Mr. Darcy's Little Sister (4 page)

Bingley looked blank for a moment as he tried to gather his wits together, but he finally took a deep breath and said, “Yes, well, the rest of the story was not terribly interesting.” He quickly added, “Mr. Gardiner, have you had an opportunity to do any hunting this autumn?”

Georgiana felt a great urge to giggle but concentrated on cutting her meat. She knew that she would laugh out loud if her eyes met those of Miss Elizabeth, which she was sure would be dancing in merriment. She did finally glance at her brother, but a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth and a softening of his expression were the only signs that he had noted his friend’s discomfiture.

To end the awkward moment, Miss Elizabeth asked Mr. Bingley what they had done in the afternoon.

“Oh, just errands, nothing terribly interesting,” Bingley said blandly, his self-control reasserted.

“And you, Mr. Darcy?” she asked her fiancé.

“Oh, errands, as Bingley says.”

“And it was necessary for Miss Darcy to accompany you on these errands?”

“I wanted to spend a little time with her as I have not seen much of her since our engagement.”

“I see. A mystery, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley? And abetted by my future sister?” she asked, her lips pursed in a delightful pout.

“My dear Miss Elizabeth,” Mr. Bingley replied, an ingenuous look in his blue eyes, “gentlemen must sometimes have their secrets.” He sketched a small bow towards Georgiana. “And sometimes young ladies are kind enough to indulge them.”

Miss Elizabeth laughed and gave up her quizzing, contenting herself with giving an account of their day, making the most of the difficulties of choosing colours and fabrics and discussing concerns about style, while Georgiana sat silently listening and smiling over Miss Elizabeth’s exaggerated saga. Finally, Elizabeth said, “So, Mr. Darcy, have we now given you more information than you ever thought possible about ladies’ dress?”

“Not at all, I am finding it a fascinating glimpse into an arcane branch of knowledge. I had not realised all the profound subtleties of the subject.” He smiled at her impudent grin and continued with his meal.

***

The ladies spoke of general topics when they withdrew from the table, and the gentlemen soon joined them in the drawing-room. Elizabeth sat next to Mr. Darcy and, while the others were involved in conversation, they discussed their plans for their honeymoon.

“I suggest that we spend a few days at the seaside before we return to London after the wedding, if that is agreeable to you,” Darcy said. “I have a friend who has a house not far from Eastbourne. It looks over a private beach and has a delightful view of the sea. If we are lucky, the weather will continue pleasant. When we return we could then enjoy some of the amusements of town before travelling to Pemberley for the winter. There will not be many people in town during the hunting season, so it will be rather quiet, but we should still be able to find a play or a concert.” There was a rueful note in his voice as he added, “I would prefer to give you a more elegant honeymoon in Paris or on the Riviera, but the war makes that plan a little too adventurous, I fear.”

Elizabeth readily agreed with his suggestions.

“The seaside and London will be delightful. I confess that wondering whether an army would come marching through town might put a serious check upon my enjoyment of a trip to the Continent,” she said with a twinkle in her eye but then added soberly, “Hopefully, it will not be many more years before that situation changes.”

“The newspapers suggest that the Coalition armies have Napoleon on the run, but so they have said many times before. Perhaps they will be correct one of these days.”

“We can only hope.” Elizabeth smiled at him and added, “Will Georgiana return to Pemberley after the wedding?”

“No, she is going to visit our aunt and uncle, Lord and Lady Whitwell, for a few days. Their townhouse is only a few streets away from Ashbourne House, so she will actually be quite near. My aunt will be sponsoring Georgiana for her presentation and will be taking her in hand during the preparations. We may want to include Georgiana in some of our evenings out. The more experience she gains in society, the better.

He looked over at his sister, who was across the room talking to Jane by the fireplace, and his expression softened. Elizabeth’s eyes followed his gaze. Georgiana’s light brown hair glowed golden in the firelight and her eyes looked as green and limpid as water. They crinkled at the outer corners when she smiled, as she did now at something Jane was saying.

“Georgiana is such a sweet, affectionate girl! I am very much looking forwards to truly getting to know her before we are caught up in her coming-out,” Elizabeth whispered then added after a quick glance at the group around the fireplace, “I hope that we can help her overcome her self-consciousness before that occurs.”

Darcy nodded, his brow slightly furrowed, and Elizabeth quietly put her hand on his arm. They had talked a great deal about Georgiana during the long walks they had taken daily in the countryside around Longbourn after their engagement. Darcy had delayed Georgiana’s debut in society because of her extreme shyness (as well as because of his own romantic preoccupations of the past year). Her lack of confidence made it likely that the ritual appearances of her presentation at court and coming-out Season would be a miserable trial for her and would be an impediment to her ability to attract an appropriate husband. Her guardians certainly did not want her to marry someone who was only interested in her fortune, but it would be very difficult for a stranger to break through her diffidence and find out what she was truly like. Her sheltered and parentless existence had probably been a rather lonely one, Elizabeth reflected to herself—quite unlike the tumult of the Bennet household.

The incident with Mr. Wickham more than a year and a half earlier had further eroded her confidence. Elizabeth had hopes that she could help her new sister emerge from her shell and become more comfortable in society but was unsure how she would accomplish this.

After a glance to make sure that the others had not noted their sudden quietness, Darcy cleared his throat and continued with his previous thought:

“We must have a ball at Pemberley after we arrive in the country so that our neighbours may meet you. We will follow it with one in the servants’ hall so that all of our dependents may also celebrate our marriage. Perhaps we could have both balls around Christmas when your family will be visiting.”

Elizabeth gave him a sceptical smile, and he responded to her unspoken comment: “Yes, I know what that look means, Miss Elizabeth. I have no greater love for balls now than I did a twelvemonth ago, but I will do my duty for my lovely bride, no matter how difficult it may be. And, I must confess, performing my social duties will be much more pleasant with her at my side.” He smiled down at her. “What say you to these plans?”

She returned his smile and answered, “I say that your proposals sound wonderful, so let us do as you suggest. Truthfully, the location of our honeymoon is not nearly as important to me as the company. Shall we join the others at the hearth?”

Georgiana had been surreptitiously observing her brother and Miss Elizabeth and she saw them both glance at her. She knew that they must have been talking about her, and she reddened as she tried to concentrate on what Miss Bennet was saying to her. She hoped that she had not merited their discussion by committing any egregious errors.

At the conclusion of the evening, as the others were talking over a plan to attend a play the following night, Elizabeth asked Georgiana, “Georgiana, my dear, you will join us for our shopping tomorrow, will you not?”

Georgiana glanced at her brother for approval.

“Of course you may go, dearest,” he responded with an encouraging smile. “I will send you over in the carriage in the morning.”

Elizabeth gently urged her, “Do come, Georgiana. We would love to have you with us.”

Georgiana nodded her silent assent, and the ladies all agreed upon a time. Before they left, Darcy added, rather formally, “I hope that you will all join us at Ashbourne House in the evening for a light dinner before we attend the theatre.”

They all agreed to this proposal, and the two Darcys and Bingley said their farewells.

Georgiana spent more than her usual time over her diary that night, trying to distil all the events of the day into a few lines.

29 September: Today has been a whirl of activity: meeting the Bennet family at breakfast, shopping with my brother and Mr. Bingley for wedding gifts for their brides and with the Misses Bennet for their trousseaux, meeting the Gardiners again. The moment which stands out the most in my mind, however, is the look which passed between my brother and his fiancée when they thought no one was aware. It is very clear that my dear, reticent brother has a deep passion for his wife-to-be, and she for him. I trust that someday I will find a gentleman who gazes at me in that manner and who induces the same fire in my veins as seems to flow in my brother’s.

***

The four ladies spent the next day at the seamstress’s and shopping for shoes and bonnets and other feminine details. When they arrived back at Cheapside, Mrs. Gardiner urged her nieces to dress quickly for dinner, saying, “We are going to Audley Square a little early and our shopping took longer than I anticipated, so hurry and change girls. We will need to return Georgiana home in time to dress for dinner.”

Surprised, Elizabeth and Jane willingly hurried with their toilettes and they all arrived at Ashbourne House at four o’clock. The butler, an elderly, grey-haired man of great dignity, admitted them with a deep bow and announced them as he preceded them into the drawing-room. Georgiana could see with amusement that Burton was burning with curiosity about the Misses Bennet, although she was sure the ladies would not notice his veiled glances. After greeting the others, Georgiana hurried upstairs to change. Her brother had asked her that morning to join him and Miss Elizabeth in the library when she was dressed; he was going to show his bride the Darcy jewels.

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments.

—William Shakespeare, Sonnet 116

When they all reappeared in the drawing-room, they left Bingley to play host and Georgiana and Elizabeth followed Darcy into the adjoining room. A middle-aged gentleman in a sober suit of clothes was introduced to them as Mr. Bennington of the High Street Bank.

“I had Mr. Bennington bring over the Darcy jewels,” Darcy said to Elizabeth. “Some of them have been in the family for generations and are in rather outdated settings. They have no historical significance or other importance except as family possessions and have not been worn in years; it is time that they were given new life. It has been years since Georgiana has seen them, so I thought she might join us.”

Elizabeth smiled at her. “Of course.”

Mr. Bennington removed the pieces one by one from the large case in which he had brought them and Darcy gave them the history of each piece or set as it appeared.

“My grandfather gave these to my grandmother when our father was born,” he said as he picked up a sapphire and diamond demiparure. “They had waited for many years to have a child, and my grandfather was very proud to have a son to carry on the family name.”

“They are beautiful,” Elizabeth said, touching one of the bracelets.

He picked up a heavy ruby choker.

“This one should be reset. The centre stone was brought back from India by a distant ancestor and the colour will look lovely on you, my dear, once they are in a better setting; this one is far too heavy for your slender neck.”

Elizabeth nodded silently, and Georgiana saw her eyes getting larger by the moment as each piece of the jewellery appeared.

“I do not know why I should be surprised that the Darcys have so many wonderful jewels, but I confess that I am quite overcome with astonishment,” she whispered to Georgiana, who gave her an amused smile.

Mr. Bennington brought out a splendid necklace and bracelet that particularly caught their eyes. A simple herringbone chain of heavy gold formed the necklace. The clasp was a snarling dragon intricately carved of pale green imperial jade with delicate green flames flowing from his open mouth. The bracelet was a shorter length of gold fastened with a similar dragon clasp, but in the bracelet the dragon was sleeping, his head curled over his back.

“I remember these!” Georgiana exclaimed. “I remember my father showing me them once, and I was fascinated by the dragons. They somehow seem to have personalities.”

“They are lovely,” Elizabeth answered, carrying the necklace over to the light, “I have never seen anything like them.”

The chains gleamed dully in the light, and the details of the dragons were somewhat obscured by the accretions of years of wear, but they were splendid still.

“One of our great-great uncles was an adventurer generations ago. He left his family and travelled for two years and brought the necklace and bracelet back from China for his wife—as a peace offering I would guess,” Darcy said, glancing at them with a lifted brow as he removed the necklace from its case. “It is probably close to one hundred years old and looks as if it should have a good cleaning.”

He nestled them back into the velvet case and picked up a beautiful diamond necklace and eardrops in a modern setting.

“These belonged to our mother. I remember her wearing them whenever there was a ball at Pemberley. My father gave them to her as a wedding present.” He looked up at Elizabeth and added, “He left them to Georgiana, but I thought you might like to see them.”

“They are beautiful. They will be lovely on you, Georgiana!”

Georgiana smiled and ducked her head. She was a little embarrassed that the diamonds would not belong to the mistress of Pemberley, but she was also relieved that Elizabeth seemed not at all put out that the jewels would not be hers.

While Georgiana examined her mother’s jewels, Elizabeth turned to pick out another diamond necklace and eardrops and a rather ugly sapphire pendant which would be improved by a lighter, more modern look. When Mr. Bennington left to replace the remaining jewels in the bank’s vault, Darcy locked the jewellery they had selected in a wall safe, saying to Elizabeth as he did so, “Tomorrow we shall take these to Sheffield’s, and you may pick out the new settings.” He turned to his sister. “Would you, perhaps, like to rejoin the others, Georgiana?”

She looked at him in confusion and saw his eyes flick towards the door.

“Oh, y-yes, of course. I would like to talk to Mrs. Gardiner before we sit down to dinner,” she said weakly and then fled for the door.

***

Darcy watched her until the door closed and then shook his head regretfully over his sister’s lack of poise. After a moment he shrugged off his dismay, went to the desk, and brought out a small velvet jeweller’s case from the drawer and presented it to Elizabeth, his smile a little shy as he handed it to her.

“This is an early wedding gift. Bingley and I picked these out yesterday with Georgiana’s assistance. She felt, and I believe rightly, that a simple expression of affection would be more fitting than jewels and that it would be preferable to have something you could wear every day, not just at a ball.”

“Your sister is a very perceptive young woman,” Elizabeth said as she opened the case and smiled. Inside was the narrow serpentine chain of gold with its tiny cross. On each side of the clasp, on the inside, were engraved the initials EB and FD; when the bracelet was fastened their initials would be joined. He removed it from the case and started to clasp it around her right wrist but paused.

“Once I fasten this chain you cannot escape,” he said gravely.

She blushed and answered quietly, “I’ll try not to struggle too much.”

He fastened it around her wrist and, his eyes locked on hers, raised her palm to his lips. Elizabeth impulsively threw her arms around him and kissed him. He drew her close for another, more lingering kiss then they reluctantly separated and rejoined the others in the drawing-room, Elizabeth hoping her flushed complexion was not too apparent.

***

A few minutes later, Elizabeth commented to the Gardiners and Georgiana, “I can see that a conspiracy has taken place in this house over the matter of these bracelets, but… I think Jane and I will probably try to forgive you.”

She put her arm around Georgiana and whispered in her ear, “Thank you, my dear sister. The bracelet is perfect.”

Georgiana searched her face. “Do you truly like it, Elizabeth?”

“Indeed I do. You could
not
have chosen better.”

Georgiana let her breath out in a sigh of relief and smiled at Elizabeth. The more she knew about her sister-in-law, the happier she was. Her brother had chosen well.

***

After dinner they gathered their wraps and left for the theatre, an imposing building fronted with an arcade. The inside had been lavishly painted and decorated but was discoloured from the smoke of the many candles lighting the chandeliers, leaving to the elegantly dressed society gentlemen and ladies the task of providing colour and variety to the interior.

Georgiana was looking down as they made their way to the Darcy box, trying not to step on the hem of her companions’ gowns, and it took her a moment to realise that the conversation in the foyer had dropped in volume to an intense murmur. She looked around her and noted that her brother was greeted with a slight nod by a few people, but most of those who took notice of their entrance merely stared and then turned to their neighbours to whisper excitedly in their ears.

She was uncomfortable under their blatant scrutiny, and she could feel the colour creep up into her face. She hurried after her brother, wondering if she had behaved improperly in some way and was relieved when they reached the box. She glanced at Elizabeth and saw that she was very stiff; her brother had a thunderous look on his face. Miss Elizabeth leaned over and said something to him and he forced his expression into more pleasant lines, but Georgiana was sure that he did not notice what was on the stage for the first fifteen minutes. She slumped in her seat and tried to attend to the singing, but the strange behaviour of the crowds and her brother’s anger perplexed her.

The first half of the entertainment was a series of arias sung by Signora Catalani, the undisputed prima donna of London opera, and the audience was entranced until the last note died. Georgiana gradually forgot the odd behaviour of the theatregoers in the foyer as she was swept up into the music. When the interval came, Elizabeth needed to touch her arm gently to bring her back to earth so they could make their way to the refreshment room of the theatre.

The second half was to be a series of tableaux from the recent productions of the company, and the singer would be joined by her fellow cast members to present them. While they were discussing the programme, Georgiana glanced up and saw her cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, across the room; his curly, russet-brown hair was unmistakeable in the candlelight. She craned her neck and saw her aunt and uncle with him, their backs to the rest of the room.

“Brother, there are our aunt and uncle,” she exclaimed to Darcy. “We should say hello before the second part of the programme begins.”

She started to turn away, but her brother surreptitiously caught her arm. She looked back at him in surprise.

“Please do not go, Georgiana,” he said very quietly.

“Why not, Fitzwilliam?” she asked, confused, her voice lowered to match his.

She suddenly became aware of the silence of the crowd around her and flushed a brilliant red. It seemed as if everyone in the room was staring at her, and she wanted to sink into the floor in mortification. Elizabeth affectionately put her arm around Georgiana’s shoulder and whispered in her ear:

“Do not be embarrassed, my dear; your aunt and uncle are upset with your brother because he is marrying me; it would simply be better not to bring attention to the relationship at the moment. Everything will be fine in time, so do not be concerned.”

Georgiana nodded silently, her head hanging.

“I cannot believe that anyone could object to you, Elizabeth,” she whispered. “Fitzwilliam should have told me.”

“Thank you, my dear,” Elizabeth returned with a smile. “You are right; you should have been told. You
could
do one thing to help me through this, if you would.”

Georgiana’s head came up at that.

“I will do anything that I can,” she whispered fiercely.

“Then pretend that none of this has happened, and we will return to our seats with our heads held high and ignore the vulgar gossips.”

Georgiana managed the ghost of a smile, put her shoulders back with a visible effort, and twined her arm through Elizabeth’s. As they turned towards the entrance to their box, Lord Whitwell’s group reached the doors to the auditorium. Just before they disappeared through the door, Colonel Fitzwilliam glanced at Darcy and his right eyelid drooped in a slow wink. The corner of Darcy’s mouth twitched and he acknowledged his cousin with a minuscule nod, but Georgiana’s smile was rigidly fixed. They returned to their seats and resolutely watched the remainder of the programme, but the joy had gone out of the evening for Georgiana and, she suspected, for Elizabeth as well. Elizabeth was sitting between Georgiana and her brother, so Georgiana could overhear some of her brother’s discussion as he bent towards his fiancée:

“…his mother, my aunt, was very upset by Lady Catherine’s letter about our… expects that you will be a fishmonger’s daughter or some such ridiculous notion… Fitzwilliam says that he defended you as much as he could without, as he put it, ‘imperilling his financially dependent status’… St. George has remained above the fray… in Scotland… gambling debts… calmed down somewhat.”

Elizabeth’s answer was clearer to Georgiana: “I am sorry that I am causing so much heartache in your family.” She paused for a moment and then gave a mischievous smile. “Not sorry enough to refuse to marry you again but still sorry for the trouble you must go through.”

“Actually,” Darcy returned in a conversational tone, “I am rather enjoying the unusual sensation of being the family black sheep after years of stolid attention to the business of running an estate. Perhaps my taking over this role will be of material assistance to my scapegrace cousin St. George by drawing attention from his misdeeds to my own.”

Georgiana barely prevented herself from a very unladylike snort at this commentary on her cousin Lord St. George, but her training prevailed and she turned her attention back to the stage. So, Miss Elizabeth had refused her brother’s hand before finally accepting it! She was astonished, but her speculation over the story of their courtship carried her through the second half of the programme and she was able to ignore the ill-mannered crowd staring at them.

When they arrived at Ashbourne House later that evening, Darcy caught Georgiana before she went upstairs.

“My dear sister, it just occurred to me—after a reminder by Miss Elizabeth, I confess—that you should have a new gown for the wedding also. I have been remiss in not having you order one while we are here.”

“Dear brother,” she said with affection, “I am not in the wedding party, but am just a guest. I have plenty of lovely gowns.”

“Maybe, but I would still like to mark the occasion with a new gown for you, too.” He paused for a moment, thinking. “Perhaps we should leave you and Mrs. Annesley here for a day or two. You could have the gown fitted and then return to Hertfordshire not long after us.”

“Well, I guess that would be acceptable, although I hate to make the carriage come back for me.”

He put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her on the top of her head.

“You leave that to me, little one.”

That night she wrote in her diary,

1 October: Went to an evening of opera music—Signora Catalani is stupendous, but the audience seemed more interested in gaping at my brother and his fiancée—the jealous cats! My aunt and uncle Whitwell were there with the colonel, but they did not acknowledge our presence. The colonel winked at my brother—he seemed amused at the awkward situation—but I think he could have done more than he has to help my brother, who is his best friend as well as his cousin. I have no doubt that if my aunt and uncle were to embrace Elizabeth into the family there would be no difficulties with the rest of society. I am going to ask my brother if I may stay at Ashbourne House while they are gone on their honeymoon. I do not wish to stay with my aunt and uncle while they are snubbing my brother.