I meant to say in my comment above. that Mrs. Bennet's remark about Mrs. Long and the hack chaise does NOT rise to (or fall to the depths of) maliciousness, in my opinion.
Mrs. Bennet may be silly (her remark about the soldiers' red uniforms as she joins her daughters in fangirling the militia officers) and the narrator tells us that Elizabeth is her least favorite daughter. So, we have reason not to like her. We also know she loves to gossip. BUT That is not the same as creating rumors maliciously. I'm not even certain Mrs. Bennet is clever enough to really be malicious. Fanfics have created some deliciously villainous Mrs. Bennets but they stray rather afield from Austen's original.
Mrs. Bennet may be silly (her remark about the soldiers' red uniforms as she joins her daughters in fangirling the militia officers) and the narrator tells us that Elizabeth is her least favorite daughter. So, we have reason not to like her. We also know she loves to gossip. BUT That is not the same as creating rumors maliciously. I'm not even certain Mrs. Bennet is clever enough to really be malicious. Fanfics have created some deliciously villainous Mrs. Bennets but they stray rather afield from Austen's original.