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Georgiana Darcy gingerly pressed a hand to her curls to ensure they were in place before stepping into the small dining room for breakfast. Her dear brother and his new bride, the lovely strange Miss Price had arrived home late last night and she had only seen them briefly. She looked forward to spending more time in their presence today.
Taking her seat, delicately spreading her dress folds so as not to crease them, she smiled her consent for tea to be poured into a tea cup for her. Delicately buttering a piece of toast, she took a small bite and pondered how long she would be seated alone this morning.
It wasn't long at all.
Her new sister-in-law made such a sudden arrival without any warning that Georgiana almost spilt her tea. The flame-haired woman leaned over the back of a chair and snatched a piece of toasted bread from the table, leaning against the chair as she took a large bite and said something that might have resembled "Gods, I need caffeine."
It wasn't so much her peculiar actions as her attire that shocked Georgiana more. "You're in your nightgown!" she exclaimed.
"So?" shrugged Amanda. Seeing the young girl's eyes about to bug out of her head, she explained a little further. "We're at home right?"
Georgiana nodded.
"So why can't we come to breakfast in our nightgown if we so wish?" she said gloriously. "Who is going to see us?"
"Miss Price!" she uttered, intrigued, yet mortified as it went against sixteen years of education. "I mean, Mrs Darcy, I mean..."
Her sister-in-law put her out of her misery. "Amanda is fine."
"Amanda," said Georgiana, trying it on for size. "You do have such peculiar ideas."
"You're not the first one to tell me that," replied Amanda around her mouth full of toast, leaning forward to remove the lid of the pot, grunting when she saw it was tea.
"Pray tell, where is my brother this morning?" asked the young Darcy next.
"Fitz?" said Amanda, straightening and taking a seat. "He had a matter to resolve with the steward. After he said goodbye of course." Amanda paused with a smile on her face before she finished speaking. "He'll be down later."
Georgiana wondered at the peculiar smile at her pause. Was there something good about this particular morning for her? It was impolite of her to ask, and she steered to safer waters. "Would you like to take a walk with me this morning?" she said courteously.
"Sure," said Amanda, immediately flying up from her chair, dusting her hands free of toast crumbs. She looked ready to walk out the door in that very instant, but thankfully remembered herself, looking down at her clothing. "I'd better get dressed shouldn't I?"
Georgiana had no time to get any words out as she was already gone, leaving the teenager to look after her in bemusement.
Next chapter: Colonel Fitzwilliam.