As the carriage pulled to a stop, the gravel of the driveway crunching beneath the wheels, the door flung open. Elizabeth’s smile was too bright for the condition of her father to have worsened since the letter that summoned her and Kittyhome, and I felt one worry in my chest subside. Kitty’s security relied on his health until she married, and I didn’t want her forced into a match or left to depend on the good nature of relatives—even if I was sure Elizabeth and Darcy would not see her homeless and suffering. Besides, Mr. Bennet, from what I knew of him, was a kind man much loved by people I cared about.
Elizabeth embraced Darcy the second he stepped down from the carriage, the moment too intimate to directly observe. He brushed hair out of her eyes and cradled her cheeks, speaking in low murmurs so earnestly it was as if they had been separated for months. Turning to give me a hand to get down from the carriage was certainly an afterthought, but I appreciated my brother being aware of me at all while he had his beloved so near.
Once Elizabeth had reminded herself thoroughly of my brother’s existence, she turned her attention to me. Darcy had sent word ahead, so she greeted me with less surprise than if I’d shown up unannounced.
“Welcome to Longbourn,” she said with a smile. “These might not be the most cheerful circumstances for a visit, but I hope, regardless, you enjoy your time here.”
The words themselves were perfectly civil, but they felt stilted. Rehearsed. I could see beyond her smile, and it was guarding something.
She knew what she’d seen.
I trusted Kitty hadn’t said anything, for her own safety even if not for mine, but Elizabeth had been there in theshell grotto. Kitty and I had been too close to explain any other way. My journey to Longbourn had been spent largely occupied by thoughts of Kitty, but I hadn’t considered facing Elizabeth.
If she chose to tell Darcy, I wasn’t sure what would happen. I loved my brother, but I was also painfully aware of how much I relied on him. If he disowned me, I would have no access to my own money and no legitimate defence to claim it through the courts. There was no one I could go to. Elizabeth held my future in the palm of her hand.
Impulsively, I stepped back, stumbling a little when my knee threatened to give way. Elizabeth’s careful mask of neutrality gave way to concern as she reached out to steady me, supporting my elbow.
“Is your knee that bad?” she asked.
So Kitty had told her something.
“It is fine,” I said. “Just a scratch.”
I wanted to ask after Kitty. Impatience was gnawing at the edges of my consciousness. When I’d envisioned this moment, she’d been there on the doorstep waiting for me. I’d imagined her embrace, finally calming the stress I’d been unable to escape since our kiss. Perhaps she was out on a walk. Darcy had sent word I was travelling with him, but Kitty wouldn’t have known the exact time of our arrival.
“You should sit,” Elizabeth said, taking my arm and guiding me inside, leaving Darcy to liaise with the staff regarding the luggage.
Longbourn House was far cosier and more intimate thanPemberley. There was no grand entranceway with soaring ceiling, but there was dark-wood panelling and a sense of homeliness. It reminded me of my favourite parts of my home, the parts untouched since my mother had passed.
Elizabeth settled me in the sitting room, in an armchair that had long forgotten what it was like to be properly stuffed.
“Jane will be arriving later today,” she explained as she pulled over a footstool for me to prop my leg up on. “Although, even without her, the house is still plenty full. Father is resting upstairs, but I’m sure I can scare up the others.”
Before I could protest that I didn’t need a welcoming party, Elizabeth was already gone. When she came back, she had three figures in tow.
“My mother,” she said, introducing a middle-aged woman with the standard Bennet curls peeking out from under a white cap.
I tried to get to my feet to greet her properly, but Mrs. Bennet fussed over me the moment I tried. “Sit, my dear. Once everyone is settled, I’ll have to join you. You can tell me of Pemberley. I do always want to hear more of the place my daughter calls home, and she is never forthcoming enough in her letters. How does Lambton fare for eligible young men? I suspect you’ve got a sweetheart, handsome as you are?”
Mrs. Bennet was exactly as Elizabeth had always described, speaking a mile a minute and immediately turning her attention to matchmaking. I would have laughed, had I not been too conscious of the fact that the only person within a hundredmiles of Pemberley that I had ever considered anything close to a sweetheart was her second-youngest daughter.
“Okay, Mother!” Elizabeth thankfully interrupted, forcing a smile. “It’s been a long journey; let’s allow our guests to rest.” She ushered forwards someone else in order to shift Mrs. Bennet out of the way.
“Georgiana, this is my younger sister Mary.”
The middle Bennet sister carried herself like a woman twice her age. Her face was set in a serious expression, appraising me silently, and she offered a curtsey almost as an afterthought. After Mrs. Bennet’s enthusiasm, her reserved composure was rather a relief.
“How do you do?” I greeted her.
When it became clear she was going to offer up no more than a mumble in return, Elizabeth moved on. She hesitated for a moment, but continued before anyone else could catch her reluctance.
“And you already know Kitty.”
Chapter Nine
It had been a matter of days since I’d last seen Kitty, but the sight of her still took away my breath. I’d been avoiding looking directly at her, delaying the moment until I knew I’d be able to focus solely on her. She was hovering in the doorway, shuffling her weight awkwardly. Even as Elizabeth said her name, she did not raise her eyes from the floor.
“Miss Darcy,” Kitty said, curtseying painfully formally.
