The girls did proceed with their lesson after luncheon. I listened in while Mildred returned to chaperone duties. Although it was clear Mrs. Bennet already had a plan, since she had done this several times before, she told the girls it was good to take a fresh look at the furniture arrangements before each large party.

"I do dislike a crush," she told them. "If you have too much furniture cluttering the room or it is set up so people cannot move freely then they bump into things. Your wine glasses or ornaments on the occasional tables will be broken and people feel uncomfortable when they are crowded. You still need the chairs and tables because some people will want to sit and they must have places to set down their glasses or their plates, if you have a buffet. Think about how many people will be in the room. If it is only a few then you arrange things differently because too much space will make the smaller group too widely dispersed."

She walked through each of the public rooms and showed the girls what she meant. Lydia did not say anything, but I could see her surprise when her mother took out a piece of paper and pencil and made a sketch and some notes of how she wanted the bigger pieces of furniture moved by the footmen the day before the party. All the girls were intrigued by the way Mrs. Bennet considered the positions of the doors and how people would probably gather. In one instance she showed demonstrated for them a certain chair and table in their usual places would cause a sort of eddy in that room as people moved from group to group.

"I like them there when it is just the family," she said of the arrangement. "This chair is comfortable and makes a nice small space here for talking, but it will simply not do when there are more people needing to move around."

After they had taken their look at all the public rooms Mrs. Bennet went off to chaperone in the drawing room. She appeared very pleased with the day's work. In turn, Mildred joined us as we returned to the schoolroom. Remembering Mrs. Bennet's comment that she preferred unassigned seating I thought it would be good to go over how formal seating worked for parties in the Ton. Mildred and I worked together to create some sample guest lists and then had the girls work as a team to assign seating based on both rank and imagined (or generally well known) personalities. It was an exercise I had enjoyed at school. The girls appeared to enjoy it as well, especially some of the trickier combinations we put together.

Mr. Darcy had arrived sometime in the early afternoon. Elizabeth came up to the schoolroom to get Miss Darcy and Mildred to let them know he wanted to return to the dower house before dark. With the snow and continuing cold weather even the short trip could be dangerous. Elizabeth told us that Mr. Darcy and the colonel had not learned much more about the murder plot. The magistrate had agreed to hold the men for a few days and Mr. Darcy had written to his godfather for assistance with the earl.

With the wedding only a week away, both Elizabeth and Mary decided to stay at Longbourn with their family. They wanted to go through their belongings, pack what they would take with them to their new homes and pass on what they would not. Kitty and Lydia were excited to receive some of the dresses that were still in very good shape but more suited to unmarried girls than married women. The two youngest girls were taller than Elizabeth and Mary, but a lace edging or a ruffle of contrasting fabric along with additional trim in the same fabric could easily solve that problem.

Lydia did scoff at how little lace either of her older sisters had on their gowns. I had heard similar comments from Mrs. Bennet when she talked over the new gowns the older girls had ordered in Meryton for their wedding. I understood it to be a regular complaint.

"Your sisters have a very good sense of what decoration looks best on them," I told Lydia. "You are taller and can carry off the extra frills and flounces. What looks good on you would overwhelm them and simply make them look overdressed. Simple, clean lines with delicate decorations suit Elizabeth and Mary better, as well as being more to their taste. Not everyone is the same, you know."

She thought that over and reluctantly agreed. "I like lace on everything," she said with a laugh.

"Well now you and Kitty can decorate these gowns. They are of good quality fabric. You will want to be careful not to overdo or ruin them."

"When Uncle Gardiner gets shipments of fine fabrics he lets Aunt Gardiner look at them before he sells them. She will sometimes pick out a few bolts for each of us and then we have the dressmaker in Meryton make them up into dresses," Kitty told me. "Aunt Gardiner always seems to pick the colors that look best on each of us."

After giving them a little time to look over their new acquisitions I had them put the gowns away to be done over later. They needed to concentrate on their gifts for their sisters. Lydia finished the handkerchief for Elizabeth and started designing one for Mary. Kitty was taking a little longer with her first one but would be done soon. She asked me to help her alter the other design she had done with the cat and flowers to include Elizabeth's initials in the picture. It was a pretty design and that would allow her time to finish both.

We spent further time on reading and writing practice as well as continuing the discussion of the behavior expected of them at the party. Neither had been allowed to attend the last party Mrs. Bennet gave. They had improved enough that Mr. Bennet and I had decided to give them the chance of this last gathering before the wedding. I warned them very firmly that I would have no qualms about removing them from the party if I felt they were misbehaving. I had their father's support if the need arose.

Kitty had told me she enjoyed her chess lesson with her father even if it was a bit confusing since all the pieces moved differently. She went down for another lesson shortly after luncheon. I wondered if Mr. Bennet would turn out to be a patient teacher. Only time would tell.

Lydia looked a bit jealous as her sister left, but then clearly remembered how much work it would be to learn chess. She turned back to her slate and we continued with writing and spelling simple words. She was making good progress and was starting to see the connections between the sounds and the spelling. When I gave her words we had not studied previously she was usually able to spell them correctly. Until she was more comfortable I would avoid the words with tricky spellings. I enjoyed seeing her confidence grow with each success and saw no point in frustrating her yet.

Miss Darcy and Mildred joined us again on Wednesday. Mr. Darcy disappeared into Mr. Bennet's study along with Elizabeth. I suspected they would spend the day in conversation and chess.

Mrs. Bennet's party plans were well in place, but she was starting to fuss and worry. I suggested she do a run-through with the girls to verify that everything that needed to be planned for had been done. It was a good review for all concerned. Mrs. Bennet was soon able to return to the drawing room with the assurance that all was in readiness.

Miss Darcy spent some time with Kitty at the pianoforte, listening while Kitty did her scales and offering suggestions to help the practice go more smoothly. They even played a few simple duets. Miss Darcy had just the right hand to work with because of the injury, but that was sufficient to match Kitty's skill level. Both enjoyed the practice.

Thursday went much the same, although we did spend more time on party etiquette that morning. Lady Lucas had visited on Wednesday and invited the Bennets, Darcys and the Netherfield party to a small dinner party for Thursday evening. Because it was such a small gathering Mildred and I would not attend, but I warned Kitty and Lydia that Mr. Bennet and their older sisters would be keeping an eye on them. If they became too loud or misbehaved in other ways they might lose the privilege of joining the party on Saturday. Both assured me they understood what was expected of them and would behave properly. I took that as the best sign yet of the progress they were making.