Page 35 of I Thee Wed
Elizabeth grinned, a devilish sparkle in her eye. “Jane and I have been improper and vulgar. We discovered the address of Mr. Bingley’s house on Wimpole Street from the letter that Caroline sent her. Each day we hired a hackney and sat in the park, waiting for him to come out of his house.”
Jane’s face was buried in her hands. “I knew this would eventually come out.”
“Each day,” Elizabeth continued, “for three days in succession. We became so regular in our watch that I feared the neighbors might take us for housebreakers. At last, on the third day, Mr. Bingley arrived home on his beautiful mount. We watched him dismount, and I declare he looked as though sunshine itself had stepped upon the pavement. I told Jane we must strike while fortune smiled, so we presented ourselves at the door to call upon Miss Bingley.”
Mrs. Gardiner pressed a hand to her lips to conceal her amusement. “And were you received?”
“Oh yes,” Elizabeth said blithely. “We were received with every civility, and with particular warmth, for Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst were out shopping. The butler was in the very act of telling us so when Mr. Bingley himself came forward to greet us, havingheard our voices in the hall. Jane was all sweetness, of course, and Mr. Bingley was so overjoyed that he could scarcely bestow compliments enough.”
Jane lifted her face and looked at her aunt. “It was most improper. Lizzy declared it was strategy, but I felt a dreadful conspirator.”
Elizabeth only laughed. “We were dressed modestly, and we sat quietly in the park. We were very proper, except that we were stalking Mr. Bingley.”
Mrs. Gardiner shook her head. “I hardly know which astonishes me more, that Jane was persuaded into such an escapade, or that Elizabeth has so little shame in confessing it.”
Elizabeth sighed. “Aunt Maddie, I believe that Providence helps those who help themselves. If we had not acted, Mr. Bingley might be courting another woman by now.”
Mrs. Gardiner chuckled. “Heaven help the man who ever tries to cross you, Lizzy. He would not get very far.”
Chapter 24: Wedding Preparations
Elizabeth hated shopping, and she disliked it even more when it came to buying gowns. Standing still to be measured, then leafing through page after page of patterns for countless gowns to be worn in the morning, for walking, day wear, evening wear, travel wear, outerwear, night gowns, the list was endless. The worst was the fittings. Some gowns required two or more. Elizabeth felt she would go blind if she were forced to stare at one more shade of cream. At last, Jane settled on a sapphire silk.
“It matches your eyes, my love,” Mrs. Gardiner said firmly, as she held the fabric to Jane’s cheek.
Elizabeth sighed. “Please, Jane, go with the sapphire. It will spare us another week of deliberation. Aunt Maddie might disown both of us if she has to shop for an extra week.”
Jane loved the sapphire silk, but she protested. “It is far too expensive, Aunt Maddie.”
“It is a lovely fabric and is grand enough for a bride. Never worry, Jane. Your uncle is purchasing your wedding gown, so you need not fear facing your father with the receipt.”
Elizabeth was ready to say she had fallen ill to avoid any more shopping, but at last Aunt Maddie declared that all the necessary shopping was completed.
Elizabeth forced herself to bear it with good humor, though in her letter to Georgiana, she referred to the process as "death by muslin."
Mr. Gardiner presented Jane with a pearl necklace. “You must wear these on your wedding day, my dear,” he said, slipping the box into her hand. “They are for beauty, and for remembrance.”
Nor was Elizabeth spared. At Mrs. Gardiner’s insistence, she was fitted for a silk gown of pale yellow, elegant and designed to great advantage. Elizabeth asked, “Aunt, are you intending to marry me off while you have me here in London?”
“Not at all, Lizzy. I will not have you wearing a hand-me-down when you stand with your sister.” Elizabeth submitted to measurements and fittings, and the pale-yellow gown she was to wear at Jane’s wedding was lovely. It was the most beautiful, most expensive, and well-fitted gown she had ever owned.
Jane sighed in happiness. “I will never forget the hours and days we have spent shopping. I believe my wedding gown is the loveliest I have ever seen. Dear Aunt Maddie, you have worn yourself to a thread on my account.”
Mrs. Gardiner smiled at her niece. “Nonsense, my dear. I have enjoyed every moment. And you know, with two boys, I may never again have the opportunity to shop for a trousseau. But tell me, have you heard any news from Hertfordshire? Your mother wrote that she expects the Collinses for the wedding.”
Elizabeth answered, “Indeed, Aunt. Mr. Collins and Mary are to come, though only for two days, because the previous rector was very old and most of the parishioners no longer attended the services. He and Mary are making visits to every member of the parish, and Mary says he is an excellent writer and speaker, so the people like to listen to his sermons.”
Jane nodded. “We are all grateful that Mary is so well-suited to her husband and to the role of rector’s wife. One of us had tomarry him, and it is a great comfort that Mary fell in love with Mr. Collins within the first week of having met him.”
Mrs. Gardiner’s smile lingered, though her eyes grew shrewd. “I did hear whispers of a difficulty with the Lucases. What was that affair?”
Elizabeth said wryly. “Ah, there lies the only cloud. Charlotte and Lady Lucas contrived an audacious little scheme to entrap Mr. Collins into a compromise. The plot failed, and the two families remain civil, but it is difficult to forget that those two schemers tried to filch the heir of Longbourn.”
Mrs. Gardiner shook her head. “Charlotte has been your good friend since you were five or six. It is a pity that your friendship has been marred.”
Jane admonished her sister. “Lizzy, do not allow resentment to poison your relationship with Charlotte. Our sister is married to the rector, and no harm has been done. That is enough.”
Elizabeth squeezed her sister’s hand. “Yes, my dear. I will remember that Mary is happy, and no real harm was done. Yet I doubt our mother will ever forgive Lady Lucas. She counts this an offence that may never be forgiven or forgotten.”
