Chapter 15 #2
Darcy waited a few more minutes before rolling cautiously off the bed, whereupon he donned his coat and put on his shoes before slipping out of the bedroom.
He made his way into the nursery at the end of the room where his children were, miraculously enough, all napping.
It was an adorable and domestic scene with the two older children curled up on their beds and the baby in his bassinet.
A nursemaid looked up as he entered the room but neither spoke for fear that it would wake one of the children; Darcy knew that Rosemary and William were capable of fractious tantrums if woken too early from naps, and the baby would expect to be fed when he awoke. Elizabeth needed more rest.
He retreated cautiously and made his way down the front staircase to the main level of the house where his sister Georgiana and her new husband, Emil Laurent, were living.
The Darcy family had crossed the Channel three weeks previously for a seaside holiday which had also served the purpose of allowing the Darcys to spend more time with the man who had won Georgiana’s heart.
The house was well built and of reasonable size, though a mere shrimp compared to the grandeur of Pemberley. Darcy found it all very refreshing; there were no tenant quarrels to mediate, no friends needing estate advice, no whirlwind of social engagements which exhausted him body and soul.
The sound of music drew him to the rear of the house.
He entered the music room quietly and gazed upon the charming picture of Georgiana and Emil, seated side by side on the pianoforte, playing a complex musical piece together.
Husband and wife were focused intensely at the music score on the rack, their hands moving with elegance and grace.
Darcy took this peaceful moment to consider his new brother by marriage.
Emil Laurent, an only child, had been born into a family of French nobility and was carried to safety in London as a young child by his mother.
His father, regrettably enough, had lingered too long in Paris and perished at the guillotine during the Terror.
The Baroness Fleury settled in London with a distant cousin from her mother’s side and proceeded to bring up her only child with courage and diligence.
Emil showed a precocious talent for music at an early age and his mother, also a gifted musician, taught him for many years until his abilities outstripped her own.
At the age of twenty, Emil became a music master to support his mother when the Baroness’s health worsened.
He had assisted her through her last illness which had led to her death only three years ago.
Georgiana met Emil Laurent in London while visiting a friend who was Laurent’s student; the French émigré and the English gentlewoman were quickly drawn together by their shared passion for music.
At his sister’s request, Darcy invited the Frenchman to Pemberley to oversee a courtship, and within four months, the couple was married in the chapel at Pemberley.
There had been a number of dissenting voices within the Matlock and Darcy clans; Laurent, while well born, was but a poor foreigner.
He had neither an estate nor the means to support Georgiana in the style to which she was accustomed.
The Earl of Matlock and his lady were disapproving and Lady Catherine de Bourgh, confined to a small Darcy estate in Scotland, sent a long and impassioned letter to her nephew by express, which forced Darcy to pay a great deal of money for a message he did not wish to read.
Darcy could not regret his approval of the marriage.
Georgiana’s passion was music, and none of the young gentlemen and nobles who had sought to win her hand could match her fervor.
Emil Laurent was her perfect match, not just because of his musical abilities, but because he was kind, gentle, hardworking and diligent.
Georgiana suddenly stopped playing and turned to her new husband as she pointed at the score on the rack, “This particular chord needs to be changed, Emil,”
“I thought it sounded lovely,” the man insisted, frowning down at the musical score.
“No, Emil, it is not right; either I must add a third or fifth. Hear, listen.”
She proceeded to play for a few seconds, paused, and played again. To Darcy’s untutored ears, the stanzas sounded identical, but his new brother’s face lightened up, “Oh yes, Georgiana, I do see! Both are an improvement though I think perhaps ...”
“This,” Georgiana declared, playing again.
“Yes, you are right.”
The woman lifted an imperious eyebrow, “Of course I am right, dearest.”
“Of course you are,” the man returned, his voice suddenly husky.
The two gazed into one another’s faces and leaned forward to share an impassioned kiss, which broke off when Georgiana’s eyes caught sight of her brother.
“Oh!” she cried out, leaping to her feet and blushing furiously.
Emil Laurent was also slightly red, but he laughed at the sight of Darcy.
“You should not creep up on us,” Georgiana scolded, hurrying forward to embrace her brother.
“You did leave the door open,” Darcy replied in amusement, “but I do apologize for ... disturbing you.”
This provoked an even more fiery blush from his sister, and she sought to turn the subject, “Is Elizabeth asleep?”
“And the children as well! It is something of a miracle.”
“I think we exhausted Rosemary and William this morning when we walked through the vast halls of Eglise de Notre Dame,” Georgiana commented fondly, retreating to her beloved husband’s side. “Even I am somewhat weary, and I have far longer legs.”
“That is no doubt the reason. I am most grateful.”
“I am the grateful one,” Emil suddenly announced, his face solemn. “After so many years alone, I am part of a wonderful family.
“And we are very glad to have you,” Darcy returned sincerely.