Mr. Darcy's Little Sister

by C. Allyn Pierson

  Mr. Bingley was finally ready and they returned to the coach; Darcy directed the coachman to Sheffield and Sons Jewellers in Bond Street. Georgiana had never been into a jeweller’s before, and she was dazzled at the number and variety of beautiful pieces in gold and precious stones, her shame over her boorish behaviour quickly forgotten. After a survey of the room, she asked Darcy, “Do you have an idea of what you want, Brother?”

  “We were thinking of, perhaps, bracelets.” He looked at Bingley for confirmation and received a nod.

  Georgiana thought Mr. Bingley looked as overwhelmed as she felt at the number of choices offered them in the shop. The shopkeeper, who had kept a respectful distance while they were conversing, now approached and bowed.

  “How may I help you, Mr. Darcy?”

  “My friend Mr. Bingley and I are both shopping for wedding gifts for our brides-to-be.”

  Mr. Sheffield’s eyes sparkled, and he said, “Of course, Mr. Darcy, I would be delighted to serve you. Did I hear you say that you are shopping for bracelets?”

  “Yes, as I was saying to my sister,” he nodded towards Georgiana, “we would like the gifts to match as our brides are sisters and very close.”

  “Certainly, certainly, sir.” The jeweller rubbed his hands together for a moment as he thought. “Come this way, please, sirs and miss, and I will show you what we have. If we do not have exactly what you want we can, of course, manufacture or obtain it for you. When is the wedding, if I may ask?”

  Darcy told him and he said, “Yes, we should have plenty of time. Come this way, sirs, miss.”

  He led them to a small sitting area in the room next to the showroom and seated them then disappeared. In a moment a servant brought them tea, and the jeweller reappeared with a stack of wooden trays lined with velvet.

  “I have selected a variety of styles for you to look at, sirs and miss,” he bowed to Georgiana and the gentlemen, “so I can better judge what your taste is in this matter.”

  They all leaned forwards as he passed the trays one at a time so they could each see them. There were many bracelets, most with gemstones, of various weights. Many of them were very beautiful and would grace any ballroom in which they were worn, but Georgiana did not see any which seemed quite right. After looking through all of them, she glanced at her two companions and saw that they were also unsure. She said, “Ummm,” and both men looked up.

  “P-perhaps we could look at something a little different.”

  Darcy encouraged her with a smile and said, “What do you have in mind, my dear?”

  “Well, I do not yet know the Misses Bennet well, and I know that it is customary to give impressive jewels for wedding gifts, but it seems to me that a wedding gift has a symbolic meaning far beyond other gifts and should be something that the recipients will see and use daily rather than something which will be locked away until a ball.”

  Darcy stared at her for a moment in surprise, and she blushed self-consciously and began to stammer, “B-but perhaps…”

  “Do not be embarrassed, my dear sister, I am quite impressed with your insight. You have put your finger on exactly what was bothering me about these bracelets. They just did not feel right to me as a wedding gift.”

  She blushed even more and Darcy looked at Bingley for his approval, who said, “I think you are right, Miss Darcy. These are lovely and would make delightful birthday or Christmas gifts, but they don’t quite suit my feelings in the matter of wedding gifts.”

  The jeweller, following the conversation, cleared his throat and said to Georgiana, “You are thinking, Miss Darcy, of a bracelet which could be worn every day?”

  “Yes, exactly, sir.”

  “Aha. Give me another moment, if you please.”

  He handed the trays to an assistant and bustled back to the showroom. When he returned he held several more trays, which he presented to Georgiana first.

  “Pray look at these, Miss Darcy. Are these more what you are wanting?”

  The trays held numerous gold bracelets of various weights and designs. Some had a small jewel or gold charm. She looked them over carefully and finally chose a fine serpentine chain which had a delicate cross set with a ruby hanging from the clasp.

  “I-I think that this is the one I prefer. What do you think, Brother?”

  Darcy took the chain and tilted his head. “I think it is perfect, Georgiana. What do you think, Bingley?”

  “I like it very much.”

  Georgiana boldly added, “I would have the cross set with a sapphire rather than a ruby for Miss Bennet, however. The colour will match her eyes. The ruby would be lovely for Miss Elizabeth.”

  Bingley nodded and smiled at her. “Yes, you are perfectly right, Miss Darcy.” He turned to the jeweller and asked, “Could you obtain another, identical to this except with a sapphire on the cross?”

  “Indeed, sir. The chain itself is a popular style and readily available, but the cross makes it distinctive. We can have the cross with the sapphire added in our workshop. There will be no difficulty at all.”

  While Darcy gave his final instructions on the bracelet for Elizabeth, Bingley asked the jeweller to show him some necklaces, as Miss Bennet would have a birthday less than a month after their wedding. After some deliberation, he chose a diamond collar and asked Georgiana for her opinion. When she approved they finished their transactions and left the shop, leaving Mr. Sheffield beaming behind them.

  When they finished shopping, Darcy helped Georgiana into the carriage and asked her, “Do you wish to stop at Ashbourne House before you go to Gracechurch Street?”

  Georgiana paused, unsure what to do, and Darcy added, “I believe the Bennet ladies are expecting you, and Mrs. Gardiner informed me that they would be in all afternoon with the seamstresses.”

  “If you do not mind, let us go to Ashbourne House and I will bring my evening clothes to Gracechurch Street, since we will be dining there.”

  Darcy smiled his approval and then gave the orders to the coachman.

  When Georgiana arrived at the Gardiner residence, she found the ladies in the parlour surrounded by a blizzard of fabric samples, ribbons, and laces. When the maid announced her, Miss Elizabeth jumped up, saying, “Thank heavens you are here, Georgiana! My mind is spinning with all of these choices to make. Let us take a few minutes for a cup of tea before we plunge back into the maelstrom!”

  Mrs. Gardiner nodded to the maid and the ladies moved to the drawing-room after the Bennets had set aside the patterns and plucked off the fabric swatches which were clinging to their gowns. When they sat down, Elizabeth turned to Georgiana and said, “My dear aunt wishes to give each of us a new ballgown for a wedding present, so we must select patterns for those as well as for all our other gowns. Quelle horreur!” She grinned at her aunt, with a twinkle in her eye.

  Georgiana asked, “Have you decided on your wedding gowns?”

  “I think I will have a white silk batiste gown with silver embroidery above the hem and on the bodice. I have a bonnet which I like very well and they are going to make another just like it, except white trimmed in silver ribbon, and with a short veil.”

  Jane added, “I am going to have a white gown with Valencienne lace trim, but I have not yet decided on my bonnet. Since it may be cold that late in October, I am going to have a lace spencer to match the gown, as well.”

  The conversation continued in a lively manner until they finished their tea then they adjourned again to the parlour, where the modiste had put the patterns and samples in order. The next two hours passed quickly as they looked at designs and material and Georgiana soon found herself making suggestions along with the others. It seemed like only a few minutes until it was time to dress for dinner. Mrs. Gardiner assigned one of the maids to help her dress and she soon returned and joined the others in the drawing-room.

  When a footman announced dinner Mr. Gardiner
offered Georgiana his arm and she was a little taken aback, but he said, “You are the guest of honour here, Miss Darcy.” He smiled his merry smile at her and added, “Also, I believe my nieces have partners they prefer to their old uncle.” She looked over at the two couples and said quietly, “And do they not look lovely together?”

  “Indeed they do, Miss Darcy.”

  Mr. Gardiner patted her hand and led her into the dining-room. From her position at his right, Georgiana could observe both couples when she was not engaged in conversation with her dinner partner. Mr. Bingley could not keep his eyes off his beautiful fiancée and thereby neglected his hostess, who was on his other side. Jane showed more restraint in her admiration, but on one occasion when she glanced up Georgiana saw her give Mr. Bingley a long look which caused him to stumble and fall silent in the middle of the tale he was relating. Miss Elizabeth, to whom this story was directed, gave him a brief, amused smile and said, “You were saying, Mr. Bingley?”

  Bingley looked blank for a moment as he tried to gather his wits together, but he finally took a deep breath and said, “Yes, well, the rest of the story was not terribly interesting.” He quickly added, “Mr. Gardiner, have you had an opportunity to do any hunting this autumn?”

  Georgiana felt a great urge to giggle but concentrated on cutting her meat. She knew that she would laugh out loud if her eyes met those of Miss Elizabeth, which she was sure would be dancing in merriment. She did finally glance at her brother, but a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth and a softening of his expression were the only signs that he had noted his friend’s discomfiture.

  To end the awkward moment, Miss Elizabeth asked Mr. Bingley what they had done in the afternoon.

  “Oh, just errands, nothing terribly interesting,” Bingley said blandly, his self-control reasserted.

  “And you, Mr. Darcy?” she asked her fiancé.

  “Oh, errands, as Bingley says.”

  “And it was necessary for Miss Darcy to accompany you on these errands?”

  “I wanted to spend a little time with her as I have not seen much of her since our engagement.”

  “I see. A mystery, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley? And abetted by my future sister?” she asked, her lips pursed in a delightful pout.

  “My dear Miss Elizabeth,” Mr. Bingley replied, an ingenuous look in his blue eyes, “gentlemen must sometimes have their secrets.” He sketched a small bow towards Georgiana. “And sometimes young ladies are kind enough to indulge them.”

  Miss Elizabeth laughed and gave up her quizzing, contenting herself with giving an account of their day, making the most of the difficulties of choosing colours and fabrics and discussing concerns about style, while Georgiana sat silently listening and smiling over Miss Elizabeth’s exaggerated saga. Finally, Elizabeth said, “So, Mr. Darcy, have we now given you more information than you ever thought possible about ladies’ dress?”

  “Not at all, I am finding it a fascinating glimpse into an arcane branch of knowledge. I had not realised all the profound subtleties of the subject.” He smiled at her impudent grin and continued with his meal.

  ***

  The ladies spoke of general topics when they withdrew from the table, and the gentlemen soon joined them in the drawing-room. Elizabeth sat next to Mr. Darcy and, while the others were involved in conversation, they discussed their plans for their honeymoon.

  “I suggest that we spend a few days at the seaside before we return to London after the wedding, if that is agreeable to you,” Darcy said. “I have a friend who has a house not far from Eastbourne. It looks over a private beach and has a delightful view of the sea. If we are lucky, the weather will continue pleasant. When we return we could then enjoy some of the amusements of town before travelling to Pemberley for the winter. There will not be many people in town during the hunting season, so it will be rather quiet, but we should still be able to find a play or a concert.” There was a rueful note in his voice as he added, “I would prefer to give you a more elegant honeymoon in Paris or on the Riviera, but the war makes that plan a little too adventurous, I fear.”

  Elizabeth readily agreed with his suggestions.

  “The seaside and London will be delightful. I confess that wondering whether an army would come marching through town might put a serious check upon my enjoyment of a trip to the Continent,” she said with a twinkle in her eye but then added soberly, “Hopefully, it will not be many more years before that situation changes.”

  “The newspapers suggest that the Coalition armies have Napoleon on the run, but so they have said many times before. Perhaps they will be correct one of these days.”

  “We can only hope.” Elizabeth smiled at him and added, “Will Georgiana return to Pemberley after the wedding?”

  “No, she is going to visit our aunt and uncle, Lord and Lady Whitwell, for a few days. Their townhouse is only a few streets away from Ashbourne House, so she will actually be quite near. My aunt will be sponsoring Georgiana for her presentation and will be taking her in hand during the preparations. We may want to include Georgiana in some of our evenings out. The more experience she gains in society, the better.

  He looked over at his sister, who was across the room talking to Jane by the fireplace, and his expression softened. Elizabeth’s eyes followed his gaze. Georgiana’s light brown hair glowed golden in the firelight and her eyes looked as green and limpid as water. They crinkled at the outer corners when she smiled, as she did now at something Jane was saying.

  “Georgiana is such a sweet, affectionate girl! I am very much looking forwards to truly getting to know her before we are caught up in her coming-out,” Elizabeth whispered then added after a quick glance at the group around the fireplace, “I hope that we can help her overcome her self-consciousness before that occurs.”

  Darcy nodded, his brow slightly furrowed, and Elizabeth quietly put her hand on his arm. They had talked a great deal about Georgiana during the long walks they had taken daily in the countryside around Longbourn after their engagement. Darcy had delayed Georgiana’s debut in society because of her extreme shyness (as well as because of his own romantic preoccupations of the past year). Her lack of confidence made it likely that the ritual appearances of her presentation at court and coming-out Season would be a miserable trial for her and would be an impediment to her ability to attract an appropriate husband. Her guardians certainly did not want her to marry someone who was only interested in her fortune, but it would be very difficult for a stranger to break through her diffidence and find out what she was truly like. Her sheltered and parentless existence had probably been a rather lonely one, Elizabeth reflected to herself—quite unlike the tumult of the Bennet household.

  The incident with Mr. Wickham more than a year and a half earlier had further eroded her confidence. Elizabeth had hopes that she could help her new sister emerge from her shell and become more comfortable in society but was unsure how she would accomplish this.

  After a glance to make sure that the others had not noted their sudden quietness, Darcy cleared his throat and continued with his previous thought:

  “We must have a ball at Pemberley after we arrive in the country so that our neighbours may meet you. We will follow it with one in the servants’ hall so that all of our dependents may also celebrate our marriage. Perhaps we could have both balls around Christmas when your family will be visiting.”

  Elizabeth gave him a sceptical smile, and he responded to her unspoken comment: “Yes, I know what that look means, Miss Elizabeth. I have no greater love for balls now than I did a twelvemonth ago, but I will do my duty for my lovely bride, no matter how difficult it may be. And, I must confess, performing my social duties will be much more pleasant with her at my side.” He smiled down at her. “What say you to these plans?”

  She returned his smile and answered, “I say that your proposals sound wonderful, so let us do as you suggest. Truthfully, the locat
ion of our honeymoon is not nearly as important to me as the company. Shall we join the others at the hearth?”

  Georgiana had been surreptitiously observing her brother and Miss Elizabeth and she saw them both glance at her. She knew that they must have been talking about her, and she reddened as she tried to concentrate on what Miss Bennet was saying to her. She hoped that she had not merited their discussion by committing any egregious errors.

  At the conclusion of the evening, as the others were talking over a plan to attend a play the following night, Elizabeth asked Georgiana, “Georgiana, my dear, you will join us for our shopping tomorrow, will you not?”

  Georgiana glanced at her brother for approval.

  “Of course you may go, dearest,” he responded with an encouraging smile. “I will send you over in the carriage in the morning.”

  Elizabeth gently urged her, “Do come, Georgiana. We would love to have you with us.”

  Georgiana nodded her silent assent, and the ladies all agreed upon a time. Before they left, Darcy added, rather formally, “I hope that you will all join us at Ashbourne House in the evening for a light dinner before we attend the theatre.”

  They all agreed to this proposal, and the two Darcys and Bingley said their farewells.

  Georgiana spent more than her usual time over her diary that night, trying to distil all the events of the day into a few lines.

  29 September: Today has been a whirl of activity: meeting the Bennet family at breakfast, shopping with my brother and Mr. Bingley for wedding gifts for their brides and with the Misses Bennet for their trousseaux, meeting the Gardiners again. The moment which stands out the most in my mind, however, is the look which passed between my brother and his fiancée when they thought no one was aware. It is very clear that my dear, reticent brother has a deep passion for his wife-to-be, and she for him. I trust that someday I will find a gentleman who gazes at me in that manner and who induces the same fire in my veins as seems to flow in my brother’s.