“I love you, too, my dear. It pleases me that I shall be able to give you away.” He kissed her cheek. “I am sorry that Jane will not be here.”
“The circumstances are what they are now. I am only sorry she married the fool.” Elizabeth kissed his cheek and departed, making her way to her room for some solitude and quiet reflection.
Chapter Twenty-Six
April 24, 1812
Longbourn
Elizabeth
Mr. Darcy returned to Hertfordshire ten days after his departure. Elizabeth did not miss him and tried to take advantage of his absence. She visited her neighbors, went on long walks, and spoke freely with Charlotte whilst he was away. She knew her freedom would shortly be gone, and she would be required to account for her whereabouts once she married him.
He brought with him Georgiana, whom Elizabeth greeted warmly. Slight as their acquaintance was, they fell into easy conversation. Her future sister-in-law impressed Kitty and Lydia with her genteel manners and exquisitely made gowns. They peppered her with questions about her modiste, her favorite dances, and more.
“Have you danced at many balls?” Lydia asked her, only to be dismayed when she discovered that Georgiana Darcy had never been out, not in town, nor in the country. “How can you stand it?” Elizabeth’s sister cried. “I should die if I were not allowed to attend balls and assemblies.”
“I confess to having little desire at present to partake,” Georgiana said quietly. “I will have my come out when I turn eighteen.”
“How old are you now?” Kitty asked. “You cannot be any younger than Lydia. She turns sixteen in June.”
“I shall be seventeen in June,” came the reply.
“Oh? What day?” Lydia asked curiously.
And so, Elizabeth’s youngest sister and her future sister discovered their days of birth were only two days apart. Lydia’s birthday fell on June twelfth and Georgiana would celebrate two days after on the fourteenth. This information bonded the two youngest ladies, and they sequestered themselves in the corner to speak in hushed whispers. Kitty joined them, and though Lydia tried to exclude her elder sister, Georgiana welcomed her with open arms, exclaiming loudly how excited she was to have so many new sisters.
Mary hovered on the edges until she found the courage to ask Miss Darcy about her skills on the pianoforte. This topic enlivened Georgiana further, and she and Mary spoke about their favorite composers. Their skills were not equal to each other and Mary admitted reluctantly that her new friend played far better than she, but after Georgiana showed her a few tips regarding fingering, Mary’s playing improved almost instantly.
“My sister seems to be settling well,” Mr. Darcy observed one evening after dinner. He stood just behind Elizabeth, and his breath tickled the top of her head.
“Georgiana only wanted for more lively company,” she replied. “With such a serious and somber older brother, it is no wonder she is so terribly shy.”
“Does my propensity toward seriousness bother you?” He asked this curiously, no disparagement or censure in his voice. “I find that levity often leads to more dishonorable conduct. I would not wish to embarrass those I hold in esteem.”
“Seriousness and levity are not complete opposites, sir,” she chided, smothering her irritation. She needed to gain control of her adverse feelings toward him or face a life of misery. “One can be light-hearted and engaging without becoming a reprobate. Do you not laugh with your cousin? Colonel Fitzwilliam is a humorous man. Can he not elicit some happy reaction from you on occasion?”
“I reserve such sentiments for private moments when there is no need to keep my guard up.”
“I do not understand,” she said, fearing what his explanation would be.
“When I am at soirees, balls, musicals, and the like, I must have my guard up constantly lest my actions be construed as granting some lady my particular attention.”
She pulled a face. “And if you were to relax even for a moment, some young girl just out of the schoolroom would throw herself at you and force you into marriage?” she teased.
“Yes,” he replied, all seriousness. “It has happened. More than one lady has found herself on the ground at my feet rather than in my arms or lap where she intended.”
She sobered. “Do you speak in truth?”How dreadful to not be able to enjoy an evening out for fear of ending up in some predicament.The first stirrings of sympathy and understanding filled her. It did not excuse his boorish behavior, of course, but it did explain it.
“Is that why you refused to dance with anyone outside of your own party at the assembly?” she asked.
“It is. I heard the whispers almost as soon as we walked into the room.” He paused. “That is one benefit of being married. I shall be able to find enjoyment in society again.”
She smiled cheekily, though he could not see it from his position behind her. “Then you will make an effort to speak kindly to my neighbors whilst you are here. That is good.”
He did not respond immediately, and she turned to look at him, fire in her eyes. “Do you find something distasteful about my remark just now, Mr. Darcy?” The challenge in her question could not be mistaken.
“I did not prevaricate at Rosings Park. I do not converse easily with people I have never met.”
