Chapter 2
Two
Georgiana looked down at her plate and took another bite. As she chewed, she continued eying the sliced meats, buttered roll, and hothouse-grown fruits as if she suspected her luncheon might make an escape.
Despite her shyness, Darcy considered that she was doing relatively well, having greeted three strangers with the expected polite greetings and a respectful curtsy. However, chatting with new acquaintances was not easy for her.
Darcy searched his mind for a topic she might feel comfortable with, having just described the fishing opportunities that the men, at least, would enjoy after eating. He scrambled to come up with something he could say about…books? Or music?
However, conversation was one of the things at which Elizabeth excelled.
Before he could launch a new topic, she said, “Georgiana, I have heard that you play the pianoforte. I enjoy playing, as well, although I am certain I am not nearly as accomplished as you, given that there were five of us vying for practice time at home.”
“I cannot imagine having four sisters. It must have been so diverting,” Georgiana said to her grapes.
Elizabeth laughed. “It was. Exhausting and enlivening, frustrating and amusing, noisy and…noisier. But I always wished for an older brother.”
Finally looking up, Georgiana flashed a look into Elizabeth’s warm eyes; Georgiana looked at Darcy, who nodded encouragingly, and then back to Elizabeth. “It is quite wonderful to have a brother,” she murmured.
“I am certain it is.”
Darcy smiled at both of them.
“Brother, are you well?” Georgiana looked a little concerned, and Darcy raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“I am very well, thank you.”
“You just seem…odd. Not yourself,” his sister said.
Darcy wanted to cry, or laugh, or something. If smiling while hosting guests in his beloved home was odd, then he obviously used to be a monster.
Plunge right back into the conversation, he told himself. He would just have to keep on acting “odd” until it seemed commonplace. He turned to Elizabeth and said, “Georgiana has been exploring the works of a variety of composers. Do you have a favourite composer, Miss Elizabeth?”
“I always find it so difficult to name just one or two favourites.” Elizabeth’s eyes sparkled, and she explained, “Most of the time, I prefer Mozart and Haydn, because so much of their music is quite cheery. But when I am in a mood…” she chuckled but then pretended a frown,“I would rather play Beethoven.”
Georgiana giggled—a sound Darcy had not heard in a very long time. She said, “You are not nearly so adept at frowning as my brother is.”
Of course, Darcy frowned at her words. Both Georgiana and Elizabeth laughed, and he did, too, pretending that his frown had been playful. He decided that he would make every effort to frown less in the future.
“I love music by all of those composers,” Georgiana said. “But I am also exploring Bach, Clementi, and Cramer. Are you familiar with them?”
“I am afraid that I was leaving Bach out of my list for a rather silly reason. I adore his work, but I did not wish to bring him up in case you despised him. I know several people who do.”
“Oh, I could never despise music. And I love Bach’s canons and fugues.”
“The Canon per tonos!”
“The Goldberg variations!”
“The Crab canon!”
Darcy shook his head and allowed the two young women to carry on.
As usual, he could hardly tear his eyes away from Elizabeth—and she looked especially well, with her excited smile and dancing eyes.
But he felt the need to check Georgiana’s expression as well.
He was astonished; he did not remember seeing her with such a wide smile, such pink cheeks and sparkling eyes, in a very, very long time.
Mrs Gardiner made a small noise of appreciation—a light laugh—and he looked at her with raised eyebrows. “They seem to have found a shared interest,” she said.
“Yes.” He let the single word stand for a long moment, and then he added in a soft voice, “My sister has had such a difficult year—a betrayal by a long-time friend—and I am heartened to see her finally respond positively to someone. I knew that Eliz—Miss Elizabeth—would be able to draw her out. I shall never want you to leave.”
Then he cast an alarmed glance at Mrs Gardiner’s face. She just smiled. “I have seen my niece charm all sorts of people out of all sorts of moods, from ennui to anger, from sadness to fear.”
“Yes, she is very charming.” Darcy could not help allowing a sigh to escape him, but then he was embarrassed to see a knowing look pass between Mr and Mrs Gardiner.
He schooled his features and turned to Mr Gardiner.
“I am excited to do some fishing, sir,” he said.
“But afterwards, I should love to discuss your itinerary. I would enjoy showing you the wonders of the Peak District, if you have the time for such sightseeing. And that would benefit me so much because then Georgiana would have more time with your niece.”
“That would be wonderful,” Mr Gardiner said. “We can speak of such, but of course we should also discuss the possible outings with all who might participate.”
“Of course,” Darcy replied, grinning. “Are you warning me away from issuing commands to my sister? ‘You shall go to the cavern, and you will enjoy it!’ That sort of thing?”
“Well, your sister is half a decade older than my eldest, but I have never had success mandating enjoyment, much less happiness.”
“Wise words, indeed.” Darcy continued to converse quietly with the aunt and uncle of the woman he could not help but watch.
As promised, the fishing was excellent. Elizabeth’s uncle looked downright boyish as he scrambled down a rocky river bank to a likely fishing hole, here, and celebrated yet another trout on the line, there.
From the first moment he had seen them, Darcy had been surprised at how fashionable Elizabeth’s aunt and uncle were, having somehow absorbed some negative assumptions from Caroline Bingley—an admittedly stupid thing to do, given the facts that she had never met the Gardiners and that she disdained everyone.
Now, after tromping through tall grass and wading through streams with the man, Darcy realised that he enjoyed everything about him; he felt as if he had made a new friend.
Darcy had advised Cook that, not only were there three extra mouths to feed until further notice, but that the night’s meal would feature fresh-caught fish.
She seemed pleased with the quantity and quality of the fish the men provided, and that night everyone complimented the men’s catch and Cook’s simple sauce in the meunière style.
When Georgiana timidly led Elizabeth and Mrs Gardiner to the drawing room after the meal, Darcy asked Elizabeth’s uncle if he preferred port or some other drink.
He waved his hand towards the bottles of brandy and cognac, but before he could specifically mention the other options, Gardiner said, “Oh, I enjoy port, thank you.”
Once both men had a glass, Darcy was ready to suggest one or two sights to see in the next few days, but he was forestalled by Mr Gardiner asking an unexpected question: “I had heard from my niece last autumn that she had met you, but now that I have spent some time in the same room with both of you, I feel compelled to ask what your intentions are towards Elizabeth.”
Darcy opened his mouth, closed it again, and hoped against hope that an honest answer would not result in Elizabeth being whisked away.
He looked down into his glass rather than meeting Gardiner’s gaze.
“Last autumn, I fell in love with Miss Elizabeth. However, she did not fall in love with me. A month ago, we ran into one another while I visited my aunt and she visited her friend, who is married to my aunt’s parson; we were much in company again, and I realised that my feelings for her had not diminished, as I had expected; rather, they had increased.
I proposed marriage, and when she turned me down, she thoroughly explained why. ”
Taking a sip of port and running a hand through his hair, Darcy said, “She laid two counts against my character, one based on a misunderstanding, and the other based on misinformation told to her by a person she assumed to be credible. We were able to clear these up through further communication. However, her counts against my manners were legitimate faults on my part. I have promised her that I am attempting to do better in every criticism levelled at me.”
He finally raised his eyes to Gardiner’s and was comforted by the man’s kindness.
“I would like to have the opportunity to raise her regard for me, and if she signals an openness to a renewal of my offer, I will do so. But I would not wish to make her feel uncomfortable in any way. I welcome you at Pemberley—or, indeed, at any of my homes—and such an invitation is not contingent on her agreeing to marry me. Her happiness is the most important factor in our relationship, and I know she could never be happy if she felt pressured or bribed.”
Darcy finished off his port and placed his glass on the side table.
Gardiner was smiling as he said, “I know that Lizzy is not mercenary, but I have to admit that I never thought she would receive such an astonishing proposal, and I am quite astounded that she turned you down.” He flicked his eyes around Pemberley’s smallest dining room: the beautiful mahogany table and matching sideboard with brass accents, the elegant chairs, the large candelabra on the table and sconces on the walls, the flowing silk curtains.
“Given the fact that she turned you down once, if you do convince her to marry you, you will always know that it is you she has said yes to, not all of this.”
Nodding, Darcy said, “One of the many things that I admire about Miss Elizabeth is her integrity.”
Gardiner put his empty glass down. “For what it is worth, Darcy, I wish you luck.”
Glad to have Gardiner’s approval, Darcy quickly rose, asking, “Shall we?”
“A moment.” Gardiner stood, too, and touched Darcy’s arm with a single finger. “I do not wish to insult your honour, sir, but I will arrange it so that my wife sleeps in the same room with Elizabeth while under your roof.”
Blushing with embarrassment, Darcy nodded. “I understand, sir. You know that I am almost a father to my sister; of course I understand your need to protect your niece.”
Nodding decisively, Gardiner stood back and allowed Darcy to lead the way to the drawing room.
The three women sat close together, chatting happily, with Elizabeth and Georgiana sharing a settee and Mrs Gardiner sitting in a wing-back chair.
Gardiner and Darcy sat opposite them on two Thomas Hope chairs.
Gardiner suggested that they discuss places they hoped to visit in the Peak District.
Darcy took advantage of the opening to explain that it might be wise to stagger days enjoying the amenity of Pemberley with days in the carriage, sightseeing elsewhere.
He said, “If we travel to Buxton, to see St. Anne’s Well and other sights, we could stay overnight at one of the lodging houses in the Crescent and then see Poole’s Cavern, which is just one mile farther, the next day, along with Mam Tor.
On another day, we could tour Devil’s Arse, Eldon Hole, and Lymeston. ”
Elizabeth said, “You forgot something.”
“Forgot?”
“I believe your list of sights to see was taken from De Mirabilus Pecci,” she said. “And, if so, you forgot the Ebbing and Flowing Well.”
Smiling, Darcy asked, “You know Latin?”
“Only a little,” she replied. “I read a translation.”
“Well, I would have said Magnus expectatio saepe ad destitutionem ducit, but I suppose I should instead say—”
“Great expectation…leads to disappointment?” she suggested.
Darcy chuckled. “‘Only a little Latin,’ she says as she translates entire sentences.” He shook his head. “As usual, I am astounded at the breadth of your knowledge.”
“Breadth, not depth. I am afraid that I have only a quarter inch of depth on any given topic.”
“Well, getting back to the topic at hand, let me explain that I did not, in fact, forget the Ebbing and Flowing Well; the disappointing truth is that human activities have disrupted the conditions that caused the changing water levels that gave the well its name. Even decades ago, there was pretty much no ebbing nor flowing. One of Thomas Hobbes’s Wonders of the Peak is no more. ”
Mrs Gardiner laughingly said, “So, that particular sight is lost to us, and before any more natural wonders are disrupted or destroyed, let us make our plans. I for one should love to see Poole’s Cavern again….”