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Elizabeth thought sitting at the table with Lady Catherine and Mr. Collins was tedious, but it was nothing compared to being trapped in a carriage with a bored Lady Catherine. Elizabeth found herself wishing Mr. Collins had joined them if only for Lady Catherine to have someone to talk to who cared to listen. As it was, Elizabeth preferred to enjoy the scenery or read. Lady Catherine wanted conversation, although her idea of conversation was a monologue.
"The carriage is built on springs that keep us from feeling every rut. You can tell when the driver moves to the left or right to avoid a particularly deep rut, but he need not worry about shallower ruts."
Elizabeth nodded.
"A post carriage is built for speed rather than comfort. You feel every rut as though you sit on knives. They are very hardy and are unlikely to break. The mail coach must never be late, for our correspondence is essential to daily life."
Elizabeth exclaimed that she found this information interesting. It was not.
"When you are mistress of Pemberley, you must select a driver who knows how to avoid the ruts. You have likely never considering hiring drivers or servants before. Mr. Collins tells me your housekeeper has been part of your household for years. Likely, she manages the hiring. This will not be possible at Pemberley. It is too fine a residence to be trusted to a housekeeper to hire servants. A driver must know the roads, the villages he will pass, and how to direct the reins to avoid the worst ruts. Not all drivers are capable."
Elizabeth declared that Mr. Darcy likely had very capable drivers and thanked Lady Catherine for her advice. This tactic silenced Lady Catherine for five minutes. The silence was heavenly.
"We must be close to Bromley, the best inn to change horses. I have always told Rogers that he must always change horses at Bromley. My own horses are kept here so that I may be sure to reach London safely. You cannot trust post horses found at the inns. Mr. Darcy has several horses housed at appropriate inns along his usually traveled roads. The inn must be clean, the owner refined, and rooms expensive to ensure farmers stay out of your rented rooms. I could not abide sharing a bed with a farmer."
Elizabeth almost giggled as she briefly imagined Lady Catherine sharing a bed with a farmer. It would probably have been worse had it been a tradesman, such was her distaste for them.
Lady Catherine would have continued, but the carriage jostled from a particularly bad rut. "I have told Rutherford to repair this road. His wife has now given birth to her third son in three years. He must stop using that as his excuse to neglect the roads. This is what happens when tradesmen become gentlemen. They do not know how to prioritize tasks. It is the duty of the landed gentry to keep the roads passable."
Elizabeth refrained from rolling her eyes. "The ruts could also be the aftermath of the heavy rain that fell two days ago. Surely, we can provide them grace for so recent an issue."
"No!" Lady Catherine snapped. "You must be firm with the lower classes. They must learn that their duty has no timeline. Every time it rains, the roads must be checked for ruts. You will not find any ruts around Rosings. Two footmen are sent out while the roads are soft, for that is the time to easily fill in the ruts with mud. A tradesman cannot become a gentleman, no matter how much money he makes. It is always evident."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes this time.
"How dare you behave so! To think that my advice is so ridiculous as to warrant that movement of your eyes. You are not fit for the role of mistress of Pemberley, even if your father is a gentleman. The stench of trade is too close to you as well."
"And you shall be painted with the same brush. It is our Christian duty to love thy neighbor without judgement. When I marry Mr. Darcy, my relations become his, and he is not ashamed of them. As such, they will soon become your relations as well. You may as well begin to copy my movements so that all can see your lowly connections." Elizabeth looked out the window as she sighed.
"Not if I can prevent it!" Lady Catherine boomed.
Elizabeth did not turn her head. They still had at least an hour in this carriage, and she knew she would not convince Lady Catherine. There was no point to continuing the conversation. Thankfully, they arrived at the Bromley coaching inn within a quarter hour.
The proprietor had been watching for their carriage and came out to help them down and welcome them to his inn. He bowed almost in half to show deference to Lady Catherine before he showed them to a private dining room filled with enough food for 10 people. Elizabeth and Lady Catherine sat in silence as they ate. Elizabeth was not very hungry, so she enjoyed a couple cucumber sandwiches while Lady Catherine had her fill of meats, cheeses, bread, and fruit.
Half an hour later, they were back on the road toward London. Lady Catherine continued to stare at Eizabeth as though she were the devil himself. Elizabeth looked out the window, knowing that it would do no good to confront Lady Catherine again.
They drove through another rut, bringing Lady Catherine back to her tirade about the roads. Elizabeth steadily ignored her as she imagined her future home with Fitzwilliam Darcy instead of engaging her irate companion. She hoped this was the last time she would need to travel with Lady Catherine.
Lady Catherine spoke without pause until they arrived in front of a very stately house. Elizabeth looked apprehensively at the gaudy decorations around the windows and wrinkled her nose in disgust. They were not very inviting. "This is not how I envisioned Darcy House." She absentmindedly stated.
"This is not Darcy House." Lady Catherine declared as though such should have been obvious. Elizabeth released a sigh of relief.
"This is the home of a very prominent family and close friend. I must speak with my friend, now that I am in town. Lady Whistleton is a very important member of the ton, and will help us stem the gossip, if there is any. Stay here, for I will not have you and your lowly speeches undo my hard work."
Elizabeth looked warily at Lady Catherine. She had no desire to be in company with her, and the thought of a quarter hour of silence sounded heavenly, but her diatribe earlier made Elizabeth uneasy. "No. I shall come with you. How am I to learn the speech of the ton if I am not to be in the presence of, as you say, a very important member of the ton."
Lady Catherine huffed. Her footman was about to open the door, and she knew their privacy was at an end. "Very well, but you must not say a word. I know how to act."
"I shall do my best." Elizabeth said as the door opened.
AN: Sorry for the delay. School ended, and I needed time to recover. It was such a joy to see the growth in my students, and somewhat bittersweet to see them move on. Then I went on vacation with my 6 year old nephew which was time consuming, not to mention the fact that I am writing on a very old chromebook. I'll travel home Tuesday and I hope to adapt a nearly daily writing schedule then. I hope your day is going well and that you are enjoying this story. Your reviews mean the world to me.
