After writing this, I decided it was more appropriate for Elizabeth to be angry at Darcy for mentioning her parents’ foulup (in not formally inviting his people to a ball already) at this particular point than for her to be angry at her parents’ for committing it, so I cut it.

Elizabeth felt her cheeks grow hot at her parents’ negligence in not sending messages to the Marcher before now. Her father at least had the excuse of his geophysical work, which could not be fully delegated to software programs and drones, but Longbourn’s social calendar was her mother’s responsibility and this was possibly the best chance the four and twenty families of Longbourn would ever have to meet potential spouses from elsewhere.