"How wonderful it is to be at Pemberley again!" Mr Bingley said, with a comfortable sigh. Georgiana smiled, pleased to see her brother's old friend so at home in their parlour. She liked Charles, for he always took time to speak to her and was a jolly, friendly sort of character, very different to her reserved brother, and his perfect companion, she wagered, for that particular reason.
"I hope your journey has not rendered you too exhausted, Miss Bingley?" Georgiana asked, turning her attention to his sister, who sat primly on an elegant seat opposite and admired the bright room.
"Oh, well, Georgiana, you know how tiring it is to travel!" Caroline giggled. "But it is always so rejuvenating to be reunited with old friends, do not you think so?"
"Indeed." Georgiana smiled. She did not know Caroline Bingley as well as Charles, for she was a later addition to the small circle in Derbyshire, but the young woman had always been friendly to her. Too friendly, perhaps, for Georgiana had nursed a private suspicion that Miss Caroline Bingley had designs on William and was endeavouring to win the man by winning his sister. Georgiana sighed. Poor Caroline, she thought. I do hope she is not too upset by news of his marrying.
"I was surprised to see, from my brother's note, that you had all been in Scotland!" Georgiana said, recalling the mystery that had nestled in her mind as she read William's hurried missive. Here, at last, she might find answers to some of her questions. "I thought you all settled in London: indeed I had rather looked forward to finding my way there myself, once I heard of William's news -" she stopped speaking, suddenly, realising that if Caroline was nursing a disappointment then it was unkind to make a mention of it so cavalierly. "That is, once I realised he was poised to stay in London for some time."
Caroline's eyes widened as large as saucers, and she turned a speechless gaze towards her brother, who cleared his throat and sat forward, his elbows on his knees.
"Ah, yes. Well, you see…the thing is - the reason for…" he paused, dropping his gaze to the floor. "It was a very sudden flight."
"Mr Darcy had gone on alone, you see," Caroline said, her words coming out slowly, but gaining in pace and confidence as her answer fell from her lips. "He had word of-of an incident involving a friend of his and hurried to be of some assistance. Poor Eliza felt quite bereft, abandoned so suddenly by her new husband, and so we decided to accompany her on her own journey, after him. Is that not so, Charles?"
"Quite!" Charles laughed, but the sound was one of relief rather than any sort of humour.
"That is quite a journey to embark on for the sake of a friend," Georgiana said, with a shrewd glance from sister to brother.
"Oh, it is not as if we had any great desire to remain in London!" Charles said, cheerfully. Watching the interplay of shadows over his sister's face, however, Georgiana wondered how true this was for Caroline. Surely she would have far rather remained in the hustle and bustle of the ton with plenty of friends to see and dances and exhibitions to occupy her than to hurry northwards in a hectic and uncomfortable journey.
"Well, you must be very good friends, in that case," Georgiana said, leaning closer to Caroline and adopting a confidential tone. "Tell me, what is Elizabeth like? I have not met her, you see, although my brother has striven to write to me of her." She smiled, wryly. "You know one can hardly trust a brother's pen to convey the true nature of anything, particularly the character and looks of his beloved. William is not given to effusion, so I have had to read between the lines and construct my own picture of my new sister, which I am sure is not at all an accurate one. You knew her in Hertfordshire, did not you?"
"We did," Caroline said, quietly.
"Elizabeth is a most wonderful young lady!" Charles said, beaming. "Quite pretty, you know, with dark hair and eyes that always suggest she is thinking a darn sight more than she says - although she does say a great deal!"
"My brother is trying to say that Eliza is possessed of a number of opinions on many different subjects." Caroline tossed her head. "I do not care for young ladies that must always exalt in the sound of their own voice, but I dare say it meets with Mr Darcy's approval, or else he would not have married her, would he?"
Georgiana's smile fell just a fraction, as she discerned Caroline's not entirely flattering opinion of her new sister. Instead of setting Georgiana against her, though, it actually endeared the absent and unknown Elizabeth to her a little more strongly. She was pleased to think that William had married someone with intelligence, wit, charm: all characteristics that Caroline believed herself to be in possession of but was not altogether successful at showcasing.
"I look forward to knowing her soon," Georgiana said, at last. "I rather think perhaps I ought to stay here to greet them…"
"You can't!" Caroline's response was instinctive and immediate, accompanied by a sharp exchange of glance between brother and sister. "That is, Georgie, dear…I thought your brother had written to you of our express desire that you join us at Lattimer Place." She glanced around the room once more, affecting dissatisfaction. "Surely you are tired of rattling around such a large house all by yourself?"
"But I am not by myself," Georgiana said, turning to acknowledge her companion, who sat close to the door and busied herself with her own needlework. "Charlotte has been a most amiable companion."
"Charlotte!" Caroline sniffed, as if the notion that Georgiana could find true friendship with a paid companion was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. In truth, Georgiana agreed. She would much rather be with those friends she chose for herself, and who were with her by choice, rather than because of prior arrangement and payment, but something nettled her in Caroline's superior manner. She disliked Charlotte on account of the young woman's poverty, whereas Georgiana had been taught to value a person's character and position. Charlotte's family had fallen on hard times, that much was true, but she was a distant cousin to some of the first families in England. She had more claim to social standing than Caroline Bingley, and Georgiana felt a sudden desire to point out the disparity, which she overcame only by sheer force of will, and the thought that she must not alienate those people who were about to become her hosts before they had even reached Lattimer Place.
"Your companion is welcome to join you, Miss Darcy," Charles said, glancing over at the shy Charlotte, whose attention was fixed upon her work as she pretended not to hear herself being discussed in this way.
"I think that hardly necessary, Charles!" Caroline bristled. "Why, Miss Darcy shall have me as a companion, not to mention Mrs Hurst! What need have we for paid attendants? You may bring your lady's maid, of course, for a servant is hardly a friend!" Caroline laughed at such a comical notion.
"But my brother -"
"I am sure Mr Darcy did not foresee his plans changing so swiftly," Caroline said, putting a decided end to any further objection Georgiana might mount. "In any case, there is no room." She paused. "That is, Lattimer Place is quite expansive and well enough equipped to serve us admirably, but we do not wish to put Mr and Mrs Hurst to any trouble, do we?"
It was on the tip of Georgiana's tongue to suggest that if a desire not to trouble Mr and Mrs Hurst was uppermost in Caroline Bingley's mind, then she might leave Georgiana right where she was, and settle the matter thus. Instead, she took a deep breath and smiled at brother and sister.
"Of course. Please excuse me a moment, for I must ensure that Charlotte will not be unduly inconvenienced by my departure." She crossed to the hallway, gesturing to her companion to accompany her a few steps from the room, where they might converse without being overheard by her guests.
"Charlotte, I am very sorry, but it seems that with my uprooting to Lattimer Place, I will no longer be requiring a paid companion." She offered a pained smile to the young lady who had become almost a fixture, albeit a reluctant one, of her life these past weeks. "I trust you will not be left wanting if our association ends a little earlier than you expected?"
"Oh, no, Miss Darcy!" Charlotte smiled. "Why, Mr Darcy wrote to me himself thanking me for my service to both you and him. He suggested that it would not be necessary for me to accompany you to Lattimer Place, and enclosed a very generous donation in compensation for this change." She dropped a small curtsey. "You mustn't worry about me! Although I do hope we may meet again, for I have enjoyed our conversations very much."
Impulsively, Georgiana threw her arms around the girl, suddenly feeling as if the earth was shifting beneath her. She had cared little enough for Charlotte's presence in the interminable days at Pemberley, but now, knowing that they would be separated, she began to realise what a constant friend she had been. Someone, however dull and unremarkable, to stave off the loneliness in the absence of Georgiana's family.
"We will perhaps see each other in town," Georgiana said, brightly. "For I certainly do not wish to while away the spring as I did the winter. And Lattimer Place is that bit nearer Newton that I am sure I shall find a reason to journey in on occasion." She smiled. "You must promise me to always say hello when you see me and tell me how your family are doing."
This offer of continuing friendship touched Charlotte deeply and she blinked rapidly to stave off tears.
"Now, do not feel you must attend us any longer. I am sure you are eager to gather your own belongings and not have to wait until we are gone."
Georgiana returned to the parlour, endeavouring to begin her own preparations for departure, but in her absence, Charles and Caroline had lapsed into a whispered conversation, whose urgent tones reached Georgiana's ears as she crossed the threshold back into the room.
"I do not know how much longer I might keep this secret, Charles!" Caroline exclaimed, her voice nought but a stage whisper. "Poor Georgiana must know, and soon. It is too cruel to keep it a secret!"
Georgiana's curiosity overruled her manners, and she stepped a little closer.
"Keep what a secret?"