Chapter Sixty-Seven
After the holiday was over, all attention was directed to the upcoming double wedding. Most – nay, all! – of the effort was made by the family of the brides, while the grooms sat and agreed with whatever was said to them.
Elizabeth would have preferred a good deal less fuss and bother, but she could not deprive her mother of the great fun to be had in planning what was clearly to be Meryton’s event of the century.
She had made it known that Colonel Fitzwilliam would stand up with his cousin, but had made no mention of the possibility of the Earl and Countess of Matlock attending.
She understood it to be a remote possibility indeed, and there was nothing to be gained by bringing it up.
***
Mr. Darcy had received no further missives from his august relatives regarding their attendance at the wedding, and assumed that only the Colonel would represent the Matlock family.
He was not in the least disturbed by this.
He knew full well that the Matlocks felt they had endured enough from the Darcy branch of the family as a result of Georgiana’s disgrace; Darcy’s betrothal to an unknown country girl had helped the situation not at all.
Thus, it was a surprise to everyone involved when a shiny black coach, bearing the Matlock crest and a coronet with eight strawberry leaves, appeared in front of Netherfield the day before the wedding.
The coach contained the Earl and Countess of Matlock, as well as Colonel Fitzwilliam. The Colonel was known to Thurston, of course, but the Matlocks were not. They provided their names, and Thurston promptly announced the visitors to Mrs. Hurst, as they followed him into the drawing room.
That lady distinguished herself by neither fainting nor stammering as she welcomed them to Netherfield Park. Nothing in her demeanor indicated that their presence was a surprise.
She shot a quick and meaningful look at Thurston, who nodded and vanished at once to inform Mrs. Morton of the unexpected visitors.
Mrs. Morton grabbed the nearest upstairs maid by the arm and whispered urgent instructions and then all but ran upstairs to tell Mr. Darcy of the arrival of the Matlocks.
“Bloody hell,” Mr. Darcy muttered once Mrs. Morton had left.
He had not anticipated this at all, and he was not pleased to think that he would have to spend a good deal of time protecting Georgiana and Elizabeth from his relatives when what he really wanted to do, what he very much wanted to do, what he needed to do, was to spend his remaining days as a bachelor in joyous contemplation of marriage to the one woman in all of England he could love!
There was a knock on his door and it opened immediately, revealing a smiling Richard Fitzwilliam. “Did you say something, cuz?” he asked, striding into the room.
“I said ‘bloody hell,’ if you must know,” Mr. Darcy replied, frowning at his cousin.
“That is what I thought you said. I take it that my parents’ arrival was not the happy surprise we hoped it would be?”
“Not a happy surprise at all, and well you know it! Oh, I am glad to see you, Richard, of course, but can I expect anything from your parents other than criticism and sour looks?”
“You can,” said a voice from the doorway. The Countess of Matlock stood there, frowning at her nephew. “I am here to meet your Miss Elizabeth, and to take her measure.”
“I thought that would be the job of the modiste,” Mr. Darcy said, hoping that a bit of levity would help his aunt forgive his intemperate words.
But the Countess stared at him until he apologised. Walking into the room, she continued, “She will need to be taught – well, everything, will she not? And I may as well see what the girl is made of and how well she will take instruction.”
“I think you will find that she is not as hopeless as all that,” the Colonel objected.
Mr. Darcy looked at him gratefully. “Indeed, Aunt, I believe you will be pleasantly surprised.”
“I should like to meet her as soon as may be,” the Countess said. “I shall be ready in an hour.” She turned and left the room.
The Colonel said, “Darcy, you should let her know –“
“What do you think I am doing, Richard?” Mr. Darcy bit off, seating himself at his writing desk.
Ten minutes later, his message was on its way to Longbourn.
***
“Oh, no!!” Elizabeth went white and dropped the message on the floor.
“Lizzy? What is it?’
Elizabeth could only stare at Jane in horror, her hand at her mouth.
Jane bent down and picked up the small piece of paper.
Elizabeth,
My aunt and uncle are here, as well as Richard; they will be at Longbourn in three quarters of an hour! Try not to worry; all will be well!
Fitzwilliam
Jane immediately ran to find Mrs. Bennet, pausing only long enough to say, “Put on your rose gown, Lizzy!”
***
When the Matlocks and the Darcys arrived at Longbourn, they found five perfectly dressed and coiffed young ladies, and an equally perfectly attired and coiffed Mrs. Bennet.
The girls were sitting in the parlour with needlework, just as properly as anyone might wish.
Lydia had been warned to be on her best behaviour, or she would be locked in the nursery for a month.
She looked rebellious, but managed to sit and pretend to sew.
Mary could not wear her new bonnet indoors, of course, but she had her fan in her lap, hoping that the Colonel would see that she appreciated his gift.
Mr. Bennet, having heard the commotion and learnt the reason for it, had concluded that this would be an excellent time for him to visit the tenants. Mrs. Bennet, fearing that her husband would make one of his incomprehensible sardonic comments to the Earl, agreed with him.
Everyone quite properly rose and curtsied as Mr. Darcy performed introductions. Mrs. Bennet rang at once for tea; the kitchen, having been given warning as to the event, produced an elegant tea tray that even the Countess looked upon approvingly.
Once everyone’s cup had been poured and plates handed round, the Countess looked at each of the sisters in turn.
The eldest, Miss Bennet, was clearly the beauty of the family.
Mr. Bingley, with parents in trade, had done well for himself in finding not just a beauty, but a young woman of impeccable manners and from the landed gentry class.
The middle sister, Miss Mary – ah, this was the young lady Richard had purchased gifts for.
She was not as pretty as her two elder sisters, but there was a good deal of intelligence in her eyes.
The two youngest, who already had Georgiana sandwiched between them, should not yet have been out of the schoolroom, but if they had helped Georgiana, then that was enough.
Now she was ready to focus on the most important young lady in the room. “Miss Elizabeth, you have been to Town before, have you not?’
“I have, Lady Ellen, yes.”
“Where have you stayed?”
“I have an aunt and uncle who live on Gracechurch Street.”
The Countess’ brows winged up. “Gracechurch Street?”
“Yes; my uncle is a merchant.”
The Countess glanced meaningfully at her nephew, who said at once, “I had the privilege of meeting the Gardiners just a few weeks ago and found them everything delightful. Mrs. Gardiner was raised in Lambton, and it will give me great pleasure to invite them to Pemberley so that she might renew old acquaintances.”
“Indeed?” The Countess sounded nonplussed. She returned to Elizabeth. “Do you enjoy your visits to Town?”
“Very much.”
The Countess was beginning to feel that this conversation was very hard going indeed; could the girl not give answers of more than a few words? Thus, she was grateful when the girl said, “Might we walk together, Lady Ellen? Then I might answer all your questions more easily.”
The Countess agreed readily.
Elizabeth rose, glanced at Mr. Darcy to smile at him, reassuringly, and led the way out to the back garden.
Once there, she turned to the Countess and said, “Let us put aside any subterfuge. You are unhappy about my engagement to your nephew; I cannot say that I blame you. I know he was expected to marry a good deal better than me.”
The Countess was taken aback. It took her a moment to respond. “Unhappy is perhaps a strong statement.”
“Is it inaccurate, however?”
“I suppose it is not. I counseled him to marry in order to take the attention off Georgiana, but…” She trailed off.
“But you did not expect him to offer for someone like me. Truly, your ladyship, I think we will deal better together if we are honest with one another.”
“Very well. Yes, I thought he would do better. But I will add that I am given to understand that you and Georgiana are very fond of one another, and that is important.”
“Oh, yes, I love Georgiana dearly. Mr. Darcy and I are also very fond of one another; is that not important as well?”
“It is generally not considered necessary in Society.”
“It is necessary for me, Lady Ellen. Let me assure you that I agreed to marry your nephew because I love him, not because of his position in society, his estate, or anything else.”
The Countess hardly knew how to reply to this.
Elizabeth continued, “We have a good deal in common, he and I, and I think we will do very well together.”
“At Pemberley, perhaps, but what of London?”
“I do understand that the Season will be something of a trial, but I have every intention of helping Georgiana in any way that I can.”
“You are very sure of yourself,” the Countess said, doubtfully.
At this, Elizabeth chuckled. “I am glad that it sounds that way. I was hoping to convince you that I am capable of mingling in Society, but of course I am full of doubts! I will just have to do the very best that I can, as Georgiana depends on me to do so.”
“She does, yes.” The Countess looked Elizabeth over. “Your appearance is good, I admit. And you speak well. Your manners seem adequate, though I must insist that you be open to correction.”