I am uncertain how to interpret the scene in chapter 23 that begins with Lady Middleton saying to Lucy "I am glad ... you are not going to finish poor little Annamaria's basket this evening" and ends with Lucy immediately setting to work on that very item.

On one hand, the author states that "This hint was enough", implying that Lady Middleton is manipulating Lucy into doing her bidding. On the other hand, the author has been known to say one thing while meaning the exact opposite (is "irony" the right term for this?); Lucy has been established as someone determined to gain Lady Middleton's favor, so maybe Lucy was just jumping at an opportunity to gain more points with Lady Middleton. Besides, I didn't get the impression that Lady Middleton was such a deliberately manipulative person.