Dinner in the Great Hall was an awkward affair. The ladies gathered first in the Tunstall Gallery. Cazza, Lulu, and Hattie remained reserved and curt; Georgiana was so shy she spent the whole time hiding in the deep recess of an arrow window, peeping out to view the company occasionally and retiring quickly if anyone caught sight of her. Reynolds brought a roast pig into the Great Hall and encouraged the ladies to tuck in before the gents arrived. The conversation had reached a low ebb, and so whilst they seemed unable to speak, the ladies were able to eat. Lizzy was desperate for the gentlemen to appear. Half an hour later, Darcy and Bingley stood before them. Cazza, not yet beaten by Lizzy, threw herself upon Darcy, encouraging him to sit by her and showing off her decolletage to its best effect, yet with little effect. This made her angry, and she turned her jealous passion upon Lizzy.
“Eliza, are not the lifeguards now confined for their training at South Sands? How trying that must be for your family!”
Lifeguards instantly brought the name of Wickham to the minds of several in the room. The vicious dig intended for Lizzy also sent a knife into the heart of Darcy, and worse, Georgiana, who still too shy to join them, remained in the Tunstall Gallery but could hear every word. Still recovering from her near elopement, she fell in a faint into the recess. After trifle, Lizzy and the Gardiners left, and Cazza, Hattie, and Lulu had an enjoyable time knocking back vodka and tonic whilst tearing Lizzy’s character and looks apart.
“Totally sad, a complete waster,” was Hattie’s view.
“Did you see her earrings? Costume jewellery,” chortled Lulu. “So cheap!”
Cazza tried to draw Darcy in. “Did you admire her earrings, Darcy? Do you think they set off her face to best advantage? I do recall you thought her rather pretty at one time.”
“I did, once, think her pretty. Now I consider her one of the handsomest women in my acquaintance,” retorted Darcy, finishing the tail end of a glass of single malt whisky and retiring uneasily to bed.