Mr. Darcy's Little Sister (8 page)

“I am positive that you could have very little in common with Beatrice, Mrs. Darcy,” he said gallantly. “Besides having no resemblance to ‘my Lady Disdain,’ I have difficulty picturing you threatening one who had done a family member wrong to ‘eat his heart in the marketplace.’”

Elizabeth smiled again, this time a little thinly, and Lord Byron adroitly interpreted her look, asking, “But perhaps I am wrong and
Mrs
. Darcy also has more fire in her temperament than is visible to the eye.” He looked at her questioningly with a slight, expectant smile on his face.

Elizabeth drew back a little and answered noncommittally, “Who does not have someone in their past who sparks their ire?”

“Very true. You are a wise woman, Mrs. Darcy,” he said with an intimate smile.

Elizabeth gave him a vague nod and turned readily when Lord Cranton claimed her attention. Georgiana tensed a little, knowing that she would be the object of Byron’s attention again, but he was joining in the conversation with his host and his dinner partner. When he did turn back to her, she managed to be listening intently to the partner on her right until Byron’s attention was diverted by Elizabeth again.

Lord Byron was certainly most interesting to listen to, and his intensity made it seem that the woman he was talking to was the most fascinating woman in the world, but his eager conversation teetered upon the edges of propriety, and Georgiana was happy that she had not needed to manoeuvre further through the hazards of speaking with him. Elizabeth seemed immune to Lord Byron’s charms, and she had an amused smile on her face as she caught her husband’s eye.

All in all, Georgiana found her first foray into society to be rather an unsettling experience, although she had managed to survive the dinner table conversation without resorting to much more than smiles and nods at her partners.

As they drove home, Darcy was able to explain some of the undercurrents that Georgiana and Elizabeth had noted in the room.

“Mrs. Hatfield was watching her husband, who was two places to the left of me. He has a reputation as a lady’s man, and, well, let me just say that I would not want my wife or my sister to be left alone in his company. Poor Fitzwilliam was seated between two mothers who are notoriously eager to part with their unattractive single daughters. He probably considers himself fortunate at this moment
not
to have an inheritance or he would have had an uncomfortable evening—rather like a nice plump cow swimming in a school of piranhas.”

Georgiana laughed aloud at this picture of her cousin, and her brother smiled at her and went on:

“Cranton told me, when we had a moment alone tonight, that he was amazed at how much I had changed since university. He was happy to see that I had the sense to recognise a woman of quality, even if she did not have an inheritance to sweeten the pot, and he expressed the sentiment that the coming Season would be improved by your presence. So you have obviously made a conquest. I assured him that I fully appreciated my good fortune.” He smiled smugly down at his wife. “By the way, you have not yet said how you got on with the notorious Lord Byron.”

Elizabeth described her discomfiture at being his dinner partner, adding, “He is a talented poet, but he would be very uncomfortable to be around very much. Those gimlet eyes of his are quite disconcerting. I was rather surprised at how small he is—I somehow expected a reputed roué such as him to have a more impressive figure.” Georgiana nodded her agreement.

“The man is a menace to society in spite of his small stature and clubfoot—or, possibly, it is
because
of those characteristics. I am not surprised that you found him dismaying.”

Elizabeth glanced at Georgiana. “I have met other menaces to society; in fact I am now related to one, as you know. The main difference between the two of them is that Lord Byron has a title and money to buy his way out of trouble, while Wickham has nothing but his looks and his lying tongue,” she said with a sniff, which caused Darcy to chuckle as they climbed the stairs to their room.

Georgiana went stiff at the mention of Wickham. Elizabeth was related to Wickham? Why had she not heard of this before? She suddenly remembered that Elizabeth had another sister; one who was no longer at home and had barely been mentioned while she was in Hertfordshire. After a moment’s thought she realised that her brother had probably not wanted to remind her of Wickham and Elizabeth undoubtedly assumed that she knew. She spent a sleepless night wondering what Elizabeth would think of her when she found out.

***

The next morning she appeared at breakfast with pale cheeks and smudged eyes. Elizabeth was alone in the breakfast-parlour and Georgiana asked, “Where is my brother?”

“He had some business to take care of before we leave for Pemberley.”

“Oh… Elizabeth, there is something I want to tell you. The conversation last night made me think of it. I-I do not wish for there to be secrets between us.” She took a deep breath and then continued, fingering and repositioning her cutlery as she spoke. “I do not know what my brother has told you, but about a year and a half ago I was convinced by a young man of our acquaintance to elope. I thought that he loved me, but he was only trying to punish my brother for not giving him money, and he wanted my fortune. Fortunately, my brother discovered the plan and saved me from a terrible mistake, but… but since that time I feel that I cannot trust others. I feel that all of the young men that I meet are interested only in my fortune and I cannot believe their protestations of regard. I cannot believe that they are truly interested in a girl without beauty or grace, whose only charm is a large fortune and that is part of the reason I feel so uncomfortable in society.”

Elizabeth gently embraced her sister and said, “You are very wrong if you think that you are either of those things, my dear sister. You are very attractive, and although I have not seen you dance, I can see that you move elegantly and well; so do not tell me that you are graceless. Your beauty, though, is a quiet beauty; not the bold sort which stops conversation when its possessor enters the room. Frankly, there are very few women who can do that, and those that do are not necessarily the women with the most handsome features in the room, but they feel beautiful and confident of themselves and that confidence affects their smile, their walk, and their conversation. The most important part of a woman’s beauty is in her mind. I suspect that when you realise your powers you will be a woman to contend with; you have the brain, the talent, and the education to fascinate any gentleman you wish to. It all depends on you and whether you choose to be a lady’s slipper hiding under the woodland foliage and only revealing your exquisite beauty to those who search for you or you decide to be a rose in the garden, intoxicatingly fragrant and impossible to overlook.”

Georgiana giggled nervously at this picture, and Elizabeth laughed with her.

“Enough, I do not want to swell your head—I prefer it as it is. And… as far as Mr. Wickham goes, I know far more about him than you can possibly imagine, since he is married to my youngest sister.”

“I-I did not know, but I wondered last night. I do not want to criticise your brother-in-law…”

“Do not be concerned about my feelings in this matter.” Elizabeth flicked her fingers, as if waving Wickham away. “I have no great love for him. During the early months of our acquaintance he told innumerable lies about the entire Darcy family, which I believed implicitly until I became better acquainted with your brother and learnt the truth. It was humiliating to learn how easily I could be taken in about someone’s character. I thought that I was so clever at assessing people’s true nature. I know too, dear Georgiana, that
you
were the one who told your brother what Wickham was planning, so you saved yourself by your honesty with him.

“You need not be ashamed that you could not detect the insincerity of such a practised rogue, and you also need not be reticent about discussing him with me, if you have something you wish to say. I know that your brother does not like to remind you of that time and he is very backwards about advertising his own good qualities, so perhaps you do not realise that my sister eloped with Wickham, but he had no intention of marrying a girl without a dowry. Only your brother’s intervention saved my sister’s reputation and, at the same time, my entire family’s good name. No, no, you need not be concerned about blackening Wickham’s name with me. I am only too happy to be relieved of his company.”

Georgiana embraced her and sighed. “I feel much better now that we have this understanding between us. I did not like feeling that I was hiding something from you that might make you think less of me.”

***

They had invited the Gardiners to dine the last evening they were in town, and Georgiana was pleased to see them again. The elder Gardiners had such courteous manners that even she was not intimidated by their attention. At least not much. All of the Gardiners would be coming to Pemberley for Christmas, and Georgiana had heard Elizabeth and Jane making complicated plans so that they could both see the most congenial of their relations, without subjecting their husbands and Georgiana to the peculiarities of the others. Georgiana was pleased to realise that Mr. and Mrs. Collins were not included in their plans. She had seen quite enough of her aunt’s pet rector while in Hertfordshire.

Where’er I roam, whatever realms to see,

My heart untravelled fondly turns to thee.

—Oliver Goldsmith, “The Traveller”

As they rode in the carriage on the long highway that curved northwards towards Derbyshire, bundled into cloaks and gloves with their feet warmed by heated bricks, the travellers discussed Pemberley. Once they had settled in, Elizabeth would have to begin learning to be the Lady of the Manor (Georgiana could not avoid thinking of it with capital letters). Elizabeth picked up the thread of a previous conversation and said, “My sister Jane and I both have some experience managing a household, because my mother’s frequent ill health required that we sometimes take up her responsibilities, but up until now I have never had the superintendence of a large household of servants. I admit that I find the prospect rather daunting.”

“You will have many things to learn, I grant you,” Darcy replied, “but I think Mrs. Reynolds will turn out to be your greatest friend in that process. I have a suspicion that Burton has been sending Smithfield reports all along, and it is clear that you have won him over. If it were not for his high regard for the dignity of his office, I am sure he would have been clucking like a proud hen over her chicks this entire week.”

Georgiana agreed. “Mrs. Reynolds has longed for a mistress for many years. I do not believe that she will try to usurp your authority, and
I
certainly will not. I am quite happy to leave the duties to you, my dear sister.”

The two young women smiled at each other.

***

When they finally reached Pemberley after three days of driving, they were all ready to remove from the carriage. Even with the unhurried pace and the almost voluptuous comfort of the Darcy carriage, the journey began to take a toll after those three days. When Georgiana had last driven through Derbyshire, there had still been leaves on the trees, but now they were barren skeletons and the chill of coming winter was in the air. Still, it was wonderful to see the beautiful, rugged country that was her home.

As the carriage began to slow and turn past the lodge and onto the drive into Pemberley, Georgiana began watching for the moment when the manor house would appear. The demesne was ten miles around and forested over much of its extent, and the road wandered through the trees for nearly a mile before they reached the top of a ridge and a vista opened, revealing the enormous Palladian edifice of Pemberley House. Georgiana sighed in contentment when it appeared.

They pulled up on the gravel sweep and Smithfield and Mrs. Reynolds appeared to greet them with a crowd of servants behind them, all smiling in welcome of their master and mistress. Mr. Darcy’s lips curved upwards as his eyes met Elizabeth’s and he whispered, “Welcome home, Mrs. Darcy,” as he handed her out of the coach. When Georgiana had also alighted, a little girl came shyly forwards with a bouquet of asters and chrysanthemums for each of the ladies, and the housekeeper curtseyed and said, “May we wish you joy upon your marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy? And welcome home, Miss Darcy.”

Smithfield bowed and said a few words of his own, which were almost drowned by the clapping of the other servants after they had curtseyed or tugged their forelocks. The Darcys all smiled upon them before ascending the steps to the main hall, where they were met by a huge black dog with a massive head who was seated near the staircase. He rose to his feet and waved his plumed tail when they entered, and Georgiana immediately went over to pat his head affectionately.

Elizabeth looked shocked and said, “My goodness; that is the largest dog I have ever seen!”

Darcy answered her. “This is Pilot; he was my father’s dog and as you can see is beginning to get a bit grey around the muzzle. He is, fortunately, of a very placid disposition.”

“I would hope so! I did not meet Pilot last summer,” she added while gingerly patting Pilot on the head.

“No, we keep him in his kennel when there are visitors touring. We don’t want to cause swooning or apoplexy when he appears.” Darcy scratched Pilot behind the ears as he talked about him, the dog accepting the attention with dignity.

After changing out of their travel clothes they all met in the drawing-room, where tea was waiting.

“I thought you might need some refreshment after the long drive, so I ordered tea as soon as we arrived,” said Georgiana diffidently, suddenly concerned that she might have overstepped her proper boundaries giving orders in what was now Elizabeth’s home.

“Bless you, my child,” said Elizabeth with a warm smile. “You may have saved my life, for I am indeed ready for tea!”

Georgiana gave a nervous smile and then blushed awkwardly.

Elizabeth poured out the tea and changed the subject. “Georgiana, dear, would you be willing to show me around Pemberley tomorrow morning? Mr. Darcy needs to meet his steward, and I am much too impatient to wait for him.” She gave him an impish grin and turned back to Georgiana.

Georgiana looked down at her hands but nodded with a smile.

They all retired early that evening after the long drive, and Georgiana settled into her room again. She felt very odd being here in her familiar home with Elizabeth part of the family. She liked her new sister very much, but she still felt off balance as she adjusted to the great changes which had occurred. She sat down at her desk with her diary and thought for a few minutes before she dipped the pen in the ink bottle.

7 November: We are finally returned from London and Pemberley is unchanged, yet somehow different. I am to give Elizabeth a tour of the house tomorrow, but I am already seeing my home through the eyes of a stranger and it is rather disconcerting. I hope she loves it as much as I do.

***

When Georgiana sought out Elizabeth after dressing the next morning, she found her in the room which had been her mother’s morning-room when Georgiana had been an infant. The room was small and intimate and was very comfortably furnished in a feminine style. It contained a finely carved walnut desk of beautiful proportions, perfect for a lady’s correspondence and other business. Elizabeth had rearranged the items on the desk to suit her taste and had taken out paper to write a letter when Georgiana arrived.

“Are you ready for a tour of the house, Elizabeth?” Georgiana ventured, hesitating in the doorway.

“I will be in a moment, my dear. I am expecting Mrs. Reynolds so we can go over the menus and accounts. Do you mind waiting? I would be happy to have you listen in so you can add any comments you have and I can ask you questions later if I need to.”

Georgiana sat down. “I am not sure that I know enough to help you, Elizabeth. My brother has always run the house as well as the rest of the estate. I probably should know more than I do.” She stared down at her hands.

Mrs. Reynolds arrived at her door and Elizabeth invited her in. They reviewed the menus for the week and Elizabeth approved them. Mrs. Reynolds also gave her a list of all the household and outdoor servants and reviewed it with her as well. As they finished Elizabeth said, “Thank you Mrs. Reynolds, I believe that will be everything, except that I would like to ask you to show me the picture gallery one day and tell me the history of the paintings. I know little of the art of painting, but I am interested in the family history.

“I will do so with pleasure, Mrs. Darcy, whenever you wish. As Mr. Darcy has perhaps mentioned, I have a great interest in the family history.”

“He has indeed, Mrs. Reynolds.”

Mrs. Reynolds curtseyed and departed, and Elizabeth turned to her sister.

“I am ready now, Georgiana. I am sorry to delay you for so long.”

“Not at all, Elizabeth,” she said, a little breathless in her eagerness to be obliging.

“Shall we go down and start in the entry hall and then work our way upstairs?”

Georgiana nodded and they went downstairs. They started at the front door and saw all the rooms on the ground floor, most of which Elizabeth had seen the previous summer, but which she wanted to see again so that she could orient herself. The rooms were arranged around the four sides of a pleasant courtyard with a formal garden that provided an attractive view from the inside rooms. Georgiana started the tour tentatively, not sure how much detail she should give. She merely named the rooms and opened the doors so that Elizabeth could see them. After Elizabeth had asked her a few questions, she began to lose some of her self-consciousness and her sister’s interest soon had her adding comments on the history of the manor house and the family:

“This is the ballroom. We have not had a ball here within my memory. My brother, as I am sure you know, does not like balls.” She risked a brief smile at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth laughed and said, “Indeed, I do know. The ballroom will be used next month, however, as we are planning to have a ball when the Bingleys are visiting after Christmas. It is a beautiful room—we could probably fit a hundred couples in here without crowding.”

Georgiana smiled again and walked on to the next door. It opened on a chapel, which made a small wing off the back of the house; the windows were of stained glass and filtered multicoloured light over the Darcy tombs in the back. Gold chrysanthemums decorated the altar and it was very quiet, separated as it was from the routine bustle of the rest of the house. After a moment’s silence, Georgiana whispered, “My parents are in that tomb in the near corner.”

Elizabeth took her hand and they walked over to it. It merely said “Darcy” over the stone lintel, but there were small plaques on the wall beside the tomb listing the Darcys who were interred there and their dates of birth and death, including “George Alexander Richard Darcy” and “Lady Anne Winslow Darcy.”

“My father used to come here every morning and sit for a few minutes, and Mrs. Reynolds still makes sure that there are fresh flowers on the altar every day. The chapel has not been used for regular services in years, only the occasional funeral.”

Georgiana could not keep the sadness out of her voice, and Elizabeth put a reassuring arm around her. She silently led her back to the main hallway of the house and they continued their circuit of the house, a little more subdued than before. When they reached the picture gallery along the back of the house they merely walked through, stopping only at the portraits of Darcy and Georgiana and one of their parents.

They eventually returned to the entry hall and ascended the main staircase, a large, gracefully curved sweep of white marble, to reach the family quarters on the first floor. In addition to the master suite, which consisted of a corner sitting-room with one bedroom and dressing-room along each side of the northwest corner of the house, there were twenty bedrooms on this floor. Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley had rooms on the opposite front corner, all of them facing the tree-covered ridge that filled the view from the east side of the manor.

The other sixteen rooms on the first floor were furnished as guest rooms, providing plenty of space for large parties. All of the rooms were elegantly appointed, although the furniture in the less-used bedrooms at the back of the house was covered with dust cloths, giving it a ghostly appearance that was at odds with the morning sunlight streaming around the edges of the draperies. As they toured the bedrooms they passed several housemaids who curtseyed to them before continuing their morning work, peeking at them from the corners of their eyes as they did so.

The second floor held the servants’ quarters—small, simple, but comfortable rooms—and the nursery and schoolroom, as well as quarters for a governess, which were all empty now. Elizabeth seemed interested to see the schoolroom where generations of Darcys had learnt their lessons and they lingered there for a few minutes. There were well-worn schoolbooks neatly arranged on the bookshelves and appearing rather forlorn. She pulled out a tattered copy of
Gulliver’s Travels
.

“This was one of my favourite books when I was young. Of course, I thought that Lilliput and Brobdingnag and all of the other countries in the book were real places.”

“I did too. I actually enjoyed it more before I understood that it is a satire.”

“So did I.”

They smiled at each other rather shamefacedly and Elizabeth moved on to a lone drawing that was hanging forsaken upon the wall, signed by Georgiana in a childish hand.

“I drew that when I was seven,” she said with a nervous laugh.

“It is quite good for a seven-year-old, but I am sure that you can do better now.” Elizabeth gave her a gentle smile. “Do you have a portfolio of your drawings?”

Georgiana nodded.

“You must show me them sometime, Georgiana.”

She blushed and nodded. “If you like.”

They returned to the ground floor and Georgiana took her into the conservatory at the back of the house, which they had skipped earlier. It was a large glass addition filled with beds of ornamental trees arranged with flowering plants at their feet. A few of the trees were covered with shiny dark green leaves and had fruit on them—oranges and lemons. In the centre of the conservatory was an open space with a slate floor, furnished with wicker chairs and chaises longues and scattered with small tables. It was the most informal room they had yet visited, and the fragrance of the fruit scented the air, which gave it the feel of a summer’s day in the midst of autumn’s cold winds. Elizabeth was delighted with it.

“This is lovely, Georgiana! Shall we have a cup of coffee in here?”

“I would like that. I am glad you like the conservatory—it is one of my favourite places at Pemberley,” she said with a smile.

Over their coffee Elizabeth delicately drew out her sister-in-law about herself, her likes and dislikes and her passions.

“I know that you are very fond of music, my dear. How long have you been studying the pianoforte?”

“I started when I was five or six; I do not recall exactly. I had a governess who was very interested in the arts; she could play, and draw, and paint beautifully, and it was her influence that made me also love them.”

“I believe I heard mention that you are also learning to play the harp?”