Chapter 10
Introductions
After this initial meeting, Mrs. Gardiner and Elizabeth were frequently in company with Lady Anne.
Georgiana accompanied the others on a few shopping excursions but was left at Darcy House almost as often for her lessons.
Lady Anne brought the girl to London with her governess to take advantage of the masters more easily found in town.
One morning, Elizabeth and her aunt arrived just in time to join Miss Darcy for a piano lesson, and the two enjoyed the camaraderie they were developing.
Having left all her sisters behind in Hertfordshire, Elizabeth enjoyed the time with this new sister and took every opportunity to get to know her better.
In some capacity, she was in Mr. Darcy’s presence every evening.
He frequently visited in the late afternoon, arriving toward the end of the polite calling hours, often staying for the evening meal.
One evening, he escorted the Gardiners and Elizabeth to Darcy House for dinner, and toward the end of the week, he met them with his mother at Covent Garden for a musical performance.
Darcy was frustrated that evening as his mother insisted he escort her to the theatre.
He wanted to escort Elizabeth, but his mother’s request had forced him to send word he would meet their party instead.
Still feeling out of sorts because he had not seen Elizabeth that day, he struggled to maintain his composure while waiting for their arrival.
He felt his mother pulling on his arm and looked down at her to hear her words.
“Stop fidgeting, Fitzwilliam. We are early, and I do not doubt your Elizabeth will be here soon.”
As Darcy scanned the gathering crowd once more, he noted the Gardiners making their entrance.
Elizabeth was a step or two behind them, and she had not allowed the footman to remove her cape just yet.
Darcy guided his mother toward their guests and arrived just as Elizabeth reached up to untie the cape and let it slip from his shoulders.
Every member of their party was surprised at the lovely emerald pendant hanging from an elegant silver chain.
Lady Anne, of course, recognised the necklace and wondered if her son had something he needed to tell her.
The Gardiners were likewise surprised, having not seen Elizabeth before she put on her cape, and had no idea where the jewel came from.
It took only a moment for Darcy to recover from his surprise and warmly greet Elizabeth.
“Good evening, Gardiner, Mrs. Gardiner,” he said first before turning to Elizabeth.
“You look lovely, Miss Bennet,” he greeted as he extended his arm.
As she took it, she looked shyly up at him.
“I see you are wearing the necklace,” he whispered for her alone to hear.
“Yes,” she replied breathlessly as they began to move toward their box, leaving their families behind.
While neither spoke, both were highly aware of the other as everything else seemed to fade around them.
If anyone spoke to them as they walked, neither heard it, as their every thought was on what the necklace signified.
The Gardiners looked at the couple and then at Lady Anne, who was wearing a broad smile. “Do you know the meaning of her necklace?” Mrs. Gardiner whispered to Lady Anne.
“I gave it to Fitzwilliam the night he told me about Elizabeth. He did not tell me he had presented it to her, but he asked me for something to give her as an engagement gift,” she told her friend.
“Neither of them has said anything of an engagement,” Mrs. Gardiner whispered. The three began to follow in the wake of the couple and watched them carefully.
“Did Mr. Darcy speak to you of Lizzy’s reaction when he first spoke of the idea of a marriage?” Mrs. Gardiner asked after a moment.
“No, he did not,” Lady Anne replied, her brow furrowed. “She did not refuse him, did she?”
“No,” Mrs. Gardiner was quick to reply. “She, well, she did get rather upset at the idea, but that is our Lizzy. She does not do well when big changes are sprung on her, and while she had grown to care about Mr. Darcy very much, she was surprised at his mentioning marriage as though it were already decided. He had just learned of the inheritance and spoken to you and my husband about it. It was a settled thing in his mind, but it was rather a shock to her. Lizzy does not react well to surprises, and had my husband informed me of the topic before letting them speak; I would have warned your son to go more slowly. Instead, he shocked her, and it led to quite a display of temper. She just needed the time to come to the conclusion herself. Perhaps the necklace is an indication of her decision.”
Lady Anne nodded slowly. “That would make sense,” she replied. “Either this indicates he has asked, and she has accepted, or she was to signal when she was ready to be asked. Either way, do you think we have given them enough time?”
Mr. Gardiner heard most of the whispered conversation while keeping his eye on his niece and her suitor.
“They have scarcely spoken a word to each other and have their heads in the clouds. It is almost too bad we are in such a public setting, and they will not have a chance to be truly alone for quite a while,” he said.
“You suggested a licence, did you not, Mr. Gardiner?” Lady Anne asked. “Although, at this point, your niece has been in residence with you for nearly a month.”
“Yes, very nearly, and of course, Darcy is a resident. If he waits another week, we could begin having the banns called, or he could purchase a common licence. I have not heard much from Longbourn, though I still think it best Lizzy marry before we inform her parents and Jane,” Gardiner replied.
“Fitzwilliam shared a bit with me about her family,” Lady Anne mused.
“I cannot understand how a rational person would not value Elizabeth. She is a wonderful person, so warm and intelligent. She is the perfect match for my son as she will encourage him to look beyond himself and his books, as is his tendency when left alone.”
“And his steadiness will be good for her,” Mrs. Gardiner replied. “They are well suited.”
“And Lady Anne, there is a flaw in what you said. You cannot understand how a ‘rational’ person could not value Elizabeth as we do; well, that is because my sister is not rational,” Mr. Gardiner countered.
“At one point, I believed Bennet to be, but he has become less so as he has become more and more absorbed in his books. I wonder how Longbourn will survive without Elizabeth or Mary caring for the tenants, but it is unfair to either of them to insist they remain at that house where they were so unappreciated. I look forward to bringing Mary here and will insist Bennet give me her guardianship permanently.”
Their conversation came to an abrupt halt when Lady Anne heard her name. “Lady Anne,” came the shrill voice, “how lovely it is to see you again?”
Rolling her eyes at her guests, she turned to speak to the newcomer. “Lady Thornhill, how are you today? Might I introduce you to my companions?”
The lady glanced at the other couple before ungraciously acknowledging them. She was a tall, imposing lady of a similar age to Lady Anne. The Gardiners got the impression from their host’s reaction this lady was an inveterate gossip. “Certainly, Lady Anne,” she cooed.
As Lady Anne conducted the introduction, Lady Thornhill’s eyes wandered the room, clearly uninterested in the couple she deemed unimportant.
After briefly acknowledging them, she turned her attention back to her quarry.
“I thought I saw your handsome son with you here tonight. Was it your eldest son with you, or is he still rusticating in the country?” It was obvious that learning his location was the purpose of her approach.
“George is still at Pemberley and will remain there until the spring planting is completed. My younger son, Fitzwilliam, escorted me tonight,” Lady Anne replied.
“Oh,” replied a disappointed Lady Thornhill. “Your sons do look alike, do they not?”
“They share a few traits; they are both tall and have dark hair like their father,” Lady Anne agreed. “However, I think that is where the similarities end. Now, if you will excuse us, my son has likely already arrived in our box, as he was ahead of us. We need to join him and his young lady.”
“Oh, is he engaged?” Lady Thornhill inquired, suddenly curious.
“No announcement has been made at this time, Lady Thornhill,” Lady Anne replied.
Nodding, Lady Thornhill rushed off to share this latest on dit with her friends.
Knowing this, Lady Anne sighed. “It will be all over the theatre before the evening is over, and undoubtedly, the story shared will be nothing close to the truth. I do not know if she will interpret that as an engagement is forthcoming or something else entirely.”
“Well, perhaps now we have given them enough time to come to some kind of understanding. They have been on their own for much longer than intended,” Mr. Gardiner stated.
The ladies agreed and quickly made their way to the box, where Darcy and Elizabeth stood together, lost in conversation. Judging from the smiles on their faces, things between them had been settled. As soon as they entered the box, Darcy turned and saw them and stepped immediately to Mr. Gardiner.
“Sir, might I speak with you for a moment?” he asked quietly.
“No need, son,” Gardiner answered just as quietly. “You know you have my support, and I have already concluded you and my niece have reached an understanding. So long as you tell me later about that lovely pendant, all will be well. Is it safe to assume you already have the settlements drafted?”