Lizzy stood and watched silently as Madame Gaillard herself examined the completed embroidery carefully. The modiste checked for loose threads and ensured no damage had been done to the original fabric. She had two assistants hold the full piece up before a light to get the overall effect of the work. Finally, she had them drape the over-skirt in its final place on the gown, pinning it carefully before holding the gown up by the shoulders for inspection.

Although she knew she had done her best work and had been through this process many times before, Lizzy always found this part nerve-wracking. It wall all the more so, because the modiste was doing the inspection instead of her top assistant. That meant the client was either of very high status or was of low status while still being very wealthy and likely to be overpaying a great deal for the privilege of wearing one of Madame Gaillard's creations. The latter would explain the extra bonus for quick work.

Finally, Madame Gaillard turned to Lizzy with a smile. "Beautiful work, as always, Mademoiselle Gardiner. It is a shame the client will not understand how much your fine embroidery has turned her questionable color choices into something truly elegant and lovely."

Lizzy dipped a curtsy. She knew this was merely a comment, not an invitation for questions or conversation.

It was true, the color choices were rather odd. She had been given a swatch of the primary fabric of the gown which she then used to help her choose the colors of the embroidery pattern. As she worked, she had frequently placed the swatch underneath to check that the colors still coordinated and complimented one another. The heavy bronze-orange fabric of the gown and the puce of the diaphanous over-skirt on their own looked rather like a halfway-healed bruise. The embroidery could have tipped the overall look either way – garish and jarring or, as Lizzy had managed, tying the colors together into something both unusual and elegant.

Madame Gaillard continued. "Yes, very well done indeed – you have produced quality work in the time specified. I believe you have earned the promised bonus."

She waved the assistants holding the gown up away. They would, no doubt, immediately set to work sewing the over-skirt to the primary gown so the completed item was ready to be picked up by the client.

"Are you available for another commission right away, Mademoiselle Gardiner?"

Lizzy and Jane both went by the Gardiner name for their work, not wanting to take any chance of someone accidentally learning their origins or of word getting back to Mrs. Bennet of their activities. The slight subterfuge had worked so far. Of course, her name would not actually be given to a client, Lizzy was just a background part of the modiste's operation even if people were now specifically asking for her embroidery work on their gowns.

Lizzy curtsied again. "I very much regret that I have been unexpectedly called away, Madame. I do not know when I will be available for another commission."

"Hmm, that is unfortunate," Madame Gaillard said thoughtfully. Then, she smiled. "For the next client, that is. Your work is unique enough that it has become fashionable. Scarcity, however, will drive up both the demand and the price. I hope you will return soon, but until then I will make certain my clients know the availability of your special work is limited."

"I will be in touch as soon as I return," Lizzy promised.

"Very good." Madame Gaillard clapped her hands. One of the assistants quickly rushed over to answer the summons. "Pay Mademoiselle Gardiner the full amount with the agreed-on bonus."

Both Lizzy and the assistant silently curtsied. The modiste gave Lizzy a nod before she quickly walked away to tend to other matters in her shop.

On receiving her pay, which she carefully tucked into a secret pocket worked into the bodice of her gown, Lizzy returned to her uncle's carriage where it waited on the street nearby. Once she arrived back at the house, she would pass the money on to her uncle to be deposited into the account that she and Jane maintained for their future needs. Because they were women and Lizzy was under age, the account was held in his name so that no one at Longbourn had a claim to it.

Her maid always waited in the carriage while Lizzy made deliveries. Mr. Gardiner insisted that the maid stay with Lizzy when she traveled, even just in town, both to satisfy propriety and for Lizzy's safety but bringing her into the shop would be out of character for someone who sold her skills with the needle. Lizzy stepped inside the vehicle and the single footman closed the door. As she settled into her seat, she turned to the waiting maid.

"Well, Amy, that is the last of my business here. We are off to Longbourn in a few hours. Still, if all goes well, you should be back safely to the house in Gracechurch street tomorrow."

"Yes, miss," the woman said.

She was a sensible person in her early thirties and had served in the Gardiner household for a little more than a decade. In that time, Amy had made several trips to Longbourn and back to escort Lizzy or Jane. She was old enough and smart enough to keep herself safe on her solo journeys either to get one of the sisters or return after one of them had gone home. She was young enough and pleasant enough to be a good companion to the oldest Bennet sisters. The arrangement worked out well all around.

Mrs. Bennet would have thought nothing of sending either of her two stepdaughters to or from London unaccompanied, even if they traveled by post. Their safety or position as young gentlewomen was of no importance to her unless it affected her own daughters. In one of his rare moments of support for his older daughters, Mr. Bennet backed up Mr. Gardiner's insistence that Lizzy and Jane always have a maid travel with them unless both young women traveled together. Since Mr. Gardiner provided Amy's services, Mrs. Bennet did not complain about the situation very much any more.

Three hours later, Lizzy and Amy quickly slipped into their preferred places in the post coach. Whenever possible, Lizzy took a corner seat with Amy right next to her. To some extent, that prevented any men who might be riding with them from heeding the temptation to have wandering hands, at least for Lizzy. Amy would usually keep her work-bag on the bench between her and any male passenger who tried to sit next to her. If their adjoining passengers were women, she kept the bag on her lap.

Both women immediately took out their knitting. Neither cared to be idle, and knitting needles could be useful deterrents to predatory behavior as well. In a household with five daughters, new stockings were always needed and they were easy to work on in while traveling. Lizzy would complete the second of the pair she had started on the earlier trip to London over the course of the journey.

The two women rarely talked on the trip. They had learned from experience that speaking to each other invited strangers to attempt to join the conversation. Both did their best to appear fully engrossed in their knitting, while actually remaining alert and aware of everyone else on the coach. Lizzy enjoyed studying people and often guessed at where people had come from and why they might be traveling. In this case, however, it was also a matter of safety. Being alert for trouble had kept them out of problems more than once.

Fortunately, there were few people with them on the coach this time and no trouble worthy of the name. Lizzy was just binding off the last stitches of the second stocking as the church tower in Meryton came into view over the last hill of the journey. In almost identical movements, she and Amy both returned their knitting needles and any other supplies they had out to the bags they had kept laid across their laps during the trip.

They descended from the coach at the familiar post station. When asked, Lizzy pointed out her medium-sized trunk in the luggage stacked atop the coach. As soon as it was handed down, she and Amy each took a handle. Carrying it between them, they set off at a walk towards Longbourn.

From regular practice, the women matched their paces well, falling easily into a gait that was quick but not so fast as to tire them out before they reached their goal. As they went, Lizzy was thankful that the day was dry and neither too hot nor too cold. The pair had done this walk in mud, rain, sleet and snow before. A day like this, even as gray as the skies had turned, was the best possible weather.

The first part of their walk followed the same lane that a carriage would use in traveling from the village of Meryton to the estate. Walking partly on the lane and partly on the strip of grass between the lane and the hedges, they kept on this way as long as they could. When the lane veered off to curve around a small hill and skirt several more fields before reaching the main drive to Longbourn house, the two women turned onto a path that had been used by the Bennet family for decades when walking to and from the village. Over the years gravel had been laid down to make it more passable in damp weather and small wood bridges spanned the dips and dampest places on the way. It led them forward on a much straighter and shorter path than taking the road would have done, cutting nearly two miles off the trip. They traveled past land belonging to the neighboring estate of Lucas Lodge and slipped along a hedge line until reaching an open space from which they could see the Longbourn house and grounds. Crossing that last open area, they entered the main yard of the house near the stables.

As usual, Lizzy and Amy entered the house through the kitchen door, struggling through with the trunk still between them. It was nearing dinner time, and the room was full of the last-minute bustle that usually preceded a meal. The cook looked up from her work when the women entered her domain. She gave them a polite nod as she called to her son, a boy of nine who helped earn his keep by running errands and doing any simple task his mother set for him.

"Bobby, you run ahead of Miss Lizzy and be sure the way is clear. Pay more attention than last time. Mrs. Bennet is in a right pother today," she ordered her son.

"Thank you, Mrs. Fowler," Lizzy said, appreciating the help. The cook nodded even as she turned back to her work.

It was never good to encounter Mrs. Bennet while covered with dust from the road and carrying the trunk. Bobby would open doors as needed for the two women as they took the servant's route up to the small room Jane and Lizzy shared. The last time, Bobby had not been careful enough checking around corners, earning them all a severe lecture from the mistress of the house when she happened on them in a hallway.

This time, they were able to carry the trunk upstairs without any problems. Bobby nipped back to his work in the kitchen, while Amy helped Lizzy quickly change into a fresh gown and make herself generally presentable. After setting the trunk against the wall next to Jane's, they opened it just long enough to remove Amy's bag for overnight stays. Once it was locked again, the maid headed off to offer her help downstairs as needed, while Lizzy reluctantly made her way to whatever faced her in Mrs. Bennet's favorite sitting room.

"Was my message not clear, Elizabeth Bennet? I told you to return at once," Mrs. Bennet complained.

"As I did," Lizzy replied calmly. "I took the very next available post coach and have just arrived."

"Hmph! You could have gotten here more quickly walking the entire way. You certainly have practice enough at that," Mrs. Bennet said, her poor mood clear. It was a complaint the Bennet matron repeated regularly, and Lizzy knew better than to argue or attempt to reason with her on that point.

"Is there a particular reason you required my early arrival?" she asked meekly even though she was fuming inside.

"Well, of course, there is," the older woman snapped. "I would not have sent for you otherwise. Netherfield Park is let to a single gentleman of good fortune, as I said in my note. I am hoping to interest him in my Lydia but I cannot do that without an introduction. Mr. Bennet refused to stir himself from the house to make a visit to Mr. Bingley so we could call before the next gathering. Sir William, unpleasant man that he is, has told me he will only provide us with an introduction if both you and Jane are present this time. Had you arrived last night or early enough this morning, we could have called at Netherfield in company with Sir William today to make the young man's acquaintance. Now, we must wait and be introduced in the bustle of the Assembly ball tomorrow and Lydia has lost her chance to secure an early dance with Mr. Bingley. It is too late, just like you!"

Lizzy wanted to point out that Mrs. Bennet could have sent the family carriage for Lizzy instead of just a messenger if it had been that important for her to come home the previous evening. She swallowed the comment, however. Experience had taught her the futility of defending herself against the unreasonable woman. Logic frequently did not apply where Mrs. Bennet was concerned.

Jane must have guessed at Lizzy's thoughts anyway. She looked up from her "mending" and gave a subtle shake of her head that her younger sister understood very well. The oldest Bennet daughter looked tired,. Lizzy thought her sister had probably been forced to listen to Mrs. Bennet's fussing and complaints all day. That would tire out anyone.

As Lizzy silently stood, Mrs. Bennet continued to vent her frustration with the supposed tardiness, Mr. Bennet's lack of care for his children, and the refusal of Sir William Lucas to help without conditions. All Lizzy could do was wait until the older woman wound down and finished her current batch of complaints.

Waving a dismissive hand, Mrs. Bennet finally said, "Well, go make yourself useful. Honestly, I have no idea why anyone thinks so highly of you, great, lazy lump that you are."

Taking the sting out of the comment by imagining it was actually directed at Lydia, to whom it more accurately applied, Lizzy gratefully went to join Jane on the small, out of the way sofa they often shared. Without a word, she dipped a hand in the mending basket, took out the first project that she touched and set to work. She claimed the necessary needle and thread from the small work-box that Jane moved to sit between her and her sister.

Jane continued to work on the hem of a fine cotton shift that she held in such a way that it looked like she was only mending a tear. When completed, the shift would join several others to be carried to London on the next trip either of them took. Mrs. Gardiner had found a merchant who would purchase as many of the shifts as Jane could reasonably complete. Her stitching was always neat and even, so there was never a problem with the work being accepted. The serviceable garments were made of good quality fabric, with bits of decorative stitching to give a touch of elegance. They sold very well, although the work did not pay anywhere near the same kind of prices as Lizzy's embroidery or lace bands brought in. The primary advantage was that Jane could do the work in plain sight of Mrs. Bennet and her daughters without being questioned about it, so long as she was careful.

As she worked on an actual piece of mending, Lizzy looked around the room. The scene was fairly typical for an evening at Longbourn just before dinner. When it was clear that Mrs. Bennet's lecture to Lizzy was over, Mary moved to the harpsichord tucked away in a corner of the room and began to play. With as much practice as she put in, Lizzy often wondered why her playing was no better. Bad technique, she supposed. Any hints or suggestions Lizzy had offered when Mary was first learning had been brushed aside and ignored after a few unpleasant comments from Mrs. Bennet. Now, the two older sisters just let her play as she would. She used the old harpsichord when in this room and the pianoforte in the music room otherwise.

Kitty and Lydia sat at a worktable. They squabbled over a fashion magazine and a pile of ribbons as each tried to remake a bonnet into something more elegant. Lizzy knew neither of them had any eye for color or design but they often came up with something decent if they copied the magazine illustrations faithfully and stuck to ribbons that matched those on their gowns.

Mr. Bennet, of course, was nowhere to be seen. Even before his health had begun to fail, he normally stayed in his book room, away from all things feminine. In those days, he would usually come out to join them for dinner. Now, it was even bet whether they would see him at all on any given day. With the mood Mrs. Bennet was in, Lizzy doubted he would make the effort to join them for dinner that night even with his supposedly favorite daughter now at home.

They were soon called to table. Lizzy's suspicion proved correct. Not only did her father not show up, Mrs. Bennet behaved as if she had not slightest suspicion that he might. Lizzy would have to check on him in the morning to see how much worse his health had become in the past few weeks. He never liked to be disturbed in the evenings but sometimes she could get a few words with him in the earlier hours of the day.

As was their habit, Jane and Lizzy ate their meal in silence. Kitty and Lydia made enough noise for all five young women as they gabbled on about the upcoming assembly. Mrs. Bennet encouraged them to look their finest, with the new master of Netherfield likely to attend. At the end of the meal, she addressed Jane and Lizzy.

"When we arrive at the assembly tomorrow, you will both make certain you greet Sir William as soon as may be. I want him to know you are there so he has no excuse to avoid introducing me and my daughters to Mr. Bingley. Once that task is done, you will stay out of the way and off the dance floor. You are both excused for the evening. Leave."

Jane and Lizzy both stood, curtsied to Mrs. Bennet and left the room. No answer was required, only obedience. That aside, both were glad to be out of Mrs. Bennet's company and away from the noisy chatter of Kitty and Lydia. Mary could be pleasant enough company when she wished to be, but in her mother's presence, she rarely wished to.

Taking a candle in a holder that had been left for them on a small table in the hallway, the two young women gladly slipped away to the sanctuary of the small room they shared, locking the door behind them out of long habit.

"Did you bring more fabric and supplies?" Jane asked once they were safely inside. "I know you had to leave quickly. This stay has been so long that the shift I am currently working on is made from the last of my supply."

"Never fear, dear Jane. We filled your order on the first day I arrived, just in case of an unexpected summons. I brought little else with me other than your supplies and mine. Shall we set to cutting out some more shifts for you to work on?"

"Yes, please. It is so much easier when we can work together.'

Moving to the wall near the bed, Lizzy shifted the candle from the holder to a mirrored sconce hung there, increasing the available light. Then, she and Jane carefully released the ties that held a large, thin piece of board suspended under the bed ropes. They did their best to avoid any noise that might alert the household to their activities. The board was moved on top of the neatly-made bed to provide a cutting surface.

Lizzy unlocked and opened her trunk. After removing and putting away her nightgown and the small box containing her hairbrush and other such personal items, she revealed her own small work-box and the stack of supplies that filled the rest of the trunk. She drew out one of the tightly folded lengths of fine white cotton while Jane retrieved the patterns from their place in her own trunk.

Working as a team, with one on either side of the bed, they carefully opened out and spread a length of the fabric over the cutting board. Then, they pinned the patterns in place and cut out the various pieces. Opening more of the fabric, they repeated the process until they had sufficient pieces cut out to make another dozen shifts.

As Jane folded the cut pieces into twelve bundles ready to be made up, Lizzy cleaned up all the stray scraps from their cutting. When cutting, they arranged the patterns to make the most efficient use of the fabric but there were always a few sizable chunks of fabric left that could be cut and hemmed for handkerchiefs. Lizzy put those in a covered basket in a corner. The smaller scraps were gathered up and placed in a bag until they could be slipped into the household ragbag later.

Jane's bundles and patterns were locked away in her trunk. The remaining supplies in Lizzy's trunk were also locked away. Once that was done, they worked together to rehang the cutting board in its place under the bed. The two had worked in near silence while there was some chance another member of the household might hear them and wish to investigate. Once all evidence of their activities was safely locked away, they finally felt free to speak as they both prepared for bed.

Lizzy quietly told Jane about her latest stay with the Gardiners including details of a small dinner party she had attended with them. They discussed the commissions Lizzy had completed and the amount she had been able to add to the fund intended to support them both when their father passed on. They already had enough in their account to provide them with a respectable, albeit extremely modest establishment together until one or both of them married or they reached the age when they could access the interest on their dowries of fifteen thousand pounds each.

The full thirty thousand pounds had come through a bequest from their maternal grandmother's family and had been placed in trust to be divided among all of their mother's surviving daughters. The funds were entirely separate from their mother's dowry, which had all been paid out to their father and was, in all likelihood, long gone at this point. The fund was managed by their mother's brother, Mr. Gardiner, who had never shared the exact amount each girl would have, believing the current Mrs. Bennet would try to find a way to deprive them of it. He had told their father that the two sisters had a dowry that was to be administered through him when the time came to draw up marriage settlements, but he had not even indicated whether it was a modest or large amount. Mr. Bennet had never bothered to inquire further, nor had he ever offered to add anything to the amount.

When Jane turned fifteen, the Gardiners had told both sisters about their dowries after extracting a promise that they would not say anything about the amount until after they had both reached the age of majority. The girls already understood that telling anyone at Longbourn would only cause more resentment and problems. Worse yet, if Tony found out, they would be in danger from him or his fortune-hunting friends. On this subject silence was their best friend.

Even though they had what would probably be enough to carry them in their account, along with the knowledge that the Gardiners would never allow them to starve, that was not the end of the matter and they would not stop working yet. Both knew that their father had also failed to provide any significant dowry for Mary, Kitty or Lydia as well. Mrs. Bennet had the interest on the five thousand pounds that had been her jointure and was held in trust to be divided among her children on her death. Tony always complained because the wording of the trust did not specify the children of her first husband, in which case he would be sole heir because Mary was legally Mr. Bennet's daughter. Lizzy suspected Tony might have been willing to find a sneaky way to kill his own mother for the full five thousand, but one thousand two hundred fifty was not quite worth the risk of a noose. At any rate, that was all their half-sisters could expect on their mother's death and they had nothing coming to them from their father so far as anyone could tell. Jane and Lizzy both knew they might be called on to assist if Mr. and Mrs. Phillips were not willing to help support their three nieces.

In her turn, Jane discussed the happenings in the neighborhood. They talked over the state of their father's health, which was not good and rapidly deteriorating. Jane also spoke of Mrs. Bennet's growing desperation to see at least one of her own daughters married before she became a widow again, an occasion that appeared to be looming.

"Has Tony visited lately?" Lizzy asked.

"Briefly," Jane replied with a slight grimace. She liked to see the best in people, so even that little gesture of censure spoke volumes. Experience had taught her not to trust Mrs. Bennet's son. In fact, Anthony Jamison might have the distinction of being the one person in the world that Jane most truly disliked. "He came for money and only stayed long enough to get what he was after. I expect the household funds are a bit lighter than they were before he arrived."

"Did anything go missing this time?"

Jane nodded. "I have not said anything to avoid upsetting Papa, but when Tony left, it looked like one of his saddlebags was stuffed with books."

"And not borrowed to read, I would wager," Lizzy said grimly. "I expect he took a selection of the more rare and expensive ones. He may not care to peruse the interior of a book, but Tony lived in this house long enough to know which volumes could be sold for the highest profit. I just hope Papa does not miss them any time soon."

"Yes, Mr. Jones warned us again of the dangers of any sudden upsets in his current condition."

"I should think Tony would be more circumspect. He stands to lose his allowance and a place to stay whenever his funds are too low to pay for his own lodgings, not to mention knowing that his mother and sisters will be thrown from their home when Papa is gone. Still, he never was much good at remembering that his actions have consequences attached. I am very glad he is not here right now."

"That makes two of us," Jane said simply.

After a little more discussion of upcoming events, including their plans to stay out of Mrs. Bennet's way during the assembly the following evening, Jane said, "I think we should save the rest of the candle for later and get some sleep. It is good to have you back, Lizzy. I always feel safer when we are together."

"I always feel safer when we are together in the Gardiner's home, but barring that, I would rather be with you here than have either of us be here on our own."

Lizzy blew out the candle. Soon, both of them were fast asleep.