Aurora met the Gardiners cordially, but Darcy thought he saw a slight stiffening when his profession in Town was mentioned. She greeted Georgiana warmly and talked with Jane and Elizabeth as though they were the greatest mysteries of the universe. She garnered as much information from them as Lady Catherine might have but in a way that did not feel intrusive. She indeed was a talented conversationalist.
Soon, the teams were ready to play. The girls would play first. For this purpose, Aurora instructed one team and Darcy the other. Bingley and Marshall would be the judges. Before going to her side of the field, Aurora looked at Darcy intently.
“What is it?”
“Nothing,” she shook her head. “Nothing of importance to you but I finally understand.”
“Understand what?”
“That your heart is taken.” She glanced at Elizabeth. “You will ask her, won’t you? Do not allow prejudice for her station to stand in the way.”
“Madam,” Darcy said through clenched teeth. He would not have these things said in public or bandied about. Her father was a duke!
“Oh, do not growl at me,” Aurora laughed. “Your secret is safe with me.” She turned and scampered away.
Darcy’s heart fell as Marshall called time to play. He did not wish to impose his sentiments on Elizabeth or ruin her reputation, but keeping his love for her a secret had done nothing. Besides, there was only one person he trusted with his secrets, and she was the last one who could ever know why.
During the break between games, Lady Aurora chatted with Elizabeth and Jane. Whatever she said caused Elizabeth to look discomposed and avoid his eyes for the remainder of the day. All was not lost, however. His team beat Bingley’s, but in the end, all the children won as Darcy treated the players and audience alike to ices. The children's’ eyes grew large at the unprecedented treat. If Darcy could, he would spoil them all. Already, he talked with his solicitor and steward about finding places for them. Evans had acknowledged the facts to him. More than half the women who left their infants in the care of the foundling hospital had been employed in personal service. Darcy found it hard to believe that many women chose to risk their livelihoods and position with unwise affairs of an equal nature. Be it via intimidation or outright force, undoubtedly, many of the infants were fathered by the master of the house. The hospital needed a better referral system.
Additionally, his words to Lady Aurora about the health of women who do not regularly exercise were not merely about once they had married and left service, choosing to start a family. For many servants, babies came and destroyed their plans. An unexpected or unwanted pregnancy could be recovered from. The infant could be placed with family or a childless couple, and the mother returns to work. Death, however, gave the child little choice, typically, than to start in destitution.
Darcy and Georgiana could have easily been among those children. Fortuna’s wheel dealt him luck. A few short months ago, he never would have described his life as fortunate. He would have railed against all the injustices he had faced. Now, he saw an opportunity to extend his blessings to others. Would George Darcy approve of him spending so much time at the Foundling Hospital? No, he probably would not. Was Darcy disgracing his supposed forefathers and letting down the Darcy legacy? He no longer cared.
Having performed his duties as head instructor, Darcy sought out the company of his friends. Lady Aurora spoke with Jane and Elizabeth again, the latter’s composure returned. Marshall hovered at her side, likely the cause of sereneness.
“Darcy,” Marshall grinned. “Spectacular events. We should do these every week!”
Darcy chuckled. “I believe neither me nor the children have the energy for that.”
“True and I would much rather you save your strength for my ball.”
“Have you chosen a date, then?”
“Yes, and Lady Aurora convinced me to choose fancy dress. Now, everyone is to choose a costume, and we will play a game guessing who is who.”
The others gasped in surprise and applauded Marshall’s choice. Darcy hung back. He did not like balls, he did not like crowds, and he detested subterfuge. However, he wore a disguise every day. He was endeavouring to show others his feelings. Still, he supposed he could bear the annoyance for one night. Elizabeth’s eyes danced with glee and Darcy knew he would do anything but miss her joy.
“Darcy,” Mr. Gardiner said quietly, “I must speak with you privately.”
Finding a secluded corner, Gardiner explained he desired Darcy’s assistance in viewing two homes near Pemberley. “I had hoped to leave next week, but I suppose you would like to stay for the ball,” Gardiner said.
Darcy kept his eyes trained on Elizabeth. “I do not often enjoy balls, and yet I would not miss this one for anything in the world.”
“I…” Gardiner trailed off.
Typically, able to converse regardless of the time, crowd, or service, his reticence drew Darcy’s notice. “What do you wish to say? I assure you I will not be offended.”
Gardiner sighed and shook his head. “No, I would not guess you to be offended, but I wish to put you on your guard.”
Darcy tensed, supposing he knew the route of this conversation.
“He calls on her every day; he courts her for all the world to see. It’s enough for her to see it and while I love my niece, she is not always the most observant when she would rather ignore a thing. Apparently, Mr. Collins had dropped repeated hints that he wished to marry her but she claims she was utterly surprised.”
“Thank you for your concern,” Darcy silenced the older gentleman. “I assure you it is unnecessary. I mean no trouble for her happiness.”
Gardiner looked at Darcy for a long moment. “You really do love her.”
It was no question, and it saved Darcy the heartache of having to answer. He did love Elizabeth and always would. He wanted her happiness even more than he desired his own. He would attend Marshall’s ball, watch Elizabeth, and then leave with Gardiner. By the time Gardiner returned to Derbyshire in the summer, Elizabeth would likely be engaged. Perhaps by then the thought would hurt less but, all things considered, nothing could wound Darcy more than Elizabeth not living in the world. He could bear any pain but that—even seeing her marry his oldest friend.
Marshall whispered to Elizabeth, pulling a smile and a laugh from her lips. For the millionth time, Darcy wished he had the ease and gregariousness of his friends. Instead of returning to them, Darcy called for the carriages and made arrangements for everyone to return to their homes.
Chapter Twenty
“I am not wearing that,” Darcy said, disgust and embarrassment nearly clogging his voice in this throat as he stared at the costume laid out by his valet.
“You asked for a costume like Edward the Fourth,” his long-suffering valet held no sympathy in his voice. “I am sorry if you did not understand the customs of their day.”
“Brantley, it is obscene.” Darcy looked again at the long hose which was meant to be the only covering of his lower half. His legs and backside, not to mention his unmentionables, would be on display for everyone to see.
“These are not historical hose,” Brantley reassured him and held them up. “These are the pantaloons some of those dandies wear.”
“I’m no dandy,” Darcy grunted.
“No, nor a fop, but this is the costume you have ordered.”
Firm and rapid knocks sounded through his dressing room door. “William, please hurry! We are meant to leave soon!”
Darcy could picture Georgiana bouncing on her toes and wringing her hands while her face flushed with excitement and her eyes darted nervously to the clock. “A few more moments,” he called back. “Wait in the drawing room. I have a gift for you.”
Georgiana squealed, actually squealed. Mere weeks ago, she never would have displayed so much emotion. “As if allowing me to attend my first ball was not enough! I can never thank you enough!”
Darcy grinned and shook his head. He would have to make the mo
st of this costume somehow. He would not disappoint his sister. “Go.”
He heard another squeal and rapid footsteps as she scampered off. Darcy turned to his valet again. “I do not understand. What about those stuffed short breeches I have seen?”
“Those were hose stuffed with horsehair and not worn until nearly a hundred years after your Edward.”
Darcy pinched the bridge of his nose. “And Henry the Eighth? He wore a long pleated tunic.”
“Fifty years later, sir.”
Darcy took in a deep breath. Debating history, or in this case being educated on it, would do little right now. There was no time for a new costume. He had spent the past week avoiding thinking of it and avoiding seeing Elizabeth. Marshall intended to propose to Elizabeth this night, Darcy was quite sure. I am happy for her, he repeated in his mind. It was true, he would never want to deny Elizabeth’s happiness, but how he had wished she would have found it with him. Tomorrow, he would leave with her uncle to look at several properties near Pemberley. He supposed the blessing to Elizabeth’s marriage to Marshall would be that she would not visit the Gardiners at their estate near as often as she could if she remained single. Darcy had said nothing to Mr. Gardiner, but he had no intentions of returning to London.
“Sir,” Brantley interrupted Darcy’s thoughts, “there is a long cloak-like garment to be worn with it. Surely that would provide some…modesty.”
Darcy grunted in agreement. However, there could be no dancing in this attire. He could hold his arms in such a way to conceal his body, but dancing required too much movement. Once more, Elizabeth would have a reason to think poorly of him.
Georgiana radiated joy, and for a moment, Darcy stood in the doorway of the drawing room watching her as she primped in a mirror. In a gown of white, she looked so much like their mother. At last, she noticed him and beamed up at him.
“Let me see,” she said and made a great show of circling around him to critique his costume. “Hmm…one of Shakespeare’s plays? Henry…well, one of the Henries.”
Darcy chuckled as Georgiana shrugged her shoulders. History and literature were not her strong suits. “Close, I was a character in Henry the Sixth. I am Edward the Fourth.”
“I see,” Georgiana said still eyeing his costume. “Well, let me see the rest. What is under the cloak?”
“I fear that is impossible.”
“Impossible?”
“There was a…misunderstanding about my requirements for this evening. I did not know they wore such…indiscreet attire. I had only seen portraits of Edward from the waist up.”
Darcy had chosen Edward IV because he had married for love and to a woman named Elizabeth Woodville. She was severely below him regarding rank and fortune. Her family had supported his rival and the former King Henry VI. There had been rumours about Edward’s bastardry which came out again when he risked everything with marrying who he pleased and rewarding her family. He suffered from the plots of two brothers and an uncle to take his throne. He was victorious in battle but also capable of diplomacy. The only things Darcy could not admire about the man were his infidelities and leaving his family so unprepared in the wake of his death. It cost his wife and children dearly. He had refused to see the truth of his family’s schemes. Instead of his heir being crowned, his brother had the two princes imprisoned for their safety. Soon, they disappeared from history, and Richard III sat on the throne instead.
“William, may we go now?”
Georgiana tapped her foot impatiently and glanced at the clock. She had no interest in his costuming concerns or the reason for his choice. “In a moment,” Darcy chuckled at her impatience. “First, let me look at you.”
Georgiana posed, lifting her arms and a flute to one side of her mouth. “Ah, Euterpe, goddess of music,” Darcy smiled. It suited her perfectly. “I wanted to present you with a gift for your first ball.” Darcy opened the case and showed his sister. She gasped at the amethysts on a silver chain. “It was our mother’s.”
“Thank you,” Georgiana said with a tremor in her voice and shimmering eyes as he moved to slide it around her neck. She had to fix the clasp, as Darcy was too unpractised in the skill of ladies’ maid. Suddenly, she met her brother’s eyes. “I will not be like her.”
“No,” Darcy smiled. “She was not happy, I think, for most of her life. She always did what others told her she must until she could not squash her own desires any longer. You have come into your own in recent weeks, and I am so proud of you, Georgiana.”
He held her eyes, and they silently communicated their shared hurt over the past and their commitment to a happier future.
“I want you to be happy too,” Georgiana squeezed his hand. “Maybe Lady Aurora—”
“I thought you wanted to leave?” Darcy led her to the entry where servants rushed forward with their outerwear. “If you want to talk matchmaker then we will never leave.”
Georgiana affected a pout then rolled her eyes. “Very well. But soon, dear brother. You cannot escape me and my feminine abilities forever.”
The siblings laughed as they entered the carriage. Soon, however, nerves overtook both of them, and they rode to Marshall’s London residence in companionable silence. They alighted from the carriage, and Darcy’s heart hammered in his chest. Georgiana’s grip on his arm was tighter than usual, reminding him that, as taxing as this evening would be for him, he must consider her first.
Marshall and his aunt and uncle greeted them at the door. Lucy Marshall served as tonight’s hostess and had been Marshall’s stand-in mistress of his house in town. The older couple dressed in vaguely Grecian garments and pronounced themselves Zeus and Hera. Marshall would not admit his identity, beholden to the concept of a game. However, Darcy could easily guess his friend had selected Julius Caesar. In fact, nearly everyone had adopted Greek or Roman fashions.
Hardly a Society crush, Darcy and Georgiana were able to meander through the rooms and greet friends. Jane and Bingley appeared to be Romeo and Juliet. They gazed lovingly into each other’s eyes too much for Darcy to remind them of the tragic ending to their tale. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner dressed as Orion and Artemis while Lady Aurora evoked the image of a nymph in a gown the colours of the sea.
“Richard!”
Georgiana’s cry pulled Darcy’s eyes away from their friends. He had not located Elizabeth. Where was she? Then, Darcy saw her next to his cousin, who wore a crown. If Darcy had guessed correctly, he imitated Richard the Lionheart. Next to him stood Elizabeth, in a costume which could only make Darcy grin. Georgiana pulled him in their direction.
“Welcome to our little troupe of English monarchs,” Richard laughed when he saw Darcy’s costume.
“We did not know you were invited,” Darcy replied after he and Georgiana formally greeted them.
“Marshall and I belong to the same club,” Richard shrugged. “I believe he thought I might make you and Georgie feel more comfortable. I was happy for the invitation. I was just telling Miss Bennet how my general has worked me near to death since returning from Rosings.”
“Yes, I had wondered when you would arrive at my table,” Darcy smirked.
“It has hardly been empty from what I understand!” Richard laughed. “You are suddenly overflowing with friends and engagements.”
“Come,” Georgiana said. “I will introduce you to our new friends. I had forgotten you already knew Lizzy, and I know you do love talking with pretty ladies, but Jane and Lady Aurora are equally lovely.”
“How can I refuse?” He bowed to Elizabeth and held out his arm for Georgiana to take.
Darcy looked at Elizabeth, his eyes taking in her black gown with patterned collar and sleeves. Her headpiece and veil gave away her identity to him, instantly. Elizabeth Woodville, consort to Edward IV. She had desperately loved her husband.
“My queen,” Darcy bowed over her hand.
“You knew me?” She smiled, her eyes dancing in the candlelight. “No one else has thus far. I even gave a hint to Mr. Mars
hall that I was known as Queen Elizabeth. He could only think of Henry the Eighth’s daughter.”
“You do not favour her?” Darcy asked shifting slightly closer to her and turning his back to the crowd.
“I am sure there is much to admire,” Elizabeth said. “I am sure the ordeal of her family weighed on her. Rejected by her father and imprisoned by her sister! Still, while they might have tried to call her illegitimate no one questioned her status as the king’s daughter. I can hardly relate to that.”
“Few could.”
“True, but she had also been educated as such, and so her accomplishments seem less sterling. She acted as she should have—something her father evidently forgot, but I see no need to think her the most amazing monarch of all time.”
“But Elizabeth Woodville is?”
“No, probably not her either.” Elizabeth glanced away nervously.
“Tell me, then, why you chose her?” Darcy smiled down at her. He loved speaking with her and understanding how her mind worked.
“She came from a simple background, a commoner. Her parents had a scandalous and imbalanced marriage. She met the King fearlessly one day and for that earned his love. Their love overcame so much: class and political lines. She lived amongst her enemies daily but had his respect and love. It gave her strength and bravery. I can only hope to experience the same one day.”
Darcy noticed the red rose in her hand. Elizabeth Woodville’s family had supported the Lancastrians. Their symbol was a red rose while her husband was from the York line and used a white rose. “You mean to be Elizabeth before she married?” He touched a petal.
“I have not yet met my king,” she dropped her voice but stared at the white rose pinned to his hat.
“You have not met him, or you have not secured him?” Darcy held his breath. How could they speak like this and yet her favour another man? He needed to hear her say it. Kill the hope within him.
“Are you asking for one of my secrets, sir?”
Darcy shook his head. He did not want to play their game. He searched Elizabeth’s eyes.
The Secrets of Pemberley: A Pride and Prejudice Variation (Jane Austen Reimaginings Book 9) Page 17
