Page 35 of Till Death Us Do Part: Book 2
“I admit to both. Then of course, walking into that assembly that my brother justhadto attend before we knew a single soul, thus ensuring that we would be stared at and gossiped about like pigs on the way to market, did not help.”
Getting into the spirit of the thing, Elizabeth said, “And I imagine you must have heard my mother and all her cronies screeching about your five thousand, or ten thousand, or what have you, did not improve your disposition.”
“Your mother lacks subtlety, but I do have to applaud her for audacity.”
Elizabeth frowned. “Alas, I cannot.”
Caroline leaned forward in surprise, though whether it was real or feigned was anybody’s guess, but decided not to address that issue.
“Then of course, there was my brother and your sister—” at which point she tapered off, as if unsure how far to push her luck.
With a half-hearted shrug, Elizabeth stared at the ground and murmured, “You were right, you know. Jane liked him well enough, and she would have married him had he asked; but she never really loved him or even thought all that well of him aside from his general amiability and the practical concerns.”
Caroline started at that revelation. She was obviously not all that surprised by the facts of the assertion, since she believed that love hardly ever entered the equation in marriage; but she was quite surprised that Mrs Darcy would state it aloud.
Elizabeth saw her confusion. “Be not alarmed, Miss Bingley. You are my first guest because my husband, who is away somewhere doing something that I know nothing about, has forbidden me from entertaining, and—”
She stopped mid-word and said suddenly, “I must be quite starved for company. I am surprised I said all of that to—” before tapering off in confusion again.
Caroline helpfully suggested, “Someone you dislike? Someone you distrust? A notorious gossip and parvenu?” with an arched eyebrow.
Elizabeth laughed. “Any or all of them, I suppose.”
Caroline drew in a deep breath. “Perhaps I can even the score, since I believe I can finish that sentence for you.”
“Go on,” Elizabeth said, not entirely certain she wanted to hear the rest.
“Have you ever been going somewhere in your house, just minding your own business and going your own way, when you happened to, entirely by accident, overhear a conversation not meant for your ears?”
Elizabeth thought back to the time only a fortnight previously when she did exactly that with the Matlocks. “Accidentally and unavoidably, of course.”
“Of course,” Caroline half-giggled. “Though I should admit I sometimes accidentally have my ear against a wall with a glass.”
Elizabeth laughed along with the jest, so Caroline continued.
“I happened to overhear a conversation between your husband and my brother. I would have to say that it wasnotauspicious. They talked about his intended, Miss de Bourgh.” Then she paused, stared at Elizabeth and continued, “And they talked aboutyou, at some length.”
Not liking the sound of it, but unable to look away, Elizabeth replied, “Go on.”
“Your husband was not in the least happy about the way things played out. In fact, I heard some words that could pass for cursing during the dialogue. He was most assuredly unhappy with the situation.”
“Yes, he made that abundantly clear. Pray, continue,” she said, not entirely certain she wanted to hear the rest.
Caroline took a deep breath and blew it out nervously.
“Before I finish, may I suggest we have something in common.”
“You may need to be more specific. We have several things in common.”
Caroline took a sip of cold tea, ate a biscuit, and took another sip while Elizabeth waited for her to gather her courage.
“Specifically, we arebothin the power of a man who does not like us, and never has,” she said, then looked at her companion before adding, “Though in your case it may not be entirely hopeless. I suspect your husband likes you more than he will admit, even to himself. His pride, as you well know, is iron-clad, but hedidask you to dance—thrice, by my count.”
Curious, Elizabeth left the discussion of her husband to the side. “Tell me about your nemesis. I think we both know about mine, and I am unwilling to speculate on his state of mind: past, present, or future.
Caroline paused again, and finally said, “My father wanted to belong to the gentry so badly he could taste it, and he did his best to impart that attitude to his children. I was sent to a seminary, where I was thenew moneyand had to fight and claw my way to any kind of social position at all. It may sound crass and heartless, but the alternative was to be entirely shunned and taken advantage of by mysocial superiors, which could take quite a nasty form when they were displeased or bored.”
Surprised by the admission, Elizabeth reached across and squeezed her companion’s hand.
