Chapter Eight #2
“Miss Lovelace is more of a companion than a maid these days. She does so much more than just tend to my needs and manage my correspondence,” Miss de Bourgh replied, smiling more earnestly at the woman beside her before her countenance turned to a smirk as she swept her gaze over Elizabeth.
“Poor Georgiana, I do hope your brother has not grown as tyrannical as my mother in locking you away until you have only the hired help to keep you company. But then, how pleasant for you, to untether yourself from your duties at the hotel, Miss…”
Elizabeth pressed her lips together in an effort not to laugh in the absurd creature’s face; she scarcely managed to reply. “Bennet.”
“Right, the parson’s cousin.” Miss de Bourgh nodded with all the condescension Mr. Collins had once attributed to Lady Catherine. “Well! A dedicated work ethic must be a family trait; you both certainly know how to recommend yourselves to your betters.”
Elizabeth let out a soft snort of amusement as her mouth fell open; she knew not how to begin to refute such absurdity, and experienced a moment of wicked temptation to simply agree with Miss de Bourgh’s nonsense.
Georgiana, on the other hand, had hellfire in her eyes. “Happily, my brother has not locked me away, so I am perfectly capable of discerning a true friend when I see one. How pathetic it would be if I had only ever experienced kindness and deference that had been purchased.”
Miss de Bourgh appeared not to hear her cousin’s reply and continued to grin viciously at Elizabeth.
“Indeed, there are striking similarities between you and Mr. Collins! I recall his matrimonial aspirations were disappointed when he visited your family—I cannot fault certain ladies for refusing his suit—but perhaps in aspiring to capture the attentions of somebody unattainable, you and he are markedly similar.”
The horrible recollection of the day that Mr. Collins had proposed to her caused Elizabeth to scream internally, but she refused to lose her composure in the face of such insolence.
Beside her, Georgiana was trembling with rage.
“I suppose I only notice such fawning when it is blistering only obvious—gauche, even.”
Miss de Bourgh turned an indulgent smile on Georgiana.
“How charmingly naive, my dear cousin. But perhaps I ought to speak plainly, Miss Bentley. I heard of your behavior toward my cousin Darcy last evening, and while I might reasonably thank you for vexing my mother and diverting Darcy’s attention away from where it is not wanted, I cannot in good conscience encourage anything so reckless as setting your cap at him.
Darcy is clever enough to see through such attempts to ensnare him, and in your position as an employee of the hotel… .”
“Lizzy’s position is that of my friend,” Georgiana hissed. “And I am astonished you should make such insinuations in the presence of your own paid companion.”
“Miss Lovelace is my dearest confidante, and we are of one mind in the impressions we have formed of the locals here in Sanditon. We have both been worried over poor Darcy’s sad situation.” Miss de Bourgh patted her companion’s arm, and Miss Lovelace nodded emphatically.
“What a pity you should find yourself in a state of such anxiety so soon after sea-bathing,” Elizabeth said with a defiant smile.
“I know the Parkers take pride in proclaiming the calming and restorative benefits of that activity; they will be so disappointed to learn that the effect is not universal. However, we have every intention of looking forward to such tranquility—we had better be going, Georgie.”
“So too must we,” Miss de Bourgh said briskly.
“I am joining Sir Sidney for tea. I shall take your words to heart, Miss Benson, and reassure him how much I enjoyed my excursion this morning. Do give my advice the same consideration. Come along, Penelope.” Miss de Bourgh gave them a parting sneer before dragging her companion away.
Georgiana screwed up her face and mimicked her cousin’s hauteur in a high-pitched voice.
“How charming of me to belittle my own cousin when I am the one who can only find friends for hire. And how sophisticated to pretend I cannot remember the names of anyone prettier or livelier than me! Ugh!” Georgiana’s face grew animated as she mimicked choking and gagging, then shook her head in disgust.
Elizabeth tried to suppress her own laughter as she led Georgiana toward the path along the cliffside. “I hope you are not too offended on my account.”
“How can you let such an insult pass?”
“Very easily. It seems to me that she only wishes to repel your brother by any means necessary, and fears that any kindness or decency may be misconstrued as encouragement—I have often felt myself driven to the same sentiments by Sir Anthony Denham.”
Georgiana let out a deep snarl of frustration.
“The nerve of her, strutting around with her paid companion, sneering at me for having a friend who takes an interest in her uncle’s business!
She knows this only makes you even more interesting—surely William thinks so.
I think it is unforgivably selfish of her to envy his attentions to you at the dinner party when she was fawning over Sir Sidney!
She has no wish to marry William, but I do not think she wishes to push him away—she wants him to suffer still from being under her thrall! ”
Georgiana flushed and furrowed her brow, her jaw clenched.
As defensive as Georgiana had been on her behalf, Elizabeth felt equally protective of her new friend; she gave the girl the same smile that always preceded her crushing one of her sisters in a tight embrace.
“Do not distress yourself. I believe you are more upset about the situation than even your brother is.”
Georgiana let out a breathy, bitter laugh.
“He is heartbroken over her inconstancy. I, on the other hand, am at once delighted that I shall never call her sister, and furious at the hurt she has caused him. What is worse, I feel utterly powerless to help him, even though he has done so much for me.”
Their feet sank into the soft sand as they meandered down the beach, toward the bathing machines. “He is fortunate to have such a devoted sister.”
“Oh, no—that is, I am the lucky one. He has cared for me even when….” Georgiana looked as if she might have said more, but one of the dippers, a kindly matron Elizabeth had grown fond of, called out to them and waved her hand in the air.
“Good morning, Mrs. Sealy.” Elizabeth presented her new friend to the dipper, who opened the door of her bathing machine for them.
The two young women ascended the steps into the equipage, where there was enough space for them to change into the thin muslin shifts provided, and stow their own garments on a high shelf above.
When they were ready, Mrs. Sealy urged her horse forward, drawing the bathing machine into the water on its high, creaky wheels.
Georgiana and Elizabeth both jumped and giggled as water seeped up through the cracks in the wooden floor, a shock to their bare feet. They were ankle deep when the bathing machine stopped, and Mrs. Sealy opened a door on the opposite side from where the ladies had entered. “Ready?”
Elizabeth took Georgiana’s hand in hers and the pair approached the small wooden step that Mrs. Sealy folded down into the water for them.
“Ready,” Elizabeth said, letting out a little gasp as she stepped down.
Beside her, Georgiana did the same, her excitement only momentarily diminished by the cool waves that lapped at them.
Mrs. Sealy was already in position in the water, and she looked up and winked as she made an encouraging gesture. “Well, Miss Lizzy, I know you will adjust quick enough, just as you always do.”
Elizabeth glanced over at Georgiana. “You are a proficient swimmer, are you not?”
“Yes—we go to the seaside every summer. I love to be in the water, though we generally go in the height of summer.”
“It will only be cold for a moment—I have a singular method for acclimating quickly, and then it shall be most refreshing.” Elizabeth tightened her grip on Georgiana's hand and then hopped down off the step, bringing her friend tumbling down beside her into the chilly seawater.
The fabric of her bathing shift swirled around her as she found her footing and dug her toes into the pliant, pebbly sand; when she broke the surface, she was shoulder deep and felt delightfully weightless.
Georgiana squealed and laughed as she steadied herself in ebbing water, her wet hair clinging to her face. “I have never taken such an approach, but I thoroughly enjoyed it!”
“Mrs. Sealy is generally a more attentive dipper, but I come for a swim so often that she allows me greater liberty to do as I please in the sea.” To demonstrate, Elizabeth spread her arms wide across the surface of a rolling swell and tipped her head backward as she was lifted up off her toes, humming with exhilaration.
The indulgent older woman proved to be an unassertive dipper who allowed the two experienced young ladies to move about in the water as they chose for the better part of an hour. The pair chatted idly, discussing nothing more consequential than their plans and wishes for the summer ahead of them.
When at last they were obliged to don their clothing and return to dry land, Elizabeth suggested they walk along the beach rather than taking the avenue back to the hotel.
She wore her wet hair loose so that it might dry in the sun, and the damp strands blew about her face.
There was something dreamy and tranquil about the sensation of floating that lingered in her body even after leaving the water, and the warm sunlight on her face only heightened the rush of euphoria.
Relaxed as she was, Elizabeth turned to Georgiana with a perspicacious gaze as they sauntered toward home. “It seemed like there was more you wished to say, before our dip—when we were speaking of your brother.”