Page 12 of The Cheapside Runners
Miss Elizabeth looked directly at him, for the first time. She let the moment stretch out, then delayed a response by laying down her cards and collecting the pile of coins.
“Based onmydefinition, I know perhaps thirty to fifty truly accomplished women,” she replied nonchalantly, then turned back to the table and stood up.
“I thank you for the enlightening evening, but I must return to my sister,” she replied, and picked up at least twenty guineas, leaving most at the table staring in a combination of amazement at her good luck at cards, and consternation at their own meagre remaining piles.
She curtseyed and walked out the door, leaving the men thoroughly nonplussed, at least one of the women seething while waiting to vent her spleen, and everyone far shorter of funds than they had been an hour earlier. By Darcy’s estimation, the lady had probably made six months’ allowance in a half-hour.
“Elizabeth Bennet,” said Miss Bingley, when the door was closed on her, “is one of those young ladies who seek to recommend themselves to the other sex by undervaluing their own; and with many men, I dare say, it succeeds. But, in my opinion, it is a paltry device, a very mean art.”
Darcy could not even work out what the woman meant. Did she think Miss Elizabeth’s list was somehow an excuse for a ladynot working on Miss Bingley’s list? Did she think Miss Elizabeth valuing the last fifty years more than the first three somehow constituted undervaluing ladies? Did she even comprehend that Miss Elizabeth was showing how little respect she had for Miss Bingley’s lauded accomplishments. He could not make any sense of it. He suspected that Miss Elizabeth thought her response a good chance to try to highlight her own superiority.
Darcy was having none of it.
“Undoubtedly,” replied Darcy, to whom this remark was chiefly addressed, “there is a meanness inallthe arts which ladies sometimes condescend to employ for captivation. Whatever bears affinity to cunning is despicable.”
Naturally, he did not say that men’s behaviour was, on average, far more despicable, especially in the case of men like Wickham.
Bingley laughed heartily. He was rather impressed with how Miss Elizabeth had fleeced the lot of them with a few well-chosen words and clever card play. He knew they could afford the loss of money far easier than some could live with the shame of having been so easily bested, verbally, monetarily, and in the argument about accomplishments.
Themainthing Bingley got out of the discussion was that Darcy thought Miss Elizabeth’s description of an accomplished woman had merit, and Miss Elizabeth used her own sister as her example of such an accomplished woman.
Looking around, he saw that Caroline would never even understand what had happened, and Darcy would likely deny it—but it certainly made his position better. It would be hard for Caroline or Darcy to object to Miss Bennet, should he decide to proceed.
Speaking of Caroline, she looked like she was about to start another diatribe, but she was interrupted by the opening of the door.
Miss Elizabeth poked her head in, and said, “Oh, I almost forgot! If you preferMiss Bingley’s definition, I know around five and twenty truly accomplished women. Perhaps fifteen by Mr Darcy’s standard,” then she gave a wave and was gone.
Her departure was met with a booming laugh from Hurst, along with some mumbling about cheek of the devil. Bingley and Darcy joined in, and even Mrs Hurst tittered a bit, while Miss Bingley continued fuming.
6.Breakfast of Champions
Breakfast found Darcy assessing his wins and losses of the previous evening.
In thewincolumn, he had goaded Miss Elizabeth into replying to something he said. She had not spoken directly to him, of course, but it was marginally better than nothing. He was still mystified about what he had done to get in her brown books, but solving the mystery seemed a worthwhile use of his time. It was not as if he was all that busy.
In the admittedly more substantiallossescolumn, he had done even worse than Hurst and Miss Bingley. The distraction and novelty of playing cards with the young lady, along with a rather foolish presumption about her skills, had left his five guineas entirely gone. The rest of the residents were considerably lighter in the purse as well, and he wondered about it. Her skill at both cards and distraction were worthy of a chess-master, and he had to wonder where and how she learnt. Longbourn seemed an unlikely training ground, unless her father was far cleverer than he appeared.
The lady did not appear for breakfast, but since it was only the second day of the elder Miss Bennet’s stay, the fact that she remained above stairs was hardly surprising—even discounting the fact that half of Netherfield’s residents were subtly hostile at best.
Miss Bingley naturally made the opening salvo. “Well, that was quite a show last night. It is difficult to fathom such a vulgar display.”
Darcy and Bingley frowned at the slightly ruder than usual statement, both wishing the other would say something. The reply came from an unexpected source.
“Yes, I daresay you outdid even yourself, Caroline,” Hurst said in a moment suspended between slicing his ham and takingsome coffee. “Your acknowledgment of your own vulgarity shows a substantially improved level of self-awareness! It seems Miss Elizabeth’s lessons about the basic duties of a hostess are already having an effect. Your father might have been better off sending you to her for a week than all the years in that seminary.”
The room was shocked into silence for a minute, then Caroline snapped angrily, “What can you possibly mean?”
Hurst made a great show of slicing another piece of ham, “You speak of manners as ifyourbehaviour is proper, whilehersis not. Anybody with eyes and ears can see the converse is true. You are shockingly rude most of the time, and we all just put up with it because… well, to be honest, I do not know why.”
“I will not be disparaged in my own house,” Caroline snapped.
“My house,” Bingley finally contributed. “You have to admit Miss Elizabeth does an excellent job of instruction. We have been here a month, and I doubt you even have a vague idea of who our tenants are, and the fact that you cannot refrain from insultingmyguests inmyhouse says quite a bit. Why, you cannot even manage to address her properly, and as she so correctly pointed out, it is a rather rudimentary skill.”
Caroline tossed down her serviette. “I will not sit here and listen to this, nor will I be lectured to by some country mushroom!”
She stormed away from the table in high dudgeon, while the rest of the party resumed their meal in a more congenial atmosphere, though Hurst could not quite resist the temptation for one last dig. “Case in point.”
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