Chapter 20
Caroline Bingley stomped down the stairs from the guest wing of Pemberley and began marching through the corridor which ran parallel to the facade of the great mansion.
She was angry, nay, furious, but she dared not express her ire toward Jane or Elizabeth, else she would lose even more money from her annual allowance.
As for Louisa, well, her sister had pleaded exhaustion and taken to her bed, which was absurd.
Who needed a nap in the middle of the morning?
It was just like Louisa, was it not? Caroline’s elder sister pretended to be certain of her own mind, and yet, with Charles’s idiotic championing of Jane and Elizabeth, now seemed bent on worming herself into their good graces.
It was terrifying how much had changed in the last months; indeed, Caroline cursed the very day her brother had heard of Netherfield Hall!
Presently she was saddled with five new sisters with relatives in trade, and Charles, who had been the most amiable and agreeable of brothers, was now behaving in a thoroughly obnoxious way!
Caroline’s pace increased still more, her shoes thumping on the wooden floor. She needed to find a way to expel her anger without losing more money, and given the rain outside, she could hardly go outside to walk away her outrage.
The sound of familiar feminine voices drew her attention, and she halted in front of an open door of the library on her left.
She stepped within and looked around, marveling at the sight before her, though she had, of course, seen it before.
She was no great reader, but this library of Pemberley was magnificent, with tens, maybe hundreds, of thousands of pounds worth of books within sight.
Oh, to be mistress of an estate with such wealth in the written word!
“Hertfordshire is significantly south of Derbyshire,” Miss Darcy’s voice remarked.
A moment later, her host’s sister appeared from around the corner of the freestanding shelves which separated the main library from the area with the rarer volumes.
“Our own goldfish survive the winters nicely so it should not be a problem.”
“That is good,” Elizabeth answered, following Georgiana into view. “I would think that the waterfall would limit how much ice forms … oh, Miss Bingley!”
Georgiana, who had been focusing on the floor as she walked, lifted her face and blanched at the unaccustomed sight of one of her least favorite people.
“Elizabeth,” Caroline returned sharply, before adding politely, “Miss Darcy. What are you doing?”
“We are learning about goldfish,” Elizabeth explained cheerfully, shifting to block Georgiana from Caroline’s curious gaze. “Jane wishes to obtain goldfish at Netherfield, and Miss Darcy offered to see if there are any books here which might provide information on how best to care for them.”
“Goldfish!” Caroline responded in complete exasperation. “I cannot fathom why Jane would desire goldfish!”
A moment later, she flinched and glanced around, then relaxed in relief. Charles was not in sight and could not take away ten pounds for her honest remark.
“Well, as to that, Caroline,” Elizabeth said gravely, “Pemberley has goldfish in its ponds. It is, I think, the mark of a truly sophisticated estate when the ponds have goldfish.”
Caroline blinked at these absurd words just as a deep voice announced, “I do believe that to be true, Miss Bennet. My father introduced goldfish some twenty years ago to the pools here, and I am delighted that they have thrived.”
Miss Bingley turned in horror as Mr. Darcy stepped into view from the hidden part of the library, his arms filled with books.
“Georgiana,” he said, walking over to place his burdens on a nearby table, “There may be useful information in these books, though I cannot be certain. Miss Bingley, good morning.”
“Good morning,” Caroline answered, curtseying as the gentleman bowed slightly. “I did not realize you were here, Mr. Darcy.”
“Yes, I wished to assist my sister and Miss Bennet,” Darcy responded. “There is a reproduction of a Marguerite Gerard painting of goldfish in a bowl in the book on the top, Georgiana. You might enjoy looking at it, though I daresay it will not help you care for the fish.”
“Thank you, Brother,” Georgiana exclaimed, grasping the tome in her slender hands and opening it.
Elizabeth shot a quick glance at Caroline, then a meaningful one at Darcy, and the gentleman said, “I need to speak to Mrs. Reynolds, as we should have an exceptional meal tomorrow night before you all depart for Hertfordshire. Is there anything you ladies particularly would enjoy?”
“Oh, Mr. Darcy!” Caroline trilled. “I am certain anything your wonderful cook prepares will be excellent.”
“I quite agree with Caroline,” Elizabeth said, “but I know Jane and I would particularly relish some of the marvelous strawberries that were served at the picnic. They are delicious.”
“That can be arranged,” Darcy said, bowing to the ladies and striding out of the door. Miss Bingley, seeing her quarry disappearing, abandoned Elizabeth and Georgiana without compunction, eager to take this opportunity to speak with the man she wished to make her husband.
Elizabeth waited until both had disappeared before walking over to the door and closing it. She turned around to observe Georgiana staring ahead with a troubled expression, an open book lying in front of her.
“I think that Miss Bingley wishes to marry my brother,” she said, her brow wrinkled.
Elizabeth walked over to take a seat at the table and gently pulled Georgiana down next to her.
“I am certain she does,” she agreed calmly, looking down at the reproduction of a painting with, yes, three goldfish swimming happily in a bowl.
“It is no surprise, Georgiana. Mr. Darcy is handsome, wealthy, intelligent, and master of a great estate. No doubt that there are scores, or even hundreds of women who wish to be mistress of Pemberley. It does not mean that your brother will ask for Miss Bingley’s hand in marriage, however. ”
Silence fell for a full minute while Elizabeth stared down at the painting. To her surprised distress, she felt her face flush, and she had to fight to keep from crying.
“Elizabeth?” Georgiana asked timidly.
“Yes?” Elizabeth returned, forcing herself to look up and smile.
“Do you admire my brother?”
“Oh yes, very much,” Elizabeth said with determined cheer. “He is a wonderful man, Mr. Darcy.”
“Yes, but do you like him?” Georgiana said with emphasis.
Elizabeth swallowed hard and said, “I know you appreciate honesty, so I will say that yes, I like Mr. Darcy very much. I hope, oh my dear friend, I do hope you realize that your brother can look very high for a bride, and while I am content with my person and my family, I know that I was not born into the haut ton.”
“If Fitzwilliam wished to marry into the cream of society, he could have done so long ago,” Georgiana stated. “I want him to marry you.”
Elizabeth could not help but laugh at this and then, at the hurt look on her companion’s face, pulled her into a firm embrace.
“You are marvelous, Georgiana, you truly are,” she said fervently.
“Now do listen to me, dear one. Your brother and I have known one another for only a week which is, I contend, far too short a time to truly fall in love. I admire him very much as master of this estate, an intellectual, a very kind brother to you and a generous overseer of his tenants and servants. But Mr. Darcy is far too sensible a man to offer for a woman within a week of her acquaintance, even if he is so inclined, and I daresay he is not. Nor am I willing to accept an offer on so short an association.”
Georgiana untangled this speech with some difficulty and then said, “We will see you again, and soon, at Ramsgate. You will have time to know one another better then.”
Elizabeth could not help the surge of hope which accompanied this comment. A faraway look transformed her face, and she said “We will, and I am looking forward to it.”
/
“Mr. Darcy!” Caroline exclaimed, struggling not to puff in an unbecoming way as she hurried to catch up with the master of Pemberley.
“Yes?” Darcy inquired, halting in the great vestibule at the front door of the estate.
He had succeeded in drawing Miss Bingley away from Georgiana and now wished to be completely certain that Bingley’s sister did not try anything foolish in the way of an attempted compromise.
With two footmen present, he should be safe enough.
“I merely wished to say that I must apologize for my brother’s decision to leave Pemberley on such short notice,” Caroline said earnestly, gazing into Darcy’s eyes. “It was very ill done, I fear.”
“On the contrary,” Darcy retorted, stepping back a few inches. “It is greatly to your brother’s credit that he is devoting himself to the needs of his estate.”
Caroline felt as if someone had thrown cold water on her face. “Come now, sir,” she protested, quite heedless of the listening ears of the nearby footmen. “I cannot believe that if you were in London, you would rush back to Pemberley if some tenant farmer’s cottage burned down.”
“I would not,” Darcy agreed in a measured tone, “but Pemberley has been under the care and oversight of the Darcys for more than a hundred years. My steward is familiar with my ways and can manage such events without my direct oversight. Netherfield has been neglected for five years, and Bingley’s steward does not know entirely how his master wishes to proceed regarding such a catastrophe as a fire.
Thus, Bingley is wise to return to Netherfield to provide the appropriate direction. ”
Caroline forced herself not to wrinkle her nose at the thought of money and time directed toward caring for mere peasants.
“I had not thought of it that way,” she said with becoming meekness.
“I understand now. I regret leaving Pemberley so soon, which is one of the most remarkable estates in all of England. That is, of course, entirely due to your wise administration, Mr. Darcy.”
“Thank you,” Darcy said drily. “Now I must meet with Mrs. Reynolds. I will see you at dinner, Miss Bingley.”
/
“Elizabeth said that she likes you, but that she does not know you well enough to marry you,” Georgiana said.
Darcy, who had joined his sister in her private sitting room before dinner, blinked in astonishment.
“You spoke of a possible marriage between Miss Bennet and me?” he asked, caught between amusement and horror. Ordinarily, such a bold speech would be a catastrophe, but Darcy thought very well of Miss Bennet’s sense. She would not take such a question amiss.
“I asked Elizabeth if she liked you and she said yes, but that you have known one another but a week, and it would be foolish for you to offer, or her to accept, after such a short acquaintance,” Georgiana explained.
“That makes sense to me. A person might well present a winsome facade on short acquaintance, only to reveal different, less amiable, traits later. Mr. Wickham is always charming initially, only to reveal his repugnant nature in time. I do not think Elizabeth is like that, but it is wise to be certain of the disposition of one’s future mate before embarking on a lifelong commitment in marriage. ”
Darcy stared at his sister in wonder. Once again, Miss Bennet had managed to explain something to his sister in a gentle but direct way. The lady was a miracle worker.
He was also impressed that Miss Bennet had not leapt at the suggestion of a marriage between herself and the wealthy master of Pemberley.
The more Darcy knew her, the more he understood that Miss Bennet was not overly swayed by connections, status or money.
She was a most singular woman. He felt his heart swell within him; Miss Elizabeth Bennet was remarkable, and his attraction, far from fading away, was growing by the day.
He was extremely thankful that she was going to Ramsgate with them.