Mr. Darcy's Little Sister (14 page)

Kitty Bennet seemed to prefer Mr. Edward Blake, and she sat next to him the entire visit. In half an hour both sets of visitors left, after bidding farewell to the Bingleys and the Bennets.

***

Early the next morning all of their friends departed; the Bingleys and Mr. Bennet to return to Hertfordshire and the colonel to return to his duties at the Court of St. James.

After they were gone Georgiana went up to her room to write in her diary, which she had neglected of late.

3 January: All our guests have gone and the house has returned to its somnolent quiet. Kitty has remained and will stay with us until we all leave for London. Now I cannot avoid the thought of my presentation and coming-out; they are what will consume my time and mind until summer. I shudder at the thought of being examined and judged for all those months, but it cannot be avoided. Aut vincere aut mori.

Behold, I shew you a mystery;

we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye…

—I Corinthians 15:51–52

One rainy day in early March, Georgiana and Kitty were in the drawing-room with Lucky trying to concentrate on their needlework when they heard a horse ride up. When Smithfield opened the door Georgiana heard Elizabeth say, “Colonel! I did not expect to see you again so soon. You are most welcome! Have you come for Georgiana’s birthday today?”

“Mrs. Darcy, I am, unfortunately, here on business and it is very important that I speak to Darcy immediately. However, I did bring Georgiana her present,” he said in a grave voice quite unlike his usual tones.

“Of course, Colonel, I believe he is in his library. Smithfield, would you please announce the colonel?”

“Yes, madam.”

When Georgiana, drawn by this enigmatic interchange, arrived in the hall, Elizabeth stood with the gift in her hands, looking after the colonel quizzically as the heavy mahogany door of the library closed behind him. The two ladies stared at each other for a moment then Georgiana shrugged away her perplexity and returned to the drawing-room.

Later, her brother came to find her as she was absently playing with Lucky, part of her mind in the library and her heart beating faster with anxiety. She had never heard her cousin sound so grim.

“Come to the library, Georgiana my dear, I need to talk to you,” he said quietly. His mouth was compressed in a thin line as he led her into the library, where Elizabeth was waiting for them, and carefully shut the door.

“Where is the colonel?” she asked as she sat down, watching her brother pace in front of his desk for a moment before he spoke.

“He is on his way back to London, as I will be tomorrow morning; and then most likely I will travel to the Continent.”

“The Continent!” Elizabeth exclaimed. “What do you mean?”

Darcy clasped his hands behind his back and stopped in front of them. “The colonel came here with the express purpose of giving me a message. It is of an extremely sensitive nature, but I do not feel that I can leave without giving both of you some explanation for you will have to cover my absence while I am gone. I am ‘requested,’” he said in a voice heavy with sarcasm, “to go to London and meet the Prince Regent, who has a task that he has ‘requested’ that I do and that may involve travelling out of the country.”

“The Prince Regent!” Elizabeth said with astonishment.

“Yes. As you both know, I do not associate with the fast set that makes London its home and of which the prince is the leader. His behaviour is scandalous and irresponsible in many ways and, as you might guess, I do not approve of it. It has always been my impression that the Prince Regent does not approve of me either, considering me, I am sure, to be rather like Banquo’s ghost at the feast,” he said dryly. “Be that as it may, he apparently wants me to do something which he feels, and which, just as importantly to me, the colonel feels, only I can do. I do not yet know what that errand is and it does not matter. I would prefer that you know as little as possible so that you do not have to guard your tongues constantly for fear of letting too much slip.

“You know that the colonel is a member of the Horse Guards, which are charged with protecting the royal family, but what you may not know is that our cousin’s primary charge is to protect the safety of the Prince Regent himself. How Fitzwilliam can spend so much time working intimately around the prince and his cronies and avoid the corruption that springs up around them, I do not know, but he seems to be able to manage it, and the Prince Regent places a great deal of trust in him.

“In spite of his glib tongue and easy manner, Fitzwilliam can be extremely reticent when it is necessary. In fact, much of this information on his role at St. James I have gradually accumulated over the twelve years he has been in the Horse Guards, mostly from what other people have told me. At any rate, I will be leaving in the morning and I must be finished with this ‘errand,’ whatever it may be, by the time Georgiana is presented at court. It would not be discreet to miss it, as anyone who knows me will be sure that I would not miss your presentation, Georgiana, for anything but a dire catastrophe. If I am not back in time there will be talk.”

“I see,” Elizabeth said, a worried look on her face. “…At least, I do not see, but I understand what you have told me so far. What am I to do about Georgiana’s presentation?”

He sat down next to her and took her hand. “Well, the one bit of good news Fitzwilliam brought is that his parents will be coming to Pemberley—they will probably arrive within a few days—and my aunt will take responsibility for all of the details of Georgiana’s presentation. Unfortunately, I will be gone when they arrive, so you will have to meet them for the first time with Georgiana alone to support you. I do not know what they think of our marriage by now, but at least Georgiana’s need for my aunt’s experience and social standing during her first Season will give them an excuse to meet you that even Lady Catherine would not gainsay.

“Actually,” he added, “I think that you will like them, Elizabeth. They think rather too much of their position in society—a charge which I am hardly in a position to criticise, considering past events—but they are not bad sorts, and I think they will approve of you when they know you. I suspect that they have only stayed away thus far because they did not want to deal with the carrying on of Lady Catherine over our marriage, but I am not surprised that their sense of family responsibility for Georgiana has overcome their hesitation in that matter. You must both tell anyone who asks that I was called away to London on business and that you will be joining me there soon.”

“And what if you have not returned by the time we arrive in London?” Georgiana asked, her voice wavering.

“Then you must tell enquirers that I had to return to Pemberley unexpectedly to finish some business so that I will be free for the Season and that I will rejoin you in London before your presentation.”

Elizabeth spoke up. “What do I tell your aunt and uncle?”

“Apparently, they have been told enough by the colonel to let them know that I will not be here and that they are not to ask the reasons.”

They left the library, but Georgiana’s thoughts were in a confused whirl. She tried to exert herself to behave normally when she returned to the drawing-room, but it was not long before she pled a headache and went to her room. At least there she did not need to put on a front to deceive Kitty.

That evening they celebrated Georgiana’s birthday with a family party. Cook made Georgiana’s favourite dinner and outdid herself on a lovely cake filled with raisins and nuts. She managed to smile and exclaim when she opened her presents, and she hoped that her distraction would not be too obvious to Kitty. Her brother gave her a pair of pearl earrings to match her necklace and some new music, and Kitty had sewn a slightly lopsided reticule that matched her best pelisse. Elizabeth had purchased a new spring bonnet for her to wear during the Season and knitted a warm scarf and mittens for her, with a matching coat for Lucky. Georgiana had to laugh when she saw the coat and told Lucky, who was sitting on her lap, that they would wear them for their walk the next day. The colonel’s offering was the last to be opened and she gave a brief smile when she saw the delicate gold bracelet cradled in the velvet-lined box and then put it aside to cut her cake. Kitty examined the bracelet and exclaimed, “It is beautiful, Georgiana! How lucky you are to have two guardians to buy you presents!”

Georgiana smiled at her brother and replied, “Indeed I am.”

Afterwards they withdrew to the music room and she played a few songs before they all retired.

9 March: Today Colonel Fitzwilliam came with some business for my brother. I am chagrined to find that I have been misjudging my cousin for years, thinking him pleasant and entertaining but shallow. I am having difficulty changing my picture of him in my mind, but I am determined to do him justice. I must try not to equate light-heartedness with light-mindedness. I wonder how many other people I have unconsciously misjudged. I remember now my cousin’s kindness when I was little and his endless patience with my oddities. I also remember his anger when he found his brother tormenting me. His reaction was exactly the same as my brother’s. They were both quite willing to fight Lord St. George, but their sense of fair play prevented them from both attacking him at once, and the colonel gave in to my brother’s greater right to avenge the wrong done his sister. I am sounding quite mediaeval here, the age of chivalry reborn!

She closed her book and put it in the drawer of her bedside table, still contemplating what she had heard that day.

***

When Georgiana came down to breakfast the next morning, her brother was gone and Elizabeth was sitting with her teacup in her hands, staring out of the window. She turned when she heard the door open and exclaimed, “Georgiana, why are you up so early!”

“I could not sleep, so I thought that maybe we could put in some extra practise time today.”

“Kitty is not up yet, I assume?”

“I have not seen her.”

“Let us eat then, and we will start our practise.”

By the end of two hours, they were both ready to rest for a while. Georgiana felt exhausted; even her hair was hanging limply around her face. She collapsed onto a chair and took a sip of the cold tea sitting before her.

“I am just not able to do it, Elizabeth. I cannot spontaneously carry on the sort of witty repartee that I see others do. I guess that I have a pedantic, pedestrian mind. Maybe I have no sense of humour, although I used to think I did. I can laugh and talk and tease those few people whom I know intimately, but the thought of the next few months and the fact that my entire future turns upon attracting a husband whom I can love and trust for the rest of my life turns me into marble.”

“Hmmm.” Elizabeth patted her warm forehead with her handkerchief and thought for a few moments. “I think that we need to change your thinking. It is true that the search for the proper husband is important, but you do not need to decide this year. I know that society puts on a great deal of pressure during a young woman’s coming-out year to find a husband or be thought a failure and an eternal spinster, but that thinking is ridiculous. A year ago, when I was twenty, I had resigned myself to never marrying because I did not have a dowry and I was not willing to marry just for financial security. That is what my friend Charlotte did when she married Mr. Collins.”

Georgiana smiled at her. “I always wondered why she married him. I also wonder how my aunt can tolerate him.”

“I wondered that myself the entire time I was in Hunsford last spring… At any rate, my point is that it is not necessary to find a husband before you are eighteen, or even twenty. Particularly you, Georgiana. You have everything a woman needs to attract a husband but a husband is not necessary to ensure your comfort in life. You are not a woman who will have a few good years and then fade away into insignificance. More likely, you will find that maturity will allow you to recognise what you want and who you want to spend your life with. Do not be in a hurry, my dear, and do not let anyone pressure you into making a decision you are not ready for.”

Georgiana examined her teacup while she thought about Elizabeth’s words.

“I still do not know how not to be intimidated by my Presentation and all the balls and parties. I do not know how to form a sense of someone’s mind from trivial conversation immediately. I would rather meet new people one at a time and get to know them in a natural fashion, as I did with my friend Catherine Freemont.”

Elizabeth smiled at her. “You sound very much like your brother, my dear.” After a few sips of tea she finally added, “I think what you need to do is avoid trying to chatter with people. It is not your style of intercourse. Instead, imagine yourself a princess. You are dignified but gracious. When you do not know what to say, you just smile enigmatically and nod intelligently while the other person talks. If they are interesting you will soon have something you want to say. If they are not, you can use the time to muse about something more engaging. Conjugate your irregular verbs if you must. Most gentlemen, in my experience, prefer to do all the talking themselves anyway. You must not use your brother as an example of the typical man; he is quite unique.”

Georgiana laughed at the picture she had conjured. “All right. Perhaps I can do that.”

Her performances soon began to improve and by working intensively over the next day they made some little progress.

***

On the morning of the second day after Darcy’s departure, the day was sunny and windless after several days of rain, and Georgiana was ready for a break from her incessant practising, so she convinced Elizabeth and Kitty to join her in a short walk with Lucky and Pilot. They bundled up in their heaviest cloaks and warm bonnets and gloves and put Lucky in his new sweater then walked quickly down to the stream, where they turned up a path that was partially sheltered from the brisk air by rocks and shrubbery. They had walked about a half mile and were just ready to turn back when Lucky tugged on his leash, stiffening and growling as he stared towards the woods. At the same time, they were hailed.

“Mrs. Darcy, Miss Darcy, Miss Bennet, I am very glad to see you,” Jonathan Walker called cheerfully as he broke out of the trees and swaggered casually towards them. Behind him appeared two retainers carrying shotguns. Seeing their startled faces he added, “I apologise for surprising you, but we were hunting and lost our way. We evidently wandered onto Pemberley land inadvertently and I am happy to know now where we are. I saw Mr. Darcy drive by several days ago, apparently on his way to town, so I was afraid that we would not find succour in our distress.” He smiled ingratiatingly.

Georgiana felt a cold trickle of ice down her spine when she saw the guns and Walker’s arrogant attitude but kept silent as Elizabeth answered, “Indeed, sir, you must have wandered a great way.”