She disliked having to speak to one so unpleasant, but Georgiana’s friendship was worth the trial.
At the interval, people began to move and talk, some of them going in quest of tea. Georgiana stayed in her seat, reading a letter, and Elizabeth wondered how badly did Darcy wish she would get up and move her seat. Seated in between them as he was, he was trapped, and Elizabeth smiled a little at his discomfort.
“Are you sorry you came?” she asked to get his attention. When he regarded her with a confused look, she said, in as light a voice as she could, “You seem predisposed to be displeased with everything and everyonein Ramsgate.”
She thought he would deny it and dismiss her. But Darcy met hereye and said plainly, “I am sorry for sharing my opinion so openly and within your hearing.”
He did not regret his feelings, but he regretted saying them. He was too confident in his opinions, and she hated that, in this instance, he had been right.
“For your sister’s sake, I must forgive you. You see, my sisters and I are determined to be her friend, and that means I musttolerateyour company.”
He gave a barely perceptible nod, taking her hit. His concession surprised her. Darcy did not seem the type to yield. He differed greatly from his diffident, agreeable sister.
“Then you must be enjoying the performance,” she added when he seemed at a loss for what to say next. He might be intelligent, but he was not amiable. “You hardly looked away from the instrument.”
“In truth, I am not. Her performance has got me thinking that concerts should be limited by time if they cannot be limited by talent. If the rest of the concert is like the beginning, I have no wish to hear more.”
She held back a smile. The performer had rattled away on the keys, raising her hands as high as her head, striking her knuckles against the desk of the instrument and dashing the lights into the middle of the room. She seemed more concerned with how loudly she played rather than how well. Again, Darcy’s observations were not wrong, but it was not the polite response. “From what I have heard of Miss Darcy’s talents, you must be used to better performances than this one.”
His stern expression relaxed, and Elizabeth could see the devoted older brother Georgiana had spoken of. “My sister’s musical talents are such as occasioned her to be sought after by her friends, by those who are lovers of real harmony.”
He turned to include Georgiana, but she was intent on reading her letter. She looked up in surprise. “Yes?”
“We said that you are a better performer than the lady on the stage,” Darcy said in a low voice, so as not to be overheard. At least he had learnt something from their exchange.
Georgiana demurred. “I could not perform before such a crowd.”
“My dear, you could give force of expression to compositions that a professional’s skill would fail to render.”
She shook her head and blushed under her brother’s affectionate praise. Elizabeth was still unsure if Darcy was a man determined to be displeased or too honest for his own good, but she could be sure that he loved his sister.
“Is that a letter from Lady Catherine?” he asked her. “When I last saw her, she said that she owed you a letter. Our aunt,” he added to Elizabeth.
Georgiana hastily put away her letter. “Oh, no. It is from a friend.”
“Where is Mrs Younge this evening?” Elizabeth asked, wondering if perhaps Darcy did not wish to be seen at an exclusive concert with his sister’s companion.
“She was visiting her friend in Margate,” she said. “I did not ask who. I did not even know she had any acquaintance here. Had she told me sooner, we could have called on them when we arrived.”
“I asked if she wished to be at liberty for the evening because I was glad to escort Georgiana,” Darcy added. “She was grateful for the chance to visit her friend.”
For a man who said such blunt things, his thoughtfulness surprised her. “Please tell her I look forward to seeing her on Friday when we all go to Pegwell.”
Darcy turned to look at her, a question in his eyes as clear as if he had spoken the words.
“We have an excursion planned with Mrs Younge and your sister,” she explained. “We are to go to Belle Vue, a house of public entertainment with beautiful pleasure gardens. I understand it is right on the bay.”
He looked to his other side to speak to Georgiana, so Elizabeth could not see his expression. Given what she knew of his character, she guessed he was giving her a look of displeasure. “You wish to attend this outing with the Bennets?”
“Yes, I must go,” she pleaded. “Mrs Younge thought it a grand idea. Mr Wickham was to join us but now that he is absent,” she said in a sad tone, “you must come. It is about a mile west of Ramsgate andshould be a great amusement. I have been wanting to go, and Mrs Bennet suggested it last week.”
“Very well,” he said abruptly. “I am here to be at your disposal. If you wish to join the Bennets, I will go with you.” He shrugged his shoulders and then, turning back to her, forced himself into a cheerful countenance. “Have you been to the bathing machines yet? Georgiana’s letters only mentioned her going with Mrs Younge.” Elizabeth shook her head. “What brought you to the seaside?”
“I had no interest in sea-bathing for my health”—or in flirting, she nearly insisted—“but I so rarely have the chance to go anywhere that I begged my father to let me go too.” She briefly explained about Kitty’s cough and her mother’s nerves before adding, “I also knew someone needed to look out for my sisters.”
He followed her gaze as she watched Lydia run round the room and lean over several people to talk loudly to Georgiana. Elizabeth frowned and tried to catch her eye, but Lydia would not see her and continued to chatter at Georgiana and inconvenience the concertgoers in between them. If Georgiana thought her friend was rude, she was too timid to challenge her.
Rather than watch what she could not change, she forced herself into conversation with Darcy. “I have other sisters, you know. Jane is the eldest and is minding our cousins while my aunt and uncle travel. Younger than me is Mary and…well, Mary felt she was above such things as seaside resorts.”
