Chapter 1.20 #3
“Yes indeed, that is what I am saying. We can do nothing else but handle the situation as well as we can to the benefit of everyone involved, no matter what kind of person Miss Elizabeth might be.”
His countenance darkened, and he froze at that understanding, pacing the room in useless torment, not wanting to accept that he could do nothing to impose his will upon the situation.
Lady Ellen allowed him to suffer a little longer before taking mercy on him and giving him some relief.
“Fortunately, Darcy has proven himself to be wise in his choice, and his future wife’s character is not at all as you feared. Earlier today, I paid a visit to Georgiana, and I unexpectedly met Miss Elizabeth.”
She paused and waited for his reaction, but his surprise did not allow him to say anything.
“And I came to conclude that she is everything Robert and Darcy told me. Her honesty in this situation cannot be questioned, and I strongly believe that Darcy will have no cause to repine. She is witty and pleasant, very determined and outspoken. She will be quite a challenge for him, but at least he will never be tired of her charms as you implied. She has brought about an astonishing change, not only in Darcy but in Georgiana too, and I am indebted to her for that. I indeed approve of her now, and I dare say Anne would approve as well. And society will accept her; I shall see to that. Moreover, she will make quite a sensation, I can tell you.”
Lord Matlock finally found his voice.
“Ellen, you were trifling with me! Meeting Miss Elizabeth and concealing it from me—”
“Yes, I did trifle with you! You could not possibly believe that I would forgive your offence so easily, sir! As for Miss Elizabeth, I shall not ask you to change your mind now, nor shall I argue with you again on this subject. But I trust you will show decorum and politeness to Darcy and his intended when you meet them, even if you spend no more than five minutes in their company.”
“If that is what you want…”
“It is. And trust me, Lord Matlock, sooner rather than later you will have to declare your failure in judging this situation. And do not entertain hopes that I shall not take advantage of that or that I shall not remind you constantly of that failure among many others. You should have learned to trust my instincts after thirty-five years of my being right! And now, will you escort me to dinner, please?”
∞∞∞
Around six o’clock, two carriages stopped in front of Darcy’s town house; one belonged to the Gardiners and the other had been sent by the master himself to bring the rest of the guests.
Mrs Gardiner had reluctantly agreed to bring the children under a strict condition: immediately after dinner, Mrs Taylor and the maid would come to retrieve the children while their parents were to remain longer.
The condition had been accepted by everyone, and even Becky was well dressed and her hair done properly for what she was told would be an important event.
Elizabeth told them in detail about Georgiana and asked them to behave as well as they could, a promise given without reserve.
Lydia had been very upset to attend without her dear Wickham, but a short private talk with Mr Bennet was enough to bring her to reason.
Mr Darcy himself was waiting to greet them and—to everyone’s surprise—Mr Bingley was also present; he moved towards Jane in an instant, and she could do nothing but blush under the adoring gaze he bestowed upon her.
While bowing to each lady, Mr Darcy had no time to offer his arm to Elizabeth before Becky reclaimed his attention, and his only option was to take her in his arms. The best he could do, while inviting everyone in, was to grip Elizabeth’s hand, squeezing it briefly, making her blush and respond in the same manner.
If her father had not warned her, Lydia’s astonishment would have been loudly expressed; she was certain she had never been in such a house before, and she could not believe the splendour in which her sister would live.
They entered the drawing room—now arranged as a dining room—to find Georgiana sitting at the table.
Though she was not completely recovered and still weak, her appearance made all the guests—as nobody except Jane had seen her before—widen their eyes in admiration.
Her pallor only increased the brightness of her blue eyes—blue as two sapphires, just like her mother’s; golden curls were dancing on her temples, showing an elegant but unpretentious hair style.
For jewellery, a pair of delicate golden earrings and a cross of gold with sapphire stones lying on her delicate neck enhanced the effect of her pale blue gown.
Since her shyness and modesty did not allow her to recognise the look of admiration on the guests’ faces, Georgiana’s cheeks coloured as her eyes moved from her brother—still carrying Becky in his arms—to Elizabeth, who was at her side in a moment, taking her hand with much affection. “Georgiana, you look beautiful!”
She only blushed and coloured even more, embarrassed by such open praise in front of everyone, but Bingley came closer, bringing Jane with him, and they expressed their admiration with such enthusiasm that Georgiana was simply overwhelmed and could do nothing but thank them.
Mr Darcy unburdened himself of Becky and made the introductions. The only difficult moment for Georgiana, happily noticed by no one but Mr Darcy and Elizabeth, was the introduction of Lydia, but it passed well enough.
The children were introduced at the end. The boys were proper gentlemen, bowing politely, and Margaret curtseyed with elegance to everyone’s admiration.
Becky was the last to be introduced, and when Georgiana greeted her with her gentle voice, the girl looked up in deep admiration:
“You must be a fairy!”
Georgiana burst into laughter, all her shyness vanishing.
“No sweetie, I am not a fairy at all.”
“Are you sure? Because you look exactly like Mrs Taylor tells me fairies look.”
“Yes, I am sure, but I thank you for the compliment.”
“Well, you are welcome. You know, I am very good at compliments. I made many compliments to Mr Darcy too. He can tell you all about them.”
“Oh yes, I shall tell her,” answered the gentleman to everyone’s amusement.
Not only was Becky convinced that Georgiana was a fairy, but so too was young Thomas Gardiner.
At the age of nine, he had never seen anything or anyone so beautiful in his life as Mr Darcy’s sister.
He could not keep his eyes off her the whole evening, his thoughts being deeply sad because he was so young, praying hard to grow up sooner so he could marry her some day.
When the guests became more accustomed to their surroundings and seemed comfortably settled, Mr Darcy asked Mr Bennet to favour him with a private talk in the library.
“Mr Bennet, I would like to discuss a very pressing matter with you before you leave town.”
“Please do.”
“Earlier today I had a discussion with Miss Elizabeth about deciding upon a wedding day.”
“Ah…I see…I was expecting this. And did you decide something?”
“Yes, we did. Unless you have some objection, we would like to marry in about six weeks.”
“Six weeks? That would be the middle of February? Well…You seem to be very impatient. I suppose Elizabeth has consented to this?”
“Yes, sir, she has. Mr Bennet, please rest assured that I am prepared to accept any delay of the date if you would prefer. The only reason for our…hurry was that Miss Elizabeth discussed with my aunt, Lady Matlock, the possibility of being in town for the Season—”
“Well, Mr Darcy, I somehow fail to believe that was the only reason.”
He raised his eyebrow at him, pleased to see how teasing made Mr Darcy’s face colour.
“To be honest, I do have a problem with losing my favourite daughter so soon, but then again, that will only give me an excuse to come to visit her as soon and as often as possible. If you and Elizabeth have agreed, I shall not oppose you. However, we must hurry the arrangements. If not tonight, I expect an express from you with all the details very soon.”
“Thank you, sir. If you will allow me a suggestion, Miss Elizabeth and Miss Bennet may take care of everything that can be arranged in town, so Mrs Bennet will have fewer things for which she need be worried.”
“Good. Is there anything more, Mr Darcy?”
“Yes, sir, I am afraid there is. My solicitor had no time to finish the settlements—”
“Mr Darcy, I can hardly believe that there will be any point of which I would not approve in the settlements. It will be perfectly acceptable for me to sign them when we next meet.”
“Thank you, sir. I hope you will not be displeased.”
“I am sure I shall not be. However, at this point the settlements are my last concern, for I have other pressing matters that I must consider first.”
“About the wedding, sir?”
“Yes, Mr Darcy, about the wedding. I think what you did was very selfish and dangerous to the sanity of an old man.”
“Sir, I cannot—”
“Mr Darcy, did it cross your mind that you are sending me alone to tell Mrs Bennet that not only will Lydia be married in town but also that her second daughter will be married in less than two months to a man with ten thousand a year? Can you imagine what I shall endure?”
Mr Darcy let a deep breath escape, relieved that he was only teasing him, and replied in the same manner.
“Yes, I can imagine, sir, and I shall be forever grateful for your sacrifice.”
“Well, you should be. However, you will have your share of delight in this. Do you know that Charlotte Lucas—who is a good friend of Elizabeth—will marry Mr Collins very soon? You have many reasons to hope that you will see Mr Collins quite often in the future.”
The same grin of satisfaction appeared on Mr Bennet’s face, while Mr Darcy’s expression turned to exasperation.
Mr Bennet changed the topic to one more neutral. “I must say, sir, you have an impressive library here.”