Goodly Creatures: A Pride and Prejudice Deviation (71 page)

Georgiana had her maid style Elizabeth’s hair and offered a beautiful lace shawl with silver threads woven through for her to wear. When Elizabeth finished the ensemble with Mrs Wilder’s Celtic cross, Georgiana asked her about its origin. She got a wistful look at the answer. “Tonight when we go to bed, will you tell me about your time with Jamie and his mother?”

“I will, if you will tell me about what Will was like before your mother died?”

Georgiana looked slightly forlorn. “Unfortunately, I do not remember and have only heard stories about him from Richard, Anne and my Aunt Cassandra.”

Elizabeth was thoroughly enjoying their intimacy, and her eyes twinkled with merriment as she thought about their planned late night girl talk. She said, “Then tell me their stories.”

Elizabeth Bennet looked out over the audience, and found the boxes containing the players in this farce. Somehow she could not label what was about to happen a drama; especially when it was to be played out while
The School for Scandal
was being performed below. Their mission was definitely dramatic, but the strong comedic undertones caused her to repeatedly calm herself when hysteria came knocking. Georgiana was on her right and Mr Bingley was on her left with the Colonel next to Georgiana. They had debated whether to bring Mrs Annesley for propriety’s sake, but had decided against it.

As they waited for the play to begin, Lizzy wondered whether the tightness of her grip on Georgiana’s hand was painful and occasionally reminded herself to ease the pressure. Mr Sheridan’s play was one she had read several times, and the similarities to her own situation had never been overlooked. The principal themes of knowing the difference between appearance and reality and the fragility and fickleness of reputation encompassed both the tragedy and the comedy she had been living these past six years. She was reminded of a critique of the play that concluded it professed both a faith in the natural goodness as well as the habitual depravity of human nature. Elizabeth snorted in the dark, and both Georgiana and Mr Bingley looked at her with concern.

Six years ago their places had been reversed. She had been in a box with Sir Gareth, and Lord Wolfbridge had been where she was sitting. As a means of controlling her growing anxiety, she contemplated how his name fit right in with those in the play—Lady Sneerwell, Sir Benjamin Backbite and of course, the Surface brothers. The Viscount had caught sight of her, and his lips curled in a smirk. Elizabeth believed she could discern a bit of fear as well, and noticed his gaze flicked often to his brother. For the first time, she saw Lady Wolfbridge. Her heart went out to this woman, and she imagined her life had few comic aspects—at least that Elizabeth could fathom. The Countess seemed to be smiling at her, or was she smiling at her son? Lord Elderton was looking in the direction of her sister, and had a similar expression to the one his son had displayed six years before… a leer of lust disguised as admiration.

Jane was quite confused when she first spied Lizzy, and then looked to her left and saw she was sitting next to Mr Bingley. Bingley missed her gaze because his eyes were riveted elsewhere. She saw disgust and a hint of jealousy in his countenance and followed his sightline to Sir Gareth’s box. His attention was devoted to the Earl. She was totally unsure what look to return to any, so her time-honoured complaisance laced with a hint of discomfort became her mask.

Elizabeth was startled to see Miss Bingley in a box quite close to Lord Hastings’. She was glaring at her brother. Whenever his eyes left the Earl and moved to rest on Jane, he stopped during the journey to glower back at his sister.

The only participants who seemed to be watching the play were Lord and Lady Hastings and Lady Wolfbridge. Sir Gareth and Rebecca Trent watched sporadically when they were not smiling across the theatre at each other.

Bingley, who was not much of a theatre goer, had requested Elizabeth alert him just before the first intermission. She did, and he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of her seat… propriety and the fear he had heard she harboured at being touched forgotten. They had an angel to save. He dragged her rapidly to the door of Lord and Lady Hastings’ box, just as the break began.

The party came out, and Elizabeth embraced her sister. Jane noticed Mr Bingley and pulled her sister back into the box so she would not be heard by others. “Why are you here; and why is
he
with you?”

“Your abandonment by Mr Bingley is not as we believed.”

Jane decided to act the elder sister. “Whose box are you in, and who are those other people with you? That woman looks too young to be your chaperone? Where are you staying, and does Papa know where you are?”

“I am in Mr Darcy’s box, and the people with me, besides Mr Bingley, are Miss Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam. I am staying at Darcy House with Miss Darcy and her companion Mrs Annesley. The Colonel is staying there as well. He is the son of the Earl of Elderton and the brother of the Viscount Wolfbridge. We are all here—including Mr Bingley—to protect you from the Earl and the Viscount.” Elizabeth saw her sister’s face flicker with uncertainty before she registered irritation. “I am not certain if Papa knows where I am, but Mary does. I gave her instructions to send an express to our father about my leaving Kent and the reason why my departure was so sudden. I also plan to send a note to Aunt and Uncle Gardiner informing them I am in town first thing tomorrow morning.” Her voice became tinged with accusation. “Have you told them of your new acquaintances?”

Jane looked very perplexed for several seconds at her sister’s question, and then deemed it prudent to develop an air of superiority. “No, I have not. I am two and twenty. Why would they care whose acquaintance I have made? I am under the care of Lord and Lady Hastings.” She walked back out in the hall and saw Lord Elderton and Sir Gareth coming toward them. She smiled prettily, but then noticed out of the corner of her eye that Mr Bingley and the Colonel were standing just behind her right and left shoulders. Looking forward, she noticed the Countess’ eyes had erupted in mirth at the sight.

Elizabeth drew her sister back into the box for at least a few more moments of privacy. “Jane, come back to Darcy House with me tonight so we may talk. I owe you an explanation, and it is impossible for me to give you the particulars with so many people around.”

Jane looked at her sister and gave her an unequivocal “no” before she continued with, “You are obviously jealous that I have become admired by such important personages.” She dropped her voice to a whisper as she said, “The Earl and the Viscount will put me in company with other rich and important men. Why should I waste my beauty on Mr Bingley?”

Elizabeth wondered whether someone had absconded with the real Jane and put a being with the sense of a silly fifteen year-old Lizzy, in her place. For five years her sister had been pleading with her to confide the source of her sadness. If only she had acquiesced to her wishes, poor Jane would not be in this dire situation.

All the parties, including Caroline Bingley and the Hursts, moved from outside Lord Hastings’ box toward the refreshment area. Mr Bingley and Colonel Fitzwilliam continued their presence at Miss Bennet’s right and left flank. As others came up to speak with Jane, they inserted themselves in the conversation. Mr Bingley, much to Miss Bingley’s horror, related to Sir Gareth and Miss Trent that he had written to Sir Walter Trent to inform him he planned to renew his lease next fall or perhaps even negotiate a sale. He was resolved to return to Netherfield as quickly as possible.

Elizabeth stayed as far away from Lord Wolfbridge as possible. Luckily for her, his mother seemed to be monopolizing his time, and there was never a moment the whole evening when he was in close proximity to her.

The next break was a repeat of the previous. Lord Elderton was barely able to say a few words to Miss Bennet. By the end of the evening, his displeasure at being thwarted in his endeavour was clearly painted across his face.

The Earl of Elderton fared little better the next day at his home when all were assembled. He glared at the Countess when his second son and Mr Bingley arrived. In addition, that disrespectful little chit came with his niece. When her sister arrived, she hovered near her the entire time. The other thing he observed was that the younger sister would occasionally send furtive glances in the direction of Edmund, and the Viscount seemed to return them with a smirk—or was it a leer. Had he missed something? She was hardly his type. His wife, on the other hand, seemed determined to keep her eldest occupied in conversation with his wife and Sir Gareth. The one consolation for the Earl was that Miss Bennet seemed bothered by never being allowed a moment’s privacy to converse with him.

Lord Elderton might have thought his plan for a new dalliance could not be thwarted any more thoroughly; but towards the end of their tea party, it was. Mr Darcy arrived. The anger he felt toward his uncle and cousin was palpable to all in the room Goodbyes were said rapidly as the group surmised some important family business needed tending, and prepared to leave. Darcy walked up to Jane Bennet and tried to put on a smile as he spoke to her. Instead, he looked more like he had eaten something distasteful. “Miss Bennet, you will go back to Darcy House with your sister. I have wronged you, and I demand the right to apologize.” He did not seem to mind who heard his words, and his tone was definitely more indicative of an order than a request; but his commanding presence seemed to do the trick. Her resistance to all the protection she had been given seemed to melt beneath his austere countenance. She nodded meekly in compliance.

Elizabeth, looked at Mr Darcy as if he were a knight in shining armour. The Countess and her youngest son saw the look, and exchanged a hopeful glance. Georgiana smiled broadly as she linked arms with her new best friend—and hopefully someday sister.

After the ladies had returned to Darcy House, Richard took his cousin to the library at Elderton House to brief him about all that had transpired in his absence and to plan their next move. He concluded his rendition of the events with an appraisal of the troops. “Your amiable friend is a stalwart combatant. I believe a heartfelt apology for your interference is required, but Bingley is definitely determined to win back the fair Miss Bennet… even if it means grovelling. Our favourite military strategist handled herself beautifully. She never wavered in the face of the enemy. I told my mother a bit of our dilemma and recruited her to take part in our assault as well. Her hidden talent for subterfuge was brought into play, and she was excellent in the role of diverting Edmund’s attention away from Miss Elizabeth. He never even got close.”

At the conclusion of their brief conference, they determined it was time to confront the enemy. Richard asked his brother and father to meet with him and Darcy in the Earl’s study. Once the door was locked to prevent any intrusions, Darcy began speaking. “Uncle, Edmund, I am demanding that neither of you ever again attempt to be in the presence of either Miss Jane Bennet or Miss Elizabeth Bennet. The Bennet family has suffered enough at the hands of the Fitzwilliam family. Both of you are so completely disreputable that I am ashamed we are related.”