Mr. Darcy's Little Sister (29 page)

“I pray that we are wrong,” she said softly.

“So do I, my love, so do I; But I must give the colonel this news as soon as possible, so that he can inform his parents. He and Georgiana are still at The Yews with Mrs. Annesley. I think that I should ride into town and see if I can catch up with him.”

“Yes, my dear, go and find them. This is a very unpleasant reflection on your cousin’s character, and I dread to think of the distress that he will cause his entire family!”

He kissed her hand briefly and hurried to the stables to order his horse then ran into the house to change into riding clothes. By the time he was back downstairs his horse was ready, and he sprang into the saddle and rode off at a brisk trot. Elizabeth was left to her book but it could no longer hold her attention. As the day warmed, she moved into the drawing-room, while Pilot retired to his usual spot in the library to continue his nap. The time seemed to creep by interminably as she awaited Darcy’s return.

Finally, after two hours had slowly ticked by and she had reread the same passages at least three times, she gave up and ordered tea. She had barely emptied her cup when the entire party returned together. The colonel was in a state of barely controlled agitation when he came in and immediately ran upstairs to have his man pack his things. The others joined Elizabeth in the drawing-room, where a fresh pot of tea waited, and Georgiana said, “I cannot believe that my cousin St. George has been at Rosings all this time without giving his family a single hint as to his whereabouts! I hope my brother’s assumptions about St. George’s desire to marry our cousin are incorrect. The colonel feels that he must go to Whitwell Abbey and tell my aunt and uncle this news in person so they can discuss what recourse they might have.”

“Can you think of any other reason for his secrecy about this extended visit to Rosings?”

“No, I am afraid I cannot, unless he is just hiding to cause his parents grief and punish them for cutting off his allowance, like a spoilt child.”

“I would not put it past him, but Charlotte says that he seems ‘quite taken with his cousin Anne.’ Here is the letter.”

She handed Georgiana Charlotte’s note.

“Hmm. Yes, much as I would like to disagree with your conclusions, I cannot.”

Elizabeth turned to Darcy, who was sitting silently, staring blankly at the teacup in his hand.

“Perhaps you should go with him, my dear, so that you may offer your thoughts on the matter. They will need as many clear heads as possible if they are to think of a way to avert this misuse of their niece.”

Darcy sighed. “Perhaps I should. I cannot say that I am eager to leave you again, just as we have arrived home.” He picked up her hand and kissed it while Georgiana rather pointedly busied herself putting milk and sugar in her tea.

***

In the end, Darcy did decide to go with his cousin. After a tense evening in which they could find little to talk about in front of the servants, they all retired early. Georgiana mused over her diary for thirty minutes before she wrote,

25 July: We received startling news today: St. George is at Rosings Park and being very attentive to our cousin Anne. My stomach turns over with the thought that my refusal could have such a violent effect on St. George’s actions, and I am sure my brother feels the same about his refusal to marry Anne. The Darcys seem to have conspired to deprive Anne of any happiness in life, but I do not see how we could have done otherwise. I know I really should blame the person ultimately responsible for this problem, and that is my cousin St. George.

***

The gentlemen rode out first thing the next morning and Elizabeth received a letter from Darcy the next day assuring her that they had arrived in safety, but with no further news. While Darcy and the colonel were at Whitwell Abbey, Elizabeth and Georgiana attempted to keep to their usual routine of walks, music, and needlework; but in actuality they spent the first three days of solitude revisiting the problem of Lord St. George, with nothing but discouragement to reward their time.

A few days after the gentlemen had departed, their depression of spirits was raised when Elizabeth received a letter from her sister Jane. She had not heard from her since leaving London, and she eagerly opened the envelope and read:

Dearest Lizzy,—

I am sorry to be so dilatory in my correspondence; I know that you will understand how busy we are reopening Netherfield after the Season and your generous heart will forgive me. It has taken longer than I would have liked to have the household functioning properly as the Wickhams joined us unexpectedly not long after our return. In addition, I am beginning to feel rather like that elephant that we used to look at in Papa’s African animal book when we were children. I am becoming more and more nervous about my confinement but will be glad to have the ordeal over. Mr. Bingley assures me that I am as beautiful as ever, but I do not feel beautiful in the least. I do, however, appreciate his tact.

I must tell you, my dearest sister, that returning to Hertfordshire after this extended absence has made it very clear to both of us that we cannot stay at Netherfield permanently. After the superior company of yourself and all the Darcy relations, it is difficult to tolerate the excesses of our own family. I know that you will forgive me for speaking so plainly, but I find myself blushing constantly over the manners and attitudes of many of our relations. You will not be surprised to hear that Lydia is unchanged after a year of marriage and talks only of parties and schemes when she is not complaining about how poor they are. Because of all these factors we have decided to quit Netherfield as soon as we find a suitable estate to purchase, and we are hoping to find one near enough to Pemberley that we can see you and Darcy, and Georgiana and the colonel, frequently. I must go now and visit our parents; our father has missed both of us very much and I feel rather guilty to be contemplating a move, but we feel that it will be for the best.—Give my best regards to…etc.

Elizabeth shook her head over this epistle’s reflections upon her family, and Georgiana asked her what the news was. She read the relevant parts of the letter to her, and Georgiana was very pleased that the Bingleys were, hopefully, to move closer to Pemberley. This topic gave them something more enjoyable to converse about than the sins of their cousin, and they spent many hours in pleasant speculation over where the Bingleys might find an estate in Derbyshire, temporarily at least forgetting Lord St. George, except to eagerly watch for the post each day.

Five days after their departure, Georgiana finally received a letter from Colonel Fitzwilliam.

Dearest Georgiana,—

We have spent the past five days discussing nothing but my brother’s plans and whether we could or should try to take action in the matter but have been unable to find an answer. My father was at first inclined to think that his eldest son was finally showing a sense of responsibility, but when Darcy and I gave him the full particulars of our cousin Anne’s state of health, he was shocked and dismayed. He could not convince himself that his wayward son would marry a woman who was a complete invalid except for the most venal reasons. My parents have still had no word from St. George or Lady Catherine regarding his presence in Kent. Since we cannot think of a way to influence either party without giving a grave insult to Cousin Anne or Lady Catherine, which would further estrange them from their family, my father has reluctantly decided that we should do nothing at the present time for fear that a move would precipitate events. Darcy and I will arrive at Pemberley the day after you receive this letter.—With all my love,

Edward

…There’s nothing in the whole universe that perishes, believe me,

Rather it renews and varies its substance.

—Ovid,
Metamorphoses

After Darcy and the colonel returned from Whitwell Abbey, they told Elizabeth and Georgiana about their discussions with Lord and Lady Whitwell. They were all dismayed and shocked by the situation, but in spite of numerous talks, none of them could construct a solution that would solve the problem without causing many others. It consumed the thoughts and devoured the sleep of them all, and only the need to appear as usual in front of the servants forced them to give up their interminable rounds of talk. But finally, as the weeks of summer advanced, they began, slowly, to let go of the problem and to wait, as Lord Whitwell had recommended. The beautiful park at Pemberley was of great service in this regard, as the sunshine and warm breezes tempted them out-of-doors most days, and their difficulties diminished in the beauties of nature. Colonel Fitzwilliam reluctantly returned to his duties at St. James, and Georgiana kept her spirits up in front of her brother and sister but confessed her true thoughts to her diary:

9 August: My dear Edward left for London today and I already feel his absence acutely. We all still ache for my cousin Anne’s plight, but I believe that we must allow the mistress of Rosings to make the decisions for her daughter, no matter how repugnant. My poor brother feels the pain of his cousin’s plight most keenly because his refusal to marry her has left her vulnerable to the mercenary plans of her mother and Lord St. George. I, too, feel guilt in the situation because of my harsh refusal of St. George, but I pointed out to my brother that ruining our happiness with regrets was not going to protect her from her mother’s future matrimonial ambitions. My brother has been riding hard over the estate and working himself into a state of exhaustion to forget. I find my dear sister Elizabeth a great solace in my pain.

Eventually, Georgiana found herself, after many days had passed, able to attend to the sermons of the parson of Lambton church. Instead of being caught in an endless cycle of dismay and concern for the anguish that Lord St. George might introduce to his family, she could listen to and comprehend the message and confine her internal thoughts to a small prayer at the end of the service for the protection of her cousin Anne in whatever the future would hold.

Finally, one Sunday in mid-August the parson, Mr. Woodson, preached a sermon on the acceptance of God’s will. Woodson was a rather small and timid-appearing young man who was hampered in village society by extreme shyness. He appeared to best advantage when speaking from the pulpit, putting on the ancient dignity and authority of the Church like a cloak. His message that day was a simple one: “Find God’s will and, when you do, accept it as your own.” Georgiana felt a silent sigh shudder through her brother and she, too, felt great solace in the words.

They were in the carriage, returning from church when Elizabeth suddenly sat up straight and turned eagerly to Darcy, as if they had been discussing aloud the problem which occupied their thoughts.

“I do not know why I did not think of this before! I do have one suggestion that might be of service to Miss de Bourgh.”

“Please tell me; I could use some good news, my dear,” he said, raising his brows questioningly.

She hesitated just a moment. “I do not know if you will be entirely pleased with this idea, but do you not think that you should write to your aunt Lady Catherine and try to re-establish relations with her?”

He frowned. “I am not sure that I want to do that after her entirely uncalled-for behaviour towards you, my love.”

“I believe that you should give her another chance, if only for Anne’s sake, dearest. You do not need to apologise for your actions—I, for one, do not repent of them at all,” she said with a brief smile, “but if you can merely open the door slightly it may allow you to be of some use to your family in their concerns, whereas now you are persona non grata to Lady Catherine and have not the smallest influence over her.”

Georgiana’s eyes had brightened while she was talking and she said to her sister, “I think it is an excellent idea, Elizabeth.” She turned to Darcy. “You have nothing to lose, my dear brother.”

“My aunt has always been a woman to give advice rather than accept it, but you are both right: I should try to recover my status as her nephew, if only for the comfort of the rest of the family.”

When they returned to the house, Darcy shut himself in his library to compose the letter. After more than an hour, he finally finished and sought out Elizabeth and Georgiana in the music room so they could read it before he posted it.

Dear Lady Catherine,—

I am writing to let you know that Elizabeth and I are well, and she is expecting our first child in November. As you are, I believe, aware, Georgiana’s presentation and debut went very well this spring, thanks to the efforts of Lady Whitwell and Elizabeth, and she is engaged to Colonel Fitzwilliam, now Lord Lambton. They are planning to marry in the spring. She is very happy decorating the house on the estate given the colonel by His Majesty along with his title and it should be ready for them to move in by the time they marry. Lord Whitwell is giving them Longford House for a wedding present, so they will also have a house in town. If you are able, in the future, to visit Pemberley, you and Cousin Anne are always welcome.—Sincerely, etc.

“It is not the most gracious letter I have ever written, but it was the best that I could do under the circumstances, unrepentant as I am,” he said sheepishly.

Georgiana said briskly, “It will do; she will either accept it or not, and I doubt if she would respect you if you grovelled. This at least allows her the opportunity to reopen your acquaintance without admitting that she was wrong, which I very much doubt that she will ever do. She is the one who must decide how important her family is to her own happiness.”

“Well, I will send it off and we will see how she responds. I have also written to Lord and Lady Whitwell to inform them of our actions.”

The letters went out the next morning, and since they could take no further action until they received a response (if any) they returned to their accustomed activities. Elizabeth spent hours helping Georgiana decide upon the decor of her future home. The structure had been found to be sound, but most of the house needed a great deal of updating, so they had an enjoyable time picking out papers, carpets, and furniture. Georgiana commented one day when they had made many selections, “Well, we have made great progress, and I am quite satisfied. I must say that this intensive shopping is like a narcotic: it dulls the pain of family problems, if only for a few hours. We must find a new name for our home, however, now that those horrible yews are gone.”

She later wrote,

16 August: Elizabeth and I spent a great deal of time at the house today, and I am very pleased with the progress on the drawing-room. The paper is exactly what I wished for. Our main topic of discussion today was the new name for the house, and Elizabeth suggested Bellamy, which I adored. I will write to Edward immediately and see if the name is agreeable to him.

Georgiana wrote her letter and received her answer by return post:

“…I think Bellamy would be a perfect name for our home, ma belle amie…”

Darcy had paid off the mortgage on the estate so the creditors had dispersed; but the senior Walkers had refused any payment for the property, telling him with dignity that it would not be right for him to pay for the unconscionable acts of their son and wishing Georgiana and the colonel every happiness in their new home. As they were very firm in their decision, he was compelled to accept their word, however reluctantly.

***

As September approached with the anticipation of slightly cooler temperatures, Elizabeth received a letter from Jane inviting them to Miss Bingley’s wedding to the Comte de Tournay:

Dearest Lizzy, Mr. Darcy, and Georgiana,—

Caroline has asked me to assist her in writing the invitations for her wedding, so I am writing to the Darcy family first of all. They will be married on September the first at St. George’s, Hanover Square, at ten o’clock in the morning. We would very much like you all to stay with us until we travel to London for the wedding, …etc.

Elizabeth’s physician in Lambton felt that she could safely go, as long as the trip was taken in easy steps and she was not overtired. Her own confinement was not expected for some time yet, so, although she was beginning to feel rather ungainly, she thought that she could travel in reasonable comfort, and of course Darcy would be with her and make everything easy. She wrote to Jane to let her know that they would be arriving in a few days, and the servants spent the day packing for the trip.

Georgiana was delighted to have this unexpected opportunity to see her fiancé for the first time in several weeks. They had been corresponding almost daily as the work on the house progressed, discussing changes to their plans and how quickly (or not) the work was progressing, but she longed to see him in person.

They left for Netherfield the day after Jane’s invitation arrived and spent three nights on the road, as the coachman kept the horses to a sedate trot. Georgiana tried to watch her sister covertly to make sure that she did not become too tired and she caught her brother’s eye several times as he did the same. When Elizabeth saw their concern she laughed and said,

“Please relax, my dears! You may trust me to tell you if I am not feeling well. I am neither an invalid nor a Dresden shepherdess.”

Mrs. Annesley just smiled calmly.

They drove decorously up to the front door of Netherfield in the late afternoon of the fourth day and Elizabeth and Georgiana embraced Jane. Her slender figure was swollen by the new life within her, and she led them to the drawing-room and immediately sat down, breathing heavily. Georgiana noticed that she had dark smudges under her eyes and her face appeared strained as she said, “Please pardon me, my dears. I do not have much energy at the moment, but I am truly happy to see you!” She burst into tears and clung to Elizabeth, who patted her back and soothed her; Elizabeth caught Darcy’s startled eyes over Jane’s head and jerked her chin towards the door. The two gentlemen arose hastily and disappeared into the billiard-room, Bingley peering back through the doorway for a moment in concern.

After they had started the game, Bingley leaned on his cue. He glanced back towards the drawing-room again then cleared his throat and said, with an attempt at his usual good humour, “I have wanted to tell you that Caroline was absolutely livid when she heard that you received a title. I really thought for a few moments that she was going to have an apoplectic attack, Darcy—or would you prefer it if I call you Lord Winslow now?”

Darcy snorted derisively, and Bingley grinned and went on, “I believe that is why Caroline is hurrying her wedding, so that she can be addressed as ‘my lady’ as soon as possible.”

Darcy shook his head in mock reproach at his friend’s levity, and they continued their game.

In the drawing-room, Jane had dried her tears and was telling her sisters that she was really feeling very well, just tired, but she would be happy when the baby arrived.

“I am very happy that you felt well enough to come, Lizzy, because, as I think I told you, I am getting rather nervous as my confinement approaches. Mamma has daily been filling my head with all the terrifying occurrences that she has seen or heard of when women have their lying-in. I try to reassure myself that she had five children without any difficulties, but I am unable to ignore the tales. I am not sleeping much because I am not very comfortable, so it does not take much unease of mind to keep me awake all night. It also does not help that my poor husband is very worried about me; this is all new for him too, after all. I feel better already having you here to keep me sensible, Lizzy,” she finished as she dashed a remaining tear impatiently from her eye.

In a little while Jane retired upstairs for a rest, and Elizabeth said to Georgiana, “I wish I could reassure Jane, but I am no more experienced in this area than she is. However, I am determined to prevent our mother from frightening Jane further, if at all possible.”

“Could your father assist in this matter?” Georgiana asked, hesitantly.

“I will speak to him. I am also concerned about Jane travelling to London in her condition. She is far too close to her time. I will need to talk to her and possibly enlist her doctor’s help. What do you think, Mrs. Annesley?”

Mrs. Annesley immediately answered, “I would not recommend travelling at this time, my lady.”

Elizabeth talked to Darcy, and the next morning, when she had a chance to see Jane alone, she put her opinion before her sister—offering to stay with her while Bingley, Darcy, and Georgiana went to London for the wedding. Jane considered very briefly before she agreed to the idea.

“Yes, I am sure you are right, Lizzy, that I probably should not travel. I just hate to let Caroline down on her wedding day.”

“I am sure she will understand, Jane,” she said. Then she added tartly, “Consider this: if she really wanted for you to be there, she could have put off the wedding for a couple of months, now could she not? Bingley will be there to give her away and she will be as happy as can be with her society friends around her to give their congratulations.”

Jane smiled her agreement and went to tell Bingley their plan. Later in the day, while Jane was resting, Bingley sought Elizabeth out in the music-room and sat next to her, saying,

“Thank you, my dear sister, for staying with Jane while we go to London. I was very worried about her travelling, but I did not like to leave her here without a family member to take care of her, either. You have eased my mind greatly.”

“I am happy to be of assistance, although I hate to forgo Caroline’s society wedding.” She gave him an impish smile and he laughed.

“Yes, I hope everything goes as she plans it, or she will be fit to be tied. I have already begged Darcy to allow me to stay at Ashbourne House so that I do not have to live through Caroline’s wedding-day nerves. I am not sure that I am strong enough to survive it.”