Chapter 15 Penitence
When the women came down to breakfast, the two gentlemen were already seated, taking their meal and reading the papers. Both rose at their entrance and bowed.
Anxious, Elizabeth glanced at her companions and was satisfied.
They were dressed modestly, their coiffures elegant, with not a hair out of place.
Her cheeks warmed at the thought that her offense must soon be made known, and she would be sent away, perhaps to Longbourn, while Mary remained to suffer for her sister’s conduct.
How she wished she might begin the morning again.
Mr. Darcy dismissed the footman, and all three ladies stood unmoving, awaiting his judgment.
His eyes were fixed on Elizabeth. “Miss Bennet, I see you are troubled by this morning’s impropriety. Pray do not fear that we shall mention it to our aunt or to the rector. It concerns no one else. Pray be easy.”
Relief made Elizabeth’s eyes glisten. “Thank you, sir. I am greatly obliged, not so much for myself as for my poor sister, who would remain here and bear the consequence of my conduct, and perhaps my brother as well, for having a relation so deficient in propriety.”
A faint smile touched his mouth. “You need not apprehend such consequences. However formidable my aunt may appear, she is entirely guided by my cousin, and Anne would never permit her to censure the rector on this account.”
“Thank you, Mr. Darcy. I am grateful, and I assure you I shall not venture out again while I remain in Kent.”
Miss de Bourgh protested at once. “Now, Lizzy, you must not promise such a thing, for I shall continue my morning excursions, and I rely upon you to accompany me.”
Darcy exchanged a glance with Richard, who spoke. “Anne, if you are determined to roam the countryside in those forbidden garments, we shall attend you,” then hastily added, “At a distance.”
Georgiana asked, “Fitzwilliam, may I join them, too?”
“Yes, my dear, you may accompany your cousin.”
She continued, flushing, “Miss Elizabeth has another pair of trousers and the matching top. They will be rather short for me, but may I wear them?”
Elizabeth interposed. “Sir, I have a longer tunic that falls nearly to the knee. It is somewhat less shocking.”
“Very well, Georgiana. If Miss Bennet lends you her ensemble, you may wear it in the morning.”
She went to him at once, slipped her arms about his waist, and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Fitzwilliam. It is as though I have gained two sisters. I am very happy.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I am glad for you, Georgie. Our visit to Rosings has proved the remedy you required.”
“Yes, brother. I have quite forgotten what I endured in Ramsgate.”
Darcy glanced up, concerned, but no one was near, and no one else heard her remark.
On the ninth of October, the three women spoke of the Harvest Home festival as they finished their morning airing. None had ever attended such a festival, and with pleasure they anticipated dancing in a barn, judging the Harvest Maidens, and sampling the various fare to be offered.
Elizabeth asked, “Annie, have you a gentleman waiting to claim you for a dance this afternoon?”
Her friend laughed. “No, dear Lizzy. I know no one in the district. My mother considers us too elevated to mix freely, and the neighboring families are older, with sons long established in London, waiting upon their inheritance.”
Georgiana giggled. “Anne, your frankness is exceedingly diverting. What would my aunt say if she heard you speak so of her distinguished neighbors?”
“We shall never know, my dear, for I should never say such things within her hearing.”
“But with whom will you dance, cousin, if there are no gentlemen of consequence?”
“Mamma has instructed that we are to accept any invitation, for they are all tenants of Lord Barlow. It is expected. Even Lady Grace means to dance, should she be asked. It would not do to offend those who have worked the land and supported the estate.”
Georgiana said, “I wonder whether my brother will permit me to dance with a farmer’s son.”
Elizabeth replied, “Since he is bringing you, Georgie, he has already given his consent.” Seeing her unease, she added, “The dance is held in daylight, your guardians will be present, and you are quite safe. You have nothing to fear. Be easy and enjoy it, for you may not have such an opportunity again.”
Her cousin said, in a quieter tone, “I look forward to dancing with Richard. He is lively, and his wit so clever that he keeps me in a continual state of amusement. It is a rare pleasure to feel so happy, and beyond all that, he is quite handsome.”
“But what if he does not ask you?” Georgiana asked.
“Then I shall ask him, and he will not refuse me, for Mamma will see to it.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Annie, the colonel spoke truly. You do have your mother entirely in hand.”
Miss Anne grew thoughtful. “It is unfortunate she will attend, for she will discover I am not so delicate as she supposes, and she will insist upon my accompanying her on her morning calls and fetching every trifling thing she forgets and never has need of.”
Georgiana slipped her arm through her cousin’s. “Dear Anne, why do you not come and visit Fitzwilliam and me this winter and enjoy a respite from my aunt?”
“Forgive me, Georgiana. I cannot visit you, or Mamma will press me to marry Fitzwilliam, which I do not desire. I shall instead persuade my Aunt Helen to invite me to Matlock House, and perhaps, in time, Richard may come to admire me. And then we will marry.”
Elizabeth said, “It appears to me you have fallen in love, my friend.”
“The colonel is charming and free of arrogance. That is what recommends him to me, Lizzy. He is a military man who has earned his way and does not look down upon those of a different station. We have become friends, and I hope, in time, he may come to regard me as the woman he wishes to make his wife.”
“I wish you every happiness, for I am certain he is very nearly yours already. I have seen how he regards you. When we are meant to be studying the heavens, he studies you, and when we run, it is you he watches.”
Georgiana added her own observations, and while they were thus engaged, Elizabeth’s thoughts turned to the other gentleman, the one she admired.
She trembled, knowing it was not admiration alone, but love. His many small attentions to her comfort and the warmth in his regard had opened her heart to him.
However, she well understood that she was not situated as Anne.
Elizabeth had no powerful connections, no distinguished lineage, no fortune to recommend her.
She possessed none of these advantages, and so she kept her feelings to herself, guarding her heart against the moment when this magical idyll must come to an end.