Free Darcy's Trial by M. A. Sandiford Page B

simply swallow his pride and apologise, so avoiding any risk of serious harm coming to either party over what was a relatively minor disagreement.’
    ‘So if the case goes to court,’ Elizabeth concluded, in a trembling voice, ‘Mr Darcy will probably be found guilty.’
    ‘At the very least, he will be in great danger.’

    As the dinner hour approached, Bridget begged leave to honour the daily ritual of settling her little boy for the night. The atmosphere accordingly changed, as from the dark complexities of Darcy’s predicament, they entered Georgie’s world of play, which on that day was ruled by the idea that all objects came in pairs: left boot with right boot, knife with fork, apple with orange, and so forth. On entering the nursery, Bridget and Elizabeth were invited to admire a procession that ran halfway across the room, including all his shoes and gloves, carefully matched up, along with more arbitrary pairings based on mere resemblance. A difference of opinion then arose, Bridget insisting that these objects should be put away, Georgie that they should be left out overnight. Elizabeth watched with interest as Bridget displayed a sterner side to her character, and after a brief tantrum, the objects lay in the cupboard, and Georgie in the bed—paired with his bear.
    As she joined in this game, Elizabeth was grateful for the discussion with Bridget, which had left her feeling stronger, if not happier. If Bridget’s information was accurate, Darcy’s prospects were black indeed, but at least she now had a clearer picture of the likely sequence of events, and hence the possibilities for intervention.
    Dinner passed pleasantly in the company of another guest, a friend of Thomas Beaumont’s. Elizabeth had feared that Darcy’s duel might be raised as a topic of current scandal, and it was a relief when the gentlemen embarked instead on a political discussion concerning the prime minister Pitt’s conduct of the war with France, and in particular his new overtures to the Russians, Austrians and Prussians. Listening closely, she tried to divine whether Mr Beaumont’s sympathies lay with the Tories or Whigs, but without success: he seemed interested above all in the facts of the case, and treated all politicians with equal scepticism.
    After dinner, the servant returned with an acknowledgement from the Gardiners, and the party split again on gender lines, with the gentlemen returning to Mr Beaumont’s study, and the ladies to Bridget’s sanctuary, where they drank weak Chinese tea from small cups.
    ‘Do you have a view on the proscecution of the war?’ Bridget asked. ‘I don’t think you expressed one over dinner.’
    Elizabeth shrugged. ‘I suppose if we wish to defeat Bonaparte, we should assemble the widest possible coalition. Luckily he seems determined to assist us in this endeavour by attacking everyone in sight. But I’m not knowledgeable about war, nor in truth very interested.’
    ‘Nor I,’ Bridget admitted. ‘But perhaps we should be interested. Have you had time to look at the book I gave you?’
    ‘Yes, and with great attention.’
    Bridget leaned forward excitedly. ‘You see, I would really like to understand whether it is right that certain spheres—I mean politics, business, science, and so forth—should be left exclusively to the gentlemen, while we are left in what is essentially a supportive role. On what is this division based?’
    ‘Presumably, on the desire of men to keep control over the levers of power, while relegating us to the role of their playthings.’
    ‘But surely we must allow that there might be a real difference in aptitude. Physically, for instance, men are undeniably stronger. On average they would best us in hand-to-hand combat.’
    ‘As they in turn would be bested by gorillas,’ Elizabeth pointed out.
    ‘So the question is whether there is a similar distinction in mental competence, and here our male brethren can muster some powerful evidence in support