by Tess Quinn
But that ardent loyalty of Darcy’s also brought a core of warmth to Lizzy when she considered a future with children of their own. As much as she adored her own father, Lizzy understood too well the difficulties created by Mr Bennet’s indifferent retreat from his responsibilities as his daughters grew. She had no fear of such withdrawals from her husband when they were blessed with children. Oh, they would argue over their children’s rearing, of that she was certain; they had already had differences of opinion on Georgiana’s upcoming presentation. But also as they had done, they would come to eventual agreement and their children would be the better for the influences of both parents.
A question from Charles brought Lizzy back from her musings, and with a last sympathetic smile to Darcy, she turned to answer her brother. Shortly thereafter, the ladies retreated to the drawing room again, while port was poured for the men.
~~~~~~
“Come on, love, back inside with you. I can feel your shivering in that light shawl.” Joss smiled at Sara, and she reflected that her shivering was only partly attributable to the cool wind ruffling the herbs in the garden. Her first kiss – her first true kiss beyond those of her father or brothers when she was a child – had been deliciously gentle. Yet it had raised goose skin on her arms, and sent a trembling sensation to her knees. Her Joss was indeed hers; there was no doubt of his feelings in his kiss. Sara wondered if she was the only woman in the world to feel that tingling when he touched her arm, or the wistful longing she always felt just after he left her side. She was so grateful that she had been blessed with this young man, and vowed to herself to hold on to this euphoric feeling for their whole lives.
As the two walked back into the kitchen, Sara asked, “When can we be married, Joss? Do you think we should have to wait long?”
Joss laughed with joy at her eager tone, and replied, “Well, I say it cannot be soon enough. We know your mistress’ moods; and if she should change her mind about Sir John, I would sooner have us already tied together, if you get my meaning. We can have the banns posted on Sunday, and wed three weeks after.”
“Yes, let us do! I would go tomorrow if we could!” At this, Joss smiled and kissed Sara briefly again. His liberty earned him a rebuke from the cook, a large rosy-faced Scots woman named Mrs MacDonald; but when Sara explained that he had just proposed to her, Mrs MacDonald's countenance softened. A few minutes later, all the kitchen staff stood with a congratulatory ale, the housekeeper being certain it would not be resented by Mrs Bingley.
~~~~~~
When Georgiana entered the drawing room after dinner, her eyes immediately strayed to a small pianoforte in one corner. Jane and Lizzy exchanged glances and, understanding implicit in them, Jane smiled and said, “Georgiana, I wonder if you would indulge us and play something while we await the gentlemen?” Georgiana agreed so readily that Jane was certain the young lady had hoped for just such an opportunity. Lizzy had often told Jane that Georgiana was most at home with her hands on the keys in the same way Darcy was with his on Parsifal’s reins. The surest way to ensure the girl’s comfort and confidence was to allow her to play. And when she began with a particularly difficult piece, Jane was certain that no finer music had ever issued from that instrument.
Jane then went to Louisa to offer her coffee, though she would rather have had the opportunity to talk with Lizzy. Thus, when Caroline came into the room after having first gone to her chambers for a moment, she found her sister engaged in converse with Jane, Georgiana at the piano, and Lizzy gazing contentedly out the windows at the darkened landscape of the park.
Caroline approached Lizzy at the windows. The two acknowledged each other with a slight curtsey; then Caroline said, “Well, Mrs Darcy, I am sure that after these months away, it must be pleasing to you to be back among the comforts of your own home and relations in Hertfordshire. “
Lizzy smiled perfunctorily as she replied. “On the contrary, Miss Bingley. While it is quite lovely to visit with my dear Jane and Charles, and I look forward to visits with my remaining sisters, Mr Darcy and I are exceedingly happy at Pemberley; we cannot conceive of being long from our home.” Her sweet smile at this brought an answering one from Caroline, with more good will than Lizzy might have expected.
“And yet you travel to London in the next weeks, as I understand it, for Georgiana’s coming out. How tedious for you must be the prospect of having to suffer all those balls and engagements on her account.”
“Not at all. For as you may recall, I dearly love to dance; and since I do not lack for a constant and willing partner, I daresay I will enjoy the season immensely.” This was not wholly true, for Lizzy knew that she would be an object of speculation and gossip among the ton as Darcy’s new ‘country’ wife, and she did not relish the spectacle. But if Miss Bingley meant to frighten her, she would not allow Caroline to see any weakness on her part, being unsure of Caroline’s current disposition. She continued, “And I am certain that Miss Darcy will herself lack for no agreeable partners; indeed such a beautiful and accomplished young lady as my sister could not help but draw the attentions of London’s young men.”
Caroline noted Lizzy’s formal use of Georgiana’s name in speaking of her, and was inwardly miffed that she, who had in friendship known and nurtured Georgiana’s burgeoning womanhood these last few years in good faith, was now excluded from acknowledgment of intimacy with the girl. But she supposed her former encounters with Elizabeth warranted the woman’s careful replies now. They had been cordial adversaries for too long to drop resentments immediately.
Caroline acknowledged the remark and turned toward the piano, where the young lady in question had just finished a set of music, and said pointedly: “Georgiana, my dear, that was lovely. Perhaps you would be interested in playing a duet?”
Georgiana looked with some small surprise at Caroline, but rose to the challenge. “Oh yes, I do enjoy a good duet.” After the tiniest of pauses, Georgiana shifted her gaze to Lizzy and said quite animatedly, “Lizzy, can I persuade you to play with me as well after Miss Bingley? “
Lizzy replied, “Of course, my dear!” and with a polite curtsey to Caroline, she returned her gaze to the windows as Caroline sat at the instrument with Georgiana. When they had completed a short piece, Georgiana reminded her sister of her promise, and Lizzy and Caroline exchanged places. The two sisters began to play, seemingly absorbed in the music and each other, giggling like school girls.
Caroline stood for a moment awkwardly then looked about the room, finally moving off towards her own sister and Jane at the fireplace. As she approached them, she heard Louisa say, “But Jane, what is she thinking aligning herself with this… ” Seeing her sister now in front of her, Louisa appealed directly to her. “Really, Caroline, I do not understand this mystery you have subjected us to -- you must admit it is quite vexing of you to have us associate with this man… this solicitor of all people!...”
Caroline finally snapped. “Oh, for goodness sake, Louisa, once and for all, he is not a solicitor! It might interest you to know that he is – “
Before she could finish her outburst, the door opened and that specific gentleman arrived in company with the others.
Chapter TwentyFive:
At the Last! Who, Indeed?
“C
aroline, you cannot be serious!”
Louisa gaped at her sister after making this pronouncement, eyes blinking rapidly, her hands drawn up to her chin as if at any moment she might need to use them to cover her mouth or, even more so, her eyes. “Surely you can compensate Mr Ravensby for his services to you, without need to marry the man!”
At that, several heads that had been turned to Caroline standing arm in arm with Sir John now swivelled and rested on Louisa instead. That lady appeared heedless of the possible misinterpretations her remark might occasion.
The men of the party (and at least one lady) – who had been unaware of Mrs Hurst’s misconception about Ravensby’s profession – indeed wondered at just what kind of serv
ices Louisa believed Caroline might procure. Several of them stifled laughs – the loudest chuckle on that account coming from Sir John himself, which earned him an elbow in his ribs and a glare from Caroline.
This was certainly not the way the scene had gone in Caroline’s mind all these days leading up to her formal announcement of betrothal to her family. She had planned it all so perfectly. An intimate dinner with her siblings and their spouses in quiet wonder over Sir John, impressed with his bearing, his sheer size, and those notable bronzed-gold hawk eyes. Why, next to John, Aubrey Hurst looked positively feeble and fat. And Charles, though handsome enough, was a bit on the spindly side; he did not quite have the sense of an overwhelming physical presence that John exuded. Caroline had imagined John and herself making a most impressive couple by comparison.
Then, in Caroline’s fantasy, after dinner and before the women left the men to their port, she would slip her sapphire and diamond ring out of her reticule and onto her finger, in no doubt that within seconds, Louisa would take note and exclaim on it. Others might not recognize its quality, but Louisa would be certain to appreciate the colour, the clarity, the size and the status of such an adornment. Her envious gasp would lead into Caroline’s introduction of Sir John and their understanding. Caroline had not decided in advance whether at that point she would divulge the rest of John’s identity. If there was sufficient fawning following the engagement announcement alone, she might wait until later in the evening to spring that particular surprise. Louisa would be green! And even Jane might find cause to wish herself Caroline’s good fortune, though more likely her gentle sister-in-law would simply find happiness all around for all involved.
Caroline's carefully laid plans had begun to disintegrate from the moment their carriage arrived… or more correctly, from the moment she had asked the Hursts to accompany her to Netherfield. Aubrey Hurst had not bothered one way or another; a good meal was all he sought and a ride of a few hours to gain one a fair bargain. A good stock of wines and brandies were maintained at Netherfield as well, and Charles never stinted in their distribution. Hurst might have been in residence here a week or more before even noticing that Sir John was among their party.
But Louisa had been resistant to travel, having only just returned from Norfolk – and for the start of the season, although as it stood at present, she would miss only one ball and that of little note. At Caroline’s continued pressing, her sister had resolutely refused to budge unless Caroline gave some momentous reason for the journey. As such, Caroline had been forced to allude to some news of import and Louisa had, as so often before, drawn her own conclusions.
Really, Caroline had thought, was Louisa grown so tedious in her marriage to Mr Hurst that she could not tell from John’s stature and bearing, no less from the fine cut of his attire, that this was no simple solicitor? Had she so little faith in me to conduct myself with propriety? As this last thought occurred to Caroline, she had to laugh to herself to think that perhaps her propriety had been thrown to the wind on the extraordinary night she met Sir John. But neither Louisa nor any others could – or would – know of her recent exploits.
Once obtaining Louisa’s grudging acquiescence to the journey, Caroline had then had to deal with the advent of the Darcys on the scene just as she herself had arrived in all her splendour at Charles’s door. She hated to admit to herself that, even with John by her side, she had felt a momentary pang on seeing Darcy alight from his carriage. He was a fine figure of a man with so many distinguishing attributes. Head to head with John, he would have been a formidable rival were it not that his affections were misplaced in Elizabeth.
But then a curious thing had happened. She began to see that her disappointments in Mr Darcy were more than amply repaid in John Ravensby, and she could engage with the former gentleman without longing or great regret.
But, of course, John had insisted on being properly engaged – he who otherwise lived outside the bounds of convention – and asserted that he would speak with Charles for his consent. Since John had done so before dinner, Charles himself knew of their engagement already. Caroline had no doubt at all that he had shared the news with Jane immediately as well, for he could keep nothing of a confidence from her. Whether one or both of them had then shared the news with Darcy and Elizabeth as well, Caroline could not say with certainty. Perhaps Darcy’s prior acquaintance with John had given him insights to the current state of affairs; but surely they knew or suspected.
As such, it seemed only the Hursts remained ignorant of this report. And so it was that Louisa’s outburst was the only reaction of note to Caroline’s statement that she intended to marry Sir John. Caroline had wanted astonishment, envy, an elevated status among her siblings. Not this debacle where every one enjoyed a crude jest except she herself who was the object of it. Not this… this farce!
~~~~~~
Jane looked on in growing alarum as Caroline’s expression reflected her frustration, Louisa’s You cannot be serious repeating over and over in her mind. Caroline had done little over the life of their acquaintance to endear herself to Jane, but over these last few months they had initiated at least a cordiality leaning towards genuine friendship; and Jane did so dislike to see anyone suffer unnecessarily. After all, as a woman not long wed herself, Jane understood that the rejoicing in a good match was one of the few real pleasures a young woman had that were hers alone.
Jane set out to salvage this calamitous impromptu engagement party from further ludicrousness. She crossed over to Sir John and Caroline, curtseyed to the gentleman and then embraced Caroline warmly, wishing the happy couple all joy.
~~~~~~
Though Caroline balked at first at the close physical contact, she quickly found herself returning Jane’s gesture with real good will, grateful at present for the simple humility her sister-in-law possessed; a humility and self-possession that found its expression in generosity of nature.
Jane’s charitable act sparked further congratulations to Sir John from all, as well as a brief – and icy – explanation to Louisa that Sir John was not a solicitor, but a knighted gentleman. Once again Caroline’s words yielded different results than she hoped for; rather than grovelling apologies and congratulations, Louisa began fluttering and complaining that no one had told her, and why did they have to travel to Netherfield to find this out, and a knight of what exactly?
~~~~~~
Lizzy could not help but think that Louisa Hurst was starting to sound very like her own mother, and the smallest sigh of relief escaped her that the Hursts had no children, then she berated herself for the uncharitable thought. She and Darcy had stood close off to one side of the drawing room throughout the entire enactment to this point, Lizzy’s petite hand engulfed by Darcy’s. Harking back to a frisson of inexplicable exhilaration occasioned by their first touch so long ago at Netherfield, the pair made a habit of holding hands quite often in intimate company, an innocuous but special communication shared between them. This simple contact could still rouse the same trembling sensations as it had in their early acquaintance.
During the whole of Caroline’s betrothal announcement and its aftermath, Lizzy and Darcy had engaged themselves in expressing a humorous appreciation of the spectacle through the application of pressure to each other’s hands, or by leaning just slightly into the other’s side accompanied by the smallest of smiles or glances. For the most part unnoticeable to public scrutiny, this silent method of communication was becoming a favoured game that would be sustained, she had no doubt, throughout their marriage in circumstances of absurdity.
Disengaging themselves now, Darcy and Lizzy offered the happy couple their own gratulations and good wishes.
Georgiana, to her credit, had risen from the pianoforte bench as soon as she saw Jane approach Caroline. Like Jane, thought Lizzy, Georgiana’s sweet nature could not allow her to watch Miss Caroline squirm with frustration through what should be the most blissful of occasions for a woman. She approached the happy couple, a smile as
wide as it was genuine on her countenance. Quickly Georgiana glanced back at Lizzy and nodded – she apparently did not believe her new sister would begrudge her performing an act of kindness toward Caroline for the sake of the friendship the girl had received from the Bingley family in past years.
Indeed, both Darcy and Lizzy were quite proud of Georgiana’s gesture in the situation. Georgiana curtseyed first to Sir John and offered him a brief gratulatory word, then moved to the future bride, saying, “I am so very happy for you, Miss Bingley!” The warmth in her words quite moved Caroline, who reacted with delight to finally receive an acceptable response to her news. All would have ended in an elevated mood had not Georgiana quite innocently followed their quick embrace by saying, “I can only wish for you and Sir John the same joy I witness daily between my brother and Elizabeth.”
~~~~~~
Dinner being completed, the kitchen staff was engaged in cleaning up remains of the meal, washing dishes but also consuming some of the remnants of food that Mrs Bingley had authorized for them. Though most were tired, they were all in good humour over the engagement of Joss and Sara, helped in no small measure by the congratulatory ales they had imbibed. Talk turned to the upcoming nuptials, with the staff teasing the young couple as to whether it would be as grand an affair as the one everybody was buzzing over upstairs. They all had a laugh at that, for Joss and Sara’s wedding would consist of a walk to the local chapel with a pair of witnesses.