You will not mind putting us up for a few days, will you? It is presumptuous of me to assume you will, but I know you would be upset if we did not impose upon you and you later discovered how close we had been.
He most assuredly did not object. Once again, he would have the exquisite joy of seeing her in his home, sitting in his drawing room, strolling in his gardens. She had been delighted with his corner of Derbyshire last year. What would she think currently? Immediately, he began to plan. Which rooms would he give her—and Bingley and his wife? What would he do for her amusement? She had particularly liked the path beside the stream; had it been tended to properly of late? Then there weremeals to consider. He would ensure her favourites were included, and?—
And he had to tell Georgiana of Bingley’s request.
He looked across the table at her, a sheet of paper still clutched in his hand. She was reading a letter from Fitzwilliam, her features brightened by a slight smile.
Please let her be strong enough to bear their visit. I want—oh, how I desperately want—Elizabeth here. Perhaps it will help alter Georgiana’s views of her becoming my wife.
His vow to give up that dream had vanished the moment he knew he might see her. It was reckless of him, and he would not burden Elizabeth with his desires until he could abolish the barrier between them. But if Georgiana did well during Elizabeth’s stay…
He delayed speaking to Georgiana of Bingley’s letter until that afternoon. It gave him several hours to anticipate seeing Elizabeth without having to confront his sister’s possible—even probable—dislike of the scheme. It also meant he had time to contemplate how best to tell her and make her see that it would be pleasant to have guests. He truly believed it would be better for her to see more people, and since she remained disinclined to involve herself in the neighbourhood, people must come to her.
She was in her sitting room, working on a drawing of a colourful blossom when he went to her. Mrs Annesley had gone into Lambton on errands; thus Georgiana was alone.
“Do I disturb you, my dear?” he said.
She shook her head and set aside her pencil and paper.
“May I see it?” Darcy took a seat beside her and indicated the drawing.
Silently, she gave it to him; he spent a long moment examining it, intending to show her that he was genuinelyinterested in her pursuits. So often, she seemed to feel she was an inconvenience and that none of them particularly cared for her, save perhaps Fitzwilliam and Lady Romsley.
“It is lovely. You have made remarkable progress. I especially like how you have captured the subtle variations in colour in the petals.” He smiled and placed the sketch on the table.
“Mrs Annesley has taught me a great deal,” she said, her voice hardly above a whisper.
“I am glad you have such a useful and sympathetic companion.”
She nodded but said nothing.
“I had a letter from Bingley this morning. It contained interesting news.” Georgiana kept her eyes lowered and gave no sign of curiosity. “You know they are on their way to Scarborough and are viewing estates along the way, searching for one they like enough to purchase. It so happens that he has learnt of two that are near Pemberley.”
At this, his sister met his gaze. Her eyes were opened a little wider than usual, as though she suspected what he would say next. Gently, he placed his hand over hers.
“He has asked if they can stay here while they are in the neighbourhood. It will be agreeable to have company, will it not?”
“I-I do not need company, and, Brother,them?Sheis with them, and?—”
“And it has been a year, or close enough, since…everything that happened last autumn. There is no harm in either Mrs Bingley or Miss Bennet. You said yourself that Mrs Bingley is pleasant company, and when you first met Miss Bennet, you found her agreeable.”
She bit her lips together and turned away from him.
“I can give him no good excuse, Georgiana. At present, he does not know what I once hoped, but avoiding them might just make him realise something significant occurred between Miss Bennet and me. If he knew, I am afraid it would be the end of our friendship. I disappointed him once before, and this would be too much for him to overlook. I would prefer to avoid taking that risk.”
He might be overstating the situation, but he had to make his sister accept the inevitability of seeing the Bingleys and Elizabeth. It was true that he expected Bingley would view him differently if he knew how he had treated Elizabeth, but it would be easy enough to devise a reason to keep Bingley and his family from coming to Pemberley.
When Georgiana remained silent, he added, “It is just for a few days. You will hardly see them. Your youth and studies with Mrs Annesley can be an excuse to absent yourself during the mornings, if you feel it is necessary. Besides, they will be occupied with their search for an estate.”
He overlooked her evident reluctance when she nodded her consent.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Four days after Bingley’s announcement, they went to Pemberley. Bingley spent what felt like every minute from when they stepped out of the inn until they pulled to a stop outside Pemberley chattering about their forthcoming interlude with Mr and Miss Darcy. He was particularly animated, seeming almost to bounce in his seat and showing uncommon signs of impatience.
“It will be very good to see Darcy again. Being at Pemberley is always agreeable. It really is the most wonderful estate, as you will soon see, my dear Jane.” He laughed. “Perhaps we ought not to go. Nothing we see will satisfy you afterwards. Caroline has compared every place we ever were to Darcy’s estate.” He rolled his eyes. “But then, she always hoped to interest him, if you know what I mean. Darcy never showed any particular affection for her, which is just as well. I do not think they would have been a good match. I suppose he will want to marry soon though. He is eight- or nine-and-twenty now.”
Nine-and-twenty,Elizabeth thought. It had been his birthday at the beginning of the month. She knew because they had once spoken of how they celebrated birthdays and other special occasions. She remembered telling him an anecdote of one particularly disastrous birthday dinner that had resulted in a ruined cake, many broken plates and glasses, and Kitty and Lydia screaming—Kitty in confusion and Lydia, then an adorable two-year-old, because she had been desperate to eat the dessert. Elizabeth felt a pang thinking of her youngest sister, but it was Mr Darcy who truly occupied her thoughts. He had laughed. It had been the first time she had witnessed him unabashedly express his amusement, and the moment had made her fall more deeply in love with him. That was when she had truly begun to dream of being his wife and the joy they would share in the years ahead. She would teach him to be livelier and share his happiness with those he most cared for and trusted.
