The Darcy Cousins (26 page)

"Another letter from Mr Collins?" enquired Elizabeth.

"No. It is from my informants. We have definite and confirmed news of Anne."

Anne's trail had been picked up once again, and it led to--Liverpool! Nothing could have been more startling. Her name, or one very similar--an Annette Burrows, who answered to her description exactly--appeared on the passenger list of a vessel that had sailed to Philadelphia nine days since. The same Annette Burrows had stayed at an inn close to the harbour, waiting for the ship to sail, for a few days, and had been seen by several witnesses who all described her in much the same way, including the numerous shawls she wore.

Darcy paced the room as he read them the letter he had received.

"I realise now that she has played us all for fools. Clearly she planned to go to Liverpool all along. She knew that none of the packet boats can predict their sailing schedule and that there are often MONICA FAIRVIEW

delays because of merchandise or weather. I can only conclude that her appearance in York was a deliberate attempt to mislead us, so she would have the time to wait for the vessel to sail without being caught. It is very likely she booked her passage beforehand."

Georgiana struggled to reconcile her image of Anne with the person who had planned such an elaborate trick. She had already realised in Rosings that Anne was far more intelligent than she had supposed. She had certainly fooled everyone, including her mother, with her appearance of docility. Now it appeared she had fooled them even further.

"But what would she do in the United States?" said Georgiana.

"How will she manage, once she is there?"

"I am sure if she was able to cook up the whole ruse, she is perfectly capable of managing once she is there," said Elizabeth,

"though I must own myself very surprised that she was capable of such a thing."

"How could she have done this to us?" said Darcy.

"She did not do it to us," said Elizabeth, "she did it to herself, and for herself. You do not enter the picture."

"But to be so inconsiderate--"

"You have given her little consideration over the years," said Elizabeth. "It does not surprise me that she would not consider you when she is making a bid for freedom."

A curious part of the human psyche is that the moment a person presumed to be in danger is discovered to be safe, everyone's anxiety turns into anger. That, at least, was Georgiana's experience.

For now that she knew Anne had been safe all along, she became incensed at the callous way her cousin had led them by the nose.

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The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. How could she have put them all through such turmoil, when she was in fact perfectly comfortable, and when she had know her plans all along?

Georgiana and Clarissa had almost been forced to cancel their Season, while she was mocking them, probably congratulating herself on how clever she was.

The anger soon burned itself out, however, particularly when Clarissa reminded Georgiana that Anne, after all, had had no choice. What else could she have done? She could hardly have informed them of her intentions beforehand, knowing that of course everyone would have intervened to prevent her. Yes, she had inconvenienced them a little, but it had not been that bad. It was more a question of the anxiety and uncertainty that they had experienced on her behalf. But that, surely, was nothing compared to Anne's own uncertainty and fear that she might have been followed and caught.

In any case, the definite knowledge that Anne was safe had a very positive effect and lifted the dark cloud that had hung over the young ladies' entree into Society. There was even talk of Elizabeth giving a ball. The number of activities the young ladies were allowed to attend now increased twofold, and they were introduced to so many new faces that Georgiana stopped being able to distinguish one person from the other. The entrance hall was filled with flowers, and Georgiana could begin to feel that she might be a success after all. Her new expanded list of invitations did not bring her into contact with Channing for some time--and she began to convince herself that she had quite forgotten about him.

Then suddenly one night, she spotted the familiar flock of gold hair, and everything came back to her with a vengeance.

He had only to lift a hand in greeting, and she was lost.

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Not for nothing, however, had she been attending one social event after the other. She had become far more accomplished by now at hiding her feelings. So when he made his way across the room towards her, she was able to retain the Imperial Pose and to receive him with an air of arrogant superiority.

"Mr Channing, how nice to see you," she said, her heart thudding.

"I see you are alone, without your cousin. Where is Mr Gatley?"

Channing did not look pleased. "I could ask the same of you.

Where is Miss Clarissa?"

Georgiana realised she had started on the wrong foot. She tried to set things right by referring to their last meeting.

"I am very grateful to you for arranging the excursion to Waverley Abbey. I enjoyed it a great deal. I have since had the pleasure of re-reading the novel."

Channing shuddered dramatically. "Rather you than me," he said. "I can think of nothing more tedious."

She was surprised. "But it was you who suggested the trip. I had thought you liked Waverley!"

"You cannot really think I would have read it, Miss Darcy.

There are so many other things I prefer to do," he said. "Dancing, for example. You still owe me a favour, do you not? Will you put my name down for a dance?"

Georgiana, who was beginning to be vexed by his offhand dismissal of her interests, forgot everything in the joy of finally being invited to dance with him.

The next morning the townhouse at Berkeley Square received a caller. Gatley stopped by to let them know that he was arranging a trip to Richmond, and he wanted to be sure of Georgiana's interest 238

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before going ahead with the arrangements. Georgiana agreed readily enough, especially after she heard that Channing was to be one of the party.

Everything went as planned--except that Channing unexpectedly brought with him two friends of his; Miss Emily Parvis and Mr Walter Parvis. Georgiana did not particularly like Mr Parvis, but Clarissa had met him before and appeared to be quite friendly with him.

It took forever to find a place that was dry enough for the older ladies to set up their chairs. It had rained the day before, so the grass was quite wet. The right spot, moreover, had to give the chaperones a clear view of the river, the bridge, and the embankment.

But at last, everything was set up, and those who wished to hire the rowboats could finally go on their way. Both Elizabeth and Caroline expressed their readiness to join them on the river, but Mrs Gatley refused and said she would stay with her sister and Mrs Moffet.

"It is too damp," she said. "I prefer to sit here and watch you row around in circles."

This occasioned some protests, all the gentlemen immediately affirming their prowess at rowing. Mrs Gatley replied in an imperious tone that they had yet to prove themselves. Whereupon the young men set out, all eager to demonstrate their abilities.

They hired three boats. An argument ensued, during which both Mr Moffet and Mr Parvis wanted to row. The agreement was only settled after Channing convinced his friend to come in the boat with him, and they could take it in turns to row. "For I plan to have the prettiest girls with me," said Channing.

Mr Moffet, very pleased with the outcome, carried the oars proudly, in the manner of one holding a trophy.

"I have not been on a boat for a long time," remarked Elizabeth 239

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with an uneasy little laugh, as she stood at the edge of the water. "I do hope I will not fall in."

This fearfulness was so unlike Elizabeth that Georgiana shot her a questioning glance.

"I fell into the water once," explained Elizabeth, "and I was soaked through. Since then I have avoided boats entirely. But it would be quite silly to avoid them forever, just because of one fall."

"If you have already fallen in once, then you have nothing to fear," said Caroline, "for it is very unlikely that such a thing would occur twice in one's lifetime."

"I have never fallen from a boat," said Channing, "and I have been on a river endless times. All you need is a skilled oarsman, Mrs Darcy, I assure you, and there would be no chance at all of the boat tipping."

One would have thought that after such a remark, he would offer his services. Instead, he turned away and reached a hand out to help Clarissa climb in.

Georgiana, who was standing expectantly right next to his boat, felt the slight like a physical blow. He did not even glance towards her.

How long could she continue to delude herself? It was all so utterly useless. All her efforts to change and become different were completely futile. No one with a modicum of sense could avoid the obvious conclusion. Channing preferred Clarissa over herself--had done so from the beginning--and nothing she did or said would change that.

Tears of frustration rose up in her eyes as Gatley, inevitably, extended his hand to her with a smile. She did not take it, still somehow hoping that Channing would invite her to join him. But Miss Moffet stepped daintily into Channing's boat and took her 240

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seat there, followed by Mr Parvis. While she hesitated, Elizabeth joined Mr Moffet, after he assured her that he was a superb rower and that she could trust him not to let her fall. Miss Parvis then joined Elizabeth and Moffet.

Georgiana could not refuse to ride with Gatley, not without openly snubbing him, could she?

"Come, Georgiana," said Caroline, seeing her hesitate and misunderstanding her reasons. "There is nothing to it." As if to illustrate it, Caroline took Gatley's hand and stepped in.

With no choice in the matter, Georgiana stepped forward to join her.

Meanwhile, the others had cast off.

She had never been in a boat before. She did not like the way the boat moved and swayed about. She could understand now why Elizabeth was nervous. It had looked much easier when everyone else had climbed in.

Gatley gave her an encouraging smile.

"It is not as difficult as you think, Miss Darcy. Give me your hand, and I will help you in," he said.

She felt remarkably silly. She was the only one left behind and everyone watched her. The other two boats were already in the river, and were starting to pull away. Gingerly, she took a step forward and lifted her foot to place it inside the boat. Gatley's firm hand helped her balance, and though the boat shifted a little, she grew more confident.

"Steady now," said Gatley.

Everything would have gone well were it not for the fact that the bank was very wet from last night's rain. The wash from some passing boat shifted the boat a little, and Georgiana's left foot, which she had set down on the boat, did not land solidly.

Instead, it pushed the boat away from her and away from the 241

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shore. Meanwhile, her right foot, struggling to take root in the wet bank, encountered only mud and silt. She lost her balance and slid forward towards the water. It was only Gatley's hand that prevented her from falling to the ground. She flailed and tried to right herself, but her right foot stomped up to her knee in the water, and the cold river seeping into her clothing.

From the other boat, a roar of laughter rose up.

"Miss Darcy!" cried Channing. "Now you have done it! You have taken a bath already, and we have not even set out!"

From beside him, Clarissa let out a loud peel. "Feel free to take a swim, since you are already wet!" she cried. Soon Mr Moffet and Miss Moffet added their giggles to the laughter. Mr Parvis and his sister laughed. Even Elizabeth seemed infected by the hilarity of the situation.

Gatley's hand steadied her and pulled her into the boat.

With the help of Caroline, she was able to sit down, and to conceal the fire that burned on her cheeks by bowing her head and smoothing down her skirts.

"You did not hurt yourself, did you?" enquired Caroline. She had not laughed, at least.

"No. Mr Gatley held me up."

"You have not injured your ankle?" enquired the latter, pausing as he moved the oars into position.

"No, I received no injury." Which was true enough, for the only injury she had received was to her pride. That injury smarted and pained and lingered.

It was a warm spring day, but it was not yet summer. The dampness of her clothing soon seeped through. It clung to her skin, a cold insistent presence.

The others rowed ahead of them, and they talked loudly and 242

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laughed and dipped their hands in the water. Georgiana gathered her damp clothes about her, and remained silent. By and by, as the others drew farther away, she could hear nothing but the gentle splashing of the oars in the water, the croak of a cormorant, the whish of the current as it passed them by. Caroline exchanged some polite conversation with Gatley, but had fallen silent, content to sit quietly in the boat, holding up her parasol against the sun.

"Oh, aren't they beautiful?" said Caroline suddenly, as a swan glided by, its head regal, its body graceful in the water. "So much prettier than geese."

Gatley, a quiet smile hovering on his lips, remarked that, amazingly, despite their delicate appearance, swans were unpleasant creatures, quite inclined to be aggressive and to bite. "Very much like geese, I would think."

Caroline laughed. "Yes, I know all about geese," she said enigmatically.

Georgiana was not interested in the swan nor in the information Gatley conveyed. It was of course a veiled reference to their former conversation, and at this moment it rankled, for it served as a reminder of her own stupid vanity. She really was like that swan he had talked about, the one that had strutted like a peacock.

She leaned over the side and stared into the dark depths of the river, struggling to restore her good humour. She could not sulk all day just because Channing had not paid her attention.