He put out his hand for Mr. Bennet’s letter, remembered Mr. Bennet’s demands, and found himself growing offended again.
“Let me read Mr. Bennet’s letter again.” He took it and looked over it for a second time. It did not improve upon re-reading.
“I must confess,” he said, tossing the letter onto the table, “I do not think I like the Bennets very much. What did you think of his demand that we drive all the way to Longbourn so he can meet us?”
She eyed him in astonishment. “But is that not to be expected? You would not let me go for an extended visit to a householdwith a young man in charge, would you? How can he know that your intentions are good? He is simply being cautious, as you would be. On the contrary, I think of it as proof that the Bennets are well-bred.” She sounded firm.
A moment’s reflection led him to the conclusion that her assessment was correct.
“You are right, Georgie. I was allowing my pride to dictate my response. I was only thinking of the Darcy name, not that Mr. Bennet is a father who wishes to protect the reputation of his daughter. He has every right to do so.”
The uncertainty on Georgiana’s face gave way to delight. “So we are going to Longbourn, then, to meet Miss Bennet’s family?”
He nodded. “I think it best to kill two birds with one stone. We will go to pick up Miss Bennet and bring her to London at the same time, once we have met Mr. Bennet and received his approval. There is no point sending the carriage for her again later.”
Georgiana nodded and jumped to her feet. “This is such good news! I will go and tell Mrs. Barrett to prepare a room for Miss Bennet. Which bedchamber should we give her, do you think?”
Darcy shut his eyes. Things were moving too quickly for him, and he did not quite know how he had allowed anyone to talk him into it. He was not at all sure he wanted Miss Bennet to live under his sister’s roof, but there it was. Somehow, it seemed very likely that within a few days she would be part of Georgiana’s household.
Heaven help him! If she had caused so much mischief in just a few hours, what was going to happen if she stayed with them for three months?
The arrival of a young gentleman in possession of a fortune to Longbourn was bound to cause an uproar. The whole house was turned topsy-turvy in a frenzy of activity. People from the village were hired to help with the cleaning and the dinner. Guest chambers were aired, curtains washed and ironed, and crystal chandeliers polished until they gleamed.
Mr. Bennet was severely inconvenienced when his wife announced that all the wood paneling in his library must be waxed and buffed, since Mr. Darcy would be spending time there, seeking Mr. Bennet’s permission to take Lizzy with him.
“We must create the best possible impression,” said Mrs. Bennet.
“They are taking the books down and putting them on the floor!” Mr. Bennet complained to Lizzy and Jane. “I cannot find anything. And where, pray, am I supposed to go while all this is being done?”
Normally, Elizabeth would have been sympathetic, but she was too displeased to feel any sympathy for her father at this point. “You ought to have thought of it before inviting him to come here, Papa. You knew it would send Mama into a whirl of activity.”
Mr. Bennet grumbled and took himself to the music room, carrying a pile of books. There he retreated behind locked doors until the library became available again.
“Lizzy,” cried Mrs. Bennet, who was entertaining Mrs. Philips and Lady Lucas who had stopped by on a morning call. “Check that all the silver is polished properly and make certain it is all displayed very prominently.”
“Anyone would think he is coming to ask for my hand in marriage,” she said to Jane as she passed her on her way to the dining room.
Jane smiled. “Who knows. Maybe he will?”
Elizabeth crunched up her face in disgust. “Never mention such a thing again! He is the last man I would wish to marry.”
“Lizzy, I cannot believe you are so prejudiced against a gentleman when you have barely exchanged a few words with him.”
“Those few words were more than enough.”
She continued on her way to the dining room. She and her sister did not see things the same way, and she would not argue with Jane when she might be leaving in the next few days.
She found Mrs. Hill alone sitting at the table and surveying the chaos. The silver had been laid on the table, but the pieces were scattered everywhere, and the polishing was very far from complete, and Mrs. Hill was muttering something uncomplimentary under her breath about all the fuss being made of Mr. Darcy. It was obvious she was exhausted.
Elizabeth was tempted to agree with Mrs. Hill that it was all a fuss about nothing, but she did not want to encourage gossip.
“Is anyone helping you, Mrs. Hill?” she said, sympathetically.
Mrs. Hill jumped up. “My apologies, Miss Lizzy.” She had known Elizabeth as a child and still called her by her nickname. “I did not know you were in the room. I meant no disrespect about Mr. Darcy.”
Since Elizabeth was not particularly partial to him either, she gave a little laugh. “No need to worry, Mrs. Hill. I am not happy with the situation, either.” She was certainly not happy with the way Mr. Darcy had intruded on her life. “I can tell Mama to hire more people from the village,” she said.
“That would be very helpful, Miss Lizzy.”
