“I did not know things were so far forward with Lady Beauclerk’s wedding. There has been no announcement.”

“No, she’s letting Miss have her day; or so she says. After all her complaining about Miss not getting married, she’s getting her own back. Miss’ll be Lady Beauclerk, and Lady Beauclerk will be a mere Mrs. And don’t think Miss is letting her forget it, either.”

“Surely Lady Beauclerk could keep her title after marrying General Tilney?”

Biddy reached out and grabbed Matthew’s arm. “Haven’t you heard, ducky? She’s not marrying General Tilney! She’s marrying that Mr. Hornebolt, him as has more money than the Duke of Devonshire, or so they say. She says General Tilney’s fortune doesn’t compare; but she really did like him best, until they had the row about Lady Josephine.”

As Matthew had heard of the general’s humiliation in the service of Lady Josephine, he expressed his surprise that they would have had an argument over the creature.


“He said she had humiliated him in front of all of Bath, and he wouldn’t be able to show his face in public again; and she cried and said if he loved her, he would love her cat, but he swore he wouldn’t have a cat for a pet, they were only fit for chasing mice in the kitchens, and that Lady J. was a lazy, ill-natured creature who would tease his dogs and plague his life out. Her ladyship said she couldn’t abide a man who could be cruel to dumb animals, especially one so affectionate as Lady Josephine, and the general said if that was her notion of affection, then she had no business being married, and the shocking amount of money she spent at her mantua-maker would bankrupt any man in a year anyway, and her ladyship said he could just leave if he felt that way, and not darken her doorstep ever again. And so he did leave, and hasn’t been back. She accepted Mr. Hornebolt’s proposal the next day.”