It was the morning after the ball. Caroline held a letter from her sister Louisa in her hand. She had a curious disinclination to opening it. She felt confounded and irate.
After the aforementioned incident of the previous night, Georgiana had not left Kitty Bennet's side (Kitty having been persuaded back into the ballroom by her friend's solicitude and kind entreaties) for the remainder of the ball, except at nearly the end of the evening, to dance with Mr. Grantley. Mrs. Darcy and Mrs. Bingley had joined them then. Upon seeing Kitty sufficiently recovered as to be laughing with her companions, Lord Erbington had returned to claim Kitty Bennet for the final dance!
Caroline comforted herself with the thought that at the very least, although she had resisted (though not too civilly, perhaps) the indefatigable Mr. Westham's attempts to get her to dance with him again, she had not been without a partner for the remainder of the night. She was after all, well-connected, handsome, and the heiress of twenty thousand pounds.
At last, the final dance had been danced, the guests safely deposited in their respective rooms or carriages, and poor Caroline left to spend the rest of the night in delightful slumber and forgetfulness, or in irritation and wakefulness.
Recollecting herself to the present, Caroline languidly opened the letter. It read-
Grosvenor Street: Saturday (February 5, 1814)
My dear Caroline,
Hope you are in good health and spirits. By the time my letter reaches you, I presume The Ball would have been over. I hope you enjoyed it! Did you like the gown I had sent you? Did you dance with the Colonel much? You must send me a detailed account of all the people you danced with in the course of the evening.
By the bye, I hope you indulged Westham. I believe he has come into the large fortune and title of his lately deceased great-uncle, a Baronet of some standing in Suffolk.
Everything is as usual here. We dined with the Morrisons on Friday and we are having the Watsons over for Tea after church tomorrow. Do write to me as soon as you get to our brother's house. When you get bored of being too long in the country, you are welcome to come over to London.
Affectionately,
LOUISA HURST
Caroline finished reading the epistle. She then crumpled her beloved sister's letter and threw it into the fireplace, which was still glowing with the embers from last-night's fire.