The morning after introducing Darcy to her aunt and uncle, Elizabeth Bennet experienced a rude awakening at the hands of her aunt. Her covers ripped away, Elizabeth shivered in the bed as she saw her Aunt Maddie fully dressed and ready for the day.
"I prepared a bath, and you must hurry to keep our appointment with Mrs. Carlton."
Elizabeth groaned. "How on earth do we already possess an appointment at the dressmaker’s?"
"A note personally to her house early this morning, for which I have received a response. She is willing to open up her shop one hour ahead of schedule for our pleasure."
Elizabeth rubbed her eyes and yawned before sliding her feet into her slippers and following her aunt to her bath. She could not stand on a footstool being measured and trying on various fabrics against her complexion with yesterday's dirtiness from the park on her skin. Still, she grumbled as she shuffled down the hall behind her aunt.
"I cannot agree I require more new dresses. I just bought two for Jane's wedding, and they are quite nice." In her life, not a single visit to a modiste had been a pleasurable experience.
Standing outside the door to the bath, Mrs. Gardiner placed one hand on her hip and scowled at her niece. "I will not fall into the hysterics of your mother, but you have too much sense, Lizzie Bennet, to think you can court and engage yourself to a man of Mr. Darcy's means without looking the part. We will have a dress made immediately for the theater, but you will need many more frocks as you will be expected to be on Mr. Darcy's arm this spring."
Visions of dancing with her Mr. Darcy in every grand ballroom of London flitted through Elizabeth's mind. It was a dream she could scarcely believe would happen. She offered her aunt a shy smile and agreed that as much as she hated visiting the dressmaker, her aunt was right. She wasted no more time in completing her toilette and dressing for the day's activities.
In the short carriage ride over to Bond Street, Elizabeth wondered when she and Mr. Darcy would actually get married. She knew they must play out the charade of indifferent acquaintances for his family until mid-April, but she wondered how much longer afterwards they would be forced to wait. Part of her wished to have a proper engagement of a few weeks after the Easter holiday, but she also reasoned that the two of them would likely wish to marry soon in order to begin their lives as husband and wife. Thinking about the little information she knew of such a future, Elizabeth giggled as she gazed out the window of the Gardiner carriage.
Mrs. Gardiner raised an eyebrow at the genuine mirth on her niece's countenance. Any man that could make her Lizzie smile even when he was not present was suitable in Madeleine Gardner's mind. But if the suitor hurt her niece as her husband warned her last night when they retired for bed, she would not rest until he made amends. Feeling another wave of mild nausea wash over her body, she pulled a mint-scented handkerchief from her dress pocket. Elizabeth's eyes widened at the familiar gesture she had seen her aunt perform on two previous occasions shortly before announcing herself with child. Out of politeness, Elizabeth did not comment on the handkerchief.
Modiste Henrietta Carlton welcomed Madeleine Gardner and her niece into the shop as if she were welcoming old friends. As Elizabeth removed her gloves and bonnet, she was most flattered for the personal attention. The last time she had visited this shop, the attention had been squarely where it needed to be, upon Jane.
Awaiting her aunt to discuss terms with Mrs. Carlton, Elizabeth admired the many items on display she had not enjoyed an opportunity to peruse before. Listening to the shop owner haggle over the various materials Mrs. Gardiner insisted be brought out for her niece, Elizabeth cleared her throat. She knew of one fabric in particular she wanted more than any of the others.
"There was a lovely satin in a pale shade of blush offered to my sister, but we rejected it because it did not match her complexion. I should be thrilled with a gown made of it with delicate rosettes along the bust line."
Both older women peered at Elizabeth to consider her request, stunned the young woman had such specific ideas about her dress. Her aunt responded first. "That is an excellent choice, my dear, and if I may be so bold, I suggest we trim with a hunter green ribbon." Mrs. Gardiner reached over to the display of ribbons and fingered the handsome green she had in mind.
With green being one of Elizabeth's favorite colors, she smiled and nodded, accepting a chocolate offered by Mrs. Carlton. Escorted behind the screen by her aunt, as Elizabeth took her place to stand on the stool for measurements, she felt most pleased to experience such fuss over her person.