Chapter 9

Georgiana’s Sitting Room

Darcy House

Later

Darcy settled down next to his sister and looked around with approval. His sister’s room reminded him, fancifully, of sitting inside a blushing rose just starting to bloom. Delicate pink wallpaper set off pale ivory lace curtains to perfection, which were currently pulled back to let in the sun. The garden outside was not prepossessing, with dry brown grass cropped close to the soil, spindly rosebushes devoid of blooms, and scraps of leaf left over from other flowers in the beds. Fortunately, the winter sun was shining enthusiastically, producing warmth and light. The candlestick had been moved from its usual spot on the side table and was replaced by a silver-framed mirror which caught the light from the sun and spread it to every corner of the room. Pink needlepoint roses decorated the ivory chair cushions, and a pleasing landscape hung on one wall.

“Oh Brother,” Georgiana said, inching a little closer. “It is so wonderful to be with you again.”

“I am very glad to be with you too, my dear,” Darcy said, putting a long arm around her. For a moment, the twosome sat and gazed into the fire, enjoying one another’s company, until finally Georgiana said, “What can you tell me about Mr. Bingley’s fiancée?”

“Her name is Jane Bennet,” Darcy began, and Georgiana hastily interpolated, “Sister of Elizabeth Bennet?”

Darcy turned a startled look on his sister, which provoked the girl to blush. “You mentioned Miss Elizabeth more than once in your letters.”

“Did I?” Darcy said, clearing his throat in some discomfort at the curious look in Georgina’s eyes. “Yes, well, Miss Jane Bennet is the eldest of the five Bennet daughters, and Miss Elizabeth is the next younger.”

“Five sisters! It must be wonderful! Do they have any brothers?”

“They do not, which is rather unfortunate as their family estate is entailed away to a distant cousin, and the ladies themselves are not well dowered.”

“Oh dear! That is very hard! In any case, Mr. Bingley is wealthy enough to support Miss Bennet and all her sisters.”

This was undeniably true, so Darcy merely nodded in response.

“When are they to be married?” she asked.

“On the twentieth of December, which is why I will return to Hertfordshire in a few days. Bingley has asked that I stand up at his wedding, and he also wishes for my advice concerning some estate business.”

This was accurate enough; Wickham, due to his predilection for running up debts and ruining women, was a concern for any diligent landowner, and Darcy was looking forward to helping Bingley rid Meryton and the surrounding areas of the man’s scurrilous presence.

“Might I come as well?” Georgiana asked timidly, and Darcy turned a surprised look on his sister. “If you do not mind,” the girl continued, looking even more nervous. “Mr. Bingley said he would be glad if I stayed at Netherfield, but if you do not wish for me to be there…”

“I always delight in spending time with you, my dear,” Darcy said, “but I did not realize – I rather thought you did not enjoy country house parties.”

“I like them well enough so long as Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst are not present, but for the last two years, they have been invited to the same places we have, and oh, it was so tiring listening to them expound at length about how wonderful their brother is. But now Mr. Bingley is engaged! I am completely safe from their hints and sly remarks!”

Darcy stared at her in dismay. “My dear sister, are you telling me that Bingley’s sisters have been pressuring you to marry their brother?”

“Not pressuring me, precisely,” Georgiana replied, her fingers playing with the fringe of her shawl, “but talking about how wonderful he is, and how much he admires me, and how wonderful it would be if the Bingleys and the Darcys were connected through the bonds of marriage. It certainly lacked subtlety.”

“My dear!” Darcy cried out and then sighed deeply. “I do apologize to you, most profoundly. I had no idea that they were saying such things! Yes, I like Bingley, but you are but sixteen years of age, and far too young…”

He trailed off and swallowed hard, and Georgiana said drearily, “I know that you do not believe I am old enough to marry, but Miss Bingley thinks otherwise. I grew so tired of it all. That is in part why…”

Darcy was nothing if not intelligent, and he said softly, “Why you, erm, accepted Wickham’s offer a few months ago? Because you had no desire to wed my friend?”

“Yes,” Georgiana admitted, her gaze now fixed on the carpet at her feet. “Miss Bingley said that you were as eager for the match as her brother, and I thought, well, if I am old enough to wed a man I do not love, then I am old enough to…”

She trailed off again, and Darcy pulled her closer to him and kissed her on the top of her head. A part of him was exasperated that she had not told him about Miss Bingley’s pointed remarks, but he knew it was not her fault, but his. She was so shy, and he was more father than brother, and they did not know each other as well as they should, given that he had been so busy with Pemberley these last years.

“My dear sister,” he said softly, “I am so very sorry. I had no idea that Bingley’s sisters were harassing you, and I ought to have spoken more freely to you on the matter. I did not realize that you believed I wished for you to marry Bingley. I do not. I wish for you to be happy, and I wish for you to marry a man who will make you happy, and I wish for you to enjoy your girlhood for a few more years. In the future, I hope if you have any such questions, you will feel free to ask me.”

“Thank you, Brother.”

The two were silent for a comfortable five minutes, and then Georgiana said, “So may I come with you to Netherfield?”

His immediate inclination was to fob her off with a spurious excuse, but he had failed her before by not being clear about his thoughts and wishes.

“I would like you to do so, very much, but the truth is that George Wickham is serving in a militia regiment stationed in Meryton, the town closest to Netherfield.”

He felt a flash of guilt at the distress on her face, but within a few seconds, she straightened her spine, and her face took on a look of determination. “I see. I can understand why you do not want me at Netherfield, with that man all too eager to ruin my reputation as revenge for his failure at Ramsgate.”

“He will not have the opportunity to do so. Bingley and I spoke at some length in the last days and have agreed that something must be done about Wickham. He will be running up debts in Meryton, which is not fair to the townspeople there.”

“What do you plan to do?” Georgiana asked.

Darcy told her.

/

Netherfield Hall

Several of the maids scurried up and down the stairs, arms full of pillows and blankets and frocks, while a footman descended ponderously, peering around the trunk in his arms. Louisa stood in the hall below, directing the traffic into and out of the east sitting room.

The subdued cornflower blue of the sitting room was a far cry from Caroline’s bright red apartments above, but the scarlet of the coverpane spread across the broad settee shone like a ruby in its more sedate surroundings. Plump white pillows were placed carefully at one end of the settee as one of the maids knelt beside the fire, building it up.

Louisa directed the footman, whose name she had not bothered to learn, where to set the trunk, and she left the servants to their business and stepped out into the main hall. She suppressed an unbecoming jump at the sight of the two eldest Bennet sisters, who were coming up from the back of the house and heading towards the front door.

“Jane! Elizabeth!” Louisa cried out. “Whatever are you doing here?”

Jane waited until a young maid had hurried out of earshot and explained, “Elizabeth and I were speaking with Mrs. Nicholls about Boxing Day.”

“Boxing Day?” Louisa replied, looking puzzled. “What does Mrs. Nicholls have to do with Boxing Day?

“It is the custom of the lady of the house to provide boxes for the servants and tenants of the estate,” Elizabeth explained, “and Mrs. Nicholls knows the names and situations of all the servants. Charles’s bailiff, Mr. Timkin, is making up a list of all the tenant farmers and their families.”

Louisa shook her head in wonder. “I know of Boxing Day, of course, but all the servants and tenants? It must be a substantial amount of work and expense to make boxes for all of them!”

“Indeed it is,” Jane said, “but we do not mind in the least. In fact, it is a great honor to assist the men, women and their families in this way. Now, may I ask what is happening in that sitting room?”

“Oh, well, Caroline is moving into it,” Louisa explained, and then her brow knit. “She, erm, it is hard for her to come up and down the stairs, you know. I realize I am not certain of … when do you and Charles expect to marry?”

“On the twentieth of December,” Jane said calmly, which provoked a look of complete shock on the woman who would soon be her sister by marriage.

“ This twentieth of December?” Mrs. Hurst asked faintly.

“Yes, this one, of course,” Elizabeth replied, one eyebrow raised. “I trust you do not object?”

Louisa looked first at Jane’s face, which was set with rare determination and then at Elizabeth, who looked genuinely fierce, and said weakly, “Of course not. It is entirely wonderful!”

/

Caroline’s Sitting Room

Netherfield

An Hour Later

“The twentieth of December?!” Caroline shrieked for the third time. “Charles must be mad! It is bad enough that he is engaged, but why is he in such a hurry? Unless, of course, Jane compromised him…”

Louisa felt herself pale at these words, and she said, “Pray do not say such a thing, Sister! I do not approve of our brother’s engagement, but Jane is a modest, refined lady, and I am certain that there was no compromise. Moreover, if you upset Charles enough, he may well cast you from Netherfield, and us with you, and then what will we do?”

“Cast us from Netherfield? Of course he would not do such a thing. He has always been a most genial and caring brother!”

“Who is shortly to be married to Jane Bennet, and while she is sweet and gentle, Elizabeth is not. If you come between Jane and Charles, I am quite confident that you will be the loser, Caroline!”

Caroline gritted her teeth at this and shifted suddenly in her chair, which sparked a jolt of pain. Tears filled her eyes, and she snapped, “I blame you for this, Louisa! I should have thought that on the one day that I was too injured to cope with Charles, you would have exerted yourself to prevent this dreadful engagement. But no, you were unwilling…”

“I think Hurst is calling me!” Louisa said unconvincingly and scurried out of the room. She would, she thought, go mad in short order if she was forced to entertain Caroline by herself.

/

Kitty’s Bedchamber

Longbourn

Night

Kitty drowsily watched the red-smoldering embers in her fireplace. A maid would be by in the morning to rebuild and light it, and in the meantime Kitty was curled quite comfortably under the layers of her many blankets and the thick quilt. She was warm and at peace and perfectly content.

Her sleepy thoughts revolved around her presents for her young Gardiner cousins. She had finished the paper dolls earlier in the day, and she intended to walk to Meryton soon to purchase toys for the boys. Perhaps a red top for the four-year-old, and a Noah’s ark with wooden pairs of animals or a set of carefully carved wooden blocks for his little two-year-old brother. The thought of the joy on their faces when they received the gifts made her smile. She always enjoyed when her young cousins came visiting. She adored their bright high voices and youthful – and sometimes outrageous – perspective on life and their simple affection. She admired their energy and stood in awe of it, though found the children overwhelming at times. How thankful she was for competent nursemaids!

Their exuberance rather reminded her of Lydia at her most boisterous. But what was acceptable, if wearing, in very small children, was less pleasing in a young lady in her mid-teens. Though Kitty was often seen with her sister, Lydia was the louder of the two of them, and sometimes Kitty found her tiring, too.

She was glad her younger sister had been busy the past few days. Normally strong-willed Lydia would drag Kitty along on misadventures, generally to Meryton to flirt with the officers. But over the last few days, Lydia had busied herself with lone pursuits closer to home, leaving Kitty in blessed peace to apply herself to her own activities.

As though summoned by Kitty’s thoughts, Lydia cracked the door open a few inches to slip through and hiss into the cold still room, “Kitty?”

“Lydia?” Kitty replied, sitting up a little and frowning into the darkness. “What is wrong?”

“Move over. It is too cold to be out of bed.”

Kitty grimaced but obediently shifted to one side of her bed. A moment later, a blast of cold air invading her pleasant nest made her shiver, but a few seconds later, the blankets covered her thoroughly again, and she felt Lydia’s warmth next to her.

“Kitty?”

“Yes?” Kitty asked wearily. She was tired and was not interested in a long conversation about officers or dresses or anything!

“I have been thinking about what you said about the officers, and you are correct. Most of them are too poor to be good husbands.”

Kitty turned her head in the darkness and squinted, but could not see her sister’s face. Was it possible that Lydia was teasing her? But no, the tone seemed genuine enough.

“They generally do not have a good income,” she agreed.

The dark shape shifted a little closer, and the younger girl said, “More than that, I absolutely require a good income in my own husband. The last few days I have been talking to Mrs. Hill, and Cook, and Coachman Jack, and asking about how much things cost. Oh Kitty – do you know how much a good horse costs? And a carriage?”

“Not really,” Kitty admitted.

“They are so expensive! And clothes; you are correct that my gowns and my hat and my gloves and my stockings and my slippers and my boots all cost at least forty pounds a year, and Mamma will only have about two hundred pounds a year in income after Father dies. That is not nearly enough for all of us to live in the manner we enjoy.”

Kitty shivered a little, not from cold but from fear. She had always been good at maths and had calculated some years previously the amount of interest that Mrs. Bennet would receive from her five thousand pound marriage portion. Lydia was right – two hundred pounds a year was not nearly enough for the six Bennet ladies.

“We do not truly need to worry about that now,” Lydia continued. “Charles is a wealthy and generous man, and we will not starve or go without clothing. But it would be best if we found wealthy husbands of our own, and the best source of such gentlemen are through Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy.”

Kitty huffed. “Mr. Bingley, yes, but surely not Mr. Darcy. He does not like us.”

There was a shift in the blankets, which she interpreted as a shrug from her sister. “Mr. Darcy is Mr. Bingley’s closest friend, so we will probably see him at least on occasion. He is very well connected, you know; I understand he has an uncle who is an earl!”

“He does not like us,” Kitty repeated.

“Well, we should do our best to make him like us, do you not think? I am certain if we pay attention, we can convince him to like us more.”

“He was rude to Lizzy.”

“Lizzy can take care of herself,” Lydia declared, yawning loudly. “I am going back to my bed now; I am tired.”

“Good night.”

“Good night, Kitty!”

Kitty suffered through another blast of cold air and then curled up once more in her blankets, her thoughts awhirl. How very strange that Lydia had given up chasing officers in favor of trying to charm Mr. Darcy. Strange and foolish, really; Mr. Darcy was not the sort of man to overlook their own connections to trade. All the same, she had no intention of discouraging her youngest sister. It would be best if the Bennet daughters were seen to be more modest and ladylike.

She turned over again and went to sleep.