“You are very quiet, Lizzy.” said her aunt. “A penny for your thoughts, although I suspect they are about a tall, dark, and handsome young man.”
Elizabeth looked at her aunt with surprise. “Why would you think I was thinking about Mr. Darcy?”
“Come now, Lizzy. Give me some credit for observation and deduction. We saw how uneasily you looked at each other when we met him on the road, and then, when you are returned home, not only did he and Miss Darcy escort you, but you both seemed happy and at ease with one another. Furthermore, he asked us to stay overnight. Somehow, I do not believe he would have come to Lambton to invite us for the evening if you had not been with us.”
Elizabeth sighed. “Mr. Darcy and I have had a somewhat tumultuous relationship. When I came here, I thought I disliked him intensely, but the good words of you, your parents, and Mrs. Reynolds about him made me question the origin of my dislike. On the walk that we took, we talked about my criticisms of him, and I discovered most of the disagreeable information I had about him was entirely incorrect and not only had I completely misjudged him, but I had been very inappropriate in my behavior toward him. In fact, I had insulted him. We talked it out, and, for some reason, he forgave me and suggested we start over.” She smiled, remembering what he had done. “He bowed and introduced himself. I curtsied and introduced myself. He offered his arm, which I took, and the rest of our walk was highly pleasurable.”
“I had no idea you had such a history. What is your opinion of him now?”
“I believe his is probably one of the best young men I know, if not the best. He is intelligent, cares for his tenants, is loyal to his family, and adores his sister – I think I could go on and on.”
“Are you falling in love with him?”
“I cannot. He is too far above me. His family tree is full of nobility, and he belongs to the highest circles. He is obviously extremely wealthy. I am sure his family expects him to marry a lady of high status. He could never consider me an acceptable partner.”
“That did not answer my question. You do not necessarily choose with whom you will fall in love.”
“I know. I was trying to avoid answering it, because I am not sure I know the answer. I have only liked him for two days. How could I be in love with him? I hope I am not, and that I can forget him when we leave, because I do not want to have my heart broken because he cannot possibly marry me. I think that today and tomorrow I am going to spend most of my time with Georgiana. He said he would like me to know her well and to correspond with her. I think I would like that too, so that will be my goal for this visit.”
“Perhaps we should not have come today,” said Mr. Gardiner. “It is unfortunate, but I believe you are correct. It would be very difficult for him to marry someone of your status. Men like him are expected to marry a woman who will bring further wealth and status to the family. He could very well alienate his entire family were he to marry someone like you. What do you think, Madeleine?”
“I believe times are changing, Edward, but unfortunately the time is not yet here when marriages across class lines are a generally acceptable practice. It would take a brave man to ignore the dictates of society. However, having said that, it is possible Mr. Darcy may be such a man. I believe the next 24 hours are going to be very interesting.”
When they arrived at Pemberley, they were greeted by the Darcys and Dr. Stewart, the Darcy’s personal physician. Dr. Stewart lived at Pemberley, where he had resided since before the death of Darcy’s father. He had been a friend of Darcy’s father, and, when he lost his wife, he decided to retire and leave London. Darcy’s father convinced him to come to Pemberley and be the physician for the family, the staff, and the tenants. Still a very active man in his late-50s, he was considered part of the family and was a most congenial addition to the party.
After greetings and introductions, Mrs. Reynolds led the Gardiners to their guest suite, while Georgiana insisted that she take Elizabeth to her room. The room, which shared a sitting room with Georgiana’s room, took Elizabeth’s breath away. Not only was it the largest bedroom she had ever been in, the décor and furniture were exquisite. When she went into the joining sitting room, she was further overwhelmed. Besides a large fireplace in front of which was a very cozy looking sitting area, there was a small dining table, two lady’s desks, and several bookcases. She found it hard to imagine what it would be like to live in such a place and have such amenities at your beck and call. Seeing this made her realize what different worlds she and Darcy lived in.
As she was wandering around the sitting room, Georgiana came in. “Is your room to your liking, Miss Elizabeth?”
“It is beyond anything I imagined,” answered Elizabeth. “And the sitting room is magnificent. I can just imagine on a chilly winter day sitting in front of that fireplace reading or sitting at one of the desks writing a letter. I will tell you again that Pemberley, to one such as me, is almost like a fairytale castle. I have fallen in love with the house and the grounds.”
“Good. I hope you will visit it many times. I look forward to a future where I can show you some of the beautiful trails and vistas that exist on Pemberley ground and on the peaks in the distance.”
“Believe me, if there is a way, I will be happy to help you realize that future you envision.”
Elizabeth had worn her best gown for the dinner. The material for the gown had come from Gardiner’s warehouse, which supplied material to the finest modiste’s in London. The gown had been designed and created by the modiste used by Mrs. Gardiner and had been a gift to Elizabeth before the trip. It was a beautiful gold that complemented her dark auburn hair and deep brown eyes. When she and Georgiana left their rooms for dinner and descended the stairs, Darcy was at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for them. When he saw her, he found it difficult to take his eyes off her. It seemed to him that she became more beautiful each time he saw her.
It was a pleasant dinner, and Dr. Stewart was a most congenial addition to their group. He plied them with many stories of interesting and sometimes funny cases he had during his career in London. Elizabeth also entertained the Darcys and the doctor by telling them of her impressions of many of the places they had seen on their tour. As she spoke, Mrs. Gardiner smiled to herself as she watched Darcy and his inability to take his eyes off Elizabeth. She was sure his was more than a passing interest in her niece. Nor was his attention to her missed by his sister. She was convinced he had more affection for her than he was willing to admit.
After dinner they adjourned to the music room where, after an hour or so of pleasant discussion, Elizabeth agreed to play and sing a few songs. She was only a mediocre pianist; therefore, did not attempt any difficult piano pieces or accompaniments, but her soprano voice was so pure, and she sang with such expression, that her performance was received with much acclaim. When she had finished, she asked if Georgiana would perform for them. Georgiana, being quite shy, did not like to perform for guests and said she would prefer not to perform.
Mrs. Gardiner, who had spent much of Wednesday afternoon with Georgiana, said, “Miss Darcy, may I ask how old you are?”
“I am sixteen.”
“When we spoke together on Wednesday, I believe you told me that you were quite passionate about your piano playing and were starting to take on some rather difficult pieces. I hope you will forgive my forwardness, if I tell you, you will soon be expected to perform at teas and other events. I would think it would be best for you to begin performing before small groups such as ours to prepare yourself for performing in front of larger groups. I am sure you have some pieces you can play easily which will greatly impress all of us. Could you not play one of them for us if Elizabeth or I turn pages for you?”
Georgiana was still reluctant when Elizabeth said, “Would you be willing to start by accompanying me on another song? Once you start playing the piano, perhaps you will then feel more comfortable playing a solo for us.”
Georgiana for a moment had an internal struggle.
She did not want to play in front of others, but she knew Mrs. Gardiner was right, and she wanted to please Elizabeth, who she hoped would be her friend. Finally, she said, “Very well. Let us go look through the music to see what you would like to sing while I play.”
Elizabeth and Georgiana spent a few minutes looking through the music and chose an aria by Handel. Georgiana was a little nervous to start, because she had to play an introduction. However, she made it through the introduction with no problem and once Elizabeth started to sing, she seemed to lose all her nervousness. By the end of the song, she was feeling much more comfortable. Elizabeth then sat down beside her, and she and Georgiana picked out a Mozart piece that Georgiana knew almost by heart. Encouraging her with a smile and a pat on her arm, Elizabeth opened the music and Georgiana began to play. Somehow, with Elizabeth beside her, she felt more confidence and played the piece flawlessly. When it was done, she was very pleased with all the praise she received.
Elizabeth leaned over, hugged her, and whispered in her ear, “You played that as well as I have ever heard it played, Miss Darcy. You should never feel reluctant to play in front of others. Would you like to play another? You do not need to, but I am sure the others would like to hear another piece.”
Somehow the kindness she saw in Elizabeth’s eyes and her loving gesture of hugging her, made Georgiana feel wonderful and made her want to please Elizabeth even more. She whispered back, “I have a short sonata here I know very well and think they would like.”
“Good,” said Elizabeth. “Let us do it.”
Somehow the thought that she was doing it with Elizabeth gave Georgiana all the confidence she needed. She dug the score out of the stack of music she had on the piano and gave it to Elizabeth. Elizabeth set it on the piano and opened to the first page. Once again, with Elizabeth’s encouragement and turning the pages, Georgiana forgot about her nervousness and played the sonata flawlessly. When she had finished, Mrs. Gardiner said, “Miss Darcy, you are even better than I thought you would be. I have never heard one of your age play so well.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Gardiner. Somehow having Miss Elizabeth with me seemed to calm me and overcome my shyness.” She looked at Elizabeth, and said, “I am so glad you came to visit us. I hope we can spend time together in the morning.”
“If you will take me to the library, Miss Darcy, you can have all my time.”
“Might I suggest, Miss Darcy” said Mr. Gardiner, “if there is anything else that you want to do with Elizabeth, you do it before you take her to the library. Once Elizabeth is in the library, I am afraid it will be very difficult to extract her.”
Chapter 5: Fishing and Other Activities
The next morning, when Elizabeth arose to prepare for the day, the maid, Leila, who had been assigned to her, told her that the men and Mrs. Gardiner had already eaten breakfast and left the house – the men to go fishing and Mrs. Gardiner to work in the flower gardens with Mr. Vanderoot. She also said that Miss Darcy had ordered breakfast for them in their sitting room and was awaiting her there.
At the same time, Darcy was sitting beside Dr. Stewart, with his fishing pole in the water, fishing in one of Mr. Avery’s favorite fishing spots. “Why in the world are you with us, Darcy?” asked Dr. Stewart. “You dislike fishing. Why are you not back at the house conversing with the lovely Miss Elizabeth?”
“One of the principal reasons I asked Miss Elizabeth to visit was so that she and Georgie could learn more about one another and become friends. I believe Miss Elizabeth may be what Georgie needs to help her get past the Wickham affair and gain more self-confidence. Because Georgie has no close friends here near her own age, I think she needs someone, such as Miss Elizabeth, whom she can trust and with whom she will feel free to discuss her troubles. I hope they will correspond with one another and Miss Elizabeth will occasionally visit here or at Darcy House. It would be good for Georgie.”
“And how about for you? It was hard to miss the way you looked at her last night. Are you going to court her?”
“No, I cannot. Her status is such that my family, except Georgie and probably my Fitzwilliam cousins, would not accept her. I am duty bound to marry a woman of the upper circles to help maintain our place in society and to ensure that Georgie will be able to marry well. As much as I admire Miss Elizabeth, I fear she is not for me.”
Dr. Stewart shook his head. “I do not believe your parents would have agreed with you.”
“To the contrary, my father, before he died, told me to marry well.”
“There are many interpretations to that edict. He and your mother were very much in love. Why would you think he meant you should marry a woman of high social standing? Could he not have been telling you to marry a woman who would make you happy, regardless of her status?”
“I considered that, but finally dismissed it. I think he would have phrased it differently if he meant I should marry for happiness and love. All my life, the importance of the Darcy name has been drilled into me. I fear marrying one such as Miss Elizabeth would lower the status of our name, which would not make my father happy.”
“I knew your father well, probably better than anyone toward the end of his life, and I know for a fact, he did not want you to spend your life in an unhappy or indifferent marriage. He told me specifically he did not think you should marry your cousin Anne because she could not bear you an heir and that he hoped you would find the perfect woman whom you could love. And remember, status is something that may be lowered for a while but can just as easily be raised over time if your wife becomes perceived as an outstanding match for you and is an asset to the Darcy name. Miss Elizabeth is a unique young lady. I believe she will eventually be regarded, in whatever society she marries, as a worthy member of that society. I beg you to consider the long-term rather than the short-term consequences.”
“Why have you never told me this before?”
“You have never spoken to me of your love life or your search for the perfect woman. I had no idea you needed to know. I thought you already knew.
It was true the doctor knew his father better than anyone. The doctor had lived two years at Pemberley before his father died, and he and his father had been the closest of friends, spending hours together each day. The last two or three months, the doctor had been constantly by his friend’s side, administering to both his body and soul. He was a good and trustworthy man, and if he said his father wanted him to marry for love, then there was no reason not to believe him. Suddenly he had hope. In fact, he decided he was going to change his approach. He would not declare himself to Elizabeth, but he was going to introduce her to his aunt and uncle, Lord and Lady Matlock, as see what their opinion of her was.
“I am glad I came on this fishing trip, Stewart. You have just given me some hope. I am going to make an adjustment to the course I have been following in life and see if I can reach a destination more to my liking than I had envisioned.”
Dr. Stewart clapped him on the back. “I am happy to hear that, Darcy. You are like a son to me, and I have been worried about you since your father died. I am glad I may have been able to set you on the right course. Miss Elizabeth is the first of your lady friends I have met whom I thought would be a worthy mistress of Pemberley. And may I add that I believe Mrs. Reynolds and Mr. Carson share that thought with me.”
******
After a pleasant breakfast, during which they agreed to refer to each other by their familiar names, and an exchange of stories about their younger lives, Georgiana and Elizabeth decided to go to the music room to practice some songs. However, before they went, Georgiana said, “Lizzy, I am not supposed to ask you this, but I cannot help myself. What do you think of Will?”
Elizabeth had thought Georgiana might ask her that, so had prepared an answer. “I believe he is one of the best men I know, Georgie. We had our differences, as I am sure he told you, but I believe we are good friends now. I hope we can remain close friends over the coming years.”
Georgiana recogn
ized that as a diplomatic, evasive answer which did not satisfy her. She knew her brother would be upset, but she decided to push Elizabeth a little more. “That does not tell me how you feel about him. Would you accept a courtship if he asked?”
“I am sorry, Georgie, I am not going to answer that question, because we both know it is not a possibility. He needs to marry someone of much higher social standing than mine. I cannot allow myself to develop more feeling for him than that of a close friend.”
“How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Force yourself to not develop feelings for someone. It is something I may need to learn, because no matter how I try, my feelings seem to be uncontrollable. I must learn to live with them, whatever they may become.”
Elizabeth chuckled. “You are, of course, correct. I will amend my statement to say that I must learn to suppress whatever feelings develop. We often must do that when we have negative feelings about someone, else our lives would be quite unhappy. We sometimes need to do the same for positive feelings we have, because they would also make our lives unhappy. I find that over time, if I suppress my negative feelings, they tend to disappear. We can only hope the same occurs for those positive feeling we want to forget.”
“So, you do have positive feelings for Will you think you need to suppress.”
Elizabeth sighed. “You are too persistent, Georgie. Why are you pressing me about this?”
“Because if you fall in love with Will, I can hope that somehow, things will work out between you, because I think he is falling or has fallen in love with you. I could not imagine a better future than one where you are my sister.”
“But you hardly know me. There must be many good, kind young ladies in the ton whom Will could love and whom your family would be willing to accept.”
“Will and my aunt and uncle have been looking for a suitable woman for five years with no success. If such a woman exists, she is hiding from Will.”
The Lady of the Mount and Patience Rewarded: Two Stories of Darcy and Elizabeth Page 22
