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My very first thought was one of fright, but then I caught the eyes of a tall, light-haired beauty, and something about her countenance, a certain gentleness, settled me. I would never know why it only took a glance to know that neither this woman nor her companions would dream of doing me any harm, but I would have bet my life on it should the occasion demand.

Darcy took his sister’s arm and held her in a measure of brotherly assurance to show her that all was well; but he still had that subtle smirk on his face. Oh, he was enjoying this. He was enjoying it far too well.

In addition to the young ladies, I was most surprised to see Mrs Hewes! She was perhaps my favourite person in the world for much of my life before she left almost a year past, and I gave her a much bigger smile than my oaf of a cousin was ever likely to receive. She just smiled back at me, then nodded back towards the rest of the assembled ladies, gently telling me that all was well, and I should pay attention to what I was about. I reached over and squeezed my cousin Georgiana’s hand, just in case she had not seen such comforting sights, and she squeezed back in apparent appreciation… or annoyance. It was hard to tell with her.

Mrs Collins said, “I apologise for the surprise, ladies, but my sisters arrived unexpectedly, and I had not the time to have them properly introduced.”

My other cousin was always short with a quip. “How about us gentlemen?”

Mrs Collins gave him a look that may have had a bit of amusement. “You will live.” That left him nearly howling with delight. She had not even been introduced and had already taken his measure.

“Mr Darcy, if you please?”

Some instinct told me Darcy was pleased to do whatever Mrs Collins desired, but that thought would have to await another time as we were much too busy for such things.

I glanced at Mother, and she seemed to be taking the surprise rather well. I gathered Mrs Collins somehow convinced her she needed to show more fortitude than her position indicated, because she looked and acted as if she met parlours full of young ladies in parsonages every day of the week, and perhaps twice over Easter.

Darcy did the introductions properly—more or less. He was the most fastidious man I had ever known a week past. Now, he seemed to be just enjoying some kind of lark. He managed to get the order of precedence about half correct, but otherwise just made the introductions in an informal but straightforward manner.

“Aunt Catherine, my apologies for not informing you of the guests. Plans have been somewhat unsettled of late. Allow me to do the introductions as instructed.

“Ladies, my aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh.”

All the ladies executed proper curtsies, then Darcy apparently decided not to spend the rest of the evening in introductions and just executed the rest in rapid succession, pointing at each person with a flat hand in turn.

“My cousin, Miss Anne de Bourgh. My sister, Miss Georgiana Darcy. My cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam. Allow me the pleasure of introducing the Bennet sisters. Mrs Elizabeth Collins, Miss Jane Bennet, Miss Mary Bennet, Miss Catherine Bennet, and Miss Lydia Bennet. I believe you all know Mrs Hewes, who now shares a house with Mrs Collins, and may I introduce Sergeant MacDonald, who has been assisting the ladies with certain matters.”

I had to admit my cousin’s introduction of a pack of Bennet sisters, a former servant who appeared to be companion to Mrs Collins, a sergeant, and a sister was done in surprisingly short order.

“Well met, Lady Catherine. Miss de Bourgh. Miss Darcy. Colonel,” replied Mrs Collins cordially, and her sisters echoed the sentiment.

Mrs Collins was a difficult person to read. Being sick much of my life, I had made a study of people’s reactions, but had to admit my society was much too limited to ever claim real proficiency. The few times I had met her, she seemed friendly enough, as if that were her basic nature, but she was more inscrutable than Darcy. I still found Mrs Collins mostly thus, but the rest of the ladies were all open smiles and welcome manners.

The eldest Miss Bennet came over directly to us, and very obviously set about making us comfortable. She was joined by the youngest, Miss Lydia, and between them, we were settled into pleasant conversation almost immediately.

Miss Mary joined, and pounced on Georgiana like a terrier when she found out she was a pianoforte player of no mean skill, and they launched into a discussion of composers and playing styles that left the rest of us completely behind within half a minute. Miss Bennet just watched them with a half-smile, as if she had organised the entire arrangement.

Mrs Collins made a very cordial greeting, then encouraged her sister Catherine to join me in pleasant conversation, before easing herself out to speak with my mother. She mostly ignored my male cousins, more studiously one than the other. For Darcy, she was pointedly ignoring him, and she seemed to have forgotten the colonel was present, if she even noticed him in the first place.

After a quarter-hour, Mrs Collins looked at my cousin, then at the door of the dining parlour, and he started us toward the table by offering my mother his arm without a word. No, they were definitely not indifferent acquaintances.

Mrs Collins, who seemed to not have a single servant in the house, gathered up two or three of her sisters and went towards a stairway that I presumed went to the kitchen, along with Mrs Hewes. They returned a few minutes later bearing a set of serving trays just like footmen, and started setting out a simple meal of beef, chicken, fresh hot bread, and vegetables along with wine, water, and ale.

Darcy astounded me by going to a sideboard after he seated Mother.

Taking a pitcher of wine, he poured for her. She stared at him in astonishment, but he seemed to think nothing of it. The colonel seemed to be in raptures, as might be expected with three men and nine women to table, at least four of them very pretty and eligible; six if you counted Georgiana and me. He had not the slightest cause for complaint, and I had to admit, neither did I.

Once everything was set out, Mrs Collins went to the head of the table, Darcy to the foot, and he carved exactly as if they were Mr and Mrs Darcy, which, when Mr Collins died, did not seem to be entirely out of the realm of possibility.

This was turning out to be perhaps the most interesting and entertaining evening of my life, and it had only just begun.

Barrels

Georgiana

My brother was back! He was finally back, though it was a good two hours before I pieced together the reason, and even then, I had no idea how it could possibly work out well in the end—but I cared not. My brother was back!

I am well aware that I could be considered a young, silly, ignorant girl with only seventeen summers, and that any one or at most two of those characteristics might make me seem unworthy of attention; but I am not stupid, despite ample evidence to the contrary. I may not be as voluble or witty as some, nor as observant and discerning as others; but I can see what happens around me if it goes on long enough. Though I may learn life’s lessons slowly, I do learn eventually.