People of Darcy's rank and class traveled often.Quite true, but we're talking about a sixteen year old girl here and not fifty miles, but a hundred and fifty. Expense is also not an issue for Darcy; for the Collin's, as Lizzie points out, more so. Darcy claims "fifty miles of good roads", which in 1813 was not quite the case. Roads were good in part, but Telford and Macadam , the people mainly responsible for the improvement of roads in general, were only just coming into existence at that time. The journey from Lambton to Longbourne (sleeping one night on the road) took twenty four hours assuming they left around noon.
I agree people did travel, they had to at times, both for business and pleasure. Bingley went to London primarily on business and Darcy owned a large estate, so it wouldn't be unheard of for him to go there on business of various sorts. He also had the Kent connection of Lady C and Rosings which Colonel Fitzwilliam declared to be an annual event.
Of course, she would be given the polish that only a London education can provide--and not just one of those finishing schools like the Bingley sisters attended.)It's of no real consequence, the story is as it is, but I'm not sure why only London could provide a polish to education that places like Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham etc couldn't provide in the way of university masters giving home education. Women didn't attend universities at that time, so much education happened at home, although Bath had a fair number of schools for just such. The fact that Georgiana was almost aristocracy, and would never have to work, made the arts of music, conversation, languages, drawing and painting and over-seeing housekeeping etc, (those of the accomplished lady) the priority and finishing schools were there for just such purpose. (Whilst the Bingley sister may have been snobbish beyond their root, they were undoubtedly intelligent ladies of society in their connections and general demeanour.) A point worth note is that "masters" are mentioned several times in J.A's works (her own father took in students as boarders), mistresses rarely are, replaced by the "Governess". . In middle/upper class society, this would tend to have an ongoing effect until women took up teaching roles in society. As children, both sexes would go to school until the age of eight, when:
" A preparatory governess would then teach the girls of the household such subjects as English, geography, history, singing, piano, drawing, and needlework until they reached the age of twelve, when a finishing governess or a boarding school instructor would take over their education. Having been further schooled in the fine arts of dancing, piano, and singing, the girls, by the ages of seventeen or eighteen, would then be ready for their social debut, at which point their adult lives (and the search for a suitable husband) began. ( from e-notes)
Of course, the whole thing would be turned on its head shortly by the Industrial Revolution. Fortunately, Pride and Prejudice hadn't been involved in any of that nonsense....(-: