Chapter 13
"Thank you, sir. May I introduce my aunt, Lady Hardwick, and my sister, Miss Georgiana Darcy?”
Introductions were performed, and everybody took a seat.
Lady Hardwick was invited to choose first and selected a comfortable armchair by the window.
Georgiana appeared suddenly uncomfortable with all the new people around her, and she chose a settee close to her aunt while Elisabeth occupied the place next to her.
Refreshments and drinks were offered; despite Mrs. Bennet’s earlier complaints, the dishes were rich and tasteful. However, the only one to show no restraint in her appreciation was the countess. The others were too distracted, too nervous, or too curious for an appetite.
“Mrs. Bennet, this is a lovely room —perfectly fitted for a family gathering,” the countess said.
“Thank you, your ladyship. We enjoy spending time here. Unfortunately, it is not as large as we would like for receiving guests. I hope you are comfortable.”
“Very much so. And I have to compliment the efficiency of your household. I know how difficult it is to entertain a large number of guests who just happen upon you. And the cold meat is cooked to perfection.”
Mrs. Bennet was on the edge of her seat.
“Your ladyship is very kind. I always resolve to have at least three courses ready for unexpected situations.”
“Very wise indeed. And the cheese —did you select it yourself?”
“Your ladyship guessed correctly. I am always careful to choose the ingredients personally, especially the cheese and the fruits.”
Lady Hardwick generously continued to compliment Mrs. Bennet, whose despair slowly evaporated. Kitty and Mary dared not speak, staring from the countess to Miss Darcy. Towards Mr. Darcy, neither had the courage even to glance.
“Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, would you join me in the library for a drink?” Mr. Bennet proposed.
The former looked at his sister, who still seemed uneasy. Elizabeth whispered something to her, and a smile appeared on Georgiana’s face, which convinced him instantly that she was fine.
“Yes, I would like that very much,” he answered.
Bingley was still reluctant to leave his betrothed, so Mr. Bennet had to call him twice, much to the others’ amusement.
The moment he stepped into the library, a sense of peace and comfort enveloped Darcy.
It was a small chamber, perhaps a quarter the size of his library, but the richness of the books and arrangement of the room expressed a deep love of reading.
He immediately recollected an evening at Netherfield when Elizabeth preferred reading to playing cards, much to the puzzlement of Hurst. Now he had no doubt from whence she inherited that passion.
He startled as Mr. Bennet spoke, guessing his thoughts.
“This is my favourite place in the house; most of the time nobody else enters except Lizzy,” their host said, offering each a drink.
“I can imagine why,” Darcy answered. “Not why nobody else enters here, but why this would be your favourite place. This library is perfectly arranged for enjoying an excellent book in solitude. And I spotted several exquisite editions.”
“I am glad you noticed, sir. I am quite proud of them. Of course, it cannot compare to your library…”
“The love of books has no degree of comparison, Mr. Bennet. Would you not agree?”
“Yes, I would, Mr. Darcy.”
Darcy’s time with Mr. Bennet was highly engaging, and he discovered many appealing aspects to the gentleman he had once ignored or criticised.
He thought often of Georgiana and hoped she was not overwhelmed by the Bennets’ exuberance. He also feared that Mrs. Bennet would mention Wickham at some point and worried about whether his sister could bear such a stressful subject.
Therefore, half an hour later, he apologised to Mr. Bennet and moved to take a quick look into the drawing room.
Through the open door, he heard a profusion of voices and observed Georgiana listening attentively to something related by Mrs. Bennet, smiling while the others around her were laughing.
The only one who noticed his presence and even held his glance for a moment was Elizabeth.
She gave him a reassuring nod, and he thanked her with a slight bend of his head then returned to the library more at peace.
Elizabeth was surprised at how well the visit was progressing.
Lady Hardwick showed remarkable generosity towards her mother, complimenting her every time an opportunity arose.
Her ladyship also involved Jane in conversation and even addressed specific questions to Kitty and Mary, who slowly gathered their courage enough to answer.
The former “Miss Anna” remained silent and apparently struggled in such a large company.
But she gradually became comfortable as time passed and even expressed her opinion from time to time.
The new acquaintances appreciated her sincere smile and the interest she showed in every subject.
Even the less perceptive of them understood that Miss Darcy was not only shy but kind and not at all proud.
The discussions moved from wedding arrangements to the wedding breakfast and from travelling to the North to the Gardiners’ anticipated arrival.
Mrs. Bennet prided herself on her eldest daughter’s beauty and declared she would certainly be the loveliest bride Meryton had ever seen.
“I confess I am so relieved that one of my daughters is marrying at home. We were quite disappointed when my youngest —Lydia —married last month In London, and none of our friends saw her. But thank God, she came to visit us. She is such a joyful girl; she has always been the heart of any party. And her husband —Mr. Wickham —is the most handsome officer I have ever seen. Everyone in Meryton was enamoured of him, but he preferred Lydia, which was no surprise as there was nobody as lovely as her.”
Elizabeth observed Georgiana’s sudden pallor and Lady Hardwick’s discomfort. Jane flushed while Kitty and Mary chose to remain silent.
The countess again led the conversation forward safely.
“I am confident that Miss Bennet will be one of the most beautiful brides in all of Hertfordshire. In truth, I have been in the midst of the London Season for more than forty years now and have rarely met a young lady with such a flawless figure and impeccable manners as Miss Bennet. Mr. Bingley is a very fortunate man.”
Jane Bennet forgot to breathe from such an extraordinary compliment while Mrs. Bennet was on the edge of fainting.
“Lady Hardwick, thank you,” Jane whispered.
“Your ladyship is right as always. I am the most fortunate man in the world,” Bingley intervened animatedly as the gentlemen returned to the drawing room, still holding their glasses of brandy.
While Darcy and Mr. Bennet sat, Bingley quickly moved to his betrothed, who was now completely crimson.
The countess laughed.
“And you deserve to be, young man. I have only seen you together briefly, but I am confident you are ideally suited to each other.”
“Oh, I am so happy you came to visit us,” Mrs. Bennet declared. “Your ladyship is the kindest and most generous peer that ever existed, and so is Miss Darcy. I must say, neither of you resembles Mr. Darcy in any way.”
All eyes widened in disbelief at such an offense, and silence fell upon the room momentarily. Elizabeth felt her entire body freeze in embarrassment. Georgiana’s hands began to tremble.
Mrs. Bennet, perfectly serene, glanced at her husband by pure chance, and only when she observed his angry face did she realise she might have said something wrong; she hurried to remedy her mistake.
“Oh, but Mr. Darcy is very tall and handsome and worth twice as much as Mr. Bingley, so his manners are not quite repulsive. It is just that he is not an amiable sort of man.”
“Mrs. Bennet!” her husband yelled. “Mr. Darcy, I beg to apologise to you; I am sure Mrs. Bennet’s words, however vexatious they might sound, were meant another way. My wife surely did not intend any offense. We are all grateful to you and honoured to have you in our house.”
“I certainly did not mean any offense, I was only saying…I do not…” Mrs. Bennet looked at each of her guests, desperately realising that she had somehow managed to spoil their good mood in mere seconds. She tried to apologise, but her nerves took her breath away and left her speechless.
To everyone’s complete shock, Darcy stepped forward and smiled at his hosts, speaking gently. “Mrs. Bennet was spot on with her observations. It is fortunate that my sister resembles my aunt rather than me. Where I would contradict you, ma’am, is that I am certainly not twice as worthy as Bingley.”
Darcy’s mocking statement and his smiling face left the Bennets even more puzzled and Georgiana still distressed by the offense given to her brother.
Without thinking, Elizabeth intervened in a desperate attempt to dissipate the tense moment.
“But you are certainly tall and handsome, sir. On this, everybody agreed the moment you arrived in Meryton.”
Darcy’s jaw dropped in astonishment as he stared at a flushed Elizabeth. Georgiana and the Bennet sisters chuckled, and Lady Hardwick hid her laughter behind a napkin.
Mrs. Bennet sensed an opportunity to make further amends.
“Indeed, sir, when you first entered the assembly room, your features and your stature were universally admired. If only you had not offended Lizzy and refused to dance with her, nobody would have held anything against you. We all wagered that she would never dance with you ever again, but we were proved wrong after all.”
Silence again fell like a thunderclap over the party, and nobody dared to speak; not even their breathing could be heard.
Suddenly, Lady Hardwick started to laugh as the others watched in bewilderment.
“Mrs. Bennet, I have to say this is the most entertaining visit I have had in years. Tasty refreshments and diverting conversation all at the same time—one can rarely find such enjoyment even at St. James’s.”