Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
With spring came yet another trip to London, this time for Georgiana’s presentation.
The Darcys would celebrate Alex’s first birthday and their second anniversary while in town.
While they would have preferred to celebrate these events at Pemberley, Georgiana’s presentation meant they needed to be in town by mid-March.
Work on her presentation gown began in the autumn, and orders for gowns for Georgiana and Elizabeth were placed then, but fittings would still need to occur to ensure all was in readiness for the Season.
Lady Matlock was to sponsor Georgiana for her entrée into the ton.
Elizabeth could have done so, having been presented herself just after her marriage to Darcy, but she suspected she was once again with child.
The trip was difficult for her, and the Darcys and Matlocks decided that Georgiana would be better served by her aunt’s sponsorship rather than her sister’s.
With Mary and Jane married, Kitty at the Gardiners, and Lydia still at school, Mrs Bennet no longer received news about her second daughter from those sources.
However, Mrs Phillips and others in the neighbourhood did speak of the Darcys’ success in the ton.
Georgiana was much admired and received quite a bit of attention, but it was Mrs Darcy who once again captivated society.
As she had the year they married, she continued to impress those in society with her style and wit and Mrs Bennet was surprised the daughter that had always given her so much trouble was so celebrated.
The gossip sheets were full of news of both Darcy women and their successes.
Miss Darcy was praised for her beauty and her sweetness, but Mrs Darcy impressed everyone with her wit and generosity, and both received much praise for the stunning elegance of their dress.
Among the other things Mrs Darcy was praised for was her charitable activities.
In these, she was assisted by her aunts, the Countess of Matlock and Mrs Gardiner, who, since becoming linked through the Darcys, had become a rather formidable duo in advocating for London’s less fortunate.
Since Elizabeth had not participated in the Season the previous year, her contributions had not been as well known.
Still, this year, with her and Georgiana in town for an extended season, Mrs Darcy joined her aunts and spent hours in these endeavours while in London.
“Sister, what do you hear from Mrs Darcy?” Mrs Phillips asked one morning while the two women were sitting in the parlour of Longbourn.
“Umm,” was all she could say. She had received a letter from Kitty a few days prior, and while she did occasionally attend outings with the Darcys, she rarely shared much news from Mayfair. “I owe her a letter, so I have not heard anything new of late,” she finally chanced to say.
“Oh, well, the gossip sheets are full of her and her sister. They apparently have made quite the impact upon the ton, and rarely have I heard anyone praised so highly,” Mrs Phillips laughed a little.
“Of course, she has those who dislike her, but they are jealous harpies. Do you have an address for Darcy House, sister? I would like to write to Lizzy myself.”
“Yes … I, the address is 45 Park Lane, Mayfair,” Mrs Bennet offered mechanically.
“Do you want me to include any messages from you, sister?” Mrs Phillips asked.
“No, I … um, as I said, I am a letter in her debt,” Mrs Bennet said, her voice firm. “I will write it straight away.” Mrs Phillips spoke another few minutes but quickly took her leave, leaving the mistress of Longbourn contemplating her second daughter.
In a townhouse in Mayfair, the Darcys were also reading the paper over breakfast.
“I despise the gossip columns, Will,” Elizabeth told her husband after several minutes.
“Aunt Helen insists that I be acquainted with all of the society news before we appear anywhere in public,” Elizabeth countered.
“It is tedious to pretend to care about all these matters. I do not want people to discuss us so minutely, but I am afraid they do.”
Reaching out to caress her hand with his, Darcy replied.
“We will make an early departure from town if it becomes too tiring. Georgiana has been seen by society and is sought after, but I do not believe anyone has touched her heart on this trip. I am glad she has been exposed to society, but her heart has not been touched, as she is still too young to marry, regardless of what society might say.”
“But not yet, dear; we have scarcely been in town a month,” Elizabeth replied teasingly.
“Besides, even if Georgiana has not found a serious suitor, she has made a few friends, and I doubt she would be willing to leave them quite so soon. You know you have enjoyed time with your male relations, including my uncle and friends from school whom we have seen frequently. Several of them have been invited to dinner tonight. The Thorntons and Ashfords will all be in attendance tonight.”
The two spoke about their friends until they were joined for the day by Georgiana. The conversation became more general as they discussed the day, including the dinner party that night. It would be a more relaxed evening, with only friends and family invited.
Soon, the three went their separate ways.
The Gardiners were included in their guests for dinner, and Kitty had been invited to stay at Darcy House for a few nights and accompany Miss Darcy to several events over the next few days.
There was a night at the theatre and a musical evening to attend, and a lecture from an artist at the British Museum the two girls wanted to attend together.
A drawing master would also come to the house while Kitty was visiting, a young man recently arrived from Italy who had made a name for himself as a portrait artist. He was to use Mrs Darcy as a subject, ensuring that not only would the girls get a lesson, but Darcy would receive a portrait and a miniature of his beloved wife.
They would also attempt to capture a portrait of Alex, but that was less certain as no one thought they could entice Alex to sit still long enough for anyone to take his likeness.
Kitty was determined, though, to attempt it and hoped to learn some techniques from the master that would aid in her endeavour.
Elizabeth and Darcy each spent the day in their individual pursuits.
With company expected, they chose to skip taking tea as a family as Elizabeth found it necessary to rest before dressing for dinner—when learning of her intention, Darcy elected to join her for her rest. The two arrived downstairs just before their expected guests, still glowing from their time together.
Dinner went smoothly. The discussion at the table was interesting and lively.
Kitty, who had never attended a dinner party at the Darcys before, was in awe.
She listened to the open exchange of ideas around the table and listened to men and women who intelligently discussed many pressing issues of the day.
Having spent quite a bit of time at the Gardiners over the last year, she was more equipped to participate in such discussions, but she had never expected to see such at a dinner made up of members of the ton.
When all the guests departed, Georgiana and Kitty retired together to chat about the coming days.
“I was surprised by the dinner tonight,” Kitty said to her friend.
“I did not expect so many members of the first circle to engage in such conversation. Dinners at Longbourn always focused on local gossip, neighbourhood concerns, and fashion but rarely on politics, the rights of women, and the like. I have heard my uncle converse about these things with his guests, but I expected the conversation to be different.”
“Oh, I cannot ever imagine a meal at my sister’s table focused on gossip or fashion,” Georgiana said.
“Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam are so well-read and involved with many concerns; their friends are like them. The conversations have been as you described when we have attended events at some homes but never at Darcy House. I think Elizabeth refuses to invite people like that to their home, that is, unless Aunt Helen forces them to.”
Kitty laughed at that, and soon, the girls were too tired to remain awake any longer, and they both sought their bedrooms.
The following day, Kitty took the opportunity to write to her mother, sharing her impressions of the dinner party from the previous night and speaking of their plans for the next few days.
She praised her sister and talked more about Lizzy than she usually did.
While she knew of the rift between her mother and second sister, she had never tried to do anything about it.
Unlike Mary and Jane, she recognised that the fault for the rift was solely her mother’s and thought that it would be up to her mother to fix it if it were something that could be improved.
Therefore, she deliberately wrote praise for her sister, wondering if this would do anything to help resolve whatever issue lay between them.
Mrs Bennet struggled to write a letter to her second daughter when she received Kitty’s letter.
She was impressed by the description of the dinner party—although she was somewhat surprised at the topics discussed around the table.
Since her interests always centred around gossip and fashion, she struggled to understand how a group would not want to discuss such things.
However, as Kitty said that she and all at the dinner enjoyed the lively conversation, there was little to complain about.
A good hostess encouraged discussion amongst those at her table, and obviously, Elizabeth had done just that.
For the first time, perhaps, Mrs Bennet felt proud of Elizabeth.
She had been married for two years—Kitty had noted that the couple would celebrate their anniversary in just a few days—and was a successful hostess.
She remembered the conversation with Mrs Phillips where she had learned that Mrs Darcy was quite a success amongst the ton, which had led to her attempt to finally write the long overdue apology.
Yet, she still did not know what to say and continued to struggle to find the words.