A/N: Hey Gang, sorry about that Evil Cliffy, and thanks for all the notes asking if I'm OK (or panicking about the apparent abandonment). All is well, I've just been very busy. We just moved into a new house, must prepare the old one for sale, have had some illness in the family, and I've been reading obsessively about COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and trying to understand all I can about it. I can only say that it is serious - deadly serious. There is lots of good information out there, and lots of very-very-very bad information and outright lies, so beware. If you're not taking it seriously, then I suggest you start doing so immediately.
That said, let's see what our ADHD mathematician has to say.
Wade
"Lizzy, what in the world are you on about, asking to see both Mother and me? Are you insane?"
Elizabeth tried her best not to grin at the success of her prognostication. She had predicted that with the one-day delay in her response, and the fact that she had only sent a note over that morning would cause Anne to intercept her within 20 steps into Rosings. The encounter happened between 17 and 18, so kudos to her. She saw that Anne was agitated and decided that might be good – or it could just as well be bad. It was hard to tell. Elizabeth thought perhaps she should stop mentally preening and chattering, so she could answer her friend though.
"Those are two separate questions, Anne. Which should I answer first?"
While Anne looked a bit flummoxed, Elizabeth noted that she had gone from 'Elizabeth' to 'Lizzy' over the course of the missing day and thought that was definitely a good thing… maybe… probably.
Anne calmed down a bit, signaled the footman to leave them, and waited for him to move out of hearing. Then she said, "Let us start with the first, as the answer may shed light on the second. I thought you would read my journals and talk to me about it… not my mother. What sort of mirror are you?"
Elizabeth smiled, not particularly flustered by Anne's discomposure. She actually wanted her just a bit nervous. In fact, she wanted her to exhibit anything other than the complacency she had seen for most of the previous month. To be honest, a Lydia style screaming fit (well, at least the old Lydia) would not be entirely out of place.
"We are up to three questions on the stack, Anne. Let me add a fourth. Let us suppose that you wanted me to fix your hair some particular way, but there was some dispute about the style. Or perhaps, we both wanted to attend a ball together, and wanted to be certain our gowns and hairstyles matched each other to produce a specific desired effect. How would we resolve it so we could both be certain we are discussing the same thing in the same manner?"
Anne looked a bit confused, and said, "Well, I suppose we would both have to look in the same mirror, so we were seeing the same thing."
"Correct! The stack is safe from falling over for the moment. Now, how about this… does a mirror show truth?"
"Of course."
"Are you certain?"
Unaccustomed to being forced to either think of defend her thoughts, Anne thought for a moment, and finally said, "Well, I suppose they are not perfect."
"No, they are not. They are an approximation at best, and they can be deceptive. Every mirror swaps right for left when looking at yourself. Try it sometime. Put a hair clip on the right side of your head, look in the mirror, and you will find it mysteriously on the left, or try reading the title of a book in a mirror. In addition to that, I have seen mirrors that make things look bigger, smaller, fatter, thinner or other things in between. Make one with colored glass and I might conclude you are a mermaid. Every mirror distorts, so at best you get something approximating reality. That is the nature of mirrors. "
Anne sighed, and said, "I think my cousin's analogy is starting to break down."
Elizabeth sighed, and said, "Perhaps, but let us return to my earlier hypothetical about two ladies wanting to attend a ball together and ensure that they made the correct impression as a pair. You said they both must look in the same mirror at the same time."
"Yes, otherwise they will be comparing different perspectives."
Elizabeth smiled, and said, "Well, Anne, you and your mother need to go to the metaphorical ball together."
Anne stared at her friend for a minute, and finally said, "You do not really know my mother, Lizzy. This could end badly."
Elizabeth said, "If you are afraid and wish to abandon the enterprise, Anne, it is your right. My uncle's carriage arrived to fetch me back to London and thence to Longbourn an hour ago. He will retrieve me at the front door in…", then she looked at her pendant watch, "exactly 93 minutes. If you wish, you may take your journals back, and we will simply have tea with your mother, then I will be on my way."
"I would rather you just tell me what you saw."
Elizabeth stood up a bit straighter, and said, "I can be easy, or I can be effective, Anne. They are mutually exclusive, so you must choose. I dislike being difficult, but I fear it is all or nothing."
Anne stared at her a moment with what she thought was a ferociously intimidating stare like her mothers, while Elizabeth waited patiently for the minor bout of easily ignored petulance to resolve.
After some time, Anne said, "Fine, I believe you have answered the last remaining question. You are quite mad. Let us go… Mother will be waiting."
Elizabeth's entry into the parlor was made as usual, with Anne following slightly to her right, but somewhat hiding behind her. Elizabeth did not mind. She asked the footman to place the two valises near the sofa, thanked him kindly and approached what she always thought of as 'the throne'.
"Lady Catherine, thank you for seeing me."
The grand lady looked at her carefully, and said, "Well, I can hardly resist. Your note was quite mysterious, Miss Bennet. Anne, after considerable prodding, mentioned something about a 'mirror'. I can hardly make any sense of it."
Elizabeth said, "Well, Lady Catherine, before we begin may I stipulate that I am acting on my own, out of a duty demanded by a request from a dear friend. I hope I will not offend you, but just in case I do, I apologize in advance and ask you not to take it out on anybody else."
The lady looked at her carefully, and said, "What do you take me for, Miss Bennet?"
Speaking carefully, Elizabeth said, "To be honest, Lady Catherine, I take you for a formidable woman. I must confess to admiring you, though for different reasons than the usual."
Intrigued, the lady asked, "How so, Miss Bennet?", but then paused and said, "before we begin, let me tell you that my character has ever been celebrated for its sincerity and frankness, and in a cause of such moment as this, I shall certainly not depart from it. I would ask the same of you. Please speak freely. You need not fear for your relatives and friends. If you peeve me, I will let you know directly, and you need not fear I will fail to convey my sentiments. I fear subtlety is not among my more developed talents."
Elizabeth laughed at the rejoinder, and said, "As I would expect Lady Catherine. It would take a real simpleton to think otherwise, but, like you, I have always found it best to be explicit."
Lady Catherine looked at her critically, and said, "Well, Miss Bennet. You have me full of curiosity. What is it you plan to shed light on?"
"It is a rather private matter, Lady Catherine. I have been asked to offer some guidance based on my facility with mathematics – or more likely, a combination of mathematics and social analysis."
The lady harrumphed a bit, which was not particularly ladylike, but Elizabeth enjoyed it anyway, before saying, "Mathematics is more the province of men, is it not, Miss Bennet?"
Elizabeth softly smiled, and said, "You surprise me, Lady Catherine. I would have expected you to be the last person in the world to fall back on such a weak argument."
Somewhat startled, the lady asked, "Why?"
Elizabeth sighed, and said, "Look around you, Lady Catherine. I believe the length of time since your husband's death would be best measured in decades rather than years. Your nephews visit for a fortnight a year, which is about 4% of the time. The rest of the year, you seem to be engaging in so‑called 'men's work' daily. Now, any simpleton with access to the paths around Rosings can ascertain that your tenants are using modern farming methods. The difference in planting from farm to farm indicates that the rotation if crops is planned. The condition of your tenant cottages seems better than average. You serve a fabulous table, which frankly seems to be just a convenient excuse to hire more footmen and maids, thus sharing your wealth broadly without overly relying on charity. You of all people should know that women are quite capable of operating in the men's province, so yes… I did not expect that from you."
Quite to Elizabeth's surprise, Lady Catherine laughed heartily, and said, "Well, you do have the cheek of the devil, Miss Bennet. You managed all of that without the slightest bit of fawning."
Elizabeth leaned forward angrily, and said, "I do not appreciate the assertion that I might do such a thing, Lady Catherine. I simply pointed out things as factually as I could. Had you been a poor mistress, I would make the assertion with the same clarity, for I fear I am not that well versed in either subtlety or prevarication."
"Peace, Peace, Miss Bennet", Lady Catherine laughed. "You have very well proven your credentials. I would listen to what you have to say but let us set up the proper tableau for the discussion."
With that, Lady Catherine raised her voice slightly so the footman who had moved out of earshot could hear, and said, "James, might you take the mysterious Miss Bennet's two valises to the yellow parlor, and have tea delivered."
Anne curiously said, "Why the yellow parlor, Mama. We have not been there for years."
"We have not had the situation calling for it for some years, Anne, but it seems appropriate for this moment."
"I suppose so."
Elizabeth was curious about what magical properties this yellow parlor had. She had never seen anything remotely like it in Rosings, but the house was so large, it could have contained a folly or cricket field that she was unaware of. She decided there was no need to ask, since she would see what was up directly.
The yellow parlor turned out to be the smallest room she had seen at Rosings. Mrs. Bennet had a room of about the same size that she used as a closet. It barely had room for one very small round table with only 3 chairs, and another four or five feet of space around it. There was a tea trolley in the corner, but otherwise it was the plainest room Elizabeth had seen in some time.
Lady Catherine walked in, and said, "Please choose your chair, Miss Bennet."
Elizabeth looked around and said, "I suppose I must choose randomly. There seems nothing to distinguish one from anther."
Lady Catherine chuckled, and said, "Exactly! That was my purpose. My husband called this the 'Arthurian Parlor' with the references to the Round Table of the legends being obvious. He came in here when he wanted a meeting of equals."
Elizabeth said, "I can see why you do not get very much use of it, Lady Catherine. I cannot imagine you having a lot of equals to deal with."
The lady sighed, and said, "No, Miss Bennet, I do not. I would hope for your sake, that you do not have to claw your way through a man's world. As you well know, women are quite capable, but everything we do, we must do twice as good as a man just to get any credit at all. It is exhausting."
Curious, Elizabeth asked, "So why did you not take another husband, if I may be so bold as to ask?"
Lady Catherine sighed, and said, "Quite frankly, I take the responsibility for the estate seriously, and I never liked any man well enough to hand it over. Men have all the power in a marriage, so if a woman like myself marries, I go from a position of absolute power over my fate, to a position of being the legal property of a man. I never met a man I was willing to trust that much."
Carefully, Elizabeth asked, "Do you believe such men do not exist?"
Lady Catherine quite surprised her by taking her hand, and said, "Do not take the musings of a cynical old woman to heart, Miss Bennet. Good men do exist, and given more effort, I might have found one.
Curiously, Elizabeth asked, "Do you regret that?"
Pensively, Lady Catherine said, "Sometimes, but not often. Now, let us sit and see what you have to say, young lady."
The three ladies sat down on three random chairs, equally spaced around the small table. The footman put Elizabeth's two valises beside her table, and Lady Catherine surprised her by dismissing the servants and pouring the tea herself.
They let the tea sit a few minutes, enjoyed a few excellent biscuits, then Elizabeth sighed, and said, "I suppose I must get on with it."
"Please", said Anne who had said practically nothing during the encounter so far.
