Hello lovely People!
Just a little chapter to set the scene and ease myself in.
If you haven't read my last story attempt, A Most Convenient Marriage, I would suggest you do so. This story will sort of pick up where that one left off, running in parallel to the original events of P and P.
Of course you do not have to! You do you.
Thanks again to all those who read my other story, commented and basically requested this follow up ;)
"How thrilled you must be, to be but a short distance from home. My, if I should have the great pleasure of calling a place such as Pemberley home, I should never wish to quit it." She offered her well-practised smile at her rather docile companion. As no reply came, she continued thus:
"My, we can be but not one hour, I am certain, from such a happy home! Such a fine estate I am sure could not be equalled anywhere in England. Town can be so dreadfully tedious; especially for one so young, not quite engaged amongst the social sets. Give it time my dear, just give it time. That being said, I am most certain you must be overjoyed at the prospect of quitting London for the pleasures of the country. I myself adore country life, completely and utterly enamoured with it. I have told Charles it is high time he purchased a suitable home in the country; for I am quite desperate to have a refuge in the country. And of course, there is no county I love quite so well as Derbyshire."
Her young companion simply nodded in reply, a faint hint of a smile, before returning once more to gaze out the window in silence. Caroline rolled her eyes in exasperation. Oh, this was becoming excessively droll. Her cheeks quite ached from forced smiles and constant pretty words of encouragement. What was the utter point in having manipulated the carriage occupancy so expertly to one's liking, if the companion of choice was simply not meeting the expectations so desired of them? She leaned back in the carriage and sighed.
She would have been better to leave Louisa just as she was, nestled within their carriage, chattering away like one of her much-loved macaws. Neither wonder her sister had such a fascination for such noisy creatures, for she herself could match them squawk for squawk.
It had not been difficult to persuade her sister that she should ride in the family carriage alongside her husband. Indeed, she could not understand her sister's blatant admiration for her rather odious husband. Caroline could not see the appeal, yet her sister quite simply adored the lump of a man. The prospect of four hours at close proximity; confined to the secluded privacy of a carriage, had been simply too tempting a notion for Louisa once her sister had planted the seed of such a cosy scenario.
As Mr Hurst was not keen to be in the saddle for a long period of time, unless the outcome resulted in the sport of shots fired; he had gladly left their brother and his carriage dogs for the comfort of the family carriage. The three ladies had set forth from London happily settled within the elegance of the Darcy carriage, which had been sent to bring Georgiana home to Pemberley. Such a fine carriage suited Caroline exceedingly. Their own carriages, for she insisted her brother be in possession of several, where exquisite in detail and design; however, nothing could compare to a carriage adorned with the family crest of such a well-established family as the Darcy's.
Yesterday, Caroline had borne her sister's conversation well, for in truth, her constant stream of pointless chatter did help pass the time. Although Georgiana was a sweet girl, she was rather too quiet for Caroline's liking. She had to hand it to her sister, her open manner and harmless nature did at least encourage the girl to converse. They had travelled for almost eight hours the day before, staying at a delightful Inn which Darcy had so graciously recommended to her brother. It had indeed been a most superior recommendation; she doubted her brother would have chosen half so well if left to his own devises.
She was still rather mad at Charles. He knew this to be the case, for she had told him so several times and often with much passion. How dare he consider Netherfield Park as a worthy home in which to take possession. The idea was simply ridiculous. It was vile. How could he think for one moment that their family was suited to such a backward place? That their family name should thus forever be entwined within the so-called genteel families of Hertfordshire was too much to be borne. She shuddered at such a thought. Leasing a country home on a whim was one thing, but a binding purchase was something one had to pay considerable care and attention.
Hopefully his stay at Pemberley, and the delightful countryside of Derbyshire, would sort out her brother's ideals. Surely, he would see that the society and situation of Derbyshire quite simply outweighed all his beloved merits of Hertfordshire; or indeed any other county. Hopefully there would be some young, fatuous girl within the Darcy's wider social circle that would catch her brother's eye. His head was so easily turned by that of a classical beauty, surely there would be some angelic creature that would finally over shadow the lovely Miss Bennet.
Yes, Miss Bennet was indeed the root of problem, she was most certain of it. If it were not for Miss Jane Bennet, she was quite certain her brother would not be half so enamoured by the prospect of purchasing Netherfield Park upon the completion of his current leasehold. It concerned her greatly, for although she had seen her brother often believe himself in love, she felt genuine concern over his current regard for the blonde beauty.
It had been months since they had last been at Netherfield, yet her brother still spoke of the girl fondly at every opportunity. Of course, Caroline did her best to curb such conversation and sentimental recollections of their 'such a happy time' in the country. For Caroline there had been nothing happy about it.
Initially she had been delighted upon confirmation that Darcy would indeed stay with them upon her brother purchasing the lease of a country manor. She had to give Colonel Fitzwilliam his due, although it vexed her greatly; his letter of encouragement at such a scheme had indeed helped secure his cousins presence. She had tried to persuade Darcy to bring Georgiana as one of the party; though he had not been swayed by such a suggestion. It seemed there had been some family issue with regards to his sister and he desired she remain at Pemberley. Caroline had not pushed the matter but had found out from her brother that there was some scandal evolving the young Georgiana, yet he knew not quite the details.
Caroline observed her companion as she sat next to her, calmly looking out the window at the passing landscape. Oh, how she wished to know what such a scandal entailed. She could hardly imagine it was anything so enthralling, for let's face it, Georgiana was hardly an outgoing, socially skilled girl. On the contrary, although a pleasant young thing, she was rather dull.
She was not quite so handsome as her brother. Her features were pleasant, but none could be described as possessing great beauty. Her pale, watery blue eyes seemed to stem from her maternal side, alongside her similarly pale, golden hair. Her cheeks were softly plump with the advantage of youth, while her figure was tall and rather womanly for one of merely sixteen.
Caroline glanced down at her own figure, currently adorned in a fine travelling gown of burnt orange with deep brown trim and matching cloak. She took a great deal of pride in her appearance: It was her most valued asset, and one which her mother had paid particular attention. She missed her mother, but it would not do to dwell on such thoughts. There was nothing Caroline detested more amongst her own sex than those disposed to dwell upon their own misfortunes. It led to the most tedious and tiresome of female companions.
Georgiana was still not quite so tall as Caroline, nor was her figure quite so well proportioned. This pleased her excessively, for she was rather proud of her height; taking full enjoyment the stature it gave her over most of the woman of her acquaintance. It tickled her even more so when she towered over men whose company she could not tolerate. They may look down upon her judgementally for being the granddaughter of a mere tradesmen, but they would need to crane their necks in order to do so.
Speaking of small statured women, she paused for a moment, contemplating the fate of little Miss de Bourgh. She had done all she could do to help rectify the situation. Yes, perhaps she had not helped matters initially, rather hindered them if she were being honest; but surely, she had redeemed herself by speaking the truth to his Lordship? She could only hope Lord Colville had acted upon such knowledge, and that in doing so Colonel Fitzwilliam would be most displeased. Such a thought she found excessively diverting. Oh, what she would give to see the smug, self-satisfied smile wiped from his weather-beaten face. He would think better in future than to chastise her character and insult her person.
She was of course, a little disappointed that such a marriage mart prize as Lord Edward Colville had fallen for the charms of someone so rather dull as Anne de Bourgh. But then who could really understand the rationale behind genuine love and affection? It seemed where so-called love and admiration were considered, it left little much to be desired for taste. Yet, such an opportunity as socialising with a Viscount could not be left unexplored. Oh, she had flirted with him, even believed him to be rather partial to her; but as he had not touched her heart, she could not really be too forlorn over such an outcome. Upon reflection she felt rather bad about her conduct in the whole affair, she would not be so foolish as to agree to anymore of Richards schemes in future. Let him marry his mousey Miss de Bourgh and the matter be done, for she had grown quite tired of such a topic. No, her heart had not been touched and her pride had only mildly been bruised. And besides, although handsome and a Viscount, Edward Colville was still nothing when compared to Fitzwilliam Darcy.
She had rather envisioned that in the privacy of just the two of them, this would allow for a little tête-à-tête between herself and Georgiana. By orchestrating their travel arrangements just so, she had hoped she could manage to draw out some little details, some trait or intimate knowledge of her brother, that only a sister would know. So far, all attempts at such a line of conversation had been utterly fruitless. It was as though the girl simply did not know how to have a gossip rich conversation. Caroline could not scold the girl for such a lack of skill, for this was only to be expected when one had no mother or female sibling in order to take influence. The girl simply needed a sister, a woman whom she could rely upon and confide, then of course lively conversation would naturally follow. She knew, given time, Caroline could offer her all these things. If all went to plan, it would not be too long before Georgiana could look upon her with affection in the role of dear sister.
Suddenly her companion became much more animated. She turned from the window, a wide grin across her cherub like features.
"We are here!" Georgiana cried, almost bouncing on her seat. "Can you see Miss Bingley? We have just passed the Gate House; it is but less than three miles until we shall reach the house."
"My dear how excited you are. It is most unbecoming, sit still. I knew you could not help but feel pleased to be returning to such a house. There is not one finer in all of England."
"I must confess, I have missed Pemberley very much, my music room especially. Above all else I am most keen to see my brother. I am most curious as to news of my aunt Catherine. She had a fall, did you know? My brother left to attend to her. He is so good and kind."
"Yes, I was quite aware of the fact," Caroline replied sitting so close to the quarter light she could feel the coldness of the glass against her cheek. She did not think she would ever tire of seeing the driveway to Pemberley. It started at the far eastern entrance of the grounds and wove its way through a mile of ancient woodland before opening to a magnificent undulating grassland park, with artfully placed clumps of trees in a variety of forms. A huge serpentine lake snaked its way, drinking from the little streams and rivers enroute, until it lay in all its shining glory before the vista of the grand house itself. Small folly's and moments of delight were scattered around the whole of the estate. It was the English countryside at its finest; impeccably orchestrated, yet distinctly wild in nature.
"You have been to Pemberley but once before, have you not? I am pleased it made such a lasting impression on you. I know I am exceedingly lucky to call it home. There is nowhere quite as beautiful as one's home. Have you ever been to Rosings Park? I simply ask for it has the most exotic flower gardens I have ever seen. There is but a whole forest dedicated to the beautiful floral displays of the Rhododendron plant. My cousin Anne has promised I may visit next spring when the majority of the plants are in bloom. Apparently, my late uncle was quite the collector, have you ever heard of such a thing?"
"I have not been fortunate enough to visit and witness the visual delights of Rosings Park, though I am most certain nothing can compare to the delightful picture that is Pemberley. Never has a house, nor its setting ever been so happily united."
As the carriage drew closer to the house, the view became even more alluring, for Mr Darcy himself could be seen awaiting their most anticipated arrival.
