Chapter 15 #2
“Correct,” Elizabeth responded, not wanting to explain more of her past as she did not know the young ladies very well yet.
“My brother William, Fitzwilliam Darcy, was Mr. Bingley’s guest. Did you know of him as well?” Georgiana enquired.
“Yes, I know who your brother is,” Elizabeth replied non-committedly.
“Mayhap you know a Miss Elizabeth Bennet,” Georgiana probed.
“Yes, I know of her,” Elizabeth responded circumspectly, still not willing to talk about her history yet. “Why do you ask?”
“My brother wrote about her in his letters to me from Hertfordshire. He described her as someone who, like you, enjoys walking,” Georgiana explained.
“He told me how much he admired that she walked miles to come nurse a sister of hers who had taken ill at Netherfield Park. He also told me he had never heard playing and singing that pleased him more.” Georgiana gave a little giggle into her hand as she began to feel very comfortable with Miss Gardiner.
“William has never mentioned another lady to me; he called her the most handsome lady of his acquaintance.”
Elizabeth was thunderstruck. How was it that the man who called her tolerable and not handsome enough to tempt him had spoken so about her in his letters to his sister?
She could not account for it as being done in jest, as he would have no reason to make fun of her to one who had never met her. Did he admire her?
“The times I saw them in company together, I never noticed a preference on his part,” Elizabeth stated.
“In public my cousin, who has been hunted for his fortune and connections since he first came into society, is inscrutable. We call it the mask. He hides his true feelings and from time to time when he is worried, uncomfortable, or both. He is prone to making thoughtless utterances that he regrets right after he says them. Giana here is not the only Darcy who is shy,” Tiffany clarified.
“William is uncomfortable, just like Giana, with people he does not know, which adds to his stress in social situations. Added to that, his friend’s sister has set her cap at him and no amount of hints have made her realise he has no interest in her.
The same woman, Miss Bingley, told my cousin Miss Elizabeth Bennet was to wed her cousin, the sycophant who is my Aunt Catherine’s parson, so he returned to Pemberley as the news affected him greatly. ”
She knew it was not the time, but Elizabeth acknowledged that she needed to re-evaluate all of her interactions with Mr. Darcy through the prism of this new information. “Miss Darcy, will I hear you play sometime?” Elizabeth asked to redirect the conversation away from the confounding Mr. Darcy.
“If you agree to sit with me and turn the pages, I will play for you,” Georgiana replied quietly.
Lady Matlock leaned closer to Mrs. Gardiner.
“Tiffany and Giana have no idea your ward and the Miss Bennet they are talking about are one and the same.” Seeing the look of consternation on the other lady’s face, Lady Matlock reassured her.
“As you said, it is your daughter’s tale to tell.
I will not say anything to either the girls or my nephew. ”
“Thank you, your Ladyship,” Madeline responded gratefully.
She did not want Lizzy pushed to talk about anything if she was not yet ready to do so.
She would talk to Edward about the fact Lizzy appeared to have a potential suitor who she did not realise admired her, and that he thought she was betrothed to, or married to, another.
Lady Matlock inclined her head toward the three young ladies saying, “As I suspect we will be spending much more time together, please call me Elaine in private and Lady Elaine otherwise.”
“Thank you, Elaine, I am called Maddie,” Madeline accepted.
“Miss Gardiner, would you join us on Monday for a walk in Hyde Park?” Tiffany asked.
“Only if you call me Elizabeth or Lizzy,” Elizabeth accepted.
“In that case I am Tiffany, not Tiff as my brother Richard calls me. The word sounds too much like a fight,” Tiffany responded.
“Please call me Georgiana or Giana,” Georgiana added. She did not know why she felt so comfortable with Lizzy so fast, but she had never before taken to a new acquaintance in this fashion. She would have much to write to William later.
“Lizzy, notwithstanding your experience when you were much younger, will you allow Giana and me to teach you how to ride?” Tiffany requested. “We will be able to cover so much more ground on horseback and it will give us two ways to exercise together.”
“In the past I have demurred, but I claim my courage always rises with every attempt to intimidate me, so yes Tiffany, I will learn to ride,” Elizabeth averred.
By the time they departed for Gracechurch Street, the three girls had made plans for every day of the week and Lady Matlock had invited all of the Gardiners, including the younger children, to a family dinner the coming Friday evening.
Lady Matlock had no compunction about allowing the girls to visit Gracechurch Street as well.
The Gardiner ladies were introduced to Mrs. Annesley before they departed, as she would be present at most subsequent meetings.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Lizzy you look very thoughtful,” Madeline noted as the two rode home in the Gardiner carriage. “Does your introspection have anything to do with the new information you gleaned about a certain gentleman from Derbyshire?”
“How wrong I have been as far as he was concerned! I thought he looked at me to find fault and it seems they were looks of admiration. How could I misinterpret every interaction between us?” Elizabeth berated herself.
“Do not forget, you had Jane pouring poison into your ear about him. Speaking to Lady Matlock, who knows who you were, I found out why Jane was so determined to stoke your hate of Mr. Darcy,” Madeline shared.
Seeing the worried look on Elizabeth’s countenance, she reassured her.
“Lady Matlock will not reveal anything she knows, as it is your story to tell.”
Elizabeth visibly relaxed. “What was Jane’s motivation?” she asked.
“She saw Mr. Darcy admired you and she wanted him and his wealth for herself. The night before you and Jane departed Netherfield Park, she attempted to compromise Mr. Darcy,” Madeline revealed.
“That was the night she went to bed early and insisted I not disturb her when I came to bed. How devious she was! It seems she failed,” Elizabeth noted.
“Elaine, Lady Matlock, explained all to me…” Madeline told Elizabeth about Mr. Darcy’s father being compromised and how he had made his son vow never to give in to a compromise and to marry only for love.
Elizabeth had much more about which to think.