'And then she asked even more intimate things, which made me blush to hear, and which I will not repeat to you since that would be unbearably rude.
I merely pretended to be shocked beyond speech, which in fact I was. Why would I tell such things to her? And how would I even know them? I'd have to spy on you to find out some of them, do other maids watch their mistresses all the time?'
'But that is not the good bit,' Georgiana said, 'it's merely a reason to check the doors carefully before you do anything intimate, and maybe cover a few knotholes here and there. Miss Bingley's maid was the true goldmine of information.'
Poor Fanny had given up all resistance and told them what she had heard.
'Miss Darcy told me Miss Bingley was very polite to you, Mrs Darcy, but according to her maid she was just playing nice. I feel very low for gossiping to you, but please do not be fooled by Miss Bingley, she is very angry at you for having married the master, and she expects to get her due when a certain Mr Wickham shows up tomorrow. She expects to be able to
catch you at being partial to him, to injure you in the master's eyes. Why ma'am? How would that serve her? You're married, aren't you, for better or for worse?'
Elizabeth smiled at her poor maid, she might be a city girl but she must have been raised very sheltered to be even more naïve than Elizabeth herself had been.
'I suppose she'd rather see us married for worse than for the better, Fanny.
But please don't worry, not about telling us this, I don't see it as gossiping, for you clearly don't enjoy it. Gossiping is very enjoyable, I indulge in it myself sometimes, though I always feel guilty afterwards. And don't worry about Miss Bingley sowing dissent between the master and me, it won't work.'
Darcy could not believe Miss Bingley's planning something, maids could make up things as well, maybe Miss Bingley's maid hoped to get Fanny into trouble, marriages were forever but maids could be dismissed. Maybe Violet Ragwort was seeking to better herself, maybe working for Mrs Darcy was to be preferred over working for Miss Bingley. It was not his place to instruct a personal maid, though, so he'd see what happened and warn Elizabeth if she hadn't caught on, yet. But Simon had much the same thoughts and Elizabeth had indeed asked him to take care of Fanny, so it actually was his job to warn her.
'My dear Fanny, I think Violet may be the one playing a nasty game here. I suspect she wants to set you down as a gossip and a storyteller, to make trouble for you and maybe even get you dismissed. Violet would very much like to have your job. You've done really well so far, telling her nothing, do keep that up, and if they make things hard for you, warn me, I'll take care of it. Violet likes me a lot. And since I do see the use of gossiping as an exquisite form of entertainment, I'll smudge my reputation by telling you why Miss Bingley is not planning to harass Mrs Darcy, as I have heard it from the same Violet, who is rather fond of me by now. I think I'll have to include Mrs Hurst's maid in the pleasantries next time, can't have Violet falling hopelessly in love and breaking her heart over me, after all.'
He looked around the room, enjoying himself hugely, maid and ladies hanging on his lips. All right, Darcy had to confess he was quite curious himself.
'Miss Bingley is planning to catch herself a husband the coming days. She
likes Mr Manners, he has the right estate, the right connections, and he is quite a public figure in London, but of course he doesn't compare to you, master, her ideal of a husband. No, as far as Miss Bingley is concerned, Miss Darcy is welcome to Mr Manners, he is not handsome enough for her.
And, despite Mr Manners being a true man of the city and a respected gentleman in London society, she thinks he is too bookish. Miss Bingley actually prefers the sportsman type for herself, having to discuss books and poetry all the time, and visit difficult plays and serious concerts while in town is not something she anticipates doing.
'But, Violet assures me, when Mr Bingley's college friends arrive this afternoon she will undoubtedly meet the man of her dreams, they all have fortunes, property, and education. And should none do, there is still Mr Manners, for somehow she cannot imagine the man able to resist her many charms. Now we can all anticipate which one her eye will fall on first, and what arts she will use to catch his attention and steal his heart.'
Of course this was much more realistic than what Violet had tried to make Fanny believe. And the way Simon told it was hilarious, even though it was gossip and rather respectless towards a lady Darcy had known for years.
Georgie seemed to find it very funny, of course she had disliked Miss Bingley's superior attitude from the first of their acquaintance.
'Mr Manners clearly worships the ground Miss Bingley walks on, he only spent the entire morning with me because...' Georgie pretended to be thinking hard.
'...because he's shy! That's it, he's too shy to approach the woman he really wants, so instead he makes himself very agreeable to me, talking about books, and poetry, and plays, and music. He does not have a very athletic build, I agree, but he told me he fenced in college, and wrestled, and if you look well you can see he is rather broad in the chest and arms. Maybe Miss Bingley should have taken the trouble to talk with him before she judged his appearance. Oh well, he's good company, but if he is supposed to be Miss Bingley's security against becoming an old maid I'd better keep him at a distance. One Darcy breaking her heart is bad enough.'
Was Georgie considering Mr Manners' qualities? Seriously?
Darcy had to admit that so far he liked strikingly handsome Mr Fielding better in both person and address, his talent not even taken into account, but still, Mr Manners was a gentleman with a respectable estate and income, and
they'd only just met. But Georgie was too young for a man, she said so herself, she had to be making fun of all of them. He did decide to keep a close eye on his sister and Mr Manners, see if they were at all serious.
'Let's get going, I've challenged Mr Bennet to a game of billiards, I guess he will arrive any moment now and Bingley doesn't even know to expect him.
My father-in-law said there is heavy snow coming and the sky seems to prove him right. I hope Mr and Mrs Gardiner won't get into trouble, and Bingley's friends.'
Here, Georgie observed, 'Sorry, I forgot to tell you. Mr and Mrs Gardiner arrived while you were, ah, cleaning up and dressing, after your ride. They were cold and very tired, so they decided to retire for a bit of rest. Miss Bennet was very disappointed they didn't bring the children, but her aunt said it was just too cold to take four young children out in a carriage. Even inside they were freezing. And they were very afraid to get stuck in the snow.'
Elizabeth was clearly relieved her aunt and uncle were well, and of course to have them here, Jane would miss them if they weren't at her wedding. That only left Bingley's friends out there in the snow, but they were all experienced outdoorsmen, they knew when to ride on and when to find shelter. There were plenty of inns between London and Meryton, and all of them would be glad to have a group of unexpected visitors when the season was cold like this.
Once back in company, Darcy concluded that Mr Manners did seem to fancy his sister, while she was not exactly encouraging towards him but merely polite and extremely appropriate. She played the piano but not for him, she seemed to be practising, allowing him to sit close and compliment her in the natural pauses between two pieces. When Elizabeth joined their little party it became clear Georgie really was practising, for Elizabeth cut off her play at certain points, then talked to her, and Georgie proceeded to play that same bit over, Elizabeth nodding, or shaking her head. It was just incredible how Elizabeth could help her sister without being as skilled at playing herself. Apparently Mr Fielding had instructed her very carefully.
Serious practice seemed to bore Mr Manners and since Darcy had seen his interest in Georgie he felt it was his duty to get acquainted with the gentleman. Mr Manners was again dressed in muted colours, and there was no way of putting it but that he was indeed rather homely. Darcy checked
Georgiana's
observation, and he did seem muscular, though his build was not athletic. Well, he had been rather brilliant at billiards last night.
Darcy still had some trouble connecting to new people, and sadly he outranked most of the people he met, making it his responsibility to initiate an acquaintance, often causing people to dislike him for being arrogant if he failed to do so. Oh well, it was just this once, next time Mr Manners was sure to take the initiative.
In fact Mr Manners was already on his way towards him, Darcy met him halfway, and started with, 'Will your friends be able to find their way if it starts to snow, Mr Manners? What time do you expect them?'
'Bingley said they would arrive around lunch, which means any time now.
Do you really think it will snow heavily? I've never been able to predict the weather, it has brought me in some dangerous situations, riding through a moor in a thunderstorm, getting caught in a blizzard, a true blizzard, in Scotland, I really need to be more careful.'
'It sounds as if you are quite the traveller, Mr Manners, that is very interesting indeed!'
'I like travelling, yes, but I also like to curl up by a roaring fire and just read, let my mind roam whilst my mortal shell is very warm and comfortable.
Miss Darcy tells me you are an avid reader?'
'Very much so, it's kind of a family tradition, but one that is no hardship for me to keep alive.'
This was indeed a very interesting, very well-spoken man, somehow his appearance didn't matter anymore after a few minutes, his presence was what stuck and it was, simply put, very pleasant. When they were called to lunch Darcy was not done talking to Mr Manners by far, and Mr Bennet had arrived in a flurry of snow, such a luxury, so many interesting, intelligent people to talk to besides his own loved ones. Elizabeth was most likely having the same problem, how could she find time to spend alone with her sister when there were also her father and her aunt and uncle to catch up with, and Mr Manners to get to know better? And after lunch it got worse, for Bingley's party of friends arrived, covered in snow, visibility reduced to zero outside. Of course they were all cold and hungry, but after they had had their lunch the whole party gathered in the drawing-room and got acquainted. After the first formal introductions, Darcy found himself in the midst of the new group with Mr Manners, as natural as rain. This man was really good!
The party consisted of six men between twenty-five and thirty-five, all of them well-dressed and surprisingly well-groomed after a long drive through foul weather. From Bingley's introductions, Darcy understood that not a single one of these men was married or even engaged, and most were either in possession of an estate, or heir to one. One was a second son, and one unfortunate was even third son, but Miss Bingley could congratulate herself on having no fewer than four eligible bachelors to get acquainted with, and Darcy was certain that Elizabeth and himself could look forward to some entertainment, trying to pick the one she would attempt to attach.
Encouraged by Mr Manners' informal introduction Darcy talked to two of the new arrivals, Mr Vane, a tall, thin, ascetic looking man with a mop of black curls, glossy with some kind of ointment to make them droop in perfect ringlets over the collar of his intricately embroidered dark green coat. He was wearing breeches and stockings, and shoes with large shiny buckles, his valet must have spent ages on his looks, but frankly Darcy found them rather obsolete. He could not be an ascetic person if he attached so much value to his appearance, and he was obviously not a sportsman, his physique lacked musculature and his colour was very unhealthy. His manners made up for his appearance, though, he was very well-spoken and he sounded like interesting company. Still, Darcy didn't think he was competition for Mr Manners where Miss Bingley's affections were concerned, especially not since the poor chap was the third son in the party.
Mr Ponsonby was not as tall as Mr Vane but almost twice as broad. That was mainly because of Mr Vane's gauntness, for his friend was actually rather good-looking. His colouring was opposite to Mr Vane's, healthy bronzed skin, his fair hair dressed in the height of fashion, 'shaking dog'
style, spikes sticking out as if he had just come out of bed. It was a masterpiece. Simon would undoubtedly try to find out how it was achieved, and practise it on his own master. Dressed in bright colours, blue coat and ochre-yellow pantaloons with fashionable plain shoes, Mr Ponsonby clearly was an athlete, for though his face was rather full and highly coloured, his shoulders were significantly wider than his waist, and his coat size barely accommodated his strong arms. He was one of the lucky ones, already in the possession of a good fortune and a noble estate close to Bath. Darcy guessed Miss Bingley would like this man, though she might object to his homely face.
After a very pleasant conversation they all moved to the billiards-room, where Mr Bennet proved himself a very capable player and very sociable in a group of people with actual intelligence and powers of conversation.
Dinner and the evening were spent as pleasantly, with a lot of conversation and some music, Elizabeth warning Darcy that she was retreating to a separate sitting-room with her sister for a heart-to-heart talk to catch up on the last few months.
Georgie was attended by Mr Manners once again and Darcy amused himself with getting to know Bingley's other friends and predicting which of the new gentlemen would be Miss Bingley's favourite. While he himself favoured Ponsonby as having a valuable estate and the best combination of intelligence and physical assets, he guessed his lack of a beautiful face would put Miss Bingley off. Darcy knew he was very good-looking himself, and of course Miss Bingley had fallen in love with him in the first place, he would serve as a kind of ideal for her. Which meant Mr Grenfell had to be the bachelor of her choice, he was very tall and very handsome, not as well-dressed as Mr Ponsonby but good enough, and not as superbly athletic as the other gentleman but with a Grecian profile and beautiful steel-blue eyes. He might even be more handsome than Darcy himself, it was hard to decide what a lady would like, for of course as a man, Darcy looked differently at other men than a woman would.
Despite Elizabeth's absence of more than two hours, Darcy did not feel lonely, he watched Georgie talk to Mr Manners in a very lively manner, and he had a lot of catching up to do with Bingley after a few months apart.
Then there was Mr Bennet, who was a totally different man in the company of intelligent people, even though they were very much his junior. He seemed to be storing up sensible conversation for the time ahead, when he would be left at Longbourn without his two best friends, his eldest daughters.
Just when Darcy was contemplating leaving the party to seek his bed, thinking Elizabeth and Jane would probably talk through the night as they used to, he found his beloved walking towards him, and he really had to control himself to the utmost not to run to her and gather her to his chest to kiss her all over. But she obviously knew he wanted to and showed her own affection clearly, which was good enough for now. They embraced chastely, and he whispered in her ear, 'Please use my first name, for if you call me Mr Darcy now I'm going to fall at your feet in worship. People will think you
married a madman.'
'People will think I drove you crazy, love. I suppose you used to have a reputation for being very stable and sensible. Any change in your behaviour will be blamed on me. But I'll be careful with what I call you by, I'll save that special one for more suitable occasions. Do you want to turn in? Spend some time comparing notes on our new acquaintance, maybe snuggle a little?'
Yes, that was what he wanted, very much so. He wanted to be away from all these people, it had been a very nice day but a very long one as well, being confronted with George Wickham for the first time since he had had to force him to marry the sister of the woman he loved, or lose every chance at winning the object of his affection, and the chance to marry her if he managed to win her despite the odds. Also, he had been more outgoing to total strangers than he could remember having ever been in his entire life.
Suddenly he felt very tired and in need of some intimacy from the love of his l
ife. She was watching him with sympathy, undoubtedly she could read his thoughts and feelings just by looking at him, his beloved had such insight in his innermost being. And when he had finished his thought in total silence she didn't ask him to reveal the conclusion to his contemplations, no, she merely took him in an embrace and ruffled his hair, undoubtedly making his fashionable hairdo even more fashionable. He leaned into her touch, and now she did speak.
'You have had a rough day, love, meeting Wickham, seeing so many new faces, having to show an interest in every single one of them. Let's get some time together.'
As soon as they had said their goodbyes and she had led him out of the drawing-room, she pushed him against the wall and kissed him passionately.
Of course that was just what he needed, and he felt his body respond and his mind calm down significantly. Their kiss lasted for minutes and had the effect Elizabeth must have had in mind, for when they were done he felt much lighter and ready to talk about everything that happened today. Still leading him by his hand Elizabeth moved up the stairs, where Simon was waiting for them, as usual. He seemed to have some kind of instinct to know when they would retreat, and apparently he also had an instinct when he was superfluous, for he took one good look at his master and observed humbly, 'I suppose you will not be needing our services tonight?'
'I think not, Simon,' Elizabeth replied, 'tonight your master and I will help each other to undress and put away our clothes. Thank you so much for your understanding.'
She had been really nice to Simon since his outburst, as if she understood what he was trying to cope with.
'But Simon, it seems as if you may have a need for us tonight, you seem a bit out of sorts, has someone been after you?'
Did he? Darcy took a good look at his valet and Elizabeth was right, he did look a little disconcerted, though he could not imagine that any rumours from London could have made it to the country this quickly. Even more humbly, and showing a little more liveliness, Simon quickly spoke up, 'Oh no, Mrs Darcy, everyone here has been very nice to me.'
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