To Teach the Admiring Multitude by Eleanor Wilton

Author:Eleanor Wilton [Wilton, Eleanor]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-04-16T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Mrs. Darcy’s Dinner Party

When Elizabeth had first informed Mr. Darcy of Lady Richmond’s visit he was greatly surprised. Lady Richmond did not visit. She received visits with precise regularity and entertained with the same to a select circle of people. The only greater honour to attending a dinner at Richmond House was for Lady Richmond to condescend to accept an invitation to dine. Therefore, her visit to Mrs. Darcy had been very much out of her customary habits. Mr. Darcy’s surprise was immediately followed by irritation and indignation when Elizabeth shared its import. He had no interest in playing the part seemingly advised by his aunt, nor did he take well to having his wife’s natural unfamiliarity with the peculiarities of London society manipulated by her ladyship.

“We are not obliged to entertain to satisfy the intrusive curiosity of any person,” he had replied to Elizabeth in heated displeasure and with no apparent interest in pursuing the topic any further.

“I can assure you that I have no interest in taking on the role of fashionable London hostess, much less do I have any wish to open myself to idle curiosity as though I were a curio on a shelf to be picked apart and examined. I care not if the refusal of an invitation has slighted some person I have never met and for whom you have no established sympathy. Ought I, therefore, disregard the counsel of Lady Richmond when she intends to do me a service? What would you advise?” she had replied with equal displeasure.

He comprehended that much as it irritated him, Elizabeth was correct. His aunt’s coming to see her was an extraordinary act of friendship, and they would be foolish to disregard her counsel. If it were only himself and Elizabeth, he would not care, but as Lord Enfield’s recent attentions reminded him, he had Georgiana’s prospects to more immediately be concerned with, and, in future, that of any children with which they might be blessed.

Elizabeth had insisted. “Lady Richmond is entirely sensible when you consider it dispassionately. Let them all come for an evening and they will be satisfied. I will finally cease to be a novelty and we can go on living our lives in unencumbered peace. If one evening’s entertainment will relieve me of even a modicum of tireless inspection, so be it.”

As the guests settled into their seats and the servants began to serve the first course, Mr. Darcy looked down the expanse of the lavishly set table and let his gaze roam its perimeter to examine the doyens of society sitting there, come in judgement. He could say with sincerity that he disliked or was indifferent to a full half of the people sitting at this moment at his table—the self-declared adjudicators come to see how his wife comported herself as a hostess, and, in no less equal measure, come to be properly feted. Yet he understood his aunt had been correct and one lavish evening’s entertainment was all that was required to silence the pertinacious gossips and leave them in peace.

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