“Not at all,” agreed Darcy. “Should you have occasion to come to know her better, you will find a lady as articulate as any you have ever met, easy in company, and interesting.”
“That is high praise from you, Darcy,” observed Fitzwilliam.
“And not undeserved.”
Fitzwilliam slapped him on the back. “Then I hope to have more time to come to know her before the wedding, old man. She sounds like she might be the making of you.”
With that, Fitzwilliam returned to his room, leaving Darcy to his thoughts. After some time considering her, Darcy was forced to agree—shewouldbe the making of him. All he needed to do was persuade her. That was not as sure a prospect as it would have been for just about any other woman in England.
GEORGIANA DARCY WASnot certain what to expect. Her brother paying attention to any woman was a surprise—he fled rather than speaking of them with unconcealed respect and scarcely hidden affection. That alone told Georgiana that it was possible she was meeting her future sister that day, which made her pay attention. The prospect of meeting a woman who may one day exert an influence in her life was intimidating, but Georgiana tried to meet it with the fortitude she had been trying to obtain.
“Miss Darcy,” said Miss Elizabeth when her brother performed the introductions. Miss Elizabeth took her hands, her pleasure in the introduction unfeigned. “How pleased we all are to make your acquaintance. Why, I have heard so much about you that I wonder how I shall endure the luminosity of your presence without being intimidated.”
“Intimidated?” blurted Georgiana. Her eyes darted to her brother, even more astonished by his complacency, and even a hint of amusement.
“Yes, of course.” Georgiana could see the joviality in Miss Elizabeth’s manner, but she struggled to understand it. “Why, I have it on excellent authority that you are a towering example of sense, education, and accomplishment, play the pianoforte very well, and possess a certain something in your air to which mere mortals can have no hope of aspiring.”
By now, Georgiana was certain Miss Elizabeth was jesting, though she could think of no way to respond. It was fortunate that Mrs. Hurst, who was standing nearby, rescued her.
“I believe, Miss Darcy,” said she, her glance flicking to Miss Elizabeth, “that Miss Elizabeth refers to my sister’s praise of you. Caroline spoke of you one evening when we were all in company together.”
Georgiana made a valiant effort to refrain from making a face, though she was not certain how successful it was. Miss Elizabeth chose that moment to take pity on her.
“I apologize, Miss Darcy, for making sport with you. Yet I must own that I have anticipated making your acquaintance since that evening, though I was not certain it would ever come about.”
“Ihadthought my brother fixed in London,” said Georgiana, her anxiety easing a little. “But I am not displeased with the opportunity to make your acquaintance.”
“Then I shall do my best to make you comfortable among us.”
Comfort at Longbourn was not difficult to attain, though true ease remained elusive. That was not because of the locale, but the people who inhabited the estate. Miss Elizabeth was everything pleasing, and what Georgiana could see of Miss Bennet suggested she was estimable, though quieter than her sister. Miss Mary had some observations about music that guaranteed a common subject of interest.
Mrs. Bennet, however, was loud and unrestrained, and her youngest daughters were little better. Though Kitty and Lydia Bennet exclaimed their pleasure at making her acquaintance and insisted she sit with them for a time, the subjects they discussed—the most prevalent concerning a regiment of the militia quartered nearby—were not at all to Georgiana’s taste. Georgiana sat with them until Miss Elizabeth rescued her from their clutches, but she said little—that did not seem to matter, as the girls rarely required a response.
“That was most curious,” ventured Georgiana when she returned to Miss Elizabeth’s side.
“What, particularly?” asked Miss Elizabeth, though her expression was knowing.
“Your sisters’ interest in the militia,” replied Georgiana.
“Oh, aye, Kitty and Lydia like nothing better than a man in a red coat.” There was in her response a mixture of exasperation and fondness, though it was heavily weighted to the former.
“I must suppose that you, having a cousin who is colonel, must consider such subjects as the officers uninteresting.”
Had Georgiana thought Miss Elizabeth was speaking in censure, she was uncertain she could have mustered a response. “Areyouas interested in the officers as your sisters?”
It was a challenge Georgiana had not thought she had it in herself to voice. Miss Elizabeth was not bothered at all by it—she smiled, and nodded.
“You have caught me, Miss Darcy. When the officers came to Meryton, they were a novelty, but that soon waned in favor of my usual routine.”
Georgiana considered this, along with everything she heard. “Mr. Wickham’s name arose when I sat with them.”
“Yes, of course,” Miss Elizabeth said. “I should have realized that name would be known to you.”
“It is,” agreed Georgiana, not wanting to speak of Mr. Wickham or the specific sins against herself. “That he is gone is a most welcome development, for he is not a good man; he used my brother most ill.”
Miss Elizabeth seemed to consider this. “Do you know that when he came, I thought him a good man? He spoke of your brother in such terms as to render belief of his assertions natural.”
“I can well imagine it,” said Georgiana, shaking her head. “OnceIalso thought him to be a good man.”
