“That is for the best,” laughed Darcy. “The less one is required to argue with Lady Catherine, the greater the chances of keeping one’s sanity intact.”
“I see you already understand my aunt,” quipped Fitzwilliam.
“That takes no great understanding. Lady Catherine is entirely objectionable.”
“That she is, Darcy. That she is.”
WORD OF ELIZABETH’Splans arrived two days later in a letter written in his mother’s elegant hand. That Kitty would also accompany his mother and her elder sister was welcome, for the girl was a good sort, though a little livelier than she ought to be. Where Elizabeth’s liveliness was charming, tempered with the restraint of a well-bred woman, Kitty and Lydia were liable to breach propriety when not watched with care. When Darcy considered the matter, he suspected Georgiana and Kitty would get on well, for Georgiana would moderate Kitty’s high spirits while Kitty would provoke Georgiana to more openness. An additional benefit was how Kitty and Georgiana could keep each other company while Darcy focused on his fiancée.
The question was how he should present it when in Lady Catherine’s company. The lady had no right to declare who could visit Pemberley, but Darcy was not naïve enough to assume she would accept the notion without commenting on it. Rather, he expected she would deplore Elizabeth’s visit altogether, not that it would cause him a moment’s concern if she did. Darcy received the letter on Friday, and as Elizabeth was to arrive the following Wednesday, he waited a few days before informing Lady Catherine. While this bought him a few days of respite from her diatribes on the subject, the following Monday, he knew he needed to communicate the upcoming visit.
“I have an announcement to make,” said Darcy when they gathered in the breakfast room that morning.
As he expected, Lady Catherine eyed him with suspicion, though she said nothing. Fitzwilliam, to whom Darcy had already confided the news, sat back in his chair, curious to know how his aunt would react. Even Georgiana, who knew something of Elizabeth and her family and knew of the proposed visit, appeared to anticipate what he would say.
“We are to have guests, though they will stay in Lambton rather than at Pemberley.”
“What is this?” demanded Lady Catherine. “Members of your family, I suppose?”
“My mother is the only living member of my family,” replied Darcy with a nod. “Yes, she is to be one of the party, but my fiancée, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and her sister, Miss Catherine, will also join us.”
“Oh, that is excellent news!” exclaimed Georgiana, for once forgetting her aunt’s presence. “I have longed to make your lady’s acquaintance, Cousin, and I am eager to meet her sister too!”
While Darcy acknowledged Georgiana’s enthusiasm with a nod, his attention was on Lady Catherine, who did not appear pleased at all. It was not possible to expect a lady of such celebrated frankness as Lady Catherine to remain silent on the subject—Darcy suspected there was nothing in this world that could prevent her from making her opinion known.
“You have invited a girl from your neighborhood to visit Pemberley?” Lady Catherine sounded aghast at the notion.
“No, Lady Catherine,” replied Darcy, allowing no hint of his annoyance to stain his voice, “I have invited ayoung lady, the woman who is to be my wife, to visit her future home in the company of my mother and one of her sisters.”
“That is highly improper!”
“What can be improper about her staying in Lambton and visiting Pemberley during the day?” asked Fitzwilliam. “I think it is a marvelous idea that Miss Bennet visits now before her wedding. After all, Pemberley must be a vast difference from Darcy’s estate in Hertfordshire.”
“It is,” agreed Darcy, noting Lady Catherine’s reddening face, a sure sign of a pending explosion.
“What sort of a girl is she?” demanded Lady Catherine, forestalling the eruption for the moment.
“She is an excellentwoman,” replied Darcy, unwilling to allow Lady Catherine to demean Elizabeth by using the diminutive. “Elizabeth is the second of five daughters raised on the neighboring estate. We have been engaged this past year—the only reason we are not married now is because my presence was required in Derbyshire.”
“And her parents? What standing do they boast in society?”
“Mr. Bennet is a gentleman, which is all that I require,” said Darcy, his patience fraying.
“What circles does he inhabit?” Lady Catherine sniffed with disdain. “I have never heard the name ‘Bennet,’ so I cannot imagine he is at all prominent.”
“The estate is called Longbourn, and Mr. Bennet has inherited it from a long line of his forebears. The estate is not large, but it is prosperous. Mr. Bennet has no presence in town, as society does not agree with him, but their standing in the neighborhood is impeccable. I have known since she was seventeen that I wished to have Miss Elizabeth as a wife.”
“It is so romantic,” sighed Georgiana. “It is a story of true devotion, a situation I hope to find for myself someday.”
Fitzwilliam and Darcy were both diverted by Georgiana’s sudden descent into her romantic ideals, though Darcy did not disagree in the slightest. Lady Catherine appeared ready to berate the girl if her glare was any sign, but her comment, when she delivered it, spoke to her usual authority but seemed like something akin to an afterthought.
“Do not be silly, Georgiana. When you marry, you will unite with the appropriate man who will increase our family’s position in society.”
That Fitzwilliam did not agree was obvious, but he did not comment, sensing it would only provoke an argument. AsFitzwilliam was, at present, the only one in a position to say anything about Georgiana’s future husband and Lady Catherine had no power to dictate anything, Darcy did not disagree with his assessment.
Having dispensed—as she thought of it—with Georgiana’s ideals, Lady Catherine turned a gimlet eye on Darcy.
“That is a surprise and not a welcome one, Darcy.”
