Chapter 56 Returned #3
After all the greetings were exchanged, their group decided to head out into the gardens, which had been augmented for the occasion with tables and chairs strategically placed for the comfort of the guests.
The side door would remain open for the duration of the party to encourage the guests to wander freely between the house and grounds.
The windows of the sitting room and music room, both of which faced the main formal garden, would also be open.
In this way conversations could be carried on between the two spaces even as some guests remained inside.
As they moved through the room on their way to the door Darcy asked Bingley and Mary to join them outside. Mary politely declined.
"I prefer to stay indoors where I am safer from the insects that roam our garden," she said with a gentle smile.
"I shall join you, however, if you do not mind," Lady Sheldon said from nearby. Her husband was deep in conversation with Mr. Bennet, Mr. Damask and Mr. Gardiner, so she accepted Peter's arm along with the opportunity to catch up with him on his most recent travels.
"It seems a completely different place from our quiet haven of this morning," Darcy said as he and Lizzy headed almost automatically towards their favorite bench.
"It is certainly more crowded," Lizzy agreed. "While I like having the sunrise to ourselves, I also enjoy the plan to make this a combination dinner and garden party. The last time Mama held a big dinner the house felt terribly cramped. Even more people will be present tonight."
"I see some of them arriving now," Darcy said, looking up to see two carriages coming along the main drive down the hill.
"Ah, yes, so they are. Well, I appoint us as the greeters in the garden. Mama let the guests all know the evening will be both indoors and out, so some may simply walk around to join us here rather than passing through the crowd in the house."
Lizzy's prediction proved true. Over the course of the next hour Darcy guessed that probably half of those arriving headed for the garden first. Others came out of the house to see who was outside as well.
The couple kept busy greeting newcomers from whichever direction they came.
Lizzy introduced Darcy to more people than he would have expected.
It seemed that gossip spread very effectively in the neighborhood, as every one of them already knew of not only his betrothal to Lizzy, but also his connection to the Fitzwilliams, the location and approximate size of his estate and even a fairly accurate guess at his annual income, if the whispers he heard as some of the more chatty matrons walked away were any indication.
Without Lizzy at his side to help manage the interactions, Darcy was now sure how he would have gotten through meeting so many people without losing his calm.
He was not the only one to consider that either.
As the flow of new arrivals slowed, Richard and Charlotte drifted over to their post near the easiest access to the garden from the drive, close to the damask roses that filled the air with their perfume.
"You are holding up better than I expected, cousin," Richard greeted him. "Usually by this point in the evening you are trying to hide behind a pillar or potted plant while calculating how soon you can leave without excessively offending your host."
Darcy chuckled even as he accepted the truth behind Richard's tease. "That is one of the drawbacks to a party outside," he said genially, "plenty of plants, but none of them potted and nary a pillar to hide behind."
Despite his surprise at the manner of Darcy's response, Richard looked like he was about to provide a bit more teasing. Before he could, Mrs. Bennet bustled up to them, looking quite happy with how the evening was going so far.
"Come along, all of you," she said, motioning towards the house with her most elegant lace handkerchief, a gift Lizzy had brought to her from London.
"I think everyone has arrived and I want to say a few words in celebration of all our good fortune.
If we all gather near the house, I can be heard inside and out. "
Darcy saw the other guests in the garden were moving to congregate near the windows on the side of the house. He assumed that the guests inside were doing the same.
Whatever announcement Mrs. Bennet intended to make was interrupted by a familiar voice from the area of the garden they had just left. Darcy groaned inwardly as he heard Lady Catherine loudly ask, "What is the meaning of this uncouth display?"
To Darcy's surprise, and probably that of everyone else, Mrs. Bennet answered very genially, "Why, Lady Catherine! Surely you recognize a party when you see one. I am sorry we did not think to invite you, but you are so nearly family that you are welcome all the same."
His aunt received the comment in stunned silence as she stood staring with outrage and displeasure etched on her features.
The rest of the guests, perhaps sensing the potential for conflict, quieted.
For a moment, it was as if the gathering held its collective breath, just waiting to see what would happen next.