Mr. Darcy's Little Sister (2 page)

My dear Miss Darcy,—

I thank you for your kind letter of welcome to your family. I consider the opportunity to know you better as not the least of my sources of happiness upon my engagement to your brother, and I look forwards with pleasure to the time when we will all be together at Pemberley. As your brother will undoubtedly tell you in his letter, we are planning the wedding for the nineteenth of October, which will give us somewhat less than four more weeks to finish planning for the occasion. We will have a double wedding with my dear sister Jane and Mr. Bingley, whom I know you have met. I look forwards with great anticipation also to introducing you to Jane, as I believe you will find in her a true friend, as I always have. I must close now, as your brother is eyeing my pen and paper with impatience; his letter to you is already finished and he is eager to post these.—With my best affection, your sister,

Elizabeth Bennet

“So, Miss Darcy, was Miss Elizabeth angry and affronted at your letter of congratulation?” Mrs. Annesley asked, gently teasing her as she collected their final possessions upstairs.

Georgiana smiled, but relief flooded through her. “Of course not. She writes a lovely note.”

She picked up the other letter and opened it quickly. Her brother’s letter consisted of several pages covered with his small, even handwriting. After a quick perusal, she gave a sigh of satisfaction.

“Good news, my dear?” Mrs. Annesley enquired, looking up from the embroidery she was packing.

“Indeed it is. My letter apparently arrived after he had seen the colonel off, and he added a few lines at the end in acknowledgement before posting his. My brother and Mr. Bingley have been discussing a trip to London to finalise their wedding plans, and he believes that Mr. Bennet will approve his idea to include the Misses Bennet in the party. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner live in London, and it will be more convenient for the young ladies to be in town with their aunt to order their trousseaux.” She frowned slightly as she read further. “My brother has not told Miss Elizabeth that I am coming. He thinks it will be a pleasant surprise for her. I hope he is correct in that assumption.” She chewed her lower lip.

“My dear Miss Darcy, you must not chew your lip.” Mrs. Annesley patted her shoulder gently.

Georgiana stopped, her face flushed. “I am sorry; I know it is childish. I will try to control myself.”

Mrs. Annesley patted her hand. “Will your brother wish for you to have a new gown made for the wedding while you are in town?”

“I would suppose so, although he did not mention it. You know my brother; anything in the world I could possibly want is mine in an instant.” She smiled softly and then darted a complacent look at her companion as she added, “However, I suspect he has more interesting things to think about now than a gown for me.”

***

The carriage was finally loaded and the two ladies set off by nine o’clock, with the colonel following them on his horse. Georgiana sat back and made herself comfortable for the beginning of the three-day journey to Hertfordshire. Mrs. Annesley, dear woman, would most likely doze during much of the trip as the rhythm of the hoofbeats and the swaying of the coach frequently lulled her to slumber, and Georgiana would have many hours to prepare herself to meet all of her new friends and relations. This time was necessary, as the idea of adjusting her thoughts and manner to so many new personalities so she could converse easily and without embarrassment was daunting.

She and Mrs. Annesley had been alone together for much of the past year since her idiocy over Wickham. She thanked God that she had retained enough intelligence to confess their plans to elope to her brother when he had appeared unexpectedly at Ramsgate. When her brother had revealed to her the depths of Wickham’s perfidy towards their family and his innumerable instances of misbehaviour (and she was sure that the tales of gambling and drunkenness were only the tiniest tip of a mountain of misdeeds that her dear brother had thought unsuitable for her ears), she had been shaken to the core of her being. The most upsetting aspect to Georgiana’s feelings was her brother’s condemnation of his own actions in caring for her, accusing himself of the grossest neglect and irresponsibility in her upbringing. Colonel Fitzwilliam had shown a more reasonable concern; he was worried about her feelings towards the man who had insinuated himself into her heart to the point where she had considered defying the teachings of a lifetime to enter an unsanctioned marriage, but he had not wasted his breath in self-recriminations.

The thought of what she had nearly done still gave her gooseflesh. Romantic nonsense from an accomplished schemer—and one that she had known from childhood experience was untrustworthy—had nearly overthrown her sense completely. She was still astonished that he had been able to make her forget his practised falsehoods and schemes to put her brother wrong in his father’s eyes during their youth. And their father had always fallen for his wide-eyed innocence, excusing his lies as mistakes or misunderstandings. It was only her father’s knowledge of her brother’s character which had saved the elder Mr. Darcy from punishing his innocent son. Georgiana, the much younger child who was barred by her age and sex from their activities, was always a silent observer, effacing herself and following the boys without their knowledge in order to be a part of their games, if only on the periphery. Wickham had not been able to hide his deceits from her sharp eyes then, yet the passage of years had temporarily erased those observations when he had appeared, tall and handsome, at Ramsgate. How easily he had convinced her of his change of heart and mind.

She shivered and drew her shawl around her shoulders. The carriage was cold, but the chill of her past errors was far more frigid. Her brother had not mentioned the affair in the year since Wickham had decamped from Ramsgate. She did not know if her brother had told anyone, other than the colonel, about the near disaster, but she thought not. He would, she knew, protect her person and her reputation with his life, if need be. Her dear brother. She hoped that Miss Elizabeth Bennet would cherish his noble heart and forgive him the stolid reticence and solemnity which marked his public face.

Her companion awoke, and the rest of the day was spent discussing the wedding and what Georgiana should wear to it.

***

As the dusk gathered over the autumnal landscape, the carriage slowed and turned into the courtyard of the inn where they usually stopped when travelling to town. Mrs. Annesley stirred from the quietude which had fallen over them in the last few minutes of the day, and they began gathering their wraps and accoutrements. While settling in and during their dinner, Georgiana was kept from her morbid preoccupation with the Wickham incident and her fears for the future by the colonel’s lively conversation about London and family. Her preparations for the night then occupied her mind for a few minutes longer, but after the candle was snuffed she lay awake for several hours speculating about the Bennet family and how they would receive her.

An unlessoned girl, unschooled, unpractisèd,

Happy in this, she is not yet so old

But she may learn.

—William Shakespeare,
The Merchant of Venice

The next two days of travel went swiftly by and, too soon for Georgiana’s peace of mind, the carriage pulled up on the gravel sweep before Netherfield Hall. Georgiana received her brother’s embrace and kiss on the cheek as she always did, but she kept her arms around him for a moment longer than usual and, while the colonel was greeting Mr. Bingley, she whispered in his ear:

“I am so happy for you, my dear brother.”

“Thank you, Georgiana.”

He smiled down at her and kept his arm around her shoulders as they mounted the steps to Netherfield.

“We are dining here tonight, my sweet. Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth Bennet are joining us. I thought it would be easier for you to make Miss Bennet’s acquaintance and renew that of Miss Elizabeth at an intimate dinner before you meet the rest of the Bennet family. They have a very lively household compared to the solitude of Pemberley and I did not want the experience to be overwhelming for you, as it was for me the first time I was a guest at Longbourn!” He gave her a crooked smile, and she was not sure if he was making a jest or trying to make her feel less of a mindless oaf. She could not imagine her mature and faultless brother overcome by a family dinner. He continued, not noticing her confusion, “We will be leaving in the morning for London as we have some pressing business to take care of before the wedding, so it may be a few days before you meet the rest of the Bennets.”

She looked up at him and managed a smile. “Thank you for making things easier for me. I hope that Miss Elizabeth Bennet will be as pleased to see me as you anticipate.”

“I have no doubts at all on that score, my angel.” His smile was encouraging.

“Well, that is all right, then,” she answered with more confidence than she felt. “What is Miss Bennet like?”

“She is very beautiful and gentle and kind.”

Mr. Bingley finished giving instructions for the luggage and rejoined them as Mr. Darcy raised his voice slightly and said, “…and Bingley is the most amazingly lucky man on earth to have won her heart. I cannot imagine what Miss Bennet sees in him.”

Georgiana smiled tentatively, although her brows raised in surprise at her brother’s teasing of his friend, while Bingley roared with laughter and cuffed Darcy on the shoulder. “You will pay for that Darcy, my lad; you will pay.” He turned to Georgiana and bowed. “However, Miss Darcy, he is quite right about my very good luck. Welcome to Netherfield. I hope you had an uneventful trip.”

Georgiana twisted her gloves in her fingers as she answered, “It was quite uneventful, Mr. Bingley. I thank you.”

Darcy stepped in and, looking at Mrs. Annesley and his sister in turn, said, “Are you ladies tired? There is time for a rest before we all dress for dinner, if you would like.”

Mrs. Annesley smiled genially as she answered, “Miss Darcy can tell you that I have dozed for most of the past three days, but a rest still sounds delightful.” She turned to Georgiana. “Do you want to lie down for a bit, or would you prefer a cup of tea?”

“I think a rest. I-I do not always sleep well while travelling.”

Bingley added, “I would be happy to order tea upstairs for both of you and you can drink it while you relax a little.”

Mrs. Annesley paused for a few seconds, looking expectantly at Georgiana before she turned to Mr. Bingley and said, “That would be lovely, Mr. Bingley, thank you.”

Georgiana added a nearly inaudible “Thank you” as she fumbled with the fastenings of her bonnet and cloak and gave them to the waiting footman.

When the housekeeper showed them to their shared sitting-room, Georgiana went straight into her bedroom and threw herself down on her bed with a frown. Why could she not find the words for even the simplest of conversations? One would think she was mentally deficient the way she fumbled through the most routine words. Her brother must find her a terrible embarrassment, in spite of his obvious affection. “How in the world will you survive your presentation?” she asked herself scornfully. “And dinner tonight? The Misses Bennet will think I am the clumsiest dullard on earth.” She blinked away a few tears of frustration and realised that she was very tired. She would be better able to survive tonight’s dinner if she could rest. She drew the coverlet up to her shoulders and closed her eyes.

***

Downstairs, the colonel found Darcy in the library, where he was putting away a book, and said:

“I thought I should share a few things with you, out of Georgiana’s hearing.”

Darcy raised his right brow in a wary look and sank into one of the leather reading chairs. “Is she having a problem of some sort?”

“Well… she seems to be very unequal in her spirits. She took me up quite sharply a couple of times while we were still at Pemberley, and I have never seen her like this. Mrs. Annesley says that she is very nervous about meeting the Bennets, but even more so about her presentation and coming-out. I am afraid that I was left with my mouth hanging open like a beached fish the first time it happened. Mrs. Annesley suggested that she have Georgiana apologise, but I did not wish to give the episode too much importance. She
will
have a great many demands upon her in the next year.”

Darcy tapped his fingers upon the desk and mused for a moment.

“She seemed happy to be here when they arrived, and her letter to Elizabeth was welcoming and affectionate.”

“Oh, I do not think she is upset about your marriage; in fact, that seems to be the only thing which pleases her at the moment. Her source of annoyance seems primarily to be me.”

Darcy looked at his cousin in puzzlement. “You?”

“Yes. One of your neighbours from Lambton, Jonathan Walker, visited the afternoon I arrived and Georgiana seemed quite defensive about him. I do not believe I have met Walker before; he looks to be about twenty years old or so, much younger than we are.”

“Yes, his father is the squire of Lambton. I do not know the son well, but his family is quite respectable.”

“He also seems to be quite taken with Georgiana, although he showed appropriate restraint in his behaviour while he was visiting. Later, Mrs. Annesley mentioned to me that Walker had been very attentive during the summer and had, in fact, asked Georgiana to ride with him last month. Mrs. Annesley would not let her go without getting your explicit permission, and I reassured her that she had done right; it would not be proper for Miss Darcy to be riding with a young man when she is not yet out, no matter how well chaperoned. Georgiana apparently accepted Mrs. Annesley’s stricture without protest.”

Darcy nodded thoughtfully and leaned back in his chair. “Do you think that she has some affection for Walker?”

“I do not know.” He raised his hands in defeat. “Possibly she just enjoys the company and the attention of a young man. She is, after all, almost seventeen years old. I simply do not know what she is thinking. I remember when she was a little girl, seeming hardly out of the nursery, and she would stoutly announce that she would play our games, whether it was racing our horses or playing cricket behind the stables.”

Darcy laughed. “Yes, and only the sternest order from my father would dissuade her from following us. I had forgotten.”

“Then, suddenly, her childish assurance seemed to fail her and the little lion became a terrified rabbit. I swear that sometimes I think she would turn and run if even I spoke abruptly to her.” Fitzwilliam shrugged. “At any rate, I just wanted you to be aware of how unsettled her emotions have been of late.”

Darcy wearily rubbed his hand over his face. “I do not feel up to this task of being a parent to my sister, Fitzwilliam. I thank God that I do not carry this burden alone.”

“I hope Miss Elizabeth Bennet can help us understand what we should do for Georgiana. She, at least, has much experience with younger sisters.”

“Indeed she does.” Darcy finally grinned at his cousin and repeated, “Indeed she does.”

***

The Bennet sisters arrived a few minutes before dinner, and Darcy introduced the ladies.

“Georgiana, Mrs. Annesley, this is Miss Bennet. Miss Bennet, my sister Miss Darcy and her companion, Mrs. Annesley.”

Georgiana was so nervous she almost forgot to curtsey, but remembered in time to make a short bob.

Miss Bennet said, “I am very happy to meet you, Miss Darcy. I have heard many lovely things about you.” Her voice had a beautiful, light timbre which delighted the ear, and Georgiana suspected she would have an enchanting singing voice.

Georgiana blushed and stuttered, “Th-thank you. I am pleased to meet you, Miss Bennet.”

Darcy continued, “And, of course, you have already met Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”

This time Georgiana managed a creditable curtsey and murmured the phrases she had been forming during the drive from Pemberley, although she could not manage to bring her eyes up to Miss Elizabeth. “Of course. I am delighted to meet you again, Miss Elizabeth Bennet. I could not be more pleased, knowing that you are making my brother the happiest of men.” Her words tumbled out in a rush which clearly revealed their practised nature.

Elizabeth gently lifted her chin and smiled warmly at her. “Thank you, my dear. Your brother has made me very happy, too.”

She put Georgiana’s arm confidingly through hers and gave her fiancé an arch look as she said, “Now I understand all of your reticence regarding your plans this week.” She turned back to Georgiana. “Your brother has been keeping secrets from me, Miss Darcy. In addition to concealing your visit, he refuses to reveal what business takes him to London, other than a visit to his tailor. Nonetheless, I am very happy that you will be here to help us with some of the preparations for our wedding.”

They went to the drawing-room, and Elizabeth and Georgiana sat on the settee while Miss Bennet and Mrs. Annesley took chairs near them. The gentlemen looked on benignly as they made gentle conversation about the drive from Derbyshire.

The conversation flowed on through the evening until dinner passed quietly away, and Georgiana was relieved to find the Bennet sisters very easy to be with. They were attentive to her without making her feel pressured, quite unlike how she felt in the company of Mr. Bingley’s sisters, whose fawning and excessive flattery over her very ordinary accomplishments felt like a heavy weight upon her shoulders.

When the ladies withdrew from the dinner table, Miss Elizabeth asked, “Will you play for us, Miss Darcy? I have heard of your love for music and it gave me much regret that I did not have the chance to hear you play when I was in Derbyshire last summer.”

Georgiana blushed and looked down at her hands. “If you wish. I do love music, but I am certainly not a prodigy, just someone who has much time to practise.”

Elizabeth’s eyes twinkled as she said, “Well, that already puts you far above my ability. I am afraid I did not apply myself when I was young.”

Georgiana went to the pianoforte and looked through the music. “Here are some arias that I have played before, although they are not the exact arrangements I have. I could try those, if you like.”

Jane and Elizabeth smiled warmly at her and, even on such short acquaintance, Georgiana could see that Jane had a steady, serene temper which would smooth her way in life rather than pushing her headlong against obstacles. She was amused at the difference between Miss Bennet’s temperament and Mr. Bingley’s. Bingley’s temper was equable, but his personality was effervescent and he was always the centre of attention and conversation in a gathering and always the first to laugh. She considered his temper to be much the reverse of her brother’s;
his
preferred milieu was quiet conversation rather than the merriment of large, noisy parties. Miss Elizabeth was sweet and gentle, but she had a ready wit which suggested that she would hold her own in more lively entertainments. Georgiana liked both young ladies very much upon this first real meeting, but she hoped that her brother and Miss Elizabeth would suit each other after the excitement of the wedding had worn off. It was always so difficult to know if two people were really a good match for each other.

She had been playing the arias while these thoughts were churning through her mind and the distraction had allowed her to forget that she was playing for strangers. She finished the second piece, and Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth applauded, their faces showing genuine pleasure in her music.

“Will you play, Miss Elizabeth Bennet? My brother mentioned in his letter that you play and sing beautifully.”

Elizabeth gave an ironic glance at Jane. “I fear that your brother is hearing my playing with the ears of affection, but I am quite willing to play. It is only fair that we take our turns and not force you to be responsible for all the entertainment.”

Georgiana settled herself on the settee where she could see the performer and prepared to listen. Elizabeth played several traditional folk songs with simple melodies, but they were rendered very pleasing by the performer’s clear, unaffected contralto and Georgiana could easily see how her brother might be charmed. When Miss Elizabeth finished she asked her sister to join her in a duet, which she did, and Elizabeth sang the harmony to her sister’s melody. Georgiana had been correct; Miss Bennet had a very sweet natural soprano, and the two sisters’ voices blended beautifully in a plaintive song which had been popular the previous spring.

By the time the two ladies had finished their duet, the gentlemen had joined them and Georgiana had lost her apprehension over her meeting with the two Bennet sisters and could see the possibility of real friendship with both women, even if she could not yet be herself in front of them.

The guests left early so the travellers could rest after their long carriage ride, but Miss Bennet invited the Netherfield party to breakfast with them at Longbourn the next morning before they left for London, and her offer was quickly accepted by the gentlemen.

“We will see you in the morning, then, Miss Darcy,” Miss Elizabeth said with a squeeze of her hand.