“I do not know. But I assume it will only be a matter of time, now that she has risen to some notoriety in London.” Georgiana folded her hands in her lap. “Then again, perhaps we may never know. I assume she writes from a remote cottage, far away from all the bustle and jarring of London. Or perhaps in a Scottish castle! That would explain why her books are so wonderfully atmospheric.”
“Well, no matter who she is, she has given many young ladies — and older ladies, I daresay, a good deal of pleasure with her stories,” Mrs Annesley remarked.
The conversation drifted away from the subject of books and authors, but remained lively. Indeed, Darcy could rarely remember being so well entertained by a new acquaintance, and Georgiana made no secret of her delight with Miss Bennet. When the polite half-hour had elapsed, Mrs Gardiner and her niece rose politely to go, but Georgiana would have gladly kept them longer.
When the door closed behind their guests, Georgiana nearly glowed with satisfaction. She sat down gracefully on the settee and gave a contented sigh. “See? I told you she would come.”
“Indeed, you did,” Darcy agreed.
“I wish we could have had them stay longer. Confound these ‘calling hours’ and their rules!”
“Language, Miss Darcy,” Miss Annesley corrected gently.
Darcy was grateful she had accomplished the reproof, for he was too busy holding back a chuckle to attempt it himself. He cleared his throat before responding. “Yes, I suppose it is an awful inconvenience. Unless, of course, your guests are unpleasant, and their departure welcome.”
Georgiana bit her lip. “I had not thought of that.” She became shy again. “Fitz, may I ask you something?”
“Of course,” he urged.
“I so enjoyed our visit yesterday with Miss Bennet, and again today. I wondered, might we host them for a supper party? The acquaintance is such a pleasant one, I should like it above all things — unless you do not wish it.”
Darcy thought, but only for a moment. While he might have wished for Georgiana to make more distinguished friends, certainly Miss Bennet and the Gardiners lacked nothing in respectability or elegance. Why should they not continue the acquaintance? “I have no objection. In fact, it will be an excellent opportunity for you to practice hosting. You do well to think of it, Georgiana.”
Georgiana rose from the settee and kissed his cheek. “Oh, thank you, Brother! I shall speak with the housekeeper and the cook immediately. Will you write the invitation for me?”
Darcy smiled. “I shall be glad to.” Indeed, the idea of a supper party was quite pleasant. It would give him another opportunity to argue with Miss Bennet, a most fascinating pastime. Had he ever seen a young woman so full of vigour and sparkle, at once so strong in her opinions and so gentle in her manners?
Chapter 9
A drizzle of rain met them as Elizabeth left the house with her aunt and uncle. March had blown in stormy and wild, but with a softening to the air, the threat of snow behind them. Though Elizabeth might have preferred a glimpse of the sun, the rain at least settled the fog and allowed for a pleasant view as they drove from Cheapside to Darcy House.
“How very good-natured Mr Darcy was to invite us to a supper party!” Mrs Gardiner exclaimed. “I cannot help but like him more and more each time we meet.”
Elizabeth could not help but agree. “I thought him rather stern and unwilling to be pleased when we first met, but I confess I was wrong. I think I can give him no better compliment than to say that I think the benevolence of his character to be equal to the quickness of his mind.” Indeed, she had been quite wrong in imagining that Mr Darcy was too conscious of his own superior position to wish to associate with them, or to allow his sister to do so. Likely it would have been Miss Darcy who proposed the supper, but Elizabeth was confident that Mr Darcy’s indulgence as a brother would not extend to permitting his sister to form connections he considered undesirable.
“It will be interesting to meet the other guests who are to attend, as Mr Darcy mentioned in his note.” Mr Gardiner,ever the wise businessman, was undoubtedly thinking of the connections that could be made from this acquaintance. Of course, there was not a scheming bone in his body, but he had always lived by the adage, “It is not what one knows, but who one knows.” The results spoke for themselves. Thanks to his pleasant manners and his quick mind, Mr Gardiner had many friends throughout England and beyond; and thanks to the combination of the three, his business had prospered.
“The Darcys are such lovely people. I cannot imagine their friends being anything but,” Elizabeth remarked with a smile. The prospect was a very pleasant one. Since their meeting at the teahouse, she and Miss Darcy had rapidly become better acquainted, returning visits with a speed spurred equally by politeness and enthusiasm for each other’s company. “I hear that Mr Bingley is Mr Darcy’s particular friend, and his two elder sisters, Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst, are very fashionable women. Their grandfather was a wine merchant, and apparently a very successful one. He came up in much the same fashion as you did, Uncle,” Elizabeth said. “Miss Darcy has said little about Mr Hurst, however.” Mrs Hurst, formerly the eldest Bingley, had married Mr Hurst several years before. Either he was not possessed of a significant personality, or he was not sufficiently present for Miss Darcy to mention.
“It will be nice to meet some of the Darcys’ other friends. I have been looking forward to this night with no small anticipation,” Mrs Gardiner remarked.
“As have I,” Elizabeth agreed. The evening had every prospect of being delightful. She had not written for three days leading up to the supper party. That, combined with a great deal of scrubbing, had done the trick. She need not fear drawingattention that might reveal her secret tonight, for it would be difficult for even a keen eye to see the vestiges of her writing.
When they arrived, the sun had set, and the small half-moon-shaped drive was alight with small lanterns to lead the way to the front door. After assisting his wife, Mr Gardiner offered his hand to help her climb down from the carriage. Elizabeth took it and jumped lightly down before following behind her aunt and uncle as they made their way up the steps to the house. Before they could knock, however, the door was opened, and the butler bade them come in.
Their hosts were waiting for them in the drawing room. While Mr Darcy was perfectly courteous, his sister was nearly unable to contain her excitement. Almost as soon as she had completed her bow and offered a word of greeting to the Gardiners, she rushed over to Elizabeth. “Oh, my dear Miss Bennet, you cannot know how I have been looking forward to this evening! Thank you for coming,” she said with obvious and touching sincerity.
“It is I who should thank you, Miss Darcy. We are honoured by your invitation,” Elizabeth said readily. Indeed, both the compliment of a supper invitation and the question of who might be considered to offer condescension to the other were entirely on Miss Darcy’s side. It was a credit to her young friend’s modesty and openheartedness that she did not see it so. But then, that was what made Miss Darcy so charming. Her companion, Mrs Annesley, looked proud of her young charge — as well she should be.
They had no more than exchanged the first greetings when new arrivals were announced. Elizabeth looked at the other members of their supper party with considerable curiosity. The principal among these was Mr Bingley, a handsome youngman with reddish hair. To judge by the warmth of his greeting with the usually reserved Mr Darcy, their friendship must have been of very long standing. As Miss Darcy had expected, Mr Bingley had brought with him his two sisters and the husband of the elder, a Mr Hurst.
Mr Bingley was evidently a man of happy manners, for he at once began to speak pleasantly with them, quite free from shyness or restraint. “It is a pleasure to meet you all. Miss Bennet, I understand you hail from Meryton, in Hertfordshire?”
“Yes, I do. My mother and four sisters are there still.”
“I have heard of the enchanting Bennet family, but have never had the pleasure of meeting any of them. Until now, of course.”
Elizabeth smiled, liking him already. “You are too kind, sir. And if you enjoy my acquaintance, then I hope you may meet my sister Jane one day. She is a far more agreeable companion than I could ever claim to be.”
