by Zoë Burton
“I have.”
“She is very quiet, just like your sister, is she not?”
“I found her to be so, yes.”
“I plan to take Mary around to the museums and to plays and expand her education. I should like to take your sister with us, if you do not mind. I suspect she will greatly enjoy it.”
“I do not mind at all. It would be good for Georgiana to spend time with you, and Miss Mary seemed to be a well-behaved young lady.”
“Excellent! I shall plan several outings, then. We shall have a grand time!”
The conversation turned then to other things. Elizabeth continued to watch Georgiana, marveling at her decorum here and her outrageous behavior in other places. When Darcy called for his carriage to return his sister to their home, she asked that he return to dine, which he was happy to agree to. They were in need of conversation, and both were aware of the fact.
Chapter 10
The next morning, Elizabeth dispatched two letters to Longbourn, one to her father, requesting permission for Mary to come to London, and one to Mary, asking that she attend her sister. Mary was quite eager to go, as she and Elizabeth had the closest bond of any of the sisters. She was elated that her father gave his consent with no fuss at all. Her mother, while not eager for another unworthy daughter to marry very well, and mourning the loss of Mr. Collins as a son-in-law, was more than happy to have Mary out of her sight. She thought it vastly unfair that her husband should refuse to allow two daughters to marry his heir apparent, but had learned that it was often better to let an idea go than to cross him.
So it was that on the fourth day after she sent her missive, Elizabeth greeted her favorite sister in the entry hall at Winthrop House. The girls hugged each other tightly for several minutes before separating and excitedly speaking over one another. Lady Winthrop looked fondly on as they chattered like magpies over tea. When her newest guest had gone upstairs to rest before dinner, she expressed her approbation to her husband’s goddaughter. “My dear Elizabeth, I can discern already how seeing your sister has restored some of your good humor. I am so happy you invited her.”
“Thank you. She is a dear. My other sisters did not show her the appreciation they should have, and I am determined that I will. I always have, you know, and she for me.”
“I know you have; you are a good sister, my dear, and a good goddaughter, as well. We shall take Miss Mary around and show her everything. I believe she will be a good example for Miss Darcy, as well.”
“I believe she will. I also think she needs to see how enjoyable ordinary pursuits can be. Miss Darcy is much like my youngest sister, Lydia. She is immature and largely misdirected, though I do not understand an expensive school allowing that to happen.”
“I am sure they tried to teach her, but she does not understand. She does not have the maturity yet to comprehend the threat to herself, or to grasp that her life will be totally different should she be compromised. She is too trusting that those officers she dallied with will keep quiet about her actions. Mr. Darcy and I spoke the other night at dinner about taking her to visit the foundling’s home, and perhaps a home for unwed mothers or the workhouse, if it can be arranged. It will take some stark truths to make her see the truth, I think.”
Lady Winthrop nodded. “You may be right. I applaud you, Elizabeth, for taking this on. Not every young lady about to be married would, you know.”
Elizabeth merely smiled in return.
~~~***~~~
The first evening she was at Winthrop House was an education for Mary Bennet. Of course, she knew all about proper discourse, and though when at home she had a tendency to give in to her outrage and lecture those around her, here she contained herself. No, appropriate behavior was not what she learned. Instead, she discovered that serenity often covered selfish and impulsive behavior. Mary met Georgiana Darcy.
By all appearances, Miss Darcy was everything proper. She sat demurely and quietly all through dinner, for she and her brother had come to dine at Winthrop House so that Mr. Darcy could spend time with Elizabeth. One would never know that her serene countenance hid a wild and untamed spirit. It was when the ladies separated from the gentlemen that Miss Darcy’s true nature was revealed.
Upon entering the drawing room, the ladies gathered together in settees and chairs grouped near the fireplace, so they might converse. At Elizabeth’s urging, the two younger girls began a discussion of music.
“Mary, Georgiana is accomplished on the pianoforte, just as you are.”
Mary turned eagerly to her soon-to-be-sister, happy to have something in common with this girl who was obviously of far more consequence than she herself. “You are? Do you have a favorite composer?”
“No, not really. Do you?”
“Oh, yes! I enjoy Beethoven the most. I play all manner of songs, of course, but I find his works to be the most satisfying. Do you practice often?”
“Oh, yes. My brother insists that I practice for hours every day. He has paid a master to work with me. But I would rather be doing something fun.”
“Oh. You do not enjoy playing, then?”
“It is not dull, but it is more like work, in my opinion.”
Mary was taken aback a bit by this, but persevered. This young lady was going to be her sister, and it behooved her to find something in common with her. “Yes, I suppose it is, in a sense. What else do you like to do?”
“I enjoy a great many things.” Here she leaned toward Mary and lowered her voice so the older ladies could not hear. “Not many of them garner the approval of my brother and aunt and uncle, though.”
Mary’s eyes grew wide. “They do not?”
Georgiana shook her head. “Sadly, no. You see, I enjoy talking to the officers that are encamped near my school. Well, I have been removed from school, so I should probably say that in the past tense.” She sighed. “I have been rather bored lately. My brother is watching me very closely. I suspect he has the staff report my activities to him. I have to be very clever to evade them.”
“Oh. Well…”
“Have you ever tried brandy, Miss Mary? You must come visit me at Darcy House and try some! But we shall have to retire to my rooms to do so. I have a bottle and glasses hidden in there.”
“Indeed.” Mary did not know what to say. Eventually, her natural tendency to moralize came to the fore. “You remind me very much of my sister, Lydia. She is also unchecked, though her countenance and outward appearance are not so serene as yours. It is our duty as young ladies to follow the instruction and guidance of our guardians and parents. Scripture tells us in Exodus to honor our parents that our lives may be long. If your brother is your guardian, then that applies to him, as well.”
Georgiana did not know how to respond to this, so she said nothing. Apparently, Miss Mary was not going to be a bosom-friend.
~~~***~~~
True to her word, Elizabeth took her sister and Georgiana on a visit to the Foundling’s Hospital and the workhouse, with Darcy’s permission. It was not truly proper to expose unmarried ladies to such things, but Darcy and his family came to the conclusion that his sister needed all the facts to help her understand. The visit did require a discussion about the marriage bed, and that was given to all three young ladies—Elizabeth, Mary, and Georgiana—at once.
Accompanied by both Lady Winthrop and Lady Matlock, the girls began at the workhouse, where they observed many people, several of them unwed mothers in various stages of pregnancy. The women they saw were dirty and underfed, and their living quarters were infested with all manner of insects and rodents. Many had visible marks on their necks, faces, and arms that indicated being bitten by fleas, and were scratching their heads to dig at lice. They worked and lived in harsh, unclean conditions. The director of the workhouse indicated that disease was not uncommon. Ladies Winthrop and Matlock, while saddened and even disgusted by the conditions, were already aware of them, as they often contributed to a charity whose goal was to assist the poor. The younger ladies
were horrified, having never imagined what it would be like.
The director, upon learning the reason for the visit, had arranged for the group to interview a young female resident. This young lady had come from the gentry, had fallen pregnant by a soldier encamped near her home, and been disowned and shunned by her family and friends. With nowhere else to go and very little money, she had made her way to London, ending up in the workhouse. Her description to the ladies of her fall into poverty and disgrace was brutally, heartbreakingly honest.
Following their time at the workhouse, the ladies visited the Foundling’s Hospital, where they observed dozens of small children who had been given up by their unwed mothers and whose fathers refused or were unable to claim them. There the ladies learned that all the children were renamed upon entering, and that babies were sent to the country to be wet-nursed. Those that occupied the hospital attended school and church until they were of an age to be apprenticed. There were more children that teachers and workers to care for them, and the group witnessed some of the harsh discipline that such institutions were known for. They each returned to their home that afternoon with a great deal to consider.
The impact on Elizabeth’s soon-to-be sister was great; Georgiana had never considered her future, always assuming it would never change. In the days immediately following these visits, she was withdrawn. She did not leave her rooms, requesting meals on trays. Darcy left her be for two or three days, knowing from her maid that Georgiana was spending much time staring out the window or applying herself to lessons. Eventually, though, he requested to see her. She would not speak to him about what she was contemplating, but did ask to speak to Elizabeth about it. Relieved that she was willing to speak at all, he asked his betrothed to his house to dine the next day.
Immediately upon her arrival, Darcy escorted Elizabeth up to his sister’s rooms. Georgiana immediately let her in, leading her to the settee. In halting tones, she explained to Elizabeth her thoughts and fears, most of which she had never considered before. It was with great relief that Elizabeth listened to her and reassured her, and later Darcy, that all would be well.
“She assured me that she will not fight you about a companion. She sees now how easily she could have ended up as those women did at the workhouse.”
Darcy released a breath he had been holding. “Excellent. You, my dear Elizabeth, are a wonder. Thank you for this.” He tugged on her hand, which he had been holding, and pulled her into his arms. “I would never have thought to show her what could happen the way you did.” Dipping his head, he gave her a lingering kiss.
“Mmmm.” She squeezed his middle. “You are welcome. I only know what I wish my parents would do with my youngest sister.”
“Indeed.” He kissed her again, slow and deep, before tucking her head under his chin and holding her close. “I know that our children will not behave as heathens under your eye. That is a relief.” He kissed the top of her head. They remained in that attitude until they heard footsteps in the hall, separating just before Lady Winthrop opened the door, knocking as she did so.
“Here you are! Darcy, your housekeeper was kind enough to give me a tour of your home while Elizabeth spoke to your sister. It is beautiful.”
“Thank you; my mother redecorated about a year before Georgiana was born. My father could not bear to change anything, and I have simply not had the time or desire to do it myself.” He looked to his betrothed. “Perhaps you might like to do it?”
“Honestly, no. I love your home just the way it is. It is so elegant and understated. I adore it, truly. I would not change a thing.”
Darcy smiled. “Thank you. I love it as well, but if you change your mind, even if it is just your private rooms, feel free to do whatever you wish with it.”
“I shall. Perhaps I will turn the drawing room into a Grecian temple and insist that all who enter wear white robes and ivy crowns,” she replied archly, causing her companions to laugh.
~~~***~~~
In the following days, Elizabeth, Darcy, and his cousin Richard interviewed many applicants for the position of companion to Georgiana. Eventually, they chose an older lady, a gentlewoman whose husband had left her a small competency but who desired to be of use to someone. She was kind but did not tolerate nonsense. Mrs. Annesley would prove to be valuable to helping Georgiana mature.
Mary remained at Winthrop House with her sister as Elizabeth prepared for her wedding. While she had originally been unimpressed with Georgiana Darcy, after their visits to the workhouse and Foundling’s Hospital, she found the girl to be much altered. While still impulsive and often thoughtless, Georgiana no longer decried lessons and music practice as “boring,” instead throwing herself into both as a way to keep herself occupied. The two young ladies found much common ground, and became good friends. During the day, they were inseparable, and if they were not both at Winthrop House, they were at either Darcy House or the Matlocks’. Mary became Georgiana’s example of proper behavior, and Georgiana became Mary’s model of serenity without severity.
Chapter 11
The day of Elizabeth’s wedding dawned clear and warm. Up early, as usual, she was eager for the day to begin. She spent the first hour or two in quiet contemplation. She would rather have been out walking, but this was London, not Hertfordshire, and she could not walk unattended, nor as briskly as she wished. Instead, she imagined what her life as a wife would be like, and marveled at finding a gentleman who matched her so well. Elizabeth had not said those three little words—I love you—yet to her betrothed, but she felt them. Every time she saw his handsome form walk into the room, she thought them, and every time he touched or kissed her, she felt them. Today, she thought. Today, when I speak my vows, he will hear the words and know I mean them.
Not long after, her maid knocked on the door to announce her bath was ready, and almost before she knew it, her godfather was handing her down from the carriage, outside of the church where her betrothed waited.
Darcy was waiting at the head of the church, his cousin at his side. He had prepared for the day, the most important day of his life so far, with an eagerness his valet had not often seen. He had never imagined, mere weeks ago when he argued with his uncle, that he would find a woman as perfect for him as Elizabeth. He had fallen hard and fast, and while in the past he would have laughed at one of his friends had it happened to them, he could now testify that it was possible. Within just a few hours, he would be bound for the rest of his life to a gentlewoman of sense and intelligence to match the beauty of her eyes and form, and he could not be happier.
Standing at the altar in the front of the church, Darcy was enraptured with Elizabeth’s beauty as she walked toward him. He had not, in the weeks of their betrothal, spoken words of love to her, despite their increasingly passionate kisses. Today, as he recited his vows to her, she would hear them for the first time, and he intended to do so in a way that left her in no doubt that he meant them.
Staring into each other’s eyes, they followed the ceremony without thought, responding correctly when required, but completely enthralled with each other. Every person in attendance noticed the emphasis on the words “to love” that they spoke, and the joy that appeared on their faces as each realized what the other had said. The atmosphere of the building, already reverent given that it was a church, quickly became one of happiness as the witnesses realized the significance of the statements, as well as the looks that passed between the couple. When the bishop conducting the service pronounced them man and wife, a great cheer went up, and, following the signing of the register, many congratulations were offered.
After the ceremony, the wedding breakfast was held at Winthrop House. The newly minted Darcys rode in his carriage, and a large part of the trip from church to townhouse was spent kissing. They had never been left alone so long before, and they made the most of the opportunity.
Realizing they were getting close to their destination, the couple stopped their activity to catch their breath.
&n
bsp; “Mrs. Darcy. How well that sounds! I want you to know,” he began as he looked deep into her eyes, “that I meant every word of my vows. I have fallen in love with you. I love you, and never wish to be parted from you.”
Elizabeth smiled into his eyes. “I meant mine, as well. You are everything I ever wanted in a husband. I love you.”
They shared one more slow, sweet kiss before the carriage stopped in front of Winthrop House and the groom opened the door.
~~~***~~~
After a suitable honeymoon, the Darcys returned to London to retrieve their sisters: Mary from her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner’s home, where she had been staying since the wedding, and Georgiana from Matlock House. The separation had been difficult for the girls, having spent so much time together in the fortnight previous. Their joy at being reunited was great. Georgiana learned, as she spent more and more time with her new sisters, a better way of having fun. She matured into a beautiful woman, and when she came out two years later, convinced Mary to have a season with her. Both came away with offers of marriage, Mary to a Viscount whose father’s estate was fifty miles from Pemberley, and Georgiana to a Duke, who had inherited his father’s estate the year before. She moved to Staffordshire with her new husband, but visited Derbyshire as often as she could.
On the night before their double wedding, Mary and Georgiana stayed up later than they probably should have, talking about their lives before and after they met.
“I thought you very starchy when we first met, you know,” teased Georgiana.
Mary laughed. “I am certain I was! You must remember, though, that I was largely ignored as I grew up. If it were not for Elizabeth’s attention, I should not have had any. I am quite certain I would have been insufferable without her.”
