They brought their drinks to a spot near the window where a few chairs and small tables had been set up. Elizabeth stood with Mr. Darcy after setting their drinks upon the table. He was in the process of handing her into a chair when Miss Bingley stormed up to them.
"You whore!" she exclaimed. "How dare you steal the man I have been pursuing for years!" She grabbed a glass of wine from the nearest table and flung it at Elizabeth. Miss Bingley's aim was poor and most of the liquid hit Mr. Darcy full in the face. Elizabeth saw the change starting to come over him with that same crumpling effect. She pretended to fall backwards, grabbing at the curtains covering the window and pulling them down atop Mr. Darcy while knocking him down to hide what she knew was happening. She completed the maneuver by grabbing his cup of coffee and spilling it on where his face was hidden as she pretended to trip. Then she dropped onto her knees next to him.
"Damn," she heard whispered in a decidedly masculine voice. "That coffee was hot."
She helped him emerge from the tangle of curtains. Mr. Bingley had grabbed his sister by the arm and was pulling her away even as she loudly said, "See how that hussy has thrown herself upon him! She does not deserve to be in company!"
Mr. Bingley shook her. "It is YOU who do not deserve to be in company. We are leaving NOW before you embarrass us any further." He dragged her towards the door to place her under the guard of two footmen while he went to gather the Hursts and order his carriage.
The two Burlingham boys helped Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy to their feet then tried to disperse the small crowd that was gathering around to see what had happened. Jane and Aunt Gardiner fussed over the damage to both of their clothes while Uncle Gardiner went to order his carriage as well. Lady Burlingham came up to survey the damage although she seemed more amused than upset.
"Remember what I told you, Fitzwilliam Darcy." she said with a significant look at him which Elizabeth did not quite understand. He nodded, but said nothing.
Elizabeth tried to apologize for ruining the curtains, but Lady Burlingham would hear not let her finish. "No dear," she said, "I quite understand it was an accident and it is nothing that cannot be fixed. You run along home now. Just be sure that you and your sister come with Madeline when she visits me for tea day after next."
Lady Burlingham joined her sons in shooing the rest of the crowd away, insisting there was nothing to see and no need for a fuss. Elizabeth saw Mr. Bingley approach their hostess. From his posture, he was clearly offering an abject apology which the lady appeared to accept graciously. He bowed and then returned to say his farewells to the Gardiners and Bennets.
"I cannot apologize enough for Caroline," he said to Elizabeth. "She will be on her way to stay with our great aunt in Scarborough tomorrow morning. She has gone too far this time, but Aunt Miranda will take her in hand. She has been asking for my sister to visit. Caroline has always been a bit frightened of our great aunt which means she will probably behave."
He turned to Mr. Darcy. "I cannot imagine you wish to ride back with us after all this. Is there some other arrangement I can make for you Darcy?"
"We will be happy to deliver Mr. Darcy to his home," Uncle Gardiner broke in, having returned in time to hear Mr. Bingley's comment.
"I accept most gratefully," Mr. Darcy said. He turned back to Mr. Bingley. "Come visit me tomorrow after you have sent your sister on her way. I want you to know I value your friendship. Nothing she can do changes that."
Elizabeth saw Jane's smile brighten at that. She would have to find out if there was some special meaning to that bit of the conversation when they talked the evening over later. Mr. Bingley asked Jane if he could call on her. Her smile brightened even further as she said that would be quite acceptable. Elizabeth almost laughed out loud as Mr. Bingley left without asking their direction.
"Jane," she said with a smile, "did you tell Mr. Bingley where we are staying."
"Oh, dear me. No, I did not. Aunt Gardiner, did you?" Their aunt shook her head.
"I will let him know tomorrow," said Mr. Darcy with a chuckle. "Miss Elizabeth, would you have any objection if I joined Bingley on his call? I should enjoy visiting with you again."
"I will be happy to see you. Just be sure not to call at teatime day after tomorrow as you have heard we have an appointment with Lady Burlingham."
"Our carriage should be ready by the time we get our coats," said Mr. Gardiner. "Shall we go?"
Mr. Darcy offered Elizabeth his arm. As they followed the Gardiners he leaned in to whisper, "Thank you for your quick thinking earlier. You saved me again."
"Friends help each other," she whispered back with a smile.
Elizabeth was impressed when the carriage stopped in front of Darcy House. Even in the dim light she could see it was a magnificent building. "You live here?" she said in wonder.
"I do," he answered. "I would invite you in, but it is late. Perhaps you all would be willing to join me and my sister for dinner one evening?" He looked at Aunt and Uncle Gardiner.
Aunt Gardiner spoke, "We would be happy to accept your invitation. I look forward to seeing how Miss Darcy has grown up. I left Lambton just shortly after she was born."
"We can confirm the details when I visit tomorrow. Is tea time acceptable then?" Elizabeth could see the twinkle in his eye in glow from the carriage lamps.
"We look forward to seeing you for tea tomorrow," Aunt Gardiner answered. Mr. Darcy nodded to the four in the coach, then closed the carriage door before heading up the steps and into his home.
"Well, this has been an exciting evening," Uncle said as they continued on to Gracechurch Street. "I have never seen you quite that clumsy, Lizzy."
"I cannot explain it," she said quite truthfully. To do so would be to betray a secret that was not her own. "I am just glad Lady Burlingham was so understanding."
"I think she might not have been with anyone else. Christina is a good friend of mine and she was also very close to Lady Anne Darcy in her youth. I think she has been quietly looking out for young Mr. Darcy. I could tell she was not well pleased to have Miss Bingley in her home. With good cause, as it turned out."
"I feel sorry for Mr. Bingley," said Jane. "He is such an amiable man. He says his sisters have always been unpleasant and hard to get along with. Mrs. Hurst is a year older than he and Miss Bingley is two years younger. They often work together to bully him into doing whatever they wish and they pay no attention to anything he says. He had been hoping Miss Bingley would find a husband of Mr. Hurst's consequence. Mr. Hurst's father has an estate about the size of Longbourn. Instead Miss Bingley has set her cap for Mr. Darcy no matter how discouraging Mr. Bingley's friend has been."
Elizabeth saw an opening for her question and asked, "You seemed to approve of Mr. Darcy affirming their continued friendship. Had you spoken to him on the subject?"
"During our dance Mr. Bingley had indicated he was afraid that his sister's behavior might cause a break with his friend. When Mr. Darcy and I spoke later he said he would not allow Mr. Bingley's sisters to be out in company with him anymore,. I told him Mr. Bingley was worried Mr. Darcy might break their friendship. I was happy to see him reassure his friend."
"Are you looking forward to having the gentlemen over for tea tomorrow?" Uncle Gardiner asked teasingly.
"Oh, yes." said Jane. "Mr. Bingley is so pleasant to speak with and Mr. Darcy is very kind as well."
"I agree," said Lizzy. "I look forward to becoming better acquainted with them both."
The next morning began with a light rain shower. Lizzy hoped it would clear up by afternoon. She was looking forward to Mr. Darcy's visit and knew he would be unlikely to venture out in the rain. To her great joy the skies cleared by mid-morning. If he took care to avoid puddles Mr. Darcy should be safe for a visit.
A servant arrived from Darcy House a little while later with a note to Aunt Gardiner confirming Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley's plan to attend and asking if Miss Darcy might join them. The servant carried a note back indicating Miss Darcy was most welcome.
Lizzy was amused by the excitement both she and Jane felt at the visit. "We are acting like Kitty and Lydia, you know," she said with a laugh as both were considering whether they needed to change their gowns to something fancier. "Or worse yet, like Mama!"
"Oh dear," said Jane, "you may be right." They decided what they were wearing was good enough. With a quick to be sure their hair still looked good they both went down to the drawing room to wait. Lizzy sat with a book she could not concentrate on and Jane had needlework she had to keep unpicking because the stitches were badly set. It seemed like forever before they heard a carriage stop and a knock on the front door.
Setting down their activities they both stood and smoothed their gowns. Aunt Gardiner entered the drawing room followed by Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley and a lovely girl with curly light brown hair and wide blue eyes. Mr. Darcy introduced them to his sister, Miss Georgiana Darcy. Miss Darcy was clearly very shy and uncomfortable and could barely stammer out a greeting.
Jane and Lizzy looked at each other and then to Aunt Gardiner. A slight nod passed between the three of them and a conspiracy was formed to help the poor girl feel welcome. Jane stepped forward to begin the campaign. Her manners were most gentle. She offered her hand and Miss Darcy took it without thinking. Jane led her to the sofa and both sat, with Jane on the outer edge. The others arranged themselves around the room.
"We are most happy to have you here, Miss Darcy," Jane began. She offered a quiet compliment on the color of the girl's dress and how well it suited her. She then spoke of the weather and Miss Darcy began to relax a bit. By the time Aunt Gardiner returned with the tea and sat on the other side of Miss Darcy, the girl was in a much better state. After pouring the tea for her guests Aunt Gardiner began to talk about Lambton and Lady Anne Darcy, leaving Jane free to talk with Mr. Bingley who had settled into a chair near that end of the sofa.
Lizzy and Mr. Darcy had been chatting quietly since they took their seats. Mr. Darcy's glance returned frequently to his sister, but he seemed to relax as she did. By the time their tea was served he was able to concentrate more fully on his discussion with Lizzy.
"I am glad you brought her with you, Mr. Darcy," Lizzy said when he smiled to hear his sister laugh at something Aunt Gardiner told her.
"She has been so withdrawn lately," he told her quietly. "I have been worried. I thought she would do better when I took her from school and engaged a companion. Instead her shyness seems to have become worse."
"Is there a problem with the companion?" Lizzy asked him.
"She came with good references. In fact, she was a teacher at the school Georgiana attended. I thought having someone familiar would help her. My cousin Richard, who shares guardianship, agreed so we engaged Mrs. Younge. I briefly suspected the woman might have been behind the malady I suffer, but I was able to check out her handwriting and it does not match the direction on the envelope. There is still something off about her, but nothing I could pinpoint as a reason to let her go. She did not appreciate that I brought Georgiana here without her."
"You would think she might like a little time to herself."
"Exactly. Before we left I assigned one of the footmen to keep a discreet eye on her. If she goes out I want her followed. Perhaps I am being too suspicious, but I cannot shake the feeling that Georgiana might be in danger."
"I think it is important to listen to such feelings. If at any time you feel she is in danger in your house, please send her here. We will look after her. I know my aunt would welcome her for your mother's sake as well as her own."
"That eases my mind," he said. "I may not have known you or your family for very long, but I feel I can trust you. All of you." With that, he turned the conversation to estate management. Lizzy pulled out her book on crop rotation. It was one he had read, so they flipped through it and he discussed parts he had found useful and parts he found suspect.
"The soil is a little different in your part of the country, so you may have different results," he admitted.
Lizzy was pleased he was treating her as an equal in understanding and mental capacity. It would have been disappointing to her if he had taken the attitude that a woman was incapable of truly understanding serious concepts. Many men did, including her own father on occasion. Of course, Mr. Darcy now had a bit of experience as a woman, which might have helped.
"Lizzy," Jane broke in. "Mr. Bingley tells me he is looking to lease an estate so he can gain experience in running one before he purchases. Do tell him about Netherfield Park. You know more of the details about the estate."
"Is it a good property, Miss Elizabeth," Bingley asked.
"I think that depends on your goals, Mr. Bingley. The estate has been fairly well kept up. The house is in good condition, although it could stand some minor repairs. The groundskeeper has been very diligent in keeping the gardens looking good, but I cannot say as much for the steward's oversight of the home farm or the tenants. There is nothing particularly wrong, but neither has any great care been taken to keep the land productive or the tenants happy."
"It could be improved with work and attention?" asked Mr. Darcy.
"Definitely," said Lizzy. "It is a good property for someone who is willing to invest the attention. That brings up the other issue with it, though. The Fairwoods are leasing out the property to keep it occupied, but they do not intend to sell it. They have another, larger estate, but Netherfield is intended for their younger son, who is currently finishing up his time at Eton. I understand they plan to present it to him upon his graduation from university. If you plan to lease before purchase, it might do you better to lease an estate that could be available for purchase. An estate like Netherfield, that has generally been well run, would be a good learning opportunity, but why put all that attention into making the estate prosperous for someone else when there is no hope of purchase if you find you like it."
"That is a good point," said Mr. Darcy. "I would not dismiss the property as a possibility, but I would take those concerns under strong consideration if comparing it with another property that might not be as good but would be available for sale."
"I liked the thought that it would be so near to your family home," said Mr. Bingley, a bit crestfallen.
"Netherfield Park is actually a bit too near to our family home," Lizzy told him. "It borders our property on the north side. My mother is an inveterate matchmaker and something of a busy body. It would be difficult to escape her there."
"Lizzy!" both Jane and Aunt Gardiner admonished her.
Lizzy shrugged. "It is true," she said simply.
Mr. Bingley looked confused, but Mr. Darcy chuckled. Clearly he saw the attraction between Mr. Bingley and Jane as well. A home next to Mrs. Bennet would not be ideal if Mr. Bingley and Jane chose to marry.
The conversation turned to other topics and eventually the guests rose to leave. Miss Darcy delivered the dinner invitation for two evenings hence and it was graciously accepted. Both gentlemen asked to call the next day before the ladies needed to leave for their tea with Lady Burlingham. Lizzy felt it would be another good day.
