Mr. Darcy's Little Sister

by C. Allyn Pierson

  “I am glad that there are benefits, my love,” she answered with a smile.

  “There are many, I assure you,” he said quietly, his eyes locked on hers.

  They did not notice Georgiana’s embarrassed blush as she occupied herself with selecting a biscuit from the tea tray.

  ***

  During the ride to Coldstream Manor a few days later, Darcy told them what he knew of the Blakes:

  “From what I have heard, Sir Robert’s father was a mercer and accumulated a great fortune providing uniforms for the military in the wars with both Napoleon and the Americans. Lord knows we have had plenty of wars in the past twenty or thirty years! He was elevated to the baronetcy after giving some sort of assistance to the Crown and had intended to purchase an estate consonant with his wealth and importance but died suddenly of a fever before fulfilling his ambitions. Sir Robert inherited the family business as well as the family fortune, with instructions in his father’s will to provide for his brothers and sister. His middle brother serves as his agent and factotum in the family business in Leeds, where their factories are located. The youngest brother and sister live at home and Miss Blake keeps house for Sir Robert at the manor. I believe that you will find Sir Robert very pleasant, and I have hopes that his brothers and sister will be likewise agreeable.”

  ***

  Sir Robert retained no traces of his modest lineage, and was very much the gentleman in appearance. He was above average height, although not as tall as Mr. Darcy, and fair haired, his eyes the colour of cornflowers but with dark lashes and brows surrounding them. He greeted them cordially:

  “I am most delighted to meet you Mrs. Darcy and Miss Darcy,” he said, bowing to each of them in turn. “May I please introduce my sister, Miss Emily Blake, and my youngest brother, Mr. Edward Blake?”

  Miss Blake was fair in colouring like her brother but had eyes of an unusual tawny golden brown. She was pretty and her gentle manners were pleasing, but her voice was at odds with her appearance: high pitched and childish sounding. She was gracious to her guests, and Elizabeth and Georgiana made an effort to make their new acquaintance feel welcome to the neighbourhood. Their discussion, when the ladies withdrew to the salon, was pleasant but of the most banal type: Miss Blake talking about what she had done while in Leeds on a recent visit to her other brother, a subject which might have had some interest but which the speaker did not imbue with any vivacity or piquancy.

  When the gentlemen finally rejoined them, the Darcy ladies had more of an opportunity to assess the youngest of the Blake brothers than had been possible earlier in the evening. Edward Blake was a young man of middle height, modest good looks, and somewhat shy manners who greeted them quietly and spent most of the evening listening to the conversation, only joining in when asked a question. Elizabeth enquired what his plans were for the future.

  “Are you going into the family business as well, Mr. Blake, or do you have other plans?” she enquired.

  “I am not really interested in business, I am afraid,” he replied with a brief laugh. “Rather than helping my brothers, I am hoping for a military career. My eldest brother has kindly offered to purchase a lieutenant’s commission for me once I determine the regiment that I would prefer.”

  Elizabeth smiled at him. “Well, not everyone is the same, and with the war going on the military offers many opportunities for advancement, I would guess.”

  “I believe that it does, Mrs. Darcy,” he answered. “I confess that my dreams are more of the heroic stamp than could be answered for by a career in trade, although I am hoping to obtain a discounted price on my uniforms from my brothers.”

  Elizabeth laughed with him and the conversation moved on to other topics.

  In the quiet of the carriage on the way home, the Darcys discussed the evening. During his interval with the gentlemen after dinner, Darcy had found the two Blake men to be well informed about the state of the war and other current affairs, and he had had a very lively discussion with them about the current prospects for the conflict. The Blakes’ business interests had given them some insights into the conduct of the war and had stimulated them to follow the news closely. He had enjoyed himself very much, sparring pleasantly with them over their port about what the future would hold against Napoleon.

  “I find myself looking forwards to our next engagement,” he said, “if you will forgive the play on words.”

  “I am not sure we should associate with them if they are going to have such an unfortunate effect on your vocabulary,” Elizabeth teased him.

  Georgiana watched them with eyes wide in surprise as their badinage went back and forth. Elizabeth seemed to note her sister’s surprise at her saucy repartee and smiled reassuringly at her in the dim light as they drew up to the front entrance of Pemberley House.

  ***

  The next morning Elizabeth was alone at the breakfast table when Georgiana came down. After greeting her, Elizabeth delicately cleared her throat and said, “Georgiana, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

  “Yes?” she said absently as she sat down with her plate.

  “I have noticed you looking rather shocked when I tease your brother.”

  “Yes, I was rather surprised, at first,” she said indistinctly, looking down at her hands.

  Elizabeth gently continued, “I do not want you to be uncomfortable, but I want you to realise that it is much different being married to a man than it is being his much younger sister. A wife may tease her husband though he might not tolerate such freedom from someone to whom he stands as a father.”

  Georgiana looked up briefly and said slowly, “Yes, I did realise that after I thought about it for a while. I suppose that it had never occurred to me before. My mother died when I was so young that I have no recollection of my parents together, and I have no young relatives who are married. My brother, for all his affection for me, has always been rather serious and dignified. I believe it is because our father’s untimely death put him in a position where he was required to take up all of the family responsibilities at an early age, including the responsibility for an eleven-year-old sister.” She glanced at Elizabeth with a shy smile. “I am happy that he has married someone who is able to help him take off the yoke of duty for a while. He has changed a great deal since he met you, Elizabeth; his heart seems much lighter.” She took Elizabeth’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “So, do not worry about me, my dear sister. I am pleased and delighted to see the two of you together.”

  Elizabeth grinned and said, “You are a very wise young woman, Miss Georgiana,” just as the footman came in to check the serving dishes, and they continued their breakfast.

  ***

  That afternoon, they called on the squire of Lambton, who was an elderly gentleman named William Walker. He was rather portly in appearance but had an open countenance and blunt, friendly, but unrefined manners. His manor, The Yews, was located at the edge of the village and was of a moderate size: a brick, half-timbered manor house of Tudor ancestry which almost disappeared behind mounds of musty, ancient yews. Squire Walker welcomed them heartily to his parlour and introduced Elizabeth to his wife Beatrice, a little, cheerful woman some years younger than her husband who reminded Georgiana of a wren as she tilted her head alertly while she followed the conversation.

  While they drank tea, Mrs. Walker told Elizabeth about their two daughters and their families, who lived near Derby, and about their son, who ran the estate while his father devoted himself to his duties as justice of the peace.

  The son, Jonathan Walker, entered the parlour while they were visiting and he greeted them courteously, seating himself between Georgiana and Elizabeth and making himself agreeable during the proffered tea. Georgiana glanced at him surreptitiously as he talked, viewing him with new eyes since her argument with the colonel. He was slightly built and dark complexioned, almost swarthy, with dark hair and hazel eyes and attrac
tive features, although with a mouth and chin somewhat softer than could be considered the ideal of masculine beauty.

  During the visit he asked Georgiana questions about her recent activities and she willingly told him about her stay in London, although she felt very conspicuous with her brother watching them and, for the most part, kept her eyes on her hands folded in her lap as she spoke.

  When she glanced up, he gave her an intimate smile and she reddened and immediately turned her gaze back down at her hands. It was mortifying to have their conversation overheard; she could not be herself with an audience.

  Elizabeth diverted Jonathan with a few comments about the opera night they had attended, and Georgiana was relieved. They did not stay long and left with protestations of friendship and invitations to return from Squire Walker. As they drove home, Darcy said to his sister, “Mr. Walker seems to like you very much, Georgiana.”

  Her face flamed and she compressed her lips and silently glared at him, half afraid that he would be angry at what she knew was gross insolence.

  He raised his brows at her response and then held up his hands and said, “All right. If you do not wish to talk about him we will not.”

  Biting off her words, she answered, “I am tired of everyone analysing every word that I say to any single young man I meet! I just wish the entire next year was over.”

  They lapsed into a silence, and Georgiana slumped miserably into the corner of the carriage. What possessed her to behave so churlishly towards both of her guardians when they were only concerned for her future welfare? She just could not seem to help herself.

  When they pulled up in front of Pemberley, she went directly upstairs to her room and threw herself on her bed.

  ***

  Downstairs, Darcy stared up at Georgiana’s fleeing back. Elizabeth slipped her arm through his and led him to the drawing-room, where they could shut the door on the servants.

  After a long silence, Darcy finally spoke, his voice harsh with concern, “What is wrong with Georgiana? I have never seen her like this. Fitzwilliam told me that Walker was showing an interest in her, and when he tried to talk to her to find out her feelings towards him she snapped at him, too.”

  Elizabeth gave him a crooked smile. “This is not at all surprising, my dear. Georgiana is under a great deal of strain and will be dealing with many changes in her life over the next year. Sometimes young women do not want to talk about their feelings, particularly when they do not yet know what those feelings are. Also, it is my experience that it is often the girls who have been the most proper and restrained who have the most difficulties expressing their innermost feelings about the young men they meet. I will try to give her an opportunity to speak tomorrow, when she has calmed down, but we cannot force her to speak if she does not wish to. If we push her too hard she may not tell us anything, even if there is something worrisome which we should know. We must wait until she is ready.”

  Darcy covered her hands with his. “God help us.”

  “Amen.”

  ***

  In the middle of the night, after lying awake for several hours, Georgiana got up and lit a candle. Elizabeth had come to her door when they were ready to sit down to dinner and Georgiana had managed to tell her she was not hungry without biting her head off. She could not face the looks from her family and did not want the servants discussing her below stairs. She pulled her diary from her bedside table and took it to her desk. She calmly took out a pen and dipped it in the inkwell.

  21 November: What is it about Mr. Walker that makes me turn into a raving lunatic whenever any of my family mentions his name? Sometimes I think I am going mad with frustration. I constantly feel the weight of their expectations on my shoulders, crushing me. I like Mr. Walker well enough, but I hardly know him and my overreaction to their every question or comment is going to make them think I care more for him than I do. I must try to behave properly and answer their questions calmly if I am to deflect their interest. After my behaviour with Wickham I cannot blame my brother and the colonel for being suspicious of any interest shown me by any young man. Tomorrow I resolve to begin again and try to behave like the lady my mother would have wanted me to be. Pax.

  ***

  The next morning, Georgiana forced herself to glide smoothly down the stairs and into the breakfast-parlour. She filled her plate from the sideboard and accepted a cup of coffee from one of the footmen. When the servants left, she lifted her eyes to her brother and sister and said calmly, “I apologise for my behaviour yesterday. It was uncalled for and I am sorry. It will not happen again.”

  In the thundering silence which greeted this proclamation she began eating her breakfast. Darcy cleared his throat and looked at Elizabeth beseechingly. She spoke up and said, “Thank you, my dear. We are happy that you are feeling better today.”

  “I thank you, I am. Do you think the weather will be mild enough for a walk today?”

  “I do not know.”

  Darcy ventured tentatively, “Lester came in earlier with a question about the dogs, and he said it was not too bad.”

  “Perhaps we could walk in the afternoon, then, if the weather is suitable.”

  “An excellent idea.”

  They all went back to their breakfast with relief.

  ***

  After Georgiana had retired to the music-room and they could hear a molto vivace rendition of “Le Coucou” pouring from the pianoforte, Darcy spoke softly to Elizabeth:

  “I know that we must tread carefully with Georgiana’s feelings, but I felt that I must make some effort to know Mr. Walker’s character, since he is so clearly interested in her. So, after we came home yesterday I had a confidential talk with Johnston, my steward. He says that the local gossip is that Mr. Walker is a gambler and is rapidly going through the assets of his father’s estate.”

  Elizabeth was shocked. “His father and mother are so pleasant. Do you think that they know what he is doing?”

  “It would seem not. The squire seems to be interested only in his public duties and trusts his son completely.”

  Elizabeth thought about his words. “I do not think we should tell Georgiana about this when she is already so annoyed with any questioning or interference.”

  “I agree, but I wanted you to know my suspicions so that you may discourage the connection if the opportunity comes up. I think we must handle this very delicately, especially since they are old family connections and we can only exclude young Walker from Pemberley by breaking with his parents, and I do not have anything but rumour upon which to base my reservations about him.”

  “It is worrisome that he seems so interested in Georgiana, however, when he is known to be in need of money.”

  “Indeed. Her fortune enables her to marry without regard to the fortunes of her husband, but it does make me turn a jaundiced eye upon any man who begins courting my sister while in acute financial distress.”

  She nodded grimly and they went upstairs to dress.

  Chapter 9

  Heap on more wood!—the wind is chill;

  But let it whistle as it will,

  We’ll keep our Christmas merry still.

  —Sir Walter Scott, Marmion

  Within a fortnight, the Gardiners arrived for the Christmas holiday. They came on a cloudy, gusty day just before the Darcys were to sit down for a cup of tea, and Elizabeth greeted them with embraces and kisses, Darcy with smiles and handshakes. Georgiana curtseyed and smiled silently during the confusion of the unloading of the children and luggage. Since her emotional outburst a fortnight before, she had been uniformly thoughtful and demure, but Elizabeth, in her heart, felt that her sister was fighting to keep her spirits up for their sakes. She did not tell Darcy of her concern over Georgiana’s forced placidity because she was not sure if she understood her sister’s feelings and did not want to worry him when he was so relieved about her improve
d spirits. Now, Georgiana turned to the little ones with a kind smile and spoke to them for several minutes, learning their names and ages again and laughing when one of the younger boys did a little caper of excitement. While Georgiana was thus occupied, Mrs. Gardiner, her eyes twinkling, whispered to Elizabeth and Darcy that she had brought the package that they had requested.

  “Where is he?” Elizabeth asked quietly.

  “In a basket on the floor of the carriage,” she replied. “The children will be wild to see him. We thought it best that they not play with him during the journey, as I feared the enthusiastic attentions of four children would be overwhelming for the poor little creature.”

  “You are probably right about that,” Elizabeth returned with a conspiratorial smile.

  Mrs. Reynolds arrived at that moment to take the Gardiners upstairs to change out of their travel clothes and to refresh themselves before rejoining the Darcys in the drawing-room for tea. Georgiana went upstairs with them, holding the hands of the two youngest children, who were boys aged four and five years, respectively. When they were gone, Elizabeth and Darcy went to the footmen who were unloading the carriage and had them bring in the basket. They opened the lid and peeked in. Curled up on a scrap of blanket was a tiny white puppy, small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. He opened his eyes sleepily and wagged his whiplike little tail, which curled in a near circle over his back.

  “He is adorable—Georgiana will love him!” Elizabeth said excitedly. “When shall we give him to her?

  “We won’t be able to hide him, so I would suggest that we do it immediately when she comes downstairs,” Darcy said.