Chapter 7: Friendships

The flight went by very quickly. Elizabeth was a little nervous when they first took off, but soon she found that she enjoyed being up in the helicopter. The views were incredible, and she took photos the entire way. She was even able to get several of Georgiana without her realizing it. Before Elizabeth knew it, they were at Pemberley. She found herself very taken with the place. As they approached, she could see how beautiful it was. She assumed that they would land at one of the nearby airports and then drive to the estate but Georgiana explained that her brother found it easier to fly directly to the house. It saved him time, she said.

As they got out of the helicopter, Elizabeth was struck by the beauty of Pemberley. It was perfect, everything about it was completely wonderful. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before. The landscape was flawlessly done. The lawns were impeccably kept, and the gardens just near the house were beautiful. The house itself sat further back on a hill; it was perfectly situated in front of a very large lake and surrounded by some of the tallest trees she had ever seen. To the front of the house was a large courtyard and further out was a small stream. Elizabeth allowed her eyes to follow the winding stream, as it filled into the lake in front of the house. She loved the natural beauty of the area; nothing was altered to change the view. It was just as it should be, she took in a deep breath and decided that this would indeed be the perfect place to do Georgiana's portraits.

Georgiana smiled, "What do you think?"

"I believe you were an incredibly lucky little girl to grow up in such a gorgeous place," Elizabeth told her.

"That's my sentiment exactly," she said as they made their way into the house.

Georgiana stopped in the entryway to speak with one of the staff before she turned back to Elizabeth. "If it is alright with you, I have asked Juliet to have our lunch served here at the house?"

"That's fine with me," Elizabeth said.

Georgiana made her way over to a very grand staircase. "My room is just up here; do you mind making sure the outfits I had laid out will work for the portrait?"

"Sure, we can look at what you have," she said as she followed Georgiana up the first set of stairs and then up to another very long staircase. The walls were adorned with the most beautiful hand carved wood paneling. She was amazed by the detail in the craftsmanship. The staircase itself was covered in a beautifully ornate rug, with a large mahogany banister that ran the entire length up to the second floor. Once on the second floor, they walked down another very long corridor and through three sets of double doors until finally, they came to her room. "I think I would get completely lost in here. Do you give out maps to your guest?" she teased.

Georgiana laughed, "No, but we probably should," she opened the door to her bedroom and waited for Elizabeth to come in.

"Wow!" was all Elizabeth could say; the room was gorgeous. There was a large, four-poster bed that sat opposite a beautiful old stone fireplace with a solid oak mantel. Off to the right was a large window with a window seat underneath it. To the left was a set of double French doors that opened to a large balcony. The drapes complimented the room beautifully. They were a soft cream color with delicate lace fabric. The wall was covered in a soft pale rose wallpaper that had a very Victorian feel to it. The bedspread had splashes of soft greens and pale pink hues in the same flower pattern. From the left of the window were two sets of doors, one she assumed was to a bathroom while the other was most likely to a closet. "This is the most beautiful room I have ever seen Georgiana. Did you choose the decor yourself?"

"No, my mother had this room done for me years ago. She spent so much time and energy in doing it that I have never wished to change it. It reminds me of her," Georgiana told her. "It just helps keep me feeling connected to her."

"If you don't mind me asking how old were you when your mother passed away?" Elizabeth asked.

"When I was very young," she said. "I don't have many memories her, but the ones I do have I cherish. William is always willing to fill in the gaps for me, and that helps. He has lots of memories of her."

Elizabeth walked over and sat on the window seat. "And what about your dad?"

"It has been a little over five years since he died. He was very ill at the end. But we brought him home before he died and both William and I had a chance to say goodbye," she said. "Since then it has been William, my cousin Richard, and me."

"You said before that you and your brother are very close," Elizabeth commented.

"Yes, William and I have always been close even when we were small children. Even while my father was alive it was always William who took care of me after my mother's death," Georgiana told her, then asked. "May I ask you something?"

Elizabeth nodded her head. "Yes, of course, ask me anything."

"This morning, it seemed as if you and William knew each other, have you met before?" she asked her.

"Well yes and no," Elizabeth said. "Your brother was at a party that I was attending last night. He's friends with my sister's boyfriend, Charles Bingley."

Georgiana smiled, "What a small world it is. I know the Bingleys very well. He and William have been friends for a long time."

"Your brother and I weren't introduced, but he knew who I was and I was told who he was," Elizabeth finished telling her.

"Oh, it must have been such a surprise to have you come this morning and run into him again," Georgiana laughed.

Elizabeth nodded her head. "Yes, it was."

"What did you think of him? I mean I know you weren't introduced, but what did you think when you first saw him?" she asked. "Some people can be a little intimidated by him because he's tall and he can be a little bit distant in large crowds of people. He and I are very much alike in that way. We both struggle with people we don't know, although I more so than he."

Elizabeth lowered her gaze. She didn't want to hurt Georgiana's feelings. She searched for what to say. "Well as I said we didn't get a chance to speak to one another very much, but he seemed to be enjoying Caroline Bingley's company very much."

Georgiana sighed. "Oh." was all she said.

Elizabeth could see that something was wrong. "Is everything alright Georgiana?"

"It's just that I don't really like Caroline Bingley all that much," Georgiana confided in her. "She's always going on and on about what good friends she and I are but anytime I have tried to speak with her she doesn't listen. She's very good at giving opinions, but very poor at listening and she only pays any attention to me when William is around."

Elizabeth wasn't sure what to say. Georgiana had perfectly described the Caroline Bingley that she met at the party the night before. She smiled and said, "Oh, I see."

Georgiana smiled mischievously. "I know this will probably sound silly, but every time William goes to one of those kinds of parties I hope he will find someone perfect for him, someone that he could spend his life with..." she told her. "Someone other than Caroline Bingley. Does that make me an awful sister?"

Elizabeth laughed, "No, just one who wants the very best for her brother," she told her. "If it makes you feel better I overheard several of the women comment on how handsome he was. So, you never know what might come about."

"Really..." she said, then asked, "Did you think he was handsome?"

Elizabeth took in a sharp breath, she knew where this was headed and again hated to disappoint her new friend. "I thought your brother was probably the most handsome man in the room last night," she told her, but then quickly added. "But I'm not one who is big on appearances. A strong personality, honesty, a good sense of humor, kindness, and concern for others means a great deal more to me."

"Those are good qualities to have." Georgiana agreed.

"I think so too," Elizabeth said.

"William has many of those qualities," she said, then laughed. "Well maybe not that much of a sense of humor, but he's very kind."

Elizabeth was surprised to hear Georgiana describe her brother in the way that she was. She felt compelled to say something so the moment wouldn't be awkward. "I thought your brother's willingness to come and support his friend last night showed how loyal he is."

"Yes, William is very loyal," Georgiana agreed.

"Now what are your choices to wear for your photo?" Elizabeth said wanting to change the subject.

Georgiana let the subject go, but she couldn't help but think how wonderful it would be to have her brother with someone like Elizabeth. She walked over and opened the door to her closet. "Come into the closet, Sara laid my choices out in there."

Elizabeth followed her into the next room; she couldn't believe her eyes. "Georgiana this is not a closet, this is a small store. I have never seen so many clothes in my entire life," she said then turned and saw all the shoes. "Or shoes, oh my gosh, there are at least a hundred pairs of shoes."

Georgiana laughed, "Yes, well both Richard and William spoil me. They are both so generous, just last week William bought me a new piano."

"Wow! That's an incredible gift," Elizabeth said. She was surprised to hear Georgiana's description of her brother. It wasn't what she was expecting to hear said about him. The man she observed so far was so very different. She smiled and asked, "Do you like to play the piano?"

"I do like it very much, but I struggle with playing for other people," she admitted.

"I played when I was younger, but it has been a very long time," Elizabeth told her. "I'm sure I have forgotten most of what I learned."

Georgiana walked over and grabbed three outfits from the hook and brought them over to show Elizabeth. "This is the first one that I thought might work," she said holding up a lovely sky blue knee-length dress with an empire waist.

"It is a lovely color and does draw out your eyes," Elizabeth told her.

Georgiana smiled and felt a bit more confident as she held out the next choice. It was a lovely pale pink dress with a matching cardigan. "What about this one? I liked this dress but wasn't as sure about it?"

Elizabeth looked at the dress more closely. "I don't think that one works as well. If we were doing your pictures in early spring, it would work better. But since we are already into early summer I think the blue is better."

"Well I have one more," she told her as she reached down and picked up a lovely little yellow summer dress with a sunflower pattern on it.

Elizabeth looked at all three dresses. "They are all very pretty, Georgiana. I think you will look beautiful in any one of them. The blue really draws out the color in your eyes, while the yellow shows off your tan and captures the heart of summer. Which one do you like the best?"

Georgiana let out a small sigh. "I like the blue dress very much," she told her hoping that was the right choice.

Elizabeth smiled, "I like the blue one too."

Georgiana took the dress with her and headed over to the door. "I will change and be right back out," she said.

Elizabeth sat back down on the chaise in Georgiana's room. She took out her phone and read over her text messages. There was one from Jane. "Charles has invited you and me to come and spend the weekend with him and his sisters at Netherfield." was the first text then another message followed. "Please say you will :)" Elizabeth was just about to answer when Georgiana came back into the room.

"I wasn't sure what to do with my hair," she told Elizabeth as she walked over to her.

Elizabeth smiled, Georgiana was a beautiful girl, but she was not very confident. Her hair was pulled up in a rather tight braided bun that made her look too serious and not like the carefree young girl she was. "Do you mind if I help you with your hair and makeup just a little bit?"

"I don't have any makeup," she admitted.

"Why not? Don't you like makeup?" she asked her.

Georgiana walked over and sat down. "William gives me an allowance for these things, but I don't know what to buy or how to use it," she admitted. "I know it sounds crazy being this wealthy heiress, but I know nothing about fashion, makeup or how to wear my hair in the latest styles."

"Georgiana..." Elizabeth said sympathetically. "Who bought these dresses for you?" she asked pointing to the dress she just put on.

"I did," she told her rather nervously as she looked down at the dress.

"And they are all a perfect choice for you. The color, the style, everything about it is perfect. You may need some tips on your hair and makeup, but you have excellent taste in clothes," Elizabeth reassured her. "Don't ever doubt yourself, you are a beautiful, intelligent young woman, you just need someone to give you a few pointers."

Georgiana smiled, "Thank you for saying so. William tells me these things all the time, but then he's my brother."

"Well he's right, and you should listen to him. Now for your hair and makeup," she looked at Georgiana and smiled. "I have an idea, but only if you are up for it?"

Georgiana nodded her head. "Anything you have to suggest I'm willing to try."

Elizabeth laughed, "You haven't even heard my ideas yet," she teased her.

"I know I can trust you, Elizabeth," she said.

"Alright then, what if we make a trip back to London and go and see my very good friends Michael and Anna. They often work with Jane and other famous models. Michael will do your hair and Anna will help us with buying and teaching you makeup techniques," she suggested.

Georgiana's eyes lit up with excitement. "I would like that very much," she told her. "It would be like having a makeover."

Elizabeth smiled, "Exactly and then tomorrow we will come back here to Pemberley and do some of the portraits."

Georgiana grew quiet for a moment. "You will stay with me, though, won't you Elizabeth?" she asked rather nervously.

"Of course I will," she told her. "I will call and make the arrangements now."

Georgiana hurried off to change out of her dress as she did she could hear Elizabeth on her iPhone with her friends. "Her name is Georgiana Fitzwilliam. She's a lovely young girl who just needs to update her look a little bit. I want to give her a fresh, modern style, but I don't want to take her hair too short. I want to keep it long, maybe layers or something, and if Anna is up for it, we need some lessons in makeup. I want to give her a fresh look that shows how she's becoming a young woman but still holds on to the fact that she's a teenager."

Moments later Georgiana reappeared, and they were off. She smiled as she sat down in the helicopter next to Elizabeth. "We are having an adventure today aren't we."

"Yes, we most certainly are," she told her as she held on to the seat belt as the helicopter lifted off. Once they were in the air, she felt like she could finally breathe again.