Mrs. Bennet gave a loud cry. “Oh, Mr. Bennet, I knew you would not let our girls down! What wonderful news! We will have all of you attending balls in London in a few weeks.”
“That is, if Lizzy doesn’t ruin it all for us,” remarked Lydia.
Chapter 9
Darcy took up Mr. Bennet’s letter with a sense of satisfaction. Miss Bennet’s father had paid for the expense of an express letter, a clear indication that he was conscious of the honor Darcy had bestowed on his daughter and was eager to make it happen. Good.
As he unsealed the wafer, Darcy noted that Mr. Bennet did not skimp on his sealing wax. It was smooth with a high luster, an indication of high quality. Then, unfolding the letter, Darcy observed that Mr. Bennet’s hand was even and well formed, again confirming what his cousin Richard had told him. Mr. Bennet was a gentleman.
A few minutes later, Darcy’s smugness vanished. He could not believe his eyes. Who was Mr. Bennet to order him tocome to Longbourn to gain his approval? Did he really expect Darcy to travel all the way to Meryton to be interviewed by some backward landowner who wanted to assess his suitability? Did the man not have a copy of Debrett’s in his possession? All it would take was for him to read about Darcy’s illustrious ancestors to realize how fortunate it was that someone of the Darcy name was condescending to invite Miss Nobody Bennet.
He tossed the letter aside in vexation. He wished he had never laid eyes on the chit. She had caused him nothing but trouble from the moment he met her. And now, this Mr. Bennet was making it sound as if allowing Miss Bennet to spend time with the Darcys would be doing them a favor. Ha!
He rose to help himself to some kippers just as Georgiana came into the breakfast room. As if guided by instinct, her eyes fell on the letter he had set carelessly aside. It lay open on the table.
“Have you heard anything about Miss Bennet?” she asked.
It was remarkable how, when it came to Miss Bennet, his sister became so observant. He made it a rule never to read his business correspondence at the table. Anything he opened, he usually folded carefully and set aside. It was easy enough for Georgiana to conclude that the letter had something to do with the Bennets.
She may as well discover the snub Mr. Bennet had dealt them.
“Yes, this very letter is from Mr. Bennet. You may read it if you wish.”
She sent him a surprised look. He was not in the habit of sharing any of his correspondence with her. It occurred to him that, now that she was older, he should do so more often. If she was old enough to consider marriage, she was old enough to learn about the world. It would not be a bad idea to make her understand the business of running the estate as well. They mollycoddled young ladies and kept them ignorant, then blamedthem for overspending and not understanding prudence in fiscal management. How could they comprehend it when they are taught nothing beyond basic household accounting?
But that was neither here nor there. He watched as she read the letter, waiting for the moment she would express her indignation at Mr. Bennet’s presumption. Instead, her face slowly lit up and by the end, she was looking overjoyed
She clutched the letter to herself, then ran to him, throwing her arms around him.
“Oh, William, I am so happy.”
It had been some time since she had hugged him. Since he had cast out Miss Bennet, in fact.
“This is really important to you, it seems,” he said, when she had disengaged herself and returned to her seat, the letter still in her hand. “You are aware that you have known Miss Bennet only a few hours, are you not? You may be disappointed once you grow to know her better.”
“I know. It is possible I may change my mind. But whatever happens, I am certain I can trust her.”
Like you trusted Wickham, he was about to say, but he bit the words back.
“I am just trying to protect you, Georgie,” he said, gently.
“I know.” She hung her head. “You are not going to say no, are you?”
He sighed heavily. “To be honest, I believe that letting any person we do not know into our houses is a risk. And in the case of Miss Bennet, I have an inexplicable sense that it will bring complications.” He shook his head. “But you have a strong advocate in Richard, and since he is also your guardian, I will shift the responsibility onto him if matters slip out of control.”
“Are you still worried about – about Wickham? You know I have learnt my lesson by now.” She paused. “I know now that he never loved me—” Her voice broke. She struggled for control,then continued. “I promise you, if Miss Bennet, or anyone else, approaches me on behalf of Wickham, I will refuse, and I will tell you immediately. Does that satisfy you?”
He could not put it beyond Wickham to arrange for an abduction, but would he go so far? Better to be safe than sorry.
“I need you to go even further. I need you to promise you will not go anywhere out of the ordinary with Miss Bennet, even if there is a good reason to do it. And you must take a footman or a maid with you everywhere, even if Mrs. Annesley is with you. And I would prefer you to ask my permission for any outing you go on. I promise you I am not doing this because I want to restrict your movements, but because I want to ensure you come to no harm.”
Georgiana squirmed. It was clear that she was not comfortable with such strict instructions. He reminded himself that he had to be firm about this. He would not put it beyond Wickham to follow them to London.
“Do you promise me? Please?”
Georgiana looked him in the eye. She must have read the concern that was driving his words, because she swallowed hard, then nodded.
“Yes,” she said, her voice barely audible. “Yes, I promise, William.”
