"Georgiana, are you well?"
The girl was seated by the window staring at two peacock feathers in her hand, and it took her a few seconds to emerge from her reverie, whereupon she looked up in confusion at her brother. "Yes, Fitzwilliam, I am well. Why do you ask?"
Darcy walked over to take a seat next to her and said, "I was concerned you might be distressed by Miss Bingley's insistence that you play in company."
"Oh, no, I am quite at ease because Elizabeth took my place though…"
Here the young lady's face clouded, and she said, "I hope I am not being a bad friend by making Elizabeth protect me in this way. It did not occur to me before; she must have hated playing Greensleeves when she has not yet mastered it. Should I apologize to her?"
Darcy reached out to take her hand in his own, even as he smiled upon her reassuringly. "My dear Georgiana, I do beg you not to concern yourself. Miss Bennet has a very different disposition compared to both of us. She manages Miss Bingley's barbs with rare wit and was entirely at ease after you left the music room."
"I am so glad," the girl said, her shoulders sagging with relief.
"I am as well," Darcy returned. "It is a difficult situation for both of us, of course. Miss Bingley is a guest, and we cannot be openly discourteous, but I am not adept at turning the conversation gracefully when she speaks out of turn. I will share this, though I beg you not to mention to anyone else. Mr. Bingley intends to speak to his sister about her incivility toward Miss Bennet and, to some extent, Mrs. Bingley. I hope that Miss Bingley will mend her ways."
"I hope so too, because she is very exhausting and irritating and annoying."
"She is," Darcy agreed with a sigh.
Silence fell for a minute and then Georgiana said, "Do you like Miss Bennet, Brother?"
"I do," he said, "very much. I believe her to be most worthy of your friendship in every way."
"I think you should marry her," Georgiana said bluntly.
Darcy jerked and turned incredulous eyes on his sister. "What?"
"I think you should marry Elizabeth. She is kind, intelligent, gregarious, honorable, and godly. She loves books like you do, and is appreciative of nature. She is well liked by the servants and knows about how to care for an estate. She does not play the pianoforte well, but many people do not. She would be a good wife."
Darcy's surprise gave way to affectionate amusement as he gazed upon his sister's earnest face. Georgiana's view of the world was delightfully different from those that inhabited their sphere of society. She looked upon character traits and interests as opposed to wealth and connections. She was correct too – Miss Bennet was the sort of woman he would like to marry. It was a pity that it was impossible.
"She is a charming woman," Darcy agreed, "but I fear she is not an eligible bride."
Georgiana straightened her spine and stared directly into his eyes, her forehead creased in her perplexity. "Why is she not eligible? You are a gentleman, and she is a gentleman's daughter. Furthermore, her elder sister is married to Mr. Bingley."
As usual, what was obvious to Darcy was not remotely obvious to Georgiana.
"She is a gentleman's daughter, yes," he explained patiently, "but her mother's father was a solicitor, and Miss Bennet has relations in trade. It is not a great concern for Bingley. As the son of a tradesman himself, he is not so greatly affected by the want of connection. But for me, the master of Pemberley, grandson and nephew to an earl? No, my dear, I fear it is quite impossible. I admire Miss Bennet and am grateful that you and she are friends, but I must find a high borne bride to fill the role of mistress of Pemberley."
Georgiana carefully removed her hand from her brother's and said, "You mean that you must find a woman like Miss Bennet, but with statelier relations?"
"Yes, precisely," her brother said approvingly. He was pleased that Georgiana was beginning to understand such things.
"You are eight and twenty, Fitzwilliam. Why have you not married such a woman already?"
Darcy blinked and said, "I have not had the pleasure of meeting such a lady yet, I fear."
"You entered society at one and twenty," Georgiana stated. "You have been master of Pemberley for five years now. You have attended routs and assemblies and balls and house parties. If you have not met a woman like that by now, what makes you think you will ever discover such a lady?"
Darcy's feeling of contentment gave way to surprise and yes, dismay. "I … well, I am not yet thirty and…"
He took a deep breath, blew it out, and said, "Georgiana, I realize you do not understand all the subtleties of the society in which we live, but I assure you that for your sake, and that of the estate, I must marry well. After all, you will eventually enter society yourself, and since our mother is gone, you will benefit from a sister who can help you with your introduction to the haute ton."
"It seems quite stupid to me," his sister said baldly, standing up and peering down at him. "I would far rather have a sister who is kind and loving, even if she is poor and a solicitor's granddaughter, than to be forced to live with a woman like Miss Bingley who cares only about clothing and gossip and the like. If you truly were happy with such a woman, you would have married long ago; there are certainly plenty of women like Miss Bingley who are well born. Besides, I do not wish to enter society ever, and you know that!"
Darcy found that he, too, was on his feet now, and he looked down on his sister with dismay. "Georgiana, I…"
"I am tired and wish to go to bed," the girl said, and now her eyes were bright with tears. "Good night."
He was tempted to continue speaking, to reassure her, but he knew from experience that she was too upset to listen to him. He would tell Mrs. Annesley, and he hoped that she would be able to calm his precious sister down. It was difficult when Georgie was being completely unreasonable, but he could only trust that the lady, a widow with a remarkable ease of manner, would be able to do so.
Or was she being unreasonable?
He fetched Mrs. Annesley to his sister, retired to his bedchamber, and wandered over to the window to stare out toward the Home Farm, which stretched out toward the west where the golden sun was now disappearing over the horizon.
He sighed deeply and leaned his head against the window, suddenly exhausted to the bone. Georgiana was correct; he had met every debutante of note for the last seven years. He had danced and talked and even rode the Promenade in the hopes of finding some woman with whom he could be, if not happy, at least content. And he had not, in all those years, found anyone he found remotely attractive. He was not thinking, of course, of physical beauty. Many of the young ladies of the ton were exquisite. But their interests, their conversation, their passions – they left him entirely cold. That was not, he knew, the fault of the young women. He was not as peculiar a person as Georgiana, but he knew himself to be unusual.
He could, of course, marry his cousin, Anne de Bourgh. She interested him as little as all the other ladies of the ton, but he would acquire Rosings if he married her and, while he did not need, or even want, an additional estate, he would be able to take over the management of the de Bourgh holdings, which were currently suffering under the care of a foolish mistress in the form of his aunt, Lady Catherine.
But he did not want to marry Anne, who was sickly and quiet, and would be no use at all in helping Georgiana launch into society. He wanted to marry a woman he truly admired, a woman he truly loved. But how could he, when he owed it to his sister, to his estate, to his name, to marry a woman of standing?
/
"It is just beyond the trees," Georgiana explained, striding rapidly along the path which led away from the hunting lodge of Pemberley.
Elizabeth, whose legs were shorter than her friend's, found herself hurrying to keep up, which was enjoyably unusual. So often she found herself needing to walk slowly when in company with women, and even some men were inclined to dawdle.
She glanced behind her and was amused to observe Owen, the manservant assigned to watch over them, puffing a little at their rapid pace. A moment later, the path broke out through the stand of ash trees, and Elizabeth found herself crying out with delight at the entrancing sight. A forest of birch, ash, and oak trees flanked the grove to the north and south, while to the east, the ground rose quite precipitously. Within the grove was a pond of some forty by thirty feet in size, surrounded by watercress and a variety of colorful wildflowers. In spite of the June sun shining above them, there was a pleasant breeze blowing from the west, cooling Elizabeth's heated face.
"Georgiana, it is lovely!" she exclaimed, walking closer to the pond and peering into the waters. A moment later, she saw a flash of gold and turned wide eyes on her companion. "What is that?"
"Goldfish," Miss Darcy explained, stepping a little closer to the water and gazing at the small school of fish cogitating beneath the surface. "My brother introduced goldfish to this pond some years ago and they have grown substantially. That one there looks to be at least six inches long!"
"It is marvelous," Elizabeth enthused, turning to inspect the rest of the pond. On one side of the pool, a rocky cliff, some ten feet high, rose to some other source of water, because two streams of liquid were flowing down the stones, striking the surface of the pool, causing the surface to ripple coyly in the light. On the other end of the pool, a stream flowed out of one corner and made its way, splashing and rippling and gurgling, down a gentle slope toward the west.
"Look over there!" Georgiana said, pointing toward the small waterfall.
"Oh," Elizabeth gasped, "is that a rainbow?"
Her companion grasped her arm and pulled her forward a few feet closer to the pool and said, "Yes, the sun often strikes the waterfall at this hour and makes a rainbow. It is not as beautiful as my peacock named Rainbow, but it is still lovely."
Elizabeth laughed and said, "One pleasant thing about the bird it is that he is solid, not ephemeral. Look, it is gone already."
Georgiana peered skyward and said, "It will return soon. There is a cloud covering the sun at the moment, but it will pass within minutes."
Elizabeth squinted upward as well and then looked back at the waterfall. "Even without a rainbow, it is pleasant. The sound of falling water is soothing."
"It is! I think you would love the seashore on that account too, Elizabeth. The sound of the waves breaking rhythmically against the beach is calming."
"I would like to go someday," Elizabeth agreed wistfully, and then shook herself. "But I cannot complain. I have been blessed to visit both Hunsford in Kent and Pemberley in Derbyshire this year. I am grateful for such opportunities to travel, to see new places and meet new people."
"Which have you enjoyed more?" Georgiana asked, turning her clear eyed gaze on her friend.
Elizabeth smiled at this question, knowing that Miss Darcy would far prefer truth than courteous falsehood. In this case, she could speak the truth without hesitation.
"I enjoyed walking the paths of Rosings very much, but I far prefer Pemberley's gardens, peafowl, landscape and geography. As for the companionship – well, I find the company here at Pemberley to be far more pleasurable than in Hunsford. My friend Charlotte Collins is delightful, but her husband and I have little in common, and Lady Catherine is, frankly, quite exhausting in company. Here I have the pleasure of spending time with Jane and Charles, and I am very fond of you, Georgiana, and I find your brother a most interesting gentleman. I am honored to be your friend and will always have fond memories of my time here at Pemberley."
"You must endure Miss Bingley, however, and she is often obnoxious to you. I do not know how you can bear it."
Elizabeth snorted at this blunt assessment but said quickly, "Believe me when I say she does not distress me in the least, my dear friend. Caroline does not like me, and I do not particularly like her. I hope that I am always at least outwardly courteous, and as for her veiled insults, I assure you that I am entirely indifferent."
"Miss Darcy?" a male voice called.
Both women turned toward the manservant, who had remained under the shade of several trees some fifty feet away.
"Is it time to return?" Georgiana inquired, pulling out her watch to consult it. "Oh, yes, it is! Elizabeth, Fitzwilliam said that we would enjoy our picnic at two o'clock, and it is fifteen minutes until two. We must return to the lodge and the others."
"Of course," Elizabeth agreed, though she took a last moment to enjoy the view before turning away. It was likely a forlorn hope, but she would like to return to this place one day.