Age
We’re told that Louisa is older than Caroline, but we don’t know how they figure in relation to Charles. Based on her closeness with Caroline (who is not yet an old maid), it seems likely that she’s at least in her 20s.
Family and Situation
Louisa is the sister of Caroline and Charles Bingley and the wife of Mr. Hurst. Louisa seems to be quite close to her sister Caroline. We know that Caroline spends three weeks in Scarborough with the Hursts in September towards the end of the book and Caroline and Louisa are forever being nasty together. Of course, on the other side, Caroline’s note inviting Jane to Netherfield seems to imply that if she and Louisa are left to their own devices for a whole day they cannot help but quarrel. There is also an odd encounter where Caroline is teasing Darcy/a> about Lizzy whilst at Netherfield on a walk in the garden; Louisa comes out with Elizabeth, says “You used us abominably ill, running away without telling us that you were coming out” and takes Darcy’s arm, leaving Lizzy with no escort. Why, precisely, Louisa is so bent out of shape about Caroline slipping out of sight is unclear.
We know that Louisa's father made a fortune in trade and that the family comes from “the North of England.” She brought a dowry of £20,000 into her marriage and had been educated “at the finest seminaries in town”, suggesting that however the fortune came about, Louisa grew up with money.
The narrator tells us that since Mr. Hurst is comparatively poor, the couple frequently uses Charles Bingley’s house as their own when it suits them. We do know that the Hursts have a house in Grosvenor Street, to which the family retires when they go to London. Since Louisa Bingley was quite well dowered, Hurst may have married her in order to acquire more wealth.
Other Connections
Since Caroline claims such a great acquaintance with the Darcys, it is likely that the Hursts have spent significant time with them too. Col. Fitzwilliam admits to knowing the Bingley sisters “a little.”
Appearance
The general opinion at the Meryton Assembly is that Louisa and her sister are “fine women, with an air of decided fashion,” which seems to imply they’re well turned-out but somewhat pompous. Mrs. Bennet even talks about how gorgeous Louisa’s dress at the Assembly is, suggesting that if nothing else, she prioritizes being well-dressed (or that she and Mrs. Bennet both have terrible taste).
Character
Because she plays a less active role in the novel’s plot, descriptions about Louisa Hurst are often lumped in with language about her sister. The narrator tells us of the two of them that “They were in fact very fine ladies; not deficient in good humour when they were pleased, nor in the power of making themselves agreeable when they chose it, but proud and conceited. They were rather handsome, had been educated in one of the first private seminaries in town, had a fortune of twenty thousand pounds, were in the habit of spending more than they ought, and of associating with people of rank, and were therefore in every respect entitled to think well of themselves, and meanly of others. They were of a respectable family in the north of England; a circumstance more deeply impressed on their memories than that their brother's fortune and their own had been acquired by trade.”
Like her sister, Louisa seems fairly preoccupied with persons of rank and nice things. She frequently aids in Caroline’s attempts to flirt with Darcy or sabotage Elizabeth to the point that Lizzy and Jane are surprised to discover that when alone with them, the Bingley sisters “could describe an entertainment with accuracy, relate an anecdote with humor, and laugh at their acquaintance with spirit.”
Habits and Hobbies
As she was educated “at the finest seminaries at town,” it is likely that Louisa Hurst has all of the usual female “accomplishments.” Over the course of the novel, however, we only ever see her sing.
