Reputation, An Easy Thing to Lose ARC

When Caroline finished the invitation for Darcy and his sister to dine with the Bingley family on Thursday, she looked back out of the window. A few strollers were still out at this an unfashionable hour on their way to numerous errands and calls. Caroline promised herself that this would be the year. She would no longer wait for Darcy to speak.

She would promote her match with Charles, Hurst, Georgiana, and anyone else who would listen. With luck, the expectation created by gossip would finally prompt Darcy to act. He would not want his reputation as a gentleman to falter by jilting his best friend’s sister. And if social persuasion was not enough, Caroline would have to orchestrate another solution next summer at Pemberley.

The season always ends officially on the last Friday of June. Most of the best families take their leave of Town by mid-June and spend the last few weeks of socializing at the country homes of their friends before tucking into their own estates for the fall and winter. While Almack’s and Vauxhall Gardens provided a pretty background for flirtations, most serious proposals were conducted in the more private setting of the end-of-season house parties or private balls. Any debuting lady would be the envy of the entire season if she could manage to procure prestigious acceptances to an end-of-the-season house party given by a member of le bon ton. Caroline would introduce the idea of hosting a small end-of-season house party at Pemberley in honour of Georgiana’s debut.

Oh yes, Caroline would be Mrs. Darcy by the end of this next season.