“I just don’t know what I’m doing wrong,” she moaned to Lady Burnham over tea a week later. “So few of my visits are being returned, and I’m not getting many invitations.”
“You aren’t doing anything wrong, my dear, I don’t know why that is always your first assumption,” Lady Burnham chided her protegee gently. “It takes time for things to fall into place, that’s all.”
“Well, I hope you’re right. I’d hate to let Nicholas down, after all the effort and money he’s poured into this endeavour.”
“Let’s not discuss the financial side of it. I’m sure His Grace is well aware that not everything is in your hands,” Lady Burnham said.
“I know it’s untoward to discuss money; however, I have a matter regarding means and etiquette I need your advice on.”
“I’m listening,” Lady Burnham set her teacup down and folded her hands in her lap.
“A young lady I’ve come to consider a friend is clearly less fortunate than I am.”
“What makes you say that? Has she complained to you?”
Elizabeth quickly shook her head. “Nothing like that. I’ve just noticed things.”
“Such as?”
“Her attire and her behaviour. She will avoid attending events where a ticket is required, and the like.”
“How close are you two?”
“I’ve called on her several times, both alone and with a mutual friend, and she has always returned my visits. I feel at ease with her, we can talk about many different things, and she never gossips. Instead, we discuss our thoughts and feelings about things.” Elizabeth stopped talking and looked embarrassed.
Lady Burnham remained silent, clearly waiting for Elizabeth to voice her dilemma.
“God has blessed me with so much, and I’d like to share some of it with her in a way that will not be obvious or make her feel ashamed of her circumstances. I do not wish to hurt her feelings by assuming she needs help, but on the other hand, I do not wish to be taken advantage of in case my judgment of her character turns out to be incorrect.”
“I see. Let me consider the issue for a moment.”
Lizzie held her breath as Lady Burnham contemplated the matter.
“I can only speak from personal inclination and experience, so please do not forget that as you consider whether to heed my advice. In my opinion, it is paramount to conceal that you are intentionally helping this person. That will help to avoid hurting her and protect you from being taken advantage of. The key is to make every offer you extend seem as something incidental.”
“Can you give me an example?”
“You mentioned attending events that require purchasing a ticket. Instead of openly inviting this friend and offering to pay for her ticket, you can pretend you yourself were gifted tickets, and say that you need someone to accompany you. If you don’t think you can pretend in person, you can always ask via letter.”
“That is so clever!”
Elizabeth beamed, and Lady Burnham smiled as well.
“Don’t be so surprised, my dear.”
*
The following evening, Elizabeth attended the Opera with her aunt Isolde. Lady Burnham had gone over the etiquette of the evening with her and had even explained the plot ofThe Marriage of Figaroin great detail. Elizabeth thanked God for that because it turned out that, even if it had been sung in English, her nerves would not have allowed her to follow along.
At first, when she entered her brother’s box, she felt safe and cocooned by the thick crimson carpet silencing her steps, and the brocade of the same colour covering the seats. But when she stepped closer to the edge of the box and looked down into the vastness of the auditorium before her, Lizzie felt lightheaded upon seeing the rows and rows of boxes held up by fluted, gilt pillars.
When she could no longer bear it, she looked up and was met by a ceiling that was painted to resemble the sky.How wondrous,she mused, but when Isolde delicately cleared her throat, Lizzie returned her eyes to the stage, which was framed in rich crimson drapes with gold borders which had cords and tassels that were gold as well.
The audience seemed to be following a similar theme: shiny and expensive. Some of the jewels reflected the light of the enormous lustre so strongly that the ladies looked like they were wearing tiny lights as ornaments.
Elizabeth felt like they were all staring at her. Thus, all of her faculties were working on keeping her back ramrod straight, her chin held high, her head turned to the stage, and her hands neatly and calmly folded in her lap.
She hoped to use the intermission to secretly observe how these people interacted with each other, for she had all but lost hope that she’d ever be one of them.
