Elizabeth sat at her sewing table, her hands working quickly as she pinned the pieces of the sewing pattern to the white muslin fabric. This activity was becoming increasingly familiar, as she sewed baby gowns by the dozen for the charity that assisted unwed mothers and their children. The fabric was that of one of her old gowns. Much of the fabric was still in good condition, though in some places it had been worn thin. Those scraps were saved in order to be reused, either as rags or tied into long strips that could be woven together to make a rug for the servants' quarters.
"Kitty!" she called to her sister. "What have you done with my fabric scissors? If I find that you have been using them to cut paper silhouettes again, I shall be very upset with you!"
Kitty appeared in the doorway, looking sheepish. "I did not use them for paper. I needed them to cut ribbons and I could not find mine."
"Very well," said Elizabeth with a sigh. "Just bring them back when you are done next time. I dislike having to go looking for my things."
Kitty scrutinised her sister. "You are in a foul temper."
"Yes, well, I did not sleep well." Elizabeth began to cut the fabric, pulling out the pins as she went along.
"You are never like this when you just do not sleep well. Something has upset you." Kitty sat in a nearby chair. She thought about taking up the embroidery that sat on the nearby table, but did not, as she wished to focus her attention on her sister.
"Perhaps it is just that Papa is still not entirely better. I am worried about him. His cough has still not subsided entirely."
"I am as well, but both Mary and Mr. Jones said that just happens sometimes. Coughs linger."
"Are we certain it is just a cough and not something more? Perhaps we ought to seek the opinion of a physician?" Elizabeth knew her father did not like physicians as a matter of principal. He always said that Mr. Jones's treatment was good enough for him, but the local apothecary might not know as much about rarer diseases as a town doctor might.
"You might speak with Mother about it," said Kitty, "Or Mary. He will listen to them better than he will us."
Elizabeth agreed that she would do so before quietly continuing her work. Kitty sat and watched her for a while, wondering if she ought to bring up the other subject that she thought might bother her sister. She decided against it. She decided to try another method.
"Aunt Phillips told me that Mr. Wickham was put in debtor's prison. A colonel from a different regiment put the debt collectors on him, according to Mrs. Robinson. He had over four hundred pounds in debt."
"You ought not to listen to Aunt Phillips when she gossips so." Elizabeth gathered the pieces that she had cut out into a pile and set them aside. She then spread out a length of cheap muslin she had bought and began to again put the pins in place.
"Maybe you ought to rest, Lizzy. You are not yourself." Kitty rose to leave. "I am going to check on Papa."
Elizabeth nodded in farewell to her sister, but did not cease her work. Only after she had cut out the pattern pieces for eight gowns did she set her materials aside. Over the next several days, she would sew the pieces together to make simple frocks.
She sat down in the chair and put her head in her hands. She did not know how she was to attend any functions in the near future. Not with Mr. and Mrs. Bingley taking up residence at Netherfield. She did not blame them, for now that Mr. Wickham was in debtor's prison, there was no reason why they should not. From what Elizabeth had gathered from the gossip she had just chastised her sister for listening to, Mrs. Bingley was only sixteen and very quiet. Such a one as she would not bear up well under the same roof as Miss Bingley.
It spoke well of Mr. Bingley that he was removing his wife from his sisters' influence. Yet, that also meant that Elizabeth would have to face the couple. It would be decidedly uncomfortable. She did not know if Mr. Darcy had told his sister of Elizabeth's guilt or not. She would not blame Mrs. Bingley if she wanted nothing to do with any of the Bennets, for they were the cause of her current situation. Then there was the fact that Mr. Bingley had been fond of Elizabeth and had hinted at making an offer of marriage not so long ago. While she had not felt anything beyond neighbourly fondness for the gentleman, it might not be entirely comfortable for the young bride to be often in Elizabeth's presence. Thankfully, Elizabeth was quite certain that she could simply volunteer to be the one to remain home with her father during dinners and parties.
"No, Lizzy," said Mary. "You must come to my dinner. Imagine how much worse it will be if you encounter Mrs. Bingley accidentally. And what shall the gossips say if you avoid Mr. and Mrs. Bingley? That you are a woman scorned?"
Elizabeth groaned. "You can just tell them that I need to stay with Papa. His cough is worse again."
"You cannot simply remain at home forever. The doctor will be here tomorrow, and he is well cared for by mother."
"But…"
"No. You know Mother will not go while Father is ill. If you do not come, my numbers will be thrown off. I have seated you between the younger Mr. Goulding and Sir William. You are nowhere near Mr. or Mrs. Bingley, but you will be required to extend your felicitations at some point in the evening. This dinner has been planned for a long time and it is the first event that I am hosting on this scale. You must come."
Elizabeth gave in. "Very well, but why did you have to extend an invitation to them in the first place?"
"It would have been exceeding rude not to. How would it look if we did not, particularly as they are owed particular distinction due to their newlywed status?"
"I still say I liked you better before you got married and became so decided in your opinions," teased Elizabeth.
"I was always decided in my opinions; I just did not speak those opinions aloud." Mary rummaged through Elizabeth's dinner dresses, rejecting a few before selecting a copper gown with ivory lace trimmings. "Wear this one, and you should wear the combs with the ivory roses."
"So decided," said Elizabeth.
"You don't have to listen to me," said Mary with a shrug, "but I believe you will wish to look your best. That gown becomes you is all."
Elizabeth agreed to wear the gown that her younger sister had selected. Mary had to leave soon after, for she had to oversee the last preparations for the dinner. Her servants would have most everything ready, but she needed to be certain everything was prepared as she wished it.
As Elizabeth did not need to get dressed just yet, she went down to check on her father. He was in the sitting room, carefully analysing the intricate details of something contained within the large frame in his lap. He rose as she entered, for although they had deemed such unnecessary, Mr. Bennet would not give up his manners to his illness.
"What are you studying so carefully?" Elizabeth sat in the chair beside her father, but the way he was holding the frame and the sunlight shining off the glass made it difficult to tell what it was.
Mr. Bennet turned the frame slightly so she could see it. "A papyrus. Mr. Hutchinson, the gentleman who Mr. Wickham was going to introduce me to, lent it to me. It is not valuable, except in that it contains beautiful artwork. It was in a tomb and Hutchinson believes that it is contains information about the underworld that the Egyptians believed in."
"Are you sure Mr. Hutchinson is trustworthy?" asked Elizabeth before her father could launch into a lecture about the Egyptian belief system. "You heard what happened to Mr. Wickham and all that he was accused of."
"Hutchinson is one of the men who, a decade ago, helped to reclaim the stone from France. His reputation is above reproach," said Mr. Bennet firmly.
"I just…I just have heard of people being taken advantage of is all." Elizabeth forced a smile. "But I am sure your knowledge of antiquities would ensure that would not happen to you."
Mr. Bennet considered his daughter, one eyebrow raised. "I am not buying anything from him. I am simply borrowing the parchment."
Elizabeth let the matter drop, not wishing to upset herself or her father. She asked if he needed anything and fulfilled his request when he asked her to ring the bell for a servant. She went to her room and called for Sarah to assist her in dressing; while the copper gown was pretty, it was complicated to put on.
As she sat at her dressing table watching as Sarah pinned her hair into place and inserted the decorative combs, Elizabeth considered her parents. Children are often unaware of their parents' faults, considering adults as magical beings that never make the same sort of mistakes that they do. Although she had long known that her parents were not perfect, the only mistakes she had seen them make were small or out of their control. They, of course, had likely erred in ways that she had not noticed as well. Yet, now she saw her parents for the flawed people they were. It was uncomfortable, particularly when she considered how she was very like them in many ways.
"There you are, Miss Bennet," said Sarah with a smile. "Pretty as a picture."
"Thank you, Sarah." Elizabeth smiled at the maid. "Is Kitty ready?"
"Aye, Miss. Mrs. Hill saw to her, since the mistress isn't attending."
Elizabeth found her sister already waiting downstairs, anxiously pacing.
"I thought you might have decided not to go after all. Then I would be by myself, and well…," Kitty let her voice trail off, but Elizabeth knew that Kitty was unlikely to attend if she didn't go as well. Her sister had not been out for long, and still was a little nervous around people who were not intimate friends of the family.
"No," said Elizabeth, "I just took longer than I ought to have. I am sorry. Shall we go?"
Kitty answered by heading towards the door. One of the footmen opened it for them, then followed them outside and handing them in, before hopping up on the back of the carriage.
"Mary is bustling about inside," said Mr. Hadley when they arrived. "She is very nervous, particularly as we just found out that we shall have two more guests than we expected. It is well, though, for Lenny found the extra chairs."
Elizabeth and Kitty were not given time to ask who the other guests were before they were urged inside and out of their coats. They were the first to arrive, but it was only a minute before they heard another carriage.
"Get away from the window, Kitty!" Elizabeth cried out when her sister peered out to see who it was. "That is not proper."
"It is just the Lucases," said Kitty. "Oh and Maria is with them!"
Maria Lucas was Kitty's particular friend. They had been very different when Mary was still living at Longbourn, but it seemed that the longer that Mary was wed, the more Kitty emulated herself after her friend. Elizabeth did not know how to feel about this, as her sister had become sillier, but also more confident.
When the Lucases entered, they greeted their hosts properly before Charlotte gravitated to Elizabeth and Maria to Kitty.
"Are you nervous?" whispered Charlotte.
Elizabeth shook her head lightly. "I have no reason to be."
"Your posture says otherwise," said her friend. "You had best master yourself, or my mother and your aunt will not believe your pretence."
Charlotte incorrectly supposed the reason for Elizabeth's anxiety, but her advice was good, particularly since the Phillipses had just arrived. Elizabeth smiled and was about to take a step towards her aunt and uncle until she was stopped by the sight of the guests entering behind them.
Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy were standing in the entryway, being divested of their coats and hats. When Mr. Bingley moved slightly, Elizabeth caught sight of a tall, blonde, young lady with a womanly figure. When she turned to hand her bonnet to the waiting servant, Elizabeth caught sight of her face. She was young. Elizabeth had known this, but it was something entirely different when the young lady stood before her, looking doe-eyed and frightened by so many unfamiliar faces.
"How good to see you again, Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy," said Mr. Hadley, coming forward with a broad smile and a bow. "I do not believe I have yet had the honour of meeting Mrs. Bingley."
