“Oh! Oh, well that is good. Very good, as she should do.” Lady Catherine smiled as if her advice had just been taken and continued her inquisition.

“Do you play, Miss Bennet?” Lady Catherine continued her questioning.

“Yes, ma’am, but not very well,” answered Elizabeth.

“She has a lovely singing voice,” Charlotte added, but was ignored completely.

“You should practice! That is the only way to become truly proficient. You must play for us while you are here. Mrs. Collins always hits the keys too hard. I have told her she must practice to achieve true proficiency.” She glared at Charlotte. “Do your sisters play?”

“Yes, ma’am, all,” Elizabeth replied. Jane had only mastered simple tunes, Kitty was little better, and Lydia could hardly make it through her scales, but they were playing. Besides, she and Mary had improved markedly; that had to count for something.

Lady Catherine nodded approvingly. “And do you all sing?”

“All but one, ma’am.”

“Do you draw?”

“Yes, ma’am, but I am not very talented. My sisters fare much better than I.”

“Do they all draw?”

“Yes, all.”

“Which languages do you speak?”

“Only French and English, ma’am.”

“Well, that is something at least.” She glared at Charlotte again. “I don’t know why anyone wants to learn that dreadful German. All that spitting and hacking. It makes one sound positively ill!”

Elizabeth smiled. “I agree, Lady Catherine.”

The great lady nodded again. “And that Italian! Entirely too much enthusiasm. It isn’t good for one’s health.”

Elizabeth hid her smile behind her teacup.

“Miss Lucas,” called Lady Catherine. At this, Maria’s head shot up and her eyes went wide as saucers, “do you play and sing? Perhaps you and Miss Bennet could perform a duet for us.”

“Oh! I, well, I…” she stammered, looking helplessly from Elizabeth to her sister and back to Lady Catherine.

Finally, Elizabeth rose and spoke. “What a wonderful idea, Lady Catherine. Come, Miss Lucas. I will play and we shall sing together.”

Maria smiled gratefully and quickly followed Elizabeth through a set of open doors to the pianoforte. It was in a small room connected to the drawing room, able to be closed off but appearing as if it were open most of the time.