by Jayne Bamber
“Of that I can have no doubt.” Elizabeth replied with a smirk. “Good Heavens, do you know, I am delighted you chose to call upon me this morning? I will fully own I never expected to experience such sentiment, but I really do mean it, Caroline. I shall speak to William and my uncle about our arrangements, and then we can move forward. As to the meeting, I suppose I can allow her to attend Lady Catherine and Sir Gerald’s wedding breakfast – the idea is for talk of their unlikely union to spread quickly, and drown out the whispers about Georgiana, and I can think of few people better suited to the task than my mother and youngest sister. Certainly you must be in attendance as well, as a member of Sir Gerald’s family – he is staying with Lady Catherine at number Twenty-Seven, Belgrave Square, if you wish to pay your respects.”
“That will suit me perfectly,” Caroline replied, though she was rather nervous at the prospect of meeting with her in-laws. “I shall have a bedchamber made ready for her. Does she already have a lady’s maid, or should I look for one?”
“Yes, a lady’s maid with a great deal of patience, if you please. I will make some inquiries, too, and we shall get it sorted out. Indeed, I think I must go to my uncle’s house directly and speak to him. Shall I walk out with you?”
Caroline followed Elizabeth out of the room and the two exchanged a warm farewell as they parted ways, Elizabeth for Cheapside, and Caroline for Belgrave Square. She was off to a very fine start at reclaiming her position in society – daughter-in-law to Lady Catherine, relation and friend to the Darcys and Fitzwilliams, and guardian to a debutante in the making – a very fine start indeed!
***
Georgiana’s shoulders sagged as she shook off her heavy pelisse after returning to Darcy House with Rebecca. The housekeeper informed them they had just missed Elizabeth, which Georgiana thought was just as well, as she would not wish her sister to see her so dispirited.
“I wish you had told me,” Georgiana lamented, once they had retreated to the music room, “how very tiresome the Granthams are. I hope we do not have to go back there again while we are in Town, I do not think I could bear it.”
“Once was certainly enough,” Rebecca replied. “We merely needed to put in an appearance, ahead of any whiff of gossip about you reaching their ears – and fill their heads instead with talk of Lady Catherine’s marriage and her new daughter. That is the plan, my dear, and we must do our part. Lady Grantham was a great friend of my mother’s, and I have grown up with her daughters, though I will own I am not particularly fond of the way they bicker amongst themselves. I suppose their company is something of an acquired taste.”
Georgiana wrung her hands. “I do not believe I have any desire to acquire it. It is a very hard thing, being dragged through every drawing room in London to defend my reputation. I am beginning to wonder whether it is even worth it.”
Rebecca gave her a stern look. “You are lucky your brother and sister are not here to hear you say that. The rest of the family is working very hard to quell the vicious rumors circulating about you.”
Georgiana flinched. It was not uncommon for her to observe Rebecca being severe upon others, but toward herself Rebecca had been nothing but gentle in the past. Georgiana could not deny she deserved the reprimand, as the truth behind the rumors was the result of her own folly, but she had tired of apologizing for it, and tired of fighting against it. She leaned back against the chaise, curling her knees up into her chest, and she glared at her cousin, daring her to chastise her for the unladylike display. “It is hard to go amongst such imposing strangers, pretending the truth is not the truth, and hoping they will not contradict me. I fear they shall see right through me, and I shall look more the fool for making the attempt of denying it. I wish Lizzy could have come with us.”
“As do I, dearest. It is very sad that her distress has made her so very ill again this morning, but even if she were well, she would likely be needed at the Gardiners’ house, for it is her duty to console her poor mother, even over the loss of such a person as Jane.”
“I do not understand,” Georgiana pressed on, knowing that she would be scolded for whining if her brother could hear her speak thus. “We were both in the room with Mrs. Bennet back in September when she disowned Jane for attempting to blackmail my brother. Jane’s whole family disowned her.”
“Dear Georgiana, do not vex yourself about it,” Rebecca said dismissively. “Mrs. Bennet is rather ridiculous, I daresay, but she is still a woman, and we are all of us complicated creatures. Jane was her daughter, for better or worse, and I do not doubt she continued to love her daughter regardless of what she said in September. Imagine if little Julia did something unspeakably cruel to one of your future children, or to one of Elizabeth’s. Would you not still love her as a mother, for all her mistakes?”
Georgiana pulled her knees closer to herself as she began to sniffle. “I should not speak of such things. I have spent the last year trying to train my heart not to think of Julia as my daughter. She is my niece, only my niece, and I must remind myself of the fact until I believe it. Even were it not for these horrible whispers about me, I should have to do it anyhow. I....” Georgiana’s voice caught in her throat and she began to softly cry.
Rebecca moved to sit beside her, patting her gently on the shoulder. “Gracious me, no wonder you prefer Lizzy’s company. I always seem to say the wrong thing. Yesterday Lizzy cried because I said I liked her better in pink than lilac. I must be very beastly indeed, but I do not mean to be.”
“No,” Georgiana replied hastily, wiping at her tear-stained cheeks. “You are a wonderful cousin, truly. It is only that I feel I am the most wicked person in the world, and I cannot bear it!” Georgiana curled herself up even more, and burst into tears in earnest.
***
Rebecca was overcome with a strong and unpleasant surge of emotion. There they were, two miserable, motherless girls trying to make their way in the world, and it seemed as though they were both failing miserably at it. She took a deep breath, wondering what Lady Anne would have said at such a time, or her own mother. Unfortunately, she herself was all Georgiana had at the moment, and Rebecca searched for something to say.
“Please do not call yourself a wicked girl. It is not true, and I do not like to hear people I esteem so highly speak ill of themselves. It is a perverse thing to do.”
“But I am,” Georgiana sobbed. “My family has been so very kind to me when I have brought them nothing but trouble, and I have repaid them with ingratitude.”
“Look at me, Georgiana,” Rebecca said, lifting up the girl’s chin until they were eye to eye. “I forbid you to think so meanly of yourself. You are not to blame for what you did at Ramsgate, do you understand me? You should not have been left alone so much by your brother, just as much as he should not have had the guardianship of such a young girl thrust upon him at such a young age. You may think of what happened at Ramsgate as a mistake, but it brought dear Julia into this world, and you love her. This led Darcy to marry cousin Anne, giving her life some comfort and purpose at the end, just has her death led to Darcy meeting dear Lizzy, and falling in love with her. Perhaps it was all part of a grand design, and you were merely playing your part of it. You need not chastise yourself for the love you have for Julia, any more than you should doubt you have every right to defend your worth as a person to all the world. You are deceiving no one by presenting yourself as a good person.”
“And yet I am living a lie,” Georgiana whimpered.
“It is a noble lie, one that will allow you and your female relations, such as Mary and perhaps even myself, if I take leave of my senses, to marry well when the time comes. More importantly, it will allow your daughter to grow up with two loving mothers, and someday inherit Rosings. I would tell a thousand lies to accomplish half as much for the people I really care about. Does that make me a wicked person?”
Georgiana gave one final sniff before cracking a timid smile. “You could sell water to a drowning man.”
“A
nd incur the wrath of our aunt for engaging in trade? I think not!” Rebecca smiled with satisfaction as this elicited a gentle laugh from her cousin. Perhaps they were not so very hopeless after all.
The two women began to speak of happier things for a time, until the footman entered to announce a visitor. “There is a gentleman here to see Mr. and Mrs. Darcy, claiming an acquaintance with your ladyship and Miss Darcy. Mr. Sidney Parker – shall I show him in?”
“Good Heavens,” Georgiana gasped, “I must look a fright! I certainly cannot see him before I have had time to wash my face!”
As Georgiana sprang from the chaise to examine herself in a mirror, Rebecca scowled. “Thank you, Thomas,” said she. “You may tell Mr. Parker that the Darcys are from home and Miss Darcy is indisposed. Ask him to wait for me in the larger drawing room.”
As the footman departed to do as he was bid, Georgiana looked at Rebecca in confusion. “I am sure I can collect myself in time to see him. I shall not be but a few minutes.”
“I am rather surprised you wish to see him at all. I meant to spare you that, as I had understood you were rather displeased with him when we were in Town last autumn, after all the attention he paid Jane.”
Georgiana blushed. “Oh, I know, but you yourself explained to me how it must have been, that he was attentive to her and the Dashwoods because he saw them as potential investors for his enterprises in Sanditon. I have quite forgiven him, as it has been many months, and I should like very much to see him again.”
“Yes, he was very attentive to Jane and the Dashwoods, and now that they are making trouble for you and spreading all of these vicious rumors, here he is again, appearing out of nowhere after five months of absence. It is a curious thing, do you not think?”
Georgiana’s eager smile suddenly wilted on her face and she knitted her brow in consternation. “Good God! You cannot think he is a party to their vicious attempts at slander?”
Rebecca did not think any such thing. More likely, Sidney Parker had kept his distance for the past five months due to her own warning to him on the day he bid them farewell before their journey north. She had feared he was angling for an invitation to Derbyshire himself, as he had spent the whole of September quite determined to attach himself to their family. She distrusted the man intensely, and had told him so in no uncertain terms. He had handled her admonishment gracefully, acknowledging her right to be protective over a cousin not yet fully out in society, and though he conceded his immense enjoyment of Georgiana’s company, he had also said that as he planned to winter with his family in Sanditon, he was not likely to cross paths with Miss Darcy again before she had had some chance to experience more of society, just as Rebecca wished.
And yet here he was, not six months later. Rebecca could not like it; it would not do for a sweet, worthy girl like Georgiana to throw herself away on the first man to take a fancy to her, before she had been given the opportunity to see more of the world, and her guardians take note of what her prospects might be. And, of course, she was only seventeen – far too young to think of marriage or even courtship – some of the most fashionable women Rebecca knew had waited several seasons to choose from amongst a fine selection of suitors, and had more opportunity to enjoy themselves along the way. But she could hardly admit such a thing to her cousin.
Rebecca sighed. “Of course I do not mean to suggest that Mr. Parker had anything to do with the rumors. As far as I know, he went back to playing in his ridiculous sandbox while we went north.”
“Well, I am glad he has come back to London,” Georgiana said, crossing her arms and attempting to glare at Rebecca. “I cannot account for why you should dislike him so, but I do not. And at a time when I have so few friends whom I can really trust, I cannot afford to give offense to anybody, particularly not someone who has been an amiable and true friend. Besides, if he has been away all this time, it is likely he has not heard the rumors about me, and I might actually have the pleasure of speaking with somebody without fear of what they must be thinking.”
Beginning to lose her patience with the girl, Rebecca snapped, “It is too great a coincidence for him to appear out of the blue at such a time. I should think it more likely he has heard the whispers about you and thinks it a fine opportunity for him to catch an inexperienced young heiress whom he sees as easy prey.”
Georgiana gasped. “Surely not!”
“Surely yes.” Not wishing to argue with her cousin, who was becoming increasingly agitated, Rebecca rested her hands on the girl’s shoulders in a reassuring gesture. “Do not despair, dearest. I have not the authority to forbid you from seeing him, nor would I if I could. I am only trying to protect you, but you shall not be so vulnerable forever. If Mr. Parker is still interested in you once the wagging tongues of London have moved on to the next juicy bit of gossip, perhaps you may be assured of his sincerity. For now, we must err on the side of caution. I will speak to him, and discover his intentions.” Georgiana nodded sadly as Rebecca went into the parlor to warn Sidney Parker away from her cousin for the second time.
***
Rebecca had not fully closed the door behind her as she had moved from the music room into the parlor to greet Mr. Parker, and Georgiana could not resist the temptation. She felt her cousin was being rather severe upon her erstwhile admirer, and dearly wished to know what Rebecca meant to say to him. Moreover, she wished to hear what Mr. Parker might have to say about herself, and so she crept up to the door that had been left slightly ajar, and indulged in some shameless eavesdropping.
Rebecca and Mr. Parker exchanged a very civil greeting, and he declined the offer of refreshments, claiming his visit was to be a brief one. He introduced another man, Colonel Campbell, who had accompanied him to Town. “We had some business with my aunt, who lives just across the square,” he said in his usual jovial manner. “I could not in good conscience walk past Mr. Darcy’s house without stopping to give you all my warmest regards.”
“How very amiable of you,” Rebecca drawled. “But it is just what I would expect. You have always been so very attentive to our family.”
“How could I not be, after all the kindness and affability you all showed me when we were together in Somerset last autumn, and again when Mr. Darcy’s aunt, Mrs. Jennings, was such a gracious hostess when we all came to London together? I am sure I shall treasure those memories as some of my happiest days spent away from my dear home, Sanditon.”
“Yes, I recall your being quite devoted to the place. I wonder what could have drawn you away from your seaside oasis?”
Georgiana rolled her eyes. Poor Mr. Parker, he likely has no idea that Rebecca is toying with him! He responded as amiable as ever, “It is indeed my devotion to the place that has a drawn me to Town, despite the manifold charms and spectacles of beauty I look forward to returning to! I have come up with my good friend Colonel Campbell, whose family have been staying in Sanditon these last four month, and how happy we have all been together there. Truly, I hope your family has been half as content as we have since last we met, for I cannot recall ever being better pleased by such perfect visitors – just the kind of people I should wish Sanditon to attract more of!”
The other gentleman with Mr. Parker laughed, his rejoinder too muffled for Georgiana to make out.
“Indeed, sir? Then I suppose I must congratulate you on your success,” Rebecca said evenly.
Colonel Campbell, laughed heartily. “It is all Sidney’s doing. He is a clever fellow! Such a vision he has for the place! My family and I have never been happier anywhere. Indeed, this enterprising young man has even put me in mind of some improvements I should make to the place, were I in his position, and Lady Denham has approved of my ideas, so here we are.”
“I see. But how can you improve the place from such a distance?”
Mr. Parker apparently remained ignorant of the sarcasm in Rebecca’s tone, or perhaps he was simply too charming to be put off. “Lady Denham, the principal landowner in the area and head of our little
improvement committee, has tasked me with obtaining sufficient investment as to make the Colonel’s ideas a reality. He has served King and country these twenty years, but the man was born to be an engineer! He has drawn up some plans for a clifftop promenade, a racing track, and even a small botanical garden, as well as several other attractions that I think will draw an abundance of new visitors come summer. I have here with me a great many sketches the good Colonel has made depicting their design, to display to my investor. I find it a most useful tool for those who have not such vision themselves.”
“I see,” Rebecca replied coolly. “And you mean to show these drawings to Mr. Darcy?”
Oh no. Georgiana was struck with a sudden sinking feeling. Perhaps Rebecca was right, and all he wanted from their family was money, and not her. Not her heart, at least.
“Good Heavens, no,” Mr. Parker laughed. “I should say I have more sense than that, for I am sure Mr. Darcy should be bored to death, were I to rattle on as I often do about our many ideas. No, I cannot claim to know him very well, but I do know him better than that. His friendship, I think, could not withstand much more of my entrepreneurial ramblings. Fortunately our investor is my aunt, the very same one we have been visiting, and she is more patient in such matters. I daresay she is obliged to hear me out, for I am nearly the only relation she has left, and she has always been particularly fond of me.”
Georgiana breathed a sigh of relief at the confirmation that he was not after their money, though it struck her as odd that he should style himself a friend of William’s, for she had always thought his connection with herself had been much greater.
“Indeed,” the colonel said, “Lady Russell has a very keen mind for the plans herself. Mr. Parker seems to have a family full of visionaries; I find it quite delightful, and was happy to participate in their little schemes. Though I am really in Town on matters pertaining to my daughter’s upcoming nuptials, it has been most amusing to watch Sidney and his aunt debate the merits of my little schemes, which were originally concocted more for my own amusement than any serious notion of bringing them into reality.”