“Thank you, but you would not know where search for it. You do not know the nooks and crannies here. Mrs. Annesley will help me. She is more familiar with the house. That is, if you don’t mind, Mrs. Annesley?”
“Of course not, my dear.” Mrs. Annesley smiled affectionately at her charge.
Georgiana looked apologetic. “I am very sorry, Miss Bennet. I do not wish to delay you. You do not have to wait if you prefer to join the others. The room is two doors down.”
“Hopefully you will find it quickly. I will wait for you for a few minutes, and then go in.”
As Georgiana and her relative went to search for the gold chain, Elizabeth slowly walked down the corridor, looking at the paintings hanging on the walls. She recognized the namesof several famous masters. She stopped to examine those that interested her, making her way slowly to where Mr. Darcy and his friends were waiting. Eventually, she found herself outside the door of the drawing room.
Georgiana was taking a long time. Elizabeth considered whether it would not be better for her to go in, for civility’s sake. They were past the time when dinner was supposed to be served.
Just as she was about to walk in, she heard Miss Bingley mentioning her name.
She froze, her hand on the handle, trying not to make a sound.
“Where is this Miss Bennet from? And how did she manage to weasel her way into this household?”
Darcy grimaced at Miss Bingley’s choice of words, but he could not deny they were accurate.Thatwas the heart of the matter. Only, he wished Miss Bingley was not here to witness his sister’s folly.
“I intend to find out,” said Darcy, briskly, not wanting to encourage her tendency towards gossip. “Georgiana has always been inclined to pick up stray animals. However, it is the first time she has acquired a person.”
Miss Bingley tittered. “You have worded it most charmingly, Mr. Darcy. A stray, indeed!”
“I say, Darcy,” said Bingley, “perhaps we should reserve judgement until we have learnt more about Miss Bennet.”
“I have every intention of learning more about her, since she somehow contrived to have Georgiana invite her to Pemberley. For dinner, no less.”
“She must be a very vulgar, brazen type of person,” remarked Miss Bingley. “She is taking advantage of dear Miss Darcy’s good nature to invite herself.”
“Well,Ithought she was charming and well-mannered,” Bingley replied obstinately.
“You mean you thought she was pretty, Charles.” His sister raised a perfectly curved brow at him. “Admit it.”
“Of course she was pretty,” said Bingley. “Anyone with eyes can see that. Don’t you think so, Darcy?”
“She was tolerable, but not handsome enough to prevent me from questioning her presence in my house.”
“You need not worry, Mr. Darcy,” tittered Miss Bingley. “I will ensure she does not feel too welcome.”
Darcy reined in his annoyance at Miss Bingley’s assumption that she could make Georgiana’s guest feel uncomfortable. It was a delicate matter and should be handled carefully. He did not want Georgiana to feel that she had done something wrong. Eventually, he would talk to her about not bringing strangers into the house, but for now, if she was happy to meet someone she liked, then he would indulge her for a little while.
He shook his head at Miss Bingley. “If she is my sister’s friend, we should make her feel welcome. I was merely advocating caution in our dealings with her. Georgiana does not make friends easily. I would not want to deny her a genuine friendship.”
Miss Bingley looked like she might say something more, but she held back.
Meanwhile, he would watch this Miss Bennet like a hawk.
So, this was what Mr. Darcy thought of her! Elizabeth was nothing more than a stray animal! No wonder he had looked down his nose at her.
How dare he pass judgement when he knew nothing at all about her! To hear herself described as a stray was bad enough.To be described as vulgar and brazen compounded the insult. But to be dismissed as tolerable wounded her to the core. She stood outside the door, considering what to do. By all rights, she should walk away immediately. In fact, that was exactly what she would do. After all, she owed Miss Darcy nothing. She had already helped her enough. There was no need to attend a dinner where everyone viewed her with contempt.
Elizabeth turned and walked away, half-blinded by a mix of humiliation and anger, not heeding where she was going. In her haste, her arm stuck an object. Turning swiftly to look at it, Elizabeth saw with horror that it was a large Ming Dynasty vase. As the vase began to fall, she reached out to hold onto it, but it slipped past her hands.
It was undoubtedly worth a small fortune. If she broke it, she could not evenofferto repay them for it. It was far beyond Papa’s means to do so. Time seemed to slow down as she watched it go tumbling down. There was a thick carpet in the middle of the hallway. If the vase fell onto the carpet, she was saved. But if it fell onto the marble floor, then it was nothing short of a disaster.
She could not take the risk. Diving forward to grab the vase, she landed on the floor with a loud thud. Pain shot through her elbow as it struck marble, but thankfully, to her intense relief, she was able to cushion the vase from the fall, and it remained intact. She rose to her feet carefully, hugging the vase closely, making sure it did not slip until she returned it to the alcove where it had originally stood.
Her arms were still wrapped around the Ming dynasty vase when the door of the drawing room swung open and Mr. Darcy appeared in the doorway, followed by his two guests.
