Page 44 of The Cheapside Runners
“Exactly,” Mrs Black replied emphatically. “Every one of you has a huge benefit over the vast majority of women, who rarely venture more than a few miles from their birthplace. However much you may be discouraged, there is no law of nature that says you need remain in your own environs. Your very presence here shows your ability to travel. If your stream is not very well stocked, perhaps it is time for a different stream. London has over a million inhabitants, which seems like it offers far more possibilities than the couple dozen families most of you have in your neighbourhood, and that does not even count the men your fathers went to school with and their associates.”
“Or a different sport,” Miss White added pensively.
“Or different bait.” Miss Yellow chuckled.
With that, Mrs Black herded her charges to the carriages, and they returned to their tiny little rooms, which they mostly no longer minded.
16.Friends and Enemies
The following morning found the ladies being awakened by a maid lightly shaking them. It was a considerable improvement over the pot and spoon method, so they all jumped to with alacrity. None could rightly say if their character had been improved, or they were just being pragmatic towards how they might be awoken over subsequent days.
They found their dowdy dresses of the previous days replaced with dressing gowns. The maid told them to cover themselves quickly and follow.
They eventually arrived at a room that looked like pure luxury compared to what they called cells (outside of Mrs Black’s hearing, of course). In fact, the room was modestly larger and better arranged than most of their mothers’ chambers. The room had an open door to another room of comparable size, though decorated with a more masculine motif.
Mrs Black entered a moment later and began in her usual forthright manner.
“Today, we shall speak about friends and enemies. Admittedly, most of the course thus far has concentrated on enemies, primarily in the form of bad men. Today we will discuss friends… or will we?”
“What does that mean?” Miss Burgundy asked cautiously. She was a somewhat timid girl who said barely a word the first few days, but some gentle prodding from Mrs Black (and less gentle from Miss Green) encouraged her, so she was starting to attempt a word or two here and there.
“I mean we have been in general company but overwhelmingly observing and discussingmen. Today, we will enter the world of women. You may think they are your natural allies, and for most of your life, they will be. However, at your current stage, some will be friends, some will be enemies, somewill be competitors, some will be indifferent or irrelevant, and some will be snakes in the grass. Unless you plan to live a quiet life, in a remote wilderness, free of society, you will need to learn to deal with them.”
She let them chew on that for a minute.
“There is nothing wrong with choosing a quiet life away from society,” she began, and looked sternly at a few of the girls who looked ready to argue. “That said, the crucial word there waschoose. If you choose to live a life outside society, I will not criticise you. However, if you end up there because you are afraid or lazy, then I would feel remiss in my duties. I cannot make everyone as bold as Miss Green, nor can I make Miss Green as thoughtful as Miss Red, or as well read as Miss Amber—but as in all things, I hope to teach youbalance.”
They all nodded thoughtfully, which was unprecedented for Miss Green.
“Today, we enter the ultimate bastion of dog-eat-dog cutthroatery—the modiste shop. I only hope we escape mostly unscarred.”
That one was too much for Miss Green and Miss Yellow, who danced around a bit, but did so at least at a level not likely to produce a megrim, so everyone was satisfied. The rest tried to decide if they could laugh with Mrs Black’s witticisms but then gave up and just smiled.
“Your trunks are in the dressing rooms. I expect you all dressed and ready for breakfast in an hour. Miss White has never experienced the dubious pleasure of having a sister help her dress. Miss Blue, might you oblige?”
“Of course.”
She then split the ladies between the master’s and mistress’s suites such that each Bennet sister was with a non-sister, and split the more troublesome pairs, such as Lydia and Kitty.
~~~~~
The idea that the dank parlour from their first lesson was just a trick to frighten them was born out when they saw a proper light breakfast, then two carriages to take them shopping. Both were sharp, well-appointed coaches pulled by first-rate horseflesh. The drivers were dressed in immaculate livery, as were the footmen who had not even existed in the old coaches.
An hour later they approached a large shop on Russel Street, which made sense as nine ladies would burst many establishments at the seams.
Mrs Black ushered them inside and introduced them to Madam Lisette, a woman of around forty who looked possibly French and entirely professional. She explained that they would be measured and fitted in groups of four while the rest stayed hidden behind a curtain with Mrs Black.
Those being fitted were not to speak, only listen. In fact, all of her charges were prohibited from speaking anything beyond introductions whilst in the shop, and with a hard look at her two youngest charges, she emphasised that gossiping would be frowned upon at a level they could not comprehend.
With that, she sent four out to be measured while she kept the others back for instruction. It meant a great deal of repetition, but since the entire course was the same, it did not signify.
“Clothing tells a lot about a person, but as with many things, it tells a great many truths and an equal number of lies. Ideally, you should like to distinguish the former from the latter. For example, we can buy a gown in this store for ten guineas that is nearly indistinguishable from one I would buy on Bond Street for thirty, where the crucial part isnearly. The Bond Street gown may have slightly better materials or workmanship, but not three times better. Someone pays thirty guineas on Bond Streetbecause they can!Overpaying is the point. It makes your spending conspicuous to those who know about such things,hoping they will assume you can afford it. You will see that in women so wealthy the difference between ten and thirty guineas is irrelevant, but also women trying to climb the social ladder, who might beggar themselves to appear like the former so they might marry into it.”
“I think I can find one example of that,” Miss White asserted, then blushed a bit as if the others might be aware of who she was thinking of. She would have blushed even more if she knew Mrs Black knew exactlywho she meant and agreed wholeheartedly.”
“I can as well,” said a blushing Miss Blue, which seemed a good sign to her tutor. Perhaps, Jane was becoming less naïve, or at least less oblivious.
“I can name you dozens, but then you have to ask yourself what you think of such a woman,” Mrs Black asserted. “Is she trying her honest best to aspire to a better sphere? Anyone who is not already royalty is certainly entitled to do so, and nobody has a right to judge them, presuming they act with integrity. Is she so desperate to climb the ladder that she will stoop to any measure to gain it? For example, one such climber might pretend to befriend a woman when her ultimate goal is to attach herself to her brother or attach a richer woman to hers.Somesuch might even stoop to underhanded means, such as lying, tearing down her rivals, starting malicious gossip, or managing her relatives’ relationships.”
