by Alexa Adams
Their conversation was interrupted by the entrance of Mr. Darcy, who greeted the ladies warmly, inquiring about their activities that day. He was delighted to learn Sir James was in town, but admitted to some disappointment in not being present to gauge his perceptive wife’s first reaction to his old friend.
“Will you begrudge me the introduction, brother?” Georgiana playfully questioned.
“Not in the slightest, but I do insist Mrs. Darcy be precise in recounting her impressions of Sir James. I predict she liked him a great deal.” At this Kitty entered, and the line of conversation drifted to other subjects. They awaited the Gardiners and Bingleys, come to welcome her to town, and it was not long before a happy party was assembled. Surrounded by family, Kitty was able to put her discomfort aside for the evening, behaving enough like her usual self to ease some of Elizabeth’s concerns. She mentioned these to Jane and Mrs. Gardiner, as they listened to the young ladies practice their duet after dinner.
“At first I was embarrassed by her manners, but Kitty has never been shy. I think there is more going on there than she acknowledges.”
“Lizzy! You are so quick to be suspicious! Could it not be love at first sight, and Kitty overcome by emotion?” suggested Jane, giggling at the notion.
“That’s a lovely thought, Jane! If he proves amiable, it would be highly felicitous for Kitty to someday be titled!” laughed Mrs. Gardiner.
“I hope you are both correct, and they enjoy a speedy courtship,” confessed Elizabeth coyly, “for there is something on my mind that may render my task as chaperon more difficult than I envisioned.”
Her telling blush quickly informed Mrs. Gardiner as to what her niece referred, but Jane needed a bit more elucidation before blushing fiercely and exclaiming, “Oh, Lizzy! How can you be sure?”
“I have an appointment to speak with Mr. Messling this Saturday.”
“My dear Elizabeth! I could not be more pleased for you!” exclaimed Mrs. Gardiner with a warm embrace. Jane offered similar congratulations, but there was a sadness behind her customary smile.
Elizabeth squeezed her hand. “Your time will come soon enough,” she whispered.
“I do hope so, Lizzy, but lately I feel so tired all the time, and my appetite is almost nonexistent. How can I expect to have my wish fulfilled if I am not in good health?”
Elizabeth frowned, “Perhaps you should seek medical advice as well. You do not look quite yourself.”
Jane shook her head. “I am sure I will be well in a few days time. It must just be the town air.”
While the ladies entertained themselves in the parlor, the gentlemen had abandoned the dining room for a quick game of billiards – an activity quite compatible to a glass of Madeira. Their conversation ranged from politics to business, finally landing on family life. This led Bingley to express his concerns for Jane’s health. “She has not been feeling quite herself lately, and I was hoping that the change of scenery and activity of London would restore her normal energy, but if anything, she seems far worse. I know not what to do.”
Darcy looked thoughtful. “You know, Bingley, I could almost say the same about Elizabeth. She seems perfectly hale, and her appetite, if at all changed, has only increased, but suddenly she sleeps far later than she used to. I noticed she was pale when I returned yesterday, but she insists nothing is amiss. Perhaps, after a year of marriage, our wives grow bored of us?”
Mr. Gardiner chuckled, “Or perhaps they are hiding another inevitable result of marriage, and one far more flattering to yourselves.”
Mr. Bingley puzzled over this before he caught the older gentleman’s meaning, the huge smile that formed on his face causing Mr. Darcy to laugh. “My word!” he exclaimed. “That would be something rather exciting, would it not, gentlemen?”
“If it is true, it surely would,” replied Darcy. “Time will certainly tell. They cannot expect to keep such news a secret forever,” and he landed the winning shot of the game.
Chapter 6
Pleasant companionship and good food were not balm enough to prevent the visions that tormented Kitty’s sleep that night. She tossed and turned into the morning hours, unable to still her fevered mind. The encounter with the gentleman in the curricle had been most unpleasant, but she thought it isolated. Now to discover the driver to be the intimate friend of the Darcys! She shivered in renewed horror at the thought. The most wretched part of the association was that he seemed to take great delight in her discomfort. She had grown somewhat inured to the other ladies at Mrs. Rivers’ teasing her, but she was entirely unaccustomed to being the brunt of a gentleman’s jokes. She thought it most unfair and vowed to do her best to avoid his company.
The Darcys, too, were up late, having much to discuss before they retired for the night.
“I received a letter from Mr. Westover today. Someone has been pilfering poultry. He has also informed the magistrate.”
“I did not know you had such weighty parish matters with which to contend. Certainly my impressions of Sir James could hold little interest for you at such a time.”
Mr. Darcy smiled fondly at her. “Certainly not! You are in my debt one character sketch, and I expect you to pay in full.”
“He seems very agreeable – an engaging mind, pleasant manners, ready humor – but there is something odd about him which I cannot quite put my finger upon.”
He laughed. “There is a great deal odd about Sir James Stratton. I always said it was because he hailed from Cornwall, for there was a bit of otherworldliness about him, but Brooks is a solid enough fellow, so it must be something else.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Mr. Brooks certainly is solid. Georgiana is quite fond of him.”
“How much can change in just a few days absence!” he lamented, shaking his head sadly despite the smile gracing his lips. “I am striving to reconcile myself to the notion. It would be far more difficult if he were not such an unexceptional choice for her.”
“You would rather she fall in love with an objectionable man, so you might have reasonable grounds to reject him?”
“Al I suggest is that it would render my task easier, but I am trying to contain such unworthy instincts. I have known the man, through Sir James, for many years, yet at the moment I am afraid that I quite want to wring his neck.”
“The essential point is that you do not,” smiled Elizabeth. “Sometimes I wonder if we parted with Mrs. Annesley too soon. The task of chaperoning is a great deal more complex than I had imagined.”
“You are too tired,” he questioned, studying her closely.
Surprised, she replied, “Not at all!”
“Good! You are doing an excellent job, you know,” he reassured her, “and Mrs. Annesley is extremely content with her new charges. Did you read her letter to Georgiana?”
“Yes, and she does sound very well situated.”
“Her pupils are just the right age to benefit from her expertise. I am very pleased we found her such a suitable situation, but do not think you have diverted me: what specifically did Sir James do to so quickly reveal himself a “merry wanderer of the night” to you?”
“I never implied anything of the sort,” Elizabeth defended herself. “He just seemed to take a rather cold delight in Kitty’s schoolroom manners, or at least I first supposed, but Georgiana caused me to wonder if there wasn’t something more to it. Could they have met before?”
“Sir James has been rather retired from society these past years, preferring travel and the company of his horses to town. He does have an aunt living near Bath, but I can’t imagine him parading through the Pump Room and taking the waters, if that is what you had in mind. What makes you think they have met?”
“There seemed to be something known only to the two of them, like a private joke, only Kitty did not find it in the least amusing.”
Mr. Darcy frowned. “His manners can be disconcerting, though I have always known him to be a thorough gentleman.”
“Yes, he very civilly asked Kitty to
dance at the Huntington’s ball. I just hope she comports herself better than she did this morning.”
“Kitty will do very well,” he reassured her. They went on to discuss other matters of little import, one unspoken subject always bubbling beneath the mundane, but potential excitement aside, Mr. Darcy was determined to be perfect in his responsibilities to Miss Bennet, and it seemed this required close observation of her interactions with Sir James. He trusted his friend, but he also had great faith in his wife’s power of perception. If something was amiss, he wanted to be sure it did not take him by surprise.
--
The ladies rose early, anxious to get on with another long day of shopping. They had already made such good headway on gowns, both morning and evening, and purchased so many bonnets that Kitty feared writing to Lydia – and, by extension, to her mother – on the subject, so as not to incur her jealousy, though it was just what both would find most interesting. Two redingotes, three pelisses, several pairs of slippers and two pairs of the loveliest half-boots Kitty had ever seen: in summation, they had accomplished all the most diverting shopping the day before, leaving an intimidating list of underthings, outer things, and countless accessories to still be conquered. They also set about procuring Kitty a very fine riding habit. It set her off her quite well, she knew, but feared such finery was ill-suited to a display of her inferior skills upon horseback. She was used to riding only Nelly, a thoroughly sedate creature, when her father could spare her from the farm. It was not until she visited Pemberley, the previous summer, and once more since on an outing in Bath, that she had ever encountered a highly bred steed, and she did not believe Hyde Park the most comfortable setting to test her seat once more. But, if she must make a spectacle of herself, and Georgiana was insistent that she should, it was somewhat reassuring to know she would at least make a fetching spectacle.
It was late morning when Mrs. Wickham spotted them at the counter of a fashionable shop. Checking the impulse to glare, she painted a smile on her face and greeted them warmly. It took her a moment to recognize Kitty as one of the two remaining Miss Bennets, a year having done a great deal to alter her, but she immediately claimed a sisterly interest, insisting she should spend a morning with her at the Hurst’s home, where she and her husband were currently residing, the following Monday. Kitty politely conceded to the idea, noting Georgiana’s look of irritation as she did so, but unaware of how else to respond appropriately to an invitation from a familial connection. Georgiana was quickly encompassed by the scheme, as was Elizabeth, who just as speedily demurred on both their behalf’s, claiming a prior engagement. Caroline promised to ask Jane to join them, hoping to persuade Mrs. Darcy to alter her plans, but Elizabeth remained firm. Kitty was sorry to go alone, but Jane would be there, and the more pressing concern of the approaching ball were disconcerting enough to obscure future discomfort from her thoughts.
Caroline, however, thought much of the appointment, and she hurried home to inform her husband of the upcoming pleasure. Although she would have liked to have Eliza – she could not bear to think of her as Mrs. Darcy – Kitty would be far easier to ingratiate, as they had so little interaction together in the past, when the former Miss Bingley felt nothing but disdain for the name of Bennet. That was no longer the case: in fact, it was quite the contrary situation, for the Bennets were on the rise in the world. The three eldest daughters had made excellent matches, and the two youngest seemed destined to do the same. She was very impressed by what she saw of Kitty, deeming her the perfect candidate to aid her in reestablishing that relationship with the Darcys which she was certain her husband deserved to possess.
Her task was a difficult one, as she had done much to alienate the couple when she remained under the belief that Darcy had deprived Wickham of his rightful inheritance. When disabused of this misconception by Darcy himself, she thought she would never overcome her anger with her new husband. However, through determined amiability, he had soothed her wrath, and now the two got on surprisingly well. As the foundation of their marriage lay in falsehood and greed, they were bound to either despise or adore each other, and George and Caroline were lucky to have followed the latter path. Their desires and wants were entirely mercenary, and so they were most often in complete agreement.
She entered the house with haste, confirming, as suspected, that her sister was still out, and proceeded up the stairs to lay siege on her husband’s bedroom. Her knock was only cursory, as she quickly opened the door to confront a scandalized valet, whom she summarily dismissed. Throwing open the curtains and bed hangings, she declared in a commanding voice, “Get up, George! It is nearly afternoon.”
Her husband groaned in response.
“Get up!” she dictated while shaking him awake. “I have something to tell you.”
“Good God, Caroline! What time is it?” were the disoriented George Wickham’s first words, as he looked with irritation upon his wife.
“Almost three o’clock.”
“No? It can’t be.” He sat up and rubbed his head. “What is it that you want?”
“I am to have a guest next Monday morning,” she declared boastfully.
He sat up straighter, suddenly intrigued. “Not Mrs. Darcy?”
“No,” she responded testily, irritated that he was off mark. His guess was particularly galling since it was with that lady whom Caroline had been attempting, unsuccessfully, to establish a social intercourse. “How will one Miss Bennet suit our purposes, Mr. Wickham? Have I not done well?”
“My dear Caroline! That is magnificent! Miss Lydia will be easier to befriend, and, now that I think of it, is far more to the purpose than any of her sisters. But when did she leave Bath?”
“Not Lydia, George! Dear me! If she were here, she would be of no use to us at all! No – we must hope she remains just were she is, making love to Mr. Beaumont. It is Miss Catherine Bennet who has come to town, and as for being to the purpose, she’s ideal. Once she and I are fast friends, Mrs. Darcy will soon forgive me all those silly little snubs, and then she will convince Mr. Darcy to forgive you!”
Wickham’s brow contracted. “The one they call Kitty? I’m not sure I have ever exchanged two words with her.”
“Catherine used to appear cut from the same mold as Lydia, but Mrs. Rivers certainly deserves some credit for her work, as she is vastly improved. I did not recognize her at first. I think her every bit as pretty as Eliza, without that general air of impertinence. She should do quite well this season, I have little doubt, and she is Miss Darcy’s bosom friend.”
Wickham’s face evinced growing pleasure as he listened to this description. “And when Miss Lydia becomes too forward, Miss Bennet will be just the person to take our warning to the Darcys, for she would not want anything scandalous to injure her opportunities to marry just as well, if not better, than her sisters. How perfect!”
“And you have yet to hear the best part. She is staying with the Darcys. I wonder that Jane never mentioned it.”
He smirked. “For all of Mrs. Bingley’s sweetness, she has not what one would call an open disposition. I think there is much she does not share with you, particularly regarding the Darcys.”
Caroline looked provoked. “Yes, she is rather silent about her grand relations, and Charles makes sure we are never in their company when the Darcys visit. Such a fuss about a silly infatuation! I wonder that Miss Darcy can be so unforgiving.”
Mr. Wickham did not seize upon this opportunity to correct his wife’s ongoing misconceptions, instilled by himself, regarding the true cause of the fissure between himself and the Darcys, merely pointing out that he and Darcy had their long standing disagreements. “Together the siblings fuel the other’s dislike of me, always reminding each other of the many grievances they lay at my door.”
“Well! We shall just have to properly motivate them to overcome old prejudices by showing them what a very desirable companion you can be! I cannot imagine it shall really prove so difficult, especially once Catherine and
I become great friends. You are lucky, George, to have a wife educated as I have been: one who knows how best to please. We shall be dancing at Pemberley on Twelfth Night, quite a part of the family, I have not the least doubt. I was bred to just such a task as this.”
“I hate to remind you, my love, but my education was just as genteel, and much more to the point, then that provided by your seminary.”Mr. Wickham also had good reason to believe the undertaking would not be so easy as Caroline predicted, but again he chose not to share his thoughts. There was no reason for her to know the full extent of the obstacles that lay in her path to Pemberley.
Chapter 7
Kitty was dismayed when Georgiana informed her she was to dance the first set with Sir James. She had no recollection of his ever asking her, having only mumbled oblique responses to whatever was said during that seemingly endless morning call, and was quite certain that it would ruin all her pleasure in the evening. She even went so far as to mumble some weak complaints of a headache, which Georgiana refused to hear. Rallying her friend by reminding her how very well she looked, she hurried her down the stairs, where their party waited to enter the carriage, confident that once Kitty was surrounded by the infectious atmosphere of a ball, she would have a well enough time indeed. By the time they left the cloakroom, Kitty was beginning to agree. Never had she been to such a large private ball, and she found the crush, of which Mr. Darcy complained, exhilarating. The gentlemen were exquisite in their evening dress, the ladies’ gowns magnificent, and Kitty whispered her hundredth thanks to Elizabeth for seeing to her wardrobe. The elder sister squeezed the younger’s hand reassuringly.
“Look at her, there! In all the flush of her first London ball,” Sir James said to Mr. Brooks from across the crowded room. “Have I mentioned she is magnificent?”
“Perhaps ten, maybe twenty times,” came the bored reply. “I am going to greet Miss Darcy.” Mr. Brooks headed across the room while Sir James remained in place, watching Kitty’s reactions. He knew the precise moment she spotted him, for her face fell, and she quickly turned away. It was not the response he had hoped for, but he was determined to change her opinion of him.
