It was a week after Elizabeth had become engaged to Darcy. She was in her bedchamber reading a book. Jane was making calls with Bingley, Kitty and Mary were at a friend's house and her father was in his library. Mrs Bennet was downstairs makings some plans for Jane's wedding. She seemed to care more for Jane's wedding than Elizabeth's.
However, nothing could spoil Lizzy's good mood. She was pleased to have some peace and quiet for once but nothing was more important to her than Darcy. Her engagement had been the best thing that had ever happened to her. Her mother had treated him a lot better and her father had discussions with him about books. Kitty wanted to know about the places he had visited and even Mary talked about music with him. Although many of her family approved, some did not. Mr Collins in particular did not approve of this match. Neither did Lady Catherine. Charlotte Collins had no objection to her closest friend's partner of choice. Elizabeth knew that it was a wasted hope in getting Mr Collins and Lady Catherine to accept them so she didn't even bother to try.
Lizzy turned the page in the book she was absorbed in when a knock sounded on her door. "Lizzy are you there?" Her mother asked and opened the door without waiting for her second daughter to respond. "You have a visitor waiting for you downstairs." Mrs Bennet added with a smile. Lizzy rose from her seat, placed her book down and smoothed her dress and hair. Her heart fluttered as she thought of Darcy waiting for her in the drawing room.
Lizzy smiled at her mother. "Thank you, Mama." She replied as she rushed out of the room and down the stairs to the drawing room. Lizzy pushed open the door and stopped. Georgiana Darcy rose from her seat and walked over to Elizabeth. "Oh, Miss Elizabeth. How lovely it is to see you again." Georgiana smiled at the older girl and curtsied.
Elizabeth quickly recovered herself and curtsied in return. "Miss Georgiana, welcome to Longbourn. It has been too long since I last had the pleasure of making your acquaintance. I hope your journey was a pleasant one."
"Very pleasant indeed. The country is so tranquil and its natural beauty is astounding." Georgiana replied with a smile. "It is my first visit to the area. I was very curious to see where my future sister-in-law lives. I must congratulate you. Fitzwilliam is so much happier than he used to be. Thank you for saving him."
Lizzy blushed. "Thank you for your congratulations, he is a wonderful man. I still do not know what made me save him, there was something. It was in that moment when I heard what he was going to do that I realised just how much I loved him. I had been lying to myself and him for quite some time. I still feel guilty about how I was almost responsible for his death, Miss Georgiana." Elizabeth replied.
"Let us not dwell on unpleasant times in the past but look to the future. I would be honoured if you called me Georgiana or Georgie." Georgiana smiled still, the picture of ease and beauty.
Elizabeth relaxed more visibly. "It would be an honour. But you must call me Elizabeth or Lizzy in return." Lizzy smiled at the younger girl with true affection. "Would you like a tour of the house?"
"That would be perfect. Fitzwilliam has told me how charming this house is." Georgie replied eagerly. Lizzy led her from the drawing room and began the tour through the house. They had just reached the dining room when Lizzy turned to Georgiana. "Where is your brother today? I'm surprised he allowed you to travel alone." Elizabeth enquired.
"He is away on business and will return in a few days. He left about two days ago and is in London. My brother did not tell you because he hoped it would only be for a few days and that he didn't wish you to worry about him." Georgiana informed Elizabeth. Elizabeth was lost for words and so she merely nodded. Georgie patted the girl's hand in comfort. "Do not worry, he'll return soon."
The tour continued and Georgie was amazed at how beautiful the place was. It was nothing like Pemberley but it suited Elizabeth and her family perfectly. Lizzy led Georgiana up the staircase and showed her the bedchamber which she shared with Jane. Georgiana looked around the room with a smile. It suited Elizabeth and Jane perfectly. "I assume this is your closet and bed." Georgie indicated the two items closest to the window.
"How could you tell?" Lizzy asked curiously because Georgiana had assumed correctly without being told whose was whose. Georgie simply shrugged. "I know your style and Jane's. It's not that difficult Lizzy."
"You can sit, you know." Lizzy grinned at Georgie who stood in the middle of the room, unsure of what she should do. Georgie sat in Jane's chair and Lizzy sat in her own chair. "What do you think of the house?" Lizzy asked.
"It has a certain charm about it. It suits you and your family perfectly. Simple yet elegant with it. I do love Pemberley but I love here almost as well." Georgiana replied. Lizzy smiled. "I love Pemberley so very dearly myself. I remember my visit there which was the first time I met you. Fitzwilliam told me last week that you still play the piano."
"Yes, every day. It is most relaxing and I love it. My brother mentioned to me that you would like to learn. I have no objection to teaching you to play better. You do play quite well from what I can remember." Georgiana smiled. "You will love Pemberley once you live there. It's better living there than it is being a guest." She added.
Lizzy caught something in Georgie's words that was not that obvious. Maybe that had been how Georgie had intended them to be. "Is something wrong?" Lizzy asked in concern, wondering if she could help in some way.
"I am looking for a place of my own to move to once you move to Pemberley…" Georgie replied quietly, looking at the floor. Lizzy stared at Georgie wondering why she was going to move away from her home. "You don't have to leave. Fitzwilliam and I wish you to live at Pemberley with us. We would never force you to leave your home or live with us if living by yourself is what you wish instead." Lizzy replied and hugged the young girl.
Georgiana looked up. "Are you sure?" She asked, sounding doubtful. Elizabeth nodded. "Of course I am sure. You can teach me to play the piano everyday." Georgie smiled a true smile then.
Lizzy then remembered another talent of Georgiana's. "Do you still draw?" She enquired. "Yes, when I have a spare moment. Why do you ask?" Georgiana replied.
"I was wondering if you would be able to design my wedding dress since I do not have a talent for drawing as you do."
"Of course. I would be delighted! Have you got anything particular in mind?" Georgiana said eagerly. "No, I have not. I'm sure you could come up with something that would suit me."
Lizzy handed Georgiana some paper and a pen. Georgiana rested the paper on a table and began sketching a dress. It took her a few minutes. "This isn't as perfect as I can do it but it should give you an idea."
Elizabeth took it from Georgiana and studied it carefully. "I like how you've drawn the dress with me in it." She smiled. It was a beautiful sketch and the dress was long with a narrow waist with lace and a long train. Georgiana had drawn Elizabeth with her hair twisted on top of her head, threaded with white beads. "It's just right for him." Elizabeth replied, tears in her eyes.
"Is it right for you, though?" Georgiana asked Elizabeth. She passed her a handkerchief and Elizabeth wiped her eyes. "Yes, yes I think so. Thank you." Elizabeth replied in a shaky voice as she hugged Georgiana tightly.
"You will look perfect, Lizzy. You are beautiful; don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Georgiana told Lizzy. Lizzy wasn't paying attention to what Georgiana was saying. She was daydreaming about wearing the dress Georgiana had designed, her hair in the style in the sketch, walking down the aisle with her father towards Darcy. He was wearing his blue coat.
Georgiana sensed that Lizzy was somewhere other than the room and so she gently shook her shoulder. "Lizzy, Lizzy come back." Lizzy jumped and shook her head to help her focus on where she was. "Sorry, I was daydreaming. Please could you tell Fitzwilliam to wear his blue coat at the wedding. It would mean a lot to me if he did because that was the coat he was wearing on the day we became engaged a week ago today." Lizzy blushed.
"Of course I would, he would do anything for you." Georgiana replied. A knock on the door made them start.
The door opened and Mrs Bennet stood there. "Girls, I am very sorry to interrupt you but I have some errands to complete. Your father is coming with me. We will return in a few hours. Georgiana is welcome to stay." Mrs Bennet kissed her daughter's cheek and Georgiana's. "Goodbye." The girls replied with a smile and a curtsey.
The door closed and the girls listened to Mrs Bennet walk down the stairs and out of the door. Once it had closed, they sighed with relief. "That's two more people I don't have to worry about today." Lizzy laughed.
Georgie looked at Lizzy in concern. "What are you worried about?" She asked. "You don't have to tell me if you would prefer not to." She added hastily, not wanting to force Lizzy to say anything she'd rather keep to herself.
"Just worried about your brother, even though you said he will be fine. When he's not with me, there's a little tug in my heart that won't let go of him." Lizzy explained, feeling foolish. "I understand how you must feel, it's only natural." Georgie replied wisely.
"Where are your sisters today? I expected to find them here." Georgiana said after a few moments of silence. "Kitty and Mary are with friends; Jane's making calls with Bingley. They are formally announcing their engagement to his family, I believe." Elizabeth informed Georgiana. "So it's quiet in this house for once. It's a wonder Mother trusts me in this house when I am alone!" Lizzy added with a laugh.
Georgiana laughed with Elizabeth. "I am very rarely left at Pemberley alone. Well, there are the servants who perform their duties and do not bother me. Then I have my dear brother and Cousin William. I am very lucky to be surrounded by wonderful people." Georgie replied.
"I remember Colonel Fitzwilliam. He was very polite to me when I first became acquainted with him a few months ago. I also remember your other cousin, Anne. I trust they are well?" Lizzy enquired. Georgie smiled at her, pleased that Lizzy had not forgotten them. "William is very well and Anne has somewhat improved in her ill health. Her mother keeps her confined to her chamber from what I have heard. I do not know Anne as well." Georgiana replied to Elizabeth's enquiry.
Lizzy leaned back slightly in her seat, at ease. "I am glad to hear that." She replied in a happy tone. Her face then clouded over a little and she spoke with a slightly harsher tone, "How is your wonderful aunt, Lady Catherine? I trust she is in excellent health?" Lizzy did not care for Catherine but she felt she ought to make an enquiry.
"I do not know, I have not seen her since you became engaged. I know she is full of disapproval of it. It is not your fault though, Lizzy. It's my aunt's because she thought she could rule her nephew's life when in fact she could only ruin it by wishing him to marry Anne. He loves Anne but nothing more than his cousin. He has told me everything." Georgiana replied truthfully in a slightly flat tone.
"He is a good brother to you, Georgie. I don't tell my sisters everything except for Jane as I feel I can trust her more. She knows more about my life than my mother does." Elizabeth smiled slightly. "My father does not know everything about me either but he knows more than my mother does. I know I can trust him and he always takes me seriously." She added.
"I do not remember my father or my mother, for they passed away when I was only a few months old. It was harder on Fitzwilliam though as he was twelve years of age. He does not talk about our father very often. All I know is that he was a great man with power." Georgiana said quietly. She feared her eyes would fill with tears but they did not because she did not know her parents that well.
Lizzy patted her future sister-in-law's arm in comfort. Georgie smiled at her. "Now then, have you had any more thought to your wedding? I don't just mean dresses but how you want it to be decorated and where." Georgie asked.
Lizzy laughed. "No, I was hoping you could assist me with that as well. Seeing as you designed my dress, I'm sure you can design a dress for my bridesmaids." She replied.
"I would love to, but I need some time to consider the options first. It may take a while." Georgie sighed slightly. "I have discovered that I can only produce one sketch that is worthy of credit in one hour. Maybe there is something wrong with me."
"I always knew there was something wrong with you from the moment I met you. You're too nice!" Elizabeth joked.
Georgiana stared at Lizzy for a moment, trying to understand what she meant. She realised it was a joke and so she laughed along with Lizzy. "Have you teased my poor brother yet?" Georgie asked through her laughter.
"Have I? Yes, on a number of occasions. He seems to enjoy it when I do." Elizabeth grinned wickedly. "And yet, he never teases me back."
"He loves you too much to tease you, Lizzy."
"I love him as much as he loves me and I tease him. Maybe he thinks that he's not allowed to tease me because I have not yet given him my permission to do so." Lizzy laughed.
"Maybe." Georgie replied, trying to calm down. Oh how much fun Georgie was having! The visit had been worthwhile as she knew it would be.
Georgie rose from her seat and walked over to Elizabeth's closet. She stroked it carefully, feeling the wood. "A fine closet you have, Lizzy." She turned slightly to smile at her. "You can open it if you like." Lizzy replied. Georgiana carefully turned the handle of the closet and pulled it open. Inside were Elizabeth's dresses hung neatly and folded. A shelf held her bonnets, scarves, gloves and hats. Each of the dresses was paired with a shawl.
"You have wonderful dresses." Georgiana said as she carefully looked through the closet at each of them in turn. "They are so neatly arranged! My closet used to be in a dreadful mess but my maid helped me organise it." She added and continued looking through the contents of the closet.
Lizzy rose from her seat and joined Georgiana at her closet. "I like to wear a specific shawl with a specific dress. I don't know why I do, it's just something I've always done." Lizzy informed Georgiana. Georgie smiled.
The doorbell rang suddenly, making the two young ladies start. Lizzy waited for the door to be answered but she heard no-one downstairs. The bell rang again, insistently this time. She sighed. "I had better go and answer the door. I'll be just a moment." Elizabeth said. Georgiana looked at her. "I'll come too." She said. Lizzy smiled gratefully at her.
The two young ladies left the room and descended the staircase, quickly but carefully. They heard the doorbell ring for a third time. Lizzy rolled her eyes. "Honestly, have they never heard of patience?" She asked rhetorically.
Elizabeth dashed down the hall towards the door. Georgiana was right behind her. She fumbled with the catch on the door and pulled it open. Elizabeth gasped at who she found standing on the doorstep.
A/N: Cliffhanger! My first one in this story. Don't worry though, I won't put in loads like I did in another one of my stories that I didn't finish typing up. I will do the next chapter as soon as possible.