“What?” she exclaimed.“Why would you submit your sister to the discomfort of traveling again so soon?”
“I assure you, Miss Bingley,” Georgiana came to his defense, “my brother never asks more of me than I am willing to give.”
“Yes, of course,” Caroline stumbled, not wishing to offend her hosts,“but what could take you out on the road again so soon?”
As she asked her question, Caroline’s brother joined them from his ride and provided the answer.“We have been to Lambton to see Miss Elizabeth Bennet; is it not fortuitous she is in Derbyshire at the same time as we are at Pemberley?” If he looked at his sisters during his response, Charles Bingley would have observed their shared duplicity.
Louisa Hurst recovered her voice first.“Miss Elizabeth Bennet! Are all the Bennets on holiday in Derbyshire?”
“No,” Charles brought his tea and scones over to join the party. “It is just Miss Elizabeth and her aunt and uncle.”
“Please tell me,” Caroline pronounced the words slowly,“this is not the uncle who is a lawyer in Meryton.” Louisa guffawed.
“Of course, not,” Darcy snickered,“it is the uncle from Cheapside.”
“Heavens, help us,” Caroline gasped.
Standing quickly, Darcy added before he exited the room, “I hope the planets are aligned, and the heavens are favorable for we dine with Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner and Miss Elizabeth the day after tomorrow. It will give you a chance to renew your acquaintance.” With that, he took Georgiana’s hand and said, “Come, Dearest One, I am in need of your soothing music, and I am anxious to hear how well the new instrument sounds.” Georgiana and Darcy left the insipidity of the breakfast room to find privacy in the music room.Their exit spoke volumes to those who professed fine manners but greatly lacked even common civilities.
Mr. Gardiner took full advantage of Mr. Darcy’s invitation to fish his stream and found great pleasure in joining the master himself, as well as Mr. Bingley and Bingley’s brother, Mr. Hurst. Eventually, Darcy and Gardiner isolated themselves from the other two. The former, as true sportsmen, understood patience and quiet time brought success to an angler.They spent nearly an hour in peaceful companionship when Mr. Gardiner turned to Darcy and said,“Mr. Darcy, I do not know when I spent a more pleasant morning. Some may find this waiting for the fish to bite boring, but with a house full of children and servants and a business, which demands much of my time, tranquil contemplation is a luxury. Although I enjoy your company, please, Sir,” he added,“if you have business at your house, I am content to entertain myself.”
Darcy wondered if the man recognized Darcy’s admiration for his niece. By now, Darcy did not hide his feelings for Elizabeth. “I did promise my sister, Sir,” he remarked casually, “to check on her this afternoon.”
“My wife and niece are probably with Miss Darcy as we speak.” Mr. Gardiner seemed to be expecting Darcy to look shocked by this information, but Darcy’s eyes only reflected the urgency of his desire to leave.“A call of such honor as your sister bestowed on my family requires a like response.”
“If that is the case, it is prudent on my, at least, making an appearance.” Darcy bowed.“I will return shortly.”
He walked away quickly and headed for the house. Elizabeth was here at Pemberley, and he would not waste any time they might share together—to hell with what the rules of propriety may call upon his actions. God gave him a second chance to keep Elizabeth Bennet in his life; he wanted her here with him at Pemberley, but, more importantly, Darcy desired her happiness and her friendship. He found the ladies in the salon; his entrance brought a veil of silence as all eyes fell on Darcy and Elizabeth. Everyone in the room knew why he came there; Elizabeth blushed slightly, but unlike the other ladies, her eyes locked on his face. Georgiana had enough composure to serve her guests light refreshments of cake and fresh fruit, but she struggled with the conversation. Her awareness of Miss Bingley’s vehemence for Miss Elizabeth and her brother’s desire for her and Elizabeth to be friends took its toll on her abilities to play hostess.
Darcy assessed the scene quickly, and moving to his sister, he took her by the hand and said,“Come, Dearest One,” and he seated her next to Elizabeth on the settee. He took up a position next to Mrs. Gardiner. “Your husband, Mrs. Gardiner, is a superb fisherman,” he offered. “I may need to restock the stream after today.” Mrs. Gardiner reached out and lightly patted the back of his hand and chuckled softly.
Elizabeth managed to offer her thanks. “My uncle graciously allowed my aunt and me all the pleasures on this trip.We are most thankful for your providing him time to enjoy himself in an avocation he so loves.”
“I am gratified to see him so content.” Darcy did not take his eyes from her face. After an awkward pause, he added, “I bet, Miss Elizabeth,” trying to bridge the lull, “you brought something with you to read for your travel time. Reading seems to give you great pleasure.”
“I did, Sir,” the lady smiled in that mischievous way which told him to expect some sort of barb.“I hope to improve my mind with extensive reading.”
Darcy nodded at her remembrance of what he said at Netherfield, telling him he was in her thoughts at least some of the time. Georgiana turned to Elizabeth, “What, Miss Elizabeth, do you prefer to read?”
Her brother wanted to add his own memories to the mix. “I recall Miss Elizabeth to prefer poetry. Is that not what you chose to read the last day in the library at Netherfield?”
“Oh, Miss Darcy,” she turned to his sister,“your brother wishes to reproof me for disturbing his privacy that day. I thought him engrossed in a volume on William the Conqueror, but I fear, I caught him napping instead.”
“That is difficult to believe, Miss Elizabeth. My brother devours books,” Georgiana giggled.
“I was reaching for a volume of poetry on an upper shelf,” Elizabeth explained to Georgiana, but she really spoke to Darcy,“and I knocked over something which caught your brother’s attention. He retrieved the collection for me, however. He was actually very chivalrous.”Then she pursed her lips in that all-knowing challenge he came to recognize.
“Which poets do you prefer?” asked Georgiana.
“I believe that particular day,” Elizabeth added, “it was William Cowper I chose to read.”
“No Lord Byron for you then?” Georgiana continued. Darcy showed his surprise at his sister’s mentioning of Byron, often considered controversial, especially for a schoolgirl to be reading.
“Cowper or Scott is more to my liking,” Elizabeth confided. “When I was with the Collinses at Hunsford, I had little to read besides Fordyce’s Sermons toYoungWomen. Lady Catherine was kind enough to allow me access to her library, though.” Darcy saw the glint of mirth creep across Elizabeth’s face before she added, “I thought Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Women might be found there. I hoped to share it with Mrs. Collins.”
Georgiana laughed out loud and reached out for Elizabeth’s hand, which Elizabeth offered willingly. Mrs. Gardiner stifled a laugh of her own; Elizabeth feigned innocence and gave Darcy that smile which possessed him from the first time he saw it.
Miss Bingley, who offered little to the conversation up until this time and who, secretly, wanted the visit to be a failure, moved beyond curiosity to desperation. Caroline was astute enough to see how Darcy anxiously wanted Georgiana and Elizabeth to become friends and how he encouraged the conversation on both sides. In the imprudence of anger, she took the first opportunity of saying, with sneering civility, “Pray, Miss Eliza, are not the—shire militia removed from Meryton? They must be a great loss to your family.”
Darcy froze, and Georgiana dropped Elizabeth’s hand, gathering her own hands nervously into her lap. He could little believe Miss Bingley could be so cruel; she knew nothing of Georgiana’s distress; Caroline’s comments were to serve as a reminder to Darcy Elizabeth once preferred Mr.Wickham to him, and the rogue’s lies unreasonably influenced her. Darcy, obviously agitated, ea
rnestly looked to Elizabeth. Georgiana’s reputation is in your hands. She offered him a slight nod as if to say I will protect your sister as my own.
He saw her straighten those formidable shoulders and raise her chin. Then Elizabeth spoke both sweetly and calmly, “On the contrary, Miss Bingley.We will miss the intelligent conversation the officers brought to all the gatherings, and I suppose the community may feel more vulnerable without the military’s protection. I also assume many merchants feel the deprivation of the additional income, but my father brought up each of his daughters to be self-sufficient enough to entertain herself. We need no outside source of diversion.”As she said these lines, Elizabeth’s hand reached across the settee to retrieve Georgiana’s hand into her own grasp. Darcy watched her give his sister’s hand a little squeeze and saw Georgiana’s eyes follow the motion of her hand toward Elizabeth and how she raised her eyes reluctantly to look tentatively into Elizabeth Bennet’s face. Elizabeth offered up a gentle smile, and Georgiana started to drop her eyes, but a breathy expulsion gave her the fortitude to stare at Elizabeth. Elizabeth turned her attention back to Georgiana. “I apologize for losing my thoughts, Miss Darcy; I wanted to ask your reading preferences.”
Georgiana’s voice, initially barely a whisper, gained volume as she continued. She never took her eyes from Elizabeth during the exchange, putting all of her trust in the woman she hoped would become her friend. “In my studies, I read Oliver Goldsmith’s The Vicar of Wakefield. I have also lately enjoyed the prose and verse found in Elegant Extracts, as well as Frances Burney’s Cecilia.”
“How about Mrs. Radcliff ’s The Romance of the Forest or The Children of the Abbey? My father’s library held such schoolgirl favorites for my sisters and me,” Elizabeth encouraged.
“I have enjoyed them both, Miss Elizabeth.”
Darcy watched as his adorable, but shy, sister struggled to maintain the conversation, realizing he never appreciated Elizabeth Bennet properly before now; he observed Elizabeth leading others before—Maria Lucas’s needlework flashed before his eyes—but even when he thought he loved her, this moment with Georgiana sealed his regard for her forever. In the background, Caroline Bingley droned on, often directing her comments to the room, but more often to the tittering sighs of her sister Mrs. Hurst.The rest of the party, generally, ignored them, however.
“Have you been able to attend the series of concerts being commissioned by the Prince Regent?” Mrs. Gardiner interjected, hoping to channel Georgiana along a familiar line of conversation.
“Yes, Mrs. Gardiner,” Georgiana smiled briefly. “The last one was the most magnificent I ever heard; was it not, Mrs.Annesley?”
“I agree most wholeheartedly, Miss Georgiana. The room was filled with an indescribable essence.”
“This sounds so thrilling, Miss Darcy.Would you be willing to acquaint me with the pieces you most enjoyed?” Elizabeth coaxed the girl.
Darcy marveled at how Georgiana’s whole body changed as she spoke to Elizabeth and Mrs. Gardiner. Her voice became fuller and less breathy, and Georgiana’s very posture became one of a well-bred lady, rather than a timid schoolgirl.
“Oh, yes, Miss Elizabeth, I would love that.When you come to dine, maybe we can find time to play together. Mrs. Annesley helped me select some interesting pieces, and my master, Mr. Steventon, taught me some of the difficult cords.”
“My goodness, they sound challenging, but I must admit I can think of few things I would find to be more pleasurable than spending time with you in learning what pieces you chose, although I am sure your talents are so superior to my own, Miss Darcy.”
Georgiana’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Elizabeth. At last, Darcy thought. At last, Georgiana found someone who sees her for what she really is. Of course, Elizabeth Bennet had a way of seeing people—she saw his many flaws. Could he imagine she might see him in other ways some day? Dare he let himself believe it might happen?
Elizabeth said something about regrets but having the need to take her leave.
“Miss Bennet, Mrs. Gardiner, please tarry a few minutes more,” Darcy interjected, “and I will have your carriage brought around.” Darcy said this to both women, but his eyes remained on Elizabeth, trying to memorize her every expression.
“Thank you, Mr. Darcy,” Mrs. Gardiner offered, noting Elizabeth could not look away from his intense stare.
Coming to himself, Darcy, making a quick bow and averting his eyes to his sister, rose quickly.“Georgiana, while I see Mr. Shepherd about the carriage, why do you not show Miss Bennet and Mrs. Gardiner the conservatory?”
“Mr. Darcy, thank you again for your courtesy toward my uncle,” Elizabeth discovered her voice. “I cannot remember seeing him as contented as he was when contemplating the pleasure of fishing your lake, Sir.”
“Then I am well satisfied, Miss Bennet,” Darcy replied and quickly left the room to find Mr. Shepherd.
“Please follow me, Miss Elizabeth, Mrs. Gardiner,” Georgiana offered as she stood to lead them toward the conservatory.
“Happily so,” Elizabeth said as she also stood.Then interlocking her arm into Georgiana’s, Elizabeth smiled brightly at Darcy’s sister. “Pemberley is a magnificent home. Its elegance comes in its simplistic sophistication.”
“That is ironic,” Georgiana gasped as they headed toward the door.
“What is, Miss Darcy?”
“Your description of Pemberley,” her nose wrinkled a bit showing she was still a schoolgirl at heart.“It is what Fitzwilliam says about Pemberley when he describes our home—simple sophistication.”
Elizabeth turned to make sure Mrs. Gardiner followed close behind but also to conceal the blush overtaking her face.
Entering the conservatory, the beauty of the place awed Elizabeth and Mrs. Gardiner, but it also had a calming effect on them.“I hope you love this place, Miss Elizabeth,” said Georgiana,“for it is one of my favorite rooms at Pemberley. I feel my mother here. Fitzwilliam says she would spend hours tending the plants.”
“Each part of Pemberley seems to override the previous, Miss Darcy,” Elizabeth gushed, “but this room would be one of my favorites also. It speaks of the magnitude of your mother’s character. A woman who loved flowers and nature so to replicate this atmosphere could have no less children than you and Mr. Darcy.”
Darcy came back to escort Elizabeth and Mrs. Gardiner to their carriage. He stood in the shadows of the doorway watching his precious sister and the woman who possessed him completely. He could barely breathe while watching the two of them together. Could they become friends? Georgiana deserved these happy moments. Elizabeth strolled aimlessly, looking at the exotic flowers and the shrubbery. She stopped at a yellow boxwood rose plant, touching its leaves lovingly, nearly caressing the petals. Georgiana, walking now with Mrs. Gardiner, looked back and beamed. “You discovered my mother’s favorite flower, Miss Elizabeth. My brother reportedly fought to keep the cuttings alive after my mother’s death. I felt often he did so to keep my mother’s memory alive too.”
“I can imagine so, Miss Darcy,” Mrs. Gardiner entered the conversation. “Your brother took on many responsibilities at a young age. I would imagine the plant gave him comfort.” Darcy could hardly believe his ears.These people whom he once shunned because of his misplaced pride understood him better than many of his close acquaintances.
He watched Elizabeth in Pemberley’s conservatory, deeply inhaling the fragrance of his mother’s boxwood rose. He could barely breathe; his heart lodged again in his throat. He knew at this moment he must make Elizabeth Bennet a part of his life. If she could learn to love him, Fitzwilliam Darcy would not hesitate or question himself again.Yet, even if all they ever had was the quiet repartee they enjoyed since he found her on the grounds of Pemberley two days ago, then he would settle for that. He would protect Elizabeth. He would love Elizabeth from afar if necessary, but he would do everything in his power to secure her happiness even if that meant finding Elizabeth a suitable romantic match. Oh, Go
d, could he do that? Could he stand to see her with another man? He could not stand a life without seeing Elizabeth; that much he did know; making her happy took on new importance. Maybe she would consider becoming a traveling companion for Georgiana. Mrs. Annesley gave Georgiana refinement, but Elizabeth Bennet could give her confidence.What was he thinking? He thought of Elizabeth being a part of his life. He thought about Elizabeth Bennet as he had thought since his days at Netherfield. Darcy cleared his voice and stepped into the room. “Mrs. Gardiner, your carriage is without.”
“Thank you, Mr. Darcy, for a most pleasant afternoon.”
“Yes,” hurried Elizabeth. “You and Miss Darcy have a most well-suited home here at Pemberley. I will never be able to think of either of you without picturing you here at this great estate. This has been a most unexpected pleasure.” Elizabeth colored slightly, but only Darcy noted the change.
“You are to be our guests at any time you so desire,” Georgiana said with a glow of confidence she was learning to like; Darcy marveled at the change.
“I see you prefer the yellow boxwood rose, Miss Elizabeth,” Darcy could not help himself; he wanted to speak to her again.When she talked, he heard the same voice and discerned the same mind.
“It is a cherished plant, is it not, Mr. Darcy? Or has your sister exaggerated its importance?” Elizabeth’s enigmatic smile overspread her face as her eyes drifted to Darcy’s passionate stare.
“Oh, no, Miss Elizabeth,” Georgiana began.
“Georgiana,” Darcy stopped her in mid sentence,“you will find Miss Bennet likes to test my mettle with her responses some times.” As he said so, a wry smile turned up on the outline of his lips as if he and Elizabeth just shared a private joke.The “attitude” displayed between her brother and Elizabeth Bennet and the intensity of their stares amused Georgiana. Mrs. Gardiner simply smiled as she took Georgiana’s arm to head toward her waiting carriage and to allow Georgiana to return to her other guests.
Darcy's Passions Page 18