Chapter 23
The time between the end of Elizabeth’s captivity and the beginning of her marriage raced by.
She suffered through many fittings—in part because nobody wished to go to Longbourn to get her old clothes, and in part because her new status as Mrs Darcy would require far more and much finer clothing.
Likewise, they would be at Pemberley during the autumn and winter, experiencing far colder weather than she ever had before faced in her life.
Shopping for clothes was definitely not one of Elizabeth’s preferred activities. However, in this case it was made palatable by the fact that Georgiana loved shopping and willingly helped her at every step.
They giggled through two and half days of clothes shopping before they ran into Caroline Bingley, which, it turned out, was no laughing matter.
Georgiana was being fitted for a new riding habit when Miss Bingley swept into the store with a friend. “Oooh, look who is here!” Miss Bingley purred.
Elizabeth was wearing one of the few dresses to which she had access since her abduction. Several of Georgiana’s most beautiful dresses that she had outgrown were being tailored to fit Elizabeth, and many gowns and other garments that had been ordered had yet to be made.
Looking up with a smile, Elizabeth said, “Hello, Miss Bingley. How are you and all your family?”
“We are doing very well, indeed, thank you.” Miss Bingley looked Elizabeth up and down, criticisms very obviously trembling on her lips, and then she said, “We have been seeing much of the Darcys. You remember Mr Darcy, I assume?”
Elizabeth’s brows jumped in surprise. “Yes, of course I do!” She tilted her head, wondering if Miss Bingley was really so bold as to brag about something that was entirely false.
She wished to say something to push the fortune hunter into lying more explicitly, but then she felt a flash of guilt.
She would not help Miss Bingley make a fool of herself.
The woman with Miss Bingley looked Elizabeth up and down and asked, “You actually know Mr Darcy?”
Elizabeth laughed a little at the absurdity of the conversation. “I met him when he was staying at the Bingleys’ estate in Hertfordshire,” she said with a nod to Miss Bingley.
The woman turned back to Miss Bingley, saying, “Oh, yes, that was when you—”
Miss Bingley cut her off, saying, “Hertfordshire is quite a rustic corner of England. My brother gave up the lease and will be purchasing in another county. Of course he hopes to purchase in Derbyshire.”
“Of course,” the stranger said.
Just then Georgiana emerged from the fitting room. “Lizzy, I—Oh!” She stopped walking and turned to Miss Bingley, greeting her politely with a flat voice.
“Dear Georgiana, how wonderful it is to see you!” Miss Bingley said with an enormous smile, but then she looked between Georgiana and Elizabeth and hesitated.
Georgiana said, “Please give my greetings and well wishes to Mr and Mrs Hurst and of course to Mr Bingley.” Turning to Elizabeth, she said, “Lizzy, I believe we are done for the day—shall we depart?”
“We shall,” Elizabeth said. She said to Miss Bingley, “Please present my wishes for health to your family as well.”
As Elizabeth and Georgiana exited the store, they were left with an impression of Miss Bingley’s astonished eyes belying the practiced smile, and her companion’s more evident surprise and curiosity.
In the carriage, Elizabeth told Georgiana that Miss Bingley had claimed to have spent much time with the Darcys.
“The implication was that you and she had been spending time together recently, but she was not specific. And then her friend said something that she cut off quite determinedly. I have the feeling that she has been saying things about your family to her friends and acquaintances, claims of closeness that might be easily disproved by others.”
Elizabeth decided not to tell Darcy about any such implications.
Instead, she told him of meeting Miss Bingley, and they laughed together at her lack of manners.
However, Georgiana had apparently complained to her brother about the fact that Miss Bingley was still claiming more closeness to them than existed.
When Darcy approached Elizabeth to learn about exactly what Miss Bingley said, he wore a thunderous frown and had an accusatory tone when he demanded a more detailed account of the incident.
“You need not act as if I have done something wrong, Darcy,” Elizabeth said, feeling instantly irritated at his tone. “I did not hide anything materially important from you!”
“What?” he asked. “What can you mean?”
“I mean I do not appreciate your anger at me when it is your friend’s sister who displayed ill manners.”
“I am not angry at you!” he claimed. The bewilderment in his voice and the panic in his eyes backed his words.
“Oh. If that is so, you should have informed your face and your voice.”
She demonstrated exactly how he had approached her, and Darcy’s obvious shame and immediate apologies allowed her to swiftly forgive him.
“However,” she said, “you might want to work on how you speak to people when you are angry at someone else or at something else, because not everyone will point out your inappropriate manner.”
“I will try. I will work to do so, but if I can treat you thus without realising it, I am afraid it may be a deep-seated habit. Please let me know if you hear complaints or see me do something like this to someone else.”
Elizabeth agreed and then proceeded to explain further about what Miss Bingley said and what she had implied.
“Thank you,” Darcy said. “I do not appreciate anyone bandying the name Darcy about for their own benefit.”
Later that day, Mrs Brown approached Elizabeth and said, “Explaining to the master about his frowning—I wished to tell you that it was well done, mistress, and it certainly shows how capable you will be in your role here and at Pemberley.”
At Elizabeth’s puzzled look, Mrs Brown explained, “The master called Mr Stanford and myself into his office, and he said that he intends to master the habit of frowning and speaking sharply to servants when he was vexed at something altogether different. He let us know that we are to assure the staff that he is very satisfied with their service, and, if he has any complaints in that regard, he will do as he always has and tell Mr Stanford or myself.”
In reply, Elizabeth said, “Another thing to consider, Mrs Brown, is that he may scurry off to do his usual work on the concerns of the various estates and tell me of his concerns, and I would be the one to convey them to you or Mr Stanford.”
“Of course. That will probably become the most common scenario.”
Elizabeth was impressed that Darcy would explain to his upper servants his attempt to improve himself, but she also remembered that his whole staff at Pemberley had demonstrated so much loyalty to Darcy, and spoke so warmly of his generosity and kindness, that how Darcy treated his servants was apparently not a huge problem.
That evening, she found time to whisper promises that, when the two were alone, she would forthrightly tell him if he was frowning or his voice was sharp, in case he did not intend to have such an expression or tone.
Of course, in front of others, whether he was speaking to her or to others, she would give a discreet signal.
He whispered back that he was grateful for everything she had ever done and would do.
“You have been and will be the making of me.”
That comment certainly deserved a kiss. However, with Georgiana and the Gardiners in the room, all that Elizabeth could do was murmur to Darcy her desire to give him one.
Their wedding day could not come soon enough!