“I know what you say is true, Mother. It is the day of the assembly, so I could not stop myself from wishing I were there, more so because Fitz will more than likely attend as I am certain Bingley will drag him to it,” Richard explained.
“Let us hope our nephew guards his tongue,” Matlock added. “Can you just imagine the set down Lizzy would issue ifhe is rude to any of her family members?” He allowed a guffaw to escape his chest. “That would be interesting to see. As much of a pity it is he never met the Bennets over the years, I would like to know how the first meeting unfolds.”
“Aunt and Uncle, the cousins we are going to see, are they the Bennets?” Georgiana asked.
“Indeed, they are,” Lady Elaine confirmed. “You are not nervous to see them again, are you, Giana? I know it has been about ten years since you saw them last, but I can testify to the fact that my Bennet nieces and nephews will be friendly and welcoming.”
“They will not condemn me if they discover what almost occurred in Ramsgate, will they?” Georgiana worried.
“Not at all!” Richard insisted. “Like the rest of us did, they will blame the criminal woman on her way to Van Diemen’s Land and the late miscreant. They will commend you for your bravery when you allowed your sense of right and wrong to guide you regardless of the level of manipulation that was brought to bear.”
“I hope so,” Georgiana replied. “I do not have many memories from the first time I met the Bennets, but I do remember I liked Lizzy and especially that she had my name as her middle name.”
“Your guardian is right, Giana dear. My great-nieces and great-nephews will welcome you for who you are, part of the family,” Lady Elaine assured.
“Not only that,” Matlock added, “but Mary loves the pianoforte as much as you do. If I am not mistaken, she and her sisters study instruments under that Italian music master,SignoreAlberto da Funti. Is that not the same master who teaches you?”
“Yes, it is!” Georgiana exclaimed happily. “I remember Mary vaguely, but it will be a pleasure to hear her play. What of her other sisters?”
“They all play various instruments. That includes Henry and Tommy. The former plays the violin, and the latter is very proficient on the pianoforte,” Lady Elaine revealed. “If memory serves, Jane plays the harp, Lizzy the pianoforte, and the youngest, Ellie, the cello. By the by, my namesake is a prodigy at the game of chess. She has not lost to your uncles or cousins for some years now.”
“It sounds like I will have a very enjoyable time with my cousins.” She paused as an unpleasant thought intruded. “As long as I will be able to reside at Longbourn and will not have to join Fitz at Netherfield Park. I detest the way Miss Bingley fawns over me in an attempt to impress Fitz. She always makes hints, most of them none too subtle about what a good husband her brother would make for me. She is such a nasty woman. She thinks that denigrating others builds herself up in my eyes,” Georgiana revealed.
“Neither Fitz nor I will ask you to be in that shrew’s company. There are none of us who will want to spend any time with her.” Richard grinned as something struck him. “I would love to see how the Bennets will react to her if she discovers who Becca’s family is.”
“After what you have all told me, I am very much looking forward to going into Hertfordshire and seeing the cousins,” Georgiana enthused. “Should I write to Fitz to tell him I will be in the neighbourhood?”
“There is no need, Dear,” Lady Elaine replied. “Your brother is aware you are travelling with us to call on family, and he neither asked who they were, nor did he object, so he will know we are there when he sees us. I am sure he thought wewere to be spending time with Anna and William. In a way, that was a good assumption on his part, as my sister and brother-in-law, along with their children and grandchildren will be at Longbourn as well.”
The prospect of seeing so many family members delighted Giana, especially as Felicity and Harriet—Aunt Connie’s twin daughters—would be present, and they were only a year older than herself.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Darcy was girding his loins to enter the assembly hall with his equanimity intact when they arrived. Miss Bingley was being everything bothersome, which was rather distracting.
“We will arrive in time for the first set; how pleasant it would be to dance the set with one you are close to,” Miss Bingley stated coquettishly as she batted her eyelids at Mr Darcy, trusting he would get the hint. He did not turn and look at her, stubbornly looking into the darkness out of the window next to him. “I am sure you would enjoy dancing the opening set with one you are familiar with; would you not, Mr Darcy?”
“Actually, Miss Bingley, as you may have noted at balls we have attended in common, I never dance any of the significant sets as it would give the wrong message and raise expectations I have no intention of fulfilling.WhenI discover the lady who I intend to make Mrs Darcy, then, and only then, will I dance the first, supper, or final sets,” Darcy said as evenly as he was able.
Both Bingley and Hurst, who were seated on the rear-facing bench with Darcy, shrank back, waiting for the inevitable explosion from their younger sister. Not even Caroline could misconstrue the message which had been embedded in Darcy’s speech.
Try as she may Caroline Bingley could not find anything positive in what Mr Darcy had said. Without saying the words, he had told her that he had no interest in her as a marital partner. She was sure he would realise the error of his ways once he saw all the country mushrooms begging her for the favour of a set. It would ignite his jealousy, and then he would come crawling back to her. She sniffed and looked away.
Mrs Hurst and Bingley both breathed sighs of relief that the expected tantrum had not materialised. Neither said a word, as they would not look a gift horse in the mouth.
The coach slowed and came to a stop in front of a building on Meryton’s main street, which the occupants correctly assumed was the assembly hall.
In case Miss Bingley attempted to lock her talons onto his arm, Darcy jumped out before the footman had the door opened all the way. He distanced himself from the conveyance and placed his arms securely behind his back, his hands clasped together. He hoped that the harpy understood what he had said during the two-mile ride from Netherfield Park, but knowing how she only liked to see and hear that which fit her delusions, he was not too confident.
While he was waiting for Bingley and his family to alight, Darcy happened to notice a coach pulling away in front of Bingley’s. In this area, which he had assumed was populated by lower gentry without much wealth, he had not expected to see a coach of the size and quality of the one disappearing down the street toward the stables.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Becca, Bennet, and Beth led the four younger Bennets into the hall. The large and comfortable coach was a gift from the Cavendishes and made travel, even with seven of them within, a pleasure. Once inside, Beth went to sit with some of her friends,Jane, Henry, and Elizabeth headed for Charlotte Phillips, who was standing with her husband and sister Maria.
Being her first foray into local society for an event which included dancing, Mary remained with her parents.
As the next party entered the hall, Bennet recognised four of the five as those he had met when he called at Netherfield Park, and assumed the tall, dark-haired man was Fitzwilliam Darcy. He grinned as he saw Sir William assume his self-appointed role as master of ceremonies and approach the new arrivals.
