Bingley smiled, “You heard.”
“Who in the house has not heard of your plight? Storming in to the birthing room just to bare your soul to your lady love and save her from the derision of the world? I would say you are a gentleman among gentlemen; a knight riding in on a powerful steed.” He chuckled and continued, “You will be the kind of savior about which novels will surely be written.”
Bingley broke out in laughter, “I know not how you do it, but you always know just how to break the tension in a situation. Thank you.”
“Well, in all truth, I had to do something. You were nearly wearing a hole in my wife’s favorite carpet, and you will soon find just how expensive it is to furnish a home such as this. That is, if everything went well and you are, indeed, my newest neighbor?”
He nodded, “Yes, everything was completed, and Buckley Hall is now the land holding of the Bingley family.”
“Capital, capital.” After a moment of silence, he continued, “In all seriousness, Bingley—I cannot imagine Miss Lucas being cared for more than you will do. I can see it in your eyes and demeanor. I doubt she even knows herself how deep your feelings run.”
“I think she is too much in shock of the moment to even think of anything like that.”
“You are correct.” He looked over to where the parson now stood beside the table, “Now, it is time we find Darcy and get ready for this wedding. Do you have a ring?”
“No need to find me—I am right here,” they heard Darcy say as he entered the room
Bingley pulled a small box from his pocket, opening it to show his two closest friends. “It was my mother’s ring. Caroline did not want it—she said it was too simple for a viscountess to have on her hand. Do you think Miss Lucas will like it?”
Darcy gave him a simple nod and Fitz said, “She will love it.”
Bingley smiled, “The stone is small, but it is the same deep blue color of her eyes.”
Fitz declared, “It is official—you can now be considered a besotted fool.”
Elizabeth and Mary entered to their husbands’ laughing. Both smiled, then took a seat. Georgiana was right behind them, with baby Rose in her arms. She too sat down, with Darcy taking the seat between his wife and sister.
Fitz announced, “Well, as the host of this gathering, I must go and lead in the bride.” When he passed Darcy he leaned over and whispered, “Keep an eye on him—he may just get sick or forget to breathe, and we do not need any more surprises for this evening.”
Darcy covered the chuckle he gave with a well—placed cough, then took his place beside the groom.
Fitz soon returned with the bride, and the ceremony began. She was beginning to feel more than just a little discomfort, and a few times they had to stop for a minute to let her pains pass, but eventually the required readings were read, vows were given, and signatures were scribed.
When Maria placed the quill back into the holder and turned to look at her husband, she was surprised with his next action—that of gathering her in his arms and kissing her soundly, right there in front of everyone.
The smile she gave was soon overshadowed by an enormous pain that nearly made her crumple to the floor. Bingley held onto her through it all as the other ladies rushed to her side. When the pain subsided and they insisted it was time to return to her room, he reached around her, steadying her and taking her hand, “I will help you. After all, I have already broken with tradition and entered where only a lady dare, so what is one more time?”
Fitz chuckled, “You and Darcy are of the same mind, I see.”
“Oh? Did you enter your wife’s birthing room as well?” Bingley asked as they walked past.
“I was the first person my daughter saw when she opened her eyes,” he stated proudly, looking over to the baby Georgiana held in her arms. “I will never forget that look as long as I live.”
Bingley looked back to Maria. “If you need me, just call. I will not hesitate to be there for you as well.”
She blushed, “I think we will be well, Mr Bingley.”
He leaned in and kissed her cheek, “You may now call me Charles.” Then without waiting for her response, he led her from the room.
It proved to be a long night for the groom. After riding hard for two days to get back to Pemberley in time, then the emotional toll of the events since his arrival, he was exhausted. He refused to go to bed though, insisting that if his wife was upstairs not able to sleep, then he would not sleep either. The sun finally began to rise the next day and still they heard nothing from the ladies. Darcy was the only one brave enough to knock on the door for some word on how everything was going, and he returned with the news that things were progressing, but it would be a while longer. By the middle of the afternoon Bingley was nearly ready to burst down the door himself from the anxiety of not knowing what was happening, when suddenly Elizabeth entered the room and announced, “She is ready to see you, Mr Bingley.”
He nervously asked, “Has she had the babe?”
Elizabeth smile and nodded, “Yes—a beautiful and healthy baby girl.”
Bingley flew past her and up the stairs, stopping only to knock on the closed chamber door. When it opened, he bounded into the room and stopped. There, sitting against the headboard, was his wife. In her arms was a baby, her red hair clearly peeking out from the blanket in which she was wrapped. Tears welled in his eyes. Mrs Annesley excused herself, leaving them alone.
He walked over to the bed and leaned down to kiss the forehead of the baby. Then his eyes drew up to those of his wife, and he leaned in a kissed her slowly. When she asked if he would like to hold the baby, he took the small bundle in his arms, then sat on the bed beside his wife.
“What shall we name her?” Maria asked.
“I must say, I was not prepared to provide a name beyond just a surname. Have you not thought of any these last few months?”
She looked down at her hands, the blanket below them being twisted in agitation, “No, I knew I could not keep her, so I did not want to distress myself further by picking out a name.”
Bingley reached out to grasp her hands in his. When she looked up into his eyes and he smiled lovingly at her, she felt no shame. He truly cared for her enough to overlook her past mistakes. Bingley pulled her hand to his lips, kissing it. “We have time to come up with a name. For now, we will just call her my sweet.”
She whispered, “I like that. It fits her.”
“Yes it does. Now I insist you rest.”
“Oh, no, I could not sleep right now. I do not want you to leave.” Her cheeks flamed when she realized just what she had said aloud.
He shifted his position, leaning his back against the headboard, holding the babe in one arm as he drew his wife closer to his side with the other. “I had no intention of leaving. I will stay right here with my two Bingley ladies.”
An hour later Mrs Annesley checked on them. Seeing they were both fast asleep and that the babe was beginning to stir, she took her from Mr Bingley’s arms. When he looked up groggily at her, she whispered, “I will go and change her; she will be well. You need your rest.” He thanked her and nestled down into the bed further, pulling his wife closer, and was asleep again before she left the room.
With so many visitors, Rose Bluff was alive with activity. The limited staff made things interesting, but with some adjustments it was bearable. The Darcys had already brought their own personal staff with them, and the nurse maids were happy to add another little one to their care—when her father would let the new Miss Olivia Bingley out of his arms that is.
Mrs Annesley was once again able to focus her attention more fully on Georgiana, and on one particular day she came upon the somber young lady in the garden. She sat down beside her, “I looked for you in the stable, but they said you did not wish to ride today. Are you well?”
Georgiana sighed heavily, then with tears in her eyes, she turned to her companion, “I know everything around me is well, but I cannot help but think of all I am miss
ing in my life. My parents are gone, my Aunt Catherine has not had any contact with us since before my brother married, and even Fitz’s parents refuse to be a part of our lives.”
Mrs Annesley handed her a handkerchief. “I have never heard you refer to them as your cousin’s parents—they were always your beloved aunt and uncle. Is there something you want to tell me? What has caused such a change?” When Georgiana said nothing, she replied quietly, “Your brother has noticed your melancholy these last few months, and he is very worried. He thought you being with your Aunt Edith would help, but you came home just as sullen. If you cannot confide in me, please, I urge you to do so with someone.”
“Who?” she said with tears now running down her cheeks. “Who could possibly understand my loneliness?”
“Mrs Fitzwilliam would understand.”
She sighed, “Yes; yes she would.”
“Will you talk with her?”
Drying her eyes, she took a deep breath, then replied, “If you think it would help I will speak with her.”
The companion reached out and squeezed the fingers of her charge, “Of course it will help. I will go find her.”
It was not long before Mary joined her on the garden bench. After the two had sat in silence for a few minutes, Mary tapped Georgiana’s arm and signed as she verbally asked, “What do you need of me?”
It was the first time Georgiana had ever heard Mary speak and she was shocked at the soft voice that came out. “I did not know you could speak.”
Mary replied with a smile, “I was a perfectly normal child until my accident. I just choose not to speak if I do not have to because it is strange for me—I cannot hear my own voice. I know not whether it is easy for others to understand me or not.”
Georgiana gave a small smile, “It does have an odd tone I have never heard before, but I like your voice. It is soothing.”
She smiled, “I have never heard it described in such a way before. Thank you.”
“How do you handle all you have endured with such grace and determination?”
“I am not used to speaking, so if you do not mind, I will write my answer,” she said as she pulled a notebook and pencil from her pocket.
“Yes, of course,”
Mary began to write, and, when she was done, she passed it to Georgiana. “Everyone has a burden they must carry, but one thing I have always relied upon is my faith. God has never abandoned me even when others would have nothing to do with me. He is always just a prayer away.”
“But what of others? How do you face such ridicule and not wish to retaliate against them? How do you even face me without wishing to cause me pain for all I have done to you?”
“Others know not everything I have been through. Even Elizabeth understands only a portion. When I was eight years of age and the fever took my hearing, I was alone. I spent several months feeling despondent because of my lot, but I just could not live my life in such a manner. One day I was out walking and one of the neighborhood boys began to pelt me with rocks. They knew I would not cry out, so they thought they would get away with it.”
Georgiana replied, “It must have been so lonely.”
“It was. I tried to get away, but they had me trapped against a garden wall and I could not get around them. Suddenly Elizabeth came running up, pushing her way through the and to my side, and threatening to box their ears if they threw one more rock at me. She always had such spirit.”
Georgiana read of the account, chuckling when she got to the part about Elizabeth. “She is just as strong now as she was then.”
“Yes, but she has now realized an important lesson—you cannot confront everyone who wishes you ill.”
“Like me.”
“The Bible speaks of turning the other cheek, and that is what I have always tried to do. Those who ridicule others are, themselves, crying out for help in some way. Just like you. I knew something was missing from your life all those many months ago, and yet I doubt even you realized yet what it was. Do you know now?”
“All I know is that I am lonely,” she said as tears began to well in her already swollen eyes.
Mary pulled out her handkerchief, handing it to her, then wrapped her arms around Georgiana’s shoulders and held her tight as she cried. “You are not alone, Georgiana. You have family, and we are all here for you,” she said verbally. “Shhhh.”
When she had finally calmed and Mary released her, Georgiana asked, “Why? Why do you offer me friendship when all I wished was for you to be out of my life?”
“That is what family does, and are we not family? We are practically sisters, or cousins, depending on which way you look at it.”
She smiled, “I have always wanted a sister, or another cousin.”
“You have had two sisters here beside you now for over a year.”
“Yes, and I have abused you both so grievously,” she said with obvious contrition.
Mary reached over to lift her chin so she could look into Georgiana’s eyes, “All is forgiven and in the past. We must now look to the future.”
Georgiana smiled, “Thank you.”
Mary smiled. “Now,” she said with a decided lift of her brow, “my husband will not allow me to ride without a companion. Would you care to join me today? We cannot ride as we used to, but a jaunt through the park or around the lake will do us both much good.”
“Are you certain you are able to do so safely?” she asked, looking at Mary’s pregnant form.
“I am not so very unstable yet, though I doubt I will be able to ride for much longer. In fact, today may be my last ride for quite some months,” she replied, placing her hand lovingly on her expanding belly.
“Then I simply must join you,” Georgiana said with a smile as she stood, holding out her hand to Mary. When Mary stood as well Georgiana linked their arms together, “On to the stables,” she said with a giddy laugh.
Their ride was short, and was more of a walk with the pace Georgiana insisted they keep. The trail around the lake was traversed, then the ladies returned to the terrace to partake of tea.
Georgiana smiled when she saw her cousin walking up behind his wife. Mary knew he was near and turned to greet him. When she turned back and Fitz took a seat next to her, Georgiana tilted her head and asked, “How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“How do you know when someone is behind you? Or for that matter, how do you do any number of things without being able to hear properly?”
“When one sense is gone, the others compensate. I may not hear with my ears, but I can feel vibrations in the floor, or the way the wind shifts behind me. My eyes pick up on shadows and light more easily and, believe it or not, my neck tingles when my husband is the one trying to sneak up from behind.”
“It is truly fascinating. Tell me, when my cousin plays the pianoforte for you,” she noticed the pink that rose on her cousin’s cheeks and chose to ignore it, “do you hear the music?”
Fitz took his wife’s hand in his, spreading her fingers out and laying it against his own, palms together, as he explained, “With the lightest touch to the pianoforte, she is able to feel the notes.”
Mary looked deep into his eyes and the two were lost to the world around them for a moment. He understood her so much it made her heart swell with delight.
Georgiana gave them a moment, then when Fitz finally released his wife’s hand, she asked, “Do you like listening to music?”
Mary blushed, looking down at her tea cup, “Yes, absolutely. I often listened to you play when we were at Pemberley.”
She chuckled, “I thought so. I thought I heard you outside the door one day when I was practicing, but I could not determine why you would be there. I asked the maid and she said she often saw you there.”
Mary smiled, “Music is soothing to the soul. I could easily feel the vibrations through the door, so I would stand there with my hand or my cheek pressed against it.”
Georgiana immediately had an idea. Her face beamed as she
asked, “Would you like me to teach you to play something?”
Mary sat back, “Me? Oh no—I could never...”
“Nonsense! Come,” she stood, reaching her hand out to Mary, “we shall make an afternoon of it, and by this evening we will be ready to entertain the others.” When Mary hesitated, Georgiana lifted her eyebrow as she had seen Elizabeth do many times before, “I am certain you will need something else to fill your days since you will not be riding again anytime soon.”
Mary looked up and closed her eyes, then chuckled and, with determination, accepted her husband’s help to stand. He kissed her on the cheek and the two ladies repaired to the music room where Georgiana proceeded to teach Mary a simple tune, as well as a compliment to a harder tune they could play together.
Later that evening they performed for the others and received great applause. Georgiana retired and lay in her bed that night, a smile on her face, as she remembered all Mary had said of what her world was like. As much as she had taught Mary today, Mary had taught her as well. She would never see the world the same way again.
It was another three months before Mary’s confinement was to begin, and during that time the Bingleys settled into their own home, the Darcys returned to Pemberley, and the Fitzwilliams continued to do what was needed to ready their lives and home for their own soon coming babe.
They had not been back at Pemberley a week when Georgiana went to Elizabeth and asked if she would join her in visiting the graves of her mother and father. Elizabeth was touched with the sentiment, and, even though it was a difficult request, she gladly accompanied Georgiana to the church.
Elizabeth had only been a few times with her husband, but he came every week on his own. The carriage ride was quiet, and Georgiana held Elizabeth’s hand firmly in her grip. The two arrived and descended from the carriage, Georgiana grasping the flowers she had brought from the garden. Then they turned and entered the large church, walking through the chilly building to the alcove that memorialized the previous four generations of the Masters of Pemberley and their families.
Just to Hear 'I Love You': An Alternate Tale of Jane Austen's 'Pride & Prejudice' Page 35