Mr. Darcy's Little Sister

by C. Allyn Pierson

  Elizabeth nodded graciously, but Georgiana noted that her lips were compressed as she passed a cup to Mrs. Jenkinson. Those were the only words Lady Catherine addressed to Elizabeth the entire evening. Georgiana tried to engage her aunt in conversation again by telling her about the colonel’s estate in Lambton. This diverted her attention for about half an hour while she told Georgiana how many servants to hire, what kind of paper to put on the walls, and how the gardeners should arrange the shrubbery. They all listened attentively (or at least with the air of attentiveness), although Georgiana soon felt as if her eyes were glazing over.

  Eventually Lady Catherine gathered up her daughter and Mrs. Jenkinson and they went upstairs so that Anne could rest for an hour before it was time to dress for dinner. Elizabeth sighed and went up to her own room, followed by Georgiana.

  “What are we going to do, Elizabeth?” she whispered angrily. “She is going to make our lives a misery if we try to marry next week.”

  “Calm down, my dear.” She put her arm around her sister’s shoulder. “We need to talk to your brother and the colonel. Let us go back downstairs and find them while Lady Catherine is still in her room.”

  They found the gentlemen collapsed in comfortable chairs in the library. They had already begun discussing the wedding problem.

  “Georgiana, my dear,” the colonel said ruefully, “I do not see that we have any alternative but to put the wedding off until after my brother’s wedding. I really care not what Lady Catherine’s opinion is, but it would be unfair to force my parents to choose between us.”

  Tears welled up in Georgiana’s eyes but she forced them down and answered, “I do not see any alternative, either, but I just want you all to know that I am going to be seething inside the entire time that my aunt is here.”

  The colonel took her hand, kissed it, and said, “When the disaster that is my brother’s marriage rites is finished, I will marry the bravest, strongest, most understanding woman on earth as soon as can possibly be managed.” His eyes twinkled at her until a reluctant smile appeared on her face.

  When the crisis was over, Darcy insisted that Elizabeth go back upstairs to lie down. She finally consented, saying, “Even though my lying-in is due more than a month in the future, I feel enormous. It is clear that Lady Catherine’s visit will be a great challenge to my amiability so I should rest while I can.”

  Georgiana also went upstairs to sit in her room and control her anger. When she had struggled with her emotions for quite some time, she gave up and pulled her diary out of her drawer.

  2 October: Lady Catherine has arrived at Pemberley the same day we returned home, her letter announcing her intention to visit arriving after we had already left Netherfield Hall. I am so angry with my aunt that I feel as if I could explode into a million pieces! She insists, in her usual forthright manner, that the colonel and I wait until after Anne and St. George’s marriage before we wed. She feels that the elder cousins should have precedence and my dear fiancé does not wish to force his parents to decide between their sons’ weddings. I know that my aunt speaks as she finds, but it is unfortunate that she finds so much… Now that I have expressed my fury I feel better prepared to behave in a ladylike fashion to Lady Catherine. I hope that my manners will hold up until her departure.

  ***

  When the gong rang for dinner, Georgiana knocked on Elizabeth’s door and accompanied her, but it took all of her fortitude to draw herself up and glide down the marble staircase with a pleasant smile upon her face.

  When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Darcy stepped forwards from the doorway of the drawing-room to kiss his wife’s hand and offer her his arm solicitously, a sardonic tilt to his lips, which he smoothed into a bland smile as he offered Georgiana his other arm and they turned to enter the room. Georgiana smiled at her brother and found that she could face their aunt with calm, if not with joy. They survived the evening by sitting mutely while Lady Catherine held forth on various topics; nodding at the appropriate times in the conversation.

  When they finally retired, Georgiana went upstairs with Elizabeth, and whispered, “I find it incredible that my brother tolerated that woman for all those years. I hope that this attempt to ease my family’s relationships bears fruit because we are all making a great sacrifice having Lady Catherine here. You, especially, my dear sister, are sacrificing the serenity of your home and I want you to know that we all appreciate your efforts.”

  “I can only blame myself, since it was, after all, my idea to invite her. I have to say that I am happy she does not really want to talk to me; it at least relieves me from too much of her intrusive attention. You and the colonel will probably receive most of it because there are an infinite number of pieces of advice that Lady Catherine can give about your wedding and new house.”

  Georgiana giggled in spite of her pique. “And I am sure we will hear them all.”

  As expected, the fortnight of Lady Catherine’s visit was a perpetual challenge to Georgiana’s good nature, but they finally reached the end of it. Darcy dealt with it by staying continuously by Elizabeth’s side, offering her every courtesy and keeping her arm through his—mute testament to Lady Catherine of how excessively happy they were. Georgiana also bore up under her invasive scrutiny, courageously inviting Lady Catherine to see her house and garden so that her aunt could have ample scope for her forthright advice. She also attempted to converse with her cousin Anne about her wedding when Lady Catherine went upstairs for a few minutes, but it was uphill work. The only real comment that she received in response to her questions was, “It doesn’t matter; I will still be living at Rosings.”

  This was given in such a flat tone that Georgiana was unable to determine if her cousin considered staying at Rosings as a benefit or otherwise. At any rate, Anne did not complain of ill-usage in the arrangement of her marriage. At Elizabeth’s suggestion, Georgiana played the pianoforte and the harp as much as possible so that there would be less time available to converse with Lady Catherine. Her aunt praised her playing and admired her drawings excessively and also spent a great deal of time talking about Anne’s wedding, which was to be the first week after their return, in Kent.

  One morning, before Lady Catherine had appeared for breakfast, Georgiana commented to Elizabeth, “I would be much more elevated by her praise if I did not realise that she is trying to disparage your accomplishments by excessive praise of mine, my dear sister. She is really very much like Miss Bingley—pardon me, the Comtesse de Tournay—in that respect. My aunt at least confines herself to giving instruction rather than whispering sarcastic comments behind one’s back, so I suppose that I should be grateful for her attention,” she finished with unusual acidity.

  Elizabeth had to smile at this assessment but added, “At least she is correct that your musical accomplishments are excellent, my dear.”

  Georgiana just smiled and shook her head pityingly at her sister.

  When the day came for the Rosings party to leave, Lady Catherine condescended to acknowledge Elizabeth with a brief curtsey as they made their farewells.

  “You will be coming to Anne’s wedding next week, I am sure,” she said abruptly to Darcy.

  “I doubt if my wife,” he said, stressing the word slightly, “will be well enough to travel that far in her delicate condition, and I would not want to leave her at this important time, but perhaps Georgiana could come with Lord and Lady Whitwell.” Georgiana nodded agreeably to this, as if she and her brother and sister had not discussed it the night before with the colonel.

  The required farewells finally completed, the Darcys and the colonel waved them off from the front terrace with artificial smiles and then returned to the breakfast room to enjoy their morning tea in unbroken silence.

  ***

  With the departure of Lady Catherine, life at Pemberley returned to its usual peaceful tenor. The fair, cool weather of early October was exchanged for
days of cold, sleety rain in the middle of the month. Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley travelled to Whitwell Abbey with the colonel before they were to go into Kent for the wedding at Rosings Park. Georgiana wrote often to keep her brother and sister apprised of the situation. Her aunt and uncle, Lord and Lady Whitwell, continued to look very grim when the subject of the wedding came up, so they all avoided speaking about it as much as possible. She also wrote to Elizabeth:

  …We will be leaving tomorrow morning for Kent. I must admit that I am apprehensive about this wedding, not only because of my cousin St. George’s underhanded pursuit of my cousin Anne’s fortune, but because of the strain it is putting on my aunt and uncle. They have still not heard from St. George; all of their information about him has been received from Lady Catherine, and that of only the most general sort. Colonel Fitzwilliam has already left for Kent in the hope that he can find an opportunity to talk seriously to his brother—not, of course, to dissuade him from the wedding, for it is obvious that it is too late for that, but to attempt to make him acknowledge the seriousness of his responsibility for Cousin Anne’s health and happiness. Well, we will see how the situation lies when we get there. I will write when we arrive safely.—With much affection, etc.

  Elizabeth sighed when she read this epistle and handed it to Darcy. He read it silently then refolded it and left the room. She shook her head sadly, a small crease between her brows, as she listened to his footsteps fade away and heard the tiny click of the door of his library. The next few days he was very tender and gentle to Elizabeth but quiet and abstracted. At the end of three days, they received two letters from Kent: one to the both of them from Georgiana, and one for Darcy from the colonel. They opened Georgiana’s first:

  Dearest Sister and Brother,—

  The wedding went off very calmly at eleven o’clock yesterday morning, without any demonstrations of acrimony but also without any great joy, excepting that of Lady Catherine. Cousin Anne wore a magnificent cream-coloured satin dress covered with Venetian lace, and, although her gown fitted her well, she seemed to disappear into all of that elaborate lace and become almost invisible. She stood up next to Lord St. George and looked like a child playing at dress-up, or possibly a doll. Lord St. George had a smug but defiant look on his face as he watched his bride walk up the aisle on the arm of his father, who gave her away. His eyes met those of his father, and they briefly locked in a visible struggle until St. George dropped his gaze. The other guests, of whom there were few, naturally did not realise that this was occurring, as my aunt and uncle and the colonel all maintained a dignified façade in front of them.

  Lady Catherine had a wedding breakfast for the newlyweds after the ceremony so that the guests could congratulate the couple and, although St. George took Anne around on his arm to accept the best wishes of the guests, not once did I see her smile. Some of the guests, especially St. George’s friends, looked rather shocked when they saw how tiny and ill-looking the bride was, and most gave their muted congratulations and faded away. The breakfast was over in just under an hour. Lady Catherine had a lavish supper laid on for the family that evening, but Lady Anne left halfway through the meal as she was exhausted by the exertions of the day. St. George stayed until we were finished, drinking a great deal of wine and talking to his mother-in-law with determined jollity while she preened herself over capturing a lord for her daughter, both seeming insensible of Anne’s departure.

  The gentlemen spent very little time over their port, as you might imagine, and they rejoined us in the drawing-room with faces like stone. We all retired very soon after they came in. I pray that Lady Anne will be well taken care of by her husband, but I continue to have grave doubts. The one minuscule piece of good news is that with all of St. George’s greater sins to think about, I completely forgot to feel self-conscious in his presence, although this was the first time that I had seen him since we had our argument before the ball.—With my dearest affection, etc.

  Darcy sat for a moment staring at the rain beating on the long windows of the salon then seemed to shake himself and opened the colonel’s letter. After he read it he handed it to Elizabeth, saying, “I am not sure that I should let you read this, since I would like to preserve some sense of dignity for my family. However, you already know so much of it that I suppose it cannot be made any worse.”

  She took the letter curiously and read,

  Darcy,—

  Well, the wedding farce has concluded and St. George and Anne are married. As you know, I arrived in Kent two days before the wedding in the hope that I could drive some sense into my dear brother. He managed to evade me until the day of the wedding, when I bearded him in his lair before he was dressed. He continues to be as intransigent and defiant as ever and, although I spoke to him very calmly (much more calmly than I felt, I am sure you can believe), he would not listen. He admits that having an invalid wife will be a bore but says that he will not need to spend much time in Kent. He scorns Anne’s weakness and frailty and does not respect his mother-in-law. I am ashamed to be associated with this deed, but we all held up our heads and behaved with as much honour as the situation would allow us. We are leaving this morning after breakfast and will be back at Pemberley as soon as we are able. Lady Catherine will be coming with us, as well as my parents, so tell Mr. Woodson to have his surplice at hand, because Georgiana and I are not waiting any longer. To my happiness at marrying Georgiana is added the immeasurable bliss of having an irrefutable excuse for leaving the presence of Lady Catherine as soon as we are married.—

  Fitzwilliam

  These communications left them both subdued and thoughtful, and they did not discuss them but quietly went about their business, making sure that all the wedding preparations were finished by the time Georgiana and their guests returned.

  Chapter 29

  Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

  For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.

  —Song of Solomon, 2:10–11

  The wedding took place two days later, but it was not until late in the afternoon of the wedding day that Elizabeth had time to sit down and write to Jane about it:

  My dearest Jane,—

  Well, this morning Georgiana and Colonel Fitzwilliam were married in the Pemberley chapel. Lord and Lady Whitwell and Lady Catherine came directly to Pemberley after the wedding in Kent, so all of the closest family members on both sides were present, excepting only Lord and Lady St. George. Lambert and I helped Georgiana dress, as we had done so many times in London. Her maid is coming along very well, but she did not feel that she could take all of the responsibility for such an important occasion. Georgiana told me that she would have liked to be married in her sea-green or her gold gown, since she feels that the occasions on which she previously wore those gowns were the turning points in her (as she puts it) “pursuit of the colonel’s heart.” Since those gowns would be somewhat unconventional and she does not want to give Lady Catherine anything more to talk about, she chose instead to wear a beautiful creamy white silk gown with no lace or other adornment. The skirt was made of several layers of the sheerest silk that you can imagine, and it floated around her as she came down the aisle like gossamer. Her hair was curled around her face, and she wore a white bonnet with a short veil and her pearls and the bracelet that the colonel had given her for her birthday and she looked like an angel come to earth.

  After she was dressed, I went down to the chapel and found that Lady Catherine had planted herself in the first pew. Since there was not room for the entire family in front, I sat in the second pew, and when Lord and Lady Whitwell came in a moment later they sat with me, leaving Lady Catherine in solitary splendour. Mrs. Reynolds and Smithfield, and a few of the other upper servants, sat in the back pew. When the organist started the processional, Lady Whitwell reached over and took my hand. I looked up at her and she smiled at me, but she had tears in her eyes, as did I.

  Georgiana gl
ided down the aisle like a ship with all her flags flying and her eyes only for the colonel. I have never seen a bride more unwavering than Georgiana. Although she never showed the slightest loss of temper after the initial upset of their plans, when they returned from Kent I believe that any difficulties put in her way would have fallen before her determination like straw before a flame.

  Mr. Darcy tells me that the colonel was fidgeting in the library all morning until it was time for him to dress for the wedding—he almost drove my poor husband mad—for fear that the wedding would be put off again, but of course it was not. We had a lovely wedding breakfast, and the bride and groom left at one o’clock for Bellamy. The colonel was able to push the workmen to make the house liveable for them by finishing enough rooms for the comfort of themselves and their few servants. They will stay only a few days and then travel back to London, where they will stay at Longford House; the colonel will finish turning over his duties and then resign his commission. They expect to be back in Derbyshire within a month.

  The one sad note for Georgiana was when Mrs. Annesley told her on the way home from Rosings Park that now that Georgiana did not need her she wished to take a position with Sir Robert Blake as a companion for his sister. It is an excellent plan since Georgiana will be able to visit Mrs. Annesley and not feel as if she has abandoned the friend who helped her so much over the past two years. Dear girl that she is, she does not want anyone to lose by her happiness.

  Our guests left not long ago and already the house seems empty without Georgiana. I am glad that she will be close once they have settled all of their business in London. I hope that your search for an estate near Pemberley goes well, my dear sister, for I long to have you near me as well. I must go now; Mr. Darcy and I are going for a short walk—the weather has finally cleared after almost a fortnight of rain and we both feel the need to breathe some fresh air out-of-doors (and breathing is about the only part of a walk that I can manage at the moment!). Love to Mr. Bingley and my dear little Lizzy and, of course, to you, my dearest Jane.—Your Loving Sister,