lies she spouted last night.”
“The one where our brother is enamored with her?”
“She is such a widgeon; I almost feel sorry for her.” Elizabeth then recalled some information she’d forgotten to share with her sister. “Did I tell you Mr. Hurst knows our family connections?”
Jane’s eyebrow rose slightly and she answered in the negative.
“It was the day following Mary’s episode at Netherfield when I went down for breakfast and found only Mr. Hurst in attendance.” Elizabeth grinned at Jane’s look of astonishment. “Yes, yes, I know. He has a reputation of not rolling out of his room until the afternoon, but on this day, he was seated at the table completely sober, hoping I would arrive before everyone else.”
“I am all ears, dear sister. Why was he so eager for your company?”
“Cast your mind back to Trenton’s letters where he often writes of his good friend, Bertie. The one he visits in Dorset on school breaks when he cannot come home.”
“What has this to do with Mr. Hurst?”
“Bertie is Gilbert Hurst, brother to Mr. Hurst who currently resides at Netherfield Park.”
