Chapter Eight
Dinner was a bit tense to begin with, but Colonel Fitzwilliam was very genial and a good conversationalist. Mamie sat to one side of the host, and Beth on the other.
Between the two of them, they were able to calm him and keep him chatting.
John and the Colonel sat on either side of Georgiana, and although John normally did not speak much in company, he made a real effort to make the girl comfortable.
The companion they had not met stayed in her rooms for the evening.
“You set a very fine table Miss Darcy. I cannot remember when I have had better food, or more genial company.” John was not shy, just reserved. He was quite capable of conversation; he just generally preferred to observe. “Your brother mentioned you play the pianoforte?”
“Oh, yes, a little. I am still learning.”
“And who is your favorite composer?”
“Ummm…it is hard to pick a favorite. So many have interesting compositions. Each one elicits a different…umm…mood, I guess.”
“True. I’m very fond of Mozart, but Bach is probably my favorite. He has a way of drawing you in to whatever he was feeling at the time. With a skilled pianist, anyway. Some musicians don’t imbue any emotion into their playing at all. It’s like watching someone do math problems.”
Georgiana’s eyes got very wide, “Yes! Exactly! A friend of my brother’s…the sister plays very well…but it has no spirit, no soul. You understand?”
“I do. Beth, I mean Miss Darcy…well that’s awkward…”
Georgiana was a bit embarrassed that she giggled, but she could not help it. The big man looked chagrined and became tongue-tied. “It is a bit awkward to have two Miss Darcy’s in the same room. Do you generally call her by her Christian name?”
“We grew up together. I’ve always called Ethan and Beth by their names. Things are less formal in America. I must remember I’m here basically as her servant, not her elder almost brother.”
“Well, maybe while it is just family, we could all use our Christian names. I mean, if my brother and Richard approve.” Georgiana looked down shyly.
“If I approve of what?” Darcy said a bit more sternly than he meant to.
Richard interjected, “We were simply saying it was a bit awkward to have two Miss Darcy’s in the room, and that maybe we should use Christian names since it’s just family here. What say you, Darcy? Do you think you could unbend enough to use given names for an evening?”
“I…well…we are not all relations, but…I see no reason we could not use our given names when in private…but the servants….”
“You have the most loyal servants in London, William! You worry for nothing. What would they do…run to The Tattler and tell them, ‘He called his cousin by her name! shocking!’ I do not believe it would make headline news.” Richard smirked and chortled at his own quip.
The rest of the table looked to Darcy and waited. “Yes, that would be fine when not in public. Our Fitzwilliam family all use our Christian names. Very well.”
Mamie gave Darcy a sly look, “Thank you for considering John and I family, William.”
Georgiana covered her mouth trying not to giggle, and Elizabeth gave out what sounded a bit like a snort.
“Yes, thank you Cousin William! I consider John and Mamie my family also. Americans are rather informal you know, it has been quite difficult for us to adhere to such staunch formality. It just isn’t who we are! ”
Darcy was not sure if he approved of her sarcasm or teasing, but at the same time felt himself relax a bit.
His sister was smiling. Smiling! He had seen very little of that this past year.
It seemed she went from anger to tears twenty times a day.
He had found himself avoiding her except at mealtimes and accepted more invitations to dine out than was his norm just to avoid her that much more. If some informality made her happy….
“So, Beth,” Richard asked loudly, “Do you plan to stay in London for the rest of the season? Should I ask my mother to host you? I am sure she would not mind. My sister would love having someone her own age staying with us.”
“Actually…Richard…we are waiting to hear from my Bennet relations. Since I am in half mourning for the next three months, it would likely be better to spend that time with them in the country. Mamie tells me mourning customs are much more formal here.”
Gigi got excited and nearly was bouncing in her chair, “Oh! You should come spend the summer with me in Ramsgate! And then you could come to Pemberley with us for autumn harvest! You should see where the Darcy’s came from! Say you will!”
Beth was a bit bemused by the girl’s enthusiasm and didn’t know quite how to answer when Mamie came to the rescue, “That sounds like some lovely plans, my dear. Unfortunately, we have not yet discussed how long our stay in England will be. Seeing Pemberley is high on our list of priorities. Beth should see where her father grew up, and where her ancestors are from. She also needs to spend time where her mother was born and raised, and her Bennet cousins. It could be they would like a trip to the seashore this summer as well.”
Gigi looked down at her hands again, “Oh, of course, I should have thought of that…but you will come to Pemberley?”
“Definitely!” Beth said with enough enthusiasm that Gigi snapped her head back up. “It was my plan all along to show up at Pemberley’s door. Even if I wasn’t invited!”
Everyone at the table chuckled and it was decided not to separate the sexes after supper.
The rest of the evening was spent in pleasant conversation and getting to know each other.
William reminded Beth more and more of her brother.
He was considerably more formal, but once you got past his shyness, he had an excellent sense of humor.
If a bit dry. He was very well read, like her brother, and had traveled enough to be interesting.
He could speak on nearly any subject. By the end of the evening, she decided she liked her Darcy cousins very much. Very much indeed.