“I do not know how to answer you, your Ladyship,” she started, and was then interrupted by the lady herself.
“I insist you call me Aunt Addie, my Dear. It drives me to distraction for relations behave as though I am similar to my sister-in-law!”
At her small joke at Lady Catherine’s expense, Elizabeth could not help but smile. She imagined that her Aunt Addie and Lady Catherine had butted heads several times over the past few years, if not for the entirety of their married lives.
“Of course, Aunt Addie,” Elizabeth corrected herself. “I do not know how to answer you,” she repeated, “for we had a nice visit here yesterday, and there is certainly nothing that Mr. Darcy should be embarrassed about.” she finished, wishing to give herself an out in front of her family. She was technically correct. Nothing had happened here. Everything had begun back in Meryton.
Lady Adelaide laughed heartily. “You do not know this,” she said, directing her attention at her youngest niece, Georgiana, “but your brother was quite the mischief maker when he was young. He and my Richard used to get into all sorts of trouble at the townhouse, and then in Pemberley when they were young. My husband and I used to be at our wit’s end, nevermind poor George Darcy,” here, she cast an apologetic glance at her young niece, who barely remembered her father, “while William and my son went about their own merry way. I remember one instance, where the boys had been forbidden to go into the orchard and take any more of the apples before the harvest had commenced. Of course, it was their first action the moment our backs were turned. When we had demanded an answer as to who had taken the apples, William took the opportunity to inform us that they had not stolen the apples, but had requisitioned them to the cook to make them some pies. He has always found a need to be correct, I have noticed, since he was a young boy.” Adelaide finished her story with a critical eye towards her nephew’s betrothed, carefully watching for her reaction.
Elizabeth understood her intent and question, yet she could not help but glance back at Miss Darcy. Lady Adelaide followed her gaze, to a Miss Darcy who had been studiously studying her plate. At the combination of silence and the intense feeling of attention directed her way, Elizabeth watched as Miss Darcy turned beet red.
“She shall need to hear this!” Lady Adelaide insisted. Georgie needed to see that her brother was not perfect, and now would be the perfect time. “It is better that she shall hear your fights and small squabbles before you are married and living together in Pemberley. She already knows that the circumstances surrounding the engagement, correct?”
It was Elizabeth’s turn to blush at how her new aunt had casually referred to the persistent and far-reaching rumours that her nephew and an unknown gentlewoman, who was poor as a church mouse, had been caught in bed together, and had thus been forced to become engaged and marry.
“Yes, but--” Elizabeth stopped herself, for she could not give a reasonable retort as to why she should not share her troubles with Miss Darcy.
This time, it was Mary that kicked her under the table, Elizabeth was sure of it, although Jane looked as though she were about to follow suit. Elizabeth glanced at her Aunt Gardiner, who gave her a slight nod.
“It was simply a disagreement we had before I left for London, Aunt Addie. Mr. Darcy had not been happy about certain aspects of my family life.” she confessed.
“What do you mean?” Everyone at the table looked to Miss Darcy in surprise, including Elizabeth, as the girl had been quiet, even quieter than Mary.
However, she clearly worshipped her brother, and he was a good brother to her, so Elizabeth had no wish to disparage him to her, especially when she knew nothing of what happened. “He wished to protect you, Miss Darcy,” she started, wondering how she could explain such a thing to such a naive, young girl. However, the young girl had become quite stubborn at the moment, “I must insist you call me Georgiana, or Georgie! Now you must tell me, for we are soon to be sisters! We are already sisters!”
Another kick to her ankle had Elizabeth replying, “Of course, Georgiana,” she corrected herself, and continued on with her explanation. “Your brother and I had disagreements as to what manner and comportment you should be exposed to. As you know, we have two younger sisters, Lydia and Kitty. They are but sixteen and seventeen years old, and are a bit spoiled, I fear. They are quite the opposite from you, and because of their manner, your brother did not wish to expose you to any...impropriety.” That was all Elizabeth could think to tell the young girl. She could not tell her the whole of it, but give her just enough of an impression. She knew she was lying, but she did not think she could help it. So much pain involved the truth, and that burden should be put on the adults, not the child in the situation.
It was now Georgiana and Lady Adelaide’s turn to be surprised, as well as her Aunt Gardiner’s. It seemed she was unaware of a few key facts.
Elizabeth proceeded, knowing that she had to be delicate with the knowledge that she was to impart. She did not wish to expose Georgiana’s secret to those who did not know, yet she also did not want to tell Georgiana the whole truth and cause her to think ill of him, especially after he had taken steps to rectify the matter. It would not due to stir up trouble, when she could help it.
“My sisters enjoy dancing with the officers of the local militia, and a short while ago, a new officer joined. He had become quite a favourite amongst our town, especially with my sisters. I understand that he has hurt your brother, and yourself most grievously when he demanded money from your brother, in lieu of what he had been offered in your father’s will, and then disappeared.”
“You are referring to Mr. Wickham!” Georgiana exclaimed, her eyes going frantically to her aunt’s, for any sign of recognition of the name or situation, Elizabeth guessed.
“I am. He was a great favourite among my sisters, and your brother had not wished to expose you to that. That was the basis of our argument, but like you said, Aunt Addie,” Elizabeth repeated her words, “Mr. Darcy was very apologetic. We are handling the situation now. I will be sure to write to my father,” and here Elizabeth did make a note to truly write to her papa and explain the situation as best as she could, “and he will speak to my sisters. All will be well.”
At her reassurance, Georgiana relaxed, and once again Elizabeth could not help but study her. Georgiana Darcy was almost unbearably shy and withdrawn, and Elizabeth realised, quite placidly, that she hated Mr. Wickham for trying to take advantage of so young a girl. It was very lucky that Mr. Darcy had arrived in time to stop their elopement from ever taking place.
***
After lunch, the ladies took a short carriage ride to who turned out to be Lady Adelaide’s favourite modiste, La Jolie, one that she had used faithfully. Studying her gown, Elizabeth could see why she favoured the tall French woman so. Perhaps acknowledging that she would be paying a call in a lesser part of town, Lady Adelaide wore a relatively simple pinstriped gown of light yellow and violet to match her amethysts. The tailoring on her gown was simply astonishing, and it flattered her figure very well.
For the next half an hour, after pleasantries were exchanged, Elizabeth stood in her undergarments in a private room as the modiste took her measurements, chattering in rapid fire French to her assistant, without any input from Elizabeth or anyone else.
When the woman had finally left, Lady Adelaide had gone to Elizabeth. “You will get used to it, my dear. Madame LaCour is not one for idle small talk, but she is a most excellent seamstress. You shall have to order new gowns from her when you are married, I will tell William that he must open an account here.”
Elizabeth opened her mouth to inform her that would not be necessary, when Lady Adelaide leant in, to put her lips close to her ear. “I do not think William knows how lucky he is to have you as his betrothed, no matter the circumstances, my dear. You have already done him a world of good, as I have never seen a lady outwardly disagree with him, and I must thank you for not upsetting Georgie this afternoon. I can only hope my nephew is
finished with his pigheadedness, although I can see that I am going to have to speak to him about keeping secrets from me. Know that you will always be able to come to me.”
Elizabeth could only whisper her gratitude, and was grateful that the rest of their party had been distracted by the half-finished gowns that decorated the small room.
Before Elizabeth could finish dressing, Madame LaCour stepped back into the room, sketch book in hand. She gave Adelaide, the Countess of Matlock, and one of her best customers a significant look.
“Shall we design your gown?” Lady Adelaide suggested lightly, clasping her hands together, in excitement.
“I am going to make sure that my nephew will not be able to take his eyes off of you, when he sees you in this gown, Elizabeth!”
At Lady Adelaide’s words, Elizabeth fought the blush that she felt colour her cheeks. Mr. Darcy’s confession of his love for her had affected her more than she wished to believe. After her initial surprise had waned, she could not help but be flattered, although she had almost immediately became disgusted by her weakness. His love and admiration had not stopped him from hurting her. Although he had apologised and had made amends by introducing his sister to her relations in trade, Elizabeth could not forget. But neither could she forget the warmth of his hand within hers. A part of her was feeling something close to content.
Shaking her head from such thoughts briefly, Elizabeth allowed herself to be swept into the glamour of Madame LaCour’s shop and magic touch. She soon found herself looking at the most beautiful gown she had ever seen, nevermind that it was only a rendering on paper. Meanwhile, Lady Adelaide was bemoaning the fact that she was not able to order a special type of veil from France, as the wedding was to take place rather soon.
Elizabeth allowed herself a smile. Despite her trepidation, it had been a lovely afternoon.
Chapter Seventeen
Although Jane did not explicitly say it, or make any reference to it, Elizabeth knew that she felt obliged to call on Louisa Hurst at least once more before they left for home. Elizabeth did not know if it was because she wished to see Mr. Bingley, yet not have to deal with Miss Bingley, but nevertheless, she made arrangements for her sister and herself to call the morning before they were to leave for Longbourn. Thankfully a letter from her father had arrived; he had responded to her earlier inquiry over Mr. Wickham. Even though she knew that there was very little chance that Georgiana and Mr. Wickham would ever see each other, she did wanted Georgiana to feel comfortable in Meryton. Meeting her younger sisters would be a trial enough. Elizabeth would be surprised if Georgiana left with the same amount of ribbon and same style of slippers after the first visit. Lydia and Kitty would be relentless.
For this visit, Mary had elected to stay in, as she was rather burnt out from the number of times they had entertained their visitors. Mr. Darcy had explained via his sister that the marriage articles and other business would keep his attention until they left for Netherfield, although Elizabeth could not help but wonder if it was due to his embarrassment over his confession to her. That left Lady Adelaide, Georgiana, and sometimes her son, Colonel Fitzwilliam to visit and they to entertain. He spent many hours regaling them with tales from his and Mr. Darcy’s boyhood, and Elizabeth found the Colonel to be a charming addition to their group, as he held no pretences about himself. He could not; he had confessed one morning to their party, for as a second son, he could not afford to be choosy, even with his own expression! Some visits, she could not reconcile the proud, staid man she knew, to the mischievous playmate that the Colonel had told her of.
The difference between a first and second born son, she supposed.
Lady Adelaide had proved just as delightful and perceptive as she had on her first visit. Elizabeth was left to consider and wonder if her mama would be anything like Lady Adelaide, had she received the same education and guidance. She was still somewhat in awe that a countess could behave in such a familiar and friendly manner with tradespeople, and once again had to smother a laugh at the snobbishness of Miss Bingley, a gentlewoman only two generations removed from that position in society.
Elizabeth had arranged for their call on Mrs. Hurst, and actually found that she was somewhat looking forward to it. Mrs. Hurst had shown a different side to herself, one that Elizabeth had not considered. And when she was away from Miss Bingley, Elizabeth found that her caustic remarks became more self-effacing and slightly sarcastic than anything else. Of the two Bingley sisters, Elizabeth would not mind getting to know Mrs. Hurst, even if they would never become close friends. Hopefully, their close relation would throw them all in company often. Once Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy were married, and then Jane and Mr. Bingley, Elizabeth would become that much closer to the Bingley family. Mr. Bingley would be her brother, and Mrs. Hurst, her sister. Either way, Elizabeth refused to be separated from her dear sister when she did not need to be, and at least she knew her in-laws almost intimately well. Two out of three would not be so bad, she reasoned.
***
“Thank you for returning my call, Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth.” Louisa greeted, as the two Bennet sisters were led into her her best parlour. “When do you return back to Longbourn? Tomorrow?” she queried, as she gestured for them to sit down. The maid had already brought refreshments, and Mr. Hurst was locked away in his study, as always.
Miss Bennet, who did not know that she was a mere few days from receiving a proposal of her own, answered easily, “The day after, Mrs. Hurst. We are leaving quite early in the morning, so we will be home in time for lunch. Mama is quite anxious to see us home.”
Louisa smiled. Of course, she was. “I imagine that your Mother is quite anxious to see your wedding clothes!” she said, addressing Miss Elizabeth. “Madame LaCour is quite exclusive,” she started, not missing the look of surprise on both of the Bennet sisters’ faces, at her knowledge of where Miss Elizabeth had shopped a mere day before. They would soon have to get used to the London gossip mill. “but her gowns are divine.” Louisa did not want to even imagine the fit Caroline would throw when she found out. Madame LaCour would only take customers via word of mouth, and Caroline had not managed to ingratiate herself with anyone who had that privilege. Yet. She knew that Caroline had not found out yet, as she had not summoned Louisa to the Bingley townhouse, nor deigned to show up at hers. Louisa was still being “punished” by Caroline, for calling on the Bennets and receiving them into her home.
For her part, Miss Elizabeth gave her a small smile and answered agreeably, “Yes, Mrs. Hurst. I was quite overwhelmed. As you may have observed in the past, I am not one for fashion, or fussing over gowns, but it was a lovely experience, and I was glad to share it with my family.”
Louisa raised a brow slightly at Miss Elizabeth’s choice in enveloping Mr. Darcy’s aunt, the Countess of Matlock, and his sister, into her family, so quickly. She often wished she had had the luxury of doing the same. Mr. Hurst had a small, but extended family--their estate was right next door to Seville, a mere three miles away--and they were not overly fond of Louisa and how their marriage had come about. Visits were very rare, as Mr. Hurst generally preferred to go out and visit them on his own time, and Louisa refused to accompany him.
Instead of remarking on it, she smiled blandly.
“How wonderful.” she finally commented. It surprised her to know that she was glad for it. She had told Caroline that she was wrong, when Caroline had caustically remarked that she had only taken pity on Miss Eliza because they had undergone similar circumstances. Although Caroline had not put it like that. Yet now Louisa realised it to be true. Perhaps her own marriage with Harold Hurst could not be saved, as they had had more than enough time to move past the point of stagnation, and had not, but Miss Elizabeth was just entering into her own arrangement with Mr. Darcy.
After a few minutes of the usual pleasantries, Louisa finally decided to stop beating about the proverbial bush, and get to the point of why she had wished the Bennet sisters to visit her.
�
�I do not know when we shall be able to speak privately again, before your wedding, Miss Elizabeth, so I am glad that you and Miss Bennet have come today.” Louisa started calmly. “I have a few matters that I would like to discuss with you, if that is agreeable to you.”
Of course, both sisters acquiesced rather easily, and awaited her speech. Louisa drew in a deep breath.
“Firstly, and this should be rather obvious, but I would like to apologise for Caroline. I understand, better than anyone that being around her can be rather trying at times. But the both of you have maintained your composure very well, and unfortunately, that has emboldened her, rather than shamed her. As you can imagine,” Louisa continued, speaking directly to Miss Elizabeth, “Caroline has not taken the news of your engagement well. Which should not be a surprise, considering that she is the one who instigated this entire mess.”
Louisa was shocked that neither sister seemed outwardly troubled by this revelation, but she was reminded that no matter how often Caroline enjoyed crowing that the Bennet sisters were wild and ill-mannered, it was technically only the youngest two girls who could not behave as though they had a modicum of sense while in company. Jane and Elizabeth Bennet would not give her the reaction of a child, but of two young women, trying their best to make sense of the situation that one sister had found herself in.
Consequence of Jealousy: A Pride and Prejudice Variation Page 19