Chapter 15 #2
“And so you have been to us, Bingley,” Darcy answered. “We are not certain when we will return, but you must know that you and your family are always welcome at Pemberley —for Christmas, before or after Christmas —whenever you want. Please do not hesitate to come.”
“Oh yes, that would be so lovely,” Georgiana agreed.
“Well, I might just do that. No matter how fond I am of the Bennet family or of my own, I might need a little calm. Thank you, Darcy. I am certain Jane will be very pleased to hear of the invitation.”
Their arrival at Longbourn was now a friendly routine. Elizabeth and Jane were the first to greet them; then the Gardiners were introduced to Lady Hardwick.
The Bennet sisters quickly claimed Georgiana and offered her a seat between Elizabeth and Jane, with Bingley and Darcy opposite them. Lady Hardwick was placed to the right of Mr. Bennet.
As Caroline Bingley implied, the room was rather crowded and the table a bit too small for such a large gathering; however, it inconvenienced no one. Conversation began immediately and developed easily, especially as Darcy mentioned to his aunt that Mrs. Gardiner grew up in Lambton.
From their position at the dinner table, Elizabeth and Darcy could easily look at each other —and both struggled to do so but rarely.
Forcing himself not to lay eyes on Elizabeth, Darcy paid close attention to his sister, who was only inches from her.
Georgiana often mixed joy with uneasiness, smiles with shyness, and blushes with pallor; it seemed every subject of discussion aroused different feelings.
And each time, she seemed to turn to Elizabeth for comfort.
They whispered to each other all the time and called each other by their given names, and every small gesture reflected the strength of their bond.
It was established that the next afternoon the gentlemen would hunt and the ladies would take a carriage ride around the neighbourhood. Mrs. Gardiner declined politely, as she would be busy helping Mrs. Bennet finish preparations for the wedding.
For the rest of them, it was decided they would take two carriages, carry baskets with food and drink, and spend several lovely hours outside if the weather permitted.
After dinner, drinks were served for the whole company in the drawing room, and pleasant conversation continued.
“Would you ladies delight us with some music?” Bingley asked.
Mary immediately rushed to the piano and started to perform dutifully. Her playing was correct but nothing more. She was listened to with proper attention and applauded when she finished.
A bit of silence followed, then Bingley spoke again.
“Miss Darcy, would you play for us a little too? I have not had the pleasure of enjoying your talent for almost a year.”
The girl startled, glancing in discomfort from her aunt to her brother then to Elizabeth.
Elizabeth smiled to dissipate her friend’s restraint. “I could play, but I must warn you not to have any expectations. Or we could play together so your talent will compensate for my clumsiness.”
“I am sure you are not clumsy,” Georgiana said shyly.
“I can assure you Miss Elizabeth is not since I have had the pleasure of hearing her previously,” Darcy intervened from the corner of the room, drawing both pairs of eyes to him. He remained composed, enjoying his brandy with the other gentlemen.
“Mr. Darcy is too kind to me —unusually so,” Elizabeth whispered to Georgiana. “Trust me; I am being truthful about my skills. Would you save me by playing if I turn the pages for you?”
“Very well, it shall be as you say.” Georgiana was not oblivious to her friend’s little scheme.
They sat at the piano, and Georgiana began to play. At first, the idea of having so many eyes on her made her nervous, and she bit her lips in discomfort, but soon the music enveloped her, and her entire being seemed one with the piano, whose sounds were magical under her touch.
Elizabeth turned the pages, shivering as the lovely music captivated her body and mind.
She lifted her eyes towards Darcy without restraint, uneasiness, or distress —only wonder and admiration for the extraordinary talent she had the chance to witness so closely.
His returned gaze was filled with pride and brotherly love as well as gratitude for the care shown to his sister.
When Georgiana finished her performance, a deep silence fell upon the room. Nobody spoke for several long moments until finally, Mrs. Bennet burst out.
“Miss Darcy, that was just perfect! Just perfect! I never heard anyone play so beautifully. I cannot wait to tell my sister Phillips and Lady Lucas tomorrow.”
The others immediately joined in expressing their admiration, and Georgiana was overwhelmed by so much praise.
“Miss Darcy, I will never dare to play again, having heard your interpretation,” Mary said humbly when the compliments finally ceased.
Georgiana turned to her with surprise and obvious concern.
“Oh, please do not say that, Miss Mary. Your technique is excellent. It is obvious that you practice diligently.”
“I do, Miss Darcy, but my playing is completely different from yours. I only now realise how poor my skills are.”
“Mary, you are too harsh on yourself,” Elizabeth intervened, but her sister seemed to ignore everything except the object of her admiration.
“Miss Mary, your skills are excellent; please believe me. Would you sit near me?”
Mary hurried to take a chair, and then Georgiana brushed her fingers over the piano keys.
“I love to practice too, but sometimes I prefer to forget about the technique and allow the music to lead me without thinking of anything else.”
“I do not understand your meaning, Miss Darcy. Will you not show me?”
“With pleasure. Or even better, let us try together if you do not mind.”
“It would be my greatest pleasure!” Mary said with delight. “Lizzy has played with me in four hands several times, but neither of us is proficient.”
“Here it is: a sonata by Mozart. I will turn the pages for you,” Elizabeth said, caught up in the two girls’ excitement.
They started to play together, Mary following the keys rigidly, careful of her fingering.
The music drew the others’ attention, but the two performers soon ignored everything around them.
From time to time, Georgiana whispered some indications to Mary, who seemed to follow her lead more easily with every page.
The minutes of pure delight were offered to their companions who stared at the piano in disbelief. Mrs. Bennet and Kitty appeared completely mesmerised while Mr. Bennet’s countenance showed pride in the daughter he used to mostly ignore.
When the impromptu recital ended, it was rewarded with a long round of applause; tears moistened Mary’s eyes then dripped down her cheeks.
“Oh, my dear child, how talented you are!” Mrs. Bennet cried. “I never knew until now, but that is only because I have too much to handle by myself. You inherited it from me; I am sure of that. Oh, that was truly beautiful.”
“Thank you, Mama, but it was Miss Darcy’s help entirely,” Mary answered, pleased to be her mother’s momentary favourite. She gracefully received everyone’s congratulations, overwhelmed by a wave of attention she had never felt before.
The rest of the evening passed cheerfully, and at midnight, the party came to an end. Mrs. Bennet declared she could not remember when she had last stayed so long at a dinner party and claimed that it could well be called a private ball although nobody danced.
Warm farewells were exchanged, and the four guests returned to Netherfield. The rain had stopped, and the sky was lit by stars and a bright moon.
“What a lovely evening,” the countess declared.
“Indeed,” Darcy agreed. “I must say I had a pleasant time. Mr. Bennet and Mr. Gardiner are excellent companions, and we had the benefit of exquisite music. We have you to thank for that, dear Georgiana. I was very proud of you.”
The girl blushed. “I certainly do not deserve such praise. It was my pleasure to play with Miss Mary. I never played with anyone except my teacher, you know.”
“I imagined as much. It was beautiful —everybody agreed.”
Lady Hardwick patted the girl’s hand.
“Well, my dear, it is good that you have so much enjoyable company from girls your own age. There will only be silence and solitude once we arrive at Pemberley. I am afraid I cannot compete with four charming young ladies to entertain you. You will now be bored alone with us. We must plan some parties and perhaps invite some of my nieces and nephews to visit us.”
Georgiana appeared more panicked than pleased.
“Oh, please do not do that, Aunt. I very much enjoy being with you and with William. You must not bring anyone to entertain me.”
“I was joking, my dear. But I cannot stop wondering: How is it possible that you are so restrained, so reluctant to meet other people and yet so at ease with the Bennet girls whom you just met two days ago? I am just curious to understand if you would kindly tell us,” the countess asked gently.
Georgiana hesitated, looked at her three companions in the carriage, and said, “Because they are honest with me. They do not just pretend to like me. And Lizzy became my friend before she knew who I was.”
Her answer came as a surprise to the others.
Her words, but even more the tone and the slight tremble in her voice worried Darcy exceedingly.
He decided not to continue the conversation at that time, but his concern increased when Georgiana said nothing more and only stared outside into the darkness.
Once they arrived at Netherfield, each retired to their own room, overcome by fatigue. Darcy glanced at his sister often, pained to see her earlier cheerfulness lost.
He wished to approach her, to speak to her privately, but he did not dare at that late hour and decided to leave it for the next day. However, as they stopped in front of their own doors, Georgiana seemed hesitant to enter; her shoulders and head were lowered as if she were burdened.