Chapter 8
The following day, Georgiana paced in the drawing room as she waited for the Bennet ladies to call.
Darcy smiled at his little sister, amused by her enthusiasm.
“You know, they might not come today. We could go out and do some shopping, perhaps see if Mrs Laurence’s novel is anywhere to be found?
I know you want a copy of your own, now that you have returned Miss Bennet’s. ”
“Nonsense. We have already searched so much that I am sure there are no copies left in London. I shall have to wait until she does a second printing,” Georgiana said with a small sigh. “Besides, I do not want to go out and miss our new friends. Miss Bennet said she would return the call.”
“That does not mean it will be today,” Mrs Annesley gently reminded her charge. Darcy exchanged a glance with her. Georgiana, in many ways well recovered, still seemed terribly vulnerable in others. “We do not know when, or even if, they will call. You would do better not to get your hopes up.”
Georgiana huffed and sat down. “Was I too forward in asking them to come here? I would not want to impose on them. But I do like talking with Miss Bennet. She was very kind to me.”
“Yes, she was,” Darcy agreed. He cleared his throat. “Do not worry, Georgiana. I am sure Miss Bennet and Mrs Gardiner would not consider your invitation an imposition. Quite the contrary. You honour them by asking them to come.”
She smiled at him in relief. “Thank you, Fitz. You reassure me greatly.” Darcy smiled to himself.
Innocent as his sister was, she had taken him to be referring solely to the honour of any person indicating to another that their company would be a welcome compliment.
That was true, of course, but it was also true that Cheapside was not a fashionable neighbourhood, and the Gardiner’s house, though tidy and comfortable, showed them to belong to a social class well below their own.
Being better versed in the world than the innocent Georgiana, Miss Bennet and her aunt would also be sensible of the compliment in being asked to visit in a far more fashionable part of London.
“Why do you not practice the pianoforte if you are intent on staying in this afternoon?” Darcy suggested. He had a good many letters to write, but he did not want to neglect his sister in such a state of upset.
“Yes, Miss Darcy, your brother is right,” Mrs Annesley put in. “It will make the time go much more quickly for you, I daresay.
“I suppose,” she said glumly. Still, Georgiana did at least go over to the instrument.
She sat down and began plunking at the keys, but it was with no great concentration or enjoyment, he could see.
She was longing for a visit from her new friend, and it seemed nothing would bring her out of her poor spirits except the arrival of Miss Bennet.
Hardly a quarter-hour later, the butler appeared around the corner and, looking somewhat startled, bowed and handed Darcy a calling card. “Forgive me, sir, but there is a young lady and her aunt at the door. A Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Mrs Gardiner.”
He could not contain his smile as he looked over his shoulder at Georgiana, who, despite her hesitations, had already become entirely lost in the music.
She no longer tapped distractedly at the keys, but poured herself into her song as though to express everything in her heart.
“Very good. Show them in, please. And have tea and refreshments sent up.”
“Yes, sir,” the butler said. He bowed again and was gone.
Darcy went back and sat down in the little sitting area before the hearth, listening to Georgiana’s expert fingers dance over the ebony and ivory keys.
She had no notion that Miss Bennet and Mrs Gardiner had entered until the butler cleared his throat and announced them.
As soon as she heard, Georgiana stopped playing, striking a sour note in her surprise.
She stood up and hurried to join Darcy and Mrs Annesley in exchanging a bow with the visitors and introducing those who had not yet met.
“Miss Bennet, how delightful to see you again,” Georgiana exclaimed. Darcy watched her with a smile, revelling in the joy on his sister’s face at the welcome surprise of their visitors.
Miss Bennet took Georgiana’s offered hand, giving it a friendly press. “It is a pleasure to see you again so soon, Miss Darcy.”
“Indeed, the feeling is mutual,” Georgiana said, a little nervously. “And what a pleasure to see you, Mrs Gardiner. I hope you are well?”
“Quite well, thank you, and very pleased to visit, Miss Darcy. Your invitation was very kind,” Mrs Gardiner said. “And how are you today, Mr Darcy?”
“I am very well, thank you. It is a pleasure to welcome you into our home, ladies.” He glanced at Georgiana and nodded toward the sitting area. Given the informal circumstances and the kind dispositions of their visitors, it was an ideal opportunity for her to practice acting the hostess.
“Oh, of course,” Georgiana said. She wrung her hands, but then remembered herself and put them by her side. “Would you like to come and sit down? There is a lovely fire burning in the grate. Shall I call for tea?” she asked.
“I’ve already done so,” Darcy replied.
“Oh, thank you, Fitz!” she whispered, forgetting herself.
In her enthusiasm, Georgiana all but led Miss Bennet to the place next to her, while Mrs Annesley and Mrs Gardiner sat a little away.
After a moment’s thought, Darcy joined the two older ladies.
The place had the advantage not only of allowing Georgiana the greatest leeway to talk with her new friend, but of being an ideal vantage point from which to admire Miss Bennet.
What on earth are you doing, Darcy? Surely he could not have had such a reckless, shocking thought. But, as he was already seated, Darcy told himself it was too late to do anything about it.
“This is a very pleasant room,” Miss Bennet said to Georgiana. “And what a beautiful pianoforte. I heard you playing as we were being shown down the hall. Perhaps you would regale us with a short piece?”
Georgiana beamed at her praise. “Oh, perhaps,” she said, giving in to her shyness once more. “My brother was very kind to buy me this instrument, even though I already have one at Pemberley. He should not have gone to such an expense as to purchase two pianofortes!”
“Yes, I should have,” Darcy chimed in with a smile.
“Oh, very well, then.” Georgiana said instantly.
Darcy could not help but chuckle at her unwillingness to oppose him. He turned to their visitors with a smile. “I have a very obliging sister, as you see.”
“Oh, no!” Georgiana exclaimed, making them all laugh. “Surely you are the obliging one, Fitz, to be giving me pianos and books and all manner of things.”
Miss Bennet smiled at her. “Indeed, you are very lucky to have such a thoughtful brother.”
“Oh, Fitz is the best brother any girl could ask for. And not just because he spoils me,” Georgiana said.
That, Darcy could not allow to stand. “You are not spoilt,” he argued.
“Far from it. Besides, you love music so well, and a gift like that must be fostered. It would not do to allow your gift to lie dormant during our long absences from Pemberley.” Surely it was merely a matter of practicality, and yet he could not help but notice that Miss Bennet seemed to approve of his ‘generosity’ — if it could even be called so.
“I quite agree. So few people are blessed with a natural talent that does not also need to be practiced.”
Georgiana nodded, seeming to have become a little more at ease. Indeed, her manner grew more elegant and controlled as the visit went on. And for that, Darcy was immensely proud. She even gathered her courage to venture a question. “Do you play, Miss Bennet?”
“Only a little and very poorly. It is my sister Mary, who is the pianist.”
“I suppose you do not have the time to practise,” Georgiana said innocently. “Likely you spend the bulk of your time writing, as my brother does.”
Oddly, Miss Bennet looked distinctly startled by the comment.
She failed entirely to reply for long moments, until her aunt came to the rescue.
“Our Lizzy has occasion to write many letters, yes. With four sisters, one can hardly keep up, I imagine.” Mrs Gardiner gave a short laugh and looked relieved when the housekeeper knocked and wheeled in the tea cart.
“Ah, here is tea,” Georgiana said. Darcy watched Miss Bennet closely.
She had seemed uneasy with Georgiana’s question about her writing, but he admired a woman who took time to answer letters.
And a young woman who received many letters was surely well-liked by her friends and her family.
There was no reason, surely, why she would not want her letter-writing to be talked of.
“You say you have four sisters, Miss Bennet? Where were they when we came to visit yesterday?” Darcy asked. Perhaps Georgiana could benefit from making their acquaintance. If they were as kind and charming as Miss Bennet, they could only be a beneficial influence for his sister.
“Oh, yes, four sisters. I have one older sister, Jane. And three younger: Mary, Kitty, and Lydia.”
“And do they live here in London with you?” Georgiana asked. “I should very much like to meet them. Indeed, I would have invited them all if I had known.”
“Not at all. My sisters do not live here in London. My mother and my sisters live in a cottage in Hertfordshire, near where I grew up. Our father passed away two years ago, and I moved to London a few months after we were settled in the cottage, to help my aunt and uncle with my young cousins.” Elizabeth and her aunt exchanged a pained glance.
“I am sorry to hear about your father. Our father died five years ago,” Georgiana said quietly. “It is still difficult, dealing with the grief of losing him.”