“I would not have thought it possible, Jane, that you could appear so totally unscathed this morning after all you went through yesterday. More to the point, how do you feel?”
“My complaints are not worth mentioning, nothing I regard at all when I hold those two little darlings in my arms. I cannot describe the feeling, Lizzy; ‘tis too much for words. How shall I bear such happiness?”
“And who deserves it more than you and Bingley, I should like to know? Besides, I am convinced that the twins are the lucky ones, to have such parents. You will indeed have your hands full, though.”
“I am sure to have all the help I could possibly want. Our mother will see to that. She has insisted all along that we hire a nurse for the baby. Now that there are two, I find I must agree with her.”
“How long is Mama staying?”
“For a month she says, although I doubt it will be as long as that. I think it very likely the sound of two babies crying will soon wear upon her nerves, and she will cut short her visit.”
“Indeed, it is a wonder to me that she was able to manage at all with the five of us girls in the house. Of course, then she had no choice and now she does. I think you are correct, Jane. Mama may well decide that the greater felicity is to be found in boasting to her friends about her grandchildren from a safe distance. And Kitty, does she return to Longbourn with her?”
“Yes, though I shall be sorry to see her go. She has been good company for me these last weeks. Still, she has been away from home for a long time now. I believe she misses Papa, Mary, and all her friends.”
“She shall have her visit home, then, and we can collect her on our return from London if she pleases. I daresay we will stop in Hertfordshire in any case.”
Day by day, Jane steadily regained her strength and spent more time out of bed and downstairs with the others. Little Frances Jane and Charles Emerson, as they were soon christened, made multiple appearances as well, to the delight of all their family. They were passed from mother to grandmother to aunt to father and back again. Even Mr. Darcy, despite his initial protestations, relented and took a turn holding his niece and nephew.
After five days at Heatheridge, the Darcys took leave with the promise to visit again as soon as they returned from London. They might have stayed longer but for the fact that other house guests were presently expected – Mr. and Mrs. Wickham – and on no account did Mr. Darcy wish to keep company with his old adversary.
~*~
Georgiana welcomed her brother and sister-in-law back to Pemberley, affecting a cheerful air as she inquired about events at Heatheridge. “A boy and a girl, you said in your message. Now, do tell me the rest.”
Elizabeth, observing the drawn appearance of her countenance, instead asked, “Are you quite well, Georgiana? You look tired.”
“Oh, yes, I am very well.”
“No, Elizabeth is correct,” said Darcy. “Your color is off; you have been ill. I can always tell.”
“It is nothing, really – only a headache this morning, which has passed. Now, tell me about the Bingleys’ twins. I must know all,” Georgiana insisted.
Somewhat reassured, Elizabeth complied. “Well, I am no expert on babies, but to me they seem quite perfect in every way. The nurse pronounced them healthy, and I declare that they will grow up to look just like their parents; little Charles is the image of his father and Frances favors Jane. Do you not think so, Darcy?”
“I can give you no account of it,” he said dismissively. “How one can remark a resemblance between a newly born infant and any adult is beyond my comprehension. Apparently, it requires a livelier imagination than I possess.”
“Your brother, Georgiana, pretends to have little interest in infants of any description. However, you would not have thought so had you seen the charming picture he made holding his niece and nephew.” This brought a chastening glare from her husband. “Nevertheless, I do not know when I have ever seen two people more thrilled to be parents, and more suited to the role, than Jane and Mr. Bingley.”
“Is Jane recovering well?” asked Georgiana.
“Amazingly well,” Elizabeth answered. “After what she went through, I was surprised to see so little lasting effect. The nurse says if no fever develops within the week, there is nothing more to fear.”
“And then we can set off for London,” concluded Darcy. “Have you managed to work up any enthusiasm for our trip to town yet, Georgiana?”
“I hardly know. One day I am quite convinced that I never wish to leave Pemberley, and the next I am desperate to be off.” Georgiana stopped herself with a little gasp, dropped her eyes, and colored. “How silly of me,” she added with a nervous laugh. “I really cannot imagine why I said such a thing. Please forgive my nonsense. As for London, I promise to go and make the best of it.”
“Hmm,” said Darcy, closely regarding his sister. “I suppose we shall have to be content with that reply for now, and trust the diversions of London to win you over once we arrive.”
Elizabeth wondered at Georgiana’s odd statement. What could she mean by it? Perfect composure was not yet to be expected; the girl could hardly have recovered from her deep disappointment over Fitzwilliam so soon. Still, this restlessness and caprice was something new and out of character. Elizabeth sought a better explanation later in private but was soundly rebuffed. Georgiana insisted nothing was amiss, and asked that her sister kindly stop troubling herself over meaningless remarks. Elizabeth was thus left to hope, like her husband, that the young lady’s outlook would be improved by the upcoming amusements in town.
Preparations for their leaving began at once. When another week passed and they heard from Jane that all was well at Heatheridge, the Darcys felt they could be off with no more worries on that head. As there would be an extra seat in the carriage, a note was dispatched offering the use of it to Mrs. Collins, who readily accepted in order that she might visit her family in Hertfordshire.
The day before their departure, a message arrived for Mr. Darcy. He examined the note without comment, but Elizabeth could read on his face the displeasure it engendered. “What is it?” she asked him.
“This? Oh, nothing of significance,” he answered, hurling the offending scrap of paper into the fire. “Only a trifling bit of business that I must see to before quitting Pemberley. A blasted nuisance, but it cannot be helped.”
He had his horse saddled immediately after dinner, and rode out with no further explanation. When he returned an hour later, his mood appeared darker than before, yet he once again declined to discuss the matter with his wife. Elizabeth did not press him. She had become accustomed to the fact that Darcy preferred to shield her from the more unpleasant aspects of business. By morning, his spirits had rebounded somewhat, and no more was said about the incident.
According to prior arrangement, Mr. Sanditon brought Charlotte to Pemberley quite early to share a hearty breakfast with the Darcys before the travelers departed. Upon entering, Charlotte commenced to thank her benefactors for the kindness of conveying her to Hertfordshire.
“Say nothing of it,” Mr. Darcy insisted. “The seat would have been vacant and gone to waste otherwise.”
“How long do you anticipate being in town, sir?” Mr. Sanditon asked.
“At least a month, I expect.”
“I know many people hold the London season as something not to be missed,” continued Mr. Sanditon, “but I confess, I cannot fathom the attraction. I much prefer the quiet of a country life. Do not you agree, Miss Darcy?”
Georgiana only blushed and stammered at his unexpected question.
Her brother came to her rescue. “I believe all three of us prefer the country for the most part. Still, an occasional trip to town provides welcome variety. Business requires me to go in any event, and I shall be very glad for such agreeable company.”
“Then all that is left for me to do is wish you a safe journey and an enjoyable stay. Meanwhile, I shall dearly miss your society here. Now that I have become acc
ustomed to it, I shall not gladly return to my old reclusive ways. London’s gain is my loss.”
After breakfast, they made their way to the awaiting carriage. Mr. Sanditon escorted Georgiana and took her aside for a few parting words before handing her into the coach. When the four were comfortably settled – Mr. and Mrs. Darcy on one side and the other two ladies across from them – the carriage got underway.
As the long journey stretched out before them, Elizabeth grew increasingly grateful for Charlotte’s companionship. Darcy still suffered some lingering petulance from the night before, and Georgiana was not in the best of spirits either. They both largely resisted Elizabeth’s attempts to engage them in conversation, and spent the greater share of their time staring out the windows at the rain. Whilst mile after mile rolled by, Charlotte provided the only relief to what might otherwise have been tedious hours of silence.
At the inn where they broke their journey that night, Elizabeth made no attempt to speak to her husband about his ill humor. Experience had taught her that when Darcy brooded over some difficulty, repeated inquiries were neither welcome nor helpful. He must work through the problem in his own way. Her best course was to stand clear until the disturbance passed.
By the time they left the inn the next morning, things were looking brighter in all respects. The dismal weather had cleared, and with it had apparently gone Darcy’s sullenness and Georgiana’s unsociability. Whatever troubles they carried with them from Pemberley now seemed left far behind. The focus of conversation shifted to the prospect ahead and the anticipated pleasures awaiting each of them at their destinations.
Upon reaching Hertfordshire, they first went to Lucas Lodge to deliver Charlotte to her family, and, after accepting an hour’s hospitality there, proceeded on to Longbourn. With Mrs. Bennet and Kitty still at Heatheridge, the three Darcys anticipated finding only Mr. Bennet and Mary at home. The visit had not been prearranged, Elizabeth deciding that it would be great fun to arrive unannounced instead. Mary noticed their approach and alerted her father and the housekeeper, Mrs. Hill. By the time the Darcy’s carriage came to a stop, the welcoming party was fully assembled.
“Well, well, what a congenial surprise this is!” said Mr. Bennet in high spirits. “I see you have taken a page from my book, Lizzy, coming when I did not expect you. Miss Darcy, I am delighted to see you again. And Mr. Darcy, you are always very welcome. Pray, come in. Come in and rest yourselves. You must be tired from your journey.”
“So you are surprised then, Papa.” said Elizabeth, taking his arm and giving him a kiss on the cheek. “I thought perhaps Mama might have written that we were bound for London, and you would be more or less expecting us to stop as we passed by.”
“Not at all. If I am to rely on the evidence held forth in her letters, I must conclude that your mother has completely forgotten your existence, my dear child, along with most everything else. For now at least, there is no room in her head for any topic other than Jane’s twins. I fear you will have to do something quite spectacular, Lizzy, if you are to recapture her attention.”
“I have no desire to do any such thing,” replied Elizabeth. “Let Mama devote herself to Jane and her twins. I shall not find her neglect too much hardship to bear, I assure you.”
Chapter 16
The Season
Rather than pressing on to London as planned, the Darcys allowed themselves to be persuaded into staying the night at Longbourn.
“You must take pity on an old man who is sadly starved for good conversation,” said Mr. Bennet in the cause. “Fresh company and original ideas are what I require. Sir William Lucas and I have long since grown weary of each other’s threadbare stories, and I must confess that I often find your sister Mary’s discourse unpalatable. It contains too much of the didactic for regular consumption, especially since I have quite given up any hopes of self-reform.”
The evening passed pleasurably for all concerned. Mary and Georgiana entertained each other with their common love of music, taking turns at the spinet, while the other three gathered for the bright conversation Mr. Bennet so much craved.
With the promise to stop again at Longbourn on the return trip in a few weeks’ time, the Darcys said their farewells early the next day. An easy morning’s drive took them to their residence in town, where the household staff assembled to welcome them before they could exit the carriage. The look-out had been on in earnest, the family’s arrival having been expected since the previous afternoon.
Once inside, a glance about themselves and inquiries made of the butler confirmed that everything was in good order. The servants that had been sent on ahead from Pemberley were safely arrived, and the trunks, which had come by the same conveyance, were already unpacked into the appropriate rooms.
After greeting the staff, Georgiana went up to her apartment to get settled. Darcy and Elizabeth lingered downstairs only long enough to check for cards and letters that had arrived in advance of them.
“The Applewhites have called,” Elizabeth observed to her husband.
“So, they are back from their tour on the continent. Good. Their society is always agreeable, and I daresay that, with the least bit of encouragement, Applewhite will consent to regale us with creative accounts of their adventures abroad. One can only believe half of what he says, of course, but his embellishments do make the stories that much more entertaining.”
“True,” Elizabeth said with a laugh. “I never tire of listening to his standard yarns, and now he must have many new diverting tales to tell. Oh look, here is a letter from Jane. I had not expected to hear from her so soon. I hope this does not signify something amiss,” she said breaking open the seal at once.
“What does it say? Are they well?” Darcy asked.
Elizabeth quickly surveyed the missive. “Yes, yes, she says we are not to be alarmed for they are all in excellent health. It looks as if she has written chiefly to alert us to the possibility that we may chance to meet Wickham here in town. She writes, ‘Mr. Wickham and Lydia had been with us only a week when he announced that he had urgent business in town, and promptly set off for London without further explanation.’ How unlucky! Still, I doubt that we shall cross paths with him; London is a big place and we move in such different circles.”
“I agree that a chance meeting is improbable. It is far more likely he will go out of his way to impose himself on us in some fashion. It certainly would not be the first time,” Darcy said, glowering. “I believe he would stoop to any manner of mischief if he thought it worth his while. Just to be prudent, you and Georgiana must not go out alone as long as he is in town.”
“Of course, if you think such precautions necessary, my love,” said Elizabeth, a little puzzled. “I hope in this case you are wrong, however. In any event, let us not spoil our first night in town by thinking anything more about that odious man.”
The subsequent days passed without incident, and nothing more was said on the subject of Mr. Wickham. Mr. Darcy had set about tending to his business affairs without delay, dispatching them as expeditiously as possible in order to be free for less serious occupations during the remainder of their stay. Always with a footman’s escort, Elizabeth and Georgiana also ventured forth on various and sundry errands – shopping as well as making the rounds of their acquaintances. They paid calls and left cards alerting their friends to their presence in town. Darcy posted a note to his aunt at Rosings Park informing her of the same.
Soon invitations began arriving for private balls and parties. These Mr. Darcy scrutinized and discussed with his wife, ultimately accepting many more than he might have done according to his own inclination. He knew that a month or two in London would afford his sister greater scope for social intercourse than any other circumstances imaginable. In these few weeks, she would rub shoulders with more of her equals, including suitable young men, than she would likely come across in five years time in the country. Thus, despite his personal distaste for the “marriage market” atmosphere of these gath
erings, he allowed it to be a necessary evil.
Elizabeth, contrariwise, anticipated more personal enjoyment from their busy social calendar. Though perfectly satisfied with country life in general, she was not at all averse to dancing and being out in company when the occasion presented itself. She intended to take full advantage of this chance to indulge those tastes, since her expectant condition was still so easily concealed. Such another opportunity might never occur. Once they had children, Elizabeth thought it doubtful that they would ever spend so much time in town again.
After two weeks in London, the Darcys had hosted one dinner party and attended three others in addition to a ball, two concerts, a soiree and the opera. Considered a very modest pace of activity compared to some, it was quite enough commotion to satisfy them.
This particular night, they were to attend another ball. Elizabeth went into Georgiana’s room to see if she needed any last minute assistance. “You look lovely, my dear. I daresay you will have many admirers again tonight, and hardly a minute to rest between dances,” she told the girl. “How are you enjoying town so far? Now that you have had time to sample the delights the season has to offer, I hope you are not sorry we came.”
“No, not at all. I think the change has done me good. Being kept so occupied every day leaves me very little time to dwell on … on other matters.”
“I think you are wise to enter into the spirit of things as much as possible, Georgiana. Who can say what may come of it? You may yet meet someone, even tonight perhaps, who will make you forget your cares more permanently. Anything can happen at a ball, you know.”
Despite her optimistic words, Elizabeth saw no sign of any such revolution in Georgiana’s situation that night. Her young sister continued to attract more than her share of attention. However, although she smiled politely and danced with each gentleman in his turn, she showed no serious interest in any of them. Henry Heywood was the only one to claim more than a passing notice from Georgiana. Mr. Heywood, along with his sister Andrea, frequently appeared at the same social events, and he never failed to promote himself as one of Georgiana’s most ardent admirers.
The Darcys of Pemberley Page 12
