Chapter 6
Darcy House
London
The Next Day
Noon
The leather upholstery of the armchair creaked as Darcy shifted. He lowered his leather-bound edition of Shakespearean comedies to stare pensively into space a moment before glancing towards the open door to the music room. Georgiana sat just beyond, a light and pleasing arpeggio trickling out from under her talented fingers.
Darcy prided himself on his disciplined mind, and usually even a book of treatises on sheep could hold his attention for hours. But tonight, nothing could keep his wandering mind, even one of his favorite set of plays. A pang of grief gripped his heart again as Miss Elizabeth Bennet’s lovely face rose in his mind’s eye, etched with the arch disdain he had so long taken for playful interest. What a fool he had been! What a shock it had been to comprehend that his love for her was returned by utter contempt.
He thought of possibly seeing her again, and his heart quickened in both apprehension and excitement. It was possible, as Bingley had invited him to Netherfield the day previously during a short visit. His friend had been glowing with joy, his usual genial manner turned ebullient by delight. Miss Bennet had accepted his proposal, and they were to be married in Meryton in but a few weeks, as soon as the banns could be called. Bingley, kind and generous and forgiving as always, had urged his good friend to attend his nuptials.
Darcy wanted to. Not only did he wish to support Bingley, he wanted, altogether selfishly, to see Miss Elizabeth again. But how would the lady react? She would do nothing to ruin her sister’s happiness, of that Darcy was sure. But would her heart soften towards him? Or would her words, like skillfully wielded knives, cut him further?
Darcy reached deliberately for the satin bookmark lying on the table close at hand and closed his book on it. He was no coward. He would go to Netherfield and wish Bingley and his bride happiness, and face Miss Elizabeth.
A ripple of notes from the music room tugged an involuntary smile onto his mouth. He would take Georgiana as well, as Bingley had made a point of inviting both Miss Darcy and her companion, Mrs. Annesley. Georgiana would enjoy Netherfield and the surrounding country, and she could get a taste of society, without the stringent expectations that London would place upon one of her name and lineage. Georgiana, a shy girl, would appreciate that and would certainly find Miss Elizabeth a charming companion.
Moreover, there would be no danger to his dear sister in Meryton, as Richard had written that Wickham had been locked up in Marshalsea and had not breathed – had not dared to breathe – a damaging word about Miss Darcy.
His sweet Georgiana. She deserved all happiness. How grateful he was for her! She had been a dear comfort in this rather trying season.
The door opened, and his butler stepped in with a silver tray in his hand with a calling card on it.
“Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley have called, sir,” he said.
Darcy glanced at the card and suppressed a sigh. On the one hand, he did particularly wish to see either lady ever again. On the other, he felt that he ought to speak to Bingley’s sisters at least once more. He had agreed with the ladies that they should leave Netherfield the previous autumn and felt rather guilty at bringing down all of Bingley’s outrage on his sisters’ heads. He was partially to blame, after all.
“Please escort them within,” he said, and a minute later rose to his feet as the ladies entered, dressed in their best morning attire, but wearing worried expressions.
“Mr. Darcy,” Miss Bingley cried out before the door had even closed behind the butler. “I am so glad that you are home today. We simply must talk about Charles!”
Darcy frowned at her and cast an anxious look toward the open door into the music room. Georgiana knew nothing about the matter of Jane Bennet, and he did not wish her to know of his foolishness.
“Please, will you not sit down?” he invited, gesturing to a settee farthest from the music room door.
The visitors obeyed, and he reluctantly lowered himself onto a chair across from them.
“Mr. Darcy,” Louisa Hurst said, “I do not know if you are aware that Charles is engaged to Jane Bennet?”
“I am,” he began, “and…”
“It is a catastrophe,” Miss Bingley interposed and moaned dramatically. “Such an awful family! I know it is a great deal to ask, but can you please speak to him? Perhaps…”
“I was entirely wrong,” Darcy said bluntly. “I thought that Miss Bennet did not truly care for your brother but am now confident that she does, very much. I have no intention of interfering at all, and I recommend that you do not attempt to interfere either. It would do no good and will only make Bingley angrier.”
Both ladies gasped and lifted their hands in unison to their chests in astonishment.
“You … you cannot mean that,” Miss Bingley exclaimed. “Please, Charles is your closest friend! You would not wish him to be tied so closely to…”
“To a woman he loves?” Darcy interrupted, his tone hardening. “To a woman who loves him in return; a charming, handsome, refined lady who is everything good? I opposed the marriage only because I sincerely believed that Jane Bennet did not love your brother. Given that I am now convinced otherwise, I have no intention of meddling any further. Indeed, I am planning to journey to Netherfield to attend the wedding as best man.”
The response to this statement resulted in bulging eyes and slack jaws on the part of his guests, and Darcy was suddenly tired of them both. He rose to his feet and said, “Now, I have some business letters to write, if you will excuse me?”
The two sisters exchanged astounded looks and reluctantly rose to their feet, with the elder gazing at him piteously and the younger with calculated animosity.
“Now, if you would care to accept some advice,” Darcy said, “I would recommend sending a kind letter to Miss Bennet, soon to be Mrs. Bingley. I have been impressed with the young lady’s generosity and…”
He broke off abruptly as Miss Bingley suddenly launched herself forward and, to his horror, threw her arms around him, propelling him into his chair again, and then proceeded to kiss him hard on the lips.
“Argh!” he sputtered, grabbing her by the arms and trying to push her away, but he was in such a difficult position, with her not insignificant weight on him, with her arms clasping his body firmly, that he could only yelp in anguish and wriggle desperately as Miss Bingley continued to kiss him with determination.
“Brother?” a young voice cried out in bewilderment, and to his utter relief, Miss Bingley released him and rolled awkwardly to her feet.
“My dear Georgiana,” Miss Bingley said, turning a smug countenance toward the girl. “I have such extraordinary news for you. Your brother and I are now engaged to be married. Is that not wonderful?”
Georgiana paled before Darcy’s horrified eyes, and he leaped to his feet, his clothing askew, and shook his head ferociously. “We most certainly are not, Georgiana!”
“Oh, but we are, Mr. Darcy,” Miss Bingley said, tilting her chin skyward. “We have kissed in front of my sister and yours, and I am confident that you are far too much of a gentleman to compromise a lady like myself in such a cruel way.”
Darcy prided himself on his calm, but he suddenly gave way to an outpouring of genuine fury.
“You, Miss Bingley, are no lady!” he snarled. “To enter my house on false pretenses? To attempt to entrap me? I would rather marry the sixty-year-old widow of a butcher than you!”
Miss Bingley staggered back, eyes wide, and fell gracefully over in a faint, though Darcy cynically noted that she was careful to collapse onto the settee so she did not harm herself.
“Come along, Georgiana,” he ordered, walking over and gently taking her arm in his own. “I will have Mr. Moore see the ladies out.”
Georgiana’s brow was furrowed with distress, but she merely nodded and clutched his arm as he guided her out the door, where he found his butler waiting with a stoic expression but slightly worried eyes.
“Mr. Moore,” he said, “Miss Bingley is not feeling well. Please summon two footmen to assist her to her carriage. Also, we will never be home to Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst again.”
“Yes, sir.”
“If she remains faint,” Georgiana piped up, “perhaps throwing some water on her face would help.”
Darcy cast a startled look on his sister, but the butler merely bowed slightly and allowed an arctic smile to form on his distinguished countenance.
“Of course, Miss Darcy,” he said and turned to gesture towards two nearby manservants.
Brother and sister made their way down the corridor and into Darcy’s study, and Darcy closed the door behind them both before guiding his sister over to a chair by the window, which faced out toward a charming vista of rose bushes, blushing with pale pink flowers.
“Whatever was that about, Brother?” Georgiana demanded as she settled into her chair.
Darcy huffed and said, “As you probably know, Miss Bingley has long wished to be my wife and, more importantly in her mind, to rise to the position of mistress of Pemberley. She has grown desperate of late and decided to force my hand by hurling herself against me in an entirely disgusting manner.”
He followed these words with a shudder and lifted his handkerchief to wipe his mouth. The very thought of that woman’s lips on his own made him feel vaguely nauseous!
“I never liked Miss Bingley very much,” Georgiana confessed, “but I never would have believed she would behave in such a repugnant fashion!”
Darcy lowered his handkerchief and stared at his sister. “You do not like Miss Bingley? You never told me that. Was she unkind to you?”
Georgina blushed and bowed her head slightly. “No, not at all. Indeed, she, and Mrs. Hurst as well, always flattered me about how wonderful I am on the pianoforte and how gifted I am at sketching and the like.”
“Which you are!” Darcy interposed loyally.
She lifted her face to his with a pleased smile and said, “Thank you, Brother. I do enjoy both playing and drawing, but I never felt as if Mr. Bingley’s sisters were sincere in their appreciation of my gifts. As you said, it was obvious that Miss Bingley wished to win an offer from you, and I was merely a means to an end. Such false friendship does not make me feel very warmly toward Miss Bingley.”
Darcy stared at her mournfully. He had always found Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst rather annoying, but had thought them good friends to his shy little sister.
“I am sorry that I have forced you to be in company with them so often,” he said.
“Oh, no, not at all!” Georgiana replied instantly. “They were not nearly as exasperating as some of the girls at school. I was glad to be with them as it allowed you to be with Mr. Bingley, whom I know is your closest friend.”
He stared at her carefully, more unhappy than relieved at her words. Of all the burdens he had carried in the years since his father had died, the greatest was that of his sister. He knew nothing about young girls and feared that he had done more harm than good in first sending her away to a school which she did not like, and then being an idiot and hiring the treacherous Mrs. Younge.
“I do hope this will not cause a rift between you and Mr. Bingley,” Georgiana continued worriedly.
Darcy shook his head and said, “It will not. Indeed, Bingley has cut himself off from his sisters, for this season of life, anyway.”
This provoked astonishment on his sister’s part, and he found himself explaining the entire situation regarding Jane Bennet and Bingley, in spite of concerns over her possible response.
Her first words were entirely surprising. “So you are not upset that your friend is marrying someone other than myself?”
He found himself gaping foolishly at her, and it was some time before he could close his mouth sufficiently to reply. “Wed you? My dear Georgiana, I am very fond of Bingley, but he is nearly a decade older than you, and I never thought that you would marry him. Did you wish to…? That is, do you consider Bingley more than a friend?”
“No, not at all,” Georgiana said, leaning back into her chair with a relieved smile, “but Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst have been hinting for years that their brother and I are well suited, and I thought, perhaps, that you believed the same. While I like Mr. Bingley, I have no desire to marry anyone right now.”
Darcy was not certain how many more emotional blows he could take. Once again, he had failed his sister in not speaking openly about his expectations of her future marriage.
“I did not know that,” he said contritely. “My dear girl, I do not imagine that you will wed for at least three or four years, and perhaps even more. Indeed, you need never marry at all if you do not care to.”
Georgiana blew out a breath and smiled broadly. “Thank you, Fitzwilliam.”
He smiled back, even as he vowed internally to change his ways with his precious sister. From now on, he would explain his expectations and thoughts far more clearly.