Chapter 22
London
Darcy,
It would be my pleasure to join you and Georgiana at the seaside.
I spoke to my commanding officer, and he has given me leave.
My duties have been heavy of late, but by the end of July, I should have my current recruits whipped into some semblance of shape.
I have a good captain under me who can continue the work.
I am both thankful and relieved that Georgiana is doing well, and I confess to great curiosity about the third point in your letter.
It speaks of a mystery, and you, Cousin, are rarely mysterious!
In any case, you know how I love giving advice, and I look forward to blessing you with my mature analysis of whatever situation you find yourself in.
Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam
/
Pemberley
June 27th, 1812
Lady Catherine,
I hope this letter finds you and Anne healthy and well.
Regrettably, Georgiana and I will not be at Pemberley at the end of July. My dear sister longs to visit the ocean, and we intend to make our way to one of the seaside towns for a few weeks. I apologize for the inconvenience.
We have plans of a tentative nature to visit London early next year. Perhaps we can meet then.
Respectfully,
Fitzwilliam Darcy
/
June 28th, 1812
Longbourn
Dear Charlotte,
I am delighted that your hens are doing so nicely and that the pig is fattening well. It will be pleasant to have good stores of ham during the winter. Pray congratulate Mr. Collins on his fine vegetable marrows. He is definitely a most skilled gardener.
Everyone at Longbourn is well, thank you, as are the inhabitants of Netherfield.
Jane is with child, you know. She has been most uncomfortable, but my mother says that she was horribly ill with all her pregnancies, so that is to be expected.
Mama admits, somewhat reluctantly, that she felt better by the time the baby quickened, so we are hoping and praying that Jane will experience the same.
You asked whether I will be bored at home after so much travel.
I do not bore easily, dear friend, but in actual fact I will be journeying to Ramsgate at the end of July.
I have been so fortunate as to receive an invitation from Miss Georgiana Darcy, whom I met while visiting Pemberley last month.
She is a delightful young lady, and I accepted her invitation with alacrity.
I have never seen the ocean and find it somewhat difficult to wait!
You also asked about my three youngest sisters.
Mary is far more content than she was last year.
She is currently living at Netherfield in order to assist Jane during her more difficult hours, and she has a music master who is assisting her.
Her playing is much improved. I too am sitting in on the lessons on occasion.
Unfortunately, given that I keep gallivanting here and there across England’s fair acres, I am not improving nearly as quickly as Mary.
Kitty also is seeing a master regularly, though her interests are in sketching and painting. She has grown quite adept of late.
Lydia is, well, she is Lydia. However, she is a bit less rambunctious now that the militia is no longer in Meryton.
With much love,
Elizabeth
/
Longbourn
June 28th, 1812
Dear Georgiana,
Mary is working on Mozart’s Sonata No. 16. She learned it some years ago, but her music master is encouraging her to work on simpler scores while imparting more feeling and movement into her pieces. I think she is doing very well.
The master tells me that my style is good, but my fingering poor. I have been working on a section of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 14. It is difficult but I believe I am improving.
I am counting the days until you and Mr. Darcy arrive at Netherfield.
I very much look forward to spending time with you, my friend.
I will warn you that my two youngest sisters, whom I love very much, can be rather noisy.
If you find them overwhelming, you can claim a headache. Are the peafowl well?
With both friendship and love,
Elizabeth
/
Netherfield
July 4th, 1812
My dear Amelia,
I accept your invitation most gratefully!
I understand that London in August is hot and rather dull at this time of year, but it must be better than being positively buried here in the countryside.
I know you admired my brother Charles when you last met, but most regrettably, his character has deteriorated significantly in the wake of his marriage.
He is now completely under the domination of his wife, my new sister Jane.
Well, perhaps that is not entirely true; it is more accurate to say that he is under the thumb of Elizabeth, Jane’s next younger sister.
There are five daughters in the family, you know, and no sons!
Furthermore, the estate is entailed away to an idiotic cousin!
Elizabeth is an impertinent woman with no beauty and even fewer accomplishments, though she does plink away at the pianoforte on occasion, though not well.
She is a dominating, imperious sort of girl, and Charles, always far too amiable, does not see the truth of her truly regrettable character.
I have done my best to open his eyes, only to win disapprobation from my own brother, who should always have my best interests at heart.
Louisa, too, has quite fallen under the spell of both Jane and Elizabeth.
Is there something in the waters here that makes formerly sensible individuals lose their minds?
I would travel to London earlier except that I will be needed here at Netherfield in three weeks’ time.
Mr. Darcy, Charles’s closest friend, along with his sister Miss Darcy, intends to stay here for a few days before proceeding on to London.
Jane is with child and making an enormous fuss about it; thus, I feel it my duty to be present while the Darcys are in residence.
Someone must be certain that the meals are adequate.
Mr. Darcy is nephew to the Earl of Matlock, you know, and master of a great estate!
Once the Darcys have gone on to London, I will no doubt be quite desperate for time away from my various relations. I would be honored to provide some financial assistance to your family; well do I know the expense of a London House!
Gratefully,
Caroline Bingley
/
Hunsford
July 8th, 1812
Dear Lizzy,
I feel I must apologize. I told Mr. Collins of your planned trip to Ramsgate with the Darcys, entirely in innocence, and naturally he told Lady Catherine.
Our patroness was most exasperated, though I do not know why.
I know you do not find Lady Catherine particularly intimidating, but I thought I should mention it.
As for me, I am well enough, though I have been sickly in the mornings. I am hopeful that my malady is the same as that of Jane.
With friendship and love,
Charlotte Collins
/
Pemberley
July 8th,1812
Dear Elizabeth,
Two of the eight young peachicks died last week.
I am not certain why, but sadly such a thing is not uncommon.
The remaining six are doing well. We do not truly need quite so many peafowl, but Fitzwilliam’s friend, the one who sold us Neptune, has a larger area for his birds than I have and has agreed to take any unneeded peafowl, so long as they are healthy, of course.
We begin our journey to Netherfield in twelve days. I look forward to seeing you very much, my friend. The journey itself will be tedious, as I find it difficult to read while in a moving carriage. However, I will have Fitzwilliam in the carriage with me, and he is a good conversationalist.
Sincerely,
Georgiana Darcy
/
July 8th, 1812
Rosings
Nephew,
I have discovered that you and Georgiana are journeying to Ramsgate in Kent, and that you have invited Miss Elizabeth Bennet to accompany you.
Such a thing is not to be borne, nor can I fathom why you would take such a foolish step.
I grant you the girl is pretty enough, but during her visit to Mrs. Collins, she showed herself to be quite impertinent on occasion.
Miss Bennet is therefore in no way a suitable companion to my niece.
Furthermore, only a fool would be unaware of the potential dangers of such an invitation.
Miss Bennet’s elder sister has married well to your tradesman friend, Mr. Bingley, but given that Longbourn is entailed to my own rector, I have no doubt that Miss Bennet is eager to wed most advantageously.
She will undoubtedly assume a degree of familiarity with the Darcy family which is most unseemly!
I insist that you inform Miss Bennet that she is not permitted to join you at Ramsgate, do you understand?
You will be driving within a few miles of Rosings, and I will expect you to stop here and spend a few days before continuing onward. Indeed, given the relatively short distance from Rosings to Ramsgate, Anne and I may well join you at the seashore.
Lady Catherine de Bourgh
/
July 10th, 1812
Edward Street
London
Wickham,
I daresay you are enjoying yourself in Brighton, surrounded by cool breezes, tolerant shopkeepers, and pretty servant girls who are eager to swoon over your handsome face.
I am certain the weather is far more propitious on the seashore than here in the middle of London, where the very timbers of my boarding house groan and shift because of the heat.
You asked that I write if I learned anything of Darcy. As you know, he has been at Pemberley since our failure at Ramsgate, with young, foolish Georgiana there as well.
My cousin Mildred’s cook’s daughter works at Pemberley as a maid, and the girl informed her mother, who in turn told Mildred, who informed me, that the Darcys plan to journey to Ramsgate at the end of July and will be staying in the same red brick house as usual.
I find that rather peculiar given the dramatics of last year’s visit to that town, but Georgiana no doubt wishes to drool over the wild birds in the salt marshes.
I think you will be safe enough; Brighton is some eighty miles from Ramsgate, and Darcy generally adheres to his plans except when he does not.
I still wake up at night on occasion and think about the ‘if onlies’, my dear Wickham.
If only the three of us had fled for Gretna Greene a few days earlier.
You would be master of Georgiana Darcy’s dowry, and we would be happy together.
If you are ever in London, I beg you to visit. My bedroom door is always open for you.
With much love,
Mrs. Henrietta Younge
/
July 14th, 1812
Longbourn
Dearest Charlotte,
I will wait on my congratulations until you are entirely certain, but I do pray that the Lord will bless you with a healthy child, and soon.
I forbid you from concerning yourself about Lady Catherine. She is far away and totally unconnected from me, so her disapprobation concerns me not a whit.
My greater concern is to keep Caroline Bingley unaware of my plans. Somehow, miraculously, she has not yet learned that I will be accompanying the Darcys to Ramsgate. I do not care about her tantrums, but poor Jane does not need such disruption during this delicate time of her life.
I do remember my time in Kent very fondly, Charlotte. Please greet Mr. Collins for me, or do not, if you think it would cause trouble.
With much love,
Lizzy
/
July 14th, 1812
Rosings
Richard,
Do you know where Darcy is? Do you know what his plans are?
I sent him a vitally important letter by express more than a week ago and have received nothing in return.
If you hear from or speak to him, inform your cousin that I am most displeased by his tardiness and expect him to respond to my letter immediately.
Lady Catherine de Bourgh
/
London
July 16th, 1812
Darcy,
Just a warning that I received an enraged letter from Lady Catherine, asking about your location and plans. She is on the warpath, though I know not why.
I apologize for forcing you to pay for the express, but I thought you were willing to disburse a little extra money to be aware of our formidable aunt’s latest activities.
In haste,
Richard Fitzwilliam
/
July 19th, 1812
Pemberley
Richard,
Many thanks for sending me the warning about Lady Catherine.
Simply put, she is displeased that Georgiana is bringing along a friend to Ramsgate, a delightful young woman named Miss Elizabeth Bennet, who is younger sister to my friend Bingley’s new wife.
Our aunt wishes me to disinvite Miss Bennet, whom she knows a little, and bring Anne to Ramsgate.
I intend to do neither, and thus have ignored her latest letter entirely.
We will leave for Hertfordshire tomorrow, arrive at Bingley’s home of Netherfield in three days, spend two or three days there, then go on to London for a day or two, where you can join our party, and finally we will make our way to Ramsgate, though not with a halt at Rosings.
I have no intention of marrying Anne and the sooner Lady Catherine accepts that, the better!
Georgiana and I both look forward to seeing you soon.
God bless,
Fitzwilliam Darcy